A neuroanatomical correlate of sensorimotor recovery in response to repeated vaginocervical stimulation in rats

Gentle probing against the cervix via the vagina (vaginocervical stimulation, VCS) increases tail flick latency (TFL) to radiant heat; greater force abolishes the tail flick response and other withdrawal responses. This effect occurs in spinal cord-transected rats and in intact rats. On the basis of our earlier finding that VCS releases vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) into the spinal cord, and others’ reports of neurotrophic effects of VIP in vitro, we hypothesized that repeated VCS would stimulate sprouting and sensorimotor function of terminals of genital nerve primary afferents in the sacral spinal cord. To test this hypothesis, in the present study, we denervated the genital tract only unilaterally, which significantly reduced the TFL-elevating effect of VCS. Then we applied repeated daily VCS for 1 week and compared the subsequent effectiveness of acute VCS in elevating TFL. The rats that received the repeated daily VCS showed a significantly greater elevation in TFL in response to acute VCS than control rats that did not receive the repeated stimulation. Then, to test whether daily repeated VCS stimulates sprouting of genital primary afferents in such unilaterally genital tract-denervated rats, we transected the contralateral remaining intact pelvic nerve, applied horseradish peroxidase (HRP) to its proximal cut end for 1–2 h, and 2–3 days later counted HRP particles in its terminal zone (L6–S1) in the spinal cord. There were significantly more HRP particles in the rats that received the daily repeated VCS than in the control rats. In the context of these findings, we conclude that VCS in rats can produce a functional sensorimotor recovery via a neurotrophic effect on compromised primary afferents in the spinal cord

Placenta Ingestion Enhances Analgesia\ud Produced by Vaginal/Cervical\ud Stimulation in Rats

Ingestion of placenta has previously been shown to enhance opiate-mediated analgesia (measured as tail-flick latency) induced either by morphine injection or by footshock. The present study was designed to test whether placenta ingestion would enhance the partly opiate-mediated analgesia produced by vaginal/cervical stimulation. Nulliparous Sprague-Dawley rats were tested for analgesia, using tail-flick latency, during and after vaginal/cervical stimulation; the tests for vaginal/cervical stimulation-induced analgesia were administered both before and after the rats ate placenta or ground beef. Placenta ingestion, but not beef ingestion. significantly heightened vaginal/cervical stimulation-induced analgesia. A subsequent morphine injection provided evidence that, as in a previous report, placenta ingestion, but not beef ingestion, enhanced morphine-induced analgesia

Sygnatura kobiecości w Olgi Bergholc zapisach dziennikowych z lat 1939–1942

This article is based on the diary of a Russian poet, Olga Bergholz. Records from the years 1939– –1942 are analyzed in detail. Records were developed in the period of Stalinist repression, and during the blockage of Leningrad. From a gender perspective, their reading allows situating the work of this poet in a new context. Soviet literary classic, Muse siege, eulogizing heroism of Leningrad residents, shows its second face – a face of a woman focused on everyday experience. The article analyzes notes on autothematism, love and categories of carnality.This article is based on the diary of a Russian poet, Olga Bergholz. Records from the years 1939– –1942 are analyzed in detail. Records were developed in the period of Stalinist repression, and during the blockage of Leningrad. From a gender perspective, their reading allows situating the work of this poet in a new context. Soviet literary classic, Muse siege, eulogizing heroism of Leningrad residents, shows its second face – a face of a woman focused on everyday experience. The article analyzes notes on autothematism, love and categories of carnality

Sensory innervation of the external and internal genitalia of the female rat

Using a whole-nerve recording method, the genitalia of the female rat were found to receive afferent innervation as follows. Pelvic nerve: vagina, cervix, and perineal skin; hypogastric nerve: cervix and proximal three fifths of the uterus; pudendal nerve: skin of perineum, inner thigh, and clitoral sheath. It is probable that the pudendal and pelvic nerves are activated during copulation, and that all 3 nerves are activated during parturition

Analysis of mechanism of budget financing of environmental protection

Komisaruk N. О. Analysis of mechanism of budget financing of environmental protection / N. О. Komisaruk // Актуальні проблеми держави і права : зб. наук. пр. / редкол.: С. В. Ківалов (голов. ред.), В. М. Дрьомін (заст. голов. ред.) Ю. П. Аленін [та ін.] ; МОН України; НУ ОЮА. – Одеса : Юрид. л-ра, 2014. – Вип. 73. – С. 97-101.This article analyses the mechanism of budget financing of environmental protection and determines the features of the financial and economic system in the field of environmental protection

The DSM diagnostic criteria for female orgasmic disorder

This is the post-print version of the article. The official published version can be found at the link below.This article reviews the DSM diagnostic criteria for Female Orgasmic Disorder (FOD). Following an overview of the concept of female orgasm, research on the prevalence and associated features of FOD is briefly reviewed. Specific aspects of the DSM-IV-TR criteria for FOD are critically reviewed and key issues that should be considered for DSM-V are discussed. The DSM-IV-TR text on FOD focused on the physiological changes that may (or may not) accompany orgasm in women; one of the major recommendations here is that greater emphasis be given to the subjective aspects of the experience of orgasm. Additional specific recommendations are made for revision of diagnostic criteria, including the use of minimum severity and duration criteria, and better acknowledgment of the crucial role of relationship factors in FOD

Rapid Encoding and Perception of Novel Odors in the Rat

To gain insight into which parameters of neural activity are important in shaping the perception of odors, we combined a behavioral measure of odor perception with optical imaging of odor representations at the level of receptor neuron input to the rat olfactory bulb. Instead of the typical test of an animal's ability to discriminate two familiar odorants by exhibiting an operant response, we used a spontaneously expressed response to a novel odorant—exploratory sniffing—as a measure of odor perception. This assay allowed us to measure the speed with which rats perform spontaneous odor discriminations. With this paradigm, rats discriminated and began responding to a novel odorant in as little as 140 ms. This time is comparable to that measured in earlier studies using operant behavioral readouts after extensive training. In a subset of these trials, we simultaneously imaged receptor neuron input to the dorsal olfactory bulb with near-millisecond temporal resolution as the animal sampled and then responded to the novel odorant. The imaging data revealed that the bulk of the discrimination time can be attributed to the peripheral events underlying odorant detection: receptor input arrives at the olfactory bulb 100–150 ms after inhalation begins, leaving only 50–100 ms for central processing and response initiation. In most trials, odor discrimination had occurred even before the initial barrage of receptor neuron firing had ceased and before spatial maps of activity across glomeruli had fully developed. These results suggest a coding strategy in which the earliest-activated glomeruli play a major role in the initial perception of odor quality, and place constraints on coding and processing schemes based on simple changes in spike rate

International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH) review of epidemiology and pathophysiology, and a consensus nomenclature and process of care for the management of persistent genital arousal disorder/genito-pelvic dysesthesia (PGAD/GPD)

Background Persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD), a condition of unwanted, unremitting sensations of genital arousal, is associated with a significant, negative psychosocial impact that may include emotional lability, catastrophization, and suicidal ideation. Despite being first reported in 2001, PGAD remains poorly understood. Aim To characterize this complex condition more accurately, review the epidemiology and pathophysiology, and provide new nomenclature and guidance for evidence-based management. Methods A panel of experts reviewed pertinent literature, discussed research and clinical experience, and used a modified Delphi method to reach consensus concerning nomenclature, etiology, and associated factors. Levels of evidence and grades of recommendation were assigned for diagnosis and treatment. Outcomes The nomenclature of PGAD was broadened to include genito-pelvic dysesthesia (GPD), and a new biopsychosocial diagnostic and treatment algorithm for PGAD/GPD was developed