Role of the central nucleus of the amygdala in regulating the nongenomic effect of aldosterone on sodium intake in rat nucleus tractus solitarius / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To reveal the nongenomic effect of aldosterone on the regulation of sodium intake in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and the role of central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in regulating this effect.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Adult male SD rats were divided into four groups and underwent operations to induce bilateral CeA electrolytic lesions (400 μA, 25 s; =28), bilateral sham CeA lesions (=28), unilateral CeA lesions (=28), or unilateral sham CeA lesions (=26). After 3 days of recovery, the rats received implantation of a stainless steel 23-gauge cannula wih two tubes into the NTS followed by a recovery period of 7 days. The rats in each group were then divided into two subgroups for microinjection of aldosterone (50 ng/μL) or control solution in the NTS, and the cumulative intake within 30 min of 0.3 mol/L NaCl solution was recorded for each rat.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Bilateral CeA lesions (3 days) eliminated the increased 0.3 mol/L NaCl intake induced by aldosterone microinjected into the NTS (0.3±0.04 mL in CeA lesion group 1.3±0.3 mL in sham lesion group). Unilateral CeA lesion (3 days) reduced aldosterone-induced increase of NaCl intake in the first 15 min ( < 0.05) but not in 15-30 min ( > 0.05). In rats with sham lesions, aldosterone (50 ng/μL) still induced a significant increase in NaCl intake[1.3±0.3 mL 0.25±0.02 mL in the control group; F (3, 224)=24.0, < 0.05].</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The regulation of sodium intake by aldosterone is subjected to descending facilitatory modulation by the bilateral CeA, and CeA integrity is essential for aldosterone to execute the nongenomic effect in regulating rapid sodium intake.</p>

Fibroblast growth factor-1 inhibits Wnt/β-catenin pathway during adipogenesis / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To determine the time course and potential mechanism of fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) in the regulation of adipogenesis.
@*METHODS@#We cultured human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS) pre-adipocytes with recombinant FGF-1 and harvested cells at various stages prior to and during differentiation; at cell proliferation (D-3), confluence (D0), early (D3), middle (D7) and mature (D14) stages of differentiation. We determined lipid accumulation in mature adipocytes by morphological observation and quantitative measurement of oil red O staining. We also examined the expression of adipogenic genes and related markers involved in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway using quantitative Real-time PCR and Western blot.
@*RESULTS@#Compared to control SGBS cells, treatment with FGF-1 increased lipid accumulation; induced a sustained increase in the mRNA for peroxisome proliferater-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), adiponectin and glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4); and promoted a sustained decrease in expression of markers of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, β-catenin and transcription factor 4 (TCF4).
@*CONCLUSION@#The adipogenic effects of FGF-1 are apparent throughout the whole priming and differentiation period in human SGBS pre-adipocytes. Furthermore, our results suggest that FGF-1 
promotes adipogenesis, at least in part, via a sustained decrease in activity of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

µ-opioid receptors in the central nucleus of the amygdala regulate food rather than water intake in rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of µ-opioid receptors (µ-ORs) in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) on feeding and drinking behaviors in rats and evaluate the role of glutamate signaling in opioid-mediated ingestive behaviors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Stainless steel cannulas were implanted in the unilateral CeA for microinjection of different doses of the selective µ-OR agonist DAMGO in satiated or water-deprived male SD rats. The subsequent food intake or water intake of the rats was measured at 60, 120, and 240 min after the injection. The rats receiving microinjections of naloxone (NTX, a nonselective opioid antagonist) or D-AP-5 (a selective N-methyl-D-aspartic acid-type glutamate receptor antagonist) prior to DAMGO microinjection were tested for food intake at 60, 120, and 240 min after the injections.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Injections of DAMGO (1-4 nmol in 0.5 µl) into the CeA significantly increased food intake in satiated rats, but did not affect water intake in rats with water deprivation. NTX (26.5 nmol in 0.5 µl) injected into the CeA antagonized DAMGO-induced feeding but D-AP-5 (6.3-25.4 nmol in 0.5 µl) injections did not produce such an effect.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>µ-ORs in the CeA regulate food intake rather than water intake in rats, and the orexigenic role of µ-ORs is not dependent on the activation of the NMDA receptors in the CeA.</p>

µ-opioid receptors in the central nucleus of the amygdala modulate sucrose solution intake in rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the role of µ-opioid receptors (MOR) in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in modulating sucrose solution intake in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sprague-Dawley rats received intra-CeA injection of MOR agonist DAMGO or saline, and then underwent two bottle choice test between sucrose solution and distilled water. After intake of sucrose solution or distilled water, activated neurons in the CeA were labeled and identified with MOR/Fos-double labeling immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with saline injection, intra-CeA injection of DAMGO significantly increased sucrose solution intake in rats over a 3-h period. Sucrose solution intake induced significantly more c-Fos and MOR/Fos double-labeled neurons in the CeA than distilled water intake.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The CeA participates in modulation of sucrose intake in rats, and MOR may partly mediate this mechanism.</p>

Microinjection of NMDA-type glutamate receptor agonist NMDA and antagonist D-AP-5 into the central nucleus of the amygdale alters water intake rather than food intake / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors in the central nucleus of the amygdale (CeA) in food and water intake.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Male Sprague-Dawley rats with stainless steel cannulae implanted unilaterally into the CeA were used. The prototypic NMDA receptor agonist NMDA, or the selective NMDA receptor antagonist D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (D-AP-5) was microinjected into the CeA of satiated and euhydrated rats.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Intra-CeA injection of 8.50, 17.00, or 34.00 nmol NMDA did not alter food intake but significantly increased water intake 0-1 h after the injection (F(3,32)=3.191, P=0.037) independent of food intake. Without affecting the food intake, injection of 6.34, 12.70, or 25.40 nmol D-AP-5 into the CeA significantly decreased water intake 0-1 h after the injection (F(3,28)=3.118, P=0.042) independent of food intake.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NMDA receptors in the CeA may participate in the control of water intake rather than food intake.</p>

High fat diet induces obesity and alters the expression of MCHR1 and OB-Rb in the adipose tissue / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of high-fat (HF) diet on the body weight and the mRNA expression of melanin concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCHR1) and leptin receptor (OB-Rb) in the adipose tissue in rats, the two important and opposite factors in regulating the body weight.@*METHODS@#Post-weaning rats were divided into 3 groups: the NC group were fed a normal-chow diet (NC) (13% calories from fat), the HF group with a HF-diet (47% calories from fat) and the PHF group pair-fed a HF-diet (47% calories from fat). At the end of 8th week, the gained bodyweight, the plasma melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) and leptin, and the expression levels of MCHR1 and OB-Rb in the adipose tissue were measured.@*RESULTS@#Both the HF-diet and pair-fed HF-diet enhanced the body weight (P0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Chronic intake of iso-caloric HF-diet and ad libitum HF-diet obviously results in increase in the body weight, serum leptin, and MCH concentration. Diet-induced obesity and related metabolic disorders are possibly correlated with up-regulated expression of MCHR1 and down-regulated expression of OB-Rb in the adipose tissue.

The Practice and Exploration of Teaching Reform on Functional Experiment / 中华医学教育探索杂志

The teaching reform on functional experiment is an attractive problem of the medical teaching development at present. Our school has opened the course of functional experiment according to integrating and recombining with physiology, pathologic physiology and pharmacology, which brought into playing a positive role in enhancing the medical students' capability of practice, the comprehensive application of knowledge and the consciousness of innovation. However, some problems still exist and further practice is needed for more improvement.

An Exploration of Teaching Preventive Medicine for Non-Preventive Medicine Specialty / 中华医学教育探索杂志

In the program entitled "Studies and Practice on the Community-Oriented Teaching Model of Preventive Medicine for Non-Preventive Medicine Specialty", we have renovated the curricular arrangements, textbooks, teaching contents and methods of traditional preventive medicine for non-preventive medicine specialty so as to explore a new pattern of teaching preventive medicine for non-preventive medicine specialty in West China.