A growing body of evidence suggests the involvement of inflammatory processes in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Four to eight-week exposure to cuprizone, a copper chelator, causes robust demyelination and has been used to build a model for multiple sclerosis. In contrast, we report here the effects of one-week cuprizone exposure in mice. This short-term cuprizone exposure elicits behavioral changes that include augmented responsiveness to methamphetamine and phencyclidine, as well as impaired working memory. The cellular effects of one-week cuprizone exposure differ substantially from the longer-term exposure; perturbation of astrocytes and microglia is induced without any sign of demyelination. Furthermore, the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 was significantly up-regulated in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells. We propose that this cuprizone short-term exposure may offer a model to study some aspects of biology relevant to schizophrenia and related conditions.
The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptional factor Hesr1 gene (hairy and enhancer of split-related 1, also called Hey1/HRT1/CHF2/HERP2) has been identified and characterized as a member of the subfamily of hairy/Enhancer of split, and shown to be involved in cardiovascular and neural development. We report that HESR1 binds directly to a part of the 3' non-coding region of the human dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene and represses the endogenous DAT1 gene in HEK293 cells. To investigate functions of the HESR1 gene in the dopaminergic nervous system in vivo, we analyzed the expressions of dopamine-related genes in the postnatal day 0 whole brains of Hesr1 knockout mice by real-time RT-PCR analysis. Several dopamine-related genes, such as DAT, dopamine receptors D1, D2, D4, and D5, were significantly upregulated. Moreover, young adults of Hesr1 knockout mice showed a decrease in spontaneous locomotor activity and a reduction in exploratory behavior or behavioral responses to novelty in the open-field, and elevated plus-maze tests. These results indicate that the HESR1 gene is related to neuropsychiatric disorders and behavioral traits through the dopaminergic nervous system.
Aim
Senior surgeons in Japan who participated in “cadaver‐based educational seminar for trauma surgery (CESTS)” subsequently stated their interest in seminars for more difficult procedures. Therefore, we held a 1‐day advanced‐CESTS with saturated salt solution (SSS)‐embalmed cadavers and assessed its effectiveness for surgical skills training (SST).
Methods
Data were collected from three seminars carried out from September 2015 to January 2018, including a 10‐point self‐assessment of confidence levels (SACL) questionnaire on nine advanced surgical skills, and evaluation of seminar content before, just after, and half a year after the seminar. Participants assessed the suitability of the two embalming methods (formalin solution [FAS] and SSS) for SST, just after the seminar. Statistical analysis resulted in P < 0.0167 comparing SACL results from seminar evaluations at the three time points and P < 0.05 comparing FAS to SSS.
Results
Forty‐three participants carried out surgical procedures of the lung, liver, abdominal aorta, and pelvis and extremity. The SACL scores increased in all skills between before and just after the seminar, but were decreased by half a year after. However, SACL scores of each skill did not change significantly, except for external fixation for pelvic fracture at just after and half a year after. The SSS‐embalmed cadavers were evaluated as being more suitable than FAS‐embalmed cadavers for each procedure.
Conclusions
Advanced‐CESTS using SSS‐embalmed cadavers increased the participants’ self‐confidence just after the seminar, which was maintained after half a year in each skill, except external fixation for pelvic fracture. Therefore, SSS‐embalmed cadavers are useful for SST, particularly for surgical repairs.
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