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During the COVID-19 pandemic, unexpected activity patterns emerged among Yucatan mini-swine models for heart failure and atrial fibrillation. As part of our laboratory research, we tracked activity data by FitBark™ collars that the Yucatan mini-swine wore. Previously, staff engaged with the swine daily, such as applying lotion and conducting 6-min treadmill runs. However, pandemic restrictions reduced interaction to 1 or 2 times a week, often for less than 10 min each session. Contrary to expectations, there was a significant increase in the swine's activity levels during these minimal interaction periods. After cleaning, moisturizing, weighing, and FitBark data collection, staff engaged with the swine through feeding and play. Three time frames were analyzed: prepandemic, pandemic, and reentry. Prepandemic and reentry periods involved daily 15-min interactions with 2 staff members per swine to maintain cleanliness and health. During the pandemic, interaction was reduced to 1 or 2 times weekly. The hours between 1000 and 1400 were designated as 'passive activity', representing the swines' isolated behavior, unaffected by staff interaction. The chronic heart failure swine ( n = 3) had an average passive activity area under the curve prepandemic value of 47.23 ± 2.52 compared with pandemic 57.09 ± 2.90, pandemic 57.09 ± 2.90 compared with reentry 50.44 ± 1.61, and prepandemic compared with reentry. The atrial fibrillation swine ( n = 3) had an average passive activity area under the curve minimal interaction (mimicking pandemic) value of 59.27 ± 6.67 compared with interaction (mimicking prepandemic or reentry) 37.63 ± 1.74. The heightened activity levels during minimal interaction suggest physiologic and psychologic changes in the animals due to reduced socialization. This highlights the importance of enrichment and interaction in research animals and underscores the broader impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on research outcomes. These findings could also shed light on the effects of the pandemic on human behavior.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of resorbable collagen membranes in guided tissue regeneration. The study participants were 38 adults with moderate to advanced periodontitis. Each patient had at least one Class II furcation defect which could serve as either a test or control tooth. The cases were randomized prior to selection, so that investigators did not known whether the patient would be a test case or a control case until the time of surgery. Sites were surgically exposed and measurements were recorded from the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) directly coronal to the furcation area to the alveolar crest, and to the base of the defect. Horizontal furcation measurements were also made, using a color coded furcation probe. The test patients had a trimmed and shaped collagen membrane barrier placed over the prepared furcation area. The control patients received the identical surgical management, except that no collagen membrane barrier was placed. All patients received normal post-surgical care, and at 12 weeks post-surgery, were scheduled for re-entry surgery. The re-entry mucoperiosteal flaps were designed to expose the furcation area for measurements, as described above. There was clinical improvement in all measurements made in both the test and control patients over the 3-month period. The horizontal furcation measurement and the CEJ to base of alveolar defect measurements did yield a statistically significant improvement when comparing the test patients to the controls.