scholarly journals The Development of Sleep/Wake Disruption and Cataplexy as Hypocretin/Orexin Neurons Degenerate in Male vs. Female Orexin/tTA; TetO-DTA Mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Sun ◽  
Ryan Tisdale ◽  
Sunmee Park ◽  
Jasmine Heu ◽  
Shun-Chieh Ma ◽  
...  

Narcolepsy Type 1 (NT1), a sleep disorder with similar prevalence in both sexes, is thought to be due to loss of the hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) neurons. Several transgenic strains have been created to model this disorder and are increasingly being used for preclinical drug development and basic science studies, yet most studies have solely used male mice. We compared the development of narcoleptic symptomatology in male vs. female orexin-tTA; TetO-DTA mice, a model in which Hcrt neuron degeneration can be initiated by removal of doxycycline (DOX) from the diet. EEG, EMG, body temperature, gross motor activity and video recordings were conducted for 24-h at baseline and 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks after DOX removal. Female DTA mice exhibited cataplexy, the pathognomonic symptom of NT1, by Week 1 in the DOX(-) condition but cataplexy was not consistently present in males until Week 2. By Week 2, both sexes showed an impaired ability to sustain long wake bouts during the active period, the murine equivalent of excessive daytime sleepiness in NT1. Body temperature appeared to be regulated at lower levels in both sexes as the Hcrt neurons degenerated. During degeneration, both sexes also exhibited the Delta State, characterized by sudden cessation of activity, high delta activity in the EEG, maintenance of muscle tone and posture, and the absence of phasic EMG activity. Since the phenotypes of the two sexes were indistinguishable by Week 6, we conclude that both sexes can be safely combined in future studies to reduce cost and animal use.

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 614-634
Author(s):  
Ayodele T. Odularu ◽  
Peter A. Ajibade

Abstract The aim of this review study was to assess the past significant events on diabetes mellitus, transformations that took place over the years in the medical records of treatment, countries involved, and the researchers who brought about the revolutions. This study used the content analysis to report the existence of diabetes mellitus and the treatments provided by researchers to control it. The focus was mainly on three main types of diabetes (type 1, type 2, and type 3 diabetes). Ethical consideration has also helped to boost diabetic studies globally. The research has a history path from pharmaceuticals of organic-based drugs to metal-based drugs with their nanoparticles in addition to the impacts of nanomedicine, biosensors, and telemedicine. Ongoing and future studies in alternative medicine such as vanadium nanoparticles (metal nanoparticles) are promising.


Computers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Ilaria Bartolini ◽  
Andrea Di Luzio

Narcolepsy with cataplexy is a severe lifelong disorder characterized, among others, by sudden loss of bilateral face muscle tone triggered by emotions (cataplexy). A recent approach for the diagnosis of the disease is based on a completely manual analysis of video recordings of patients undergoing emotional stimulation made on-site by medical specialists, looking for specific facial behavior motor phenomena. We present here the CAT-CAD tool for automatic detection of cataplexy symptoms, with the double aim of (1) supporting neurologists in the diagnosis/monitoring of the disease and (2) facilitating the experience of patients, allowing them to conduct video recordings at home. CAT-CAD includes a front-end medical interface (for the playback/inspection of patient recordings and the retrieval of videos relevant to the one currently played) and a back-end AI-based video analyzer (able to automatically detect the presence of disease symptoms in the patient recording). Analysis of patients’ videos for discovering disease symptoms is based on the detection of facial landmarks, and an alternative implementation of the video analyzer, exploiting deep-learning techniques, is introduced. Performance of both approaches is experimentally evaluated using a benchmark of real patients’ recordings, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed solutions.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1388
Author(s):  
Ted Friend ◽  
Giulia Corsini ◽  
Vincent Manero ◽  
Raffaella Cocco

The documentation of diurnal patterns in body temperature in lions could be important because disruption of circadian patterns can be a useful measure of distress. This study quantified changes in body temperature of seven African lions (Panthera leo) at 5 min intervals during cold conditions from noon until the ingested body temperature loggers were expelled the next day. Thirteen loggers were fed to 11 lions during their daily noon feeding, while ambient temperatures were also recorded using six data loggers. The lions had continuous access to their dens and exercise pens during the day but were restricted to their heavily bedded dens that also contained a heat lamp from 23:00 until 08:00 the next day. Body temperatures averaged 37.95 ± 0.42 °C at 15:50, and 36.81 ± 0.17 °C at 06:50 the next day, 30 min before the first loggers passed from a lion, and were significantly different (t-test, t = 8.09, df = 6, p < 0.0003). The mean duration for the time of passage was 22 ± 2.69 (h ± SD), so future studies using the noninvasive feeding of temperature loggers need to consider that time frame.


IAWA Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitra Mantzouka ◽  
Vasileios Karakitsios ◽  
Jakub Sakala ◽  
Elisabeth A. Wheeler

Several specimens of Lauraceae fossil wood from the Cenozoic of Greece (southern part of Lesbos), the Czech Republic (Kadaň-Zadní Vrch Hill and Jáchymov), and Hungary (Ipolytarnóc) were studied. When considering whether they belonged to the speciose fossil wood genus Laurinoxylon, we reviewed the literature and data from InsideWood on fossil and modern woods. As a result, we propose criteria for excluding a fossil Lauraceae wood from Laurinoxylon and list the species that should be excluded from this genus. The criteria (filters) proposed to exclude a genus from having relationships with Laurinoxylon are: A. Axial parenchyma features: A1. Marginal axial parenchyma, A2. Aliform to aliform-confluent paratracheal parenchyma. B. Ray features: B1. Rays higher than 1 mm, B2. Exclusively homocellular rays, B3. Rays more than 5 cells wide, B4. Rays storied. C. Porosity features: Ring-porous. D. Idioblasts: Absence of idioblasts. Based on the distribution of idioblasts, we recognize four groups in Laurinoxylon (Type 1 - with idioblasts associated only with ray parenchyma cells, Type 2a - with idioblasts associated with both ray and axial parenchyma, Type 2b - with idioblasts associated both with rays and present among the fibres, and Type 3 - with idioblasts associated with ray and axial parenchyma and also among the fibres) and list the extant genera with features of those groups. Such grouping helps with interpreting the relationships of fossil lauraceous woods with extant genera. We discuss the Oligocene–Miocene European species that belong to these Laurinoxylon groups, noting that some warrant reassignment to different genera or even families. Future studies are needed to determine whether new genera should be established to accommodate these species. We propose the new combination Cinnamomoxylon variabile (Privé-Gill & Pelletier) Mantzouka, Karakitsios, Sakala & Wheeler.


2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 357-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Seok Park ◽  
Seung-Pyo Lee ◽  
Chong-Hyun Han ◽  
Joo Hyun Kwon ◽  
Young-Chul Jung

Abstract This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of microthread geometry of scalloped design implant on marginal bone resorption. Four types of scalloped design titanium implant specimens were prepared. The type 1 implant had a machined scalloped collar, type 2 had a sandblasted and acid-etched scalloped collar, type 3 had horizontal microthreads, and type 4 had parabolic microthreads, which are parallel with the scalloped conical margin. Two implants of a type were randomly installed immediately after extraction in the mandible of a beagle dog. Definitive prostheses were delivered immediately after surgery. After 12 weeks of healing, the dog was sacrificed and microtomography was performed. Type 4 specimens showed a marginal bone loss pattern definitively analogous to the scalloped margin. In this preliminary study, microthread geometry affected the marginal bone resorption pattern of scalloped design implants. However, additional specimens and more controlled conditions should be applied in future studies to confirm these results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2090 (1) ◽  
pp. 012152
Author(s):  
L I Olvera ◽  
G C Villanueva ◽  
E Romero ◽  
A Cruz

Abstract Diabetes is the eight-cause death worldwide. The cause of death of patients with diabetes is mostly the long-term complications, that are not easy to detect opportunely. In previous studies, we applied photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS), a non-destructive technique, to detect several components of blood. The goal of the study was to apply the phase-resolved method (PRM), on blood optical absorption spectra obtained by PAS, to analyse blood components in experimental type 1 diabetes. Diabetes was produced in male Wistar rats through the administrations of streptozotocin (STZ). Venous blood samples were obtained one, two, four and eight weeks after STZ. PRM applied to spectra allowed to detect p450 cytochrome. There was a significant and positive correlation between glycaemia and p450 cytochrome (p=0.001). Since p450 cytochrome participates in detoxification function, results indicate that glycaemia could affect detoxification. It will be important in future studies to study the implications of those results on the development of diabetes complications. The novelty of the study was to use PAS to find out if there was any correlation between spectroscopy variables and glycaemia. It is concluded that PRM applied to PAS is a suitable technology to study p450 cytochrome in diabetes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Celli ◽  
Gilles Van Luijtelaar

Background : Absence epilepsy is characterized by the presence of spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs) at the EEG generated within the cortico-thalamo-cortical circuit. The molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of absence epilepsy are only partially known. WAG/Rij rats older than 2-3 months develop spontaneous SWDs, and they are sensitive to anti-absence medications. Hence, WAG/Rij rats are extensively used as a model for absence epilepsy with predictive validity. Objective : To examine the possibility that the orexin system, which supports the wake status in experimental animals and humans, plays a role in the pathophysiology of absence seizures. Methods : The perspective grounds its method on recent literature along with measurements of orexin receptor type-1 (OX1) protein levels in the thalamus and somatosensory cortex of WAG/Rij rats and non-epileptic Wistar control rats at two ages (25 days and 6-7 months). OX1 protein levels were measured by immunoblotting. Results : The analysis of the current literature suggests that the orexin system might be involved in the pathophysiology of absence epilepsy and might be targeted by therapeutic intervention. Experimental data are in line with this hypothesis showing that OX1 protein levels were reduced in the thalamus and somatosensory cortex of symptomatic WAG/Rij rats (6-7 months of age) with respect to non-epileptic controls, whereas these differences were not seen in pre-symptomatic, 25 days-old WAG/Rij rats. Conclusions : This might pave the way to future studies on the involvement of the orexinergic system in the pathophysiology of SWDs associated with absence epilepsy and its comorbidities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Kerry L. McIver ◽  
Russell R. Pate ◽  
Marsha Dowda ◽  
Suzanne Bennett Johnson ◽  
Jimin Yang ◽  
...  

Purpose. Previous studies have observed that physical activity (PA) levels tend to be lower in the U.S. population than in many other countries. Within the U.S., PA levels in children are lower in the South than in other regions. Cross-country and interregional differences in PA have not been studied in young children. Methods. In an ongoing study of children at genetic risk for Type 1 diabetes, PA was measured by accelerometry in samples of 5-year-old children (n=2008) from Finland (n=370), Germany (n=85), Sweden (n=706), and the U.S. (n=847). The U.S. sample was drawn from centers in Washington State, Colorado, and Georgia/Florida. Children wore accelerometers for 7 days, and the data were reduced to daily minutes of light-, moderate- (MPA), vigorous- (VPA), and moderate-to-vigorous- (MVPA) intensity PA and sedentary behavior. Multiple regression was used to compare children across countries and across regions in the U.S, adjusting for wear time, body mass index, and demographic characteristics. Results. After adjusting for previously mentioned factors, MVPA and MPA were lower in U.S. children than those in Finland and Sweden. Estimates of physical activity were higher in Finland than in other countries, although not all comparisons were significantly different. U.S children spent significantly more time in sedentary behavior than children in Finland (p<0.0001). Within the U.S., children’s PA was consistently lowest in Georgia/Florida and highest in Washington. Conclusions. Cross-country differences in PA, previously reported for adults and adolescents, are evident in 5-year-old children. In general, PA levels are lower in U.S. children than their European counterparts, and within the U.S., are lower in Georgia/Florida and Colorado than in Washington. Future studies should be designed to identify the factors that explain these differences.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-66
Author(s):  
Sogol Gachkar ◽  
Rebecca Oelkrug ◽  
Beate Herrmann ◽  
Thomas S. Scanlan ◽  
Qian Sun ◽  
...  

Introduction: Injection of 3-iodothyronamine into experimental animals profoundly affects their metabolism and body temperature. As 3-iodothyronamine is rapidly acetylated in vivo after injection, it was hypothesized that the metabolites N- or O-acetyl-3-iodothyronamines could constitute the active hormones. Methods: Adult male mice were injected once daily with one of the metabolites (5 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally dissolved in 60% DMSO in PBS) or solvent. Metabolism was monitored by indirect calorimetry, body temperature by infrared thermography, and body composition by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Signaling activities in brown fat or liver were assessed by studying target gene transcription by qPCR including uncoupling protein 1 or deiodinase type 1 or 2, and Western blot. Results: The markers of metabolism, body composition, or temperature tested were similar in the mice injected with solvent and those injected with one of the acetylated 3-iodothyronamines. Conclusions: In our experimental setup, N- and O-acetyl-3-iodothyronamine do not constitute compounds contributing to the metabolic or temperature effects described for 3-iodothyronamine. The acetylation of 3-iodothyronamine observed in vivo may thus rather serve degradation and elimination purposes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 54-54
Author(s):  
Hazel B Rooney ◽  
Keelin O’Driscoll ◽  
John O’Doherty ◽  
Peadar Lawlor

Abstract Genetic selection for hyper-prolificacy in sows has resulted in a significant increase in the number of piglets born alive per litter; however, a consequence has been a reduction in piglet vitality and survival. Increasing lactation dietary energy density can increase sow energy intake and the survival and growth of piglets from large litters. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of increasing sow lactation dietary energy density on piglet vitality and growth to weaning. At d 108 of gestation, sows (n = 115) were blocked by parity, BW and backfat, and randomly assigned to one of four energy density diets until weaning; 13.8, 14.5, 15.2 and 15.9 MJ DE/kg. At birth, body temperature, IUGR traits and muscle tone were recorded in piglets. At 24 h, piglet body temperature and blood glucose concentration were recorded. Piglets were weighed throughout lactation. Data were analysed using the mixed models procedure in SAS (v.9.4). Average daily energy intake was highest for sows fed 15.9 MJ DE/kg compared to sows fed 13.8, 14.5 and 15.2 MJ DE/kg (115.1 v 98.92, 102.33, 107.83MJ DE/d±1.51; P < 0.01). Piglets from sows fed 13.8 and 15.9 MJ DE/kg were more likely to have more IUGR traits and a higher muscle tone score, respectively, compared with all other treatments (P < 0.01). The 24 h body temperature was higher for piglets from sows fed 13.8 and 15.2 MJ DE/kg than piglets from sows fed 15.9 MJ DE/kg (35.47 and 35.48 v 35.22⁰C±0.05; P < 0.01). Glucose concentration was higher for piglets from sows fed 14.5 MJ DE/kg than piglets from sows fed 15.9 MJ DE/kg (4.70 v 4.15mg/ml±0.14; P < 0.01). Litter weaning weight was heaviest for sows fed 13.8 MJ DE/kg compared with sows fed 14.5 MJ DE/kg (92.90 v 84.97kg±1.59; P < 0.01). In conclusion, feeding lactating sows 15.9 MJ DE/kg increased daily sow energy intake and improved piglet development.


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