scholarly journals Age-dependent and region-specific alteration of parvalbumin neurons, perineuronal nets and microglia in the mouse prefrontal cortex and hippocampus following obesogenic diet consumption

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy C. Reichelt ◽  
Claire A. Lemieux ◽  
Oren Princz-Lebel ◽  
Ashmita Singh ◽  
Timothy J. Bussey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Perineuronal Nets ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Adult Mice ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Obesogenic Diet ◽  
Specific Alteration ◽  
Delayed Maturation ◽  
The Impact

AbstractEmergent evidence demonstrates that excessive consumption of high fat and high sugar (HFHS) diets has negative consequences on hippocampal and prefrontal cortex (PFC) function. Moreover, the delayed maturation of the PFC including the late development of parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneurons and perineuronal nets (PNNs) may promote vulnerability to HFHS diet-induced nutritional stress. However, the young brain may have some resistance to diet-induced neuroinflammation. Thus, we examined the impact of a HFHS diet commencing either in adolescence or adulthood in male mice. PV interneurons, PNNs and microglia were assessed using immunohistochemistry. We observed greater numbers of PV neurons and PNNs in the hippocampus and the prelimbic and infralimbic PFC in adult mice in comparison to our younger cohort. Mice that consumed HFHS diet as adults had reduced numbers of hippocampal PV neurons and PNNs, which correlated with adiposity. However, we saw no effects of diet on PV and PNNs in the PFC. HFHS diet increased microgliosis in the adult cohort, and morphological changes to microglia were observed in the PFC and hippocampus of the adolescent cohort, with a shift to activated microglia phenotypes. Taken together, these findings demonstrate different regional and age-specific effects of obesogenic diets on PV neurons, PNNs and microglia.

Effects of Neonatal Caffeine Administration on Vessel Reactivity in Adult Mice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajay Pratap Singh ◽  
Praveen Chandrasekharan ◽  
Sylvia Gugino ◽  
Sara Berkelhamer ◽  
Huamei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Systemic Blood Pressure ◽  
Systemic Hypertension ◽  
Male Mice ◽  
Treated Male ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
Adult Mice ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Lower Body Weight ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective The effects of neonatal caffeine therapy in adults born preterm are uncertain. We studied the impact of neonatal caffeine on systemic blood pressure, vessel reactivity, and response to stress in adult mice. Study Design Mice pups were randomized to caffeine (20 mg/kg/d) or saline by intraperitoneal injection for 10 days after birth. We performed tail-cuff BP (8/12 weeks), urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine and fecal corticosterone (14 weeks), and vessel reactivity in aortic rings (16 weeks) in adult mice. Results No differences were noted in systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressures between the two groups at 8 and 12 weeks of age. However, norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction was substantially higher in aortic rings in CAF-treated male mice. More significant vasodilator responses to nitric oxide donors in aortic rings in female mice may suggest gender-specific effects of caffeine. Female mice exposed to caffeine had significantly lower body weight over-time. Caffeine-treated male mice had substantially higher fecal corticosterone and urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine at 14 weeks, suggestive of chronic stress. Conclusion We conclude sex-specific vulnerability to the heightened vascular tone of the aorta in male mice following neonatal caffeine therapy. Altered vessel reactivity and chronic stress in the presence of other risk factors may predispose to the development of systemic hypertension in adults born preterm.

scholarly journals Hepatocyte-specific, PPARγ-regulated mechanisms to promote steatosis in adult mice

2017 ◽  
Vol 232 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Wolf Greenstein ◽  
Neena Majumdar ◽  
Peng Yang ◽  
Papasani V Subbaiah ◽  
Rhonda D Kineman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Peroxisome Proliferator ◽  
Systemic Delivery ◽  
Improve Insulin Sensitivity ◽  
High Fat ◽  
Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor ◽  
Adult Mice ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
The Impact

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is the target for thiazolidinones (TZDs), drugs that improve insulin sensitivity and fatty liver in humans and rodent models, related to a reduction in hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL). The systemic effects of TZDs are in contrast to reports suggesting hepatocyte-specific activation of PPARγ promotes DNL, triacylglycerol (TAG) uptake and fatty acid (FA) esterification. As these hepatocyte-specific effects of PPARγ could counterbalance the positive therapeutic actions of systemic delivery of TZDs, the current study used a mouse model of adult-onset, liver (hepatocyte)-specific PPARγ knockdown (aLivPPARγkd). This model has advantages over existing congenital knockout models, by avoiding compensatory changes related to embryonic knockdown, thus better modeling the impact of altering PPARγ on adult physiology, where metabolic diseases most frequently develop. The impact of aLivPPARγkd on hepatic gene expression and endpoints in lipid metabolism was examined after 1 or 18 weeks (Chow-fed) or after 14 weeks of low- or high-fat (HF) diet. aLivPPARγkd reduced hepatic TAG content but did not impact endpoints in DNL or TAG uptake. However, aLivPPARγkd reduced the expression of the FA translocase (Cd36), in 18-week Chow- and HF-fed mice, associated with increased NEFA after HF feeding. Also, aLivPPARγkd dramatically reduced Mogat1 expression, that was reflected by an increase in hepatic monoacylglycerol (MAG) levels, indicative of reduced MOGAT activity. These results, coupled with previous reports, suggest that Cd36-mediated FA uptake and MAG pathway-mediated FA esterification are major targets of hepatocyte PPARγ, where loss of this control explains in part the protection against steatosis observed after aLivPPARγkd.

The Impact of Visual Stereotypes on Judgments about Rape

2016 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-140
Author(s):  
Robert Busching ◽  
Johannes Lutz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Representations ◽  
Irrelevant Information ◽  
Clear Distinction ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Reverse Correlation ◽  
Correlation Technique ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Legal Judgments ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Legally irrelevant information like facial features is used to form judgments about rape cases. Using a reverse-correlation technique, it is possible to visualize criminal stereotypes and test whether these representations influence judgments. In the first step, images of the stereotypical faces of a rapist, a thief, and a lifesaver were generated. These images showed a clear distinction between the lifesaver and the two criminal representations, but the criminal representations were rather similar. In the next step, the images were presented together with rape scenarios, and participants (N = 153) indicated the defendant’s level of liability. Participants with high rape myth acceptance scores attributed a lower level of liability to a defendant who resembled a stereotypical lifesaver. However, no specific effects of the image of the stereotypical rapist compared to the stereotypical thief were found. We discuss the findings with respect to the influence of visual stereotypes on legal judgments and the nature of these mental representations.

Comparative assessment of morphological mechanisms of maintaining structural liver homeostasis in the dynamics of exposure to coal-rock dust and sodium fluoride on the body

2020 ◽  
pp. 189-194
Author(s):  
M. S. Bugaeva ◽  
O. I. Bondarev ◽  
N. N. Mikhailova ◽  
L. G. Gorokhova
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Fluoride ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
The Body ◽  
System Level ◽  
Production Factor ◽  
Coal Rock ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Structural Homeostasis ◽  
Rock Dust

Introduction. The impact on the body of such factors of the production environment as coal-rock dust and fluorine compounds leads to certain shift s in strict indicators of homeostasis at the system level. Maintaining the relative constancy of the internal environment of the body is provided by the functional consistency of all organs and systems, the leading of which is the liver. Organ repair plays a crucial role in restoring the structure of genetic material and maintaining normal cell viability. When this mechanism is damaged, the compensatory capabilities of the organ are disrupted, homeostasis is disrupted at the cellular and organizational levels, and the development of the main pathological processes is noted.The aim of the study is to compare the morphological mechanisms of maintaining structural homeostasis of the liver in the dynamics of the impact on the body of coal-rock dust and sodium fluoride.Materials and methods. Experimental studies were conducted on adult white male laboratory rats. Features of morphological mechanisms for maintaining structural homeostasis of the liver in the dynamics of exposure to coal-rock dust and sodium fluoride were studied on experimental models of pneumoconiosis and fluoride intoxication. For histological examination in experimental animals, liver sampling was performed after 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 weeks of the experiment.Results. The specificity of morphological changes in the liver depending on the harmful production factor was revealed. It is shown that chronic exposure to coal-rock dust and sodium fluoride is characterized by the development of similar morphological changes in the liver and its vessels from the predominance of the initial compensatory-adaptive to pronounced violations of the stromal and parenchymal components. Long-term inhalation of coal-rock dust at 1–3 weeks of seeding triggers adaptive mechanisms in the liver in the form of increased functional activity of cells, formation of double-core hepatocytes, activation of immunocompetent cells and endotheliocytes, ensuring the preservation of the parenchyma and the general morphostructure of the organ until the 12th week of the experiment. Exposure to sodium fluoride leads to early disruption of liver compensatory mechanisms and the development of dystrophic changes in the parenchyma with the formation of necrosis foci as early as the 6th week of the experiment.Conclusions. The study of mechanisms for compensating the liver structure in conditions of long-term exposure to coal-rock dust and sodium fluoride, as well as processes that indicate their failure, and the timing of their occurrence, is of theoretical and practical importance for developing recommendations for the timely prevention and correction of pathological conditions developing in employees of the aluminum and coal industry.The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Conflicts in Biafra, Katanga and Cabinda as a result of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (10-3) ◽  
pp. 238-246
Author(s):  
Olga Dzhenchakova
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Economic Factor ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

The article considers the impact of the colonial past of some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and its effect on their development during the post-colonial period. The negative consequences of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism are shown on the example of three countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Angola, expressed in the emergence of conflicts in these countries based on ethno-cultural, religious and socio-economic contradictions. At the same time, the focus is made on the economic factor and the consequences of the consumer policy of the former metropolises pursuing their mercantile interests were mixed.

HOW CLIMATE CHANGE CAN INFLUENCE THE AGRICULTURE IN UKRAINE: A REVIEW

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Maidanovych ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Resource Saving ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Average Annual Temperature ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this work is to review and analyze the main results of modern research on the impact of climate change on the agro-sphere of Ukraine. Results. Analysis of research has shown that the effects of climate change on the agro-sphere are already being felt today and will continue in the future. The observed climate changes in recent decades have already significantly affected the shift in the northern direction of all agro-climatic zones of Europe, including Ukraine. From the point of view of productivity of the agro-sphere of Ukraine, climate change will have both positive and negative consequences. The positives include: improving the conditions of formation and reducing the harvesting time of crop yields; the possibility of effective introduction of late varieties (hybrids), which require more thermal resources; improving the conditions for overwintering crops; increase the efficiency of fertilizer application. Model estimates of the impact of climate change on wheat yields in Ukraine mainly indicate the positive effects of global warming on yields in the medium term, but with an increase in the average annual temperature by 2 ° C above normal, grain yields are expected to decrease. The negative consequences of the impact of climate change on the agrosphere include: increased drought during the growing season; acceleration of humus decomposition in soils; deterioration of soil moisture in the southern regions; deterioration of grain quality and failure to ensure full vernalization of grain; increase in the number of pests, the spread of pathogens of plants and weeds due to favorable conditions for their overwintering; increase in wind and water erosion of the soil caused by an increase in droughts and extreme rainfall; increasing risks of freezing of winter crops due to lack of stable snow cover. Conclusions. Resource-saving agricultural technologies are of particular importance in the context of climate change. They include technologies such as no-till, strip-till, ridge-till, which make it possible to partially store and accumulate mulch on the soil surface, reduce the speed of the surface layer of air and contribute to better preservation of moisture accumulated during the autumn-winter period. And in determining the most effective ways and mechanisms to reduce weather risks for Ukrainian farmers, it is necessary to take into account the world practice of climate-smart technologies.

Financial Risks of the Bank: Assessment and Mechanism of Neutralization

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Nelia Volkova ◽  
◽  
Alina Mukhina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Financial Risk ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Financial Risks ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Relevant Today ◽  
Banking Institution ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Introduction. The issue of financial risk management of commercial banks is quite relevant today, because the activity of banks is the most risky of all. The presence of risks in banking can lead to unexpected losses, namely the loss of own resources. That’s why for the stable operation of the bank without loss the priority is to assess the financial risks, which is the basis for their further neutralization. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to develop conceptual provisions for assessment financial risks and justifying the need to neutralize them. Results. The article analyzes the impact of risks on the financial stability of a banking institution. The main methods of bank risk assessment are considered. All these include the statistical method, the analytical method, the expert method, the analogue method and the combined method. The necessity of neutralization of financial risks in order to avoid negative consequences is substantiated. Also the methods of bank risks neutralization are considered. It should be noted that these methods of neutralization can not only be used, but also supplement the list with new methods must be done, which in the future will protect the bank from the influence of undesirable factors. A conceptual approach to the assessment and neutralization of financial risks is proposed. This conceptual approach aims to ensure effective assessment of the level of risk with their subsequent neutralization Conclusions. Use of a conceptual approach will allow an effective risk assessment and decision-making to avoid or accept risk. Thanks to using this approach, the banking institution will be able to react swiftly to the presence of financial risks and to prevent the occurrence of negative consequences, which may lead to a violation of the financial stability of the bank.

The Impact of Sanctions on North Korea’s Foreign Trade from the Perspective of the Comparative Advantage Theory

2019 ◽  
pp. 4-15
Author(s):  
I. A. Korgun ◽  
G. D. Toloraya
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Trade ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
National Economy ◽  
North Korea ◽  
Rent Seeking ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Global Trade ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact

The presented study analyzes the opportunities for North Korea to capitalize on its competitive advantages in foreign trade in the context of sanctions.Aim. The study aims to identify mechanisms that allow North Korea to engage in foreign trade in circumvention of UN sanctions and to analyze their impact on the national economy.Tasks. The authors analyze the structure of North Korea’s national economy, its initial competitive advantage, identify the specific features of North Korea’s foreign trade in the context of sanctions, and determine the consequences of illicit trade in circumvention of sanctions for the national economy.Methods. This study uses an interdisciplinary approach that combines the classical theory of competitive advantage with the concept of rent seeking, with the concept of rent seeking and analysis of trade flows.Results. The study shows that, despite the restrictions imposed by sanctions, North Korea strives to make the most of its advantages, such as resource availability and cheap labor, in global trade. The country builds its own export-import chains in circumvention of sanctions. These chains are rather mobile, flexible, and controlled by the elite. As a result, benefits from trade that could be evenly distributed among the population are concentrated in the hands of a narrow segment of society. ‘Rent seeking’ makes it possible to formulate the negative consequences of these processes for the North Korean economy and the international community.Conclusions. Solving the North Korean issue requires an economic transformation in the country through the replacement of restrictive sanctions with more constructive ones. The exclusion of North Korea from open global trade leads to the country’s marginalization and impairs the transparency of international commodity flows.

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