scholarly journals The role of animal models in understanding feeding behavior in infants

2004 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-31
Author(s):  
R German ◽  
◽  
A Crompton ◽  
A Thexton
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Rhythmic Activity ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Basic Model ◽  
Pharyngeal Swallow ◽  
The Impact

The common evolutionary history humans share with mammals provides us with a solid basis for understanding normal oropharyngeal anatomy and functions. Physiologically, feeding is a cycle of neurophysiologic activity, where sensory input travels to the CNS which sends motor signals out to the periphery. Research with animal models is valuable because it is possible to disrupt this cycle, and develop predictive models on the causal basis of deviation from normal. Based on work with animal models, normal mammalian infant feeding behavior consists of the tongue functioning as a pump. First, the tongue assists in acquisition of milk from the nipple into the oral cavity, and then it pumps milk from the oral cavity into the valleculae prior to the pharyngeal swallow. Starting with this basic model, feeding in infant pigs was manipulated to determine the impact of variation in sensory input on behavioral output. One set of experiments suggested that chemo- or liquid sensation, in the form of milk is necessary to elicit continuing rhythmic activity. However, the rates of rhythmic suckling are intrinsic to an animal, and variation in rate cannot be entrained. Another set showed that initiation of the swallow does not purely depend on the volume of milk delivered, but also on the sensory stimulation at the mouth. These results support the idea that feeding behavior involves complex sensory integration.

Robustness Testing of Model Based Multiple Criteria Decisions: Fundamentals and Applications

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (05) ◽  
pp. 1035-1062
Author(s):  
Andrzej P. Wierzbicki ◽  
Marek Makowski ◽  
Janusz Granat
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Multiple Criteria ◽  
Decision Situation ◽  
Combined Model ◽  
Robustness Testing ◽  
Scalar Optimization ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Basic Model ◽  
The Impact

Robustness or insensitivity is a desirable property of decisions; however, most texts on robustness and/or sensitivity analysis do not define it precisely. A broad literature in this field concentrates on robust design of decisions (including robust optimization). This paper focuses on robustness testing, that is, checking whether a design has actually resulted in robust properties of the system if some of basic assumptions are changed. We propose a general framework of such robustness testing and show that robustness is a property of the relation between three (classes of) models: a basic model of the decision situation, a second model of possible perturbations of the first model, and a model of implementation of the decision, optionally taking into account some measurements of the impact of perturbations. Typical approaches to robustness or sensitivity analysis assume tacitly that the first two models can be combined and analyze parameters deviations in one combined model. However, the role of the first two models can be asymmetric if some optimization of the decision is performed on the first model. We extend this framework, intended originally for single criteria (scalar) optimization to multiple criteria (vector) optimization. The proposed approach is illustrated by diverse examples.

Bacteriocins: antibiotics in the age of the microbiome

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Egan ◽  
R. Paul Ross ◽  
Colin Hill
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Collateral Damage ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Antibiotic Development ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Activity Animal

Antibiotics have revolutionised the treatment of infectious disease and improved the lives of billions of people worldwide over many decades. With the rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and corresponding lack of antibiotic development, we find ourselves in dire need of alternative treatments. Bacteriocins are a class of bacterially produced, ribosomally synthesised, antimicrobial peptides that may be narrow or broad in their spectra of activity. Animal models have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of bacteriocins in treating a broad range of infections; however, one of the principal drawbacks has been their relatively narrow spectra when compared with small-molecule antibiotics. In an era where we are beginning to appreciate the role of the microbiota in human and animal health, the fact that bacteriocins cause much less collateral damage to the host microbiome makes them a highly desirable therapeutic. This review makes a case for the implementation of bacteriocins as therapeutic antimicrobials, either alone or in combination with existing antibiotics to alleviate the AMR crisis and to lessen the impact of antibiotics on the host microbiome.

Nicotine Effects, Body Weight Concerns and Smoking: A Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (20) ◽  
pp. 2316-2326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Cepeda-Benito
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Outcome Expectancies ◽  
Weight Concerns ◽  
Rat Models ◽  
Relative Closeness ◽  
The Impact

How people become addicted to cigarette smoking and remain addicted despite repeated attempts to quit requires piecing together a rather complex puzzle. The present review contextualizes the role of nicotine and smoking sensory stimulation on maintaining smoking, describes nicotine’s effects on feeding behavior and body weight, and explores the impact of smoking outcome expectancies, including the belief that nicotine suppresses appetite and body weight, on the decision to smoke or vape (use of e-cigarettes). The analysis concludes with a review of rat models of human nicotine intake that attempt to isolate the effects of nicotine on appetite and weight gain. Animal research replicates with relative closeness phenomena observed in smokers, but the rat model falls short of replicating the long-term weight gain observed post-smoking cessation.

Importance of Animal Models in Schizophrenia Research

2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 550-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Van Den Buuse ◽  
B Garner ◽  
A Gogos ◽  
S Kusljic
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Psychiatric Illnesses ◽  
New Information ◽  
Behavioural Phenotyping ◽  
Rats And Mice ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Theoretical Considerations

Objective: This review aims to summarize the importance of animal models for research on psychiatric illnesses, particularly schizophrenia. Method and Results: Several aspects of animal models are addressed, including animal experimentation ethics and theoretical considerations of different aspects of validity of animal models. A more specific discussion is included on two of the most widely used behavioural models, psychotropic drug-induced locomotor hyperactivity and prepulse inhibition, followed by comments on the difficulty of modelling negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Furthermore, we emphasize the impact of new developments in molecular biology and the generation of genetically modified mice, which have generated the concept of behavioural phenotyping. Conclusions: Complex psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia, cannot be exactly reproduced in species such as rats and mice. Nevertheless, by providing new information on the role of neurotransmitter systems and genes in behavioural function, animal ‘models’ can be an important tool in unravelling mechanisms involved in the symptoms and development of such illnesses, alongside approaches such as post-mortem studies, cognitive and psychophysiological studies, imaging and epidemiology.

scholarly journals Oral Cavity as an Extragastric Reservoir of Helicobacter pylori

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arwa Al Sayed ◽  
Pradeep S. Anand ◽  
Kavitha P. Kamath ◽  
Shankargouda Patil ◽  
R. S. Preethanath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Oral Hygiene ◽  
Dental Plaque ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
The Impact

Background. Several studies were reported on the prevalence, and relationship between the existence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in oral cavity and in stomach of patients. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the existing literature on the presence of H. pylori in the oral cavity and its link to gastric infection, the existence of coinfection, and the impact of anti-H. pylori therapy on the dental plaque and vice versa. Method. Two authors independently searched the Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases for relevant studies. The articles were analyzed critically and all qualified studies were included. The search was carried out by using a combined text and the MeSH search strategies: using the key words Helicobacter, Helicobacter pylori, and H. pylori in combination with dental plaque, periodontitis, and oral hygiene. Results. The data was presented in 8 tables and each topic separately discussed. Conclusion. Based on the systematic review of the available literature on H. pylori infection and its presence in the oral cavity, it can be concluded that dental plaque can act as a reservoir, and proper oral hygiene maintenance is essential to prevent reinfection. Due to the diversified methods and population groups involved in the available literature, no concrete evidence can be laid down. Further studies are necessary to establish the role of H. pylori in the oral cavity and its eradication on preventing the gastroduodenal infection.

scholarly journals Superior Colliculus Control of Vibrissa Movements

2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 1245-1254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie E. Hemelt ◽  
Asaf Keller
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Set Point ◽  
Sensory Inputs ◽  
Mystacial Vibrissae ◽  
Stimulation Of

This study tested the role of the superior colliculus in generating movements of the mystacial vibrissae—whisking. First, we compared the kinematics of whisking generated by the superior colliculus with those generated by the motor cortex. We found that in anesthetized rats, microstimulation of the colliculus evoked a sustained vibrissa protraction, whereas stimulation of motor cortex produced rhythmic protractions. Movements generated by the superior colliculus are independent of motor cortex and can be evoked at lower thresholds and shorter latencies than those generated by the motor cortex. Next we tested the hypothesis that the colliculus is acting as a simple reflex loop with the neurons that drive vibrissa movement receiving sensory input evoked by vibrissa contacts. We found that most tecto-facial neurons do not receive sensory input. Not only did these neurons not spike in response to sensory stimulation, but field potential analysis revealed that subthreshold sensory inputs do not overlap spatially with tecto-facial neurons. Together these findings suggest that the superior colliculus plays a pivotal role in vibrissa movement—regulating vibrissa set point and whisk amplitude—but does not function as a simple reflex loop. With the motor cortex controlling the whisking frequency, the superior colliculus control of set point and amplitude would account for the main parameters of voluntary whisking.

scholarly journals Laminin γ1 C-terminal Glu to Gln mutation induces early postimplantation lethality

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. e201800064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiji Kiyozumi ◽  
Yukimasa Taniguchi ◽  
Itsuko Nakano ◽  
Junko Toga ◽  
Emiko Yagi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
Mouse Strain ◽  
Basement Membranes ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
On Demand ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Laminin Binding

Laminin–integrin interactions regulate various adhesion-dependent cellular processes. γ1C-Glu, the Glu residue in the laminin γ1 chain C-terminal tail, is crucial for the binding of γ1-laminins to several integrin isoforms. Here, we investigated the impact of γ1C Glu to Gln mutation on γ1-laminin binding to all possible integrin partners in vitro, and found that the mutation specifically ablated binding to α3, α6, and α7 integrins. To examine the physiological significance of γ1C-Glu, we generated a knock-in allele, Lamc1EQ, in which the γ1C Glu to Gln mutation was introduced. Although Lamc1EQ/EQ homozygotes developed into blastocysts and deposited laminins in their basement membranes, they died just after implantation because of disordered extraembryonic development. Given the impact of the Lamc1EQ allele on embryonic development, we developed a knock-in mouse strain enabling on-demand introduction of the γ1C Glu to Gln mutation by the Cre-loxP system. The present study has revealed a crucial role of γ1C-Glu–mediated integrin binding in postimplantation development and provides useful animal models for investigating the physiological roles of laminin–integrin interactions in vivo.

scholarly journals Exercise and Sestrin Mediate Speed and Lysosomal Activity in Drosophila by Partially Overlapping Mechanisms

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2479
Author(s):  
Alyson Sujkowski ◽  
Robert Wessells
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
Endurance Exercise ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Chronic Exercise ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Lysosomal Activity ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Physiological Adaptations ◽  
The Impact

Chronic exercise is widely recognized as an important contributor to healthspan in humans and in diverse animal models. Recently, we have demonstrated that Sestrins, a family of evolutionarily conserved exercise-inducible proteins, are critical mediators of exercise benefits in flies and mice. Knockout of Sestrins prevents exercise adaptations to endurance and flight in Drosophila, and similarly prevents benefits to endurance and metabolism in exercising mice. In contrast, overexpression of dSestrin in muscle mimics several of the molecular and physiological adaptations characteristic of endurance exercise. Here, we extend those observations to examine the impact of dSestrin on preserving speed and increasing lysosomal activity. We find that dSestrin is a critical factor driving exercise adaptations to climbing speed, but is not absolutely required for exercise to increase lysosomal activity in Drosophila. The role of Sestrin in increasing speed during chronic exercise requires both the TORC2/AKT axis and the PGC1⍺ homolog spargel, while dSestrin requires interactions with TORC1 to cell-autonomously increase lysosomal activity. These results highlight the conserved role of Sestrins as key factors that drive diverse physiological adaptations conferred by chronic exercise.

Transoral Resection of Cancer of the Oral Cavity: The Role of the CO2 Laser

1979 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Stuart Strong ◽  
Charles W. Vaughan ◽  
Geza J. Jako ◽  
Thomas Polanyi
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Co2 Laser ◽  
Transoral Resection

Intergroup Threat and Outgroup Attitudes

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 311-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Brambilla ◽  
David A. Butz
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Welfare Recipients ◽  
Intergroup Attitudes ◽  
Social Policies ◽  
Intergroup Threat ◽  
Economic Threat ◽  
The Impact ◽  
General Climate

Two studies examined the impact of macrolevel symbolic threat on intergroup attitudes. In Study 1 (N = 71), participants exposed to a macrosymbolic threat (vs. nonsymbolic threat and neutral topic) reported less support toward social policies concerning gay men, an outgroup whose stereotypes implies a threat to values, but not toward welfare recipients, a social group whose stereotypes do not imply a threat to values. Study 2 (N = 78) showed that, whereas macrolevel symbolic threat led to less favorable attitudes toward gay men, macroeconomic threat led to less favorable attitudes toward Asians, an outgroup whose stereotypes imply an economic threat. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the role of a general climate of threat in shaping intergroup attitudes.

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