Psychological or physical prenatal stress differentially affects cognition behaviors

Introduction: Prenatal stress is proposed as a major risk factor in the development of cognitive impairments in the offspring. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of prenatal physical or psychological stress on the motor and cognitive functions of male and female offspring. Methods: Adult female rats were stressed during their conception using a novel method to induced whether physical or psychological stress. Animal offspring were then kept until adulthood. Elevated plus maze (EPM) was used to evaluate their anxiety-like behavior. Rotarod and wire grip were used to evaluate muscle strength and balance function. Morris water maze (MWM) and passive avoidance (PA) learning and memory paradigm were used to evaluate the cognitive function of the offspring. Results: Female offspring of both physical and psychological stress had an increased anxiety-like behavior in the EPM test in comparison to female control rats. Balance function was impaired in physical stressed female offspring in comparison to the control and male offspring. Muscle strength was reduced in physical male and female offspring. Both male and female offspring groups that underwent prenatal physical and psychological stress had an impaired spatial learning and memory. PA learning and memory were impaired in both male and female offspring except for the psychological stress female offspring in PA learning. Conclusion: Results of our study revealed that prenatal physical or psychological stress have different effects on motor and cognitive functions of the offspring. Male and female offspring were differentially affected by prenatal stress. We suggest more studies to evaluate the role of sex hormones on the effects of prenatal physical or psychological stress on cognitive and motor functions of the offsprin

Organizational culture and effective management: problems and challenges

Background: Managers are always trying to reduce the costs while improving the quality and efficiency of services. Thus, the aim of present study was to evaluate the status of organizational culture and to investigate the problems and challenges, to provide a developed and effective model of management. Methods: This research was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. The sample size was 344 clerks who were selected by stratified random sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The organizational culture questionnaire was designed in 9 factors and 42 sub-dimensions. The face and content validities of the questions were confirmed. To analyze the data, univariate t-test was used in SPSS software and structural equation modeling was used in AMOS software. Results: According to the results, the mean of organizational culture variable was above average (3) and was at the desired level (p-value <0.05). The status of identifying challenges and problems in the study population was measured below the average level. The results showed that more challenges and problems were identified by improving the implementation of organizational culture (0.486). Organizational culture also indirectly affects organizational effectiveness by identifying challenges and problems (0.214). Conclusion: based on our finding, the mediating effect of identifying challenges and problems on the relationship between organizational culture and identifying challenges and problems was confirmed

Role of Opioid System in Empathy-like Behaviours in Rats

Background: Empathy is defined as the ability to simulate the mental states of others. Recent studies havedemonstrated empathy-like behaviors in other animals including rats and mice. The objective of the currentstudy was to evaluate the effect of acute administration of morphine and naloxone on cognition andnociception changes following observing conspecifics undergoing nociceptive stimulus.Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were used (n = 8 for each group). One cagemate received formalin injectioninto the hindpaw five times within a nine-day period and the other cagemate observed the pain while beingpretreated with saline, morphine, or naloxone [10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.)]. Pain behaviors, anxiety-likebehaviour, locomotion, balance and muscle strength were evaluated in the observer animals.Findings: Observing a cagemate in pain increased anxiety-like behavior and reduced thermal pain threshold in theobserver animals. Administration of morphine reversed these effects and naloxone did not affect the responses.Conclusion: Results of the current study reveal an important role for opioid receptors (ORs) in empathy forpain, so that activation of this system dampens the empathy-like responses

Exercise training and muscle-cartilage cross-talk: A potential therapeutic target for osteoarthritis

Dear Editor-in-ChiefOsteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive disease and up to now, no effective cure has been found for these diseases. OA was characterized by destruction of articular cartilage (extracellular matrix). As we age, chondrocytes show less response to growth factors, also, there is an increase abnormal accumulation of advanced glycation products (AGEs), mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. As a result, cartilage homeostasis is impaired and ECM becomes more vulnerable to injury, leading to the onset of OA (Abramoff & Caldera, 2020). Chondrocytes are the only cell type present in articular cartilage that are solely responsible for circulating and maintaining the matrix. Exercise training with increased mechanical stress can affect the extracellular matrix in the joints. However, exercise apart from mechanical stress can also indirectly affect cartilage metabolism by increasing muscle contraction and the expansion of some myokines, which is a potential therapeutic target for osteoarthritis.A variety of growth factors and cytokines are actively secreted by muscle tissue. Thus, muscle can act as an endocrine and paracrine organ. Secretoms are secreted not only through muscle tissue but also from other tissues and affect other organs of the body. Adipokines include adiponectin, leptin, resistin, chemerin, IL-6, and TNF-α playing an important role not only during inflammation but also in the metabolic regulation of joint cells including cartilage, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and mesenchymal stem cells (Xie & Chen, 2019). Muscle tissue also affects cartilage metabolism with its myokines.    FNDC5 is an important exercise myokine for slowing down age-related diseases, such as sarcopenia, osteoporosis, obesity, and neurodegeneration. Loss of FDNC5 has been shown to be associated with chondrocyte aging in the development of OA in humans and mice. Myokine maintains chondrocyte activity by preserving the metabolism and biology of the mitochondrial TCA cycle to protect against inflammation-induced aging. Myokine maintains chondrocyte survival and ECM synthesis by suppressing the cartilaginous inhibitory factor Wnt3a to control autophagy programs and apoptosis (Chen et al., 2020). Recently, it has been discovered that Sox9 was expressed in MTJ, tendon, and bone progenitor cells at E13 and in bone at E16. The expression of Sox9 in muscle precursor cells is also being studied. It is hypothesized that an increase in this factor of muscle tissue after exercise can also affect cartilage metabolism because it is stated that decreased Sox9 expression in connective tissues, tendons and bones is associated with cartilage hypoplasia (Nagakura et al., 2020). These hypotheses elucidated that the role of Sox9 secreted by muscle tissue can also play an important role in the development and healing of joint and cartilage, requiring animal and human studies

Psychological stress has a higher rate of developing addictive behaviors compared to physical stress in rat offspring

Prenatal stress could have great influence on development of offspring and might alter cognitive function and other physiological processes of children. The current study was conducted to study the effect of physical or psychological prenatal stress on addictive and anxiety-like behavior of male and female offspring during their adolescence period (postnatal day (PND) 40). Adult female rats were exposed to physical (swimming) or psychological (observing another female rat swimming) stress from day six of gestation for 10 days. Male and female offspring were assayed for anxiety-like behavior, motor and balance function and morphine conditioned place preference using the open field, elevated plus maze (EPM), rotarod and wire grip assay and conditioned place preference. Offspring in both physical and psychological prenatal stress groups demonstrated significant increase in anxiety-like behavior in EPM paradigm, but no alterations were observed in motor and balance function of animals. Offspring in the psychological prenatal stress group had an increased preference for morphine in comparison to control and physical prenatal stress groups. Results of the current study demonstrated that animals exposed to psychological stress during fetal development are at a higher risk of developing addictive behaviors. Further research might elucidate the exact mechanisms involved to provide better preventive and therapeutic interventions

Antitumor Activity of 6-(cyclohexylamino)-1, 3-dimethyl-5(2-pyridyl)furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione and Its Ti(IV), Zn(II), Fe(III), and Pd(II) Complexes on K562 and Jurkat Cell Lines

(6-(cyclohexylamino)-1,3-dimethyl-5(2-pyridyl)furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione) abbreviated as CDP was synthesized and characterized. Ti(IV), Zn(II), Fe(III), and Pd(II) metal complexes of this ligand are prepared by the reaction of salts of Ti(IV), Zn(II), Fe(III), and Pd(II) with CDP in acetonitrile. Characterization of the ligand and its complexes was made by microanalyses, FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and UV-Visible spectroscopy. All complexes were characterized by several techniques using elemental analysis (C, H, N), FT-IR, electronic spectra, and molar conductance measurements. The elemental analysis data suggest the stoichiometry to be 1:1 [M:L] ratio formation. The molar conductance measurements reveal the presence of 1:1 electrolytic nature complexes. These new complexes showed excellent antitumor activity against two kinds of cancer cells that are K562 (human chronic myeloid leukemia) cells and Jurkat (human T lymphocyte carcinoma) cells

A Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Reduced Graphene Oxide and Gold Nanoparticles for Electrochemical Aptasensing Of Lipopolysaccharides from Escherichia Coli Bacteria

An electrochemical aptasensor is described for the voltammetric determination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli 055:B5. Aptamer chains were immobilized on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via reduced graphene oxide and gold nanoparticles (RGO/AuNPs). Fast Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the nanomaterials. Cyclic voltammetry, square wave voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to characterize the modified GCE. The results show that the modified electrode has a good selectivity for LPS over other biomolecules. The hexacyanoferrate redox system, typically operated at around 0.3 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) is used as an electrochemical probe. The detection limit is 30 fg·mL−1. To decrease the electrochemical potential for detection of LPS, Mg/ carbon quantum dots were used as redox active media. They decrease the detection potentialto 0 V and the detection of limit (LOD) to 1 fg·mL−1. The electrode was successfully used to analyze serum of patients and healthy persons

Gender difference in motor impairments induced by chronic administration of vinblastine

Objective(s): Neurotoxicity of anticancer drugs complicates treatment of cancer patients. Vinblastine (VBL) is reported to induce motor and cognitive impairments in patients receiving chronic low-dose regimen. Materials and Methods: The effects of VBL treatment on motor, learning and memory functions of male and female Wistar rats were studied by behavioral related tests. Animals were given chronic intraperitoneal injections of VBL (0.2 mg/kg/week for 5 weeks) from postnatal day 23 to 52. Motor function was evaluated using grasping test and balancing was evaluated by the rotarod. Spatial learning and memory and anxiety-like behavior were determined using Morris water maze (MWM) task and open field test, respectively. Results: Administration of VBL caused severe damage to motor and balance function of male rats in comparison to female rats treated with VBL and rats treated with saline. Memory and locomotion were affected in both male and female rats compared with saline treated rats, while a sex difference was also observed in these parameters; male rats showed more impairment compared with female ones. Both male and female rats showed cognitive impairments in MWM task and no sex differences were observed in these functions. Conclusion: Results revealed that VBL is a potent neurotoxic agent and despite the profound effect of VBL on motor and cognitive functions, it seems that male rats are more susceptible to motor deficits induced by VBL

Muscle-muscle crosstalk and potential therapies for muscle wasting diseases: does exercise matter?

Dear Editor-in-ChiefDifferent types of exercise training with increasing muscle contraction can stimulate muscle secretome called myokines. Myokines are the main mediators of maintaining muscle structure and function in manner of autocrine and paracrine. These myokines can both affect distant tissues and have positive effects on muscle tissue itself (Chen, Wang, You, & Shan, 2021). In various diseases leading to muscle wasting, it seems that exercise and increased contraction can reduce the rate of muscle wasting and muscle atrophy by regulating myokines. Myostatin is a myokine that negatively regulates skeletal muscle development. In animal models, myostatin degradation has been shown to increase muscle mass and inhibit myostatin signals which can control the loss of muscle mass due to cancer cachexia (X. Zhou et al., 2010). Zhou et al. (2021) showed that exercise training (strength or balance in combination with endurance training) seems to be effective in preventing sarcopenia and maintaining muscle mass in non-dialysis-dependent patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with inhibition of myostatin signaling (Y. Zhou, Hellberg, Hellmark, Höglund, & Clyne, 2021).Apelin is another myokine that decreases in age-dependent manner (Vinel et al., 2018). Apelin signaling in aging helps to increase muscle function by stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis and anti-inflammatory pathways in myofibers and improving regenerative capacity by targeting muscle stem cells (Vinel et al., 2018). It has been shown that exercise can positively regulate the Apelin and improve muscle growth. Apelin, an exerkine, is elevated due to maternal exercise, and maternal apelin administration mirrors the effect of maternal exercise on mitochondrial biogenesis in fetal muscle (Son et al., 2020). In other words, Apelin inhibits skeletal muscle dysfunction.Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is primarily expressed at low levels in type 1 muscle fibers. LIF has been shown to affect the growth and regeneration of skeletal muscle. For example, the expression of LIF protein in rat plantaris muscle is increased by mechanical load (Sakuma et al., 1998). Furthermore, LIF stimulates the hypertrophic response to increased load in the animal model, and in this respect LIF has been shown to be an important factor in skeletal muscle hypertrophy. In addition, LIF mRNA increases in human skeletal muscle following muscle damage leading to better repair. Therefore, this factor secreted by skeletal muscle can increase in various injuries and diseases with exercise and controls muscle wasting. Irisin is one of the most important muscle myokines that is secreted from muscle tissue through exercise and has auto and paracrine effects. It was shown that the injection of irisin induced muscle hypertrophy, improved muscle strength and reduced necrosis and development of connective tissue in a murine model (Reza et al., 2017). Therefore, increasing this factor with exercise can counteract cachexia and atrophy.Musclin is an exercise-responsive myokine associated with plasma atrial NP (ANP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and the expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1-α (PGC1-α) expression in skeletal muscle after exercise training (Subbotina et al., 2015). Musclin helps increase exercise capacity by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis in mice (Subbotina et al., 2015). In addition to its role in exercise, Musclin reduces muscle tissue damage during the development of cachexia-induced tumors and has beneficial effects on cancer patients at risk for cachexia (Re Cecconi et al., 2019). C - X - C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) is another type of myokine that is involved in the growth of skeletal muscle. CXCL12 helps proliferate myogenic and angiogenic somite progenitor cells and controls myotoma formation (Abduelmula et al., 2016). Moreover, it has been shown that the concentration of plasma CXCL12 is enhanced in response to training on a bicycle ergometer (Wang, Lee, Lien, & Weng, 2014). Overall, muscle - muscle crosstalk with several myokines mediates the beneficial effects of exercise training, including regulating muscle growth, preventing muscle loss, and increasing muscle function and regeneration, and these factors can decrease muscle wasting diseases