Efecto sobre el temor a caer y la funcionalidad de tres programas de intervención. Ensayo clínico aleatorizado

Introduction

The fear of falling has a high prevalence in the community, and intervention programs for this condition are scarce, making it is necessary to strengthen this type of therapy in order to prevent adverse consequences in the elderly population.

烟碱对氧化震颤素和槟榔碱流涎作用的调节

氧化震颤素和槟榔碱激动唾液腺Ｍ受体剂量依赖性地诱发小鼠流涎,ＥＤ＿（５０）值分别为１１６．２７±２０．１１μｇ／ｋｇｓｃ和９．０２±１．７５ｍｇ／ｋｇｓｃ。烟碱（０．５,１．０ｍｇ／ｋｇｓｃ间隔５ｍｉｎ）预处理后,氧化震颤素和槟榔碱诱发小鼠流涎作用的量效曲线显著左移,ＥＤ＿（５０）值分别降为４３．２５±１１．５２μｇ／ｋｇｓｃ和４．７５±０．７６ｍｇ／ｋｇｓｃ。以美加明阻断Ｎ受体功能后,能对抗烟碱调节Ｍ受体激动剂的流涎作用。以氯化锂抑制肌醇磷酸酶后,能增强烟碱调节Ｍ激动剂的流涎作用。提示烟碱增强唾液腺Ｍ受体对其激动剂的反应性和敏感性,可能与神经元性Ｎ受体干扰唾液腺磷脂酰肌醇代谢有关。     

Efecto del ejercicio físico sobre las alteraciones cognitivas y el estrés oxidativo en un modelo transgénico APP/PSN1 para la enfermedad de Alzheimer

Introduction

The beneficial effects of physical exercise, in both the treatment and the prevention of several diseases, have been extensively demonstrated. The most common dementia, Alzheimer′s disease (AD), is a disorder in which exercise induces significant improvement at pathophysiopathological and cognitive levels. In the present work, we studied the relationship between physical exercise, oxidative stress, and cognition in the double transgenic mice model (2×Tg) for AD, APP/PSN1. This model is mainly based on the cerebral deposition of amyloid β plaques.

Material and methods

Eighteen ten-month-old mice were divided into four experimental groups: exercised 2×Tg (2×Tg-E) (n=5), rested 2×Tg (2×Tg-R) (n=5), exercised controls (control-E) (n=4) and rested controls (control-R) (n=4). We trained the animals for twelve weeks with a combination of forced exercise (treadmill running three days/week) and spontaneous wheel running. The animals were evaluated with physical and cognitive tests before and after the training period. We analyzed systemic and cortical oxidative damage and the induction of antioxidant enzymes.

Results

The 2×Tg-R mice showed a decrease in their grip strength and VO_2max as they grew older which was prevented by training. The 2×Tg-E group showed better memory than the 2×Tg-R animals. All the trained groups demonstrated greater exploratory capacity and less anxiety than the sedentary animals. Systemic oxidative damage was slightly decreased in the 2×Tg, although we found no difference in the lipoperoxidation and in the induction of the antioxidant defense in cortex between groups.

Conclusions

Physical exercise leads to improvements in the grip strength, VO_2max, cognition, and memory in 2×Tg mice. These improvements are not significantly related to changes in the antioxidant defenses or a reduction in the oxidative damage brought about by exercise.     

New data concerning the evolution of the vegetation in Lillo pinewood (Leon, Spain)

A pollen study of a peat-bog sited in the pinewood of Lillo (León, Spain) is presented. The diagram shows an initial phase where a well-developed pinewood was dominant with deciduous species, followed by a selective clearance process of Pinus . Finally, the pinewood recovers again towards a similar state to that described at the beginning of the profile. Radiocarbon dates point that the timing of peat formation took place around 1720±60 years bp and the deforestation on 780±80 years bp . The results have allowed to explain the autochthonous character of Lillo pinewood, which remains as one of the few relics of the southern slopes of the Cantabrian Range.     

Evolution of intrinsic reproductive isolation among four North American populations of Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Across its range in North America, four geographically separated, ecologically and genetically diverged populations of hawthorn (Crataegus)‐infesting Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae) flies inhabit the Eje Volcánico Trans Mexicano (EVTM), the Sierra Madre Oriental (SMO), the Chiapas Highlands (CHIS) and the USA. Here, we tested whether these four populations are reproductively isolated by any intrinsic, nonhost‐related, pre‐ or postmating barriers to gene flow. Crossing experiments suggested that a low level of host‐independent prezygotic isolation may exist between hawthorn flies from EVTM and the three other populations, but only with respect to a slight reduction in copulation duration in EVTM matings. Some evidence for postmating isolation was found, again primarily involving EVTM crossed to SMO, CHIS and US flies. Certain crosses produced no (SMO male × EVTM female) or few (EVTM male × CHIS female; CHIS male × SMO female) F1 hybrid offspring. F2 crosses were generally fertile, except for US male × CHIS female matings. Inherent reproductive isolation therefore appears to be quantitative rather than absolute between populations, as the possibility for gene flow exists through at least some combinations of mating among EVTM, SMO, CHIS and US flies. Our results are consistent with a recently advanced hypothesis that episodic introgression from Mexico into the USA has played a role in providing genetic variation, facilitating sympatric host race formation and the adaptive radiation of the R. pomonella sibling species' complex in the USA. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100 , 213–223.