The Organizational Effects of Oxytocin on the Central Expression of Estrogen Receptor Alpha and Oxytocin in Adulthood

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that neonatal manipulation of oxytocin (OT) has effects on the expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) and the central production of oxytocin observed in juveniles ( at weaning, 21 days of age). The goal of this study was to determine whether the effects of neonatal manipulation of OT last into adulthood, and if the effects differ from those observed during the early postnatal period. On the first day of life, prairie voles ( Microtus ochrogaster) received one of three doses of OT (High, 3 mu g; Med, 0.3 mu g; Low, 0.03 mu g), an OT antagonist, or isotonic saline. Another group was handled, but not injected. Then as adults, brains were collected, sectioned, and stained for ERa or OT using immunocytochemistry. Results: In females, treatment with OT increased the expression of ERa immunoreactivity in the ventral lateral septum (0.03 mu g) and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and central amygdala ( 0.3 g). In males, OT antagonist increased ERa expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. There was no apparent effect of OT on the number of cells producing OT in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Conclusion: The current results suggest that neonatal manipulation of OT has long-term organizational effects on the expression of ERa in both males and females. The lack of effect on OT neurons in the paraventricular nucleus suggests that some developmental effects of OT previously observed in weanlings do not persist into adulthood. Developmental effects of OT on ERa patterns were sexually dimorphic, dose-dependent, and site-specific

The organizational effects of oxytocin on the central expression of estrogen receptor α and oxytocin in adulthood

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that neonatal manipulation of oxytocin (OT) has effects on the expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) and the central production of oxytocin observed in juveniles ( at weaning, 21 days of age). The goal of this study was to determine whether the effects of neonatal manipulation of OT last into adulthood, and if the effects differ from those observed during the early postnatal period. On the first day of life, prairie voles ( Microtus ochrogaster) received one of three doses of OT (High, 3 mu g; Med, 0.3 mu g; Low, 0.03 mu g), an OT antagonist, or isotonic saline. Another group was handled, but not injected. Then as adults, brains were collected, sectioned, and stained for ERa or OT using immunocytochemistry. Results: In females, treatment with OT increased the expression of ERa immunoreactivity in the ventral lateral septum (0.03 mu g) and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and central amygdala ( 0.3 g). In males, OT antagonist increased ERa expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. There was no apparent effect of OT on the number of cells producing OT in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Conclusion: The current results suggest that neonatal manipulation of OT has long-term organizational effects on the expression of ERa in both males and females. The lack of effect on OT neurons in the paraventricular nucleus suggests that some developmental effects of OT previously observed in weanlings do not persist into adulthood. Developmental effects of OT on ERa patterns were sexually dimorphic, dose-dependent, and site-specific

Estrogen Receptor-Alpha in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Regulates Social Affiliation in Male Prairie Voles (Microtus Ochrogaster)

Estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) typically masculinizes male behavior, while low levels of ER alpha in the medial amygdala (MeA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) are associated with high levels of male prosocial behavior. In the males of the highly social prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), increasing ER alpha in the MeA inhibited the expression of spontaneous alloparental behavior and produced a preference for novel females. To test for the effects of increased ER alpha in the BST, a viral vector was used to enhance ER alpha expression in the BST of adult male prairie voles. Following treatment, adult males were tested for alloparental behavior with 1-3-day- old pups, and for heterosexual social preference and affiliation. Treatment did not affect alloparental behavior as 73% of ER alpha-BST males and 62.5% of control males were alloparental. Increasing ER alpha in the BST affected heterosexual affiliation, with ER alpha-BST males spending significantly less total time in side-by-side contact with females relative to time spent with control males. ER alpha-BST males did not show a preference for either the familiar or novel female. These findings differed significantly from those reported in ER alpha-MeA enhanced males, where ER alpha inhibited alloparental behavior and produced a preference for a novel female. The findings from this study suggest two things: first, that increased ER alpha in the BST decreases social affiliation and second, that altering ER alpha in different regions of the social neural circuit differentially impacts the expression of social behavior

Estrogen Receptor-α in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Regulates Social Affiliation in Male Prairie Voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) typically masculinizes male behavior, while low levels of ERα in the medial amygdala (MeA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) are associated with high levels of male prosocial behavior. In the males of the highly social prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), increasing ERα in the MeA inhibited the expression of spontaneous alloparental behavior and produced a preference for novel females. To test for the effects of increased ERα in the BST, a viral vector was used to enhance ERα expression in the BST of adult male prairie voles. Following treatment, adult males were tested for alloparental behavior with 1–3-day-old pups, and for heterosexual social preference and affiliation. Treatment did not affect alloparental behavior as 73% of ERα-BST males and 62.5% of control males were alloparental. Increasing ERα in the BST affected heterosexual affiliation, with ERα-BST males spending significantly less total time in side-by-side contact with females relative to time spent with control males. ERα-BST males did not show a preference for either the familiar or novel female. These findings differed significantly from those reported in ERα-MeA enhanced males, where ERα inhibited alloparental behavior and produced a preference for a novel female. The findings from this study suggest two things: first, that increased ERα in the BST decreases social affiliation and second, that altering ERα in different regions of the social neural circuit differentially impacts the expression of social behavior

Examining trends in nonâ fatal strangulation among sexual assault survivors seeking Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner care from 2002 to 2017

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154499/1/ijgo13058_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154499/2/ijgo13058.pd

Bioactive growth hormone in humans: Controversies, complexities and concepts

Objective: To revisit a finding, first described in 1978, which documented existence of a pituitary growth factor that escaped detection by immunoassay, but which was active in the established rat tibia GH bioassay. Methods: We present a narrative review of the evolution of growth hormone complexity, and its bio-detectability, from a historical perspective. Results: In humans under the age of 60, physical training (i.e. aerobic endurance and resistance training) are stressors which preferentially stimulate release of bioactive GH (bGH) into the blood. Neuroanatomical studies indicate a) that nerve fibers directly innervate the human anterior pituitary and b) that hind limb muscle afferents, in both humans and rats, also modulate plasma bGH. In the pituitary gland itself, molecular variants of GH, somatotroph heterogeneity and cell plasticity all appear to play a role in regulation of this growth factor. Conclusion: This review considers more recent findings on this often forgotten/neglected subject. Comparison testing of a) human plasma samples, b) sub-populations of separated rat pituitary somatotrophs or c) purified human pituitary peptides by GH bioassay vs immunoassay consistently yield conflicting results

Predicting Crystal Structures with Data Mining of Quantum Calculations

Predicting and characterizing the crystal structure of materials is a key problem in materials research and development. It is typically addressed with highly accurate quantum mechanical computations on a small set of candidate structures, or with empirical rules that have been extracted from a large amount of experimental information, but have limited predictive power. In this letter, we transfer the concept of heuristic rule extraction to a large library of ab-initio calculated information, and demonstrate that this can be developed into a tool for crystal structure prediction.Comment: 4 pages, 3 pic

Review for the generalist: evaluation of anterior knee pain

Anterior knee pain is common in children and adolescents. Evaluation and management is challenging and requires a thorough history and physical exam, and understanding of the pediatric skeleton. This article will review common causes of chronic anterior knee pain in the pediatric population with a focus on patellofemoral pain

The natural wood regime in rivers

International audienc