Female Scent Signals Enhances Male Resistance to Influenza

Scent of receptive females as signal to reproduction stimulate male mice to olfactory search of a potential breeding partner^1, 2^. This searching behavior is coupled with infection risk due to bacterial contamination of the fecal and urine scent marks^4^. The theoretical consideration of host evolution under inevitable parasitic pressures, including helminthes, bacteria, virus etc., predicts adaptations that help protect against parasites associated with breeding^7^. In this study, we propose that acceptation of female signals by male mice leads to adaptive redistribution of immune defense directed to protection against respiratory infection risks. Our results reveal migration of macrophages and neutrophils to upper airways upon exposure to female odor stimulus resulting in increased resistance to influenza virus in male mice. Contrary to widely accepted immunosuppressive function of female sexual signals, our data provide the first demonstration of the adaptive immunological response to female odor stimulus through induction of nonspecific immune response in upper airways

Teacher Education in Higher Education Systems during Pandemic and the Synergy of Digital Technology

In the modern world of education, the level of digital technology development plays a decisive role in the competitiveness of educational institutions. The transition to digital education is considered a key driving force for the development of any university. In recent years, pedagogical universities have made tangible progress in many areas of digital development. However, the introduction of digital technologies (DT) in the educational process reached its peak during the pandemic. This study aims to identify the distinctive features in the work of a teacher at a pedagogical university during the pandemic. The study revealed the following: the doubts of the teachers with no e-learning experience; didactically effective digital technologies in the educational process, the combined use of which ensures the synergistic effectiveness of e-learning; students’ attitude towards the quality of the e-learning process during the pandemic. Given the identified problems and positive aspects, the results of the study can be used to further develop a strategy for the digitalization of teacher education. The study proved that effective digitalization of the educational process is possible under the condition of cooperative and systematic work of all participants

Female Scent Signals Enhance the Resistance of Male Mice to Influenza

Background: The scent from receptive female mice functions as a signal, which stimulates male mice to search for potential mating partners. This searching behavior is coupled with infection risk due to sniffing both scent marks as well as nasal and anogenital areas of females, which harbor bacteria and viruses. Consideration of host evolution under unavoidable parasitic pressures, including helminthes, bacteria, viruses, etc., predicts adaptations that help protect hosts against the parasites associated with mating. Methods and Findings: We propose that the perception of female signals by BALB/c male mice leads to adaptive redistribution of the immune defense directed to protection against respiratory infection risks. Our results demonstrate migration of macrophages and neutrophils to the upper airways upon exposure to female odor stimuli, which results in an increased resistance of the males to experimental influenza virus infection. This moderate leukocyte intervention had no negative effect on the aerobic performance in male mice. Conclusions: Our data provide the first demonstration of the adaptive immunological response to female odor stimul

Features of Physical Development of Schoolchildren in the Conditions of Specialized Training

The article presents a comparative analysis of physical development of 13-year-olds and cadet basic profile of teaching in urban schools in the parameters of somatometry and visiometry characterizing physical development, functional state, adaptation of the heart and body to current training loads. Coming of puberty is marked by intense growth of the body with heterochronous changes in the proportions and dimensions of its muscular skeletal system and the structure of internal organs. During this period, the role of mechanisms for self-regulation of heart activity and, in general, autonomous regulation of the functions of the cardiovascular system increases. At the initial stage in adolescents the manifestation of tachycardia and cardiac type of self-regulation of blood circulation increases. It is accompanied with deterioration in inotropic function of the myocardium against the background of a pronounced effect of sympatotonia and vagotonia on the systolic function of the myocardium

Comparative Characteristics of the Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence in Patients With Schizophrenia in Three Western Siberia Psychiatric Hospitals

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of MetS and the associated sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacotherapeutic characteristics of patients with schizophrenia in three psychiatric hospitals in the West Siberian region. Methods: Patients with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia (ICD-10: F20) and an age between 18 and 60 years were included in the study after giving informed consent. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. This research was carried out at three Western Siberian psychiatric hospitals in Kemerovo, Tomsk, and Omsk. The study population included respectively 94, 131, and 91 inpatients with schizophrenia. We carried out schizophrenia symptoms assessment by PANSS, antipsychotic therapy evaluation, anthropometry, and biochemical analysis. Statistical Analysis included the Shapiro–Wilk test, non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis H-test for independent samples, Mann–Whitney U-test for independent samples, the chi-square test, stepwise multiple regression analyses. The level of significance was p < 0.05. Results: The metabolic syndrome prevalence was higher among patients in Tomsk (36.6%), compared with Kemerovo (20.2%, p = 0.008) or Omsk (18.7%, p = 0.004), mainly due to the high prevalence of abdominal obesity, while men from Tomsk were more susceptible to this condition than men from other regions (p < 0.05). Patients from Omsk had the highest severity schizophrenia symptoms according to PANSS, and patients from Tomsk had the lowest severity of positive symptoms according to PANSS. Patients from Tomsk had the minimum duration of antipsychotic therapy compared with the patient from Kemerovo (p = 0.017) and from Omsk (p = 0.000019), but most patients from Tomsk received second-generation atypical antipsychotics, while patients from Omsk received mainly conventional antipsychotics (p = 0.0001). Multiple regression analysis showed that metabolic syndrome associated with schizophrenia duration and body mass index, although the association was not so strong (adjusted R(2) = 0.2435, p < 0.0001). Discussion: The study illustrates that in different psychiatric hospitals within the same region, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia can vary significantly, which dictates the need to look for opportunities to minimize the risk of its occurrence, taking into account the experience of each hospital

Gene Polymorphisms of Hormonal Regulators of Metabolism in Patients with Schizophrenia with Metabolic Syndrome

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common complication of long-term treatment of persons with schizophrenia taking (atypical) antipsychotics. In this study, we investigated the existence of an association with polymorphisms of genes for four hormones that regulate energy metabolism. Methods: We recruited 517 clinically admitted white patients (269M/248F) with a verified diagnosis of schizophrenia (ICD-10) and with a stable physical condition. Participants were classified for having or not having MetS and genotyped for 20 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding insulin-induced gene 2 (INSIG2), ghrelin (GHRL), leptin (LEP), and leptin receptor (LEPR). Results: The 139 patients (26.9%) with MetS were significantly more likely to be women, older, and ill longer, and had a larger body mass index (BMI). Four polymorphisms (rs10490624, rs17587100, rs9308762, and rs10490816) did not meet the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) criterion and were excluded. Only genotypes and alleles of the rs3828942 of LEP gene (chi2 = 7.665, p = 0.022; chi2 = 5.136, p = 0.023) and the genotypes of the rs17047718 of INSIG2 gene (chi2 = 7.7, p = 0.021) had a significant association with MetS. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that the LEP and INSIG2 genes play a certain causal role in the development of MetS in patients with schizophrenia

Genes of the Glutamatergic System and Tardive Dyskinesia in Patients with Schizophrenia

Background: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is an extrapyramidal side effect of the long-term use of antipsychotics. In the present study, the role of glutamatergic system genes in the pathogenesis of total TD, as well as two phenotypic forms, orofacial TD and limb-truncal TD, was studied. Methods: A set of 46 SNPs of the glutamatergic system genes (GRIN2A, GRIN2B, GRIK4, GRM3, GRM7, GRM8, SLC1A2, SLC1A3, SLC17A7) was studied in a population of 704 Caucasian patients with schizophrenia. Genotyping was performed using the MassARRAY Analyzer 4 (Agena Bioscience™). Logistic regression analysis was performed to test for the association of TD with the SNPs while adjusting for confounders. Results: No statistically significant associations between the SNPs and TD were found after adjusting for multiple testing. Since three SNPs of the SLC1A2 gene demonstrated nominally significant associations, we carried out a haplotype analysis for these SNPs. This analysis identified a risk haplotype for TD comprising CAT alleles of the SLC1A2 gene SNPs rs1042113, rs10768121, and rs12361171. Nominally significant associations were identified for SLC1A3 rs2229894 and orofacial TD, as well as for GRIN2A rs7192557 and limb-truncal TD. Conclusions: Genes encoding for mGlu3, EAAT2, and EAAT1 may be involved in the development of TD in schizophrenia patients