Search

Abstract: Decomposition of plant material influences soil aggregation dynamics in ways that are still poorly understood, especially for Oxisols, in which oxides are believed to play a dominant role. In an incubation experiment, we investigated (i) the effect of plant material addition from selected monocot and dicot species on soil organic C (SOC), carbohydrate composition, fungal and total microbial biomass, and aggregation of an Oxisol; and (ii) the relationship among these properties and C mineralization patterns. The experiment was carried out at 25 °C for 180 d after addition of 11 plant materials (4 g C kg−1 soil) and a control (no plant material added). Mineralization of C during the incubation was described considering two pools of C (labile and non-labile) using a first-order plus linear fitting. Compared to the control, corn materials showed larger pentose input, greater mineralization rates for the non-labile C pool (k), greater soil pentose content (xylose + arabinose) and larger mean weight diameter of soil water-stable aggregates at 180 d of incubation. These effects were independent of changes in SOC content, suggesting that total C accrual and macroaggregation may be decoupled processes in this Oxisol. Our results support the hypothesis that the non-labile plant C pool contributes to the long-lasting stability of macroaggregates of this Oxisol and that this effect is mediated by plant and soil pentoses. We propose that plant pentose content and the decomposition rate of the slow pool (k) are useful parameters for the prediction of plant effects on aggregation dynamics of Oxisols and the selection of soil conservation practices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the absence of significant mechanical disturbance such as under permanent no-till (NT), crop type should be a prominent factor controlling soil organic C (SOC) pools. Microbial cell residues have been shown to be influenced by plant species and are believed to contribute significantly to soil organic matter formation. We performed a study to investigate the co-accumulation of microbial cell wall residues (glucosamine, GlcN and muramic acid, MurN) and organic C (total and particle-size fractions) in the surface layer (0- to 5-cm depth) of an Oxisol after 7 yr under NT, as affected by different crop types. SOC content associated with pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] was 20% and 18% higher than that with corn (Zea mays L.) or sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), respectively. The highest particulate organic C (POC) content in soil was also found under pigeon pea, which showed values 54, 46, and 48% higher than under corn, sunflower, and oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis Pers.), respectively. Changes in POC explained most of the variation in SOC. The positive impact of pigeon pea on POC and SOC was attributed to rapid decomposition of its residues, due to their low C/N ratio, followed by selective preservation of lignin-rich particulate organic matter. The accrual of POC was closely associated with the accumulation of fungal and bacterial cell wall residues. This may be due to preferential feeding of fungi and bacteria on recently deposited plant-derived C sources present in the form of particulate organic matter. This observation is consistent with a recent model suggesting that microbial residues play a greater role in the formation of SOC than previously considered. We emphasize that this effect was mediated by the accumulation of POC and influenced by crop type. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Dopamine may alter the phosphorylation state of DARPP-32 that plays a central role in the dopaminergic neurons biology. Studies have shown that DARPP-32/protein phosphatase 1 cascade is a major target for psychostimulants drugs. Methylphenidate is a psychostimulant that acts blocking the dopamine transporter has been used as an effective treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. We investigated if methylphenidate could alter DARPP-32 expression in five brain regions (striatum, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, cortex and cerebellum) in young and adult rats. Our results showed that methylphenidate treatment is able to alter DARPP-32 expression in rat brain. Acute methylphenidate treatment has reduced hippocampal DARPP-32 protein levels in old rats, while chronic methylphenidate treatment has decreased them in old rat hippocampus and young rat cerebellum. It was found an increased cortical expression after chronic methylphenidate administration in old rats. Our results provide the first experimental demonstration that methylphenidate induces changes in total DARPP-32 expression that are posology- and age-related in some rat brain areas, although further studies are needed to shed more light on the mechanisms behind these findings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience is the property of CMA Impact Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Methylphenidate (MPH) is frequently prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Psychostimulants can cause long-lasting neurochemical and behavioral adaptations. Here, we evaluated oxidative damage in the rat brain and the differential age-dependent response to MPH after acute and chronic exposure. We investigated the oxidative damage, assessed by the thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), and the protein carbonyl assays in cerebellum, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and cerebral cortex of young (25 days old) and adult (60 days old) male Wistar rats after acute and chronic exposure to MPH. Chronic MPH-treated young rats presented a dose-dependent increase in TBARS content and protein carbonyls formation in specific rat brain regions. In the acute exposure, only MPH highest dose increased lipid peroxidation in the hippocampus. No difference in protein carbonilation was observed among groups in all structures analyzed. In adult rats, we did not find oxidative damage in both acute and chronic treatment. Chronic exposure to MPH in induces oxidative damage in young rat brain, differentially from chronic exposure during adulthood. These findings highlight the need for further research to improve understanding of MPH effects on developing nervous system and the potential consequences in adulthood resulting from early-life drug exposure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Critical illness survivors present long-term cognitive impairment, including problems with memory and learning. We evaluated cognitive performance in rats that survived from sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP).Design: Prospective, controlled experiment.Setting: Animal basic science laboratory.Subjects: Male Wistar rats, weighing 300-350 g.Interventions: The rats underwent CLP (sepsis group) with "basic support" (saline at 50 mL/kg immediately and 12 hrs after CLP plus ceftriaxone at 30 mg/kg and clindamycin at 25 mg/kg 6, 12, and 18 hrs after CLP) or sham-operated (control group).Measurements and Main Results: Ten days after surgery, the animals underwent three behavioral tasks: a) inhibitory avoidance task; b) habituation to an open field; and c) continuous multiple-trials step-down inhibitory avoidance task (CMSIA). In the habituation to an open-field task, there were no differences in the number of crossings and rearings. The sepsis group showed significantly decreased performance in latency retention compared with the sham group in inhibitory avoidance. Furthermore, when tested by the habituation to an open-field task, the sepsis group did not show any difference between training and test, indicating memory impairment. In the CMSIA, the sepsis group showed a significant increase in the number of training trials required to reach the acquisition criterion.Conclusion: Our data provide the first experimental demonstration that survivors from CLP show learning and memory impairment after complete physical recovery from sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Methylphenidate hydrochloride is the most widely used medication for treatment and management of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, the chronic effects of methylphenidate hydrochloride on anxiety- and depressive-like rat behaviors remain poorly investigated. In this context, the present study evaluated the effects of treatment with methylphenidate hydrochloride on anxiety-and depressive-like behaviors using young and adult rats during the light and the dark cycle. Method: Male Wistar rats (25 or 60 days old) received a once-daily (in either the light or dark cycle) methylphenidate hydrochloride (2mg/kg) or saline intraperitoneal injection for 28 days. We performed elevated plus maze and forced swimming test two hours after the last injection. Results: The light/dark cycle was a significant factor in the anxiety-like behaviors; however, no significant interaction between all three factors (cycle, age and methylphenidate hydrochloride) was found. Nevertheless, we observed a nominally significant interaction between the light/dark cycle and age in the forced swimming test. Conclusion: Our results have shown that age and the light/dark cycle are more significant modulators of anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors than methylphenidate hydrochloride treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Previous studies have suggested that reactive oxygen species (ROS) production may play a role in the pathophysiology of many neuropsychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SCZ). In addition, there is an emerging body of data indicating that BD and SCZ may be associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. We studied the effects of acute and chronic d-amphetamine on ROS production in submitochondrial particles of rat brain. Male Wistar rats were divided in two experimental groups: acute and chronic treatment. In the acute treatment, rats received one single IP injection of d-amphetamine (1, 2 or 4 mg/kg) or saline (control group). In the chronic treatment, rats received one daily IP injection of d-amphetamine (1, 2 or 4 mg/kg) or saline for 7 days. Locomotor activity was assessed with the open field task, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and superoxide production were measured in submitochondrial particles of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Both acute and chronic amphetamine treatment increased locomotor behavior. Chronic amphetamine exposure induced a 3- to 6-fold increase of TBARS and a 1.5- to 2-fold increase of superoxide production in submitochondrial particles of prefrontal cortex and hippocampus (P < 0.05). No effects on superoxide or TBARS were observed with acute treatment. These findings suggest that amphetamine-induced mitochondrial ROS generation may be a useful model to investigate the hypothesis of altered brain energy metabolism associated with BD and SCZ. Further studies assessing the effects of mood stabilizers and antipsychotics in preventing mitochondrial oxidative stress are necessary. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• N 2 O and CH 4 emissions were greater in SPS than in MONO. • N 2 O and CH 4 emissions were greater in rainy season compared with dry season. • Urine was the most relevant N 2 O and NH 3 source. • NH 3 emissions were greater in dry season and in MONO than in SPS. • N 2 O, CH 4 and NH 3 emission factors were lower than the IPCC default estimates. We quantified nitrous oxide (N 2 O), methane (CH 4), and ammonia (NH 3) emissions from cattle urine and dung patches on Brachiaria decumbens growing in a long-term silvopasture (SPS) or in monoculture (MONO) during the annual rainy and dry periods in southwest Brazil. We hypothesized that microenvironmental changes triggered by dense shade and litter, provided by trees, and pasture quality in SPS would affect greenhouse gas emissions from cattle excreta. Two field trials (rainy and dry season) were carried out using manual closed static chambers in a 3 × 2 factorial scheme, corresponding to three excreta types (urine, dung, and control without excreta) and two pasture systems (SPS and MONO), in a block design with three blocks and two replicates per block (n = 6 per treatment). Generally, N 2 O and CH 4 fluxes were higher in SPS than in MONO. Notably, N losses in the form of N 2 O did not exceed 0.10 %, except for N 2 O emissions from urine deposited during the rainy season in SPS (0.39 % of applied N). Cattle dung was also a source of CH 4. The highest fluxes were observed under SPS during the rainy season, but emissions were generally low, with emission rates < 0.1 kg CH 4 head−1 yr−1. The highest N losses by NH 3 volatilization were observed for urine under MONO, amounting to 8.3 % of total N applied during the rainy season and 17.1 % during the dry season. Our results demonstrate that N 2 O, CH 4 , and NH 3 emissions from cattle are influenced by pasture system, excreta type, and season. N 2 O and CH 4 emissions increase in long-term SPS, while NH 3 losses reduce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Methylphenidate hydrochloride is the most widely used medication for treatment and management of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, the chronic effects of methylphenidate hydrochloride on anxiety- and depressive-like rat behaviors remain poorly investigated. In this context, the present study evaluated the effects of treatment with methylphenidate hydrochloride on anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors using young and adult rats during the light and the dark cycle., Method: Male Wistar rats (25 or 60 days old) received a once-daily (in either the light or dark cycle) methylphenidate hydrochloride (2mg/kg) or saline intraperitoneal injection for 28 days. We performed elevated plus maze and forced swimming test two hours after the last injection., Results: The light/dark cycle was a significant factor in the anxiety-like behaviors; however, no significant interaction between all three factors (cycle, age and methylphenidate hydrochloride) was found. Nevertheless, we observed a nominally significant interaction between the light/ dark cycle and age in the forced swimming test., Conclusion: Our results have shown that age and the light/dark cycle are more significant modulators of anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors than methylphenidate hydrochloride treatment.

Several species of Passiflora have been employed widely as a folk medicine because of sedative and tranquillizer activities. In this study, we evaluate the effects on anxiety and memory process of two popularly used Passiflora species. To this aim, male Wistar rats (weighing 250-300 g) were intraperitoneally injected with the aqueous extract of Passiflora alata or Passiflora edulis (25, 50, 100, or 150 mg/kg; single injection) 30 minutes prior to the elevated plus-maze test, inhibitory avoidance test, or habituation to an open-field apparatus. The effects of both species of Passiflora were compared with that of diazepam (1 mg/kg), a standard anxiolytic drug. Our findings revealed that, similar to diazepam, the treatment with P. alata (100 and 150 mg/kg) and P. edulis (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg) induced anxiolytic-like effects in rats. Memory was not affected by the treatment with any dose of P. alata or P. edulis, but diazepam disrupted memory process in rats. Phytochemical analysis showed that the content of flavonoids of the aqueous extract of P. edulis is almost twice that of P. alata. These differences in contents of flavonoids could explain the lower active doses of the aqueous extract of P. edulis in inducing anxiolytic-like effects compared to P. alata. In conclusion, our findings suggest that, distinct from diazepam, the aqueous extract of both species of Passiflora induced anxiolytic-like effects in rats without disrupting memory process.

Extensive evidence from animal and human studies has shown that memory formation is enhanced by an endogenous modulatory system mediated by stress hormones and activation of the amygdala. This system is an evolutionarily adaptive method of enhancing important memories. Under emotional stress, this system is activated promoting the formation of vivid, long lasting traumatic memories, which are the hallmark of PTSD. The understanding of the mechanisms underlying memory modulation might lead to an improved ability to assess and treat PTSD.