The effect of tail docking in neonatal pigs on the central expression of genes involved in modulating anxiety-like behaviour

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-53
Author(s):  
P. Oberst ◽  
D.A. Sandercock ◽  
P. Di Giminiani ◽  
S.A. Edwards ◽  
P.J. Brunton
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Postnatal Life ◽  
Large White ◽  
Neonatal Pigs ◽  
Tail Docking ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Background Adverse experiences in early life, such as exposure to stress, can have long term detrimental effects on the future physiology and behaviour of the animal. Typically animals exposed to such experiences are more anxious and more reactive to stress in later life. Tail biting is a major problem in modern pig production, both in terms of animal welfare and productivity. Tail docking in early postnatal life is common practice to reduce risk of this problem, but causes pain and may alter pain sensitivity. Aims To investigate whether a significant painful experience in early life (tail docking) alters the expression of genes in the amygdala that are linked to an anxiety-prone phenotype. Methods Eight female piglets (Landrace/Large White × synthetic sireline) were used. Four piglets were tail docked (amputation of approx. 2/3 of the tail) on post-natal day 3 using hot-iron cautery and four sham-docked piglets served as intact controls. On post-natal day 10, pigs were sedated and then euthanized by barbiturate overdose. Brains were removed, the amygdala grossly dissected and frozen on dry ice. 20 μm sections were cut and subsequently processed using in situ hybridisation with radiolabelled probes complementary to corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor-1 (Crhr1) and CRH receptor-2 (Crhr2) mRNA. Results Crhrl mRNA expression was significantly greater in the amygdala of tail-docked piglets compared with the sham-docked animals. There was no significant difference detected in Crhr2 expression in the amygdala between the groups. Conclusion Increased expression of Crhrl in the amygdala is associated with an anxiety-prone phenotype in rats and pigs, thus it is likely that tail docking in early life leads to enhanced anxiety which may have a negative impact on pig welfare. Ongoing experiments will determine whether these central changes in gene expression are long-lasting. [Support: BBSRC/DEFRA, part of ANIWHA ERA-NET initiative].

Decomposing the effects of childhood adversity on later-life depression among Europeans: a comparative analysis by gender

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Verropoulou ◽  
Eleni Serafetinidou ◽  
Cleon Tsimbos
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Childhood Health ◽  
Decomposition Approach ◽  
Adverse Experiences

AbstractThe aims of the present study are twofold: first, to examine the importance of socio-economic disadvantage, adverse experiences and poor health in childhood on later-life depression by sex and, second, to discern the direct and indirect effects of childhood circumstances using a decomposition technique. Data are derived from Waves 2 and 3 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The methods involve use of logistic regression models and a decomposition approach. The findings indicate that childhood socio-economic status (SES) for both genders and cognitive function for men have only a significant direct effect, consistent with the critical period model. Childhood health for men and poor parental mental health for women are nearly fully mediated by adulthood and later-life circumstances, a fact in line with the pathway model. Poor childhood health, parental excessive alcohol consumption and cognitive function for women and adverse experiences for men have both significant direct and indirect effects, consistent with both models. Mediating factors include poor adulthood and later-life health, socio-economic adversity and stress; adulthood and later-life SES mediate early life health and adverse experiences more strongly for men, whereas stress seems to mediate early life adverse experiences to a greater extent among women. Intervening policies should address childhood adversity while considering the differential vulnerability of men and women.

scholarly journals Early-life manipulation of cortisol and its receptor alters stress axis programming and social competence

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1770) ◽  
pp. 20180119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Reyes-Contreras ◽  
Gaétan Glauser ◽  
Diana J. Rennison ◽  
Barbara Taborsky
Keyword(s):  
Social Competence ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Physiological Mechanism ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Evolutionary Medicine ◽  
Stress Axis ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Coping With Stress ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Social Challenge

In many vertebrate species, early social experience generates long-term effects on later life social behaviour. These effects are accompanied by persistent modifications in the expression of genes implicated in the stress axis. It is unknown, however, whether stress axis programming can affect the development of social competence, and if so, by which mechanism(s). Here, we used pharmacological manipulations to persistently reprogramme the hypothalamic–pituitary–interrenal axis of juvenile cooperatively breeding cichlids, Neolamprologus pulcher. During the first two months of life, juveniles were repeatedly treated with cortisol, mifepristone or control treatments. Three months after the last manipulation, we tested for treatment effects on (i) social competence, (ii) the expression of genes coding for corticotropin-releasing factor ( crf ), glucocorticoid receptor ( gr1 ) and mineralocorticoid receptor ( mr ) in the telencephalon and hypothalamus and (iii) cortisol levels. Social competence in a social challenge was reduced in cortisol-treated juveniles, which is in accordance with previous work applying early-life manipulations using different social experiences. During early life, both cortisol and mifepristone treatments induced a persistent downregulation of crf and upregulation of mr in the telencephalon. We suggest that these persistent changes in stress gene expression may represent an effective physiological mechanism for coping with stress. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Developing differences: early-life effects and evolutionary medicine’.

To dock or not to dock? Faecal soiling measurement in sheep

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
VS Soriano ◽  
FO Stamm ◽  
CA Taconeli ◽  
CFM Molento
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Burden Of Proof ◽  
Ovis Aries ◽  
Intra Class Correlation ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Tail Docking ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Faecal Soiling ◽  
Intra Class Correlation Coefficient

Faecal soiling is one of the welfare indicators in the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for sheep (Ovis aries) and is measured by dag scores. Studies on dag scoring for ewes with docked and undocked tails have given rise to contradictory results. The aim of this study was to compare faecal soiling between ewes with docked and undocked tails and evaluate inter-rater reliability for faecal soiling of ewes. This study was conducted on a farm in Southern Brazil and included 66 undocked and 94 docked ewes. Dag score was recorded by three assessors on a scale of 1 to 5. There was no significant difference on faecal soiling for docked compared to undocked ewes and the median dag score was 3 (1–5). Repeatability amongst assessors by intra-class correlation coefficient of dag scores on docked and undocked ewes was 0.49 and 0.40, respectively; however, these repeatabilities showed no significant differences. The modest repeatability between three assessors on dag scoring indicates caution as regards the use of faecal soiling as an indicator and suggests a need for further studies. The best field results may be obtained by increasing the assessment sample to at least 160 ewes or by raising the number of assessors to five to promote better inter-observer repeatability. Results suggest that taildocking did not promote cleanliness on the breech area. Considering the negative impact on welfare, it seems reasonable to reverse the burden of proof and desist from recommending tail-docking in the absence of clear scientific evidence of any benefit.

scholarly journals Epigenetic mechanisms elicited by nutrition in early life

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Berni Canani ◽  
Margherita Di Costanzo ◽  
Ludovica Leone ◽  
Giorgio Bedogni ◽  
Paolo Brambilla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
And Function

A growing number of studies focusing on the developmental origin of health and disease hypothesis have identified links among early nutrition, epigenetic processes and diseases also in later life. Different epigenetic mechanisms are elicited by dietary factors in early critical developmental ages that are able to affect the susceptibility to several diseases in adulthood. The studies here reviewed suggest that maternal and neonatal diet may have long-lasting effects in the development of non-communicable chronic adulthood diseases, in particular the components of the so-called metabolic syndrome, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and CVD. Both maternal under- and over-nutrition may regulate the expression of genes involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Early postnatal nutrition may also represent a vital determinant of adult health by making an impact on the development and function of gut microbiota. An inadequate gut microbiota composition and function in early life seems to account for the deviant programming of later immunity and overall health status. In this regard probiotics, which have the potential to restore the intestinal microbiota balance, may be effective in preventing the development of chronic immune-mediated diseases. More recently, the epigenetic mechanisms elicited by probiotics through the production of SCFA are hypothesised to be the key to understand how they mediate their numerous health-promoting effects from the gut to the peripheral tissues.

scholarly journals The Effect of Childhood Starvation on Mental Health of Older Adults: Evidence From China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuo Zhang ◽  
Si-qing Zhang ◽  
Si-meng Cheng ◽  
Jia-hao Wang ◽  
Yi-wen Tao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Purpose: Poverty and hunger are still severe problems faced by the world today, especially in developing countries. Starvation in childhood usually damaged mental health in later years. But, does this proposition apply China? The answer could not only verify the validity of the current research findings, but also provide certain significance for the intervention and formulation of global public health policy.Method: This research was based on the data of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey data in 2018, and 1820 elderly people were investigated. The impact of childhood starvation on mental health in later years was investigated by the Ordinary Least Squares method. Moreover, the robustness tests conducted by replacing independent variable to severity of childhood starvation and dividing the samples to different age ranges. Furthermore, heterogeneity was also analyzed based on different gender, different domicile where they born, and different level of education.Results: The childhood starvation was associated with less mental health scores in later life. The older who suffered from childhood starvation showed worsen mental health in later years, especially in the illiterate samples and the rural samples. However, there was no significant difference when considering different gender.Conclusions: Childhood starvation worsened the mental health in later life, and the level of education and being born in urban had a mediating effect to the relationship. In order to reduce the negative impact of childhood starvation on mental health, anti-poverty strategies, such as providing assistance to children who are hungry, and developing early intervention programs for children's development, should be promoted around the world. Meanwhile, the local development, industrialization and modernization, as well as children's educational attainment should also be promoted while preventing child hunger.

scholarly journals 357 Early life factors shaping gut development and lifelong disease risk

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 92-92
Author(s):  
Adam J Moeser
Keyword(s):  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Postnatal Life ◽  
Gut Development ◽  
Neurobehavioral Disorders ◽  
Bowel Disorders

Abstract The first 3–4 months of postnatal life represents a critical period in gastrointestinal (GI) development that shapes lifelong function and disease resistance. During this period, extensive maturation of the immune and nervous systems, and epithelial transport and barrier function, occurs. While some aspects of early life gut development are genetically “hard-wired,” the GI system exhibits a high degree of plasticity, and thus developmental trajectory and long-term function can be significantly modified during this period via host and environmental influences. Stress or adversity during early critical periods of development has been recognized as a significant risk factor for the later-life susceptibility to several GI and systemic chronic inflammatory and debilitating diseases in humans and animals, including functional bowel disorders characterized by dysmotility and neuroinflammation, but also disease associated with systemic inflammation, such as metabolic disorders (obesity and Type 2 diabetes) and neurobehavioral disorders including anxiety and depression. Moreover, early life stressors include routine management practices such as maternal separation and early weaning, social disruption, and early immune activation from disease or vaccination, and thus early life stress is common in animals. While the link between early life adversity and later life disease risk is well-established across species, the mechanisms that link early life stress, gut development and lifelong disease risk are poorly understood, and thus targeted management, therapeutic and nutritional strategies to reduce the negative impacts of early life stress are lacking. This goal of this presentation is to provide a biological framework for understanding how early life environmental and host factors such as stress and biological sex can alter the normal trajectory of GI development and disease risk throughout the lifespan. Ways in which changes in gut development might drive the risk for diseases important to many species, such as metabolic disease, functional/inflammatory bowel disorders and neurobehavioral disorders, will be discussed.

Negative Life Events Associated With Deliberate Self-Harm in an African Population in Uganda

Crisis ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Kinyanda ◽  
H. Hjelmeland ◽  
S. Musisi
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Negative Life Events ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Dose Effect ◽  
Deliberate Self Harm ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Suicide Interventions

Abstract. Negative life events associated with deliberate self-harm (DSH) were investigated in an African context in Uganda. Patients admitted at three general hospitals in Kampala, Uganda were interviewed using a Luganda version (predominant language in the study area) of the European Parasuicide Study Interview Schedule I. The results of the life events and histories module are reported in this paper. The categories of negative life events in childhood that were significantly associated with DSH included those related to parents, significant others, personal events, and the total negative life events load in childhood. For the later-life time period, the negative life events load in the partner category and the total negative life events in this time period were associated with DSH. In the last-year time period, the negative life events load related to personal events and the total number of negative life events in this time period were associated with DSH. A statistically significant difference between the cases and controls for the total number of negative life events reported over the entire lifetime of the respondents was also observed, which suggests a dose effect of negative life events on DSH. Gender differences were also observed among the cases. In conclusion, life events appear to be an important factor in DSH in this cultural environment. The implication of these results for treatment and the future development of suicide interventions in this country are discussed.

Incubation Temperature Influences the Duration of Egg Hatching and Early Development in the Boreal Digging Frog, Kaloula Borealis

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. ACCEPTED
Author(s):  
Rho-Jeong Rae
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Incubation Temperature ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Egg Hatching ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Hatching Rates

This study investigated the boreal digging frog, Kaloula borealis, to determine the egg hatching period and whether the hatching period is affected by incubation temperature. The results of this study showed that all the eggs hatched within 48 h after spawning, with 28.1% (±10.8, n=52) hatching within 24 h and 99.9% (±0.23, n=49) within 48 h after spawning. A significant difference was noted in the mean hatching proportion of tadpoles at different water temperatures. The mean hatching rates between 15 and 24 h after spawning was higher at a water temperature of 21.1 (±0.2) °C than at 24.1 (±0.2) °C. These results suggest that incubation temperature affected the early life stages of the boreal digging frog, since they spawn in ponds or puddles that form during the rainy season.

Comparison of Time spent between an electronic and a paper-based laboratory information system by laboratorians at a polyclinic in Greater Accra, Ghana: A time-motion study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Boakye
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Laboratory Information System ◽  
Time Motion ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
Motion Study ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Motion Studies

The acceptance of electronic laboratory information system (LIS) is gradually increasing in developing countries. However, the issue of time effectiveness due to computerization is less clear as there is fewer accessible information. One of the key issues for laboratorians is their indecision with LISs’ would-be effect of time on their work. A polyclinic in Ghana was in the process of implementing electronic LIS. Several of the laboratorians did not have knowledge and skill in computing and there were disagreeing views on the time effectiveness of the LIS after implementation. The management of the polyclinic laboratory was concerned to assess time advantageousness of recording data when using the electronic LIS compared with paper-based LIS. <div><br></div><div>Five randomly selected laboratorians were provided two sheets of paper with tables to document the time they spent for both paper-based and electronic LIS. Data were collected for a total of 230 records,115 electronic LIS and 115 paper-based LIS. The t-test (mean-comparison test) was computed to compare the means of both electronic and paperbased LIS times. </div><div><br></div><div>There was a statistical significant difference in the time spent between electronic and paper-based LIS. The time spent between paper-based and electronic LIS was 0.41 minutes (95% CI 0.15 to 0.66) longer than in electronic LIS. </div><div><br></div><div>LIS can be adopted in polyclinics without having significant negative impact on time spent between electronic and paper-based LIS. More time–motion studies that include laboratorians are however necessary in order to get a more complete picture of time spent between electronic and paper-based LIS. </div>

Protector and Casualty

2019 ◽  
pp. 495-522
Author(s):  
Meg Dennison ◽  
Katie McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Positive Emotionality ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Positive Valence

Early-life adversity is associated with elevated risk for a wide range of mental disorders across the lifespan, including those that involve disruptions in positive emotionality. Although extensive research has evaluated heightened negative emotionality and threat processing as developmental mechanisms linking early-life adversity with mental health problems, emerging evidence suggests that positive emotions play an integral, but complex, role in the association of early-life adversity with psychopathology. This chapter identifies two pathways through which positive emotion influences risk for psychopathology following early-life adversity. First, experiences of early-life adversity may alter the development of the “positive valence system”, which in turn increases risk for psychopathology. Second, the association between adversity and psychopathology may vary as a function of individual differences in positive emotionality. We consider how the development of positive emotionality—measured at psychological, behavioral and neurobiological levels—may be altered by early-life adversity, creating a diathesis for psychopathology. We additionally review evidence for the role of positive emotion, measured at multiple levels, as a protective factor that buffers against the adverse impacts of adversity. In integrating these two roles, it is proposed that characteristics of environmental adversity, including developmental timing, duration, and type of adversity, may differentially impact the development of positive emotionality, leading to a better understanding of risks associated with specific adverse experiences. Methodological issues regarding the measurement of adverse environments as well as implications for early intervention and treatment are discussed.

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