Fast adaptive jump of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

The 11th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines. Kobe University, Japan. 2023-06-06/09. Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines Organizing Committee.Poster Session P1

Musculoskeletal systems that generate extremely fast movements in the trap-jaw ants

The 11th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines. Kobe University, Japan. 2023-06-06/09. Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines Organizing Committee.Poster Session P1

Gamergate controls dopamine levels of workers in <i>Diacamma</i> sp.

Introdução: O climatério representa uma fase de mudança e de transição no ciclo de vida feminino, durante o qual as mulheres experimentam alterações físicas e psicológicas decorrentes do hipoestrogenismo e envelhecimento. O Médico de Família é habitualmente o primeiro profissional de saúde a quem a mulher recorre para esclarecer as suas dúvidas e solicitar o alívio da sintomatologia climatérica, ocupando uma posição privilegiada para promover a capacitação e empowerment das utentes. Métodos: Promoveu-se um estudo observacional transversal, aplicando um questionário de auto-preenchimento a 92 mulheres, com idades compreendidas entre os 40 e os 60 anos, que frequentam os Centros de Saúde Norton de Matos e S. Martinho do Bispo (USF Mondego), de forma a avaliar a abordagem da menopausa nos Cuidados de Saúde Primários. A recolha dos dados decorreu de abril a julho de 2014. O tratamento estatístico foi efetuado através da plataforma estatística IBM SPSS v21.0. Resultados: Mais de metade das mulheres (55,4%) referiu ter conversado com o Médico de Família sobre a menopausa e todos os assuntos relacionados, todavia 19,6% ainda manifestavam dúvidas. O médico foi considerado a principal fonte de informação para 50% das inquiridas. A maioria das mulheres (77,2%) descreveu a presença de sintomas climatéricos, sendo os mais frequentes as dores ósseas (73,2%) e a ansiedade (67,6%). 39,1% das inquiridas indicaram a interferência do climatério na sua vida diária, sendo a vida familiar (69,4%) e a sexual (58,3%) as mais afetadas. Verificou-se uma associação significativa entre a presença de sintomas e a interferência do climatério na vida diária e na qualidade de vida da mulher. As mulheres sintomáticas (OR=12,983 com IC95% [2,808;60,033]) e as que referiram a interferência do climatério no dia a dia (OR=5,965 com IC95% [2,364;15,048]) apresentaram uma probabilidade aumentada de recorrer a consultas de Medicina Geral e Familiar. As infeções urinárias de repetição (91,7%) foram as queixas que mais motivaram a ida ao Médico de Família. Das mulheres sintomáticas, 45,1% referiram ter cuidados adicionais ou fazer algum tratamento. A terapêutica hormonal revelou-se a mais eficaz no alívio das queixas, tendo como prescritor mais frequente o Ginecologista (58,3%). Conclusão: O Médico de Família assume um papel crucial na capacitação e acompanhamento da mulher climatérica. Constatou-se que ainda permanecem dúvidas que necessitam de ser esclarecidas e que são necessárias normas que uniformizem a abordagem da menopausa na prática clínica.Introduction: The climacteric represents a time of change and transition in the female life cycle, during which women experience physical and psychological changes resulting from hypoestrogenism and aging. The general practitioner is usually the first health professional to whom a woman appeals to clarify her doubts and request relief from climacteric symptoms, occupying a privileged position to promote capacity building and empowerment of patients. Methods: It was promoted a cross-sectional observational study, applying a self-completion questionnaire to 92 women, aged between 40 and 60 years, who attend the health centers of Norton de Matos and S. Martinho do Bispo (USF Mondego), in order to evaluate the approach of menopause in Primary Health Care. Data collection took place from April to July 2014. The statistical analysis was performed by the statistical platform IBM SPSS v21.0. Results: More than half of women (55.4%) said they had talked to the general practitioner about menopause and all the related subjects, however 19.6% still had doubts. The doctor was considered the main source of information for 50% of the surveyed women. Most women (77.2%) described the presence of menopausal symptoms, the most common being bone pain (73.2%) and anxiety (67.6%). 39.1% of the surveyed indicated the interference of the climacteric in their everyday life, being the family life (69.4%) and the sexual life (58.3%) the most affected. There was a significant association between the presence of symptoms of menopause and the interference of the climacteric in daily life and quality of life. Symptomatic women (OR = 12.983 with 95% CI [2.808, 60.033]) and those who mentioned the interference of the climacteric in daily life (OR = 5.965 95% CI [2.364, 15.048]) had an increased likelihood of appealing to a general practitioner. Recurrent urinary tract infections (91.7%) were complaints that most commonly lead going to the general practitioner. Of symptomatic women, 45.1% said having additional care or getting some treatment. Hormone therapy proved more effective in relieving complaints, having the gynecologist as the most frequent prescriber (58.3%). Conclusion: The general practitioner plays a key role in the capacity building and monitoring of the climacteric woman. It was found that there are still questions that need to be clarified and that standards are necessary to standardize the approach of menopause in clinical practice

Monoamines, Insulin and the Roles They Play in Associative Learning in Pond Snails

Molluscan gastropods have long been used for studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. One such gastropod, the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis, exhibits long-term memory (LTM) following both classical and operant conditioning. Using Lymnaea, we have successfully elucidated cellular mechanisms of learning and memory utilizing an aversive classical conditioning procedure, conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Here, we present the behavioral changes following CTA training and show that the memory score depends on the duration of food deprivation. Then, we describe the relationship between the memory scores and the monoamine contents of the central nervous system (CNS). A comparison of learning capability in two different strains of Lymnaea, as well as the filial 1 (F1) cross from the two strains, presents how the memory scores are correlated in these populations with monoamine contents. Overall, when the memory scores are better, the monoamine contents of the CNS are lower. We also found that as the insulin content of the CNS decreases so does the monoamine contents which are correlated with higher memory scores. The present review deepens the relationship between monoamine and insulin contents with the memory score

Electrocardiographic and electrophysiologic characteristics of ventricular tachycardia originating within the pulmonary artery

ObjectivesWe investigated the electrocardiographic (ECG) and electrophysiologic characteristics of ventricular tachycardia (VT) originating within the pulmonary artery (PA).BackgroundRadiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is routinely applied to the endocardial surface of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in patients with idiopathic VT of left bundle branch block morphology. It was recently reported that this arrhythmia may originate within the PA.MethodsActivation mapping and ECG analysis were performed in 24 patients whose VTs or ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) were successfully ablated within the PA (PA group) and in 48 patients whose VTs or VPCs were successfully ablated from the endocardial surface of the RVOT (RV-end-OT group).ResultsR-wave amplitudes on inferior ECG leads, aVL/aVR ratio of Q-wave amplitude, and R/S ratio on lead V2were significantly larger in the PA group than in the RV-end-OT group. On intracardiac electrograms, atrial potentials were more frequently recorded in the PA group than in the RV-end-OT group (58% vs. 12%; p < 0.01). The amplitude of local ventricular potentials recorded during sinus rhythm within the PA was significantly lower than that recorded from the RV-end-OT (0.62 ± 0.56 mV vs. 1.55 ± 0.88 mV; p < 0.01).ConclusionsVentricular tachycardia originating within the PA has different electrocardiographic and electrophysiologic characteristics from that originating from the RV-end-OT. When mapping the RVOT area, the catheter may be located within the PA if a low-voltage atrial or local ventricular potential of <1-mV amplitude is recorded. Heightened attention must be paid if RFCA is required within the PA

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator in a Patient with Eisenmenger Syndrome after Senning Repair for Transposition of the Great Arteries

An implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator was attempted in a 32-year-old man with atrial tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia and sinus node dysfunction. He had undergone a Senning operation and half closure of ventricular septal defect in order to correct a transposition of the great arteries. Cardiac catheterization revealed severe pulmonary hypertension and Eisenmenger syndrome. Prior knowledge of the complex cardiac anatomy obtained by magnetic resonance imaging helped in determining the suitable site for implanting the leads and planning the procedural strategy. With repletion of a large amount of saline and oral anticoagulation with warfarin, no complications related to thromboembolism occurred during a 10-month follow-up period

Elevation of dopamine level reduces hostseeking activity in the adult female mosquito Aedes albopictus

Background: Mosquito-borne viruses are transmitted to human hosts via blood-feeding behavior of female mosquitoes. Female mosquitoes seek a host to take blood meals (host-seeking behavior). In order to prevent virus infections, it is important to understand how they modulate host-seeking behavior. Dopamine (DA) in the central nervous system acts as a neuromediator that regulates a variety of behaviors in insects. In female mosquitoes, host-seeking behavior increases when DA levels in the head decline after emergence. However, it remains unclear whether DA directly modulates host-seeking behavior in female mosquitoes. The aim of this study was to examine whether changes in DA levels in the head affects host-seeking activity in the adult female mosquito Aedes albopictus (Ae. albopictus). Findings: We compared host-seeking behavior in one group of emerging female adults treated with L-β-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), the precursor of DA, (L-DOPA group), with that in an untreated control (control group) after confirming elevation of head DA in L-DOPA group by using high-performance liquid chromatography. The content of head DA in L-DOPA group significantly remained higher than that in controls on all days examined. The host-seeking activity in the control group showed a gradual increase over the 6-day experimental period. In contrast, there was no such increase in the host-seeking activity in the L-DOPA group. Therefore, the host-seeking activity of L-DOPA group was significantly lower than that of the controls between day 3 and 6 post-emergence. Conclusion: Our results indicate that elevation of DA level reduces host-seeking activity in adult female mosquito Ae. albopictus

Exercise training reduces ventricular arrhythmias through restoring calcium handling and sympathetic tone in myocardial infarction mice

Exercise can improve morbidity and mortality in heart failure patients; however, the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully investigated. Thus, we investigated the effects of exercise on cardiac function and ventricular arrhythmias in myocardial infarction (MI) induced heart failure mice. Wild‐type male mice underwent sham‐operation or permanent left coronary artery ligation to induce MI. MI mice were divided into a sedentary (MI‐Sed) and two intervention groups: MI‐Ex (underwent 6‐week treadmill exercise training) and MI‐βb (oral bisoprolol treatment (1 mg/kg/d) without exercise). Cardiac function and structure were assessed by echocardiography and histology. Exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary function was accepted as oxygen consumption at peak exercise (peak VO2). Autonomic nervous system function and the incidence of spontaneous ventricular arrhythmia were evaluated via telemetry recording. mRNA and protein expressions in the left ventricle (LV) were investigated by real‐time PCR and Western blotting. There were no differences in survival rate, MI size, cardiac function and structure, while exercise training improved peak VO2. Compared with MI‐Sed, MI‐Ex, and MI‐βb showed decreased sympathetic tone and lower incidence of spontaneous ventricular arrhythmia. By Western blot, the hyperphosphorylation of CaMKII and RyR2 were restored by exercise and β‐blocker treatment. Furthermore, elevated expression of miR‐1 and decreased expression of its target protein PP2A were recovered by exercise and β‐blocker treatment. Continuous intensive exercise training can suppress ventricular arrhythmias in subacute to chronic phase of MI through restoring autonomic imbalance and impaired calcium handling, similarly to that for β‐blockers