EXTRAVERTED CHILDREN SWIM FASTER COMPARED TO INTROVERTED COUNTERPARTS REGARDLESS OF LIGHT AND SOUND NOISE LEVELS

Individual differences of personality are thought to influence motor performance. In terms of cortical arousal levels, because extraverts are infra-activated and introverts are hyper-activated, environment stimuli might enhance the impact of the extraversion trait on task performance. This study investigated the effect of light and sound noise on the swimming performance of extraverted and introverted children. 19 extraverts (12 boys, 7 girls) and 22 introverts (12 boys, 10 girls), ages 8.2 ± 0.9 years, adapted to water and swimming at intermediate levels. Participants performed two trials of the task (swimming 15 meters as fast as possible in crawl style) under two environment conditions: bright light/loud noise (A) and dim light/slight noise (B). Movements were filmed to allow calculation of time to complete the task and the stroke cycle. There was a significant effect for the group factor, with extraverts swimming faster than introverts. No effect was detected for the environment factor or the interaction group/environment. Regarding stroke cycle, no differences were found for group, environment or interaction. Although extraversion has not affected mechanical aspects of crawl style, compared to introverts, extraverts swan faster, showing a more effective process of reacting and executing movements in time-constraints tasks.Diferenças individuais de personalidade podem influenciar o desempenho motor. Em termos de ativação cortical, porque extrovertidos são infra-ativados e introvertidos hiperativados, os estímulos ambientais podem aumentar o efeito do traço de extroversão ao desempenhar tarefas. O presente estudo investigou o efeito da luminosidade e do ruído sonoro no desempenho natatório de crianças extrovertidas (19; 12 meninos, 7 meninas) e introvertidos (22; 12 meninos, 10 meninas), com idade de 8.2 ± 0.9 anos, adaptadas à água e com nível intermediário de natação. As crianças executaram duas tentativas da tarefa (nadar 15 metros o mais depressa possível em estilo crawl) sob duas condições ambientais: luz forte/ruído alto (A) e luz fraca/ruído baixo (B). Os movimentos foram filmados para cálculo de tempo para completar a tarefa e de ciclo de braçada. Houve efeito significativo para o fator grupo, com extrovertidos nadando mais rapidamente que introvertidos. Não houve efeito para o fator ambiente ou interação grupo/ambiente. Quanto ao ciclo de braçada, não houve diferenças para qualquer fator ou interação. Embora a extroversão não tenha afetado aspectos mecânicos do nado crawl, comparados aos introvertidos, os extrovertidos nadaram mais rapidamente, o que demonstra um processo mais efetivo para reagir e executar movimentos com restrições de tempo

Altered cardiac structure and function is related to seizure frequency in a rat model of chronic acquired temporal lobe epilepsy

Objective: This study aimed to prospectively examine cardiac structure and function in the kainic acid-induced post-status epilepticus (post-KA SE) model of chronic acquired temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), specifically to examine for changes between the pre-epileptic, early epileptogenesis and the chronic epilepsy stages. We also aimed to examine whether any changes related to the seizure frequency in individual animals. Methods: Four hours of SE was induced in 9 male Wistar rats at 10 weeks of age, with 8 saline treated matched control rats. Echocardiography was performed prior to the induction of SE, two- and 10-weeks post-SE. Two weeks of continuous video-EEG and simultaneous ECG recordings were acquired for two weeks from 11 weeks post-KA SE. The video-EEG recordings were analyzed blindly to quantify the number and severity of spontaneous seizures, and the ECG recordings analyzed for measures of heart rate variability (HRV). PicroSirius red histology was performed to assess cardiac fibrosis, and intracellular Ca2+ levels and cell contractility were measured by microfluorimetry. Results: All 9 post-KA SE rats were demonstrated to have spontaneous recurrent seizures on the two-week video-EEG recording acquired from 11 weeks SE (seizure frequency ranging from 0.3 to 10.6 seizures/day with the seizure durations from 11 to 62 s), and none of the 8 control rats. Left ventricular wall thickness was thinner, left ventricular internal dimension was shorter, and ejection fraction was significantly decreased in chronically epileptic rats, and was negatively correlated to seizure frequency in individual rats. Diastolic dysfunction was evident in chronically epileptic rats by a decrease in mitral valve deceleration time and an increase in E/E` ratio. Measures of HRV were reduced in the chronically epileptic rats, indicating abnormalities of cardiac autonomic function. Cardiac fibrosis was significantly increased in epileptic rats, positively correlated to seizure frequency, and negatively correlated to ejection fraction. The cardiac fibrosis was not a consequence of direct effect of KA toxicity, as it was not seen in the 6/10 rats from separate cohort that received similar doses of KA but did not go into SE. Cardiomyocyte length, width, volume, and rate of cell lengthening and shortening were significantly reduced in epileptic rats. Significance: The results from this study demonstrate that chronic epilepsy in the post-KA SE rat model of TLE is associated with a progressive deterioration in cardiac structure and function, with a restrictive cardiomyopathy associated with myocardial fibrosis. Positive correlations between seizure frequency and the severity of the cardiac changes were identified. These results provide new insights into the pathophysiology of cardiac disease in chronic epilepsy, and may have relevance for the heterogeneous mechanisms that place these people at risk of sudden unexplained death

Plasma Lead Concentration and Risk of Late Kidney Allograft Failure:Findings From the TransplantLines Biobank and Cohort Studies

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Heavy metals are known to induce kidney damage and recent studies have linked minor exposures to cadmium and arsenic with increased risk of kidney allograft failure, yet the potential association of lead (Pb) with late graft failure in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) remains unknown. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study in the Netherlands. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: We studied outpatient KTR (n=670) with a functioning graft for ≥1 year recruited at a university setting (2008-2011, NCT02811835) and followed, on average, for 4.9 (IQR, 3.4‒5.5) years. Additionally, end-stage kidney disease patients (n=46) enrolled in the ongoing TransplantLines Cohort and Biobank Study (2016-2017, NCT03272841) were studied at admission for transplantation and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after transplantation. EXPOSURE: Plasma Pb was log2 transformed to estimate the association with outcomes per doubling of plasma Pb concentration and also considered categorically as tertiles of the Pb distribution. OUTCOME: Kidney graft failure (restart of dialysis or re-transplantation) with the competing event of death with a functioning graft. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Multivariable-adjusted cause-specific hazards models where follow-up of KTR who died with a functioning graft was censored. RESULTS: Median baseline plasma Pb was 0.31 (IQR, 0.22─0.45) μg/L among all KTRs. During follow-up, 78 (12%) KTR developed graft failure. Higher plasma Pb was associated with increased risk of graft failure (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.14‒2.21 per doubling; P=0.006) independent of age, sex, transplant characteristics, eGFR, proteinuria, smoking status, alcohol intake, and plasma concentrations of cadmium and arsenic. These findings remained materially unchanged after additional adjustment for dietary intake and were consistent with those of analyses examining Pb categorically. In serial measurements, plasma Pb was significantly higher at admission for transplantation than at 3-months post-transplant (P=0.001), after which it remained stable over 2 years of follow-up (P=0.2). LIMITATIONS: Observational study design. CONCLUSIONS: Pretransplant plasma Pb concentrations, which fall after transplantation, are associated with increased risk of late kidney allograft failure. These findings warrant further studies to evaluate whether preventive or therapeutic interventions to decrease plasma Pb may represent novel risk-management strategies to decrease the rate of kidney allograft failure

Efficient Capture of Infected Neutrophils by Dendritic Cells in the Skin Inhibits the Early Anti-Leishmania Response

Neutrophils and dendritic cells (DCs) converge at localized sites of acute inflammation in the skin following pathogen deposition by the bites of arthropod vectors or by needle injection. Prior studies in mice have shown that neutrophils are the predominant recruited and infected cells during the earliest stage of Leishmania major infection in the skin, and that neutrophil depletion promotes host resistance to sand fly transmitted infection. How the massive influx of neutrophils aimed at wound repair and sterilization might modulate the function of DCs in the skin has not been previously addressed. The infected neutrophils recovered from the skin expressed elevated apoptotic markers compared to uninfected neutrophils, and were preferentially captured by dermal DCs when injected back into the mouse ear dermis. Following challenge with L. major directly, the majority of the infected DCs recovered from the skin at 24 hr stained positive for neutrophil markers, indicating that they acquired their parasites via uptake of infected neutrophils. When infected, dermal DCs were recovered from neutrophil depleted mice, their expression of activation markers was markedly enhanced, as was their capacity to present Leishmania antigens ex vivo. Neutrophil depletion also enhanced the priming of L. major specific CD4+ T cells in vivo. The findings suggest that following their rapid uptake by neutrophils in the skin, L. major exploits the immunosuppressive effects associated with the apoptotic cell clearance function of DCs to inhibit the development of acquired resistance until the acute neutrophilic response is resolved

Multitrophic Interaction in the Rhizosphere of Maize: Root Feeding of Western Corn Rootworm Larvae Alters the Microbial Community Composition

BACKGROUND: Larvae of the Western Corn Rootworm (WCR) feeding on maize roots cause heavy economical losses in the US and in Europe. New or adapted pest management strategies urgently require a better understanding of the multitrophic interaction in the rhizosphere. This study aimed to investigate the effect of WCR root feeding on the microbial communities colonizing the maize rhizosphere. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a greenhouse experiment, maize lines KWS13, KWS14, KWS15 and MON88017 were grown in three different soil types in presence and in absence of WCR larvae. Bacterial and fungal community structures were analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the 16S rRNA gene and ITS fragments, PCR amplified from the total rhizosphere community DNA. DGGE bands with increased intensity were excised from the gel, cloned and sequenced in order to identify specific bacteria responding to WCR larval feeding. DGGE fingerprints showed that the soil type and the maize line influenced the fungal and bacterial communities inhabiting the maize rhizosphere. WCR larval feeding affected the rhiyosphere microbial populations in a soil type and maize line dependent manner. DGGE band sequencing revealed an increased abundance of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus in the rhizosphere of several maize lines in all soil types upon WCR larval feeding. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The effects of both rhizosphere and WCR larval feeding seemed to be stronger on bacterial communities than on fungi. Bacterial and fungal community shifts in response to larval feeding were most likely due to changes of root exudation patterns. The increased abundance of A. calcoaceticus suggested that phenolic compounds were released upon WCR wounding

A Mouse Model of Pulmonary Metastasis from Spontaneous Osteosarcoma Monitored In Vivo by Luciferase Imaging

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma (OSA) is lethal when metastatic after chemotherapy and/or surgical treatment. Thus animal models are necessary to study the OSA metastatic spread and to validate novel therapies able to control the systemic disease. We report the development of a syngeneic (Balb/c) murine OSA model, using a cell line derived from a spontaneous murine tumor. METHODOLOGY: The tumorigenic and metastatic ability of OSA cell lines were assayed after orthotopic injection in mice distal femur. Expression profiling was carried out to characterize the parental and metastatic cell lines. Cells from metastases were propagated and engineered to express Luciferase, in order to follow metastases in vivo. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Luciferase bioluminescence allowed to monitor the primary tumor growth and revealed the appearance of spontaneous pulmonary metastases. In vivo assays showed that metastasis is a stable property of metastatic OSA cell lines after both propagation in culture and luciferase trasduction. When compared to parental cell line, both unmodified and genetically marked metastatic cells, showed comparable and stable differential expression of the enpp4, pfn2 and prkcd genes, already associated to the metastatic phenotype in human cancer. CONCLUSIONS: This OSA animal model faithfully recapitulates some of the most important features of the human malignancy, such as lung metastatization. Moreover, the non-invasive imaging allows monitoring the tumor progression in living mice. A great asset of this model is the metastatic phenotype, which is a stable property, not modifiable after genetic manipulation

Malaria in pregnancy regulates P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp/ Abcb1a ) and ABCA1 efflux transporters in the Mouse Visceral Yolk Sac

Malaria in pregnancy (MiP) induces intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preterm labour (PTL). However, its effects on yolk sac morphology and function are largely unexplored. We hypothesized that MiP modifies yolk sac morphology and efflux transport potential by modulating ABC efflux transporters. C57BL/6 mice injected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (5 × 105 infected erythrocytes) at gestational day (GD) 13.5 were subjected to yolk sac membrane harvesting at GD 18.5 for histology, qPCR and immunohistochemistry. MiP did not alter the volumetric proportion of the yolk sac's histological components. However, it increased levels of Abcb1a mRNA (encoding P-glycoprotein) and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (Mif chemokine), while decreasing Abcg1 (P < 0.05); without altering Abca1, Abcb1b, Abcg2, Snat1, Snat2, interleukin (Il)-1β and C-C Motif chemokine ligand 2 (Ccl2). Transcripts of Il-6, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (Cxcl1), Glut1 and Snat4 were not detectible. ABCA1, ABCG1, breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) and P-gp were primarily immunolocalized to the cell membranes and cytoplasm of endodermic epithelium but also in the mesothelium and in the endothelium of mesodermic blood vessels. Intensity of P-gp labelling was stronger in both endodermic epithelium and mesothelium, whereas ABCA1 labelling increased in the endothelium of the mesodermic blood vessels. The presence of ABC transporters in the yolk sac wall suggests that this fetal membrane acts as an important protective gestational barrier. Changes in ABCA1 and P-gp in MiP may alter the biodistribution of toxic substances, xenobiotics, nutrients and immunological factors within the fetal compartment and participate in the pathogenesis of malaria-induced IUGR and PTL

Dermatological diseases of compulsory notification in Brazil

A estruturação do Sistema Nacional de Vigilância Epidemiológica do Brasil, em 1975, tornou obrigatória a notificação de algumas doenças transmissíveis com o objetivo de reduzir a carga destes eventos no país. Entretanto, as alterações no perfil epidemiológico destas doenças, associadas a características da sociedade contemporânea, determinam a constante adequação das atividades de vigilância a este cenário. Neste manuscrito, são descritos epidemiologia, tendências e diagnóstico diferencial das seguintes doenças dermatológicas de notificação compulsória no Brasil: aids, dengue, hanseníase, leishmaniose tegumentar americana, sarampo, rubéola e síndrome da rubéola congênita e sífilis. Também são apresentados os principais desafios atuais para o controle e prevenção para cada uma dessas doenças no BrasilThe development of a Brazilian National Surveillance System in 1975 led to a compulsory reporting of selected infectious diseases aiming to reduce the burden of these events in the country. However, shifts in the epidemiology of these diseases associated with modern life style, demand constant revision of surveillance activities. In this manuscript we present the epidemiology, trends and differential diagnosis of the following compulsory notifiable diseases in Brazil: Aids, dengue fever, hanseniasis, American tegumentary leishmaniasis, measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome and syphilis. Additionally, the current challenges for control and prevention of each disease are presente