Effect of Midsole Compliance on Oxygen Consumption and Perception of Effort and Comfort during running
Kai Biedermann, Gian-Andri Baumann, Christina M. Spengler
et al.
Introduction Advanced Footwear Technology (AFT) enhances running economy, which is partly attributed to midsole foam properties such as high resilience (the ability of a material to absorb and recover energy under elastic deformation) and high compliance (the tolerance of a material to deformation). While compliant midsoles are known to improve running economy over non-compliant ones, the impact of further increasing compliance in already compliant midsoles remains unclear. Also unclear is the effect of increased compliance on the perception of effort and comfort during running, as this might transform a feeling of cushioning into one of instability. This study aimed to address these issues by comparing three current AFT models with similar resilience but varying compliance: Nike AlphaFly 2 (NAF), Nike VaporFly 3 (NVF), and On Cloudboom Echo 3 (CBE), with the NAF being the most compliant shoe, and thus the one with the highest level of energy return (11.1J) compared with both the NVF (6.5 J) CBE (6.0 J).
Methods Sixteen well-trained runners (age 31 ± 5 years, height 178 ± 9 cm, body mass 66 ± 10 kg, body fat 14 ± 4%, V̇O2peak 59 ± 4 ml・kg-1・min-1) performed, on different days, sub-maximal running for 6 min at 16 km·h-1 (80 ± 7% V̇O2peak) on a treadmill and a 400-m track. Treadmill tests included two runs each in NAF and NVF, while track tests included three runs each in NAF, NVF and CBE, with shoe order varied systematically. Gas exchange was continuously monitored while perceived exertion and comfort were rated post-run using a 100mm visual analogue scale. Spatiotemporal data, including impact loading, ground contact time, and cadence, were assessed using accelerometry.
Results The NVF improved running economy compared with the NAF (-0.8 ± 0.3 ml・kg-1・min-1, P < 0.05) and CBE (-0.7 ± 0.2 ml・kg-1・min-1, P < 0.05). These findings were corroborated by lower heart rate and ventilation with NVF, present during both treadmill and overground running. However, there was no correlation between the shoe differences seen on both surfaces. No significant differences were found between the shoes concerning perceived effort and comfort. Participants experienced lower impact magnitudes in the NVF (5.4 ± 1.5 g) compared with the NAF (5.6 ± 1.5 g, P < 0.05) and CBE (5.5 ± 1.5 g, P < 0.05). No changes in spatiotemporal data were associated with the differences in running economy between the shoes.
Discussion/Conclusion These findings indicate that improvements in running economy with AFT are not a matter of endlessly pursuing increased compliance and energy return. Furthermore, perception seems to be unaffected by higher midsole compliance when different shoe models are tested, suggesting that many other factors are at play. As perception of exertion did not differ between shoes despite noticeable differences in physiological variables, it remains to be seen whether such minute differences are relevant for performance, or whether perhaps longer trials are needed to detect differences in exertion.
Student perceptions of the usefulness of core concepts when reasoning in physiology
Elijah J. Cole, Jennifer H. Doherty
Research shows that when students use core concepts to guide their reasoning, they are able to construct more accurate, mechanistic explanations. However, there is scant research exploring student’s perceptions of the usefulness of core concepts. Knowing students’ perceptions could be influential in encouraging faculty to adopt core concept teaching strategies. In this study, we investigated how students perceive the usefulness of using the physiology core concepts to guide their reasoning. We collected the perceptions of undergraduate science majors who had completed Introductory Biology II, which was taught using a subset of physiology core concepts. Eleven student volunteers were interviewed using a semistructured protocol, and 22 students provided end-of-semester reflections. Using a constant comparative method, we identified four emergent themes in students’ perceptions: core concepts guide reasoning, core concepts support reasoning and learning across topics and disciplines, core concepts build self-efficacy in reasoning, and drawn core concept tools visualize reasoning. These findings suggest that core concepts, when used as tools to reason with, help students explain rather than memorize physiological phenomena, thus supporting deeper learning and transfer of knowledge to novel contexts. We also found that drawn scaffolding tools play a critical role in helping students organize their thinking, making abstract systems more approachable and supporting mechanistic reasoning. This study is the first qualitative analysis examining students’ perceptions of the role core concepts of physiology play in their learning and reasoning processes.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We explore how students perceive the benefits of using physiology core concepts in their learning. Students believe core concepts guide and strengthen their reasoning across topics, while improving their confidence in their ability to understand and reason. Our findings provide useful insights for educators on why and how they should integrate the core concepts of physiology into their teaching.
Stem cells prevent long-term deterioration of renal function after renal artery revascularization in a renovascular hypertension model in rats
Nikolas Waack, Tatiana Guirao, Edgar Maquigussa
et al.
Abstract Partial stenosis of the renal artery causes renovascular hypertension (RVH) and is accompanied by chronic renal ischemia, resulting in irreversible kidney damage. Revascularization constitutes the most efficient therapy for normalizing blood pressure (BP) and has significant benefits for renal function; however, the tissue damage caused by chronic hypoxia is not fully reversed. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have produced discrete results in minimizing RVH and renal tissue and functional improvements since the obstruction persists. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of administration of MSCs in combination with renal artery revascularization in rats subjected to RVH. The following groups were evaluated: control (SHAM), hypertensive (2K-1C), hypertensive treated with MSCs (MSC), hypertensive subjected to revascularization (REV), and hypertensive subjected to revascularization and treatment with MSCs (REV + MSC). The animals were followed up for 10 weeks. The animals in the MSC group received cell infusions at the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th weeks. In the REV and REV + MSC groups, the clip was removed by the 6th week (revascularization), and in the REV + MSC group, MSCs infusion was performed at the 6th and 8th weeks. Tail systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured weekly, and histological parameters and renal function were evaluated at the end of the protocol. The clipped animals developed RVH, deterioration of total renal function (50% decrease in creatinine clearance), and significant proteinuria (15x increase). Treatment with MSCs had no detectable beneficial effects on kidney function or SBP. REV resulted in normalization of BP and a significant but partial reduction in proteinuria (80% vs. 2K-1C), but areas with renal fibrosis persisted. The combination of the two treatments was effective at normalizing all renal parameters as well as reversing proteinuria, reducing the number of ischemic glomeruli and atrophic tubules, indicating an improvement of the renal parenchyma. The results suggest that therapy with MSCs associated with revascularization can potentially help in the full recovery of renal function in the long term in patients with RVH.
Use of ProPlanta Software in the Development of Recommendations for the Production of Agricultural Products
Burkhonova M. M., Matyakubov B. Sh., Zakirova S. Kh.
et al.
This article provides an overview of ProPlanta software, which is specifically designed to provide recommendations for the rational use of agricultural land. The software is based on more than 50 years of research, including data from more than 80 long-term field trials. Designed for use in the agricultural sector of Uzbekistan, ProPlanta provides farmers with recommendations on the optimal use of key nutrients and fertilizers, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lime, magnesium, zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn). In addition, the software offers recommendations for the cultivation of environmentally beneficial plants, thereby promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
Comprehensive analysis of the circular RNA expression profile and circRNA–miRNA–mRNA network in the goat skin with divergent wool curvature
Yingxiao Su, Zhanqiang Zhao, Zhanfa Liu
et al.
Abstract Wool curvature is one of the most valuable characteristics of Zhongwei goat fur. As the goats grow, the curvature progressively diminishes, which has a substantial impact on the quality and market value of wool. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNA and play vital roles in animal growth and development. However, the expression and function of circRNAs in the wool curvature of Zhongwei goats are unclear. In our study, we conducted circRNA expression profiling of Zhongwei goat skin exhibiting divergent curvature wool phenotypes at two developmental stages using the RNA‐seq. In total, 12,682 circRNAs and 158 differentially expressed circRNAs (DE circRNAs) were identified. KEGG analysis illustrated that host genes of DE circRNAs were significantly enriched in the signaling pathways of Ras, JAK/STAT5, and cAMP, which might affect wool curvature. We further validated five circRNAs using qRT‐PCR, which were consistent with the sequencing results. Functional verification assay demonstrated that circRNA8782 regulated fibroblast proliferation. In addition, we constructed a regulatory competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network and predicted circRNA3173‐miR‐16b‐5p‐IGF1 axes involved in the regulation of wool curvature. Our result will provide the foundation for uncovering the regulatory mechanisms of underlying wool curvature patterns in goats.
Animal culture, Animal biochemistry
RETRACTED: Motivation of English oil and gas terms with a zoonym component
Semenova Marina, Tertychnaia Sofia, Jinhui Jiang
See the retraction notice BIO Web of Conferences 138, 00001 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/202413800001
Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of survivin in gynecological cancer
Agapiti H. Chuwa, David H. Mvunta, David H. Mvunta
Survivin belongs to the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family and is encoded by the baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis repeat-containing, or BIRC5, gene. It is preferentially expressed in cancers with functional complexity in cell signaling cascades such as extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), heat shock protein-90 (HSP90), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT), hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and others. Survivin plays a role in cell division and cell death, properties that have attracted a large body of research to decipher its therapeutic and prognostic significance in cancer. Survivin has tumor-promoting effects in endometrial (EC) and ovarian (OC) cancers, and its upregulation in endometrial cancer has been associated with poor overall survival (OS). While survivin protein is abundantly expressed in OC, it is barely detectable in normal ovarian tissue or benign ovarian tumors. Survivin expression is also a marker for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and high-risk human papillomavirus, and a predictor of viral clearance and prognosis in uterine cervical cancer (UCC). Furthermore, nuclear survivin expression is very low in normal vulvar squamous epithelium and increases to become abundant in vulvar invasive squamous cell carcinoma (ISCC), conferring resistance to apoptosis in vulvar carcinogenesis. In this review, we discuss in detail the impact of survivin signaling on gynecological cancers and provide insight on its therapeutic and diagnostic potential, existing research gaps, and areas for future research.
Other systems of medicine, Internal medicine
The stress of losing sleep: Sex-specific neurobiological outcomes
Courtney J. Wright, Snezana Milosavljevic, Ana Pocivavsek
Sleep is a vital and evolutionarily conserved process, critical to daily functioning and homeostatic balance. Losing sleep is inherently stressful and leads to numerous detrimental physiological outcomes. Despite sleep disturbances affecting everyone, women and female rodents are often excluded or underrepresented in clinical and pre-clinical studies. Advancing our understanding of the role of biological sex in the responses to sleep loss stands to greatly improve our ability to understand and treat health consequences of insufficient sleep. As such, this review discusses sex differences in response to sleep deprivation, with a focus on the sympathetic nervous system stress response and activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. We review sex differences in several stress-related consequences of sleep loss, including inflammation, learning and memory deficits, and mood related changes. Focusing on women's health, we discuss the effects of sleep deprivation during the peripartum period. In closing, we present neurobiological mechanisms, including the contribution of sex hormones, orexins, circadian timing systems, and astrocytic neuromodulation, that may underlie potential sex differences in sleep deprivation responses.
Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry, Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Fitness Costs of Maternal Ornaments and Prenatal Corticosterone Manifest as Reduced Offspring Survival and Sexual Ornament Expression
Braulio A. Assis, Braulio A. Assis, Julian D. Avery
et al.
Colorful traits (i.e., ornaments) that signal quality have well-established relationships with individual condition and physiology. Furthermore, ornaments expressed in females may have indirect fitness effects in offspring via the prenatal physiology associated with, and social consequences of, these signaling traits. Here we examine the influence of prenatal maternal physiology and phenotype on condition-dependent signals of their offspring in adulthood. Specifically, we explore how prenatal maternal testosterone, corticosterone, and ornament color and size correlate with female and male offspring survival to adulthood and ornament quality in the lizard Sceloporus undulatus. Offspring of females with more saturated badges and high prenatal corticosterone were less likely to survive to maturity. Badge saturation and area were negatively correlated between mothers and their male offspring, and uncorrelated to those in female offspring. Maternal prenatal corticosterone was correlated negatively with badge saturation of male offspring in adulthood. Our results indicate that maternal ornamentation and prenatal concentrations of a stress-relevant hormone can lead to compounding fitness costs by reducing offspring survival to maturity and impairing expression of a signal of quality in surviving males. This mechanism may occur in concert with social costs of ornamentation in mothers. Intergenerational effects of female ornamentation and prenatal stress may be interdependent drivers of balancing selection and intralocus sexual conflict over signaling traits.
Diseases of the endocrine glands. Clinical endocrinology
Development and characterization of a chronic implant mouse model for vagus nerve stimulation
Ibrahim T Mughrabi, Jordan Hickman, Naveen Jayaprakash
et al.
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) suppresses inflammation and autoimmune diseases in preclinical and clinical studies. The underlying molecular, neurological, and anatomical mechanisms have been well characterized using acute electrophysiological stimulation of the vagus. However, there are several unanswered mechanistic questions about the effects of chronic VNS, which require solving numerous technical challenges for a long-term interface with the vagus in mice. Here, we describe a scalable model for long-term VNS in mice developed and validated in four research laboratories. We observed significant heart rate responses for at least 4 weeks in 60–90% of animals. Device implantation did not impair vagus-mediated reflexes. VNS using this implant significantly suppressed TNF levels in endotoxemia. Histological examination of implanted nerves revealed fibrotic encapsulation without axonal pathology. This model may be useful to study the physiology of the vagus and provides a tool to systematically investigate long-term VNS as therapy for chronic diseases modeled in mice.
Empagliflozin reduces vascular damage and cognitive impairment in a mixed murine model of Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes
Carmen Hierro-Bujalance, Carmen Infante-Garcia, Angel del Marco
et al.
Abstract Background Both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) share common pathological features including inflammation, insulin signaling alterations, or vascular damage. AD has no successful treatment, and the close relationship between both diseases supports the study of antidiabetic drugs to limit or slow down brain pathology in AD. Empagliflozin (EMP) is a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, the newest class of antidiabetic agents. EMP controls hyperglycemia and reduces cardiovascular comorbidities and deaths associated to T2D. Therefore, we have analyzed the role of EMP at the central level in a complex mouse model of AD-T2D. Methods We have treated AD-T2D mice (APP/PS1xdb/db mice) with EMP 10 mg/kg for 22 weeks. Glucose, insulin, and body weight were monthly assessed. We analyzed learning and memory in the Morris water maze and the new object discrimination test. Postmortem brain assessment was conducted to measure brain atrophy, senile plaques, and amyloid-β levels. Tau phosphorylation, hemorrhage burden, and microglia were also measured in the brain after EMP treatment. Results EMP treatment helped to maintain insulin levels in diabetic mice. At the central level, EMP limited cortical thinning and reduced neuronal loss in treated mice. Hemorrhage and microglia burdens were also reduced in EMP-treated mice. Senile plaque burden was lower, and these effects were accompanied by an amelioration of cognitive deficits in APP/PS1xdb/db mice. Conclusions Altogether, our data support a feasible role for EMP to reduce brain complications associated to AD and T2D, including classical pathological features and vascular disease, and supporting further assessment of EMP at the central level.
Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry, Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Expression of the pacemaker channel HCN4 in excitatory interneurons in the dorsal horn of the murine spinal cord
Taku Nakagawa, Toshiharu Yasaka, Noriyuki Nakashima
et al.
Abstract In the central nervous system, hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN1–4) channels have been implicated in neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission. It has been reported that HCN channels are expressed in the spinal cord, but knowledge about their physiological roles, as well as their distribution profiles, appear to be limited. We generated a transgenic mouse in which the expression of HCN4 can be reversibly knocked down using a genetic tetracycline-dependent switch and conducted genetically validated immunohistochemistry for HCN4. We found that the somata of HCN4-immunoreactive (IR) cells were largely restricted to the ventral part of the inner lamina II and lamina III. Many of these cells were either parvalbumin- or protein kinase Cγ (PKCγ)-IR. By using two different mouse strains in which reporters are expressed only in inhibitory neurons, we determined that the vast majority of HCN4-IR cells were excitatory neurons. Mechanical and thermal noxious stimulation did not induce c-Fos expression in HCN4-IR cells. PKCγ-neurons in this area are known to play a pivotal role in the polysynaptic pathway between tactile afferents and nociceptive projection cells that contributes to tactile allodynia. Therefore, pharmacological and/or genetic manipulations of HCN4-expressing neurons may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the pain relief of tactile allodynia.
Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Antioxidant potential of a soft cheese (paneer) supplemented with the extracts of date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars and its whey
Tahir Mahmood Qureshi, Aniqa Amjad, Muhammad Nadeem
et al.
Objective The present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant potential of paneer, a soft cheese supplemented with various water soluble date extracts during storage. Further, the whey obtained from all the paneer samples was also investigated for its antioxidant potential. Methods The date cultivars were evaluated for their physico-chemical characteristics and date extracts were assessed for their antioxidant potential. Physico-chemical evaluation, microbiological quality and further antioxidant potential of the prepared paneer were carried out during storage period (0 to 8 days, 5°C). Results All the date extracts were found to have considerable antioxidant activity due to presence of total phenolics and flavonoids. Owing to the presence of phenolics and flavoinds in date extracts, supplemented paneer showed higher trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, reducing power and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity than control paneer. Paneer supplemented with Rabi extracts had the highest total phenolics (190.7 μg gallic acid equivalent/g paneer), DPPH radical scavenging activity (928.1 μmol equivalent of Trolx/g paneer) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (9.2 μmol equivalent of Trolx/g paneer). The whey obtained from control paneer showed lower values of total phenolics, total flavonoids, DPPH, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and reducing power as compared to the values of whey obtained from paneer supplemented with date extracts. Conclusion Paneer supplemented with date extracts and its whey may offer potent antioxidant activity.
Animal culture, Animal biochemistry
Absence of Carbohydrate Response Element Binding Protein in Adipocytes Causes Systemic Insulin Resistance and Impairs Glucose Transport
Archana Vijayakumar, Pratik Aryal, Jennifer Wen
et al.
Summary: Lower adipose-ChREBP and de novo lipogenesis (DNL) are associated with insulin resistance in humans. Here, we generated adipose-specific ChREBP knockout (AdChREBP KO) mice with negligible sucrose-induced DNL in adipose tissue (AT). Chow-fed AdChREBP KO mice are insulin resistant with impaired insulin action in the liver, muscle, and AT and increased AT inflammation. HFD-fed AdChREBP KO mice are also more insulin resistant than controls. Surprisingly, adipocytes lacking ChREBP display a cell-autonomous reduction in insulin-stimulated glucose transport that is mediated by impaired Glut4 translocation and exocytosis, not lower Glut4 levels. AdChREBP KO mice have lower levels of palmitic acid esters of hydroxy stearic acids (PAHSAs) in serum, and AT. 9-PAHSA supplementation completely rescues their insulin resistance and AT inflammation. 9-PAHSA also normalizes impaired glucose transport and Glut4 exocytosis in ChREBP KO adipocytes. Thus, loss of adipose-ChREBP is sufficient to cause insulin resistance, potentially by regulating AT glucose transport and flux through specific lipogenic pathways. : ChREBP expression in fat strongly correlates with insulin sensitivity in people. Vijayakumar et al. demonstrate that fat-specific knockout of ChREBP in mice is sufficient to cause insulin resistance and cell-autonomous impairments in glucose transport and Glut4 trafficking, potentially by altering substrate flux through specific lipogenic pathways. Keywords: adipose-carbohydrate response element binding protein, ChREBP, de novo lipogenesis, systemic insulin resistance, glucose transport, adipose tissue inflammation, palmitic acid hydroxy stearic acid, PAHSA, Glut4 trafficking
MiR-181a-5p promotes anoikis by suppressing autophagy during detachment induction in the mammary epithelial cell line MCF10A
Jia-li Wei, Yuan-cheng Li, Zhong-liang Ma
et al.
Cytology, Animal biochemistry
Obesity alters gene expression for GH/IGF-I axis in mouse mammary fat pads: differential role of cortistatin and somatostatin.
Alicia Villa-Osaba, Manuel D Gahete, José Córdoba-Chacón
et al.
Locally produced growth hormone (GH) and IGF-I are key factors in the regulation of mammary gland (MG) development and may be important in breast cancer development/progression. Somatostatin (SST) and cortistatin (CORT) regulate GH/IGF-I axis at various levels, but their role in regulating GH/IGF-I in MGs remains unknown. Since obesity alters the expression of these systems in different tissues and is associated to MG (patho) physiology, we sought to investigate the role of SST/CORT in regulating GH/IGF-I system in the MGs of lean and obese mice. Therefore, we analyzed GH/IGF-I as well as SST/CORT and ghrelin systems expression in the mammary fat pads (MFPs) of SST- or CORT-knockout (KO) mice and their respective littermate-controls fed a low-fat (LF) or a high-fat (HF) diet for 16 wks. Our results demonstrate that the majority of the components of GH/IGF-I, SST/CORT and ghrelin systems are locally expressed in mouse MFP. Expression of elements of the GH/IGF-I axis was significantly increased in MFPs of HF-fed control mice while lack of endogenous SST partially suppressed, and lack of CORT completely blunted, the up-regulation observed in obese WT-controls. Since SST/CORT are known to exert an inhibitory role on the GH/IGFI axis, the increase in SST/CORT-receptor sst2 expression in MFPs of HF-fed CORT- and SST-KOs together with an elevation on circulating SST in CORT-KOs could explain the differences observed. These results offer new information on the factors (GH/IGF-I axis) involved in the endocrine/metabolic dysregulation of MFPs in obesity, and suggest that CORT is not a mere SST sibling in regulating MG physiology.
Sweet Taste Receptor Signaling Network: Possible Implication for Cognitive Functioning
Menizibeya O. Welcome, Nikos E. Mastorakis, Vladimir A. Pereverzev
Sweet taste receptors are transmembrane protein network specialized in the transmission of information from special “sweet” molecules into the intracellular domain. These receptors can sense the taste of a range of molecules and transmit the information downstream to several acceptors, modulate cell specific functions and metabolism, and mediate cell-to-cell coupling through paracrine mechanism. Recent reports indicate that sweet taste receptors are widely distributed in the body and serves specific function relative to their localization. Due to their pleiotropic signaling properties and multisubstrate ligand affinity, sweet taste receptors are able to cooperatively bind multiple substances and mediate signaling by other receptors. Based on increasing evidence about the role of these receptors in the initiation and control of absorption and metabolism, and the pivotal role of metabolic (glucose) regulation in the central nervous system functioning, we propose a possible implication of sweet taste receptor signaling in modulating cognitive functioning.
Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Genome-wide Association Study for Warner-Bratzler Shear Force and Sensory Traits in Hanwoo (Korean Cattle)
C. G. Dang, S. H. Cho, A. Sharma
et al.
Significant SNPs associated with Warner-Bratzler (WB) shear force and sensory traits were confirmed for Hanwoo beef (Korean cattle). A Bonferroni-corrected genome-wide significant association (p<1.3×10−6) was detected with only one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on chromosome 5 for WB shear force. A slightly higher number of SNPs was significantly (p<0.001) associated with WB shear force than with other sensory traits. Further, 50, 25, 29, and 34 SNPs were significantly associated with WB shear force, tenderness, juiciness, and flavor likeness, respectively. The SNPs between p = 0.001 and p = 0.0001 thresholds explained 3% to 9% of the phenotypic variance, while the most significant SNPs accounted for 7% to 12% of the phenotypic variance. In conclusion, because WB shear force and sensory evaluation were moderately affected by a few loci and minimally affected by other loci, further studies are required by using a large sample size and high marker density.
Animal culture, Animal biochemistry
Toll-Like Receptor 9 Promotes Cardiac Inflammation and Heart Failure during Polymicrobial Sepsis
Ralph Lohner, Markus Schwederski, Carolin Narath
et al.
Background. Aim was to elucidate the role of toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in cardiac inflammation and septic heart failure in a murine model of polymicrobial sepsis. Methods. Sepsis was induced via colon ascendens stent peritonitis (CASP) in C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and TLR9-deficient (TLR9-D) mice. Bacterial load in the peritoneal cavity and cardiac expression of inflammatory mediators were determined at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 h. Eighteen hours after CASP cardiac function was monitored in vivo. Sarcomere length of isolated cardiomyocytes was measured at 0.5 to 10 Hz after incubation with heat-inactivated bacteria. Results. CASP led to continuous release of bacteria into the peritoneal cavity, an increase of cytokines, and differential regulation of receptors of innate immunity in the heart. Eighteen hours after CASP WT mice developed septic heart failure characterised by reduction of end-systolic pressure, stroke volume, cardiac output, and parameters of contractility. This coincided with reduced cardiomyocyte sarcomere shortening. TLR9 deficiency resulted in significant reduction of cardiac inflammation and a sustained heart function. This was consistent with reduced mortality in TLR9-D compared to WT mice. Conclusions. In polymicrobial sepsis TLR9 signalling is pivotal to cardiac inflammation and septic heart failure.
Magnitude of the smoking problem, knowledge, attitude and practice, among family members of primary school students
Babak Nakhostin-Roohi, Aghdas Sojudi, Mahdi Khorshidi Hosseini
<p><strong>Background:</strong> smoking is a very important public health problem, urgently requiring immediate and effective measures due to its harmful effect on health. The purpose of this study was to collect baseline information about the magnitude of smoking problem, knowledge, attitude, and practice among family members of primary school students in the northwest region of Iran.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> of 55 680 primary school students (the 3th, 4th and 5th grades), 7.1% (n=3 954) were selected using randomized multi-stage cluster sampling. Data collection was conducted in April, May, and June 2011, by means of a self-administered two-page questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> a total of 3 954 students (57.6% boys and 42.3% girls) with the mean age of 10.46±1.09 years were evaluated. According to our data, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among fathers was more than other family members (27.1% versus 17.8%) whereas the prevalence of water pipe smoking among fathers and other family members was almost similar (9.2% and 9.7% respectively). None of the smoking type was prevalent among mothers (cigarette: 1% and water pipe: 1.1%). Considerable numbers of all students under study had been exposed to secondhand smoke at home (cigarette: 19.8% and water pipe: 7.7%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> considering our findings, two procedures recommended to prevail the problem are to provide greater education about hazards of tobacco consumption among students and their family; and to legislate new laws by officials to ban tobacco use at home.</p>