Search results for "flex"

Spinal plasticity with motor imagery practice.

2019

KEY POINTS: While a consensus has now been reached on the effect of motor imagery (MI) – the mental simulation of an action – on motor cortical areas, less is known about its impact on spinal structures. The current study, using H‐reflex conditioning paradigms, examined the effect of a 20 min MI practice on several spinal mechanisms of the plantar flexor muscles. We observed modulations of spinal presynaptic circuitry while imagining, which was even more pronounced following an acute session of MI practice. We suggested that the small cortical output generated during MI may reach specific spinal circuits and that repeating MI may increase the sensitivity of the spinal cord to its effects. T…

Early Cognitive Training Rescues Remote Spatial Memory but Reduces Cognitive Flexibility in Alzheimer’s Disease Mice

2020

Background: Spatial memory dysfunction has been demonstrated in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) which is consistent with the clinical finding that the early signature of AD includes difficulties in the formation and/or storage of a memory. A stored memory—a long term memory—can be modulated via process called as memory retrieval that can either lead toward memory reconsolidation or even memory extinction. Objective: We aim to shed light on the fate of the spatial memory during memory reactivation and memory extinction using a water maze task. Methods: In Set-up I, we trained 3-month-old mice (wild-type mice and mice with cerebral β-amyloidosis) and assessed the fate of remote memor…

Molecular characterisation of quinolone-resistant Shigella strains isolated in Tehran, Iran.

2016

Over the past few years, the number of Shigella strains resistant to nalidixic acid has increased and has made the selection of effective antimicrobial therapy more difficult. The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of quinolone resistance in Shigella strains. Shigella strains isolated from 1100 diarrhoeal patients in Tehran, Iran, were assessed for their susceptibility to nalidixic acid prior to PCR-RFLP and sequence analysis of their quinolone resistance genes. Among 73 Shigella strains isolated, 23 (31.5%) were resistant to nalidixic acid. The most common Shigella spp. was Shigella sonnei (54; 74.0%). Of the 23 quinolone-resistant isolates, 4 (17.4%) (includi…

Vertical root fracture resistance of simulated immature permanent teeth filled with MTA using different vehicles

2017

Background The aim of the study is to evaluate the resistance vertical root fracture (VRF) of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) filled-immature permanent roots by using three different vehicles. Material and Methods Forty-extracted human single-rooted mandibular premolars were selected and the root length was standardized to the length of 9 mm. For simulation of immature tooth apices, peeso reamers were introduced into the root canals and the prepared roots were assigned into three experimental groups according the used vehicle (distilled water-DW, prophylene glycol-PG, chlorhexidine-CHX) and control group (n=10). To simulate a periodontal membrane, the apical 7 mm of all roots was covered w…

Evaluating the stability of pharmacophore features using molecular dynamics simulations.

2016

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations of twelve protein—ligand systems were used to derive a single, structure based pharmacophore model for each system. These merged models combine the information from the initial experimental structure and from all snapshots saved during the simulation. We compared the merged pharmacophore models with the corresponding PDB pharmacophore models, i.e., the static models generated from an experimental structure in the usual manner. The frequency of individual features, of feature types and the occurrence of features not present in the static model derived from the experimental structure were analyzed. We observed both pharmacophore features not visible in …

Active behaviour during early development shapes glucocorticoid reactivity.

2019

AbstractGlucocorticoids are the final effectors of the stress axis, with numerous targets in the central nervous system and the periphery. They are essential for adaptation, yet currently it is unclear how early life events program the glucocorticoid response to stress. Here we provide evidence that involuntary swimming at early developmental stages can reconfigure the cortisol response to homotypic and heterotypic stress in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio), also reducing startle reactivity and increasing spontaneous activity as well as energy efficiency during active behaviour. Collectively, these data identify a role of the genetically malleable zebrafish for linking early life stress with …

Microbial community composition but not diversity changes along succession in arctic sand dunes

2017

The generality of increasing diversity of fungi and bacteria across arctic sand dune succession was tested. Microbial communities were examined by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes (bacteria) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions (fungi). We studied four microbial compartments (inside leaf, inside root, rhizosphere and bulk soil) and characterized microbes associated with a single plant species (Deschampsia flexuosa) across two sand dune successional stages (early and late). Bacterial richness increased across succession in bulk soil and leaf endosphere. In contrast, soil fungal richness remained constant while root endosphere fungal richness increased across succession. …

Contrasting coping styles meet the wall: A dopamine driven dichotomy in behavior and cognition

2017

Individual variation in the ability to modify previously learned behaviour is an important dimension of trait correlations referred to as coping styles, behavioral syndromes or personality. These trait clusters have been shaped by natural selection, and underlying control mechanisms are often conserved throughout vertebrate evolution. In teleost fishes, behavioral flexibility and coping style have been studied in the high (HR) and low-responsive (LR) rainbow trout lines. Generally, proactive LR trout show a behaviour guided by previously learned routines, while HR trout show a more flexible behaviour relying on environmental cues. In mammals, routine dependent vs flexible behavior has been …

Determinants for Tight and Selective Binding of a Medicinal Dicarbene Gold(I) Complex to a Telomeric DNA G-Quadruplex: a Joint ESI MS and XRD Investi…

2016

International audience; The dicarbene gold(I) complex [Au(9-methylcaffein-8-ylidene)(2)]BF4 is an exceptional organometallic compound of profound interest as a prospective anticancer agent. This gold(I) complex was previously reported to be highly cytotoxic toward various cancer cell lines invitro and behaves as a selective G-quadruplex stabilizer. Interactions of the gold complex with various telomeric DNA models have been analyzed by a combined ESI MS and X-ray diffraction (XRD) approach. ESI MS measurements confirmed formation of stable adducts between the intact gold(I) complex and Tel 23 DNA sequence. The crystal structure of the adduct formed between [Au(9-methylcaffein-8-ylidene)(2)]…

2018

Objectives: To evaluate the function of the oculomotor and vestibular systems and to correlate these findings with the clinical status of patients with Gaucher disease type 3 (GD3). The goal of this cross-sectional and longitudinal study was to find oculomotor biomarkers for future clinical trials. Methods: Twenty-six patients with GD3 were assessed for eligibility and 21 were able to perform at least one task. Horizontal and vertical reflexive saccades, smooth pursuit, gaze-holding, optokinetic nystagmus, and horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) were examined by video-oculography/video-head impulse test and compared concurrently with 33 healthy controls. The Scale for the Assessment an…