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Journal of the American Academy of... Jun 2024
PubMed: 38871084
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2024.05.082 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Apr 2024The highly virulent RH strain is maintained through successive passages in mice, but there is still a lack of studies that refine these procedures from a 3Rs...
The highly virulent RH strain is maintained through successive passages in mice, but there is still a lack of studies that refine these procedures from a 3Rs perspective, where humanitarian ideals aim to minimize the stress, pain, or suffering of the animals used in the research without the loss of results. The aim of this study was to establish humane endpoints in Swiss Webster mice inoculated with the RH strain. A total of 52 mice were infected with 5 × 10 tachyzoites/mL and monitored for periods of up to 5 days. The parameters body weight; hair condition; higher than normal body temperature; hypothermia; respiratory function; pain; soft stools or diarrhea; bloody diarrhea; tense, nervous, or in distress during handling; and ascites were recorded daily in score tables. The results showed that prominent piloerection, respiratory function, pain parameters, and ascites are important clinical signs to be used as a cut-off point for implementing euthanasia. The application of this refinement method helped to avoid animal suffering and pain without compromising the number of parasites recovered. We therefore suggest adopting these parameters in research protocols that require the maintenance of the RH strain in murine models to avoid and reduce animal suffering.
PubMed: 38731332
DOI: 10.3390/ani14091326 -
Psychophysiology May 2024Piloerection (e.g., goosebumps) is an essential thermoregulatory and social signaling mechanism in non-human animals. Although humans also experience piloerection-often...
Piloerection (e.g., goosebumps) is an essential thermoregulatory and social signaling mechanism in non-human animals. Although humans also experience piloerection-often being perceived as an indicator of profound emotional experiences-its comparatively less effective role in thermoregulation and communication might influence our capacity to monitor its occurrence. We present three studies (total N = 617) demonstrating participants' general inability to detect their own piloerection events and their lack of awareness that piloerection occurs with a similar frequency on multiple anatomical locations. Self-reported goosebumps were more frequent than observed piloerection. However, only 31.8% of self-reports coincided with observable piloerection, a bias unrelated to piloerection intensity, anatomical location, heart-rate variability, or interoceptive awareness. We also discovered a self-report bias for the forearm, contradicting the observation that piloerection occurs with equal frequency on multiple anatomical locations. Finally, there was low correspondence between self-reports of being "emotionally moved" and observed piloerection. These counterintuitive findings not only highlight a disconnect between an obvious physiological response and our capacity for self-monitoring, but they underscore a fascinating divergence between human and non-human species. Although piloerection is vital in non-human organisms, the connection between piloerection and psychological experience in humans may be less significant than previously assumed, possibly due to its diminished evolutionary relevance.
PubMed: 38715216
DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14605 -
Annals of the New York Academy of... May 2024While certain musical genres and songs are widely popular, there is still large variability in the music that individuals find rewarding or emotional, even among those...
While certain musical genres and songs are widely popular, there is still large variability in the music that individuals find rewarding or emotional, even among those with a similar musical enculturation. Interestingly, there is one Western genre that is intended to attract minimal attention and evoke a mild emotional response: elevator music. In a series of behavioral experiments, we show that elevator music consistently elicits low pleasure and surprise. Participants reported elevator music as being less pleasurable than music from popular genres, even when participants did not regularly listen to the comparison genre. Participants reported elevator music to be familiar even when they had not explicitly heard the presented song before. Computational and behavioral measures of surprisal showed that elevator music was less surprising, and thus more predictable, than other well-known genres. Elevator music covers of popular songs were rated as less pleasurable, surprising, and arousing than their original counterparts. Finally, we used elevator music as a control for self-selected rewarding songs in a proof-of-concept physiological (electrodermal activity and piloerection) experiment. Our results suggest that elevator music elicits low emotional responses consistently across Western music listeners, making it a unique control stimulus for studying musical novelty, pleasure, and surprise.
Topics: Music; Humans; Reward; Male; Female; Emotions; Adult; Auditory Perception; Pleasure; Young Adult; Acoustic Stimulation
PubMed: 38566486
DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15131 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024Kashmir Himalaya hosts the most diverse and rich flora in the world, which serves as grazing land for millions of small ruminants in the area. While most plant species...
Kashmir Himalaya hosts the most diverse and rich flora in the world, which serves as grazing land for millions of small ruminants in the area. While most plant species are beneficial, some can be poisonous, causing economic losses and animal health issues for livestock. Consequently, this study is the first comprehensive report on the traditional phyto-toxicological knowledge in District Muzaffarabad and the assessment of its authenticity through experimental studies in rats. The data regarding traditional knowledge was gathered from 70 key respondents through semi-structured interviews, which was quantitatively analyzed and authenticated through plant extract testing on Wistar female rats and comparison with published resources. A total of 46 poisonous plant species belonging to 23 families and 38 genera were reported to be poisonous in the study area. Results revealed that leaves were the most toxic plant parts (24 species, 52.1%), followed by the whole plant (18 species, 39.1%), stem (17 species, 36.9%), and seeds (10 species, 21.7%). At the organ level, liver as most susceptible affected by 13 species (28.2%), followed by the gastrointestinal tract (15 species, 32.6%), nervous system (13 species, 8.2%), dermis (8 species, 17.3%), renal (7 species, 15.2%), respiratory (4 species, 8.7%), cardiovascular system (3 species, 6.5%), and reproductive system (2 species, 4.3%). The poisonous plant species with high Relative frequency citation (RFC) and fidelity level (FL) were (RFC, 0.6; FL, 100) (RFC, 0.6; FL, 100), and (RFC, 0.6; FL, 100). Experimental assessment of acute toxicity assay in rats revealed that was the most toxic plant with LD of (4,000 mg/kg), trailed by (4,200 mg/kg), (4,500 mg/kg), and (4,700 mg/kg); however, other plants showed moderate to mild toxicity. The major clinical observations were anorexia, piloerection, dyspnea, salivation, tachypnea, constipation, diarrhea, tremor, itchiness, and dullness. This study showed that numerous poisonous plants pose a significant risk to the livestock industry within Himalayan territory, leading to substantial economic losses. Consequently, it is of utmost importance to conduct further comprehensive studies on the phytotoxicity of plants.
PubMed: 38420196
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1328133 -
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical... May 2024Early recognition of perioperative anaphylaxis, a life-threatening, usually IgE-mediated, immediate hypersensitivity, is essential, but bedside diagnosis is not always...
BACKGROUND
Early recognition of perioperative anaphylaxis, a life-threatening, usually IgE-mediated, immediate hypersensitivity, is essential, but bedside diagnosis is not always straightforward because clinical presentation may vary.
OBJECTIVES
To describe early characteristics of perioperative immediate hypersensitivity, with special attention to cutaneous phenotypes, and identify risk factors for IgE-mediated allergy.
METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed data from adults with suspected perioperative immediate hypersensitivity who were investigated in two academic medical centers. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to evaluate associations among patient, clinical, and paraclinical characteristics and IgE-mediated allergy.
RESULTS
Of 145 enrolled patients, 99 (68.3%) and 46 (31.7%) were respectively categorized in the IgE-mediated allergy and non-allergy groups. Cutaneous vasoconstriction phenotype (pallor, piloerection, thelerethism, and sweating with or without cyanosis) occurring within minutes (or even 1 minute) of drug exposure was strongly associated with IgE-mediated allergy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 28.02; 95% CI, 4.41-305.18). IgE-mediated allergy was always life-threatening in this setting. Other early factors associated with allergy were low end-tidal carbon dioxide 25 mm Hg or less (aOR = 5.45; 95% CI, 2.39-26.45), low mean arterial pressure 60 mm Hg or less (aOR = 3.82; 95% CI, 1.28-17.31), and early cutaneous vasodilation (erythema, urticaria, and/or angioedema) (aOR = 2.78; 95% CI, 0.73-20.54). Late cutaneous vasodilation after restoration of hemodynamics corroborated the diagnosis of allergy (aOR = 23.67; 95% CI, 4.94-205.09). The best-fit model including three readily available variables (cutaneous phenotype involving the three modalities [reference lack of cutaneous signs], low mean arterial pressure, and low end-tidal carbon dioxide) had an area under the curve of 0.91.
CONCLUSIONS
Cutaneous vasoconstriction phenotype is associated with the strongest risk of life-threatening allergy and thus may be regarded as pathognomonic of perioperative IgE-mediated anaphylaxis.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Immunoglobulin E; Retrospective Studies; Adult; Aged; Perioperative Period; Risk Factors; Anaphylaxis; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Vasoconstriction
PubMed: 38378094
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.02.009 -
Nature Materials Apr 2024Microactuators provide controllable driving forces for precise positioning, manipulation and operation at the microscale. Development of microactuators using active...
Microactuators provide controllable driving forces for precise positioning, manipulation and operation at the microscale. Development of microactuators using active materials is often hampered by their fabrication complexity and limited motion at small scales. Here we report light-fuelled artificial goosebumps to actuate passive microstructures, inspired by the natural reaction of hair bristling (piloerection) on biological skin. We use light-responsive liquid crystal elastomers as the responsive artificial skin to move three-dimensionally printed passive polymer microstructures. When exposed to a programmable femtosecond laser, the liquid crystal elastomer skin generates localized artificial goosebumps, resulting in precise actuation of the surrounding microstructures. Such microactuation can tilt micro-mirrors for the controlled manipulation of light reflection and disassemble capillary-force-induced self-assembled microstructures globally and locally. We demonstrate the potential application of the proposed microactuation system for information storage. This methodology provides precise, localized and controllable manipulation of microstructures, opening new possibilities for the development of programmable micromachines.
PubMed: 38336868
DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01810-6 -
Toxicology Reports Jun 2024(Fabaceae) crude extracts are key ingredients of several licensed and unlicensed herbal products in East Africa. However, there is limited and often contradicting...
(Fabaceae) crude extracts are key ingredients of several licensed and unlicensed herbal products in East Africa. However, there is limited and often contradicting information regarding its toxicity. We therefore evaluated the acute and subacute toxicity of the ethanolic stem bark extract of in mature healthy Wistar albino rats following Lorke's method and OECD guidelines 407. The LD of the ethanolic stem bark extract of was 2000 mg/kg. The acute toxicity signs observed included piloerection, hyperventilation, lethargy, and loss of righting reflex. There was a significant increase in aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, red blood cells and haemoglobin in rats after 28 days at the dose of 500 mg/kg. Histological analyses revealed multifocal random parenchymal necrosis and scattered periportal mononuclear inflammatory cells infiltration in the liver, interstitial nephritis in the kidney and multifocal lymphoid accumulation in the peribronchiolar and perivascular lung tissue at 500 mg/kg. The ethanolic stem bark of was therefore moderately toxic to the rats when administered in a single high oral dose within 24 h. The extract caused a dose dependent toxicity with significant damage to the kidney, liver and lung tissues at a dose of 500 mg/kg after 28 days. Herbal medicines containing extracts should be consumed cautiously due to likelihood of toxicity particularly at higher doses greater than 500 mg/kg.
PubMed: 38304700
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2024.01.005 -
Cutis Nov 2023Dendrocnide moroides (also known as gympie-gympie, mulberrylike stinging tree, or stinger) is arguably the most brutal of stinging plants, even leading to death in dogs,...
Dendrocnide moroides (also known as gympie-gympie, mulberrylike stinging tree, or stinger) is arguably the most brutal of stinging plants, even leading to death in dogs, horses, and humans in rare cases. They can be recognized as shrubs with heart-shaped, serrated, dark green leaves that are covered in what appears to be soft downy fur with red to dark purple raspberries growing on long stems. After contact, there is immediate piloerection and local swelling, which may disappear after 1 hour or last as long as 24 hours, but the subjective pain, pruritus, and burning can persist for months. One can only treat conservatively with symptom management, and the most successful method of removing plant hair is hair removal wax strips, which are considered an essential component of a first aid kit where D moroides is found.
Topics: Australia; Pain; Trees; Plant Leaves; Pain Management; Conservative Treatment
PubMed: 38091432
DOI: 10.12788/cutis.0885 -
International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2023Matricellular proteins are secreted extracellular proteins that bear no primary structural functions but play crucial roles in tissue remodeling during development,... (Review)
Review
Matricellular proteins are secreted extracellular proteins that bear no primary structural functions but play crucial roles in tissue remodeling during development, homeostasis, and aging. Despite their low expression after birth, matricellular proteins within skin compartments support the structural function of many extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagens. In this review, we summarize the function of matricellular proteins in skin stem cell niches that influence stem cells' fate and self-renewal ability. In the epidermal stem cell niche, fibulin 7 promotes epidermal stem cells' heterogeneity and fitness into old age, and the transforming growth factor-β-induced protein ig-h3 (TGFBI)-enhances epidermal stem cell growth and wound healing. In the hair follicle stem cell niche, matricellular proteins such as periostin, tenascin C, SPARC, fibulin 1, CCN2, and R-Spondin 2 and 3 modulate stem cell activity during the hair cycle and may stabilize arrector pili muscle attachment to the hair follicle during piloerections (goosebumps). In skin wound healing, matricellular proteins are upregulated, and their functions have been examined in various gain-and-loss-of-function studies. However, much remains unknown concerning whether these proteins modulate skin stem cell behavior, plasticity, or cell-cell communications during wound healing and aging, leaving a new avenue for future studies.
Topics: Skin Aging; Skin; Epidermis; Homeostasis
PubMed: 37762584
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814274