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Journal of Behavioral Addictions Sep 2022Proper measurement of expected risk is important for making rational decisions, and maladaptive decision making may underlie various psychiatric disorders. However,...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Proper measurement of expected risk is important for making rational decisions, and maladaptive decision making may underlie various psychiatric disorders. However, differentially expressed genetic profiling involved in this process is still largely unknown. A rodent version of the gambling task (rGT) has been developed to measure decision-making by adopting the same principle of Iowa Gambling Task in humans. In the present study, we examined using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique whether there are differences in gene expression profiles in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) when rats make different choices toward risk in rGT.
METHODS
Rats were trained in a touch screen chamber to learn the relationships between 4 different light signals on the window of the screen and accompanied reward outcomes or punishments set up with different magnitudes and probabilities. Once they showed a stabilized pattern of preference upon free choice, rats were classified into risk-averse or risk-seeking groups. After performing the rGT, rats were decapitated, the mPFC and the NAc was dissected out, and NGS was performed with the total RNA extracted.
RESULTS
We found that 477 and 36 genes were differentially expressed (approximately 75 and 83% out of them were downregulated) in the mPFC and the NAc, respectively, in risk-seeking compared to risk-averse rats. Among those, we suggested a few top ranked genes that may contribute to promoting risky choices.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Our findings provide insights into transcriptional components underlying risky choices in rats.
Topics: Rats; Humans; Animals; Choice Behavior; Transcriptome; Decision Making; Rats, Long-Evans; Gambling; Reward
PubMed: 36094860
DOI: 10.1556/2006.2022.00068 -
Turkish Neurosurgery Nov 2021In this study, we investigated the effects of necrostatin-1 (NEC-1) on subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)-induced vasospasm in a rat model.
AIM
In this study, we investigated the effects of necrostatin-1 (NEC-1) on subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)-induced vasospasm in a rat model.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
59 male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into six groups: control (group 1), sham (group 2), decapitation one hour after SAH (group 3), decapitation 48 hours after SAH (group 4), NEC-1 given 15 minutes before SAH and decapitation one hour after SAH (group 5), and NEC-1 given 24 hours after SAH and decapitation 48 hours after SAH (group 6). NEC-1 (1 uq) was administered intracisternally in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (2.6 uq). After decapitation, the cross-sectional areas and wall thicknesses of basilar arteries were determined histopathologically using stereological methods.
RESULTS
NEC-1 administered before SAH had a statistically significant preventive effect on vasospasm following SAH. Arterial wall thicknesses were found to be significantly increased in the SAH without NEC-1 groups but not in the control group, the sham group or the NEC-1 groups.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study show that NEC-1 can prevent vasospasm in rats and has cytoprotective effects. Further studies are needed for the clinical use of this agent.
PubMed: 36066049
DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.35167-21.4 -
Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia :... Feb 2022Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drug that is commonly used in cancer treatment. A major side effect limiting the clinical use of DOX is...
INTRODUCTION
Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drug that is commonly used in cancer treatment. A major side effect limiting the clinical use of DOX is cardiotoxicity due to oxidative injury. Nigella sativa (NS) is an annual flowering plant with antioxidant properties. Its seeds contain several bioactive constituents such as saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, thymoquinone, dithymoquinone, thymohydroquinone, and thymol. In this study, we investigated the effect of NS extract on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.
METHODS
The experimental study animals consisted of 28 male Sprague Dawley rats weighing between 300 and 400 g. Four study groups each of seven rats were defined: controls; NS extract; DOX; and DOX+NS. Control and DOX rats received standard food, while each rat in the NS and DOX+NS groups also received 100 mg/kg NS extract orally. At day 28 of follow-up, rats in the DOX groups were administered a single 10 mg/kg intraperitoneal dose of DOX, while rats in the control and NS groups received a single 10 mg/kg dose of physiological saline solution. All animals were monitored for 35 days. On day 35, the rats were decapitated and serum and cardiac tissue samples were obtained. Troponin and NT-proBNP levels were measured in blood sera, while malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total oxidative stress (TOS) levels were quantified in sera and tissue samples. Histological alterations that were assessed in cardiac tissue included myocyte disarray, small vessel disease, myocyte hypertrophy, and fibrosis.
RESULTS
The DOX group had significantly higher NT-proBNP, TOS, and MDA, with greater histopathological derangement. TAC was significantly elevated in the DOX+NS group, which also exhibited significantly lower troponin, TOS, and MDA, as well as significantly higher TAC compared to the DOX group. Histopathological examination showed that the significant structural derangement observed in DOX rats was markedly and significantly reduced in DOX+NS rats.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that NS extract may prevent DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and thus represents a promising cardioprotective agent.
PubMed: 36062712
DOI: 10.1016/j.repc.2020.12.015 -
BMC Plant Biology Aug 2022Aerial bulbils are important vegetative reproductive organs in Lilium. They are often perpetually dormant in most Lilium species, and little is known about the induction...
Aerial bulbils are important vegetative reproductive organs in Lilium. They are often perpetually dormant in most Lilium species, and little is known about the induction of these vegetative structures. The world-famous Oriental hybrid lily cultivar 'Sorbonne', which blooms naturally devoid of aerial bulbils, is known for its lovely appearance and sweet fragrance. We found that decapitation stimulated the outgrowth of aerial bulbils at lower stems (LSs) and then application of low and high concentrations of IAA promoted aerial bulbils emergence around the wound at upper stems (USs) of 'Sorbonne'. However, the genetic basis of aerial bulbil induction is still unclear. Herein, 'Sorbonne' transcriptome has been sequenced for the first time using the combination of third-generation long-read and next-generation short-read technology. A total of 46,557 high-quality non-redundant full-length transcripts were generated. Transcriptomic profiling was performed on seven tissues and stems with treatments of decapitation and application of low and high concentrations of IAA, respectively. Functional annotation of 1918 DEGs within stem samples of different treatments showed that hormone signaling, sugar metabolism and wound-induced genes were crucial to bulbils outgrowth. The expression pattern of auxin-, shoot branching hormone-, plant defense hormone- and wound-inducing-related genes indicated their crucial roles in bulbil induction. Then we established five hormone- and wounding-regulated co-expression modules and identified some candidate transcriptional factors, such as MYB, bZIP, and bHLH, that may function in inducing bulbils. High connectivity was observed among hormone signaling genes, wound-induced genes, and some transcriptional factors, suggesting wound- and hormone-invoked signals exhibit extensive cross-talk and regulate bulbil initiation-associated genes via multilayered regulatory cascades. We propose that the induction of aerial bulbils at LSs after decapitation can be explained as the release of apical dominance. In contrast, the induction of aerial bulbils at the cut surface of USs after IAA application occurs via a process similar to callus formation. This study provides abundant candidate genes that will deepen our understanding of the regulation of bulbil outgrowth, paving the way for further molecular breeding of lily.
Topics: Decapitation; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Hormones; Lilium; Plant Growth Regulators; Transcriptome
PubMed: 36030206
DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-03801-8 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2022Periodontal healing after third molars extraction seems to be influenced by the choice of different flap techniques. The purpose of the present study was to assess the...
Periodontal healing after third molars extraction seems to be influenced by the choice of different flap techniques. The purpose of the present study was to assess the clinical condition of adjacent first and second molar sites, after the extraction of lower third molars, performed through different flap designs. Eighty patients, aged between 14 and 30 years, were analyzed for periodontal parameters of VPI, PPD, and CAL, pre-operatively (T0), after 15 days (T1), after 1 month (T2), and after 2 months (T3) from extraction. Techniques performed were trapezoidal flap (TRAP), marginal flap (MARG), flap with papilla detachment (DETP), and flap with papilla decapitation (DEC). No significant differences were found between the four flaps at each observation time and considering the interval between T0 and T3, for VPI, PPD at first molar site, PPD at second molar site, and CAL at second molar site. Significant variations for CAL were registered, for each flap, between T0 and T3, in all cases for buccal site, in three cases for buccal-distal site. After 2 months of follow-up, no strong evidence can be assumed for or against the use of a particular flap design for the extraction of lower third molars.
PubMed: 36011244
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10081587 -
PloS One 2022This protocol is a practical guide for preparing acute coronal slices from the midbrain of young adult mice for electrophysiology experiments. It describes two different...
This protocol is a practical guide for preparing acute coronal slices from the midbrain of young adult mice for electrophysiology experiments. It describes two different sets of solutions with their respective incubation strategies and two alternative procedures for brain extraction: decapitation under terminal isoflurane anaesthesia and intracardial perfusion with artificial cerebrospinal fluid under terminal isoflurane anaesthesia. Slices can be prepared from wild-type mice as well as from mice that have been genetically modified or transfected with viral constructs to label subsets of cells. The preparation can be used to investigate the electrophysiological properties of midbrain neurons in combination with pharmacology, opto- and chemogenetic manipulations, and calcium imaging; which can be followed by morphological reconstruction, immunohistochemistry, or single-cell transcriptomics. The protocol also provides a detailed list of materials and reagents including the design for a low-cost and easy to assemble 3D printed slice recovery chamber, general advice for troubleshooting common issues leading to suboptimal slice quality, and some suggestions to ensure good maintenance of a patch-clamp rig.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Isoflurane; Mice; Neurons; Periaqueductal Gray; Superior Colliculi
PubMed: 35951507
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271832 -
PeerJ 2022The Pacific coast of Colombia is characterized by mangrove ecosystems which play a crucial role as possible nurseries for juvenile sharks. However, trophic food webs...
The Pacific coast of Colombia is characterized by mangrove ecosystems which play a crucial role as possible nurseries for juvenile sharks. However, trophic food webs from coastal ecosystems are heavily disturbed by increased fishing pressure, which affects numerous shark species. In this region of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), fisheries' data from coastal areas are scarce and unspecific, as most sharks from artisanal fisheries are landed decapitated and finless, making their morphological identification difficult. For the establishment and implementation of effective regional conservation and management policies, information on the diversity and population dynamics of shark species is crucial. We therefore sequenced the mitochondrial NADH2 gene of 696 samples taken from fishermen's landings of shark's bycatch along the Colombian north Pacific coast. We were able to identify 14 species of sharks, two of the most abundant species were and , both evaluated on IUCN the Red List of Threatened species (Critically Endangered and Vulnerable) and CITES regulated. We found low genetic diversity in the sampled area increasing the concern for both species in the region, even more considering that the majority of individuals were juveniles. Our results showed the importance of genetic markers for first population genetic insights as a complementary tool during the decision-making process in management plans. For this specific region, strategies such as the delimitation of conservation priority areas or the regulation of fishing gears could help improve the sustainability of shark populations in the Colombian Pacific.
Topics: Animals; Sharks; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Colombia; Fisheries; Population Dynamics
PubMed: 35945934
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13478 -
The Journal of Experimental Biology Sep 2022Certain animal species utilize electric fields for communication, hunting and spatial orientation. Freshwater planarians move toward the cathode in a static electric...
Certain animal species utilize electric fields for communication, hunting and spatial orientation. Freshwater planarians move toward the cathode in a static electric field (cathodic electrotaxis). This planarian behavior was first described by Raymond Pearl more than a century ago. However, planarian electrotaxis has received little attention since, and the underlying mechanisms and evolutionary significance remain unknown. To close this knowledge gap, we developed an apparatus and scoring metrics for automated quantitative and mechanistic studies of planarian behavior upon exposure to a static electric field. Using this automated setup, we characterized electrotaxis in the planarian Dugesia japonica and found that this species responds to voltage instead of current, in contrast to results from previous studies using other planarian species. Surprisingly, we found differences in electrotaxis ability between small (shorter) and large (longer) planarians. To determine the cause of these differences, we took advantage of the regenerative abilities of planarians and compared electrotaxis in head, tail and trunk fragments of various lengths. We found that tail and trunk fragments electrotaxed, whereas head fragments did not, regardless of size. Based on these data, we hypothesized that signals from the head may interfere with electrotaxis when the head area/body area reached a critical threshold. In support of this hypothesis, we found that (1) smaller intact planarians that cannot electrotax have a relatively larger head-to-body-ratio than large planarians that can electrotax, and (2) the electrotaxis behavior of cut head fragments was negatively correlated with the head-to-body ratio of the fragments. Moreover, we could restore cathodic electrotaxis in head fragments via decapitation, directly demonstrating inhibition of electrotaxis by the head.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Planarians
PubMed: 35924486
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243972 -
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2022Dismemberment is characterized by the fragmentation of the body into anatomical sections. It can occur because of a murder, suicide, or accident. In the literature,... (Review)
Review
Dismemberment is characterized by the fragmentation of the body into anatomical sections. It can occur because of a murder, suicide, or accident. In the literature, there are no cases of patricide perpetrated by a daughter in which the offender performed the dismemberment. However, in this paper, we reported a case of patricide by a schizophrenic daughter that was not treated with antipsychotic therapy. Post-mortem Computed Tomography (PMCT), autopsy, and histological examinations were performed. The soft tissues were removed through maceration techniques and chemical treatment. An analysis was performed to study the bone margins and clarify the weapon and manner of death. This investigation, which used radiological and histological studies, helped to assess the vitality of the injuries. The purpose of the study is to discover the weapon used, the cause, and the manner of death, with particular interest in this case due to the dismemberment. Moreover, we emphasize the correlation between patricide, dismemberment, and a lack of antipsychotic treatment in patients with schizophrenia.
PubMed: 35885483
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12071577 -
Current Biology : CB Sep 2022A key aim in biology is to identify which genetic changes contributed to the evolution of form through time. Apical dominance, the inhibitory effect exerted by shoot...
A key aim in biology is to identify which genetic changes contributed to the evolution of form through time. Apical dominance, the inhibitory effect exerted by shoot apices on the initiation or outgrowth of distant lateral buds, is a major regulatory mechanism of plant form. Nearly a century of studies in the sporophyte of flowering plants have established the phytohormone auxin as a front-runner in the search for key factors controlling apical dominance, identifying critical roles for long-range polar auxin transport and local auxin biosynthesis in modulating shoot branching. A capacity for lateral branching evolved by convergence in the gametophytic shoot of mosses and primed its diversification; however, polar auxin transport is relatively unimportant in this developmental process, the contribution of auxin biosynthesis genes has not been assessed, and more generally, the extent of conservation in apical dominance regulation within the land plants remains largely unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, we sought to identify genetic determinants of apical dominance in the moss Physcomitrium patens. Here, we show that leafy shoot apex decapitation releases apical dominance through massive and rapid transcriptional reprogramming of auxin-responsive genes and altering auxin biosynthesis gene activity. We pinpoint a subset of P. patens TRYPTOPHAN AMINO-TRANSFERASE (TAR) and YUCCA FLAVIN MONOOXYGENASE-LIKE (YUC) auxin biosynthesis genes expressed in the main and lateral shoot apices and show that they are essential for coordinating branch initiation and outgrowth. Our results demonstrate that local auxin biosynthesis acts as a pivotal regulator of apical dominance in moss and constitutes a shared mechanism underpinning shoot architecture control in land plants.
Topics: Bryophyta; Bryopsida; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Germ Cells, Plant; Indoleacetic Acids; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Shoots
PubMed: 35841890
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.064