Colocalization of tyrosine hydroxylase and Fos in the male Syrian hamster brain following different states of arousal

In an investigation of the role that central tyrosine hydroxylase-(TH) containing neurons play in copulation in the male Syrian hamster, The induction of Fos protein was used as an index of neuronal activation. With a double immunoperoxidase technique, the activation of TH neurons was compared in hamsters from three experimental groups: (1) mated in a new cage; (2) handled controls placed in a new cage, and (3) unhandled controls. Although mating selectively induces Fos production in the medial amygdaloid nucleus (Me), more than half of the TH neurons in Me (a region outside of the classical catecholamine systems) expressed Fos equally in all of the experimental groups. In the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN), TH neurons were activated equivalently in mated and handled control animals compared to unhandled controls. TH neurons in the neucleus of the solitary tract (NST) were also activated in handled control animals, and mating further enhanced the level of Fos immunostaining in these neurons above both groups of nonmated animals. Although not quantified, co-localization of Fos and TH was also observed in all experimental groups in the olfactory bulbs and the interfascicular nucleus, and in the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca and the cerebral cortex, regions which contain TH neurons but are not part of the classically described TH cell groups. Few, if any, TH neurons in other catecholaminergic brain regions, such as the substantia nigra and locus coeruleus, produced Fos in any of the experimental groups. These results suggest that TH neurons in the PVN and NST may be activated during different states of arousal, and that nonclassical TH neurons in the amygdala produce high levels of Fos even in unstimulated animals. 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50083/1/480250207_ftp.pd

Depression in medical students: insights from a longitudinal study

Background: Factors associated with depression of medical students are poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of depression in medical students, its change during the course, if depression persists for affected students, what are the factors associated with depression and how these factors change over time. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal observational study was conducted at the Medical School of the University of Minho, Portugal, between academic years 2009-2010 to 2012-2013. We included students who maintained their participation by annually completing a questionnaire including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Anxiety and burnout were assessed using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Surveys on socio-demographic variables were applied to evaluate potential predictors, personal and academic characteristics and perceived difficulties. ANOVA with multiple comparisons were used to compare means of BDI score. The medical students were organized into subgroups by K-means cluster analyses. ANOVA mixed-design repeated measurement was performed to assess a possible interaction between variables associated with depression. Results: The response rate was 84, 92, 88 and 81% for academic years 2009-2010, 2010-2011,2011-2012 and 2012/2013, respectively. Two hundred thirty-eight medical students were evaluated longitudinally. For depression the prevalence ranged from 21.5 to 12.7% (academic years 2009/2010 and 2012/2013). BDI scores decreased during medical school. 19.7% of students recorded sustained high BDI over time. These students had high levels of trait-anxiety and choose medicine for anticipated income and prestige, reported more relationship issues, cynicism, and decreased satisfaction with social activities. Students with high BDI scores at initial evaluation with low levels of trait-anxiety and a primary interest in medicine as a career tended to improve their mood and reported reduced burnout, low perceived learning problems and increased satisfaction with social activities at last evaluation. No difference was detected between men and women in the median BDI score over time. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that personal factors (anxiety traits, medicine choice factors, relationship patterns and academic burnout) are relevant for persistence of high levels of BDI during medical training. Medical schools need to identity students who experience depression and support then, as early as possible, particularly when depression has been present over time.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lawsonia intracellularis infection of intestinal crypt cells is associated with specific depletion of secreted MUC2 in goblet cells

AbstractThe expression patterns of secreted (MUC2 and MUC5AC) and membrane-tethered (MUC1, MUC4, MUC12 and MUC13) mucins were monitored in healthy pigs and pigs challenged orally with Lawsonia intracellularis. These results showed that the regulation of mucin gene expression is distinctive along the GI tract of the healthy pig, and may reflect an association between the function of the mucin subtypes and different physiological demands at various sites. We identified a specific depletion of secreted MUC2 from goblet cells in infected pigs that correlated with the increased level of intracellular bacteria in crypt cells. We concluded that L. intracellularis may influence MUC2 production, thereby altering the mucus barrier and enabling cellular invasion

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Afrofuturism 2.0 : The Rise of Astro-Blackness

"The ideas and practices related to afrofuturism have existed for most of the 20th century, especially in the North American-African diaspora community. After Mark Dery coined the word "afrofuturism" in 1993, Alondra Nelson - as a member of an online forum - along with other participants, began to explore the initial terrain and intellectual underpinnings of the concept noting that "[a]froFuturism has emerged as a term of convenience to describe analysis, criticism, and cultural production that addresses the intersections between race and technology." Afrofuturism 2.0 : The Rise of Astro-Blackness represents a transition from previous ideas related to afrofuturism that were formed in the late 20th century around issues of the digital divide, music, and literature. Afrofuturism 2.0 expands and broadens the discussion around the concept to include religion, architecture, communications, visual art, and philosophy and reflects its current growth as an emerging global Pan African creative phenomenon." -- p. [4] of cover

The Relationship of Menopausal Status and Rapid Menopausal Transition with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Progression in Women: A Report from the Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study

Context: The onset of menopause has been associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk factors. However, little information is available about the rapidity of the menopausal transition and its relationship to the development of preclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Better than Cash, but Beware the Costs : Electronic Payments Systems and Financial Inclusion in Developing Economies

This article considers current proposals for using electronic payments systems to promote financial inclusion — that is, to widen the availability of financial and monetary services in developing countries. While such systems can generate significant savings in the operation of monetary systems, payment services markets are typically uncompetitive and require regulatory and broader state interventions to ensure those savings are widely distributed. The use of those systems to broaden the reach of for‐profit lenders raises a number of concerns, as a growing literature has documented how microcredit initiatives in developing countries have resulted primarily in expansions in consumption credit to households, often under predatory terms. The authors advance two original arguments in this connection. First, the perverse results of many microcredit initiatives reflect the underdevelopment of the areas concerned: without broader development strategies, potentially transformative productive projects are rare and unprofitable to finance. In contrast, widespread unmet consumption needs ensure consumption credit offers lenders a profitable alternative business orientation. Second, and in light of this, electronic payments platforms can contribute to economic development by enabling the establishment of well‐regulated or public systems of electronic ‘narrow banks’ restricted from lending, but capable of widening access to affordable payments, savings and insurance services