Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is associated with the dysregulation of a number of systems within the body. In the present study, we investigated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) immunoreactivity and its protein levels in the paraventricular nuclei of 4-, 12-, 20- and 30-week-old Zucker diabetic fatty (fa/fa, ZDF) and in Zucker lean control (fa/+ or +/+, ZLC) rats, because the progressive induction of diabetes is detectable in this model after 7 weeks of age and chronic diabetic conditions are maintained after 12 weeks of age. GR immunoreactivity was detected in parvocellular paraventricular nuclei and this and GR protein levels were exponentially increased according to the ages. In particular, GR immunoreactivities and protein levels were markedly more increased in 30-week-old ZDF rats than in age-matched ZLC group and in younger ZDF group. The present study suggests that GR immunoreactivity and its protein level is associated with a degenerative phenotype in the hypothalamus of from 12-weeks old in the ZDF rat type II diabetes model.

BackgroundSupplemental feeding of free-roaming animals, including wildlife and feral or stray animals, is well known to have a substantial impact on various aspects of animal ecology including habitat use, activity patterns, and host-pathogen interactions. Among them, an increased population density (PD) of animals receiving supplemental food raises concerns regarding the transmission of pathogens in these host populations. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how supplemental feeding is associated with host PD and prevalence of pathogens with different transmission modes in urban stray cats. We hypothesized that supplemental feeding would be positively associated with host PD and the prevalence of pathogens with density-dependent transmission modes compared with pathogens with transmission modes that are considered relatively density-independent.MethodsThis study was conducted in six districts in Seoul, Republic of Korea which were selected based on different degrees of supplemental feeding and cat caretaker activity (CCA). The PD of stray cats was estimated by mark-recapture surveys. Stray cat blood samples (N = 302) were collected from stray cats by local animal hospitals from each district performing the trap-neuter-release which tested for eight pathogens with different transmission modes (feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline panleukopenia virus, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus-1, Bartonella henselae, hemoplasma, and Toxoplasma gondii) with molecular or serological assays. Associations between the prevalence of each pathogen and PD, CCA, and sex of cats were statistically analyzed.ResultsIn contrast to initial predictions, the cat PD was generally higher in low CCA districts. The prevalence of (FeLV), which is transmitted through direct contact, was significantly higher in areas with a high CCA, conforming to our hypothesis. On the other hand, the prevalence of feline parvovirus, which can be spread by environmental transmission, was higher in low CCA districts. The remaining six pathogens did not show any association with the CCA; however, they had a unique association with the PD or the sex of the stray cats.DiscussionOur findings suggest that in addition to influencing the PD, supplemental feeding may affect the prevalence of pathogens in urban animals by mechanisms such as increased aggregation and/or altered foraging strategies, with different consequences depending on the transmission mode of each pathogen.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the reporting quality of animal experiments in Korea using the Animals in Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guideline developed in 2010 to overcome the reproducibility problem and to encourage compliance with replacement, refinement and reduction of animals in research (3R's principle). We reviewed 50 papers published by a Korean research group from 2013 to 2016 and scored the conformity with the 20-items ARRIVE guideline. The median conformity score was 39.50%. For more precise evaluation, the 20 items were subdivided into 57 sub-items. Among the sub-items, status of experimental animals, housing and husbandry were described under the average level. Microenvironment sub-items, such as enrichment, bedding material, cage type, number of companions, scored under 10%. Although statistical methods used for the studies were given in most publications (84%), sample size calculation and statistical assumption were rarely described. Most publications mentioned the IACUC approval, but only 8% mentioned welfare-related assessments and interventions, and only 4% mentioned any implications of experimental methods or findings for 3R. We may recommend the revision of the present IACUC proposal to collect more detailed information and improving educational program for animal researchers according to the ARRIVE guideline.

Background The ICAP framework based on Cognitive Science posits four modes of cognitive engagement: Interactive, Constructive, Active, and Passive. Focusing on the wider applicability of discussion as interactive engagement in medical education, we investigated the effect of discussion when self-study preceded it and further investigated the effect of generating questions before discussions. Methods This study was conducted in the second semester of 2018, and 129 students majoring in health professions, including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and nursing, participated. The students were assigned into four different trial groups, who were asked to fill out a Subjective Mental Effort Questionnaire after completing each session. Their performance in post-test scores and their mental efforts were analyzed. Results A Bonferroni test for group comparison indicated that the self-study and question-generated group had the highest performance and that the lecture and question-received group had the lowest performance when comparing the total score. By using a mediation model, it was confirmed that the participants who showed a higher level of testing mental effort also showed higher levels of studying and discussion mental effort. Conclusions Our findings support the ICAP framework and provide practical implications for medical education, representing the fact that students learn more when they are involved in active learning activities, such as self-study and question generation, prior to discussions.