Fast-food, everyday life and health: A qualitative study of ‘chicken shops’ in East London

Publication date: 1 September 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 128
Author(s): Claire Thompson, Ruth Ponsford, Daniel Lewis, Steven Cummins
The higher prevalence of fast food outlets in deprived areas has been associated with the production and maintenance of geographical inequalities in diet. In the UK one type of fast food outlet - the 'chicken shop' - has been the focus of intense public health and media interest. Despite ongoing concerns and initiatives around regulating these establishments, the 'chicken shop' is both a commercially successful and ubiquitous feature of disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods. However, little is known about how they are perceived by local residents. We report data from a qualitative study of neighbourhood perceptions in a low SES urban setting. Narrative family interviews, go-along interviews and school video focus group workshops with 66 residents of East London were conducted over two waves. The topic of chicken shops was a prolific theme and a narrative analysis of these accounts revealed that local perceptions of chicken shops are complex and contradictory. Chicken shops were depicted as both potentially damaging for the health of local residents and, at the same time, as valued community spaces. This contradiction was discursively addressed in narrative via a series of rhetorical rebuttals that negated their potential to damage health on the grounds of concepts such as trust, choice, balance, food hygiene and compensatory physical activity. In some instances, chicken shops were described as 'healthy' and patronising them constructed as part of a healthy lifestyle. Chicken shops are embedded in the social fabric of neighbourhoods. Successful strategies to improve diet therefore requires context-sensitive environmental interventions.



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Beef quality labels: A combination of sensory acceptance test, stated willingness to pay, and choice-based conjoint analysis

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Stephan G.H. Meyerding, Maria Gentz, Brianne Altmann, Lisa Meier-Dinkel
Consumer perspectives of beef quality are complex, leading to a market that is increasingly differentiating. Thus, ongoing monitoring and assessment of changes in consumer perspectives is essential to identify changing market conditions. Often only credence and search characteristics are evaluated in consumer studies; therefore the object of the present study is to examine consumer preferences and perceptions towards beef steaks, also including experience characteristics, using a mixed methods approach. For this reason, 55 consumers participated in an experiment in Germany, including a sensory acceptance test, stated willingness to pay, and choice-based conjoint analysis (CBCA). Different quality characteristics were included, but a focus on the quality labels of 'dry aged beef', 'Block House beef', and 'Angus beef' was predominant throughout the experiment with the results showing that quality labels significantly increased overall liking as well as the stated willingness to pay. Quality labels were also the one of the most important characteristics in the conjoint analysis, after origin and price. The results of all applied methods are comparable for the characteristic quality label. The combination of sensory acceptance test and CBCA were additionally able to evaluate all three kinds of beef quality characteristics, which could not be evaluated together only using a single method. This suggests that a mixture of methods should be used to gain better knowledge on the true behavior of beef consumers. Experience and credence characteristics, including beef quality labels, present opportunities for future research as well as the potential for determining product and market differentiation.



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Food choice considerations among American Indians living in rural Oklahoma: The THRIVE study

Publication date: 1 September 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 128
Author(s): Marianna S. Wetherill, Mary B. Williams, Micah L. Hartwell, Alicia L. Salvatore, Tvli Jacob, Tamela K. Cannady, Joy Standridge, Jill Fox, Jennifer Spiegel, Natia Anderson, Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan
In rural American Indian (AI) communities, access to affordable, healthy foods is often limited. Understanding AI food choice considerations when selecting foods, such as sensory appeal, cost, or health, is an important yet understudied topic for eliminating persistent AI health disparities.In partnership with the Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, we administered a modified version of the Food Choice Values (FCV) Questionnaire to a cross-sectional sample of 83 AI patrons shopping at tribally-owned convenience stores ≥3 times per week. The FCV Questionnaire uses 25 items to assess eight FCV subscales related to buying and eating food, including sensory appeal; safety; accessibility; convenience; health/weight control; organic; tradition; and comfort. We compared mean scores for each FCV subscale by demographic groups using t-tests and ANOVA. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine how well the data from this population fit FCV subscale constructs. We then used cluster analysis, MANOVA, and discriminant analysis to characterize distinct segments of the population based on patterns of FCV endorsement.Appeal, safety, and access FCVs were most strongly endorsed across the sample. Prioritization of FCVs varied by age, gender, income, and education. Our cluster analysis identified four groups, or segments, each with distinct patterns of FCV endorsement: limited endorsement of any FCVs (23.3%); safety and sensory appeal (32.9%); health/weight control (17.8%); and broad endorsement of FCVs (26.0%). These groups varied by age and employment status.Findings from this analysis informed the design and implementation of a healthy retail intervention comprised of new healthful foods and beverages, product placement and marketing strategies within four tribally-owned and operated convenience stores. Public health interventions aimed at reducing nutrition-related disparities in rural AI populations may benefit from assessing food choice considerations.



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Eating with others and meal location are differentially associated with nutrient intake by sex: The Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE)

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Mark C. Pachucki, Andrew J. Karter, Nancy E. Adler, Howard H. Moffet, E. Margaret Warton, Dean Schillinger, Bethany Hendrickson O'Connell, Barbara Laraia
Though eating with others is often a social behavior, relationships between social contexts of eating and nutrient intake have been underexplored. This study evaluates how social aspects of eating – frequencies of eating meals with others, meals prepared at home, and meals outside the home – are associated with nutrient intake. Because diet improvement can reduce complications of diabetes mellitus, we surveyed a multi-ethnic cohort of persons with type 2 diabetes (n = 770) about social aspects of diet (based on 24-hour recalls). Sex-stratified multiple regression analyses adjusted for confounders assessed the relationship between frequency of eating with others and nutrient intake (total energy, energy from fat, energy from carbohydrates, Healthy Eating Index/HEI, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension/DASH score). Although there was slight variation in men's versus women's propensity to share meals, after adjustment for confounders, there was no consistently significant association between meals with others and the 5 nutrient intake measures for either men or women. The directions of association between categories of eating with others and diet quality (HEI and DASH scores) – albeit not significant – were different for men (positive) and women (mostly negative), which warrants further investigation. The next analyses estimated nutrient intake associated with meals prepared at home, and meals consumed outside the home. Analyses indicated that greater meal frequency at home was associated with significantly better scores on diet quality indices for men (but not women), while meal frequency outside the home was associated with poorer diet quality and energy intake for women (but not men). Better measurement of social dimensions of eating may inform ways to improve nutrition, especially for persons with diabetes for whom diet improvement can result in better disease outcomes.



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Identifying behavioral phenotypes for childhood obesity

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Tanja V.E. Kral, Reneé H. Moore, Jesse Chittams, Elizabeth Jones, Lauren O'Malley, Jennifer O. Fisher
Existing programs which aim to prevent and treat childhood obesity often do not take into account individual variation and the underlying mechanisms that impact child eating behavior. Individual differences in children's appetitive traits have been shown to appear as early as during infancy and become more pronounced as children grow older and become more exposed to the obesogenic food environment. Differences in genetic predispositions interacting with factors in children's early environment account in part for individual differences in appetitive traits. It is very likely that obesogenic eating phenotypes manifest themselves before the onset of childhood obesity. If so, identifying these phenotypes early is expected to move primary prevention strategies in a new direction and holds great potential to significantly enhance our ability to prevent childhood obesity. The aim of this narrative review is to discuss the role of behavioral phenotyping as an innovative approach for the development of more personalized obesity prevention and treatment interventions that are tailored to children's individual predispositions. We describe several examples of appetitive traits which have been linked to overeating and excess weight gain in children and thus may represent modifiable risk factors for future interventions. The review concludes with a comprehensive synthesis of opportunities for future human ingestive behavior research on identifying behavioral phenotypes for childhood obesity.



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Associations between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and dietary habits in elementary school children

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Kyoung Min Kim, Myung Ho Lim, Ho-Jang Kwon, Seung-Jin Yoo, Eun-jung Kim, Jun Won Kim, Mina Ha, Ki Chung Paik
ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between dietary habits and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in elementary school children.MethodsThe parents of 16,831 participating children assessed the ADHD symptoms of their children by responding to the Korean version of the ADHD rating scale (K-ARS). Parents also responded to the food habit questionnaire, which consists of 8 items regarding the eating pace, the frequency of overeating, and patterns of eating six types of food: fast food, soft drinks, instant noodles, fruit and vegetables, and milk.ResultsK-ARS scores were positively associated with higher consumption of foods categorized as unhealthy, including fast food, soft drinks, and instant noodles, and negatively associated with higher consumption of fruit and vegetables categorized as healthy foods. K-ARS scores were also higher in the groups who overate more frequently and ate faster or slower compared to other family members.ConclusionOur findings may provide useful clinical information for dietary interventions in children with ADHD.



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The relation between family meals and health of infants and toddlers: A review

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Chantal L. Verhage, Marleen Gillebaart, Shelley M.C. van der Veek, Carel M.J.L. Vereijken
Family meals are associated with multiple health benefits in children and adolescents including evidence that eating together as a family may play a role in reducing childhood obesity. The current review aims to investigate whether the beneficial health effects of the family meal also apply to infants and toddlers.PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and PsycInfo were searched and 14 empirical studies were identified. The findings were discussed according to frequency of having a family meal and parental perception, associations between the family meal and health aspects (e.g., eating behaviors and diet quality) and causal influences of these associations.Descriptive data showed that mothers offer food at a structured mealtime, but that eating together as a family was not always upheld. The frequency of family meals was positively associated with more nutrient-dense food intake and a more balanced diet. Different advantages (e.g., social importance, practical considerations) and obstacles (e.g., planning, possible mess) of the family meal were mentioned by parents. Further, having structured mealtimes and family meals was associated with more food enjoyment and less fussy and emotional eating. Finally, no causal studies were identified.The limited number of studies suggests that the pattern of positive associations between family meal and child health which has been shown in older children may also exist in infants and toddlers.More specific research is needed to examine the causality of the associations between the family meal and health of the infant and toddler. The associations between the family meal and less fussiness and emotional eating, more food enjoyment and better nutrient intake suggest that the family meal is a valuable moment to promote healthy eating in toddlers and infants.



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An investigation of maternal food intake and maternal food talk as predictors of child food intake

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Jasmine M. DeJesus, Susan A. Gelman, Gail B. Viechnicki, Danielle P. Appugliese, Alison L. Miller, Katherine L. Rosenblum, Julie C. Lumeng
Though parental modeling is thought to play a critical role in promoting children's healthy eating, little research has examined maternal food intake and maternal food talk as independent predictors of children's food intake. The present study examines maternal food talk during a structured eating protocol, in which mothers and their children had the opportunity to eat a series of familiar and unfamiliar vegetables and desserts. Several aspects of maternal talk during the protocol were coded, including overall food talk, directives, pronoun use, and questions. This study analyzed the predictors of maternal food talk and whether maternal food talk and maternal food intake predicted children's food intake during the protocol. Higher maternal body mass index (BMI) predicted lower amounts of food talk, pronoun use, and questions. Higher child BMI z-scores predicted more first person pronouns and more wh-questions within maternal food talk. Mothers of older children used fewer directives, fewer second person pronouns, and fewer yes/no questions. However, maternal food talk (overall and specific types of food talk) did not predict children's food intake. Instead, the most robust predictor of children's food intake during this protocol was the amount of food that mothers ate while sitting with their children. These findings emphasize the importance of modeling healthy eating through action and have implications for designing interventions to provide parents with more effective tools to promote their children's healthy eating.



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Consumer and product-specific characteristics influencing the effect of nutrition, health and risk reduction claims on preferences and purchase behavior – A systematic review

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Johann Steinhauser, Ulrich Hamm
The research on nutrition, health, and risk reduction claims (NHR claims) shows a lack of consensus as to whether these claims have a positive or negative effect on consumer's preferences and purchase behavior. This issue has been highlighted by many authors. Therefore, a comprehensive literature review was performed to find reasons for contradictory results. First, a theoretical framework was developed which divided the determinants of the effects of NHR claims on consumers' preferences and purchase behavior into consumer and product-specific characteristics. Additionally, a categorization for the different NHR claim types was constructed to make the studies comparable. Afterwards, the scientific literature from the 1980s until May 2017 was scanned and 66 articles were found to be relevant. Consumer-specific characteristics such as nutrition knowledge, health motivation, familiarity, and socio-demographic characteristics were found to influence the NHR claim effect. Important product-specific characteristics were the perceived healthiness of the food product, the interaction between the product and the nutrient in the NHR claim, and the interaction between the claimed benefit and the NHR claim type. The consumer's nutrition knowledge and the product's perceived healthiness were deemed to be the most promising determinants for further investigation.



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Plate-clearing tendencies and portion size are independently associated with main meal food intake in women: A laboratory study

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Florence Sheen, Charlotte A. Hardman, Eric Robinson
BackgroundLarger portion sizes of food promote increased food intake, although the mechanisms explaining the portion size effect are unclear. In the present study we examined whether the tendency to clear one's plate when eating is associated with greater food intake in response to larger portion size.MethodWe recruited female participants who were either self-reported habitual plate clearers (N = 48) or non-plate clearers (N = 41) into a laboratory study. In a between-subjects design, participants were served either a 'normal' (500 g) or 'large' (1000 g) portion of pasta for lunch and ate as much as they desired.ResultsThere was no significant interaction found between portion size and plate-clearing tendencies; portion size had a similar sized effect on food intake in both plate clearers and non-plate clearers. A significant main effect of portion size was found, whereby participants consumed significantly more when served the large versus the normal portion (100.55 g difference, p < .001, ηp2  = 0.16). There was also a significant main effect of plate clearing; participants with a tendency to clear their plate when eating consumed significantly more than non-plate clearers (68.21 g difference, p = .006, ηp2  = 0.08).ConclusionsThe tendency to clear one's plate when eating was associated with increased food intake during a lunchtime meal. Increasing the portion size of the lunchtime meal increased food intake, although the tendency for a larger portion size to increase food intake was observed irrespective of participant plate-clearing tendencies.



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Single-parenthood and perceived income insufficiency as challenges for meal patterns in childhood

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Suvi Parikka, Esko Levälahti, Tuija Martelin, Tiina Laatikainen
Family is an important setting for development of eating behaviour in childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate associations and direct and indirect pathways between family socioeconomic position (SEP) factors, family type and meal patterns in childhood on weekdays (4–6 meals a day, breakfast skipping, and family dinner). The cross-sectional LATE study was carried out in Finland in 2007–2009. Our dataset comprised 2864 school-aged children (aged ca 7–16 years). Associations between parental BMI, education, labor market status, perceived income sufficiency, family type and childhood meal patterns were first examined by bivariate and multivariate regression analyses separately for children (aged 7–11 years; N = 1920) and adolescents (14–16 years; N = 944). To identify direct and indirect pathways between SEP factors, family type and the three meal pattern variables path analysis was performed. The present study showed that family resources in terms of family type and perceived income sufficiency seemed important in meal patterns in childhood. On the other hand the previously reported strong associations between parental education and meal patterns seemed to a large extend to be mediated through family type. Both children and adolescents living in families experiencing income insufficiency had an increased risk of skipping breakfast and not eating the recommended 4–6 meals a day. Family type and especially single-parenthood was associated with breakfast skipping and fewer family dinners in both age groups and with not-recommended meal frequency among children (7–11 y), respectively. This study showed that there are socioeconomic and family type inequalities in meal patterns in childhood and they are more pronounced during childhood compared with adolescence.



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Pathological and non-pathological variants of restrictive eating behaviors in middle childhood: A latent class analysis

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Ricarda Schmidt, Mandy Vogel, Andreas Hiemisch, Wieland Kiess, Anja Hilbert
Although restrictive eating behaviors are very common during early childhood, their precise nature and clinical correlates remain unclear. Especially, there is little evidence on restrictive eating behaviors in older children and their associations with children's shape concern. The present population-based study sought to delineate subgroups of restrictive eating patterns in N = 799 7-14 year old children. Using Latent Class Analysis, children were classified based on six restrictive eating behaviors (for example, picky eating, food neophobia, and eating-related anxiety) and shape concern, separately in three age groups. For cluster validation, sociodemographic and objective anthropometric data, parental feeding practices, and general and eating disorder psychopathology were used. The results showed a 3-cluster solution across all age groups: an asymptomatic class (Cluster 1), a class with restrictive eating behaviors without shape concern (Cluster 2), and a class showing restrictive eating behaviors with prominent shape concern (Cluster 3). The clusters differed in all variables used for validation. Particularly, the proportion of children with symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder was greater in Cluster 2 than Clusters 1 and 3. The study underlined the importance of considering shape concern to distinguish between different phenotypes of children's restrictive eating patterns. Longitudinal data are needed to evaluate the clusters' predictive effects on children's growth and development of clinical eating disorders.



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Effect of exposure to similar flavours in sensory specific satiety: Implications for eating behaviour

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Ana González, Sergio Andrés Recio, Jesús Sánchez, Marta Gil, Isabel de Brugada
Sensory-specific satiety (SSS) refers to a decline in pleasantness of eaten foods in comparison to other non-ingested meals. Although SSS is specific to the eaten food, it can also generalize to other meals that share similar properties to the satiated food. It is possible that this phenomenon could become more specific after extensive experience, as repeated exposure to an assortment of similar food could cause perceptual learning (i.e. an increase in the distinctiveness of each specific item). This in turn would reduce generalization from the consumed food to other similar products, so they will be more readily consumed. To assess this hypothesis, two experiments were carried out using rats as experimental subjects and flavoured solutions as stimuli. In Experiment 1 our main goal was to find the basic SSS effect with two different solutions. As expected, the results showed that rats tended to consume a higher amount of non-sated solutions in comparison to sated ones. Experiment 2 evaluated how repeated exposure to two similar solutions affected generalization of the SSS. Results showed that rats that did not have extensive exposure to the flavoured solutions showed no preference for the non-sated drink. However, rats that had repeated exposure to the flavours showed SSS. The results suggest that easy and continuous access to a high variety of similar unhealthy foods might have long-term effects on food consumption, and highlight a potential mechanism linking obesogenic environments with dietary habits.



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Does the cost of a meal influence the portion size effect?

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Faris M. Zuraikat, Liane S. Roe, Alissa D. Smethers, Levi W. Reihart, Barbara J. Rolls
Serving larger portions leads to increased intake, but little is known about how the cost of a meal affects this response. Therefore, we tested whether the amount of money paid for a meal influenced the portion size effect at a lunch served in a controlled restaurant-style setting. In a crossover design, 79 adults (55 women; 24 men) came to the lab once a week for 4 weeks to eat a main dish of pasta with side dishes. Across weeks, the meal was varied in two factors: portion size of the main dish (400 g or 600 g) and cost of the meal (US$8 or $16). At discharge subjects completed questionnaires that assessed behaviors thought to influence the response to portion size and cost. Results showed that the portion size of the main dish had a significant effect on meal intake (P < 0.0001). The weight of food consumed at the meal increased by 18 ± 2% (mean ± SEM 83 ± 11 g) and energy intake increased by 20 ± 2% (133 ± 16 kcal) when the larger portion was served. These effects of portion size did not differ across the two levels of cost (both interactions P > 0.37) nor did meal cost have significant effects on meal intake (both P > 0.24). Subject scores for satiety responsiveness did, however, influence the effect of portion size on food intake (P = 0.0007). Serving larger portions led to increased intake in subjects with lower satiety responsiveness scores (P < 0.0001), but did not affect intake in those with higher scores. In summary, the effect of portion size on intake in a restaurant-style setting was not influenced by meal cost but was attenuated in individuals higher in satiety responsiveness.



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“A bumpy road”: Kindergarten staff's experiences with an intervention to promote healthy diets in toddlers

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Berit Johannessen, Sissel H. Helland, Elling Bere, Nina Cecilie Øverby, Liv Fegran
This study explores the experiences of kindergarten staff with a multi-component kindergarten-based intervention, the aims of which were to reduce levels of food neophobia and to promote healthy diets in toddlers (aged 2–3 years). A qualitative design was chosen for the study, and the data are based on three focus group interviews. Altogether, 15 kindergarten staff were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The focus group interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Five main themes emerged from the interviews: i) Successful development of sensory knowledge, ii) Food neophobia, iii) Implementing new routines, a challenge for some, iv) Lack of cooking skills, and v) Inspired to continue. A main finding was that all kindergarten staff perceived the sensory education sessions as successful and reported that both toddlers and staff expanded their food vocabulary and increased their attention to sensory impressions of food. However, the staff reported that some toddlers were less willing to taste new lunch dishes than to taste new foods in the sensory education sessions. The staff also noted that the guidelines for feeding practices resulted in unfamiliar situations at the lunch table. The staff agreed that cooking novel foods was time consuming and left less time for other tasks. Finally, all kindergarten staff expressed that they would like to continue with portions of the food intervention. Our main interpretation is that the intervention presented several challenges, especially regarding cooking and feeding practices. If kindergartens are to be a place to promote healthy eating habits in the early years, sufficient time and resources for cooking seem to be needed and food and feeding practices included in the curriculum of kindergartens and higher education for kindergarten teachers.Trial registrationISRCTN74823448.



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Quantity-based analysis of household food consumption patterns and drivers: The case of Israel

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Yuval Damari, Meidad Kissinger
The interest in better understanding the characteristics and drivers of food consumption by individuals and social groups has grown in recent years, because of various social, environmental, health and economic issues. Most analyses have focused either on the macro or national scale, using food balance/disappearance data, or on the micro scale, focusing on nutrition analysis in limited groups of individual consumers. While various household characteristics are expected to influence food-purchasing habits, the scope and methodology of most previous studies limited their ability to relate to multiple factors, and integrate all into specific consumption patterns. A third, mezzo approach focuses on analyzing household food purchasing, mostly using expenditure surveys. However, focusing on the value spent may result in different quantities of food purchased. This paper aims capturing the amount of food purchased by Israeli households and to analyze the socio-economic factors shaping that consumption. It joins limited number of studies worldwide that focused on the quantity purchased, and the first such analysis of household food purchasing in the State of Israel. It quantified food purchased by more than 30,000 households, and analyzed key shaping factors e.g., income, household size and age. It first, established the need for quantity based analysis. Then, an extensive breakdown of consumed food is presented and the unique diets of different parts of the society were identified. Finally, it examined the consumption of different lifestyles to find that couples lifestyles tend to consume more per capita, and that income has a crucial role in determining the rate of consumption both in terms of quantity and variety purchased. However it highlights that other variables should also be examined in order to assess properly why households consume the way they do. Nevertheless, the findings of this research can be used as the basis for examining the health, social, or environmental implications of the different identified food consumption habits, support long-term research that examines changes over time, and may be the basis for examining the potential benefits of implementing specific policies.



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An ecological momentary assessment of the effect of fasting during Ramadan on disordered eating behaviors

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Jia Li Pauline Chia, Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Kimberly Buck, Karim Chamari, Ben Richardson, Isabel Krug
Dietary restriction contributes to disordered eating (DE) behaviors and associated cognitions. However, it is unclear how these outcomes are impacted by dietary restriction for religious purposes, such as fasting observed by Muslims during Ramadan. Using ecological momentary assessment, this study assessed the impact of Ramadan fasting on DE behaviors and correlates. Muslim participants fasting during Ramadan (n = 28) and a control group of non-fasting participants (n = 74) completed baseline measures assessing demographic characteristics and eating pathology. A mobile phone application then prompted participants six times per day for seven days to self-report on dietary restriction efforts, body satisfaction, temptation to eat unhealthily, feelings of guilt or shame following food, and DE behaviors including bingeing, vomiting, and other purging behaviors (use of laxatives, diuretics, or diet pills). After controlling for eating pathology, multilevel modeling indicated that, as expected, the Ramadan fasting group spent significantly more time restricting food intake than the non-fasting group. The Ramadan fasting group also experienced significantly greater temptation to eat unhealthily than their non-fasting counterparts. However, this difference disappeared once models were adjusted for differences in time spent restricting food intake. There were no other significant differences between the groups on any DE variables. These findings suggest that while dietary restriction for health or appearance-related reasons is a known contributor to DE, dietary restriction for religious purposes, such as that observed during the practice of Ramadan, may not confer increased risk of DE symptoms.



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A multimodal investigation of impulsivity as a moderator of the relation between momentary elevations in negative internal states and subsequent dietary lapses

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Stephanie M. Manasse, Rebecca J. Crochiere, Diane H. Dallal, Edward W. Lieber, Leah M. Schumacher, Ross D. Crosby, Meghan L. Butryn, Evan M. Forman
Suboptimal outcomes from behavioral weight loss (BWL) treatments are partially attributable to accumulated instances of non-adherence to dietary prescriptions (i.e., dietary lapses). Results identifying negative internal triggers for dietary lapses are inconsistent, potentially due to individual differences that impact how individuals respond to cues. Impulsivity is one factor that likely influences reactivity to internal states. We examined three dimensions of impulsivity (delay discounting, inhibitory control, and negative urgency) as moderators of the relation between affective and physical states and subsequent dietary lapses at the beginning of BWL. Overweight/obese adults (n = 189) completed behavioral and self-reported measures of impulsivity at baseline of BWL and an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol across the first two weeks of treatment to report on affective/physical states and instances of dietary lapses. Results indicated that baseline negative urgency, but not delay discounting or inhibitory control, was positively associated with overall lapse risk. Moderation analyses indicated that poorer inhibitory control strengthened the relation between momentary increases in stress and subsequent dietary lapse, and higher negative urgency strengthened the relation between increases in loneliness and dietary lapse. Negative urgency also moderated the impact of momentary hunger on subsequent dietary lapse risk in an unexpected direction, such that higher negative urgency weakened the relation between hunger and subsequent lapse. Results lend partial and tentative support for the moderating role of impulsivity on the relation between internal states and lapse likelihood. With replication, the development and testing of personalized treatment components based on baseline impulsivity level may be warranted.



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Editorial board

Publication date: April 2018
Source:Revue des Maladies Respiratoires, Volume 35, Issue 4





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MicroRNAs as potential liquid biopsy biomarkers in colorectal Cancer: A systematic review

Publication date: Available online 29 May 2018
Source:Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews on Cancer
Author(s): Yuji Toiyama, Yoshinaga Okugawa, James Fleshman, C. Richard Boland, Ajay Goel
Emerging evidence has demonstrated the feasibility of circulating miRNAs as robust non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis in colorectal cancer. The use of circulating miRNAs for the early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is of particular interest as it can offer a potential complementary approach to screening colonoscopy. However, the development of circulating miRNAs as "liquid biopsy" biomarkers for development into clinical screening tests has been hampered by several issues. In this article, we summarize the status of this field for the clinical utilization of miRNA biomarkers as liquid biopsies in colorectal cancer (CRC) and discuss their applications as screening tests for patients with colorectal adenoma (CRA) and CRC. Herein, we undertook a systematic search for citations in PubMed and the Cochrane Database from January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2017 as electronic sources for this study. All published studies were screened with no restriction on language, date, or country. We used database-specific combinations of the following index terms and text words, including: microRNA, colorectal cancer, serum, plasma, and exosomes. Based upon these searches, we summarize the progress and salient features of the current state of knowledge of miRNA diagnostic biomarkers in CRC, and focuses on the articles that attempt to optimize ideal methodologies to further advance their as liquid biopsies for clinical use. We conclude that the field of noncoding RNAs, particularly for the clinical use of miRNAs as liquid biopsy assays is maturing rapidly, and it is highly promising that these genomic signatures will likely be developed into clinically-viable tests for the early detection and clinical management of patients with colorectal cancer in the not so distant future.



https://ift.tt/2L06x9V

Internal adjustments decrease the fatigue failure load of bonded simplified lithium disilicate restorations

Publication date: Available online 28 May 2018
Source:Dental Materials
Author(s): Camila da Silva Rodrigues, Luís Felipe Guilardi, Andressa Cargnelutti Follak, Catina Prochnow, Liliana Gressler May, Luiz Felipe Valandro
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of intaglio surface adjustment of simplified lithium disilicate ceramic restorations adhesively cemented to a dentin-like material on its fatigue behavior.MethodsCeramic discs (IPS e.max CAD) were prepared and an in-Lab simulation of machining roughness was performed by grinding with SiC paper (#60). Ceramic discs were divided into 4 groups according to the internal adjustment of the cementation surface: no adjustments (CTRL); adjustment with a medium (M), fine (F), or extra fine (FF) diamond bur. Dentin-like material discs were also produced. Ceramic disc intaglio surfaces were etched (5% hydrofluoric acid; 20s) and received a silane coating. Dentin-like material discs were etched (10% hydrofluoric acid; 1min) and received a primer coating. Pairs of ceramic/dentin-like material were adhesively cemented (Multilink Automix), and fatigue failure load tests were performed using the Staircase approach (250,000 cycles; 20Hz). Roughness, topographic and fractographic analyses were performed. Statistical analyses were carried out through ANOVA tests.ResultsAll ground groups (M=521.3 N; F=536.9 N; FF=676.2 N) presented lower fatigue failure load values than the control (1241.6 N). M diamond bur created a rougher surface than F (Ra and Rz parameters). However, FF was similar to F and M for Ra, and similar to F for Rz.SignificanceBur adjustments on the intaglio surface of simplified lithium disilicate ceramic restorations greatly decreased the fatigue failure load even using an extra-fine diamond bur. Care should be taken when internal adjustments are needed.



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Editorial Board

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6





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Information for readers

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6





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John Joseph Sheridan, 1932-2018

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Marshall Gottsegen




https://ift.tt/2GWJo5P

Operation Plowshare and the nuclear option

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Rolf G. Behrents




https://ift.tt/2sgSupw

Lysle E. Johnston, Jr.: Critical thinking inspiration in orthodontics

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Florian Benicio Chauca




https://ift.tt/2GYyTPu

Orthodontic-periodontic treatment for periodontitis

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Li Cao




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Table of Contents

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6





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Erratum

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6





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Erratum

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6





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Residents' journal review

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Eustáquio Araújo, Patrick F. Foley, Julie McCray, Dan Grauer




https://ift.tt/2ITs5IN

A promise made is a promise kept

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Peter M. Greco




https://ift.tt/2IWwmXT

Three-dimensional assessment of the effect of micro-osteoperforations on the rate of tooth movement during canine retraction in adults with Class II malocclusion: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Amal Alkebsi, Emad Al-Maaitah, Hisham Al-Shorman, Elham Abu Alhaija
IntroductionThe purpose of this split-mouth trial was to investigate the effect of micro-osteoperforations (MOPs) on the rate of tooth movement.MethodsThirty-two patients (24 female, 8 male; mean age, 19.26 ± 2.48 years) who required fixed orthodontic treatment and maxillary first premolar extractions participated in this trial with MOPs randomly allocated to either the right or left sides distal to the maxillary canines. Eligibility criteria included Class II Division 1 malocclusion, healthy periodontal condition, no smoking, and no systemic disease. Miniscrews were used to support anchorage and retract the canines with the aid of closed-coil nickel-titanium springs with 150 g of force. Randomization was accomplished with block randomization with a permuted block size of 2 with a 1:1 allocation ratio to either right or left with allocations concealed in opaque, sealed envelopes. Blinding was used at the data collection and analysis stages. Three MOPs were performed using miniscrews (5 mm depth, 1.5 mm width) on the buccal bone distal to the canines on the randomly selected side. The primary outcome was the rate of canine retraction measured from 3-dimensional digital models superimposed at the rugae area from the baseline to the first, second, and third months. The following secondary outcomes were examined: anchorage loss, canine tipping, canine rotation, root resorption, plaque index, and gingival index. Pain level, pain interference with the patients' daily life, patients' satisfaction with the procedure and degree of ease, willingness to repeat the procedure, and recommendation to others were also evaluated.ResultsThere was no statistically significant difference in the rates of tooth movement between the MOP and the control sides at all time points (first month: P = 0.77; mean difference, 0.2 mm; 95% CI, −0.13, 0.18 mm; second month: P = 0.50; mean difference, −0.08 mm; 95% CI, −0.33, 0.16 mm; third month: P = 0.76; mean difference, −0.05 mm; 95% CI, −0.40, 0.29 mm). There were also no differences in anchorage loss, rotation, tipping, root resorption, plaque index, periodontal index, and pain perception between the MOP and control sides at any time point (P >0.05). MOPs had no effect on the patients' daily life except for a feeling of swelling on the first day (P = 0.05). Level of satisfaction and degree of easiness of the procedure were high. A significant percentage of patients were willing to repeat the procedure and recommend it to others. No serious harm was observed.ConclusionsThree MOPs were not effective in accelerating tooth movement at any time point. Other secondary parameters evaluated were not different between the MOP and control sides except for the feeling of swelling on day 1 on the MOP side. Patients were highly satisfied with the MOP procedure, and many considered MOPs an easy procedure and were willing to repeat and recommend it to friends.RegistrationThis trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov with identifier number NCT02473471.ProtocolThe protocol was not published before trial commencement.FundingThis work was supported by Jordanian University of Science and Technology (grant number 20150263). No conflict of interest is declared.



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Treatment outcomes and patient-reported quality of life after orthognathic surgery with computer-assisted 2- or 3-dimensional planning: A randomized double-blind active-controlled clinical trial

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Martin Bengtsson, Gert Wall, Pernilla Larsson, Jonas P. Becktor, Lars Rasmusson
IntroductionThorough treatment planning is essential for a good clinical outcome in orthognathic treatment. The planning is often digital. Both 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) software options are available. The aim of this randomized 2-arm parallel double-blinded active-controlled clinical trial was to compare the outcomes of computer-based 2D and 3D planning techniques according to patient-reported health related quality of life. The hypothesis was that a 3D technique would give a better treatment outcome compared with a 2D technique.MethodsOrthognathic treatment for 62 subjects, aged 18 to 28 years, with severe Class III malocclusion was planned with both 2D and 3D techniques. After treatment planning but before surgery, the patients were randomly allocated via blind collection of 1 enveloped card for each subject in a 1:1 ratio to the test (3D) or the control (2D) group. Thus, the intervention was according to which planning technique was used. The primary outcome was patient-reported outcome measures. The secondary outcome was relationship between patient-reported outcome measures and cephalometric accuracy. Questionnaires on the patient's health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were distributed preoperatively and 12 months after surgical treatment. The questionnaires were coded, meaning blinding throughout the analysis. Differences between groups were tested with the Fisher permutation test. The HRQoL was also compared with measurements of cephalometric accuracy for the 2 groups.ResultsThree subjects were lost to clinical follow-up, leaving 57 included. Of these, 55 subjects completed the questionnaires, 28 in the 2D and 27 in the 3D groups. No statistically significant difference regarding HRQoL was found between the studied planning techniques: the Oral Health Impact Profile total showed −3.69 (95% confidence interval, −19.68 to 12.30). Consistent results on HRQoL and cephalometric accuracy showed a difference between pretreatment and posttreatment that increased in both groups but to a higher level in the 3D group. A difference between pretreatment and posttreatment HRQoL was shown for both groups, indicating increased quality of life after treatment. This supports recent findings comparing 3D and 2D planning techniques. No serious harm was observed during the study.ConclusionsImprovements of HRQoL were shown after treatment independent of which planning technique, 2D or 3D, was used. No statistically significant difference was found between the planning techniques.RegistrationThis trial was not registered.ProtocolThe protocol was not published before trial commencement.FundingThis project was supported by personal grants to Martin Bengtsson from the Scandinavian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (25000 SEK), the Southern Region of the Swedish Dental Association (50000 SEK), and the Swedish Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (25000 SEK). The sponsors had no influence on the study design, analysis of the data, or the writing of the article.



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Orthodontic trial outcomes: Plentiful, inconsistent, and in need of uniformity? A scoping review

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Aliki Tsichlaki, Kevin O'Brien, Ama Johal, Padhraig S. Fleming
IntroductionThe selection of appropriate outcomes that matter to both patients and operators is increasingly appreciated, with core outcome sets in clinical trials gaining in popularity. The first step in core outcome set development is the generation of a list of possible important outcomes based on a scoping literature review. Moreover, outcome heterogeneity is known to detract from the findings of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The aim of this study was to identify the range of outcome domains and specific outcome measures in contemporary orthodontic research.MethodsMultiple electronic databases were searched from December 31, 2012, to December 31, 2016, to identify clinical trials of orthodontic interventions, with no language restrictions. Abstracts, eligible full texts, and reference lists were screened, and all reported primary and nonprimary outcomes and methods of measurement were recorded.ResultsThe search identified 1267 abstracts, of which 189 full-text articles were retrieved, and 164 studies were included in the analysis. A total of 54 outcomes were identified and categorized into 14 outcome domains. The most frequently measured outcomes were patient-reported pain, periodontal health, tooth angulation/inclination changes, and treatment duration, followed by rate of tooth movement and skeletal changes. Outcomes that followed the overall course of treatment were assessed in only 14 studies.ConclusionsPatient perspectives are increasingly being accounted for in orthodontic trials; however, there is little consistency in outcome selection among them. The identified list of outcomes will be used to inform a ranking exercise with service users and providers to establish an agreed core outcome set for future orthodontic clinical trials.



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Emma gets braces!

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Rolf G. Behrents




https://ift.tt/2xnPZ9Y

Treatment satisfaction and its influencing factors among adult orthodontic patients

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Rami Lee, Soonshin Hwang, Hyunsun Lim, Jung-Yul Cha, Kyung-Ho Kim, Chooryung J. Chung
IntroductionThe aim of this study was to investigate the level of satisfaction for orthodontic treatment among adult patients. In addition, the influencing host factors were monitored for their associations with satisfaction.MethodsA questionnaire was designed to measure the level of satisfaction in 10 items; overall satisfaction, tooth alignment, facial appearance, eating and chewing, confident smile and self-image, retention state, treatment duration, treatment costs, intention to recommend, and relief of previous concerns, using a 5-point Likert scale. Total satisfaction was calculated by averaging the Likert scores from the 10 items. The survey was conducted, and the results from 298 adults were evaluated.ResultsFor the overall satisfaction item, 45.0% were very satisfied, and 39.9% were satisfied, resulting in a satisfaction ratio of 84.9%. Total satisfaction score was 3.9. The level of satisfaction for tooth alignment and confident smile and self-image were significantly higher than facial appearance and eating and chewing (P <0.001). Patients aged 50 and above were more satisfied than the younger ones, and men were more satisfied than women (P <0.05).ConclusionsOverall, adult patients were highly satisfied with orthodontic treatment. Age, sex, motivation, expected concern, and discomfort influenced the level of satisfaction.



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Directory: AAO Officers and Organizations

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6





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Tomographic evaluation of the maturation stage of the midpalatal suture in postadolescents

Publication date: June 2018
Source:American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 153, Issue 6
Author(s): Victor de Miranda Ladewig, Leopoldino Capelozza-Filho, Renata Rodrigues Almeida-Pedrin, Fábio Pinto Guedes, Mauricio de Almeida Cardoso, Ana Cláudia de Castro Ferreira Conti
IntroductionIn this study, we aimed at evaluating the maturation stage of the midpalatal suture based on its morphology, using cone-beam computed tomography images in young postadolescents.MethodsThe sample comprised 112 patients, 68 female and 44 male, aged 16 to 20 years, consecutively selected from 2 private orthodontic clinics. They had cone-beam computed tomography images in their initial orthodontic files, requested for orthodontic planning purposes. These images were exported to the Invivo 5 program (Anatomage, San Jose, Calif), where axial sections were obtained from the midpalatal suture for morphologic evaluation. Two previously calibrated examiners interpreted the images to establish the stage of sutural maturation of each patient according to its morphologic characteristics in 5 maturational stages (A, B, C, D, and E). The kappa coefficient was applied for intraexaminer and interexaminer agreements, and their values were 0.87 and 0.89, respectively.ResultsThe maturational stages most often observed in this study were C, D, and E, (91.9%). In males, stage C was present in 52.3%; for females this prevalence was 39.7%.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of stage C in this age group may justify a clinical study to confirm the good prognosis for rapid maxillary expansion in postadolescents.



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Editorial Board

Publication date: 30 July 2018
Source:European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Volume 120





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Neural network communication facilitates verbal working memory

Publication date: Available online 28 May 2018
Source:Biological Psychology
Author(s): Thomas Kustermann, Brigitte Rockstroh, Gregory A. Miller, Tzvetan Popov
Oscillatory brain activity in the theta, alpha, and gamma frequency ranges has been associated with working memory (WM). In addition to alpha and theta activity associated with WM retention, and gamma band activity with item encoding, activity in the alpha band is related to the deployment of attention resources and information. The present study sought to specify distinct roles of neuromagnetic 4–7 Hz theta, 9–13 Hz alpha, and 50–70 Hz gamma power modulation and communication in fronto-parietal networks during cued, hemifield-specific item presentation in a modified Sternberg verbal WM task in 15 student volunteers. Lateralized posterior alpha and gamma power during encoding suggest a preparatory role of alpha oscillations. Bilateral alpha power increases during maintenance reflect information retention for the non-lateralized probe response. Lateralized alpha power increase during encoding was apparently driven by a monotonic increase in fronto-parietal 6 Hz phase, suggesting a mechanism facilitating WM encoding and successful performance.



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Activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages by mycoplasmal lipoproteins and lipopeptides

Molecular Oral Microbiology, EarlyView.


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α-Lipoic acid attenuates oxidative stress and neurotoxicity via the ERK/Akt-dependent pathway in the mutant hSOD1 related Drosophila model and the NSC34 cell line of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Publication date: Available online 26 May 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin
Author(s): Tianhang Wang, Jiling Cheng, Shuyu Wang, Xudong Wang, Hongquan Jiang, Yueqing Yang, Ying Wang, Chunting Zhang, Weiwei Liang, Honglin Feng
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disease with a progressive loss of motor neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). However, there are unsolved problems with the therapies for this disease. α-Lipoic acid (LA) is a natural, universal antioxidant capable of scavenging hydroxyl radicals as well as regenerating a series of antioxidant enzymes that has been widely used in clinical settings. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of LA in ALS cell and Drosophila models with mutant G85R and G93A hSOD1 genes. The biological effects of LA and the protein levels of several antioxidant factors were examined, as were those of phospho-Akt and phospho-ERK. Furthermore, specific inhibitors of the PI3 K/Akt and MEK/ERK signaling pathways were used to analyze their effects on LA-induced antioxidant expression in vivo and in vitro. Evidences showed that the mutant hSOD1 resulted in the increased oxidative stress, abnormal antioxidant signaling and pathological behaviors in motor performance and survival compared with non-mutant hSOD1 models, treatment with LA improved motor activity and survival in transgenic flies, prevented NSC34 cells from mutant hSOD1 or H2O2 induced decreased antioxidant enzymes as well as increased ROS levels. In addition, LA regulated the expression levels of antioxidant proteins in a dose- and periodical time-dependent manner, which might be mediated by ERK/Akt pathway activation and independent from the mutant hSOD1 gene. Our observations suggest that LA exerts strong and positive antioxidant and neuroprotective effects through the activation of the ERK-Akt pathway in hSOD1 ALS models.



https://ift.tt/2L4ENAW

Magnetic resonance imaging relaxation time in Alzheimer’s disease

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Xiang Tang, Feng Cai, Dong-Xue Ding, Lu-Lu Zhang, Xiu-Ying Cai, Qi Fang
The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relaxation time constants, T1 and T2, are sensitive to changes in brain tissue microstructure integrity. Quantitative T1 and T2 relaxation times have been proposed to serve as non-invasive biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), in which alterations are believed to not only reflect AD-related neuropathology but also cognitive impairment. In this review, we summarize the applications and key findings of MRI techniques in the context of both AD subjects and AD transgenic mouse models. Furthermore, the possible mechanisms of relaxation time alterations in AD will be discussed. Future studies could focus on relaxation time alterations in the early stage of AD, and longitudinal studies are needed to further explore relaxation time alterations during disease progression.



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Myelin injury in the central nervous system and Alzheimer’s disease

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Sha-Sha Wang, Zhao Zhang, Tian-Bi Zhu, Shi-Feng Chu, Wen-Bin He, Nai-Hong Chen
Myelin is a membrane wrapped around the axon of the nerve cell, which is composed of the mature oligodendrocytes. The role of myelin is to insulate and prevent the nerve electrical impulses from the axon of the neurons to the axons of the other neurons, which is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system. Minor changes in myelin thickness could lead to substantial changes in conduction speed and may thus alter neural circuit function. Demyelination is the myelin damage, which characterized by the loss of nerve sheath and the relative fatigue of the neuronal sheath and axon. Studies have shown that myelin injury may be closely related to neurodegenerative diseases and may be an early diagnostic criteria and therapeutic target. Thus this review summarizes the recent result of pathologic effect and signal pathways of myelin injury in neurodegenerative diseases, especially the Alzheimer's disease to provide new and effective therapeutic targets.



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Deficits in temporal order memory induced by interferon-alpha (IFN-α) treatment are rescued by aerobic exercise

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Sally Barlow, Briana Fahey, Kimberley J. Smith, Johannes Passecker, Andrea Della-Chiesa, Vincent Hok, Jennifer S. Day, Charlotte K. Callaghan, Shane M. O'Mara
Patients receiving cytokine immunotherapy with IFN-α frequently present with neuropsychiatric consequences and cognitive impairments, including a profound depressive-like symptomatology. While the neurobiological substrates of the dysfunction that leads to adverse events in IFN-α-treated patients remains ill-defined, dysfunctions of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) are strong possibilities. To date, hippocampal deficits have been well-characterised; there does however remain a lack of insight into the nature of prefrontal participation. Here, we used a PFC-supported temporal order memory paradigm to examine if IFN-α treatment induced deficits in performance; additionally, we used an object recognition task to assess the integrity of the perirhinal cortex (PRH). Finally, the utility of exercise as an ameliorative strategy to recover temporal order deficits in rats was also explored.We found that IFN-α-treatment impaired temporal order memory discriminations, whereas recognition memory remained intact, reflecting a possible dissociation between recognition and temporal order memory processing. Further characterisation of temporal order memory impairments using a longitudinal design revealed that deficits persisted for 10 weeks following cessation of IFN-α-treatment. Finally, a 6 week forced exercise regime reversed IFN-α-induced deficits in temporal order memory.These data provide further insight into the circuitry involved in cognitive impairments arising from IFN-α-treatment. Here we suggest that PFC (or the hippocampo-prefrontal pathway) may be compromised whilst the function of the PRH is preserved. Deficits may persist after cessation of IFN-α-treatment which suggests that extended patient monitoring is required. Aerobic exercise may be restorative and could prove beneficial for patients treated with IFN-α.



https://ift.tt/2J9Vbmx

Transcranial magnetic stimulation in myoclonus of different aetiologies

Publication date: Available online 24 May 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin
Author(s): Raffaele Nardone, Viviana Versace, Yvonne Höller, Luca Sebastianelli, Francesco Brigo, Piergiorgio Lochner, Stefan Golaszewski, Leopold Saltuari, Eugen Trinka
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may represent a valuable tool for investigating important neurophysiological and pathophysiological aspects of myoclonus. Moreover, repetitive TMS (rTMS) can influence neural activity. In this review we performed a systematic search of all studies using TMS in order to explore cortical excitability/plasticity and rTMS for the treatment of myoclonus due to different aetiologies. We identified and reviewed 40 articles matching the inclusion criteria; 415 patients were included in these studies. The reviewed TMS studies have detected abnormalities in motor cortex excitability and sensorimotor plasticity. The most consistent finding is a decrease in intracortical inhibition. Short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) is reduced in myoclonic epilepsies. Unlike the juvenile and the benign myoclonus epilepsy, long-interval intracortical inhibition, interhemispheric inhibition and sensorimotor integration were altered in patients with progressive myoclonic epilepsies. In patients with myoclonus-dystonia the results are partly conflicting. Cortical membrane excitability was impaired while parameters assessing cortical synaptic activity were normal in DYT11 gene carriers. In other studies normal SICI suggests that the GABAergic cortical circuits are largely intact and that the mechanisms of myoclonus and dystonia are different from those for cortical myoclonus and other dystonic disorders.In conclusion, different TMS study protocols have provided new insights into sensorimotor plasticity and cortical excitability of the different forms of myoclonus, and have shed some light on the pathophysiology of this movement disorder. Well-defined motor cortical excitability patterns can be identified in the different disorders characterized by myoclonus, even if preliminary findings should be confirmed in future studies in larger cohorts of patients. Repetitive TMS might have therapeutic potential at least in some patients with myoclonus, similar to that reported in other neurological and psychiatric disorders.



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Autophagy is involved in sevoflurane-induced developmental neurotoxicity in the developing rat brain

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Lili Xu, Jianjun Shen, Lina Yu, Jianliang Sun, Min Yan
BackgroundSevoflurane can induce neonatal wide neurodegenerative and serious deficit to space learning tasks in rodents, however, the specific mechanism is still unclear. At present, the study tried to explore the possible role of autophagy in sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity through observing the changes in the levels of autophagy in the newborn SD rat hippocampus tissue after sevoflurane exposure.MethodsWe used seventy-two SD rats of seven days receiving sevoflurane exposure to explore hippocampus neuron autophagy and apoptosis.ResultsOur results indicated that sevoflurane increased the levels of Beclin-1, microtubule-associated protein light chain 3II protein and decreased sequestosome 1 levels in a time-dependent manner by Western blot in the developing brain. These results were further substantiated by transmission electron microscopy, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Rapamycin, an activator of autophagy, increased the levels of Beclin-1and LC3-II protein, meanwhile, 3-methyladenine, an inhibitor of autophagy, decreased Beclin-1and LC3-II protein levels.ConclusionTaken together, autophagy may be involved in sevoflurane-induced developmental neurotoxicity and promoting protective autophagy may be a potential way of preventing developmental sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity.



https://ift.tt/2J8ij4T

Neuroprotective Effects of Isosteviol Sodium through Increasing CYLD by the Downregulation miRNA-181b

Publication date: Available online 25 May 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin
Author(s): Hao Zhang, Jie Zan, Kailun Zhong, Minyi Lu, Xiaoou Sun, Wen Tan
NF-κB signaling pathway plays a critical role in cerebral ischemic stroke. MicroRNA-181b (miR-181b) induces the expression of NF-κB signaling pathways indirectly, and isosteviol sodium (STVNa) protects against ischemic injury via the inhibition of NF-κB–mediated inflammatory and apoptotic responses. However, the function of miR-181b and the actual relationship between STVNa and miR-181b in the ischemia-induced activation of NF-κB signaling pathways remains unclear. In this study, we found that miR-181b expression was significantly decreased in N2A neuroblastoma cells after CoCl2-induced hypoxic injury in vitro. We further found, via western blot analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay, that altering miR-181b expression could induce changes in one of its target proteins, cylindromatosis (CYLD). Specifically, upregulation and downregulation of miR-181b (through transfection of either pre- or small interfering miR-181b, respectively) could negatively regulate CYLD protein levels as well as N2A cell survival rate and apoptosis following CoCl2-induced injury. Furthermore, STVNa treatment following ischemic injury significantly downregulated the expression of miR-181b to alter apoptotic proteins downstream of the NF-κB signaling pathway through increasing CYLD protein levels in vivo and in vitro. STVNa also had a protective effect on CoCl2-injured N2A cells, increasing cell survival rate, inhibiting apoptosis, reducing the decrease of matrix metalloproteinase production, and the generation of reactive oxygen species. Together, these results suggest that STVNa may downregulate miRNA-181b to protect mouse brain with ischemia stroke and against hypoxic injury in N2A cells by repressing NF-κB signaling pathways through the activation of CYLD, providing a novel therapy for ischemic stroke.



https://ift.tt/2L5KezJ

Pistacia lentiscus oil attenuates memory dysfunction and decreases levels of biomarkers of oxidative stress induced by lipopolysaccharide in rats

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Mohamed Ammari, Haifa Othman, Azhar Hajri, Mohsen Sakly, Hafedh Abdelmelek
Pistacia lentiscus L. is a well-known medicinal plant that has been used for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective effects. However, the neuroprotective effect of Pistacia lentiscus oil (PLo) of has not been reported. The present study was designed to examine the neuroprotective and hepatoprotective effects of PLo aigainst lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced memory impairment and oxidative damage in rats.Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were equally divided into three groups. The first group was kept as a control. In the second group, LPS was given at the single dose of 1 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.). In the third group, PLo (3.3 mL/kg; per orally (p.o.)) was administered daily for 15 days, and challenged with LPS (1 mg/kg; i.p. injection two h before behavioral test). Thereafter, memory was assessed using spatial object recognition test. Cholinesterase activity and oxidative stress response were estimated in brain tissues and liver.PLo attenuated LPS-induced memory impairment in spatial object recognition test (p < 0.05). LPS treatment caused significant oxidative damage via induction of lipid peroxidation and reductions antioxidant defense system potency in the brain tissue and liver. Moreover, LPS increased brain activity of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activity in the liver. The present results suggest that the beneficial effects of PLo on memory impairment of LPS-treated rats may be due to its protective effects against oxidative stress damage presumably via its antioxidant property.



https://ift.tt/2JeTynr

Some technical issues of vagal nerve stimulation. An approach using a hippocampal formation theta rhythm

Publication date: Available online 6 May 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin
Author(s): Adam Broncel, Renata Bocian, Paulina Kłos-Wojtczak, Jan Konopacki
Previously, we have demonstrated that hippocampal (HPC) theta rhythm can be produced, depending on current intensity, directly during vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) or with a time delay following stimulation. This suggests that theta EEG pattern can also be used as a bio-indicator of the efficiency of VNS. In the present study, we focused on three specific, technical issues related to the stimulation procedure of the vagal nerve: i/does the type of the electrode used for VNS and the technique of its implantation affect the parameters of the HPC theta rhythm? ii/does the type of electrode used determine the current intensity threshold of VNS-induced HPC theta? iii/is the repeatability of the VNS effect determined by the type of electrode used?We demonstrated that a platinum-iridium cuff electrode offers some important advantages over a tungsten electrode. Firstly, despite some possible mechanical and compression nerve damage related to permanent contact with the vagal nerve, it offers a lower current intensity threshold for inducing theta oscillations. Secondly, and most importantly, the cuff electrode offers repeatability of the VNS effect on the HPC theta rhythm. However, one disadvantage of using this type of an electrode is that the permanent pressure on the vagal nerve by the cuff itself may decrease the amplitude of the investigated field potential.



https://ift.tt/2L1Keka

Involvement of gap junctions in astrocyte impairment induced by manganese exposure

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Cailing Lu, Zhijuan Meng, Yiyuan He, Deqiang Xiao, Haiqing Cai, Yilu Xu, Xianghong Liu, Xinhang Wang, Laiming Mo, Ziwei Liang, Xuejing Wei, Qingqing Ao, Boying Liang, Xiyi Li, Shen Tang, Songchao Guo
Glutamate excitotoxicity, characterized as excessive glutamate stress, is considered to be involved in cerebral ischaemia, brain trauma, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Glutamate homeostasis disruption was highlighted in Mn neurotoxicity caused by high levels of Mn. Astrocytes, accounting for approximately 50% of the neuronal cells in the central nervous system and maintain glutamate homeostasis, are sensitive to neurotoxicity induced by Mn exposure. Astrocytes are tightly coupled with gap junctions (GJ), which are comprised of connexins, mainly connexin43 (Cx43). The gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) pathway allows small signal molecules, such as glutamate, ATP (adenosine triphosphate, ATP) and tropic factors, etc., to transfer between adjacent cells. Evidence has shown that astrocytes execute the bystander effect during cell death through the GJIC pathway. However, the pathogenic mechanism of the gap junction underlying glutamate neurotoxicity induced by manganese exposure has not been elucidated yet. In the present study, primary astrocytes were cultured and then exposed to different levels of Mn (ranging from 0 to 1000 μM) for 4/16 h to investigate the function of the GJIC in apoptosis induced by Mn. The cellular toxicity was confirmed by cell viability and apoptotic percentage through MTT assay and flow cytometry (FC). The levels of intracellular/extracellular glutamate were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The fluorescent dye, Lucifer Yellow (LY), was used to assess the status of gap junctions among astrocytes after Mn exposure. The protein/gene expression of major gap junctional forming protein, Cx43, was also investigated. Cell viability was distinctly reduced when exposed to 500 and 1000 μM MnCl2 compared with control cells at both time points. The percentage of apoptosis was significantly increased among all detected Mn levels (125, 500 and 1000 μM MnCl2) of exposure (p < 0.05) with a concentration-dependent manner at either time point. Mn administration for 4/16 h also caused a remarkable intracellular/extracellular glutamate increase in a concentration-dependent manner for extracellular glutamate levels (p < 0.01). Gap junctions were prominently inhibited by Mn with Cx43 protein shown as shortening of the LY dye transfer distance at both time points. In-cell western blot indicated that Mn caused a decrease in Cx43 protein/gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggested that the gap junction intercellular communication and its forming protein, Cx43, are likely involved in glutamate excitotoxicity induced by Mn exposure.



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Glial cells modulate hippocampal synaptic plasticity in morphine dependent rats

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Azadeh Elahi-Mahani, Soomaayeh Heysieattalab, Narges Hosseinmardi, Mahyar Janahmadi, Fatemehsadat Seyedaghamiri, Habibeh Khoshbouei
Drugs of abuse mediate adaptive mechanisms leading to alterations in the synaptic plasticity that has been shown to underlie addictive behaviors. Glial cells play a critical role in modulation of synaptic strength and are potentially involved in drug addiction. Chronic administration of morphine has been shown to increase glial cell activation; therefore, it is possible that altered neuroplasticity induced by drugs of abuse is in part mediated by the activity of glial cells. We investigated the effect of hippocampal glial inhibition on synaptic plasticity in morphine treated rats. The fluorocitrate (an inhibitor of glial cells) was microinjected into the CA1 area before morphine injection. The rats received subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of morphine sulfate (10 mg/kg) every 12 h for 9 days. Field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSP) were recorded from the stratum radiatum of the CA1 area following Schaffer collateral stimulation. Our results indicated that morphine treatment increases long-term potentiation (LTP) and inhibition of glial cells prevents morphine-induced LTP enhancement. Morphine exposed rats exhibited a resistance to LTD induction, whereas, pretreatment with fluorocitrate reduced this resistance. Glial inhibition did not affect LTP and LTD in the untreated animals. The paired pulse ratio (PPR) in inter stimulus intervals (ISI) of 80 ms in the morphine treated group was significantly higher than the control group, while glial inhibition significantly decreased the PPR in morphine treated rats. Our results suggest that morphine exposure modulates hippocampal short- and long-term synaptic plasticity and these alterations in neuronal activity are in part due to glial activity.

Graphical abstract

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The effect of the anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the cerebellum on the motor cortex excitability

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Mehlika Panpalli Ates, Halil Can Alaydin, Bulent Cengiz
This study was designed to investigate whether the cerebellum has an inhibitory effect on motor cortical excitability.Sixteen healthy adults (age range, 25–50 years, five female) participated in the study. Anodal cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (a-cTDCS) was used to modulate cerebellar excitability. A-cTDCS was given for 20 min at 1 mA intensity. The automatic threshold tracking method was used to investigate cortical excitability. Resting motor threshold (RMT), short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), short interval intracortical facilitation (SICF), intracortical facilitation (ICF), and the input output curve (I-O curve) were motor cortical excitability parameters.a-cTDCS caused a reduction in overall SICI and the reduced SICF for interstimulus intervals (ISIs) to 2.4–4.4 ms. a-cTDCS has no effect on ICF, RMT, and the I-O curve. There were no significant changes in any of these cortical excitability parameters after sham cTDCS.Results of the study indicate that a-cTDCS has a dual (both inhibitory and excitatory) effect on motor cortical excitability, rather than a simple inhibitory effect. The cerebellum modulates both the inhibitory and facilitatory activities of motor cortex (M1) and suggest that cerebello–cerebral motor connectivity is more complex than solely inhibitory or facilitatory connections.



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Analgesic effect of intrathecal baclofen bolus on neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury patients

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Hatice Kumru, Jesus Benito-Penalva, Markus Kofler, Joan Vidal
BackgroundGABA-ergic neurons are widely distributed throughout the central nervous system, including the spinal cord which is important for the transmission of pain impulses to the brain. Here we hypothesized that intrathecal baclofen (ITB) which is a GABA analogue might exert analgesic effects on neuropathic pain, which could be related to subtypes of pain in spinal cord injury (SCI).MethodsSCI patients with a cervical or thoracic lesion and neuropathic pain were randomized to receive either a single ITB bolus or placebo. Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI), and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) were obtained for assessment of neuropathic pain. Spasticity was assessed using Modified Ashworth Scale and visual analogue scale. Evaluations were performed at baseline, and 4, 8, and 24 h after application of ITB or placebo.ResultEight patients received ITB, 5 placebo. Neuropathic pain improved significantly in the ITB group based on NRS, BPI, and NPSI, which revealed an effect on all subtypes of pain. Spasticity declined significantly. In the placebo group, there was neither significant change in pain nor in spasticity.ConclusionAn ITB bolus exerted a significant analgesic effect on all subtypes of neuropathic pain in SCI patients.SignificanceITB has analgesic effects on all subtypes of neuropathic pain and can improve interference of neuropathic pain with activities of daily living. ITB might be a promising analgesic treatment to control neuropathic pain.



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Radiosurgery reduces plasma levels of angiogenic factors in brain arteriovenous malformation patients

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Ming Xu, Xiaoxia Liu, Guanghai Mei, Junjie Zhang, Weixing Wang, Hongzhi Xu
PurposeAberrant expression of angiogenic factors has been anecdotally documented in brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) nidus vessels; however, no data is available on the effect of radiosurgery on the levels of angiogenic factors in AVM patients. We sought to determine the plasma contents of VEGF, TGF-β, Ang-2 and bFGF in 28 brain AVM patients at baseline and post radiosurgery and further analyzed the relationship between plasma contents of these angiogenic factors with clinicopathologic variables of these patients.MethodsWe enrolled brain AVM patients who underwent Cyberknife radiosurgery at our hospital between January 2014 and December 2015. Brain AVM was confirmed by cerebral angiography and radiosurgery was performed with Cyberknife irradiation. Plasma contents of VEGF, TGF-β, Ang-2 and bFGF were analyzed using commercially available enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) kits.ResultsThe baseline plasma VEGF content was 222.63 pg/mL (range 43.25–431.25 pg/mL). At three months post surgery, there was a significant −34.29% decline in plasma VEGF content versus baseline (P = 0.000). Furthermore, the median baseline plasma VEGF levels were higher in brain AVM with a nidus volume ≥ 10 cm³) than those with a nidus volume < 10 cm³ [median(IQR) 293.5 (186.5,359.25) vs. 202 (59.75, 270.75) pg/mL, P = 0.057]. The baseline plasma TGF-β content was 556.17 pg/mL (range 44.44–1486.11 pg/mL) and there was a significant −27.47% decline in plasma TGF-β content at 3 months post radiosurgery versus baseline (P = 0.015). Moreover, the baseline plasma ANG-2 content was 214.27 pg/mL (range 77.14–453.76 pg/mL). There was an immediate and significant −12.47% decline in plasma ANG-2 content post surgery versus baseline (P = 0.002). At three months post surgery, the plasma ANG-2 content still remained significantly depressed versus baseline (P = 0.002). In addition, the baseline plasma bFGF content was 9.17 pg/mL (range 3.67–36.78 pg/mL). No significant difference in plasma bFGF content was observed immediately post surgery and 3 months post surgery versus baseline (P = 0.05).ConclusionsRadiosurgery for brain AVM patients significantly reduced the plasma levels of angiogenic factors. The plasma angiogenic factors may be candidate markers for aberrant agniogenesis of brain AVM and patient response to radiosurgery.



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Neuroprotective effects of metformin on traumatic brain injury in rats associated with NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathway

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Li Tao, Di Li, Huixiang Liu, Feng Jiang, Yitian Xu, Ying Cao, Rong Gao, Gang Chen
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) triggers a complex sequence of inflammatory responses that contribute to secondary injury. Metformin, a first-line drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, is reported to exhibit potent anti-inflammatory activity on diseases associated with the central nervous system (CNS). The aim of this study is to investigate the potential neuroprotective effects of metformin on acute brain injury after TBI and explore the underlying mechanisms. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into four groups: sham group, TBI group, TBI + saline (NS) group and TBI + metformin group. A weight-dropping model was employed to induce TBI in rats. Modified neurological severity scores (mNSS) were employed to assess the short-term neurological deficits, neuronal degeneration and apoptosis in the brain tissues were assayed with Fluoro-Jade B and TUNEL staining, immunofluorescence was designed to investigate microglial activation. The mRNA and protein expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-beta (IL-1β) and nterleukin-6 (IL-6) were evaluated by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blotting analysis was engaged to examine the expression of NF-κB p65 and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK. Our results showed that metformin significantly ameliorated neurological deficit, cerebral edema and neuronal apoptosis in rats following TBI. Moreover, metformin administration inhibited microglial activation and decreased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. In addition, metformin inhibited the translocation of NF-κB p65 from cytoplasm into the nucleus, as well as the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK. This study suggests that metformin administration inhibits microglia activation-mediated inflammation via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathway to improve neurobehavioral function following TBI, which provide a potential therapeutic benefit in treating brain injury.



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scAAV9-VEGF-165 inhibits neuroinflammatory responses and invasion of macrophages into the peripheral nervous system of ALS transgenic mice

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Ying Wang, Yuanyuan Liu, Jingxu Zhai, Weisong Duan, Shuo Sun, Hongying Cui, Xuexiao Chen, Jianwen Ji, Yaling Liu
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to paralysis and death within 3–5 years. Although the vast majority of studies have focused on vulnerable neurons, growing evidence has shown that non-neuronal cells contribute to the pathogenesis and disease progression. Here, we showed that intrathecal injection of scAAV9-VEGF at 60 days of age significantly reduced the number of microglia and inhibited the neuroinflammatory response in the CNS. Meanwhile, we found that administration of VEGF inhibited the invasion of macrophages into the PNS, including ventral nerve roots, sciatic nerves and muscles. Overall, our study indicated the anti-inflammation effect of VEGF in the CNS and PNS of ALS mice when delivered by intrathecal injection.



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Stroke, Cerebrovascular Diseases and Vascular Cognitive Impairment in Africa

Publication date: Available online 25 May 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin
Author(s): Rufus O. Akinyemi, Mayowa O. Owolabi, Masafumi Ihara, Albertino Damasceno, Adesola Ogunniyi, Catherine Dotchin, Stella-Maria Paddick, Julius Ogeng'o, Richard Walker, Raj N. Kalaria
With increased numbers of older people a higher burden of neurological disorders worldwide is predicted. Stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases do not necessarily present with different phenotypes in Africa but their incidence is rising in tandem with the demographic change in the population. Age remains the strongest irreversible risk factor for stroke and cognitive impairment. Modifiable factors relating to vascular disease risk, diet, lifestyle, physical activity and psychosocial status play a key role in shaping the current spate of stroke related diseases in Africa. Hypertension is the strongest modifiable risk factor for stroke but is also likely associated with co-inheritance of genetic traits among Africans. Somewhat different from high-income countries, strokes attributed to cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) are higher >30% among sub-Saharan Africans. Raised blood pressure may explain most of the incidence of SVD-related strokes but there are likely other contributing factors including dyslipidaemia and diabetes in some sectors of Africa. However, atherosclerotic and cardioembolic diseases combined also appear to be common subtypes as causes of strokes. Significant proportions of cerebrovascular diseases are ascribed to various forms of infectious disease including complications of human immunodeficiency virus. Cerebral SVD leads to several clinical manifestations including gait disturbance, autonomic dysfunction and depression. Pathological processes are characterized by arteriolosclerosis, lacunar infarcts, perivascular spaces, microinfarcts and diffuse white matter changes, which can now all be detected on neuroimaging. Except for isolated cases of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy or CADASIL, hereditary arteriopathies have so far not been reported in Africa. Prevalence estimates of vascular dementia (2-3%), delayed dementia after stroke (10-20%) and vascular cognitive impairment (30-40%) do not appear to be vastly different from those in other parts of the world. However, given the current demographic transition in both urban and rural settings these figures will likely rise. Wider application of neuroimaging modalities and implementation of stroke care in Africa will enable better estimates of SVD and other subtypes of stroke. Stroke survivors with SVD type pathology are likely to have low mortality and therefore portend increased incidence of dementia.



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Raloxifene, a promising estrogen replacement, limits TDP-25 cell death by enhancing autophagy and suppressing apoptosis

Publication date: Available online 25 May 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin
Author(s): Fuling Zhou, Hui Dong, Yaling Liu, Lina Yan, Can Sun, Pengli Hao, Yuanyuan Liu, Jingxu Zhai, Yakun Liu
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal adult-onset neurodegenerative disease, and at present, therapies for ALS are limited. Estrogen is a potential therapeutic agent for ALS but has undesirable effects that might increase the risk of breast and uterine cancers or stroke. Raloxifene (Ral) has estrogenic properties but does not exhibit these adverse effects. However, the mechanism of Ral in ALS has not been studied. We thus investigated the effects of Ral in an NSC34 model of ALS that stably expresses the 25-kDa C-terminal fragment of TDP-43 (i.e., TDP-25 cells) and found that GPR30 (G protein-coupled receptor 30) and ER (estrogen receptor) α/ERβ were expressed in TDP-25 cells, which show significantly different morphology compared with controls. Both E2 (17β-estradiol) and Ral increased the expression of ERα and GPR30 and enhanced TDP-25 cell viability, and these effects were completely abolished by treatment with an ERα/β antagonist (ICI 182,780) or GPR30 antagonist (G15). The P62, caspase-9 and Bax levels were significantly decreased in TDP-25 cells treated with Ral or E2, and the LC3-II levels were elevated in E2-treated cells but reduced in Ral-treated cells. All these changes were abolished by treatment with ICI 182,780 or G15. These data suggest that Ral, similar to E2, enhances autophagy and suppresses apoptosis to limit motor neuron death by binding to ERα/β or GPR30 in TDP-25 cells. These results demonstrate the protective effects of Ral in an ALS cell model and suggest that Ral is a promising replacement for estrogen and a promising therapeutic strategy for ALS.



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MicroRNA-132 is associated with the cognition improvement following voluntary exercise in SAMP8 mice

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin, Volume 140
Author(s): Jingde Dong, Yi Liu, Zhen Zhan, Xiaoshan Wang
The senescence-accelerated SAMP8 mouse is characterized by progressive cognitive decline and is considered to be a specific model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A growing body of evidence indicates that physical exercise suppresses age-related cognitive decline. In the current study, we investigated the influence of voluntary wheel running on cognitive function in SAMP8 mice. We found that voluntary physical exercise ameliorated cognition decline and suppressed hippocampal neurodegeneration in SAMP8 mice. MicroRNA-132 (miR-132) is a short non-coding RNA which is enriched in the brain and is implicated in the regulation of neuronal activity and cognitive function. Here we show that miR-132 expression was significantly increased in the hippocampus of SAMP8 mice. Voluntary physical exercise, however, suppressed the increase of miR-132 expression in SAMP8 mice. Furthermore, upregulation of hippocampal miR-132 expression exacerbates cognition decline, while downregulation of hippocampal miR-132 ameliorates cognition deficit in the SAMP8 mice. Taking together, our results suggest that miR-132 is associated with the cognition improvement following voluntary exercise in SAMP8 mice.



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Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Protects Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells against Oxygen Glucose Deprivation/Reoxygenation Injury: Involvement of Inhibiting Autophagy via Class I PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway

Publication date: Available online 15 May 2018
Source:Brain Research Bulletin
Author(s): Guang Yang, Ning Wang, Sai Wang Seto, Dennis Chang, Huazheng Liang
The present study aimed to test whether Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) protects the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) injury induced by oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR autophagy signaling pathway. Primary rat BMECs were cultured and identified by the expression of factor VIII-related antigen before being exposed to OGD/R to imitate ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) damage in vitro. The protective effect of HSYA was evaluated by assessing (1) cellular morphologic and ultrastructural changes; (2) cell viability and cytotoxicity; (3) transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) of monolayer BMECs; (4) cell apoptosis; (5) fluorescence intensity of LC3B; (6) LC3 mRNA expression; (7) protein expressions of LC3, Beclin-1, Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), phospho-Akt (p-Akt), Akt, phospho-mTOR (p-mTOR) and mTOR. It was found that HSYA (20, 40, and 80 μM) and 3-MA effectively reversed the cellular morphological and ultrastructural changes, increased cell survival, normalized the permeability of BMECs, and suppressed apoptosis induced by OGD/R (2 h OGD followed by 24 h reoxygenation). Concurrently, HSYA and 3-MA also inhibited OGD/R-induced autophagy evidenced by the decreased number of autophagosomes and down-regulated levels of LC3 and Beclin-1 proteins and mRNAs. HSYA (80 μM), in combination with 3-MA showed a synergistic effect. Mechanistic studies revealed that HSYA (80 μM) markedly increased the levels of p-Akt and p-mTOR proteins. Blockade of PI3K activity by ZSTK474 abolished its anti-autophagic and pro-survival effect and lowered both Akt and mTOR phosphorylation levels. Taken together, these results suggest that HSYA protects BMECs against OGD/R-induced injury by inhibiting autophagy via the Class I PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.



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Bullous complex regional pain syndrome: A description of the clinical and histopathologic features

Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, EarlyView.


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A reply to Sahle and Braun's reply to ‘The pattern of emergence of a Middle Stone Age tradition at Gademotta and Kulkuletti (Ethiopia) through convergent tool and point technologies’ [J. Hum. Evol. 91 (2016) 93–121]

Publication date: Available online 28 May 2018
Source:Journal of Human Evolution
Author(s): Katja Douze, Anne Delagnes, Veerle Rots, Brad Gravina
Sahle and Braun's (in press) recent comments on our identification (Douze and Delagnes, 2016) of diachronic trends in Middle Stone Age point traditions in several lithic assemblages from the sites of Gademotta and Kulkuletti (Ethiopia) focuses on pointed tool function rather than the gradual technological shifts we observed between sites. Here we address several of what we consider to be inaccuracies and misinterpretations concerning our work with the Gademotta and Kulkuletti lithic assemblages (Douze, 2012, 2014), more specifically, Sahle and Braun's (in press) interpretation of the tranchet blow technique. This discussion is inseparable from a critical review of the evidence advanced by Sahle and Braun to support projectile technology being present in the Gademotta Formation as early as >279 ka.



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Caged nanoparticles boost catalytic power

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Nano Today, Volume 20





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Editorial Board

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Nano Today, Volume 20





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Impact of a static magnetic field on biodegradation of wastewater compounds and bacteria recombination

Abstract

The current study presents results concerning the effect of a static magnetic field (SMF) on synthetic wastewater biodegradation by activated sludge and on dehydrogenase activity of microorganisms of activated sludge. The highest process efficiency was obtained for a SMF of 0.0075 T among the tested magnetic flux density values of 0.005–0.14 T. Decrease in COD was 25% higher for the bioreactor exposed to SMF compared with control experiments. The positive effect of SMF 0.0075–0.0080 T was confirmed in experiments on the dehydrogenase activity of activated sludge. It was also shown that a SMF of 0.007 T increased p-nitroaniline removal from wastewater and influenced the recombination frequency in a streptomycin-resistant bacteria strain of Eschercihia coli.

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Neural Correlates of Personalized Spiritual Experiences

Abstract

Across cultures and throughout history, human beings have reported a variety of spiritual experiences and the concomitant perceived sense of union that transcends one's ordinary sense of self. Nevertheless, little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms of spiritual experiences, particularly when examined across different traditions and practices. By adapting an individualized guided-imagery task, we investigated neural correlates of personally meaningful spiritual experiences as compared with stressful and neutral-relaxing experiences. We observed in the spiritual condition, as compared with the neutral-relaxing condition, reduced activity in the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL), a result that suggests the IPL may contribute importantly to perceptual processing and self-other representations during spiritual experiences. Compared with stress cues, responses to spiritual cues showed reduced activity in the medial thalamus and caudate, regions associated with sensory and emotional processing. Overall, the study introduces a novel method for investigating brain correlates of personally meaningful spiritual experiences and suggests neural mechanisms associated with broadly defined and personally experienced spirituality.

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