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Previous studies show that Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) and Eugenia caryophyllata (clove) essential oils can help relieve dental pain. Clove oil and lavender oil were tested as topical anesthetics in this study on rabbits, and their effects and likely mechanisms of action were analyzed. Clove oil and lavender oil were extracted by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-setup apparatus. Topically applying lidocaine, clove oil, or lavender oil topically all significantly reduced corneal sensitivity. The sensitivity of the cornea was successfully reduced by treatments consisting of lidocaine at a concentration of 0.5%, 25 μg of clove oil, and 50 μg of lavender oil. When clove oil is applied topically to the cornea, it produces effects similar to those of a local anesthetic due to the involvement of the cholinergic system. To achieve the desired effect of producing local anesthesia in the cornea of the rabbit, lidocaine, clove oil, and lavender oil were applied topically to the animal. A noticeable local anesthetic effect was produced when sub-anesthetic doses of lidocaine were combined with sub-anesthetic doses of lavender or clove oil.

Ocular surface health, the cognitive status, psychological health or human neurological disorders, among others, can be assessed by studying eye blinking, which can be differentiated in spontaneous, reflex and voluntary. Its diagnostic potential has provided a great number of works that evaluate their characteristics and variations depending on the subject's condition (sex, tiredness, health, …). The objective of this study was to analyse the differences in blinking kinematics of spontaneous and reflex blinks, distinguishing between direct and consensual reflexes, using a self-developed, non-invasive and image processing-based method. A video-oculography system is proposed using an air jet driven by a syringe to induce reflex and a high-speed camera to record the blinking of both eyes. The light intensity diffused by the eye changes during blinking and peaks when the eyelid closes. Sixty-second sequences were recorded of 25 subjects blinking. Intensity curves were off-line fitted to an exponentially modified Gaussian (EMG) function, whose σ, μ and τ parameters were analysed. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of these parameters was conducted to test the influence of the subject, the eye and blink type. In the closing phase, direct and consensual corneal reflexes are faster than spontaneous blinking, but there was no significant difference between them, nor between right and left eyes. In the opening phase, the direct corneal reflex was the slowest and significant differences appeared between right and left eyes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the persistence of two signs of consciousness (rhythmic breathing and corneal reflex) in lambs slaughtered according to the traditional method and Halal ritual rite. A total of 240 lambs were examined and divided into two equal groups (n = 120 each). Lambs of group A were subjected to the stunning phase by the action of an electric current on the brain, while lambs of group B were slaughtered according to the religious Halal method without prior stunning. Rhythmic breathing (RB) and corneal reflex (CR) were used as indicators of prolonged brain function, and their evaluation was carried out by the operators in three subsequent steps at 15 s, 30 s, and 90 s post-bleeding, respectively. The stunning of the lambs reduced the animal’s state of consciousness and, consequently, reduced suffering, pain, and distress. Indeed, the lambs of group B showed longer duration consciousness than the animals stunned by electrodes. The permanence of the reflexes in Halal slaughter could be reduced by introducing a reversible stunning method to make the animal temporarily unconscious. Moreover, given that our results revealed consciousness also after 90 s post-cut, the assessment of the animal’s state of consciousness in wider time intervals than those commonly used is recommended.