Changes in the brain endocannabinoid system in rat models of depression

A growing body of evidence implicates the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in the pathophysiology of depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of changes in the eCB system, such as levels of neuromodulators, eCB synthesizing and degrading enzymes, and cannabinoid (CB) receptors, in different brain structures in animal models of depression using behavioral and biochemical analyses. Both models used, i.e., bulbectomized (OBX) and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, were characterized at the behavioral level by increased immobility time. In the OBX rats, anandamide (AEA) levels were decreased in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum and increased in the nucleus accumbens, while 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) levels were increased in the prefrontal cortex and decreased in the nucleus accumbens with parallel changes in the expression of eCB metabolizing enzymes in several structures. It was also observed that CB(1) receptor expression decreased in the hippocampus, dorsal striatum, and nucleus accumbens, and CB(2) receptor expression decreased in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. In WKY rats, the levels of eCBs were reduced in the prefrontal cortex (2-AG) and dorsal striatum (AEA) and increased in the prefrontal cortex (AEA) with different changes in the expression of eCB metabolizing enzymes, while the CB(1) receptor density was increased in several brain regions. These findings suggest that dysregulation in the eCB system is implicated in the pathogenesis of depression, although neurochemical changes were linked to the particular brain structure and the factor inducing depression (surgical removal of the olfactory bulbs vs. genetic modulation)

Man needs a beautiful landscape : some aspects of mountain tourism and touring : jubilee exhibition on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of organized tourism at the Jagiellonian University

The article constitutes a summing up of the exhibition entitled: Man needs a beautiful landscape […] which was organized at the Jagiellonian University on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of organized tourism. The exhibition was held in the Jagiellonian Library from 10.06. to 9.07.2010. The article discusses both the type of the presented materials, their thematic and chronological range, as well as the details associated with the organization of the exhibition

Performance of Co-Housed Neon Tetras (Paracheirodon innesi) and Glowlight Rasboras (Trigonostigma hengeli) Fed Commercial Flakes and Lyophilized Natural Food

Little to no research has been conducted thus far regarding aquarium fish nutrition. In order to ensure the welfare of house-kept ornamentals, such studies should take into account that there are distinct biological differences occurring between different fish species/taxa, especially in regard to the structure of their digestive organs. Accordingly, a 12-week trial was executed to assess the effects of two commercial flakes and a mix of lyophilized natural food on the condition of co-reared neon tetras, Paracheirodon innesi (Characidae), and glowlight rasboras, Trigonostigma hengeli (Danionidae). The four feeding groups were as follows: (T)—Tetra flakes; (O)—Omega flakes; (TO)—Tetra + Omega; (TOL)—Tetra + Omega + Lyophilizate (twice a week). There were no differences in final body weight (FBW) between the feeding groups of either species, but in the case of neon tetras, FBW increased significantly from the initial value only for the T group. However, histological observations and measurements of digestive organs (livers, intestines) showed pronounced differences between the two species. The supplementation with natural food in group TOL caused lipoid hepatic degeneration only in the rasboras. The healthiest histological structure of livers and longest intestinal folds were found in group T of the tetras and group TO of the rasboras. Whole-mount staining for bone and cartilage did not reveal any significant deformities or differences in terms of bone mineralization. In conclusion, it was outlined that concurrent feeding of co-housed, anatomically diverse ornamental fish species is a highly ambiguous task, because the nutritional strategy applied for a community tank may yield radically divergent effects, most of which may remain unnoticed when depending only on external body observations and measurements. Most emphatically, this was highlighted in regard to the dietary supplementation with natural food—although no significant effects were observed in neon tetras, severe lipoid liver degeneration occurred in glowlight rasboras

First record of the deep-water shark Etmopterus spinax (Chondrichthyes: Etmopteridae) from the southern Baltic Sea (Pomeranian Bay)

Summary: Etmopterus spinax is a deep-sea shark species that inhabits the northeast Atlantic and the western Mediterranean Sea. Skagerrak and Kattegat are reported to be part of the distribution of the species, but it has never been noted in the southern Baltic. Lacking any commercial value and commonly discarded in trawl and longline fisheries, E. spinax has been poorly studied. We reported on the first record of one specimen of E. spinax caught in the Pomeranian Bay on October 13, 2016 at a depth of 10 m. It was a female measuring 42.7 cm in total length. The morphological examination of the specimen was supported with COI barcode analysis, whereas species assignment to the population of origin was conducted based on a control region (CR) sequence of mtDNA. COI and CR sequence searches against GeneBank confirmed its identity as E. spinax and revealed that the specimen shared identical haplotypes with fish from populations in the Azores, Rockall Trough, and west of Ireland in the northeast Atlantic. The stomach contents, parasitic fauna, and hepatosomatic index of the individual were also examined. Only one L3 larval Anisakis simplex nematode specimen was collected from the stomach lumen of the shark. The specimen could have arrived in the Pomeranian Bay along with an inflow from the North Sea. In December 2014, a strong Major Baltic Inflow brought large amounts of water into the Baltic Sea, followed by some inflows of moderate intensity. Keywords: Etmopterus spinax, Anisakis simplex, Pomeranian Bay, Southern Baltic Sea, Inflow from the North Se

The Optimization of the Oiling Bath Cosmetic Composition Containing Rapeseed Phospholipids and Grapeseed Oil by the Full Factorial Design

The proper condition of hydrolipid mantle and the stratum corneum intercellular matrix determines effective protection against transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Some chemicals, improper use of cosmetics, poor hygiene, old age and some diseases causes disorder in the mentioned structures and leads to TEWL increase. The aim of this study was to obtain the optimal formulation composition of an oiling bath cosmetic based on rapeseed phospholipids and vegetable oil with high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In this work, the composition of oiling bath form was calculated and the degree of oil dispersion after mixing the bath preparation with water was selected as the objective function in the optimizing procedure. The full factorial design 23 in the study was used. The concentrations of rapeseed lecithin ethanol soluble fraction (LESF), alcohol (E) and non-ionic emulsifier (P) were optimized. Based on the calculations from our results, the optimal composition of oiling bath cosmetic was: L (LESF) 5.0 g, E (anhydrous ethanol) 20.0 g and P (Polysorbate 85) 1.5 g. The optimization procedure used in the study allowed to obtain the oiling bath cosmetic which gives above 60% higher emulsion dispersion degree 5.001 × 10−5 cm−1 compared to the initial formulation composition with the 3.096 × 10−5 cm−1

Serum Level of miR-1 and miR-155 as Potential Biomarkers of Stress-Resilience of NET-KO and SWR/J Mice

In the present study, we used three strains of mice with various susceptibility to stress: mice with knock-out of the gene encoding norepinephrine transporter (NET-KO), which are well characterized as displaying a stress-resistant phenotype, as well as two strains of mice displaying two different stress-coping strategies, i.e., C57BL/6J (WT in the present study) and SWR/J. The procedure of restraint stress (RS, 4 h) was applied, and the following behavioral experiments (the forced swim test and sucrose preference test) indicated that NET-KO and SWR/J mice were less sensitive to RS than WT mice. Then, we aimed to find the miRNAs which changed in similar ways in the serum of NET-KO and SWR/J mice subjected to RS, being at the same time different from the miRNAs found in the serum of WT mice. Using Custom TaqMan Array MicroRNA Cards, with primers for majority of miRNAs expressed in the serum (based on a preliminary experiment using the TaqMan Array Rodent MicroRNA A + B Cards Set v3.0, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) allowed the identification of 21 such miRNAs. Our further analysis focused on miR-1 and miR-155 and their targets—these two miRNAs are involved in the regulation of BDNF expression and can be regarded as biomarkers of stress-resilience