Exam 4: Biomedical/Research Flashcards
What are the breeds used in research?
Hanford
Yucatán
Sinclair
Panepinto
Gottingen
How long can a pig heart valve last in a human body?
up to 15 years
How were pigs used to treat diabetics in the 1970s?
Insulin from pigs was used before synthetic insulin was developed
How is pig blood used in human medicine?
Pigs are the best candidates for xenotransfusion (animal to human blood) because porcine blood has the most similar characteristics to human blood
What are the similar features pigs and humans have?
Size
Similar anatomical and physiological functions
Many organs have the same structure, about 80-90% similar to the following systems in humans- heart, lungs, skin, GI system
Pigs in cardiovascular research
Pigs hearts are approximately the same size as humans
Similar blood compoisition
Structural similarities
Prone to develop artery plaque buildup like humans do
How are pigs used in nutritional studies?
Similar digestive physiology to humans
Used to test diabetes treatment
alcoholism and gastric ulcers
baby pigs used to study digestive function in low weight infants
Pigs in wound healing and plastic surgeries?
Pigs have thicker skin however, it heals similar to human skin and is useful in the studies of burn victims and chemical weapon testing
Pigs and Muscle Growth
Scientists were able to re-grow human leg muscle using implants made of pig bladder tissue
What type of research is the Yucatan breed used for?
Hairless
Used for skin studies
Sometimes used for skin cancer research
What is the Hanford breed used for?
Very lean, used for surgical studies because there is not a lot of fat to cut through
Small, but have normal-sized internal organs
What is the Sinclair breed used for?
Bladder research
Skin
Melanoma research
Rearing sows for biomedical research
Pregnant sows have a hysterectomy near farrowing date so the pigs are sterile
Reared under sterile conditions (filtered air, sterilized water)
Individual isolators
What types of organs can be transplanted from pigs?
Heart and lung donors
Pig to baboons
heart
lung
kidney
liver
pancreas
cornea
