CLINES FOR HYBRID DYSFUNCTION IN A GRASSHOPPER HYBRID ZONE

Two subspecies of the grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus meet in the Pyrenees forming a hybrid zone several kilometers wide. Crosses between the two pure taxa result in sterile male offspring and normal females (i.e., Haldane's rule applies). However, no such dysfunction has been detected in hybrid males collected through the center of the hybrid zone. By assessing the level of dysfunction in the offspring of reciprocal crosses, it was possible to map clines for the genes responsible for dysfunction through the zone. This analysis shows that there is no abrupt transition between incompatible genomes in the field. Crosses were also made between females collected from a transect spanning the hybrid zone and pure males of both subspecies. This reveals noncoincident clines for dysfunction near the center of the hybrid zone such that the dysfunction expressed in the offspring of these crosses is less than expected from simple models. More complex models involving interaction among genes must be invoked. Also, the possibility exists that since the postglacial contact of these two grasshopper taxa, hybrid dysfunction has become ameliorated by the evolution of modifiers. This hybrid zone is thought to be a tension zone, maintained by a balance between selection against hybrid genotypes and dispersal into the zone center. The lessening of hybrid disadvantage over time through the breakdown of epistatic interactions by recombination or through modification could account for the general lack of dysfunction in field collected hybrids today.     

Joyful by nature: approaches to investigate the evolution and function of joy in non-human animals

The nature and evolution of positive emotion is a major question remaining unanswered in science and philosophy. The study of feelings and emotions in humans and animals is dominated by discussion of affective states that have negative valence. Given the clinical and social significance of negative affect, such as depression, it is unsurprising that these emotions have received more attention from scientists. Compared to negative emotions, such as fear that leads to fleeing or avoidance, positive emotions are less likely to result in specific, identifiable, behaviours being expressed by an animal. This makes it particularly challenging to quantify and study positive affect. However, bursts of intense positive emotion (joy) are more likely to be accompanied by externally visible markers, like vocalisations or movement patterns, which make it more amenable to scientific study and more resilient to concerns about anthropomorphism. We define joy as intense, brief, and event-driven (i.e. a response to something), which permits investigation into how animals react to a variety of situations that would provoke joy in humans. This means that behavioural correlates of joy are measurable, either through newly discovered ‘laughter’ vocalisations, increases in play behaviour, or reactions to cognitive bias tests that can be used across species. There are a range of potential situations that cause joy in humans that have not been studied in other animals, such as whether animals feel joy on sunny days, when they accomplish a difficult feat, or when they are reunited with a familiar companion after a prolonged absence. Observations of species-specific calls and play behaviour can be combined with biometric markers and reactions to ambiguous stimuli in order to enable comparisons of affect between phylogenetically distant taxonomic groups. Identifying positive affect is also important for animal welfare because knowledge of positive emotional states would allow us to monitor animal well-being better. Additionally, measuring if phylogenetically and ecologically distant animals play more, laugh more, or act more optimistically after certain kinds of experiences will also provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the evolution of joy and other positive emotions, and potentially even into the evolution of consciousness.     

超声引导下神经阻滞麻醉联合全身麻醉对股骨头置换老年患者麻醉效果及术后认知功能的影响

摘要 目的：研究超声引导神经阻滞麻醉联合全身麻醉对股骨头置换老年患者的麻醉效果及对术后认知功能的影响。方法：选取2019年1月至2021年12月期间我院收治的150例拟行股骨头置换术的老年患者,随机分为对照组和观察组,各75例。对照组患者行常规全身麻醉,观察组在对照组的基础上行超声引导下神经阻滞麻醉,比较两组患者的血流动力学指标,拔管时间、苏醒时间和复苏室停留时间,苏醒后疼痛,术后认知功能及不良反应的发生率。结果：观察组患者各时间点的心率（HR）和平均动脉压（MAP）均较对照组低（P＜0.05）。观察组拔管时间、苏醒时间和复苏室停留时间均较对照组短（P＜0.05）。观察组患者术后视觉模拟评分（VAS）均低于同一时间点的对照组（P＜0.05）。与对照组相比,观察组患者术后1 h、12 h和24 h的简易智力状态检查（MMSE）评分均较高（P＜0.05）,观察组术后1 h、12 h和24 h术后认知功能障碍（POCD）发生率较对照组低（P＜0.05）。两组患者不良反应发生率无差异（P＞0.05）。结论：超声引导神经阻滞麻醉可稳定血流动力学,缩短拔管、苏醒及复苏室停留时间,减轻术后疼痛,改善术后认知功能,减少POCD的发生,值得临床推广。     

针刺对术后胃肠功能紊乱大鼠胃肠传输功能及脑肠肽的影响

摘要 目的：探讨针刺三里穴、中脘对大鼠胃大部切除术后胃肠传输功能恢复的影响及可能的作用机制。方法：将60只 SD 大鼠随机分为空白组、模型组和针刺组,每组 20 只。造模成功后第3天开始,针刺组进行针刺足三里、中脘,连续治疗14天。于末次针刺结束后,各组记录进食量、体重等;后各组禁食24 h后进行胃残留率和小肠推进率测定,腹主动脉取血测定胃泌素、胃动素、食欲素A及食欲素1型受体。结果：造模前,三组大鼠体重和进食量差异无统计学意义,P>0.05。造模后3天,模型组及针刺组体重和进食量低于空白组,差异有统计学意义,P<0.05。针刺干预后,模型组体重和进食量低于空白组和针刺组,差异有统计学意义,P<0.05。针刺干预后,针刺组大鼠胃残留率、小肠推进率、胃泌素、胃动素、食欲素A及食欲素1型受体高于模型组,差异有统计学意义,P<0.05;模型组胃残留率、小肠推进率、胃泌素、胃动素、食欲素A及食欲素1型受体低于空白组,差异有统计学意义,P<0.05;针刺组与空白组胃残留率、小肠推进率、胃泌素、胃动素、食欲素A及食欲素1型受体差异无统计学意义,P>0.05。结论：针刺胃大部切除术后大鼠足三里穴、中脘穴,改善胃排空和小肠推进功能,促进术后胃肠功能的恢复,其作用机制可能为改变脑肠肽代谢,增加食欲素A水平,激活食欲素1型受体,促进胃泌素、胃动素分泌。     

Nerve Growth Factor Administration Attenuates Cognitive but Not Neurobehavioral Motor Dysfunction or Hippocampal Cell Loss Following Fluid-Percussion Brain Injury in Rats

Abstract: Lateral fluid-percussion brain injury in rats results in cognitive deficits, motor dysfunction, and selective hippocampal cell loss. Neurotrophic factors have been shown to have potential therapeutic applications in neurodegenerative diseases, and nerve growth factor (NGF) has been shown to be neuroprotective in models of excitotoxicity. This study evaluated the neuroprotective efficacy of intracerebral NGF infusion after traumatic brain injury. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received lateral fluid-percussion brain injury of moderate severity (2.1–2.3 atm). A miniosmotic pump was implanted 24 h after injury to infuse NGF (n = 34) or vehicle (n = 16) directly into the region of maximal cortical injury. Infusions of NGF continued until the animal was killed at 72 h, 1 week, or 2 weeks after injury. Animals were evaluated for cognitive dysfunction (Morris Water Maze) and regional neuronal cell loss (Nissl staining) at each of the three time points. Animals surviving for 1 or 2 weeks were also evaluated for neurobehavioral motor function. Although an improvement in memory scores was not observed at 72 h after injury, animals receiving NGF infusions showed significantly improved memory scores when tested at 1 or 2 weeks after injury compared with injured animals receiving vehicle infusions ( p < 0.05). Motor scores and CA3 hippocampal cell loss were not significantly different in any group of NGF-treated animals when compared with controls. These data suggest that NGF administration, in the acute, posttraumatic period following fluid-percussion brain injury, may have potential in improving post-traumatic cognitive deficits.     

Importance of the release of strand 1C to the polymerization mechanism of inhibitory serpins.

Serpin polymerization is the underlying cause of several diseases, including thromboembolism, emphysema, liver cirrhosis, and angioedema. Understanding the structure of the polymers and the mechanism of polymerization is necessary to support rational design of therapeutic agents. Here we show that polymerization of antithrombin is sensitive to the addition of synthetic peptides that interact with the structure. A 12-m34 peptide (homologous to P14-P3 of antithrombin reactive loop), representing the entire length of s4A, prevented polymerization totally. A 6-mer peptide (homologous to P14-P9 of antithrombin) not only allowed polymerization to occur, but induced it. This effect could be blocked by the addition of a 5-mer peptide with s1C sequence of antithrombin or by an unrelated peptide representing residues 26-31 of cholecystokinin. The s1C or cholecystokinin peptide alone was unable to form a complex with native antithrombin. Moreover, an active antitrypsin double mutant, Pro 361-->Cys, Ser 283-->Cys, was engineered for the purpose of forming a disulfide bond between s1C and s2C to prevent movement of s1C. This mutant was resistant to polymerization if the disulfide bridge was intact, but, under reducing conditions, it regained the potential to polymerize. We have also modeled long-chain serpin polymers with acceptable stereochemistry using two previously proposed loop-A-sheet and loop-C-sheet polymerization mechanisms and have shown both to be sterically feasible, as are "mixed" linear polymers. We therefore conclude that the release of strand 1C must be an element of the mechanism of serpin polymerization.     

The role of causal knowledge in the evolution of traditional technology

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Prefrontal deep projection neurons enable cognitive flexibility via persistent feedback monitoring

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Age‐related deterioration of motor function in male and female 5xFAD mice from 3 to 16 months of age

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to age‐related cognitive and sensori‐motor dysfunction. There is an increased understanding that motor dysfunction contributes to overall AD severity, and a need to ameliorate these impairments. The 5xFAD mouse develops the neuropathology, cognitive and motor impairments observed in AD, and thus may be a valuable animal model to study motor deficits in AD. Therefore, we assessed age‐related changes in motor ability of male and female 5xFAD mice from 3 to 16 months of age, using a battery of behavioral tests. At 9‐10 months, 5xFAD mice showed reduced body weight, reduced rearing in the open‐field and impaired performance on the rotarod compared to wild‐type controls. At 12‐13 months, 5xFAD mice showed reduced locomotor activity on the open‐field, and impaired balance on the balance beam. At 15‐16 months, impairments were also seen in grip strength. Although sex differences were observed at specific ages, the development of motor dysfunction was similar in male and female mice. Given the 5xFAD mouse is commonly on a C57BL/6 × SJL hybrid background, a subset of mice may be homozygous recessive for the Dysf ^im mutant allele, which leads to muscular weakness in SJL mice and may exacerbate motor dysfunction. We found small effects of Dysf ^im on motor function, suggesting that Dysf ^im contributes little to motor dysfunction in 5xFAD mice. We conclude that the 5xFAD mouse may be a useful model to study mechanisms that produce motor dysfunction in AD, and to assess the efficacy of therapeutics on ameliorating motor impairment.