Early Increase in Autoantibodies Against Human Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein in Hypertensive Patients After Blood Pressure Control

BACKGROUND Oxidized lipoproteins and antioxidized low-density lipoprotein (anti-oxLDL) antibodies (Abs) have been detected in plasma in response to blood pressure (BP) elevation, suggesting the participation of the adaptive immune system. Therefore, treatment of hypertension may act on the immune response by decreasing oxidation stimuli. However, this issue has not been addressed. Thus, we have here analyzed anti-oxLDL Abs in untreated (naive) hypertensive patients shortly after initiation of anti hypertensive therapeutic regimens. METHODS Titers of anti-oxLDL Abs were measured in subjects with recently diagnosed hypertension on stage 1 (n = 94), in primary prevention of coronary disease, with no other risk factors, and naive of anti hypertensive medication at entry. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive perindopril, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), or indapamide (INDA) for 12 weeks, with additional perindopril if necessary to achieve BP control. Abs against copper-oxidized LDL were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS Twelve-week antihypertensive treatment reduced both office-based and 24-h ambulatory BP measurements (P < 0.0005). The decrease in BP was accompanied by reduction in thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) (P < 0.05), increase in anti-oxLDL Ab titers (P < 0.005), and improvement in flow-mediated dilation (FMD) (P < 0.0005), independently of treatment. Although BP was reduced, we observed favorable changes in anti-oxLDL titers and FMD. CONCLUSIONS We observed that anti-oxLDL Ab titers increase after antihypertensive therapy in primary prevention when achieving BP targets. Our results are in agreement with the concept that propensity to oxidation is increased by essential hypertension and anti-oxLDL Abs may be protective and potential biomarkers for the follow-up of hypertension treatment.

Kinetics of cellular component in inflammatory response induced by different stimuli in the swim bladder of pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg 1887 (Characidae)

The present study assessed the kinetics of cell accumulation at the site of inflammation induced by thioglycolate, Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and heat-inactivated Aeromonas hydrophila, in the pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus (Characidae), swim bladder. A quantitative, as well as qualitative, assessment was done of all the cells present in the exudate at 6, 24, and 48 h (n = 8) after inoculation of inflammatory agents. The results show that the thioglycolate was the irritant to induce higher total inflammatory cell accumulation when compared to the control group, 6 h after insult (P < 0.05). Inoculation of heat-inactivated Aeromonas hydrophila induced progressive accumulation of total inflammatory cells, with cell number peaking after 24 h and being significantly higher than observed in the other groups (P < 0.05). Injection of LPS also induced greater cell accumulation when compared to the control group (P < 0.05), although in lower numbers than those induced by the other two irritants. All irritants injected induced significantly greater accumulation of lymphocytes and thrombocytes when compared to the control group (P < 0.05).

Dynamics of inter-modality re-weighting during human postural control

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Chronic caffeine intake increases androgenic stimuli, epithelial cell proliferation and hyperplasia in rat ventral prostate

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Central control of cardiorespiratory interactions in fish

Fish control the relative flow rates of water and blood over the gills in order to optimise respiratory gas exchange. As both flows are markedly pulsatile, close beat-to-beat relationships can be predicted. Cardiorespiratory interactions in fish are controlled primarily by activity in the parasympathetic nervous system that has its origin in cardiac vagal. preganglionic neurons. Recordings of efferent activity in the cardiac vagus include units firing in respiration-related bursts. Bursts of electrical stimuli delivered peripherally to the cardiac vagus or centrally to respiratory branches of cranial, nerves can recruit the heart over a range of frequencies. So, phasic, efferent activity in cardiac vagi, that in the intact fish are respiration-related, can cause heart rate to be modulated by the respiratory rhythm. In elasmobranch fishes this phasic activity seems to arise primarily from central feed-forward interactions with respiratory motor neurones that have overlapping distributions with cardiac neurons in the brainstem. In teleost fish, they arise from increased levels of efferent vagal activity arising from reflex stimulation of chemoreceptors and mechanoreceptors in the orobranchial, cavity. However, these differences are largely a matter of emphasis as both groups show elements of feed-forward and feed-back control of cardiorespiratory interactions. (C) 2008 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Restricted stimulus control in stimulus control shaping with a capuchin monkey

Teaching the first instances of arbitrary matching-to-sample to nonhumans can prove difficult and time consuming. Stimulus control relations may develop that differ from those intended by the experimentereven when stimulus control shaping procedures are used. We present, in this study, efforts to identify sources of shaping program failure with a capuchin monkey. Procedures began with a baseline of identity matching. During subsequent shaping trials, compound comparison stimuli had two componentsone identical to and another different from the sample. The identical component was eliminated gradually by removing portions across trials (i.e., subtracting stimulus elements). The monkey performed accurately throughout shaping. At a late stage in the program, probe tests were conducted: (1) arbitrary matching trials that had all elements of the identical comparison removed and (2) other trials that included residual elements. During the test, the monkey performed at low levels on the former trials and higher levels on the latter. These results suggested that higher accuracy was due merely to continued control by the residual elements: the target arbitrary matching relations had not been learned. Thus, it appears that procedures that gradually transform identity matching baselines into arbitrary matching can fail by inadvertently shaping restricted control by residual elements. Subsequent probes at the end of the shaping series showed a successful transfer of stimulus control from identity to arbitrary matching after further programming steps apparently overcame the restricted stimulus control.

Stimuli-Responsive Biointerface Based on Polymer Brushes for Glucose Detection

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Dyslexic children suffer from less informative visual cues to control posture

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of manipulation of the characteristics of visual stimulus on postural control in dyslexic children. A total of 18 dyslexic and 18 non-dyslexic children stood upright inside a moving room, as still as possible, and looked at a target at different conditions of distance between the participant and a moving room frontal wall (25-150 cm) and vision (full and central). The first trial was performed without vision (baseline). Then four trials were performed in which the room remained stationary and eight trials with the room moving, lasting 60 s each. Mean sway amplitude, coherence, relative phase, and angular deviation were calculated. The results revealed that dyslexic children swayed with larger magnitude in both stationary and moving conditions. When the room remained stationary, all children showed larger body sway magnitude at 150 cm distance. Dyslexic children showed larger body sway magnitude in central compared to full vision condition. In the moving condition, body sway magnitude was similar between dyslexic and non-dyslexic children but the coupling between visual information and body sway was weaker in dyslexic children. Moreover, in the absence of peripheral visual cues, induced body sway in dyslexic children was temporally delayed regarding visual stimulus. Taken together, these results indicate that poor postural control performance in dyslexic children is related to how sensory information is acquired from the environment and used to produce postural responses. In conditions in which sensory cues are less informative, dyslexic children take longer to process sensory stimuli in order to obtain precise information, which leads to performance deterioration. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Risk factors for facial melasma in women: a case-control study

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Response of splenic melanomacrophage centers of Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) to inflammatory stimuli by BCG and foreign bodies

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Interaction between the septal area and the subfornical organ in the control of water intake induced by thirst-eliciting procedures

Rats bearing lesions in the septal area followed by lesions in the subfornical organ were submitted to various thirst-eliciting procedures. The rats with hyperdipsia induced by lesions of the septal area drank more water than either during the control period or after lesion of the subfornical organ under the same thirst-eliciting or angiotensin-liberating stimuli (polyethyleneglycol, isoproterenol, water deprivation and ligation of the inferior vena cava). The overdrinking elicited by lesions in the septal area was blocked after lesion of the subfornical organ. Neither hypovolemia, nor hypotension or water deprivation could elicit increased water intake in animals whose subfornical organ had been destroyed. Animals with lesions in the subfornical organ showed decreased water intake after cellular dehydration. The results obtained suggest that the subfornical organ acts as a more important structure than the septal area in the regulation of water intake elicited by angiotensin, with two opposite effects: a direct one facilitating water intake, and an indirect one inhibiting the septal area. The septal area has an inhibitory effect on the subfornical organ and on water intake. © 1980.

Predator and Heterospecific Stimuli Alter Behavior in Cattle

Wild and domestic ungulates modify their behavior in the presence of olfactory and visual cues of predators but investigations have not exposed a domestic species to a series of cues representing various predators and other ungulate herbivores.We used wolf (Canis lupus), mountain lion (Puma concolor), and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) stimuli (olfactory and visual), and a control (no stimuli) to experimentally test for differences in behavior of cattle (Bos taurus) raised in Arizona. We measured (1) vigilance, (2) foraging rates, (3) giving up density (GUD) of high quality foods and (4) time spent in high quality forage locations in response to location of stimuli treatments. In general, we found a consistent pattern in that wolf and deer treatments caused disparate results in all 4 response variables. Wolf stimuli significantly increased cattle vigilance and decreased cattle foraging rates; conversely, deer stimuli significantly increased cattle foraging rate and increased cattle use of high quality forage areas containing stimuli. Mountain lion stimuli did not significantly impact any of the 4 response variables. Our findings suggest that domestic herbivores react to predatory stimuli, can differentiate between stimuli representing two predatory species, and suggest that cattle may reduce antipredatory behaviour when near heterospecifics.

OBSERVING BEHAVIOR AND ATYPICALLY RESTRICTED STIMULUS CONTROL

Restricted stimulus control refers to discrimination learning with atypical limitations in the range of controlling stimuli or stimulus features In the study reported here 4 normally capable individuals and 10 individuals with Intellectual disabilities (ID) performed two-sample delayed matching to sample Sample stimulus observing was recorded with an eye tracking apparatus High accuracy scores indicated stimulus control by both sample stimuli for the 4 nondisabled participants and 4 participants with ID and eye tracking data showed reliable observing of all stimuli Intermediate accuracy scores indicated restricted stimulus control for the remaining 6 participants Their eye tracking data showed that errors were related to failures to observe sample stimuli and relatively brief observing durations Five of these participants were then given interventions designed to improve observing behavior For 4 participants the interventions resulted initially in elimination of observing failures increased observing durations and Increased accuracy For 2 of these participants contingencies sufficient to maintain adequate observing were not always sufficient to maintain high accuracy subsequent procedure modifications restored It however For the 5th participant initial improvements in observing were not accompanied by improved accuracy in apparent Instance of observing without attending accuracy improved only after an additional intervention that imposed contingencies on observing behavior Thus interventions that control observing behavior seem necessary but may not always be sufficient for the remediation of restricted stimulus control

Changes in FDB and soleus muscle activity after a train of stimuli during upright stance

Background: Evidence of self-sustained muscle activation following a brief electrical stimulation has been reported in the literature for certain muscles. Objectives: This report shows that the foot muscle (Flexor Digitorum Brevis - FDB) shows a self-sustained increase in muscle activity during upright stance in some subjects following a train of stimuli to the tibial nerve. Methods: Healthy subjects were requested to stand upright and surface EMG electrodes were placed on the FDB, Soleus and Tibialis Anterior muscles. After background muscle activity (BGA) acquisition, a 50 Hz train of stimuli was applied to the tibial nerve at the popliteal fossa. The root mean square values (RMS) of the BGA and the post-stimulus muscle activation were computed. Results: There was a 13.8% average increase in the FDB muscle EMG amplitude with respect to BGA after the stimulation was turned off. The corresponding post-stimulus Soleus EMG activity decreased by an average of 9.2%. We hypothesize that the sustained contraction observed in the FDB following stimulus may be evidence of persistent inward currents (PIC) generated in FDB spinal motoneurons. The post-stimulus decrease in soleus activity may have occurred due to the action of inhibitory interneurons caused by the PICs, which were triggered by the stimulus train. Conclusions: These sustained post-stimulation changes in postural muscle activity, found in different levels in different subjects, may be part of a set of possible responses that contribute to overall postural control.

Cytokine inhibition and time-related influence of inflammatory stimuli on the hyperalgesia induced by the nucleus pulposus

The symptoms of lumbar disc herniation, such as low back pain and sciatica, have been associated with local release of cytokines following the inflammatory process induced by the contact of the nucleus pulposus (NP) with the spinal nerve. Using an animal experimental model of intervertebral disc herniation and behavioral tests to evaluate mechanical (electronic von Frey test) and thermal (Hargreaves Plantar test) hyperalgesia in the hind paw of rats submitted to the surgical model, this study aimed to detect in normal intervertebral disc the cytokines known to be involved in the mechanisms of inflammatory hyperalgesia, to observe if previous exposure of the intervertebral disc tissue to specific antibodies could affect the pain behavior (mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia) induced by the NP, and to observe the influence of the time of contact of the NP with the fifth lumbar dorsal root ganglion (L5-DRG) in the mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. The cytokines present at highest concentrations in the rat NP were TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and CINC-1. Rats submitted to the disc herniation experimental model, in which a NP from the sacrococcygeal region is deposited over the right L5-DRG, showed increased mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia that lasted at least 7 weeks. When the autologous NP was treated with antibodies against the three cytokines found at highest concentrations in the NP (TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and CINC-1), there was decrease in both mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in different time points, suggesting that each cytokine may be important for the hyperalgesia in different steps of the inflammatory process. The surgical remotion of the NP from herniated rats 1 week after the implantation reduced the hyperalgesia to the level similar to the control group. This reduction in the hyperalgesia was also observed in the group that had the NP removed 3 weeks after the implantation, although the intensity of the hyperalgesia did not decreased totally. The removal of the NP after 5 weeks did not changed the hyperalgesia observed in the hind paw, which suggests that the longer the contact of the NP with the DRG, the greater is the possibility of development of chronic pain. Together our results indicate that specific cytokines released during the inflammatory process induced by the herniated intervertebral disc play fundamental role in the development of the two modalities of hyperalgesia (mechanical and thermal) and that the maintenance of this inflammation may be the most important point for the chronification of the pain.