The Effects of a High Fat Diet and Lithium on Social and Anxiety-like Behaviors in Bipolar and Autistic Mouse Strains

Bipolar Disorder (BD), or manic-depressive illness, is a psychiatric disease in which an individual experiences sudden changes in mood, activity, and overall energy. Individuals with the disorder switch between excessive joy and excitement, and extremely sad and hopeless episodes. A common treatment of BD is lithium, a mood stabilizer that helps to relieve manic symptoms. Lithium has been known to contribute to the onset of diabetic-like symptoms, in addition to a large correlation, up to three times higher risk, of developing Type II Diabetes in individuals with BD. In general, individuals who consume a high fat diet (HF) are often seen to have an increased possibility of developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. This type of diabetes affects the way one’s body is able to modulate blood glucose levels, which can lead to hyperglycemia and weight gain. Another mood disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is characterized by a lack of social behaviors and often includes symptoms of anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Often treated using similar methods to that of BD, similar comparisons can be made due to the exposure of a high fat diet and lithium. This thesis tested the effects of a high fat diet and lithium consumption on anxiety, social behavior, and diabetic symptoms in both Black Swiss mice, a strain that mimics the manic episodes of BD, and Balb/cJ mice, a strain that mimics behavior associated with ASD. The Balb/cJ mice became less social when on lithium and diet had no effect. They also were resistant to diabetic symptoms as the HF did not make them gain weight nor did it alter glucose tolerance or insulin levels. The Black Swiss had no differences based on liquid or diet socially, but did exhibit decreased anxiety when on lithium. They had increased insulin and cholesterol levels however, no increase to body weight, glucose or triglyceride levels. The two strains were affected differently by alterations to diet and liquid, but since they lack a genetic connection, cannot be compared closer

Feasibility and Environmental Sustainability of a 103.5 kWp floating Photovoltaic Electrical System with a Case Study in a Hydroelectric Power Plant, Santa Clara Hpp, Located in the South of Brazil Region

Typical environmental problems associated with the implementation of solar photovoltaic systems for the generation of peak electrical energy, on a larger scale, such as on the order of 1 MWp, is in the occupied area, usually more than 3 km2. This can be minimized by the use of water parks or water dam’s reservoir, small and large hydroelectric power plants dams. Both the terrestrial and aquatic systems can impact the site, the first one, for the need to promote earthworks, removal of extensive green areas in the surroundings, installation of new transmission line, among others; and the second, despite the fact that a flat surface is already used and that there is no need for new civil procedures for its installation and can normally take advantage of the existing power transmission line, may cause changes in the biota of the reservoir, depending on the shading areas on the surface of the lake. Due to these facts, this research was proposed to investigate, parameterize and tropicalize an electric power generation system based on floating silicon photovoltaic cell panels installed in the Santa Clara HPP reservoir, in terms of peak power, durability, aspects and environmental impacts, with the study of possible evolutionary improvements of the project such as "tracking" or solar tracking, as well as dynamism of the structure, allowing the shadow area to be shifted over time, minimizing its effects in the local biota

A highly conserved transcriptional repressor controls a large regulon involved in lipid degradation in Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis TetR-type regulator Rv3574 has been implicated in pathogenesis as it is induced in vivo, and genome-wide essentiality studies show it is required for infection. As the gene is highly conserved in the mycobacteria, we deleted the Rv3574 orthologue in Mycobacterium smegmatis (MSMEG_6042) and used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and microarray analyses to show that it represses the transcription both of itself and of a large number of genes involved in lipid metabolism. We identified a conserved motif within its own promoter (TnnAACnnGTTnnA) and showed that it binds as a dimer to 29 bp probes containing the motif. We found 16 and 31 other instances of the motif in intergenic regions of M. tuberculosis and M. smegmatis respectively. Combining the results of the microarray studies with the motif analyses, we predict that Rv3574 directly controls the expression of 83 genes in M. smegmatis, and 74 in M. tuberculosis. Many of these genes are known to be induced by growth on cholesterol in rhodococci, and palmitate in M. tuberculosis. We conclude that this regulator, designated elsewhere as kstR, controls the expression of genes used for utilizing diverse lipids as energy sources, possibly imported through the mce4 system

Voluntary Wheel-running Attenuates Insulin and Weight Gain and Affects Anxiety-like Behaviors in C57BL6/J Mice Exposed to a High-fat Diet

It is widely accepted that lifestyle plays a crucial role on the quality of life in individuals, particularly in western societies where poor diet is correlated to alterations in behavior and the increased possibility of developing type-2 diabetes. While exercising is known to produce improvements to overall health, there is conflicting evidence on how much of an effect exercise has staving off the development of type-2 diabetes or counteracting the effects of diet on anxiety. Thus, this study investigated the effects of voluntary wheel-running access on the progression of diabetes-like symptoms and open field and light-dark box behaviors in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet. C57BL/6J mice were placed into either running-wheel cages or cages without a running-wheel, given either regular chow or a high-fat diet, and their body mass, food consumption, glucose tolerance, insulin and c-peptide levels were measured. Mice were also exposed to the open field and light-dark box tests for anxiety-like behaviors. Access to a running-wheel partially attenuated the obesity and hyperinsulinemia associated with high-fat diet consumption in these mice, but did not affect glucose tolerance or c-peptide levels. Wheel-running strongly increased anxiety-like and decreased explorative-like behaviors in the open field and light-dark box, while high-fat diet consumption produced smaller increases in anxiety. These results suggest that voluntary wheel-running can assuage some, but not all, of the physiological problems associated with high-fat diet consumption, and can modify anxiety-like behaviors regardless of diet consumed

Removal of a High-fat Diet, but not Voluntary Exercise, Reverses Obesity and Diabetic-like Symptoms in Male C57BL/6J Mice

OBJECTIVE: Both the consumption of high-fat diets and exercise are known to produce alterations in metabolism and behavior. This study focuses on the effects of a change to a low-fat diet from a high-fat diet and voluntary exercise on obesity, type-2 diabetic-like symptoms, and locomotor behavior in male C57BL/6J mice. DESIGN: Mice were initially given either a high-fat diet or regular chow, along with a cage with a running-wheel to mimic exercise, or one without, to determine to what extend exercise affects these symptoms. Then half of the mice given a high-fat diet were switched to regular chow to ascertain if the switch in diet would improve type-2 diabetic-like and obesity symptoms. RESULTS:Wheel-running alone produced an improvement in insulin in mice continuously fed a high-fat diet (p=0.006), but running-wheels did not produce any further improvements in mice with regular chow replacement (p=0.999) or in controls (p=0.996). Replacement of a high-fat diet with regular chow led to physiological improvements in insulin (p=0.012) and leptin (p CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that exercise is only partially beneficial to improving health outcomes in mice consuming a high-fat diet, whereas incorporating a better diet, even without exercise, improves quality of health and can suppress T2DM symptoms and related conditions more so than exercise alone

Coagulation Factor XII Gene Mutation in Brazilian Families with Hereditary Angioedema with Normal C1 Inhibitor

Background: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) with normal C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) is a rare disorder. Mutations of the gene encoding coagulation factor XII have been identified in a subset of patients with this condition. Our aim was to investigate mutations in the F12 gene in patients with HAE with normal C1-INH from Brazil. Methods: We studied 5 Brazilian families with index female patients who presented with recurrent angioedema with normal C1-INH and C4 levels. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood and PCR was performed. Mutations were detected by the sequencing of exon 9 of the F12 gene and allelic discrimination. Results: The c.983C>A (p.Thr328Lys) mutation was identified in 16 subjects, from 4 of the 5 families studied, including 8 patients with symptoms of HAE with normal C1-INH (87.5% women) and 8 subjects asymptomatic for HAE (25% women). Mean age at onset of symptoms among the FXII-HAE patients was 13.8 years (range 6-25 years). Recurrent abdominal pain (100%) and subcutaneous angioedema (87.5%) were the most frequent clinical presentations. Two patients presented with associated laryngeal edema. In keeping with previous observations in patients with both C1-INH-HAE and HAE with normal C1-INH, all 7 women with FXII-HAE reported triggering or worsening of symptoms upon intake of estrogen-containing oral contraceptives and/or pregnancy. Conclusions: We report for the first time in Brazil a mutation in the F12 gene as a likely cause of HAE with normal C1-INH in patients with recurrent attacks of angioedema and/or abdominal pain. A higher frequency of abdominal pain attacks and onset of symptoms at a younger age were observed among Brazilian patients when compared to those from other parts of the world. (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, BaselFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP