Significant Changes In Movement Research Articles

Evaluation of three different 99mTc-based mock-venom agents for lymphoscintigraphy studies in preclinical models of peripheral snakebite envenomation

Snakebite envenomation is one of the major public health concerns across many countries; with the WHO designating it as a ‘priority neglected tropical disease’ and stressing for a need to develop novel therapeutic strategies to reduce death and disability rate by end of 2030. Since a major component of venom; the high molecular weight (HMw) toxins enter the bloodstream through lymphatic system, research is focusing on modulating the lymphatic flow rate after topical application of suitable drug candidates. Present study compared the suitability of three radiopharmaceutical agents, namely 99mTc-Sulfur colloid (SC), 99mTc-Phytate (Phy) and 99mTc-Human serum albumin (HSA), to be used as mock-venom agent in studying modulation in lymphatic flow rate in preclinical models of peripheral snakebite envenomation using lymphoscintigraphy studies. The study was performed in 72 Sprague Dawley rats; divided into six groups of 12 rats each. Control groups were given intradermal injection (1.29–1.48 MBq in 100 μl normal saline) of either 99mTc-Phy/ 99mTc-SC/ 99mTc-HSA into the tail as ‘mock-venom’. In respective test groups, commercially available topical formulation (Anobliss® Cream) containing Nifedipine (Nif; 0.3% w/w) and Lidocaine (Lid; 1.5% w/w) was applied topically over the animals' lower body (tail and hind limbs) immediately within 20s of administering intradermal injection of the radiopharmaceutical. Any modulation in lymph transit time from periphery to systemic circulation was assessed using lymphoscintigraphy by taking dynamic gamma-scintigraphy images of 60s each till 1 h post-injection of the test radiopharmaceuticals. Significant difference in movement of the three radiopharmaceuticals was noted in terms of their lymphatic movement. 99mTc-Phy did not show significant travel through the lymphatics and the liver was faintly visualized in control as well as test intervention groups. In case of 99mTc-SC, significant changes in movement of the radiotracer after topical application of Nif/Lid in the test intervention groups were clearly noted in comparison to control (P < 0.05). Multiple numbers of lymph nodes (LNs) could be clearly visualized in control (5 ± 1 LNs) and test intervention groups (3 ± 1 LNs). Liver uptake was more prominent in control animals and it reduced significantly in test intervention groups. On the other hand, 99mTc-HSA showed lesser number of lymph nodes and higher accumulation in liver as compared to 99mTc-SC, suggesting very fast movement of this radiopharmaceutical. Results indicates that 99mTc-SC could be used as a suitable agent to mimic lymphatic transit behavior of HMw toxin components of snake venom and could therefore be used as a model in studying the effect of any test pharmacological intervention in modulating lymphatic transit rate. Additional advantage could be a significant reduction in the need for sacrificing large number of animals, particularly during initial screening phase of drug development cycle.

Spatiotemporal dynamics and Turing patterns in an eco-epidemiological model with cannibalism

In this work, we have studied the spatiotemporal dynamics and pattern formation in an eco-epidemiological model with cannibalism, which are not explored in the existing literature. Cannibalism is a process of killing and consuming the full or a part of an individual of the same species (conspecifics). A cannibalistic reaction–diffusion system is proposed and analyzed. In order to observe the change in system stability, we have investigated local and global asymptotic stability for the constant positive steady state. The existence of Hopf bifurcation and Turing instability are proved to understand the change in the system dynamics and to observe the species movement. Numerical simulation is performed to observe spatiotemporal dynamics and formation of Turing patterns. The existence of Hopf bifurcation is verified numerically in the spatiotemporal system It is observed that cannibalism stabilizes the temporal system, which is shown by bifurcation diagrams, phase portraits and time-series plots. Moreover, its increased cost promotes the occurrence of Turing patterns in the spatiotemporal system (i.e., checked numerically that for an increased cost of cannibalism, Turing instability holds). The movement of prey population also plays an important role in forming Turing patterns, as a significant change in movement results in various types of interesting two-dimensional Turing patterns such as hot-spot, stripe and labyrinth patterns. We see that both predator species show the same species distribution arrangements under cannibalistic pressure. Hence cannibalism can be seen as an essential factor for the significant change in spatiotemporal dynamics and species distribution arrangement.

Mediodorsal Thalamus Contributes to the Timing of Instrumental Actions.

The perception of time is critical to adaptive behavior. While prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia have been implicated in interval timing in the seconds to minutes range, little is known about the role of the mediodorsal thalamus (MD), which is a key component of the limbic cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loop. In this study, we tested the role of the MD in timing, using an operant temporal production task in male mice. In this task, that the expected timing of available rewards is indicated by lever pressing. Inactivation of the MD with muscimol produced rightward shifts in peak pressing on probe trials as well as increases in peak spread, thus significantly altering both temporal accuracy and precision. Optogenetic inhibition of glutamatergic projection neurons in the MD also resulted in similar changes in timing. The observed effects were found to be independent of significant changes in movement. Our findings suggest that the MD is a critical component of the neural circuit for interval timing, without playing a direct role in regulating ongoing performance.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The mediodorsal nucleus (MD) of the thalamus is strongly connected with the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, areas which have been implicated in interval timing. Previous work has shown that the MD contributes to working memory and learning of action-outcome contingencies, but its role in behavioral timing is poorly understood. Using an operant temporal production task, we showed that inactivation of the MD significantly impaired timing behavior.

Health eRide: Outcomes of a Pilot Program Leveraging Principles of Gamification and SMS Messaging to Help Veterans Self-Manage Chronic Pain

Background: Chronic pain creates a significant public health burden and disproportionately affects veterans. Over 56% of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) veterans have a diagnosis of chronic pain. The frequency and extent of pain, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and the co-occurrence of all three conditions (post-deployment multi-symptom disorder, PMD) can complicate and reduce the effectiveness of traditional treatments for pain. Taken in combination with the opioid crisis in the United States, there is an urgent need for innovative and integrative approaches to non-medical pain management. However, readiness to engage in pain self-management varies. Objective: The objective of this Phase I pilot was to design, develop, and establish the feasibility of a theoretically-grounded, mobile-optimized, interactive pain self-management intervention for veterans that leverages principles of gamification. Methods: The development of Health eRide: Your Journey to Managing Pain included extensive end-user input including a veteran advisory panel (n=5), formative focus groups (n=20), and iterative usability testing (n=20). Health eRide is tailored not only to veterans’ preference for pain self-management strategies but also their readiness to adopt those strategies as measured by a Transtheoretical Model-based stage of change assessment. The program incorporates core components of promising treatments for PMD by intervening on sleep hygiene and stress management. Health eRide includes (1) an online computer-tailored intervention that provides tailored behavior change guidance and (2) an individually tailored subway-themed “map” of their pain management journey. Stops along the map include stage-based interactive activities designed to further users along in their journey to self-managing pain. The program also included optional text messaging and a Facebook page. A pilot study with a 30-day follow-up was conducted with 69 veterans (81% male, 58% Caucasian, average age=50) to examine the acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of Health eRide. Users completed stage of change algorithms and pain rating scales at baseline and follow-up and completed a measure of acceptability and the System Usability Scale (SUS) at follow-up. Results: A total of 44 veterans (64%) completed the follow-up assessment (no significant differences on baseline demographics between those who completed the follow-up assessment and those who did not). The mean rating of acceptability for Health eRide was 3.20 on a 4 point scale, indicating that users found the program useful, informative, reliable, and easy to navigate. Likewise, the mean score on the SUS was 65.4, indicating the program meets standards for usability. The results show significant changes in movement to readiness to adopt strategies to self-manage pain (54.5% at baseline vs 79.5% at follow-up, P=.007) and effectively manage stress (50% vs 88.6%, P<.001). While there was movement to readiness to adopt healthy sleep habits (25% vs 38.6%), the change was not significant. There were significant improvements in ratings of pain: “How would you rate your pain right now?” (partial η2=.205, P=.002) and “How would you rate your usual pain in the last week?” (partial η2=.378, P<.001). Conclusions: Findings provide encouraging evidence of the acceptability and effectiveness of incorporating principles of gamification into a theoretically grounded intervention for veterans at all levels of readiness for self-managing chronic pain.

Response of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) to seasonal changes in rainfall.

The factors that trigger sudden, seasonal movements of elephants are uncertain. We hypothesized that savannah elephant movements at the end of the dry season may be a response to their detection of distant thunderstorms. Nine elephants carrying Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers were tracked over seven years in the extremely dry and rugged region of northwestern Namibia. The transition date from dry to wet season conditions was determined annually from surface- and satellite-derived rainfall. The distance, location, and timing of rain events relative to the elephants were determined using the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite precipitation observations. Behavioral Change Point Analysis (BCPA) was applied to four of these seven years demonstrating a response in movement of these elephants to intra- and inter-seasonal occurrences of rainfall. Statistically significant changes in movement were found prior to or near the time of onset of the wet season and before the occurrence of wet episodes within the dry season, although the characteristics of the movement changes are not consistent between elephants and years. Elephants in overlapping ranges, but following separate tracks, exhibited statistically valid non-random near-simultaneous changes in movements when rainfall was occurring more than 100 km from their location. While the environmental trigger that causes these excursions remains uncertain, rain-system generated infrasound, which can travel such distances and be detected by elephants, is a possible trigger for such changes in movement.

Segmental mobility, disc height and patient-reported outcomes after surgery for degenerative disc disease

This prospective multicentre study was undertaken to determine segmental movement, disc height and sagittal alignment after total disc replacement (TDR) in the lumbosacral spine and to assess the correlation of biomechanical properties to clinical outcomes.A total of 173 patients with degenerative disc disease and low back pain for more than one year were randomised to receive either TDR or multidisciplinary rehabilitation (MDR). Segmental movement in the sagittal plane and disc height were measured using distortion compensated roentgen analysis (DCRA) comparing radiographs in active flexion and extension. Correlation analysis between the range of movement or disc height and patient-reported outcomes was performed in both groups. After two years, no significant change in movement in the sagittal plane was found in segments with TDR or between the two treatment groups. It remained the same or increased slightly in untreated segments in the TDR group and in this group there was a significant increase in disc height in the operated segments. There was no correlation between segmental movement or disc height and patient-reported outcomes in either group.In this study, insertion of an intervertebral disc prosthesis TDR did not increase movement in the sagittal plane and segmental movement did not correlate with patient-reported outcomes. This suggests that in the lumbar spine the movement preserving properties of TDR are not major determinants of clinical outcomes.

Effects of localization and intensity of experimental muscle pain on ankle joint proprioception

Accurate proprioceptive input is a prerequisite for balance control and coordination of movement. The present study investigated whether experimental muscle pain induced in healthy human subjects disturbed movement sense (detection of movement) or position sense (recognition of a reference position). Muscle pain was produced by infusion of 6% hypertonic saline simultaneously in m. tibialis anterior (TA) and m. soleus (experiment 1), by infusion of 6% hypertonic saline in TA (experiment 2) and by infusion of 9% hypertonic saline in TA (experiment 3). Control measurements were done with infusions of 0.9% isotonic saline. All infusions of 6% and 9% saline produced pain intensities significantly higher than the corresponding control infusions. Only infusion of 6% saline in two muscles (visual analogue scale=4–5) produced an elevation in movement detection thresholds which was significantly higher, compared with before infusion. No other significant changes in movement and position sense were found during the painful or control infusions. Pain of relatively high intensity in two antagonist muscles is necessary to disturb the movement detection threshold. The ability to recognize a reference position is not disturbed by experimentally induced muscle pain. Whether the disturbed movement sense is caused by sensitivity changes in muscle spindle afferents or altered processing of proprioceptive input cannot be answered. The present findings indicate that human ankle proprioception is rather robust to muscle pain. Copyright 2002 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Study of Movement, Home Range, and Winter Behavior of Desmognathus fuscus (Rafinesque)

In Preble County, Ohio, 36 Desmognathus fuscus were tagged subcutaneously with Co6o and monitored between April 1969 and June 1970. Between April and November 1969 salamanders had an average home range of 1.4 m2 (0.1 m2-3.6 m2). Average weekly movement during this period was 0.49 m (0.3 m-10.2 m). No significant changes in movement were noted when the salamanders were monitored at 24 hr intervals. Salamanders began to move into winter retreats when the stream temperature dropped below 7.0 C. Within these retreats as many as 15 salamanders were found within an area of 30.0cm2. All salamanders were active and feeding through the winter. In April 1970 5 gravid D. fuscus were radioactively tagged and their movements monitored but the data obtained were inconclusive regarding nesting behavior.