13 research outputs found
Neuroplasticity-related correlates of environmental enrichment combined with physical activity differ between the sexes
In Press, Corrected ProofEnvironmental enrichment (EE), comprising positive physical (exercise) and cognitive stimuli, influences neuronal structure and usually improves brain function. The promise of EE as a preventative strategy against neuropsychiatric disease is especially high during early postnatal development when the brain is still amenable to reorganization. Despite the fact that male and female brains differ in terms of connectivity and function that may reflect early life experiences, knowledge of the neural substrates and mechanisms by which such changes arise remains limited. This study compared the impact of EE combined with physical activity on neuroplasticity and its functional consequences in adult male and female rats; EE was provided during the first 3 months of life and our analysis focused on the hippocampus, an area implicated in cognitive behavior as well as the neuroendocrine response to stress. Both male and female rats reared in EE displayed better object recognition memory than their control counterparts. Interestingly, sex differences were revealed in the effects of EE on time spent exploring the objects during this test. Independently of sex, EE increased hippocampal turnover rates of dopamine and serotonin and reduced expression of 5-HT1A receptors; in addition, EE upregulated expression of synaptophysin, a presynaptic protein, in the hippocampus. As compared to their respective controls, EE-exposed males exhibited parallel increases in phosphorylated Tau and the GluN2B receptor, whereas females responded to EE with reduced hippocampal levels of glutamate and GluN2B. Together, these observations provide further evidence on the differential effects of EE on markers of hippocampal neuroplasticity in males and females.This work was funded by an ``Education and Lifelong Learning, Supporting Postdoctoral Researchers”, co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the General Secretariat for Research and Technology, Greece. This work was also supported by the Portuguese North Regional Operational Program (ON.2) under the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN), through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), the Project Estratégico co-funded by FCT (PEst-C/SAU/LA0026/2013) and the European Regional Development Fund COMPETE (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037,298) as well as the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000,013, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
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Asthma vs. healthy children: Differences in smoke exposure and caregiver perceived risk.
IntroductionSecondhand smoke (SHS) exposure remains a public health problem. Few, if any, studies include both children with and without asthma to assess differences in caregiver smoking behavior, risk perception, and SHS.MethodsParticipants were 738 daily U.S. smokers (443 caregivers of children with asthma [CG-AC] and 295 caregivers of healthy children [CG-HC]; 50.9% White, 25% Black, 15% Latino). Data are cross-sectional; SHS was measured through self-report and passive dosimetry.ResultsCompared with CG-HC, CG-AC had fewer risk factors for exposing children to SHS (lower nicotine dependence, higher motivation to quit, greater perceived benefits of cessation on child's health, and lower optimistic bias; all p values < .05). Specifically, 60.6% of CG-AC reported a household smoking ban versus 40.1% of CG-HC (p < .05), though >95% of both groups had detectable levels of SHS in their home. CG-AC self-reported lower SHS than CG-HC, but both groups had nearly equivalent SHS when measured objectively. CG-AC were almost twice as likely as CG-HC to report a home smoking ban when they had detectable levels of household SHS as measured by passive dosimetry (OR = 1.71; 95% CI = 1.2, 2.4; p = .003).ConclusionsCaregivers of children with chronic health conditions, such as asthma, may be motivated to self-report lower levels of SHS. Child health status (e.g., asthma) may cue practitioners to inquire about SHS, but given the low proportion of household bans and high levels of actual exposure among both groups, SHS exposure assessment and reduction/elimination counseling should be prompted to occur for all children
Infection of lymphoid tissues in the macaque upper respiratory tract contributes to the emergence of transmissible measles virus
Measles virus (MV), a member of the family Paramyxoviridae, remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing world. MV is spread by aerosols but the mechanism(s) responsible for the high transmissibility of MV are largely unknown. We previously infected macaques with enhanced green fluorescent protein-expressing recombinant MV and euthanized them at a range of time points. In this study a comprehensive pathological analysis has been performed of tissues from the respiratory tract around the peak of virus replication. Isolation of virus from nose and throat swab samples showed that high levels of both cell-associated and cell-free virus were present in the upper respiratory tract. Analysis of tissue sections from lung and primary bronchus revealed localized infection of epithelial cells, concomitant in