25 research outputs found
Emotions Studied by Imaging of the Human Brain:The Somatic and Emotional Motor Systems
The brain has only two goals, survival of the individual and survival of the species. One of the most important tools to accomplish these goals is the motor system, which includes the somatic or voluntary motor system and the emotional motor system (EMS). The EMS is equally or even more important than the somatic motor system. In humans, the cortex cerebri with the corticospinal tract plays the most important role in the somatic motor system, while in the EMS, the periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a central role controlling nociception, cardiovascular changes, respiration, micturition, parturition, defecation, vocalization, vomiting, coughing, sneezing, mating behavior, pupil dilation, and defensive posture.</p
Antidepressant use during pregnancy and development of preeclampsia:A focus on classes of action and specific transporters/receptors targeted by antidepressants
Objective: The association between antidepressants and preeclampsia has been inconsistently reported. Given the compound-specific variable affinity for different transporters/receptors, their effect on preeclampsia risk could differ. Our study examined the risk of preeclampsia (and its subtypes) following exposure to different classes of antidepressants, also accounting for specific transporters/receptors targeted by antidepressants. Methods: We conducted a cohort study, combining data from the Netherlands Perinatal Registry and the PHARMO Database Network. Exposure to antidepressants was examined from conception to week 20 of gestation; extended use thereafter was also studied. Antidepressants were categorized according to classes [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and other antidepressants] and according to target transporters/receptors. Women not using any antidepressants during 15 months before delivery were included as reference. Results: We included 2,103 exposed and 95,376 reference women. Preeclampsia occurred in 70 exposed women (15 early-onset, 55 late-onset) and in 2,582 reference women (387 early-onset, 2,195 late-onset). TCA monotherapy (214 women) was associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia (n = 15, RR 2.46, 95% CI 1.51-4.02) and late-onset preeclampsia (n = 12, RR 2.41, 95% CI 1.39-4.17, early-onset could not be evaluated). No association was detected with SSRIs, SNRIs and MAOIs. We did observe an increased risk of early-onset preeclampsia following exposure to 5-HT2A antagonizing antidepressants (6/405 women, excluding TCA users, RR 3.56, 95% CI 1.60-7.94). Conclusions: Our results support an increased risk of preeclampsia and the late-onset subtype among TCA users. The association between 5-HT2A antagonists and the early-onset subtype needs to be interpreted with caution based on the relatively small number of exposed cases
Effects of salinity and alkalinity on growth and survival of all-male giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii De Man, 1879) juveniles
All-male giant freshwater prawns (AMGFPs) have been a popular crop cultivated in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, due to their proven production efficiency compared to all-female or mixed-sex prawn cultures. However, the crucial water quality factors impacting AMGFP aquaculture efficiency have yet to be elaborately investigated. Two separate experiments were randomly arranged with three replicates to evaluate the effects of salinity or alkalinity on the growth and survival of AMGFP juveniles during the grow-out period. The results show that the prawn survival rate in the salinity range of 0â15â° varied from 66.1 to 74.8ïŒ
and in a salinity range of 0â5â° was relatively low compared to the range of 10-15â°; however, the difference was not significant among salinities after 90 days of culture (p > 0.05). All the prawn growth performance parameters significantly decreased with increasing salinities of 0, 5, 10, and 15â° after 30, 60, and 90 days of culture (p 0.05), and both were significantly higher than those at salinities of 10 and 15â° (p < 0.05) after 90 days of culture. In addition, the survival rate reached 82.5â84.4ïŒ
and did not significantly differ among alkalinities of 80, 100, 120, 140, and 160 mgCaCO3 Lâ1. However, the growth performance parameters and yield of AMGFPs at an alkalinity of 160 mg Lâ1 were significantly higher than those at lower alkalinities (80, 100, 120, and 140 mg CaCO3 Lâ1) after 90 days of culture. Therefore, it is recommended that a salinity range of 0â5â° and alkalinity of 160 mgCaCO3 Lâ1 is optimal for the growth-out culture of AMGFP juveniles
Pichia pastoris versus Saccharomyces cerevisiae:a case study on the recombinant production of human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor
BACKGROUND: Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) is a glycoprotein that has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of neutropenia and leukemia in combination with chemotherapies. Recombinant hGM-CSF is produced industrially using the baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, by large-scale fermentation. The methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris, has emerged as an alternative host cell system due to its shorter and less immunogenic glycosylation pattern together with higher cell density growth and higher secreted protein yield than S. cerevisiae. In this study, we compared the pipeline from gene to recombinant protein in these two yeasts. RESULTS: Codon optimization in silico for both yeast species showed no difference in frequent codon usage. However, rhGM-CSF expressed from S. cerevisiae BY4742 showed a significant discrepancy in molecular weight from those of P. pastoris X33. Analysis showed purified rhGM-CSF species with molecular weights ranging from 30 to more than 60 kDa. Fed-batch fermentation over 72 h showed that rhGM-CSF was more highly secreted from P. pastoris than S. cerevisiae (285 and 64 mg total secreted protein/L, respectively). Ion exchange chromatography gave higher purity and recovery than hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Purified rhGM-CSF from P. pastoris was 327 times more potent than rhGM-CSF from S. cerevisiae in terms of proliferative stimulating capacity on the hGM-CSF-dependent cell line, TF-1. CONCLUSION: Our data support a view that the methylotrophic yeast P. pastoris is an effective recombinant host for heterologous rhGM-CSF production
Effect of surgical experience and spine subspecialty on the reliability of the {AO} Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this paper was to determine the interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility of the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System based on surgeon experience (< 5 years, 5â10 years, 10â20 years, and > 20 years) and surgical subspecialty (orthopedic spine surgery, neurosurgery, and "other" surgery).
METHODS
A total of 11,601 assessments of upper cervical spine injuries were evaluated based on the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System. Reliability and reproducibility scores were obtained twice, with a 3-week time interval. Descriptive statistics were utilized to examine the percentage of accurately classified injuries, and Pearsonâs chi-square or Fisherâs exact test was used to screen for potentially relevant differences between study participants. Kappa coefficients (Îș) determined the interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility.
RESULTS
The intraobserver reproducibility was substantial for surgeon experience level (< 5 years: 0.74 vs 5â10 years: 0.69 vs 10â20 years: 0.69 vs > 20 years: 0.70) and surgical subspecialty (orthopedic spine: 0.71 vs neurosurgery: 0.69 vs other: 0.68). Furthermore, the interobserver reliability was substantial for all surgical experience groups on assessment 1 (< 5 years: 0.67 vs 5â10 years: 0.62 vs 10â20 years: 0.61 vs > 20 years: 0.62), and only surgeons with > 20 years of experience did not have substantial reliability on assessment 2 (< 5 years: 0.62 vs 5â10 years: 0.61 vs 10â20 years: 0.61 vs > 20 years: 0.59). Orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons had substantial intraobserver reproducibility on both assessment 1 (0.64 vs 0.63) and assessment 2 (0.62 vs 0.63), while other surgeons had moderate reliability on assessment 1 (0.43) and fair reliability on assessment 2 (0.36).
CONCLUSIONS
The international reliability and reproducibility scores for the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System demonstrated substantial intraobserver reproducibility and interobserver reliability regardless of surgical experience and spine subspecialty. These results support the global application of this classification system
Brain circuits for mating behavior in cats and brain activations and de-activations during sexual stimulation and ejaculation and orgasm in humans
In cats, there exists a descending system that controls the posture necessary for mating behavior. A key role is played by the mesencephalic periaqueductal gray (PAG), which maintains strong specific projections to the nucleus retroambiguus located laterally in the most caudal medulla. The NRA, in turn, has direct access to motoneurons in the lumbosacral cord that produce the mating posture. This pathway is slightly different in males and females, but in females its strength fluctuates strongly depending on whether or not the cat is in heat. This way the PAG determines whether or not mating can take place. Via the PAG many other regions in the limbic system as well as in the prefrontal cortex and insula can influence mating behavior. In humans, the brain also controls responses to sexual stimulation as well as ejaculation in men and orgasm in women. Neuroimaging techniques show activations and de-activations but are not able to verify whether the PAG has a similar effect as in cats. PET-scanning results revealed that there is activation in the upper brainstem and cerebellum, as well as insula in men and in the somatomotor and somatosensory cortex in women. During sexual stimulation, but especially during ejaculation and orgasm there was strong de-activation mainly on the left side in the temporal lobe and ventral prefrontal cortex. These neuroimaging results show the importance of lowering the level of alertness regarding your immediate environment (left hemisphere) to have proper sexual behavior. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
High-intensity Erotic Visual Stimuli De-activate the Primary Visual Cortex in Women
Introduction. The primary visual cortex, Brodmann's area (BA 17), plays a vital role in basic survival mechanisms in humans. In most neuro-imaging studies in which the volunteers have to watch pictures or movies, the primary visual cortex is similarly activated independent of the content of the pictures or movies. However, in case the volunteers perform demanding non-visual tasks, the primary visual cortex becomes de-activated, although the amount of incoming visual sensory information is the same. Aim. Do low- and high-intensity erotic movies, compared to neutral movies, produce similar de-activation of the primary visual cortex? Methods. Brain activation/de-activation was studied by Positron Emission Tomography scanning of the brains of 12 healthy heterosexual premenopausal women, aged 1847, who watched neutral, low- and high-intensity erotic film segments. Main Outcome Measures. We measured differences in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the primary visual cortex during watching neutral, low-intensity erotic, and high-intensity erotic film segments. Results. Watching high-intensity erotic, but not low-intensity erotic movies, compared to neutral movies resulted in strong de-activation of the primary (BA 17) and adjoining parts of the secondary visual cortex. Conclusions. The strong de-activation during watching high-intensity erotic film might represent compensation for the increased blood supply in the brain regions involved in sexual arousal, also because high-intensity erotic movies do not require precise scanning of the visual field, because the impact is clear to the observer. Huynh HK, Beers C, Willemsen A, Lont E, Laan E, Dierckx R, Jansen M, Sand M, Weijmar Schultz W, and Holstege G. High-intensity erotic visual stimuli de-activate the primary visual cortex in women. J Sex Med 2012;9:15791587
Kinetics of Thermal Unimolecular Decomposition of Acetic Anhydride: An Integrated Deterministic and Stochastic Model
An
integrated deterministic and stochastic model within the master
equation/ÂRiceâRamspergerâÂKasselâMarcus
(ME/RRKM) framework was first used to characterize temperature- and
pressure-dependent behaviors of thermal decomposition of acetic anhydride
in a wide range of conditions (i.e., 300â1500 K and 0.001â100
atm). Particularly, using potential energy surface and molecular properties
obtained from high-level electronic structure calculations at CCSDÂ(T)/CBS,
macroscopic thermodynamic properties and rate coefficients of the
title reaction were derived with corrections for hindered internal
rotation and tunneling treatments. Being in excellent agreement with
the scattered experimental data, the results from deterministic and
stochastic frameworks confirmed and complemented each other to reveal
that the main decomposition pathway proceeds via a 6-membered-ring
transition state with the 0 K barrier of 35.2 kcal·mol<sup>â1</sup>. This observation was further understood and confirmed by the sensitivity
analysis on the time-resolved species profiles and the derived rate
coefficients with respect to the ab initio barriers. Such an agreement
suggests the integrated model can be confidently used for a wide range
of conditions as a powerful postfacto and predictive tool in detailed
chemical kinetic modeling and simulation for the title reaction and
thus can be extended to complex chemical reactions