In pregnancy, there is a significant risk for developing embryos to be adversely affected by everyday chemicals such as food additives and environmental toxins. In recent times, several studies have documented the detrimental effect of exposure to such chemicals on the behaviour and neurodevelopment of the offspring. This study evaluated the influence of the food additive, monosodium glutamate (MSG), on behaviour and development in mice. Pregnant dams were exposed to MSG 2 or 4 g/kg or distilled water from gestation day 10–20. On delivery, postnatal day 1 (PN 1), 3 pups were sacrificed and whole brain samples assayed for KCC2 expression by western blot. The remaining pups were housed until PN 43 before commencing behavioural assessment. Their weights were measured at birth and at 3 days intervals until PN 42. The impact of prenatal exposure to MSG on baseline exploratory, anxiety and depression behaviours as well as spatial and working memory was assessed. In utero exposure to 4 g/kg MSG significantly reduced exploratory drive and increased depression‐like behaviours but did not exert any significant impact on anxiety‐like behaviours (p < 0.01). Additionally, there was a two‐fold increase in KCC2 expression in both 2 and 4 g/kg MSG‐exposed offspring. Conclusion This study indicates that, in utero exposure to MSG increases the expression of KCC2 and causes significant effect on locomotion and depression‐like behaviours but only marginally affects memory function.
Objective The use of agarose in nucleic acid electrophoresis is the gold standard. However, agarose is very expensive and not readily available in resource limited developing countries like Ghana. Hence, finding a more affordable and readily available alternative to agarose will be a major boost to molecular research in developing countries. This study was aimed at investigating the use of corn starch as a potential substitute for agarose in DNA gel electrophoresis. Results Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extracted from Plasmodium falciparum and primers were obtained from the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens and amplified using polymerase chain reaction. The amplicon was run on agarose gel to ascertain the molecular weight (as a positive control). When visualized under both blue light and ultraviolet light, the DNA and ladder showed clear and clean bands with the expected molecular weight. Corn starch was then modified with sodium borate buffer, casted into a gel and used to run the same DNA sample. Our findings indicated that similar to agarose, the DNA sample and ladder migrated successfully through the modified starch gel but no bands were visible when visualized under blue and ultra-violet light.
Adenoids, play a significant role in inflammatory response, especially in children. Together with other tissues of the lymphatic system, it fights off infections. In most cases of nasopharyngeal cancer, though rare, other histopathological variants of adenoids are seen. Adenoid hypertrophy is mostly observed, which causes obstruction of the nasopharynx and dysfunction of the Eustachian tube because of the formation of an abnormal tissue mass. Different viral and bacterial pathogens are associated with adenoid hypertrophy, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), coronavirus, parainfluenza virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Among these, EBV is associated with both adenoid hypertrophy and nasopharyngeal cancer, indicating the effect of EBV on both nasopharyngeal cancer and adenoids. We critically appraise the current evidence and discuss potential link between adenoids and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
ObjectiveThe use of agarose in nucleic acid electrophoresis is the gold standard. However, agarose is very expensive and not readily available in resource limited developing countries like Ghana. Hence, finding a more affordable and readily available alternative to agarose will be a major boost to molecular research in developing countries. This study was aimed at investigating the use of corn starch as a potential substitute for agarose in DNA gel electrophoresis.ResultsGenomic DNA extracted from Plasmodium falciparum and primers were obtained from the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens and amplified using polymerase chain reaction. The amplicon was run on agarose gel to ascertain the molecular weight (as a positive control). When visualized under both blue light and ultraviolet light, the DNA and ladder showed clear and clean bands with the expected molecular weight. Corn starch was then modified with sodium borate buffer, casted into a gel and used to run the same DNA sample. Our findings indicated that similar to agarose, the DNA sample and ladder migrated successfully through the modified starch gel but no bands were visible when visualized under blue and ultra-violet light.
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