LOW-DOSE OF SODIUM ARSENITE CAUSES DELAYED DIFFERENTIATION IN C2C12 MOUSE MYOBLAST CELLS THROUGH THE REPRESSION OF THE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR MYOGENIN

A number of epidemiological studies have correlated arsenic exposurwith cancer, skin diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and adverse developmental outcomes such as stillbirths, spontaneous abortions, neonatal mortality, low birth weight, and delays in the use of musculature. The current study used C2C12 mouse myoblast cells to examine whether low concentrations of arsenic could alter their differentiation into myotubes, which would indicate that arsenic has the ability to act as a developmental toxicant. Myoblast cells were exposed to 20nM sodium arsenite and allowed to differentiate into myotubes and expression of the muscle-specific transcription factor myogenin, along with the expression of myosin light chain 2, and tropomyosin were investigated using real time PCR and immunofluorescence. Exposing C2C12 cells to 20nM sodium arsenite delayed the differentiation process, as evidenced by a significant reduction in the number of multinucleated myotubes. Additionally, arsenic exposure caused a time-dependant decrease in myogenin mRNA expression, as compared to the control cells, starting on day two of the differentiation process. Arsenic reduced myogenin mRNA levels by 1.4-fold on day two, 2.7-fold on day three, and 5.1-fold on day four of differentiation. This reduction in transcript number was confirmed by immunofluorescence, which also showed a decrease in the total number of nuclei expressing myogenin protein. Interestingly, myosin light chain 2 mRNA was significantly upregulated in the arsenic-exposed cells, although this did not translate into altered protein expression. This study demonstrated that low concentrations of arsenic are able to disturb the differentiation process of myoblasts without causing overt toxicity

A global investigation of music listening practices: the influence of country latitude and seasons on music preferences

Background: Most research on correlates of music preference considers micro-level influences, such as personality and social positional levels (Rentfrow & Gosling, 2003; North & Hargreaves, 1996). However, it is important to consider macro-level influences, such as cultural norms and the effects of time and weather, as well. An interesting macro-level influence that is gaining research attention is the consideration of seasonal effects (Helmholz, et al., 2017; Krause & North, 2018; Park, et al., 2019). For example, Krause and North’s (2018, p. 89) research demonstrated that listeners preferred “arousing music for the warmer months, serene music for spring, and melancholy music for the cooler months”. Aims: The present study is a replication-extension study of Krause and North’s (2018) research. The aims of the present study included: 1. Replicating their findings drawing on a larger, global sample (including non-western countries and those with varying weather patterns and at different latitudes). 2. Exploring the extent that proxies for country and seasons (latitude) modulate response patterns. Method: A total of 2,140 participants from 47 countries across 4 continents completed an online questionnaire, which consisted of answering background questions and responding to a series of questions concerning the creation of music playlists. Importantly, as in Krause and North (2018), participants rated how well 24 adjectives (from three factors: Arousing, Serene, and Melancholy) describe preferred music for playlists (for each season); also, they indicated their favourite season, the season they were currently experiencing, and their country of residence. Results: Addressing the first aim, an exploratory factor analyses was conducted on the participants' adjective ratings to replicate that reported in Krause and North (2018). The results indicated that the proposed three factor solution on each of the four seasons from Autumn to Summer does not fit the data well using either the Comparitive Fit Index (0.79, 0.79, 0.81, 0.83) or Tucker Lewis Index (0.83, 0.83, 0.84, 0.86). We posit this model fit incongrunacy is due to initial model specification choices. Nevertheless, we continued our planned analyses and considered the impact of the participants’ country of residence. We tested the hypothesis that preferred arousal levels in music fluctuate according to the ecological environment: could countries with warmer summers prefer higher arousal music for warmer (summer) seasons, and countries with colder winters prefer lower arousal (melancholic) music for cooler (winter) seasons? Using mixed effects models with random effects for country, we found that countries with more extreme latitudes (warmer summers) preferred higher arousal music (b = -0.05, p = .036) for summer. However, no significant effect was observed for latitude and low arousal (melancholic) music (b = -0.03, p = .11). Conclusions: By examining the replicability of Krause and North's (2018) findings on a larger set of participants and countries, the present research contributes to the developing body of psychological research on music preference at the macro-level, focusing on contributing to our understanding of how broader factors play a role in music preference and everyday listening behaviours. Moreover, the findings will be considered relative to research concerning seasonal variations in other behaviours and experiences, which may have additional influences on areas such as financial behaviours, aggression, mental health, and mood

Chemokine CCL5/RANTES inhibition reduces myocardial reperfusion injury in atherosclerotic mice

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Óleos essenciais para o controle pós-colheita do mofo-azul e a qualidade de maçãs 'Fuji'

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of rosemary, cinnamon, citronella grass, and clove essential oils on the in vitro growth of Penicillium expansum, on the diameter of blue mold lesions, and on the physical and chemical attributes of 'Fuji' apples stored under refrigeration for different periods of time. The compositions of the essential oils were determined, and their effects on the growth inhibition, number, and viability of fungal spores in vitro were evaluated at 0, 100, and 1,000 μL L-1 oil concentrations. At postharvest, evaluations were performed for fruit treated with 0, 50, 100, and 500 μL L-1 essential oil and kept under refrigeration for 30 days, and for fruit treated with 0, 100, and 500 μL L-1 oil and kept under refrigeration for two days. The essential oils – eucalyptol (rosemary), eugenol (cinnamon), citronellal (citronella), and eugenol (clove) – reduce the growth, number, and viability of P. expansum spores 24 hours after the induction to germination, as well as the diameter of blue mold lesions in apples, except for citronella oil at 500 μL L-1 after 30 days of cold storage. There are no changes in the physicochemical attributes of apples, treated with different concentrations of the oils after refrigeration for five months, followed by seven days at room temperature.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de óleos essenciais de alecrim, canela, citronela e cravo-da-índia sobre o crescimento de Penicillium expansum in vitro, o diâmetro de lesões de mofo-azul e os atributos físico-químicos em maçã 'Fuji', armazenada sob refrigeração por diferentes períodos. As composições dos óleos essenciais foram determinadas, e seus efeitos sobre a inibição do crescimento, o número e a viabilidade de esporos do fungo in vitro foram avaliados quanto às concentrações de 0, 100 e 1.000 µL L-1. No período pós-colheita, avaliaram-se os frutos tratados com 0, 50, 100 e 500 µL L-1 de óleo essencial e armazenados sob refrigeração por 30 dias e os frutos tratados com 0, 100 e 500 µL L-1 de óleo essencial e mantidos sob refrigeração por dois dias. Os óleos essenciais – eucaliptol (alecrim), eugenol (canela), citronelal (citronela) e eugenol (cravo) – reduzem o crescimento, o número e a viabilidade de esporos de P. expansum 24 horas após o estímulo à germinação, bem como o diâmetro de lesões de mofo-azul em maçãs, à exceção do óleo de citronela a 500 µL L-1, após 30 dias de armazenamento refrigerado. Não há alteração dos atributos físico-químicos de maçãs tratadas com diferentes concentrações dos óleos, após a refrigeração por cinco meses, seguida de sete dias à temperatura ambiente

Social participation reduces depressive symptoms among older adults: An 18-year longitudinal analysis in Taiwan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Relatively little empirical attention has focused on the association between social participation and depressive symptoms amongst older adults in Asian nations, where persons over the age of 65 represent a rapidly growing segment of the population. This study explores the dynamic relationship between participation in social activities and trajectories of depressive symptomatology among older Taiwanese adults surveyed over 18 years.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data are from a nationally representative sample of 1,388 adults aged 60-64 first surveyed in 1989 and followed over an 18-year time period for a total of six waves. Individual involvement in social activities was categorized into continuous participation, ceased participation before age 70, initiating participation in older adulthood, never participated, and dropped out before age 70. Two domains of depressive symptoms--negative affect and lack of positive affect--were measured using a 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analyses using growth curve modeling showed that continuously participating or initiating participation in social activities later life is significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms among older Taiwanese adults, even after controlling for the confounding effects of aging, individual demographic differences, and health status.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings suggest that maintaining or initiating social participation in later life benefits the mental health of older adults. Facilitating social activities among older adults is a promising direction for programs intended to promote mental health and successful aging among older adults in Taiwan.</p

Occupational Noise, Smoking, and a High Body Mass Index are Risk Factors for Age-related Hearing Impairment and Moderate Alcohol Consumption is Protective: A European Population-based Multicenter Study

A multicenter study was set up to elucidate the environmental and medical risk factors contributing to age-related hearing impairment (ARHI). Nine subsamples, collected by nine audiological centers across Europe, added up to a total of 4,083 subjects between 53 and 67 years. Audiometric data (pure-tone average [PTA]) were collected and the participants filled out a questionnaire on environmental risk factors and medical history. People with a history of disease that could affect hearing were excluded. PTAs were adjusted for age and sex and tested for association with exposure to risk factors. Noise exposure was associated with a significant loss of hearing at high sound frequencies (>1 kHz). Smoking significantly increased high-frequency hearing loss, and the effect was dose-dependent. The effect of smoking remained significant when accounting for cardiovascular disease events. Taller people had better hearing on average with a more pronounced effect at low sound frequencies (<2 kHz). A high body mass index (BMI) correlated with hearing loss across the frequency range tested. Moderate alcohol consumption was inversely correlated with hearing loss. Significant associations were found in the high as well as in the low frequencies. The results suggest that a healthy lifestyle can protect against age-related hearing impairment

Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar

Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (bodymass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use

Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 Countries

Despite global commitments and efforts, a gender-based division of paid and unpaid work persists. To identify how psychological factors, national policies, and the broader sociocultural context contribute to this inequality, we assessed parental-leave intentions in young adults (18–30 years old) planning to have children (N = 13,942; 8,880 identified as women; 5,062 identified as men) across 37 countries that varied in parental-leave policies and societal gender equality. In all countries, women intended to take longer leave than men. National parental-leave policies and women’s political representation partially explained cross-national variations in the gender gap. Gender gaps in leave intentions were paradoxically larger in countries with more gender-egalitarian parental-leave policies (i.e., longer leave available to both fathers and mothers). Interestingly, this cross-national variation in the gender gap was driven by cross-national variations in women’s (rather than men’s) leave intentions. Financially generous leave and gender-egalitarian policies (linked to men’s higher uptake in prior research) were not associated with leave intentions in men. Rather, men’s leave intentions were related to their individual gender attitudes. Leave intentions were inversely related to career ambitions. The potential for existing policies to foster gender equality in paid and unpaid work is discussed.Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 CountriespublishedVersio