Enhanced c-Fos expression in the central amygdala correlates with increased thigmotaxis in rats with peripheral nerve injury

Pain is associated with affective, cognitive and sensory dysfunction. Animal models can be used to observe ethologically relevant behaviours such as thigmotaxis, giving insight into how ongoing sensory abnormalities influence natural rodent behaviours. The amygdala is a complex group of nuclei implicated in the integration and generation of emotional behavioural responses, including those associated with pain, and a region known as the central amygdala is particularly associated with generation of behavioural responses, due to its links to the descending pain modulation pathways; as such, study of amygdalar c-Fos immunoreactivity can help identify the neuronal circuits involved.This study investigated changes in both nociceptive evoked responses and open field behaviour following spinal nerve transection (SNT) in male Wistar rats, and attempted to correlate these with changes in central amygdala c-Fos immunoreactivity.Fourteen days after SNT, mechanical hypersensitivity was present in the hind paw ipsilateral to site of injury. Thigmotactic behaviour was significantly increased in both SNT and sham surgery animals, with c-Fos immunoreactivity in the central amygdala significantly greater in SNT animals compared to both sham and naive groups. Activation was greatest in the capsular and lateral subnuclei of the central amygdala, and in the caudal-most regions. There was a strong correlation between thigmotactic behaviour and central amygdala activation following SNT surgery not seen in sham animals suggesting a role for the amygdala in behavioural responses to peripheral nerve injury.This study provides evidence to support the role of the amygdala in thigmotactic open field behaviour following SNT. WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD?: Thigmotaxis and amygdala activation are positively correlated in rats following spinal nerve transection. Behavioural changes seen in sham animals did not correlate with amygdala activation, suggesting amygdala activation is related to nociceptive input. Evoked measures, such as hindpaw withdrawal, are not correlated with either thigmotaxis or amygdala activation, emphasizing the importance of complex behaviours when studying pain

Radiological conference. Paget's disease

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Scheduling in an assembly-type production chain with batch transfer

Author name used in this publication: T. C. E. Cheng2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Predicted predissociation linewidths in the Schumann-Runge bands of O2 compared with recent high resolution measurements

The fine-structure predissociation linewidths for the Schumann-Runge bands were evaluated by the model of Julienne and krauss. The parameters were adjusted and modified to account for the fine-structure data for rotational states of vibrational levels v=0-2, 9-12. The standard deviation of the predicted widths was calculated using the fine-structure data. Green's function method was used to obtain the shifts at the band heads. The analysis showed good agreement between the measured widths and widths obtained using the modified parameters.published_or_final_versio

Raising activity levels as a health risk reduction intervention in Hong Kong children

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Laser spectroscopy of NiBr: New electronic states and hyperfine structure

Laser induced fluorescence spectrum of NiBr in the visible region between 604 and 666 nm has been recorded and analyzed. Fourteen bands belonging to three electronic transition systems, namely, [15.1] Δ 52 2 -X Π 32 2, [15.1] Π 32 2 -X Π 32 2, and [14.0] Δ 52 2 -X Π 32 2 have been observed. Spectra of isotopic molecules were also observed and analyzed. Detailed analysis of the recorded spectra indicated that the two electronic states [15.1] Π 32 2 and [15.1] Δ 52 2 lie about 1 cm-1 apart from each other and J -dependent perturbation due to spin-uncoupling interaction has been observed. Least squares fitting procedures involving deperturbation matrix elements were used to fit the observed line positions, which yielded accurate molecular constants for the [15.1] Π 32 2 and [15.1] Δ 52 2 states. In addition, the (1,0) band of the [15.1] Δ 52 2 -X Π 32 2 transition shows partially resolved hyperfine structure that was caused by the interaction of unpaired electron with the magnetic moment of the Br nucleus (nuclear spin of I=32) in the excited state. The rapid decrease in hyperfine width as J increases suggests that the hyperfine coupling in the excited state conforms to Hund's case (aΒ) coupling scheme. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Identification of some heat-induced genes of Trichinella spiralis

Three heat-induced genes of the infective-stage larvae of Trichinella spiralis were successfully identified by the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique. As indicated by reverse Northern blotting, 19 of 25 clones were scored as differentially transcribed in the heat-shocked infective-stage larvae. The sequencing data showed the presence of 12 different genes. Three were homologous to histone H3, histone H2B and translationally controlled tumour protein (TCTP). A 0.6 kb cDNA of histone H3 was generated by the RACE method and sequenced. It contained an open reading frame of 136 amino acids that demonstrated 94% identity with genes from Drosophila hydei. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR indicated that after heat-shock treatment, the expression levels of histone H3, histone H2B and TCTP increased 4.8, 27 and 5.7-fold, respectively. Northern analysis confirmed the upregulation of histone H3, histone H2B and TCTP transcripts. The upregulation of these genes during stress conditions has not been reported in parasitic organisms. The stress proteins may play an active role to sustain the parasite after exposure to hostile host factors.published_or_final_versio

Improvements in the mechanical structure of the linear switched reluctance motor

Author name used in this publication: Norbert C. CheungRefereed conference paper2007-2008 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Electronic transitions of cobalt monoboride

Electronic transition spectrum of cobalt monoboride (CoB) in the visible region between 495 and 560 nm has been observed and analyzed using laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. CoB molecule was produced by the reaction of laser-ablated cobalt atom and diborane (B 2H 6) seeded in argon. Fifteen vibrational bands with resolved rotational structure have been recorded, which included transitions of both Co 10B and Co 11B isotopic species. Our analysis showed that the observed transition bands are ΔΩ=0 transitions with Ω″ = 2 and Ω″ = 3 lower states. Four transition systems have been assigned, namely, the [18.1] 3Π 2-X 3Δ 2, the [18.3]φ 3φ 3-X 3Δ 3, the [18.6]3-X 3Δ 3, and the [19.0]2-X 3Δ 2 systems. The bond length, r o, of the X 3Δ 3 state of CoB is determined to be 1.705 Å. The observed rotational lines showed unresolved hyperfine structure arising from the nuclei, which conforms to the Hunds case (a β) coupling scheme. This work represents the first experimental investigation of the CoB spectrum. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Rotational and hyperfine analysis of the near infrared 3Φ4-X3Φ4 transitions of CoCl and Col

A rotational and hyperfine analysis of the 3φ 4- 3φ 4 transition of CoCl and CoI in the near infrared region was reported. Six and eight vibronic transition band soft CoCl and CoI, respectively, were recorded and analyzed. Accurate molecular parameters for both the upper and the ground 3φ 4 states were determined by least squares fitting of line positions of observed bands simultaneously for each molecule, which yielded accurate molecular parameters for both the upper and lower 3φ 4 states.published_or_final_versio