bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Creatine Supplementation and Doxorubicin Treatment on Myogenic Regulatory Factor Expression in Slow and Fast Muscle
Authors: Torok Zoltan , Busekrus Raquel , Hydock David Scott 
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on myogenic regulatory factor expression in skeletal muscle from rats receiving the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the control (CON), doxorubicin (DOX), or creatine+doxorubicin (CR+DOX) groups. CR+DOX received rodent chow supplemented with 3% creatine monohydrate and the CON and DOX received standard rodent chow. After two weeks of feeding, CR+DOX and DOX groups received a bolus, 15 mg/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.) DOX injection and CON received an i.p. saline injection as a placebo. Dietary interventions then continued for five more days. The soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were excised five days post injection and expression of myogenic regulatory factors MyoD, Myf5, Mrf4, and myogenin was determined using Western blotting. In DOX solei, MyoD, Myf5, Mrf4, and myogenin expression was observed to be +25%, −10%, +5%, and −25%, respectively when compared to CON, and −6%, +11%, −17%, and −12%, respectively in CR+DOX solei when compared to CON. MyoD, Myf5, Mrf4, and myogenin expression in DOX EDL were observed to be −4%, −44%, −14%, and −29%, respectively when compared to CON and −24%, −58%, −11%, and −43%, respectively in the EDL from CR+DOX when compared to CON. In the soleus, a trend toward increased MyoD and Mrf4 expression and decreased Myf5 and myogenin expression was observed with DOX treatment. The trend of CR+DOX expressing increased soleus Myf5 expression when compared to both CON and DOX is of interest and should be explored further.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Attenuation of Vascular Contractility in Metastatic Breast Cancer Mice
Authors: Vorn Rany , Yoo Hae Young 
Published: June 2021

Breast cancer (BC) is the one of crucial health burden among women worldwide. Even though the alteration of vascular function were observed by few researchers in metastatic BC, the changes in vascular reactivity and its underlying mechanism were not fully understood. Here, we investigate the physiological changes of vascular function from isolated mesenteric arteries in metastatic breast cancer mice model. In this study, 105 of 4T1 murine BC cells were injected into the subcutaneous or tail vein of female Balb‐c mice aged 8 weeks old. Mice were randomly divided into the following group: 1) control; n=10, 2) non‐metastatic model (4T1; n=10), 3) tumor‐bearing model (4T1M; n=10), and 4) tail vein injection model (4T1ML; n=10). Mesenteric arteries were removed after 4 weeks of tail vein injection group and 5 weeks of tumor‐bearing groups. Isometric tension was investigated in response to various vasoconstrictors such as phenylephrine (PhE), Serotonin (5‐HT), Angiotensin II (ANG II) and high potassium chloride (HK). Our results showed that PhE‐induced vasoconstriction was no significant differences in the non‐metastatic group compared to control. However, the attenuated vasoconstriction in response to PhE, 5‐HT, and High K was found in metastatic cancer groups. Application of L‐type voltage‐gated calcium channel inhibitor (Nifedipine) induced vascular relaxation with PhE‐induced contraction in each group, but there were no significant differences among groups. Interestingly, PhE‐induced contraction in metastatic groups was not inhibited by Rho kinase inhibitor (Y‐27632), but not in control. From above results, it is suggested that decreased Rho kinase activity might be attributable to attenuated vasoconstriction in mesenteric artery from advanced breast cancer mice.Support or Funding InformationThis study was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by Ministry of Science, ICT, & Future Planning (2015R1C1A1A01054038).This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Exercise characteristics in mitochondrial catalase overexpressing mice
Authors: Rao Shriya D. , Gaillard Charleston E. , McKinley Alexander J. , Klatt Benjamin T. , Shanely R. Andrew , Christian Brooke E. , Zwetsloot Kevin A. 
Published: June 2021

High intensity or prolonged exercise can result in oxidative stress due to the generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species, which in turn, can negatively impact skeletal muscle contractile function and exercise performance. Catalase, a naturally‐occurring antioxidant enzyme, converts hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen (2H2O2 → 2H2O + O2). Mitochondrial‐targeted catalase transgenic (mCAT) mice have been studied within the context of disease pathology, but skeletal muscle function and exercise capacity have not been characterized. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure grip strength, exercise capacity, and exercise endurance in mCAT mice that overexpress catalase in the mitochondria of skeletal muscle and heart, among other tissues. Male and female mCAT and wild‐type (WT) littermate mice (3–8 mo old) performed 3 consecutive forelimb grip strength tests, with 1‐min rest between trials. Next, these mice performed a maximal exercise capacity test, which consisted of a 10‐min warm up at 10–12.5 m•min−1 and 5–10° incline, followed by 2‐min stages of increasing treadmill speed by 3 m•min−1 every stage; treadmill remained at 10° incline and mice ran to exhaustion. Then, 48 hours after the completion of the maximal exercise capacity test, all mice performed an exercise endurance test, consisting of a 10‐min warm up at 10–12.5 m•min−1 and 5–10° incline, followed by a run to exhaustion at a constant treadmill speed of 22 m•min−1 and incline of 10°. Grip strength, maximal exercise capacity, and exercise endurance were not different between mCAT and WT mice, respectively (p>0.05, all). These findings suggest that mitochondrial catalase overexpression does not alter grip strength, treadmill exercise capacity, or endurance in mice.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
A Conceptual Framework for the Core Concept of Mass Balance
Authors: Modell Harold I. , Michael Joel A. 
Published: June 2021

The core concepts of physiology are descriptions of phenomena that have great explanatory power in every area of physiology. They are “big ideas” that are comprised of many smaller ideas. The process of “unpacking” a core concept yields a hierarchically arranged statement of the sub‐ideas that we have called a conceptual framework (CF). Our goal has been to produce CFs that will facilitate teaching and learning physiology.We have unpacked three of the core concepts (homeostasis, flow down gradients, and cell‐cell communication) and validated the resulting conceptual frameworks with feedback from the physiology teaching community; this work has been reported in Advances in Physiology Education.Here we present our conceptual framework for the core concept of mass balance (conservation of mass). This core concept (and its CF) describes the consequences of moving mass (liquids, gases, solids) into and out of defined compartments. These ideas are applicable at every level of organization in the organism.We will solicit feedback to validate the framework and its applicability to various levels of physiology instruction.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Observable Differences in Symmetry and Volume of Jugular Foramen in Children with Craniosynostosis
Authors: Fourniquet Sophie , Mundinger Gerhard S. , Smith David , Mussell Jason C. 
Published: June 2021

Craniosynostosis is the premature fusion of one or more calvarial sutures. Craniosynostosis can present as part of a genetic syndrome, as in Apert or Crouzon Syndrome, or it may be an isolated finding in non‐syndromic patients. The premature closure of these sutures can lead to morphologic and physiologic anomalies. Synostotic patients present with craniofacial malformations, increased intracranial pressure and intracranial hypertension. These patients often present with anomalous vascular and osseous anatomy, specifically, large emissary veins and stenotic cranial foramina.CT scans were used to generate three‐dimensional models of the patients. The jugular foramen was manually modeled, using the intracranial foramen and the level of the odontoid process as anatomical landmarks. Each measurement was repeated three times to ensure consistency.This case series serves as a basis for continued research into the anomalous anatomy of synostotic patients. When compared to their normal counterparts, synostotic patients present with markedly asymmetric jugular foramina. A high degree of variability was observed between patients, and bilaterally within each patient. Large differences in shape and volume are noted between the right and left foramen. At this point, due to the small size of the study, inferences about the patient population at large cannot be made. However, some general similarities were observed.Our preliminary data show that in all subjects, the right jugular foramen was longer and wider than the left. It was noted that the right foramen has a more curved trajectory, moving in the posterior to anterior direction, while the left is relatively straight. This may be related to the left jugular foramen's apparent propensity to merge with the carotid canal.The observed anomalies likely contribute to the physiologic sequelae of craniosynostosis. We hypothesize that the right jugular foramen is consistently larger due to the backwards pulse pressure coming from the right atrium of the developing fetus. We propose that the timing of the pathophysiologic insult determines the character of the osseous anomaly. Measuring the surface area two‐dimensionally leads to an incomplete and potentially inaccurate representation of the jugular foramen in synostotic patients due to the irregularity of caliber throughout the jugular foramen's course. It is proposed that this osseous irregularity is in part due to diminished post‐natal remodeling. We propose that the most appropriate and rigorous method for examining the jugular foramen in synostotic patients is by obtaining the volume of the jugular foramen by three‐dimensional modeling.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
The Squat Factor in Defense of a Vulnerable Neck and Brain
Authors: Naples Virginia , Rothschild Bruce 
Published: June 2021

Pathological skeletons allow behavioral inferences for extant and extinct taxa without living analogs. Recent revisions of sauropod head, neck and tail posture suggest defensive use of their enormous tails to protect their hindquarters. Horizontal neck posture assigned to many of the sauropods, however, make the distal neck and head (brain) accessible to predation. Posterior neck proportions of even a small sauropod (e.g., 14 meter Camarasaurus) are 1.3 meters wide and 1.7 meters high, beyond the gape of contemporary predators. Anterior neck diameter (0.3 meters wide by 0.6 meters tall), however, is within the gape and accessible (vertically to large Allosaurus. Sauropod necks move maximally 20° laterally, eliminating defensive swinging away from a predator. Long bodies limit tail use during frontal attack. Some reconstructions show sauropods rearing on hind legs with anteriorly or anteroventrally extended forelegs. However, there is theoretical and physical evidence that they likely squatted with flexed knees as do other graviportal animals (e.g., elephants) in a stable, easily held posture. A unique diplodocid, KUVP 129717, with a partially healed, distal penetrating pubic symphysis injury, and a healed, deep anteroposterior dorsal claw cut metacarpal, provide clues to head and anterior neck defense. Slight remodeling, not altering injury architecture, proves the sauropod survived. The pubis wound is not explainable by tooth or claw injury and lacks the characteristic taper related to Stegosaurus spike‐derived injuries. The geometry and location suggest that the sauropod sat on a sharp, slender object, in a critical situation that prevented injury avoidance. Sauropods squatted to lay eggs, unlikely encountering a sharp object, or the animal would have repositioned to avoid pubic symphysis penetration. We suggest that the diplodocid squatted when imminent danger required anterior body elevation to raise the head and neck above predator reach. Xenarthran anteaters use this stable tripodal defensive stance, supporting partial body weight on the tail base as sauropods may have done. Further, presence of a long metacarpal claw‐derived scar suggests a defensive wound, one that could have occurred if it was elevated by squatting to the position that placed the distal neck and head out of reach of predator reach, leaving its forelimbs available for defense. Such a posture protects sauropods from even the largest Late Jurassic carnosaurs.Support or Funding InformationNot applicable.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Inner Ear Morphology of Basal‐Most Mammaliaform Morganucodon
Authors: Shahid Ramza , Gill Pamela G. , Hoffmann Simone 
Published: June 2021

Extant therians are unique in their ability to hear at higher and at greater ranges of frequencies than most other vertebrates. This ability has been associated with changes in inner ear morphology, including elongation of the cochlear canal following loss of the lagena maculae, coiling of the cochlear canal, and stabilization of the hearing membrane through bony laminae. Presence and absence of these features is variable across Mesozoic mammaliaforms. To gain insights into the evolution of the inner ear and hearing in mammaliaforms, we document inner ear morphology in the basal‐most mammaliaform Morganucodon in unprecedented detail. We μCT scanned 30 petrosals of Morganucodon from several Jurassic fissure fillings in the UK. Surface reconstructions of the inner ears demonstrate that the cochlear canal gently varies in curvature and length (1.64–1.80 mm, measured from the posterior aspect of the cochlear foramen to the apex). All specimens show a distinct expansion of the apex of the cochlear canal suggesting the presence of a lagenar macula. Interestingly, the size of the apical expansion varies within our sample. None of the specimens preserve complete ossified laminae, but a shallow groove is visible on the ventrolateral surface of the cochlear canal endocasts, extending from the base of the canal (between the perilymphatic foramen and the fenestra vestibule) anteriorly towards the apex. We identify this groove as the attachment for the basilar membrane (termed here “base of secondary lamina”), as seen in extant monotremes. If the base of the secondary lamina is indeed reflective of basilar membrane length in Morganucodon then this could represents the first accurate reconstruction of the length of the basilar membrane in a fossil mammaliaform that retains a lagena. The base of the secondary lamina ends shortly before the apex of the canal and ranges between 1.17 and 1.45 mm. It moderately correlates (R2=0.58) with total cochlear canal length in our sample. Most intriguingly, the bony wall of the promontorium contains a network of canals that surrounds the cochlea, previously described as the circumpromontorium plexus. The plexus enters the cochlear canal next to the base of the secondary lamina and extends along the laminas full length. This strongly suggests that the blood supply to the cochlea might have been substantially different in Morganucodon compared to extant therians where blood vessel enter the cochlea through the cochlear foramen along with the cochlear nerve.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
HFE Genotype Restricts the Response to Paraquat in a Mouse Model of Neurotoxicity
Authors: Dower Anne Nixon , Neely Elizabeth , Meadowcroft Mark , Nandar Wint , Connor James 
Published: June 2021

Parkinson's disease (PD) is marked clinically by motor dysfunction and pathologically by dopaminergic cell loss and iron accumulation in the substantia nigra (SN). The driver underlying iron accumulation is unknown and could be genetic or environmental. The HFE protein is critical for the regulation of cellular iron uptake. Mutations within this protein are associated with increased iron accumulation including in the brain. We have focused on the commonly occurring H63D variant of the HFE gene as a disease modifier in a number of neurodegenerative diseases. To investigate the role of H63D HFE genotype, we generated a mouse model in which the wild‐type (WT) HFE gene is replaced by the H67D gene variant (mouse homolog of the human H63D gene variant). Using paraquat toxicity as the model for Parkinson's disease, we found that WT mice responded as expected with significantly greater motor function, loss of tyrosine hydroxylase staining and increase microglial staining in the substantia nigra, and an increase in R2 relaxation rate within the substantia nigra of the paraquat‐treated mice compared to their saline‐treated counterparts. In contrast, the H67D mice showed a remarkable resistance to paraquat treatment; specifically differing from the WT mice with no changes in motor function or changes in R2 relaxation rates following paraquat exposure. At baseline, there were differences between the H67D HFE mice and WT mice in L‐ferritin staining in the substantia nigra that could account for the resistance to paraquat. Of particular note, the H67D HFE mice regardless of whether or not they were treated with paraquat had significantly less tyrosine hydroxylase immunostaining than WT. Our results clearly demonstrate that the HFE genotype impacts the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the substantia nigra and the response to paraquat providing additional support that the HFE genotype is a disease modifier for PD. Moreover, the finding that the HFE mutant mice are resistant to paraquat may provide a model in which to study resistant mechanisms to neurotoxicants.Support or Funding InformationThe work is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Health Tobacco CURE Funds and the Penn State Neuroscience Institute.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Mind Over Matter: Understanding the Relationship Between Memory Self‐Efficacy, Cognition and Brain Health in Older Adults with Probable Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Horst Rebecca , Nagamatsu Lindsay S. 
Published: June 2021

BackgroundIn our aging population, cognitive decline and brain health are critical areas of concern for healthy aging. Evidence has shown that personality factors such as self‐efficacy, one's personal perceived ability to perform a specific task, directly impacts components of healthy aging, including total brain volume. However, it is unknown whether memory self‐efficacy, specifically, might also be associated with brain function and structure.MethodsA cross‐sectional pilot study of community dwelling older women with probable Mild Cognitive Impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment score <26) were asked to evaluate their global memory self‐efficacy using two questionnaires: Memory Self‐Efficacy Questionnaire (MSEQ‐4) and the Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ). Participants were asked to complete various standardized cognitive tests: Alzheimer's Dementia Assessment Scale – Cognition (ADAS‐cog), Digit Span, Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Stroop and Trail Making Test. Participants also performed an associative memory task during an fMRI scan. High resolution T1 weighted structural imaging was obtained from a 3T SIEMENS scanner. Multivariate linear regression models were constructed for cognitive and brain health measures in relation to the memory self‐efficacy measures. Covariates of the models included age and current physical activity level.ResultsWe report that the MMQ subscale of Mistakes and Ability (MMQ‐A) was the strongest measure in accounting for variance after including covariates. The final model for ADAS‐cog accounted for 65% of the variance, with the MMQ‐A score accounting for 44%. For structural brain measures, total brain volume, white matter and grey matter volumes, the final model accounted for 70%, 98% and 13% for each of the listed measures, with MMQ‐A accounting for 52%, 63% and 9% respectively. Other measures of global memory self‐efficacy, MSEQ‐4 and MMQ subscale of feelings of contentment (MMQ‐C), were also seen to have correlations to ADAS scores and structural brain measures, but could not account for the same level of variance as the MMQ‐A.ConclusionBased on the results collected it appears that one's perceived self‐efficacy of memory mistakes and ability is associated with measures of cognition and brain health. Based on this data our research has the potential to progress into a longitudinal study of observing the relationship between changes in memory self‐efficacy and brain health and cognition, as well as progression to collaborative clinical studies in memory self‐efficacy modification for healthy aging.Support or Funding InformationFunding: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Development of mouse superior cervical ganglion during prenatal and postnatal stages.
Authors: Sato Iwao , Mitsuoka Kazuyuki , Miwa Yoko 
Published: June 2021

The neuropeptide calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) is a well‐characterized mediator of receptor‐regulated neurotransmitter release. However, little is known between CGRP during the development of the superior cervical ganglion (SCG). In the present study, we observed the localization of the CGRP mRNA using in situ hybridization during development from the embryonic stage to after birth day 14.5 (E14.5), E17.5 and postnatal day 1 (P1). The different ratio was found in SCG ganglion cells and shrunken cells. The antisense probe for CGRP was detected by in situ hybridization at E14.5, E17.5, and P1, and the highest levels of positive CGRP ganglion cells were detected at E17.5. The specific characters of CGRP concentration and release were occurred during development. The CGRP may influence the functional stress during prenatal and postnatal development.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.