Lower Mammals Research Articles

Tracking Lymphatic Drainage Pathways Through Inner Ear Channels: A Systematic Review.

The search for potential lymphatic routes through the cochlea, or membranous portions of the inner ear labyrinth, remains a significant challenge. Researchers often focus on lower mammals rather than humans to uncover these pathways. This review aims to delineate the speculated lymphatic routes within the inner ear to date. It follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, conducting a comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Crossref, and Google databases using the terms "inner ear" and "lymph." The problem, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) search strategy was employed, and analysis was performed using equation and scope metrics. Articles were screened and filtered using the CADIMA automation tool, resulting in 33 articles being reviewed, of which 23 were selected. Potential lymphatic drainage routes identified include the round window, oval window, scala tympani, spiral limbus, and lateral wall of the cochlea. The vestibular side of Reissner's membrane was noted as a key nodal point for lymphocytes within the inner ear. This review maps the proposed lymphatic networks in the inner ear and highlights existing gaps. It systematically gathers, evaluates, and synthesizes available evidence on the lymphatic pathways of the inner ear, offering valuable insights into their presence, structure, function, and clinical significance.

Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Activity of Cleome brachycarpa Ethanolic Extract in Lower Mammals and Effects on Blood and Liver Enzymes

Background: Cleome brachycarpa, magical species full of phytochemicals, has magical medicinal properties and should be evaluated extensively. Objectives: We evaluated the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Cleome brachycarpa and the effect of its extract on various hematological parameters, cholesterol levels, and liver enzymes to ensure the safe use of this natural product. Methods: Cleome brachycarpa was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects at 200 mg/kg compared to diclofenic sodium and morphine, respectively. For anti-inflammatory activity, Wistar strain albino rats were pooled and divided into four groups: Negative control (normal saline), positive control (2% acetic acid), standard (Diclofenic sodium 10 mg/kg), and test (Cleome brachycarpa extract orally) groups for 10 days. For analgesic evaluation, mice were divided into control (normal saline), standard (morphine 10 mg/kg), and test (Cleome brachycarpa extract 200 mg/kg) groups and analyzed by the tail-flick method from zero to six hours. An assortment of blood parameters was evaluated, including white cells, red cells, hemoglobin level, hematocrit value, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. Besides, we computed the number of platelets, cholesterol, and enzyme (liver) level to ensure the safe use of this natural product. For this purpose, 60 rabbits were collected and divided into groups: Group A (control group) of 30 rabbits pooled without any treatment and Group B (treated group) of 30 rabbits receiving 200 mg/kg of Cleome brachycarpa. After 30 days, 4 mL blood sample was obtained by cardiac puncture. Results: Plethysmometer evaluation of anti-inflammatory effects showed maximum inflammatory inhibition of 29.42% at the sixth hour. Moreover, tail flick analysis showed maximum pain inhibition of 55.10% at the sixth hour, comparable to the standard drug. Furthermore, hematological data were analyzed statistically and showed insignificant results (P ≥ 0.05), indicating no prominent changes in hematological parameters, except for SGPT, a liver enzyme that increased after 30 days of treatment (P ≤ 0.05). Elevated levels of SGPT are usually reported with several drug administrations like NSAIDs and anti-TB drugs, but still, it should be further investigated. Conclusions: Cleome brachycarpa showed promising anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects without producing any potent change in enzymes except SGPT, which would be evaluated further.

Overview of distributed acoustic sensing technology and recently acquired data sets

Fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a recent innovation utilized primarily in the seismic community for measuring seismic acoustics signals at low frequencies (single digit Hz and below). The technique utilizes strain rates in a fiber optic cable, observed via the backscatter of light pulses, to measure the acoustic field. Recently, the capabilities of this technology to measure higher frequency acoustic fields (10s to 100s of Hz) have been explored. Low frequency marine mammals calls at ∼20 Hz and ship noises have been successfully recorded, and a recent experiment demonstrated the capability to record up to ∼500 Hz. This talk provides an overview of DAS technology and introduces two recent experiments for studying water column acoustics with DAS. A 4-day experiment conducted in November 2020 as part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) provides data along two fiber optic cables extending west from the coast of Oregon by 65 km and 95 km, reaching depths of 590 m and 1575 m, respectively. DASCAL22, a recent experiment from October 2022, simultaneously recorded data using DAS at 2 kHz sampling rate on a cable extending 3.54km at ∼100 m depth and multiple moored hydrophones placed close to the DAS cable, allowing direct comparison between a new and existing technology.

New Yuomys rodents from southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau indicate low elevation during the Middle Eocene

Yuomysare medium-sized Hystricomorpha rodents. They are known for coming from areas of low elevation in China during the middle and late Eocene. Two newYuomyswere discovered from a locality near Xueshuo village in Litang County, Sichuan Province. The locality lies in the Gemusi pull-apart basin formed in the Litang Fault System (LTFS) in the Hengduan Mountains. The current average elevation is about 4200 m. One of the two newYuomysis larger and shows clear lophodont and unilateral hypsodont morphology, similar toYuomys yunnanensis, which was discovered as being from the early middle Eocene (Irdinmanhan, Asian Land Mammal Ages) in the Chake Basin of Jianshui County, Yunnan Province. The Chake Basin is one of the small pull-apart basins formed in the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang Fault system (XSH-XJF). The other newYuomysrodent is smaller, brachydont, and less lophodont than the larger new species. The small newYuomysis smaller than all knownYuomysexceptYuomys huheboerhensis, which is from the early middle Eocene Irdinmanhan of Inner Mongolia in Northern China. Given their narrow biochronological distribution and presumably preferred living environment, the occurrence ofYuomysin the pull-apart basins in LTFS and XSH-XJF suggests that the two deep fault systems probably started strike-slip movement by the early middle Eocene, about 49–45 million years ago. Well-studied middle Eocene mammalian faunas from Henan and Inner Mongolia includeYuomys, primates, and other low elevation forest mammals. We suggest that the two newYuomysspecies reported here probably also lived in a similar low elevation forest environment.

Human immunomodulatory ligand B7-1 mediates synaptic remodeling via the p75 neurotrophin receptor

Cell surface receptors, ligands, and adhesion molecules underlie development, circuit formation, and synaptic function of the central nervous system and represent important therapeutic targets for many neuropathologies. The functional contributions of interactions between cell surface proteins of neurons and nonneuronal cells have not been fully addressed. Using an unbiased protein-protein interaction screen, we showed that the human immunomodulatory ligand B7-1 (hB7-1) interacts with the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) and that the B7-1:p75NTR interaction is a recent evolutionary adaptation present in humans and other primates, but absent in mice, rats, and other lower mammals. The surface of hB7-1 that engages p75NTR overlaps with the hB7-1 surface involved in CTLA-4/CD28 recognition, and these molecules directly compete for binding to p75NTR. Soluble or membrane-bound hB7-1 altered dendritic morphology of cultured hippocampal neurons, with loss of the postsynaptic protein PSD95 in a p75NTR-dependent manner. Abatacept, an FDA-approved therapeutic (CTLA-4-hFc fusion) inhibited these processes. In vivo injection of hB7-1 into the murine subiculum, a hippocampal region affected in Alzheimer's disease, resulted in p75NTR-dependent pruning of dendritic spines. Here, we report the biochemical interaction between B7-1 and p75NTR, describe biological effects on neuronal morphology, and identify a therapeutic opportunity for treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases.

Effect of All-trans Retinoic Acid on Panniculus Carnosus Muscle Regeneration in Fetal Mouse Wound Healing.

Background:The dermal panniculus carnosus (PC) muscle is critical for wound contraction in lower mammals and is a useful model of muscle regeneration owing to its high cellular metabolic turnover. During wound healing in mice, skin structures, including PC, are completely regenerated up to embryonic day (E) 13, but PC is only partially regenerated in fetuses or adult animals after E14. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying wound repair for complete regeneration in PC have not been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that retinoic acid (RA) signaling, which is involved in muscle differentiation, regulates PC regeneration.Methods:Surgical injury was induced in ICR mice on E13 and E14. RA receptor alpha (RARα) expression in tissue samples from embryos was evaluated using immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. To evaluate the effects of RA on PC regeneration, beads soaked in all-trans RA (ATRA) were implanted in E13 wounds, and tissues were observed. The effects of RA on myoblast migration were evaluated using a cell migration assay.Results:During wound healing, RARα expression was enhanced at the cut surface in PCs of E13 wounds but was attenuated at the cut edge of E14 PCs. Implantation of ATRA-containing beads inhibited PC regeneration on E13 in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment of myoblasts with ATRA inhibited cell migration.Conclusions:ATRA inhibits PC regeneration, and decreased RARα expression in wounds after E14 inhibits myoblast migration. Our findings may contribute to the development of therapies to promote complete wound regeneration, even in the muscle.

The Sialyl Lewis X Glycan Receptor Facilitates Infection of Subtype H7 Avian Influenza A Viruses.

Subtype H7 avian influenza A viruses (IAVs) are enzootic in wild aquatic birds and have caused sporadic spillovers into domestic poultry and humans. Here, we determined the distribution of fucosylated α2,3 sialoglycan (i.e., sialyl Lewis X [SLeX]) in chickens and five common dabbling duck species and the association between SLeX and cell/tissue/host tropisms of H7 IAVs. Receptor binding analyses showed that H7 IAVs bind to both α2,3-linked (SA2,3Gal) and α2,6-linked sialic acids (SA2,6Gal), but with a higher preference for SLeX; H7 IAVs replicated more efficiently in SLeX-overexpressed than SLeX-deficient MDCK cells. While chickens and all tested dabbling ducks expressed abundant SA2,3Gal and SA2,6Gal, SLeX was detected in both respiratory and gastrointestinal tissues of chickens and mallard ducks and in only the respiratory tissues of gadwall, green-wing teal, and northern shoveler but not in wood ducks. Viral-tissue binding assays showed that H7 IAVs bind to chicken colon crypt cells that express SLeX but fewer bind to mallard colon crypt cells, which do not express SLeX; H7 IAVs bind efficiently to epithelial cells of all tissues expressing SA2,3Gal. High viral replication was identified in both chickens and mallards infected with an H7 virus, regardless of SLeX expression, and viruses were detected in all cells to the same degree as viruses detected in the viral-tissue binding assays. In summary, this study suggests that SLeX facilitates infection of H7 viruses, but other types of SA2,3Gal glycan receptors shape the tissue/host tropisms of H7 IAVs. IMPORTANCE In addition to causing outbreaks in domestic poultry, subtype H7 IAVs can cause sporadic spillover infections in lower mammals and humans. In this study, we showed that SLeX expression varies among wild dabbling ducks. Although it facilitated virus binding and affected infection of H7 IAV in cells, SLeX expression is not the only determinant of viral replication at either the tissue or host level. This study suggested that access to heterologous SA2,3Gal glycan receptors, including fucosylated α2,3-linked sialoglycans, shape tissue and host tropism of H7 IAVs in aquatic wild birds.

Treadmill Training for Common Marmoset to Strengthen Corticospinal Connections After Thoracic Contusion Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to locomotor dysfunction. Locomotor rehabilitation promotes the recovery of stepping ability in lower mammals, but it has limited efficacy in humans with a severe SCI. To explain this discrepancy between different species, a nonhuman primate rehabilitation model with a severe SCI would be useful. In this study, we developed a rehabilitation model of paraplegia caused by a severe traumatic SCI in a nonhuman primate, common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). The locomotor rating scale for marmosets was developed to accurately assess the recovery of locomotor functions in marmosets. All animals showed flaccid paralysis of the hindlimb after a thoracic contusive SCI, but the trained group showed significant locomotor recovery. Kinematic analysis revealed significantly improved hindlimb stepping patterns in trained marmosets. Furthermore, intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the motor cortex evoked the hindlimb muscles in the trained group, suggesting the reconnection between supraspinal input and the lumbosacral network. Because rehabilitation may be combined with regenerative interventions such as medicine or cell therapy, this primate model can be used as a preclinical test of therapies that can be used in human clinical trials.

Carlina acaulis essential oil nanoemulsion as a new grain protectant against different developmental stages of three stored-product beetles.

Plant essential oils (EOs) represent eco-friendly alternatives to conventional insecticides for managing pest populations. Carlina acaulis root EO showed a wide insecticidal spectrum, being highly effective against insect pests and vectors, coupled with low mammal toxicity. To boost the chemico-physical properties of this EO and its main active ingredient, carlina oxide, C. acaulis EO was encapsulated in a nanoemulsion [NE, 6% EO (w/w)], and its insecticidal properties evaluated against larvae and adults of Tribolium castaneum, Tribolium confusum and Tenebrio molitor. Two NE concentrations (500 and 1000 ppm) were applied on stored wheat. Mortality was determined after 4, 8 and 16 h and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 days. The NE was toxic to larvae of T. castaneum and T. confusum, killing 93.9% and 98.9% at 1000 ppm after 7 days of exposure, respectively. Tenebrio molitor larvae were tolerant: only 18.9% were dead after 7 days of exposure on stored wheat treated with 1000 ppm NE. However, the NE exhibited high adulticidal activity leading to 85.2% mortality at 1000 ppm, 7 days post-exposure. The mortalities of T. confusum and T. castaneum adults were low (21.4% and 23.3% respectively) at 1000 ppm, 7 days post-exposure. A NE based on C. acaulis EO could be regarded as an efficacious green adulticide or larvicide, depending on the target insect species and its life stage, advancing and specifying the pest management strategies of the tested species in an eco-friendly way. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evolution Increases Primates Brain Complexity Extending RbFOX1 Splicing Activity to LSD1 Modulation.

Recent branching (100 MYA) of the mammalian evolutionary tree has enhanced brain complexity and functions at the putative cost of increased emotional circuitry vulnerability. Thus, to better understand psychopathology, a burden for the modern society, novel approaches should exploit evolutionary aspects of psychiatric-relevant molecular pathways. A handful of genes is nowadays tightly associated to psychiatric disorders. Among them, neuronal-enriched RbFOX1 modifies the activity of synaptic regulators in response to neuronal activity, keeping excitability within healthy domains. We here dissect a higher primates-restricted interaction between RbFOX1 and the transcriptional corepressor Lysine Specific Demethylase 1 (LSD1/KDM1A). A single nucleotide variation (AA to AG) in LSD1 gene appeared in higher primates and humans, endowing RbFOX1 with the ability to promote the alternative usage of a novel 3' AG splice site, which extends LSD1 exon E9 in the upstream intron (E9-long). Exon E9-long regulates LSD1 levels by Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay. As reintroduction of the archaic LSD1 variant (AA) abolishes E9-long splicing, the novel 3' AG splice site is necessary for RbFOX1 to control LSD1 levels. LSD1 is a homeostatic immediate early genes (IEGs) regulator playing a relevant part in environmental stress-response. In primates and humans, inclusion of LSD1 as RbFOX1 target provides RbFOX1 with the additional ability to regulate the IEGs. These data, together with extensive RbFOX1 involvement in psychiatric disorders and its stress-dependent regulation in male mice, suggest the RbFOX1-LSD1-IEGs axis as an evolutionary recent psychiatric-relevant pathway. Notably, outside the nervous system, RbFOX2-dependent LSD1 modulation could be a candidate deregulated mechanism in cancer.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To be better understood, anxiety and depression need large human genetics studies aimed at further resolving the often ambiguous, aberrant neuronal pathomechanisms that impact corticolimbic circuitry physiology. Several genetic associations of the alternative splicing regulator RbFOX1 with psychiatric conditions suggest homeostatic unbalance as a neuronal signature of psychopathology. Here we move a step forward, characterizing a disease-relevant higher primates-specific pathway by which RbFOX1 acquires the ability to regulate neuronal levels of Lysine Specific Demethylase 1, an epigenetic modulator of environmental stress response. Thus, two brain-enriched enzymes, independently shown to homeostatically protect neurons with a clear readout in terms of emotional behavior in lower mammals, establish in higher primates and humans a new functional cooperation enhancing the complexity of environmental adaptation and stress vulnerability.

Distribution and Abundance of Marine Mammals in the Estuarine Waters of the Piscataqua River, Maine, USA

The estuaries and tidal rivers of the Gulf of Maine have rarely been surveyed systematically for marine mammals. We report here on three years of survey data, 2017 to 2019. This study employed a shipboard visual line-transect methodology study design, collecting data on marine mammals in the lower Piscataqua River, which is confluent with the Gulf of Maine. Marine mammal species observed most often were harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus), with a resulting in-water density estimate of 1.02 seals/km2 and an abundance estimate of seven harbor seals and one gray seal (CV = 19.3%) in the survey area. Seals were present in all months of the year. No live pups were detected. Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) were also observed, but the sightings (6 harbor porpoises; 7 minke whales) did not yield enough data to estimate density or abundance. The minke whales were present during August and September 2018, concurrent with an influx of Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), a prey species. The consistent albeit relatively low marine mammal species sightings and abundances suggest that the lower Piscataqua River is used regularly by a relatively small number of harbor and gray seals, although not for pupping, and occasionally by harbor porpoises and by foraging minke whales. This is the first study of its kind in an estuarine environment in the Gulf of Maine.

Trypanosomatid Richness in Wild and Synanthropic Small Mammals from a Biological Station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Trypanosomatids are diverse and can infect several host species, including small mammals (rodents and marsupials). Between 2012 and 2014, 91 small mammals were surveyed for trypanosomatid infection in the Estação Biológica FIOCRUZ Mata Atlântica (EFMA), an Atlantic Forest area in Rio de Janeiro that presents different levels of conserved and degraded areas. Blood, skin, liver, and spleen samples were submitted to parasitological, serological, and molecular assays to detect the infection and determine the taxonomic status of their parasites. Sixty-eight individuals (74.7%; n = 91) were infected by trypanosomatids, including fourteen mixed infected by different trypanosomatid parasites. These hosts were infected by: T. cruzi DTU TcI (n = 12), T. cruzi DTU TcIV (n = 2), T. janseni (n = 15), T. dionisii (n = 1), and T. rangeli A (n = 1) detected in blood or tissue cultures, in addition to T. cruzi DTU TcI (n = 9) and Leishmania sp. (n = 1) only by the molecular diagnosis. Serological diagnosis was positive in 38 (71.6%) individuals for T. cruzi, the same amount for Leishmania spp., and 23 (43.3%) individuals were mixed infected. These data indicate a remarkable richness of trypanosomatid species/genotypes infecting small mammals, even in a disturbed area with low mammal species diversity—as is the case of the EFMA—reinforcing the generalist aspect of these parasites.

Host-Adaptive Signatures of H3N2 Influenza Virus in Canine.

Wild aquatic birds are the primary natural reservoir of influenza A viruses (IAVs), although a small number of viruses can spill over to mammals and circulate. The focus of IAV infection in mammals was largely limited to humans and swine variants, until the emergence of H3N2 canine influenza viruses (CIVs), which provides new perspective for interspecies transmission of the virus. In this study, we captured 54 canine-adaptive signatures in H3N2 CIVs through entropy computation, which were largely concentrated in the interaction region of polymerase proteins on ribonucleoprotein complex. The receiver operating characteristic curves of these sites showed >95% accuracy in distinguishing between the hosts. Nine of the 54 canine-adaptive signatures were shared in avian–human/equine or equine–canine (PB2-82; PB1-361; PA-277; HA-81, 111, 172, 196, 222, 489), suggesting their involvement in canine adaptation. Furthermore, we found that IAVs can establish persistent transmission in lower mammals with greater ease compared to higher mammals, and 25 common adaptation signatures of H3 IAVs were observed in diverse avian–mammals comparison. There were few human-like residues in H3N2 CIVs, which suggested a low risk of human infection. Our study highlights the necessity of identifying and monitoring the emerging adaptive mutations in companion animals by enhanced surveillance and provides a basis for mammal adaptation of avian influenza viruses.

Evolved changes in maternal care in high-altitude native deer mice.

At high altitude (HA), unremitting low oxygen and persistent cold push small mammals close to their metabolic ceilings, leaving limited scope for aerobically demanding activities. However, HA breeding seasons are relatively short and endemic rodents compensate with larger litters than low altitude (LA) conspecifics. Rodent mothers are the sole source of heat and nutrition for altricial offspring and lactation is energetically costly. Thus, it is unclear how HA females balance energy allocation during the nursing period. We hypothesized that HA female rodents invest heavily in each litter to ensure postnatal survival. We measured maternal energetic output and behaviour in nursing deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) native to LA (400 m a.s.l.) and HA (4350 m a.s.l.) under control (24°C, 760 mmHg) and cold hypoxia conditions, simulating HA (5°C, 430 mmHg). Strikingly, resting metabolic rates of lactating HA and LA females under cold hypoxia were 70-85% of their maximum aerobic capacity. In cold hypoxia, LA mothers increased both nursing time and milk fat content, however their pups were leaner and severely growth restricted at weaning. HA mothers also increased nursing in cold hypoxia but for far less time than LA mothers. Despite receiving less care, HA pups in cold hypoxia only experienced small growth restrictions at weaning and maintained body composition. As adults, HA mice raised in cold hypoxia had increased aerobic capacity compared to controls. These data suggest that HA mothers prioritize their own maintenance costs over investing heavily in their offspring. Pups compensate for this lack of care, likely by reducing their own metabolic costs during development.

Neuro-Ophthalmologic Hurdles in Whole-Eye Transplantation

Anatomical and functional successes have extended into the field of vascularized composite allotransplantation. However, the goal of whole-eye transplantation continues as an unfinished effort, primarily because of difficulties accomplishing optic nerve repair and regeneration. This review provides a summary of neuro-ophthalmological findings regarding eye donors and recipients, based on ocular function in donors and neurophysiological events known to occur in blind people. Experimental advances regarding regeneration of the optic nerve in lower mammals have demonstrated anatomical success, but little is known regarding functional capacity. Modern imaging and functional studies in patients with brain death and patients with blindness have provided useful information concerning possible scenarios in whole-eye transplantation. Some questions remain regarding the functionality of an eye in a hypothetical donor, as well as the ability of the recipient’s visual pathway to perform adequately. A multidisciplinary approach, involving both clinical and basic research, is necessary to address the challenges of whole-eye transplantation.

Insecticidal Activity of 25 Essential Oils on the Stored Product Pest, Sitophilus granarius.

The granary weevil Sitophilus granarius is a stored product pest found worldwide. Environmental damages, human health issues and the emergence of resistance are driving scientists to seeks alternatives to synthetic insecticides for its control. With low mammal toxicity and low persistence, essential oils are more and more being considered a potential alternative. In this study, we compare the toxicity of 25 essential oils, representing a large array of chemical compositions, on adult granary weevils. Bioassays indicated that Allium sativum was the most toxic essential oil, with the lowest calculated lethal concentration 90 (LC90) both after 24 h and 7 days. Gaultheria procumbens, Mentha arvensis and Eucalyptus dives oils appeared to have a good potential in terms of toxicity/cost ratio for further development of a plant-derived biocide. Low influence of exposure time was observed for most of essential oils. The methodology developed here offers the possibility to test a large array of essential oils in the same experimental bioassay and in a standardized way. It is a first step to the development of new biocide for alternative management strategies of stored product pests.

Rationale, Relevance, and Limits of Stress-Induced Psychopathology in Rodents as Models for Psychiatry Research: An Introductory Overview.

Emotional and cognitive information processing represent higher-order brain functions. They require coordinated interaction of specialized brain areas via a complex spatial and temporal equilibrium among neuronal cell-autonomous, circuitry, and network mechanisms. The delicate balance can be corrupted by stressful experiences, increasing the risk of developing psychopathologies in vulnerable individuals. Neuropsychiatric disorders affect twenty percent of the western world population, but therapies are still not effective for some patients. Elusive knowledge of molecular pathomechanisms and scarcity of objective biomarkers in humans present complex challenges, while the adoption of rodent models helps to improve our understanding of disease correlate and aids the search for novel pharmacological targets. Stress administration represents a strategy to induce, trace, and modify molecular and behavioral endophenotypes of mood disorders in animals. However, a mouse or rat model will only display one or a few endophenotypes of a specific human psychopathology, which cannot be in any case recapitulated as a whole. To override this issue, shared criteria have been adopted to deconstruct neuropsychiatric disorders, i.e., depression, into specific behavioral aspects, and inherent neurobiological substrates, also recognizable in lower mammals. In this work, we provide a rationale for rodent models of stress administration. In particular, comparing each rodent model with a real-life human traumatic experience, we intend to suggest an introductive guide to better comprehend and interpret these paradigms.

The panniculus carnosus muscle: A novel model of striated muscle regeneration that exhibits sex differences in the mdx mouse

The dermal striated muscle panniculus carnosus (PC), prevalent in lower mammals with remnants in humans, is highly regenerative, and whose function is purported to be linked to defence and shivering thermogenesis. Given the heterogeneity of responses of different muscles to disease, we set out to characterize the PC in wild-type and muscular dystrophic mdx mice. The mouse PC contained mainly fast-twitch type IIB myofibers showing body wide distribution. The PC exemplified heterogeneity in myofiber sizes and a prevalence of central nucleated fibres (CNFs), hallmarks of regeneration, in wild-type and mdx muscles, which increased with age. PC myofibers were hypertrophic in mdx compared to wild-type mice. Sexual dimorphism was apparent with a two-fold increase in CNFs in PC from male versus female mdx mice. To evaluate myogenic potential, PC muscle progenitors were isolated from 8-week old wild-type and mdx mice, grown and differentiated for 7-days. Myogenic profiling of PC-derived myocytes suggested that male mdx satellite cells (SCs) were more myogenic than female counterparts, independent of SC density in PC muscles. Muscle regenerative differences in the PC were associated with alterations in expression of calcium handling regulatory proteins. These studies highlight unique aspects of the PC muscle and its potential as a model to study mechanisms of striated muscle regeneration in health and disease.

An end-to-end approach for true detection of low frequency marine mammal vocalizations

Research into automated systems for detecting marine mammal vocalizations within acoustic recordings is expanding internationally due to the necessity to analyze large collections of data collected for passive acoustic monitoring. Recent work towards the development of such systems using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) shows great promise and these systems are capable of generalizing to additional species without having to re-train the entire network [1]. However, to the best of our knowledge, the current deep learning implementations do not perform what we refer to as true detection. Instead these systems are simply capable of determining the presence or absence of a vocalization within a spectrogram. In this work we present a CNN trained on spectrograms containing labelled bounding boxes around low-frequency vocalizations produced by several species of marine mammals. In this way, the CNN can precisely detect vocalizations in terms of both time and frequency, while maintaining the advantage of being generalizable to additional species. [1] M. Thomas, B. Martin, K. Kowarski, B. Gaudet, and S. Stan, Marine mammal species classification using convolutional neural networks and a novel acoustic representation, in ECML PKDD 2019 (Springer, Cham, 2019).Research into automated systems for detecting marine mammal vocalizations within acoustic recordings is expanding internationally due to the necessity to analyze large collections of data collected for passive acoustic monitoring. Recent work towards the development of such systems using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) shows great promise and these systems are capable of generalizing to additional species without having to re-train the entire network [1]. However, to the best of our knowledge, the current deep learning implementations do not perform what we refer to as true detection. Instead these systems are simply capable of determining the presence or absence of a vocalization within a spectrogram. In this work we present a CNN trained on spectrograms containing labelled bounding boxes around low-frequency vocalizations produced by several species of marine mammals. In this way, the CNN can precisely detect vocalizations in terms of both time and frequency, while maintaining the advantage of bein...

Using directional acoustics for mapping the spatial distribution of low frequency mammals

Long-term passive acoustic monitoring programs have been conducted over several years using directional acoustic recorders. The data from these recorders provide an indication of the direction to each detected signal, which includes calls from blue, fin, sei, and minke whales. The directional results provide new information on the spatial distribution of these animals, including the type of habitat by each species as well as the number of animals vocalizing in an area. Examples will be presented using data recorded at the edge of the Grand Banks as well as from a site off Savanah Ga in waters 800 m deep.Long-term passive acoustic monitoring programs have been conducted over several years using directional acoustic recorders. The data from these recorders provide an indication of the direction to each detected signal, which includes calls from blue, fin, sei, and minke whales. The directional results provide new information on the spatial distribution of these animals, including the type of habitat by each species as well as the number of animals vocalizing in an area. Examples will be presented using data recorded at the edge of the Grand Banks as well as from a site off Savanah Ga in waters 800 m deep.