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Black bears spend several months each winter confined to a small space within their den without food or water. In nonhibernating mammals, these conditions typically result in severe muscle atrophy, causing a loss of strength and endurance. However, an initial study indicated that bears appeared to conserve strength while denning. We conducted an in vivo, nonsubjective measurement of strength, resistance to fatigue, and contractile properties on the tibialis anterior muscle of six hibernating bears during both early and late winter using a rigid leg brace and foot force plate. After 110 d of anorexia and confinement, skeletal muscle strength loss in hibernating bears was about one-half that in humans confined to bed rest. Bears lost 29% of muscle strength over 110 d of denning without food, while humans on a balanced diet but confined to bed for 90 d have been reported to lose 54% of their strength. Additionally, muscle contractile properties, including contraction time, half-relaxation time, half-maximum value time, peak rate of development and decay, time to peak force development, and time to peak force decay did not change, indicating that no small-scale alterations in whole-muscle function occurred over the winter. This study further supports our previous findings that black bears have a high resistance to atrophy despite being subjected to long-term anorexia and limited mobility.

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Black bears spend four to seven months every winter confined to their den and anorexic. Despite potential for skeletal muscle atrophy and protein loss, bears appear to retain muscle integrity throughout winter dormancy. Other authors have suggested that bears are capable of net protein anabolism during this time. The present study was performed to test this hypothesis by directly measuring skeletal muscle protein metabolism during the summer, as well as early and late hibernation periods. Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis of six free-ranging bears in the summer, and from six others early in hibernation and again in late winter. Protein synthesis and breakdown were measured on biopsies using (14)C-phenylalanine as a tracer. Muscle protein, nitrogen, and nucleic acid content, as well as nitrogen stable isotope enrichment, were also measured. Protein synthesis was greater than breakdown in summer bears, suggesting that they accumulate muscle protein during periods of seasonal food availability. Protein synthesis and breakdown were both lower in winter compared to summer but were equal during both early and late denning, indicating that bears are in protein balance during hibernation. Protein and nitrogen content, nucleic acid, and stable isotope enrichment measurements of the biopsies support this conclusion.

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Several anatomic axes routinely are used for determining femoral rotational alignment in total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of these techniques. The transepicondylar axis, anteroposterior axis, and balanced flexion gap tension line were identified relative to the posterior condylar axis in 8 fresh frozen cadaver knees by 3 independent observers. The flexion-extension axis was defined in each knee for comparison. The anteroposterior and balanced tension axes defined most reliably the flexion-extension axis and best balanced the flexion gap with no significant interobserver differences. The transepicondylar axis was less predictable and significantly more externally rotated than the anteroposterior axis (P < .005) and the balanced tension line (P < .00001). Flexion gap tensioning may offer superior reliability because of its independence of obscured or distorted bone landmarks.

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Studies of the metabolic and physiological changes that bears undergo during hibernation have, for the most part, supported the paradigm that bears use only fatty tissues as a metabolic substrate during hibernation. This study was performed to document the extent of protein loss and alteration of muscle-fiber characteristics of selected muscles in black bears during winter dormancy. Muscle biopsies were removed from the gastrocnemius and biceps femoris from seven free-ranging female black bears on the Uncompahgre Plateau in west-central Colorado. Six of the seven bears produced cubs during the hibernating season. Muscle samples were collected from the left hind limb shortly after bears entered their dens (fall), and additional samples were collected from the right hind limb just prior to bears leaving their dens (spring). Protein concentration, fast- and slow-twitch muscle-fiber ratios and muscle-fiber cross-sectional areas, and citrate synthase activity were measured in the laboratory. While protein concentration decreased in both muscles during the hibernation period, it was lower than predicted for lactating females. In addition, muscle-fiber number and cross-sectional area were unchanged in these muscles, suggesting only limited muscle atrophy. In support of these observations, there was a moderate but significant increase in the proportion of fast-twitch fibers only in the biceps femoris, with a concomitant decrease in citrate synthase activity, but no alteration of the fiber ratio in the gastrocnemius during hibernation. These findings suggest that hibernating bears, particularly lactating females, do use some protein, in concert with fat catabolism, as a metabolic substrate and as a source of water. However, the extent of this protein use is moderate and is associated with limited alteration of muscle structure, characteristic of disuse atrophy.

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Ganglion cysts are commonly seen in orthopedic and general practice. Compression of the common peroneal nerve by a ganglion cyst is rare in children; to the authors' knowledge, only five cases in patients younger than 18 years have been reported. A ganglion cyst was found in a 3-year-old child who was brought in for an evaluation of intoeing and was found subsequently to have a mass in the proximal aspect of the right leg. The literature is reviewed with attention to specific recommendations for the evaluation of soft tissue masses and the utility of imaging modalities.

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In winter, the ratio of serum urea to serum creatinine is 10 or less in denning female and male bears. In midsummer it is 22 or more, similar to that of other mammals. However, in late summer and early fall, while food is available, the urea-to-creatinine ratio approaches or becomes 10 or less. The low value of this ratio appears to indicate the biochemical state of hibernation, and many bears are in this state weeks before they den.

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Blood films from 361 sage grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) from North Park, Colorado, were examined for hematozoa. Parasites found were: Plasmodium pedioecetii , Haemoproteus canachites , Leucocytozoon bonasae , Trypanosoma avium , and microfilariae. The sage grouse represents a new host record for Plasmodium . Prevalence of parasitism was not age or sex related, with no significant (P > 0.05) differences between age or sex class. Parasite burdens increased significantly (P < 0.05) from January through May. As these burdens rose prior to the emergence of potential vectors, probably it was a true relapse associated with the resumption of the hosts' sexual activity.