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1.
Brain Sci ; 10(10)2020 Sep 27.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32992507

RESUMO

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occurs in 1 in 160 children worldwide. Individuals with ASD tend to be unique in the way that they comprehend themselves and others, as well as in the way that they interact and socialize, which can lead to challenges with social adaptation. There is currently no medication to improve the social deficit of children with ASD, and consequently, behavioral and complementary/alternative intervention plays an important role. In the present pilot study, we focused on the neuroendocrinological response to participatory art activities, which are known to have a positive effect on emotion, self-expression, sociability, and physical wellbeing. We collected saliva from 12 children with ASD and eight typically developed (TD) children before and after a visual art-based participatory art workshop to measure the levels of oxytocin, a neuropeptide involved in a wide range of social behaviors. We demonstrated that the rate of increase in salivary oxytocin following art activities in ASD children was significantly higher than that in TD children. In contrast, the change rate of salivary cortisol after participatory art activities was similar between the two groups. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of participatory art activities may be partially mediated by oxytocin release, and may have therapeutic potential for disorders involving social dysfunction.

2.
Ecol Lett ; 19(9): 1129-39, 2016 09.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27449602

RESUMO

Synchronised and fluctuating reproduction by plant populations, called masting, is widespread in diverse taxonomic groups. Here, we propose a new method to explore the proximate mechanism of masting by combining spatiotemporal flowering data, biochemical analysis of resource allocation and mathematical modelling. Flowering data of 170 trees over 13 years showed the emergence of clustering with trees in a given cluster mutually synchronised in reproduction, which was successfully explained by resource budget models. Analysis of resources invested in the development of reproductive organs showed that parametric values used in the model are significantly different between nitrogen and carbon. Using a fully parameterised model, we showed that the observed flowering pattern is explained only when the interplay between nitrogen dynamics and climatic cues was considered. This result indicates that our approach successfully identified resource type-specific roles on masting and that the method is suitable for a wide range of plant species.


Assuntos
Carbono/metabolismo , Nitrogênio/metabolismo , Árvores/fisiologia , Clima , Modelos Biológicos , Reprodução , Estações do Ano
3.
Eur J Immunol ; 38(2): 489-99, 2008 Feb.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18200503

RESUMO

Osteopontin (OPN), originally discovered in bone as an extracellular matrix protein, was identified in many cell types in the immune system, presumably being involved in many aspects of pathogenesis of inflammatory and immune diseases. Mast cells are also involved in such pathological aspects by secreting multiple mediators. However, it has not been determined whether mast cells produce OPN and whether it affects their function. To test this, we used murine fetal skin-derived cultured mast cells (FSMC) and bone marrow-derived cultured mast cells. We found that OPN was spontaneously produced by FSMC and inducible by ionomycin and FcepsilonRI aggregation in bone marrow-derived cultured mast cells. In the presence of mast cell growth factors, FSMC were similarly generated from both OPN-deficient (OPN(-/-)) and -sufficient (OPN(+/+)) mice without significant differences in yield, purity, granularity, and viability. Using OPN(-/-) FSMC, we found that recombinant OPN augmented IgE-mediated degranulation and induced FSMC chemotaxis. Both effects were mediated by OPN receptors (i.e. CD44 and integrin alphav). IgE-mediated passive cutaneous anaphylaxis was significantly reduced in OPN(-/-) mice compared with OPN(+/+) mice, indicating physiological relevance of OPN. These results indicate that OPN is a mast cell mediator, enhances mast cell responses to antigen, and thus may influence mast cell-related pathological conditions.


Assuntos
Degranulação Celular/imunologia , Movimento Celular/imunologia , Imunoglobulina E/fisiologia , Mastócitos/imunologia , Mastócitos/metabolismo , Osteopontina/biossíntese , Animais , Células Cultivadas , Feto , Mastócitos/citologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Osteopontina/deficiência , Osteopontina/genética , Osteopontina/fisiologia , Pele/citologia , Pele/imunologia , Pele/metabolismo
5.
J Immunol ; 176(1): 181-90, 2006 Jan 01.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16365409

RESUMO

Gap junctions, formed by members of the connexin (Cx) family, are intercellular channels allowing direct exchange of signaling molecules. Gap junction-mediated intercellular communication (GJIC) is a widespread mechanism for homeostasis in organs. GJIC in the immune system is not yet fully understood. Although dendritic cells (DC) reportedly form cell-to-cell contact between DCs in nonlymphoid and lymphoid organs, GJIC between DCs remains unknown. In this study we examined whether DCs form GJIC. XS52 and bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) were tested for GJIC by counting intercellular transfer of Lucifer Yellow microinjected into a cell. Either DC became effectively dye-coupled when activated with LPS plus IFN-gamma or TNF-alpha plus IFN-gamma. LPS- plus IFN-gamma-induced dye-coupling was mediated by DC-derived TNF-alpha. In addition, CpG plus IFN-gamma induced dye-coupling in BMDCs, which was also mediated by DC-derived TNF-alpha. LPS- plus IFN-gamma-induced activation of DCs (assessed by CD40 expression) was observed when there was cell-to-cell contact and was significantly blocked by heptanol, a gap junction blocker. These results indicate that cell-to-cell contact and GJIC are required for effective DC activation. In addition, heptanol significantly inhibited the LPS- plus IFN-gamma-induced up-regulation of the other costimulatory (i.e., CD80 and CD86) and MHC class II molecules expressed by BMDCs, and it significantly reduced their allostimulatory capacity. Among Cx members, Cx43 was up-regulated in dye-coupled BMDCs, and Cx mimetic peptide, a blocker of Cx-mediated GJIC, significantly inhibited the dye-coupling and activation, suggesting the involvement of Cx43. Thus, our study provides the first evidence for GJIC between DCs, which is required for effective DC activation.


Assuntos
Comunicação Celular/imunologia , Células Dendríticas/imunologia , Junções Comunicantes/fisiologia , Animais , Western Blotting , Antígenos CD40/imunologia , Comunicação Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Dendríticas/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Dendríticas/metabolismo , Feminino , Citometria de Fluxo , Junções Comunicantes/efeitos dos fármacos , Heptanol/farmacologia , Imunofenotipagem , Interferon gama/biossíntese , Lipopolissacarídeos/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/biossíntese
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