91 research outputs found
Sex-specific effects of N-acetylcysteine in neonatal rats treated with hypothermia after severe hypoxia-ischemia
AbstractApproximately half of moderate to severely hypoxic-ischemic (HI) newborns do not respond to hypothermia, the only proven neuroprotective treatment. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant and glutathione precursor, shows promise for neuroprotection in combination with hypothermia, mitigating post-HI neuroinflammation due to oxidative stress. As mechanisms of HI injury and cell death differ in males and females, sex differences must be considered in translational research of neuroprotection. We assessed the potential toxicity and efficacy of NAC in combination with hypothermia, in male and female neonatal rats after severe HI injury. NAC 50mg/kg/d administered 1h after initiation of hypothermia significantly decreased iNOS expression and caspase 3 activation in the injured hemisphere versus hypothermia alone. However, only females treated with hypothermia +NAC 50mg/kg showed improvement in short-term infarct volumes compared with saline treated animals. Hypothermia alone had no effect in this severe model. When NAC was continued for 6 weeks, significant improvement in long-term neuromotor outcomes over hypothermia treatment alone was observed, controlling for sex. Antioxidants may provide insufficient neuroprotection after HI for neonatal males in the short term, while long-term therapy may benefit both sexes
Recommended from our members
Effect of a 6-month vegan low-carbohydrate (âEco-Atkinsâ) diet on cardiovascular risk factors and body weight in hyperlipidaemic adults: a randomised controlled trial
Objective: Low-carbohydrate diets may be useful for weight loss. Diets high in vegetable proteins and oils may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The main objective was to determine the longer term effect of a diet that was both low-carbohydrate and plant-based on weight loss and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Design, setting, participants A parallel design study of 39 overweight hyperlipidaemic men and postmenopausal women conducted at a Canadian university-affiliated hospital nutrition research centre from April 2005 to November 2006. Intervention Participants were advised to consume either a low-carbohydrate vegan diet or a high-carbohydrate lacto-ovo vegetarian diet for 6 months after completing 1-month metabolic (all foods provided) versions of these diets. The prescribed macronutrient intakes for the low-carbohydrate and high-carbohydrate diets were: 26% and 58% of energy from carbohydrate, 31% and 16% from protein and 43% and 25% from fat, respectively. Primary outcome Change in body weight. Results: 23 participants (50% test, 68% control) completed the 6-month ad libitum study. The approximate 4 kg weight loss on the metabolic study was increased to â6.9 kg on low-carbohydrate and â5.8 kg on high-carbohydrate 6-month ad libitum treatments (treatment difference (95% CI) â1.1 kg (â2.1 to 0.0), p=0.047). The relative LDL-C and triglyceride reductions were also greater on the low-carbohydrate treatment (treatment difference (95% CI) â0.49 mmol/L (â0.70 to â0.28), p<0.001 and â0.34 mmol/L (â0.57 to â0.11), p=0.005, respectively), as were the total cholesterol:HDL-C and apolipoprotein B:A1 ratios (â0.57 (â0.83, â0.32), p<0.001 and â0.05 (â0.09, â0.02), p=0.003, respectively). Conclusions: A self-selected low-carbohydrate vegan diet, containing increased protein and fat from gluten and soy products, nuts and vegetable oils, had lipid lowering advantages over a high-carbohydrate, low-fat weight loss diet, thus improving heart disease risk factors. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/), #NCT00256516
Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation-Paired Rehabilitation for Oromotor Feeding Problems in Newborns: An Open-Label Pilot Study
Neonates born premature or who suffer brain injury at birth often have oral feeding dysfunction and do not meet oral intake requirements needed for discharge. Low oral intake volumes result in extended stays in the hospital (\u3e2 months) and can lead to surgical implant and explant of a gastrostomy tube (G-tube). Prior work suggests pairing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with motor activity accelerates functional improvements after stroke, and transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) has emerged as promising noninvasive form of VNS. Pairing taVNS with bottle-feeding rehabilitation may improve oromotor coordination and lead to improved oral intake volumes, ultimately avoiding the need for G-tube placement. We investigated whether taVNS paired with oromotor rehabilitation is tolerable and safe and facilitates motor learning in infants who have failed oral feeding. We enrolled 14 infants [11 premature and 3 hypoxicâischemic encephalopathy (HIE)] who were slated for G-tube placement in a prospective, open-label study of taVNS-paired rehabilitation to increase feeding volumes. Once-daily taVNS was delivered to the left tragus during bottle feeding for 2 weeks, with optional extension. The primary outcome was attainment of oral feeding volumes and weight gain adequate for discharge without G-tube while also monitoring discomfort and heart rate (HR) as safety outcomes. We observed no adverse events related to stimulation, and stimulation-induced HR reductions were transient and safe and likely confirmed vagal engagement. Eight of 14 participants (57%) achieved adequate feeding volumes for discharge without G-tube (mean treatment length: 16 ± 6 days). We observed significant increases in feeding volume trajectories in responders compared with pre-stimulation (p \u3c 0.05). taVNS-paired feeding rehabilitation appears safe and may improve oral feeding in infants with oromotor dyscoordination, increasing the rate of discharge without G-tube, warranting larger controlled trials
Pairing taVNS and CIMT is feasible and may improve upper extremity function in infants
In this study we combined non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) with 40â
h of constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) in infants. All infants completed the full intervention with no adverse events. Therapists were able to maintain high treatment fidelity and reported high ratings for ease of use and child tolerance. Preliminary results show promising gains on motor outcomes: Mean QUEST increase 19.17 (minimal clinically important difference, MCID 4.89); Mean GMFM increase 13.33 (MCID 1%â3%). Infants also exceeded expectations on Goal Attainment Scores (+1). Early data is promising that taVNS paired with intensive motor CIMT is feasible, reliable, and safe in young infants with hemiplegia, and may help harness activity-dependent plasticity to enhance functional movement
Sacred turf: the Wimbledon tennis championships and the changing politics of Englishness
© 2015 Taylor & Francis. This article is about âWimbledonâ, widely celebrated â not least in its own publicity material â as the worldâs premier tennis tournament. It examines âWimbledonâ essentially as a text (hence the inverted commas), viewed politically and historically. In this context, âWimbledonâ is seen as a signifier of a certain kind of Englishness, carefully adapted to meet changing social and economic circumstance. Loose parallels are drawn between the cultural trajectory of âWimbledonâ and that of the British royal family. The transmutations of âWimbledonâ as a tennis championship are also seen as reflecting Britainâs decline as a world power during the twentieth century
Co-Transport of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Motile Microorganisms Leads to Enhanced Mass Transfer under Diffusive Conditions.
The
environmental chemodynamics of hydrophobic organic chemicals
(HOCs) are often rate-limited by diffusion in stagnant boundary layers.
This study investigated whether motile microorganisms can act as microbial
carriers that enhance mass transfer of HOCs through diffusive boundary
layers. A new experimental system was developed that allows (1) generation
of concentration gradients of HOCs under the microscope, (2) exposure
and direct observation of microorganisms in such gradients, and (3)
quantification of HOC mass transfer. Silicone O-rings were integrated
into a Dunn chemotaxis chamber to serve as sink and source for polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This resulted in stable concentration
gradients in water (>24 h). Adding the model organism <i>Tetrahymena
pyriformis</i> to the experimental system enhanced PAH mass transfer
up to hundred-fold (benzoÂ[a]Âpyrene). Increasing mass transfer enhancement
with hydrophobicity indicated PAH co-transport with the motile organisms.
Fluorescence microscopy confirmed such transport. The effective diffusivity
of <i>T. pyriformis</i>, determined by video imaging microscopy,
was found to exceed molecular diffusivities of the PAHs up to four-fold.
Cell-bound PAH fractions were determined to range from 28% (naphthalene)
to 92% (pyrene). Motile microorganisms can therefore function as effective
carriers for HOCs under diffusive conditions and might significantly
enhance mobility and availability of HOCs
First Results of the Ce(n,Îł)Ce Cross-Section Measurement at n_TOF
An accurate measurement of the Ce(n,Îł) energy-dependent cross-section was performed at the n_TOF facility at CERN. This cross-section is of great importance because it represents a bottleneck for the s-process nucleosynthesis and determines to a large extent the cerium abundance in stars. The measurement was motivated by the significant difference between the cerium abundance measured in globular clusters and the value predicted by theoretical stellar models. This discrepancy can be ascribed to an overestimation of the Ce capture cross-section due to a lack of accurate nuclear data. For this measurement, we used a sample of cerium oxide enriched in Ce to 99.4%. The experimental apparatus consisted of four deuterated benzene liquid scintillator detectors, which allowed us to overcome the difficulties present in the previous measurements, thanks to their very low neutron sensitivity. The accurate analysis of the p-wave resonances and the calculation of their average parameters are fundamental to improve the evaluation of the Ce Maxwellian-averaged cross-section
- âŠ