Amount of prenatal visual stimulation alters incubation time and postnatal preferences in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius).

The authors exposed gecko (Eublepharis macularius) embryos to patterned visual stimulation beginning at either 1 week or 2 weeks prior to hatching. Embryos exposed to the substantially augmented amount of prenatal visual stimulation hatched significantly earlier than the embryos either exposed to the moderately augmented prenatal visual stimulation or not exposed to any prenatal visual stimulation (p?p?p?     

Effects of replacing inorganic salts of trace minerals with organic trace minerals in the diet of prepartum cows on quality of colostrum and immunity of newborn calves

Our objectives were to evaluate the impact of supplementary trace mineral (TM) form—inorganic salts (STM; Co, Cu, Mn, Zn sulfates, and Na selenite) or organic (OTM; Co, Cu, Mn, Zn proteinates, and selenized yeast)—in the prepartum diet on quantity and quality of colostrum, passive immunity, antioxidant biomarkers, cytokine responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), health, and growth of newborn calves. Pregnant heifers (n = 100) and cows (n = 173) were enrolled at 45 d before calving, blocked by parity and body condition score, and allocated randomly to STM (50 heifers; 86 cows) or OTM (50 heifers; 87 cows) supplementation. Cows in both treatments were fed the same diet, except for the source of supplementary TM. Within 2 h of calving, dams and calves were separated, colostrum was harvested, the yield was measured, and a sample was saved for posterior analyses of colostrum quality. A subgroup of calves (n = 68) had a blood sample collected before colostrum feeding. After colostrum feeding, all samples and data collection were limited to 163 calves (STM = 82; OTM = 81) fed 3 L of good quality (Brix% >22) maternal colostrum via nipple bottle minutes after harvesting. Concentration of IgG in colostrum and serum was determined 24 h after colostrum feeding using radial immunodiffusion. Concentration of TM in colostrum and serum were performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Activity of glutathione peroxidase, ferric reducing ability of plasma, and concentration of superoxide dismutase were evaluated in plasma by colorimetric assays. Ex vivo whole blood stimulation with LPS was performed on d 7 of life to evaluate cytokine responses in a subgroup of 66 calves. Health events were recorded from birth to weaning, and body weight was recorded at birth (all calves) and on d 30 and 60 (heifers only). Continuous variables were analyzed by ANOVA and binary responses were analyzed by logistic regression. Complete replacement of STM by OTM in prepartum diet resulted in greater concentration of Se (461 vs. 543 ± 7 μg/g; ± SEM) but did not alter the concentration or total mass of other TM and IgG in colostrum. Female calves of the OTM group had greater concentration of Se in serum at birth (0.23 vs. 0.37 ± 0.05 μg/mL), were lighter in weight at birth (40.9 vs. 38.8 ± 0.6 kg) and weaning (93.2 vs. 89.7 ± 1.6 kg) than those of the STM group. Maternal treatments did not affect passive immunity or antioxidant biomarkers. On d 7, basal concentrations (log₁₀ of concentration in pg/mL) of IFNγ (0.70 vs. 0.95 ± 0.083) and LPS-stimulated concentrations of CC chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2; 2.45 vs. 2.54 ± 0.026), CC chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3; 2.63 vs. 2.76 ± 0.038), IL-1α (2.32 vs. 2.49 ± 0.054), and IL-1β (3.62 vs. 3.86 ± 0.067) were greater in OTM than in STM. Supplementation with OTM in pregnant heifers, but not in pregnant cows, reduced the incidence of preweaning health problems in their calves (36.4 vs. 11.5%). Complete replacement of STM by OTM in the prepartum diet did not cause major changes in colostrum quality, passive immunity, and antioxidant capacity, but increased cytokine and chemokine responses to LPS on d 7 of life and benefited preweaning health of calves born to primiparous cows.     

Adult attachment, the transition to parenthood, and depressive symptoms.

Testing a model suggested by J. Bowlby (1988), this study investigated how a personal vulnerability (attachment ambivalence) interacts with perceptions of deficient spousal support before and during a major life stressor (the transition to parenthood) to predict pre-to-postnatal increases in depressive symptoms. Highly ambivalent women who entered parenthood perceiving either less support or greater anger from their husbands experienced pre-to-postnatal increases in depressive symptoms at 6 months postpartum. The associations between these 2 prenatal interaction terms and pre-to-postnatal increases in depressive symptoms were mediated by perceptions of declining spousal support across the transition period. Moreover, for highly ambivalent women, the association between prenatal and postnatal depression scores was mediated by perceptions of the amount of support available from their husbands. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Effects of Acidosis on eNOS in the Systemic Vasculature: A Focus on Early Postnatal Ontogenesis

The activity of many vasomotor signaling pathways strongly depends on extracellular/intracellular pH. Nitric oxide (NO) is one of the most important vasodilators produced by the endothelium. In this review, we present evidence that in most vascular beds of mature mammalian organisms metabolic or respiratory acidosis increases functional endothelial NO-synthase (eNOS) activity, despite the observation that direct effects of low pH on eNOS enzymatic activity are inhibitory. This can be explained by the fact that acidosis increases the activity of signaling pathways that positively regulate eNOS activity. The role of NO in the regulation of vascular tone is greater in early postnatal ontogenesis compared to adulthood. Importantly, in early postnatal ontogenesis acidosis also augments functional eNOS activity and its contribution to the regulation of arterial contractility. Therefore, the effect of acidosis on total peripheral resistance in neonates may be stronger than in adults and can be one of the reasons for an undesirable decrease in blood pressure during neonatal asphyxia. The latter, however, should be proven in future studies.     

Psychodynamics of postpartum depression.

Although there are numerous articles and books about postpartum depression, few are psychoanalytically informed, and the psychodynamics of women suffering from postpartum depression are overlooked in most of these publications. Psychoanalytic reports concerning postpartum depression are few, but clinical experience and the literature suggest that a triad of three common, specific emotional conflicts is typical of many women who develop postpartum depression. For simplicity, these are dependency conflicts, anger conflicts, and motherhood conflicts. The dependency conflicts typically have a counterdependent form, the conflicts over anger characteristically include a great deal of guilt and inhibition, and there are often problematic identifications with the woman's own mother (and father) with associated conflicts about motherhood. The frequent counterdependent attitude tends to limit participation in extensive psychotherapy, contributing to the paucity of psychoanalytic contributions on this subject. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

AMPK Activation Is Important for the Preservation of Insulin Sensitivity in Visceral,but Not in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue of Postnatally Overfed Rat Model of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a well-known reproductive syndrome usually associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia. Although the first signs of PCOS begin early in adolescence, it is underexplored whether peripubertal obesity predisposes women to PCOS metabolic disturbances. To highlight that, we examined the impact of postnatal overfeeding-induced obesity, achieved by litter size reduction during the suckling period, on metabolic disturbances associated with visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and SAT) function in the 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT)-induced animal model of PCOS. We analyzed markers of insulin signaling, lipid metabolism, and energy sensing in the VAT and SAT. Our results showed that postnatally overfed DHT-treated Wistar rats had increased VAT mass with hypertrophic adipocytes, together with hyperinsulinemia and increased HOMA index. In the VAT of these animals, insulin signaling remained unchanged while lipogenic markers decreased, which was accompanied by increased AMPK activation. In the SAT of the same animals, markers of lipogenesis and lipolysis increased, while the activity of AMPK decreased. Taken together, obtained results showed that postnatal overfeeding predisposes development of PCOS systemic insulin resistance, most likely as a result of worsened metabolic function of SAT, while VAT preserved its tissue insulin sensitivity through increased activity of AMPK.     

Early maternal separation increases symptoms of activity-based anorexia in male and female rats.

Running activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, increasing the release of stress hormones known to exert anorexic effects. HPA axis reactivity is strongly influenced by early postnatal manipulations, including removal of pups from the dam for short (handling) or prolonged (maternal separation) durations during the preweaning period. The authors examined the effects of handling and maternal separation on food intake, body weight loss, and running rates of young adult male and female rats in the activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm. Postnatal treatment did not affect adaptation to a 1-hr restricted feeding schedule before the introduction of wheel running. During the ABA paradigm, maternally separated animals lost weight faster, ate less, ran more, and required fewer days to reach removal criterion compared with handled rats. Females were particularly vulnerable. These findings indicate that early postnatal treatment and sex influence ABA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How to Obtain a Mega-Intestine with Normal Morphology: In Silico Modelling of Postnatal Intestinal Growth in a Cd97-Transgenic Mouse

Intestinal cylindrical growth peaks in mice a few weeks after birth, simultaneously with crypt fission activity. It nearly stops after weaning and cannot be reactivated later. Transgenic mice expressing Cd97/Adgre5 in the intestinal epithelium develop a mega-intestine with normal microscopic morphology in adult mice. Here, we demonstrate premature intestinal differentiation in Cd97/Adgre5 transgenic mice at both the cellular and molecular levels until postnatal day 14. Subsequently, the growth of the intestinal epithelium becomes activated and its maturation suppressed. These changes are paralleled by postnatal regulation of growth factors and by an increased expression of secretory cell markers, suggesting growth activation of non-epithelial tissue layers as the origin of enforced tissue growth. To understand postnatal intestinal growth mechanistically, we study epithelial fate decisions during this period with the use of a 3D individual cell-based computer model. In the model, the expansion of the intestinal stem cell (SC) population, a prerequisite for crypt fission, is largely independent of the tissue growth rate and is therefore not spontaneously adaptive. Accordingly, the model suggests that, besides the growth activation of non-epithelial tissue layers, the formation of a mega-intestine requires a released growth control in the epithelium, enabling accelerated SC expansion. The similar intestinal morphology in Cd97/Adgre5 transgenic and wild type mice indicates a synchronization of tissue growth and SC expansion, likely by a crypt density-controlled contact inhibition of growth of intestinal SC proliferation. The formation of a mega-intestine with normal microscopic morphology turns out to originate in changes of autonomous and conditional specification of the intestinal cell fate induced by the activation of Cd97/Adgre5.     

Postnatal Smoke Exposure Further Increases the Hepatic Nicotine Metabolism in Prenatally Smoke Exposed Male Offspring and Is Linked with Aberrant Cyp2a5 Methylation

Prenatal smoke exposure (PreSE) is a risk factor for nicotine dependence, which is further enhanced by postnatal smoke exposure (PostSE). One susceptibility gene to nicotine dependence is Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A6, an enzyme responsible for the conversion of nicotine to cotinine in the liver. Higher CYP2A6 activity is associated with nicotine dependence and could be regulated through DNA methylation. In this study we investigated whether PostSE further impaired PreSE-induced effects on nicotine metabolism, along with Cyp2a5, orthologue of CYP2A6, mRNA expression and DNA methylation. Using a mouse model where prenatally smoke-exposed adult offspring were exposed to cigarette smoke for 3 months, enzyme activity, mRNA levels, and promoter methylation of hepatic Cyp2a5 were evaluated. We found that in male offspring, PostSE increased PreSE-induced cotinine levels and Cyp2a5 mRNA expression. In addition, both PostSE and PreSE changed Cyp2a5 DNA methylation in male groups. PreSE however decreased cotinine levels whereas it had no effect on Cyp2a5 mRNA expression or methylation. These adverse outcomes of PreSE and PostSE were most prominent in males. When considered in the context of the human health aspects, the combined effect of prenatal and adolescent smoke exposure could lead to an accelerated risk for nicotine dependence later in life.     

Remodeling of Arterial Tone Regulation in Postnatal Development: Focus on Smooth Muscle Cell Potassium Channels

Maturation of the cardiovascular system is associated with crucial structural and functional remodeling. Thickening of the arterial wall, maturation of the sympathetic innervation, and switching of the mechanisms of arterial contraction from calcium-independent to calcium-dependent occur during postnatal development. All these processes promote an almost doubling of blood pressure from the moment of birth to reaching adulthood. This review focuses on the developmental alterations of potassium channels functioning as key smooth muscle membrane potential determinants and, consequently, vascular tone regulators. We present evidence that the pattern of potassium channel contribution to vascular control changes from K_ir2, K_v1, K_v7 and TASK-1 channels to BK_Ca channels with maturation. The differences in the contribution of potassium channels to vasomotor tone at different stages of postnatal life should be considered in treatment strategies of cardiovascular diseases associated with potassium channel malfunction.