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The present investigation was aimed to evaluate the antiosteoarthritic effect of morin in isolated primary rat chondrocytes in the presence of interleukin-1ß. Results obtained showed that morin effectively attenuated in vitro the production of inflammatory mediators, nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2. Moreover, morin also significantly decreased the levels of matrix metalloproteinases. Furthermore, in monosodium iodoacetateinduced osteoarthritis in mice, it was found that morin at 25 and 50 mg/kg, significantly reduced the heat hyperalgesia and increased the spontaneous motility in mice on days 7, 14, and 21. Besides, morin also significantly reduced the level of proinflammatory cytokines in the serum of osteoarthritic mice. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that morin could be a potential chondroprotective that could be used in the treatment of osteoarthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well-known that the physiological uterine peristalsis, related to several phases of reproductive functions, plays a pivotal role in fertility and female reproductive health. Here, we have addressed the role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) signaling in changes of uterine contractions driven by diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, a murine model of type-1 diabetes mellitus. The isolated uterus of NOD mice showed a significant reduction in spontaneous motility coupled to a generalized hypo-contractility to uterotonic agents. The levels of cyclic nucleotides, cAMP and cGMP, notoriously involved in the regulation of uterus homeostasis, were significantly elevated in NOD mouse uteri. This increase was well-correlated with the higher levels of H2S, a non-specific endogenous inhibitor of phosphodiesterases. The exposure of isolated uterus to L-cysteine (L-Cys), but not to sodium hydrogen sulfide, the exogenous source of H2S, showed a weak tocolytic effect in the uterus of NOD mice. Western blot analysis revealed a reorganization of the enzymatic expression with an upregulation of 3-mercaptopyruvate-sulfurtransferase (3-MST) coupled to a reduction in both cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) expression. In conclusion, the increased levels of cyclic nucleotides dysregulate the uterus peristalsis and contractility in diabetic mice through an increase in basal H2S synthesis suggesting a role of 3-MST.

Autonomic nervous system (ANS) imbalances are involved in the etiology of cancer, allergy, and collagen diseases. Previously, we hypothesized that FoxO and HSF-1 limit autonomic stress responses via negative feedback on the ANS. Here, we evaluated the role of AKT, a negative regulator of FoxO, during activation of the ANS by loneliness stress in mice. Spontaneous motility was increased during loneliness stress and decreased after release from stress. The AKT activator SC79 attenuated stress-induced spontaneous motility, whereas the AKT inhibitor API-2 prevented decreases in motility after stress release. Our results show that AKT activity regulates ANS responses to loneliness stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: General movement assessment (GMA) can help to identify children with a high risk of developing neurological dysfunction, such as cerebral palsy, and certified training is provided in this specialism. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and reliability of using video recordings to assess GMA, in a busy Danish outpatient clinic.Methods: The study comprised 30-term infants born with perinatal asphyxia, who were video recorded at three months. They were assessed by two certified GMA observers and re-assessed two weeks later. Interobserver and intra-observer agreements were analysed using proportional agreement, and nominal kappa statistics were used to calculate 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).Results: We found substantial and almost perfect interobserver and intra-observer reliability. Intra-observer agreement was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.65-1.00; p < 0.0001) and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.62-1.00; p < 0.0001), and interobserver agreement was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.45-0.96; p < 0.0001) at time point one and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.63-1.00; p < 0.0001) two weeks later. All video recordings were completed within our multidisciplinary outpatient clinic without delay.Conclusion: This study demonstrated the reliability of the GMA method in a busy multidisciplinary Danish paediatric outpatient setting, when assessors had been formally trained in the method and used it regularly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overview is presented of the literature dealing with sleep-like motility and concomitant neuronal activity patterns throughout the life cycle in vertebrates, ectothermic as well as endothermic. Spontaneous, periodically modulated, neurogenic bursts of non-purposive movements are a universal feature of larval and prenatal behavior, which in endothermic animals (i.e. birds and mammals) continue to occur periodically throughout life. Since the entire body musculature is involved in ever-shifting combinations, it is proposed that these spontaneously active periods be designated as 'rapid-BODY-movement' (RBM) sleep. The term 'rapid-EYE-movement (REM) sleep', characterized by attenuated muscle contractions and reduced tonus, can then be reserved for sleep at later stages of development. Mature stages of development in which sustained muscle atonia is combined with 'paradoxical arousal' of cortical neuronal firing patterns indisputably represent the evolutionarily most recent aspect of REM sleep, but more research with ectothermic vertebrates, such as fish, amphibians and reptiles, is needed before it can be concluded (as many prematurely have) that RBM is absent in these species. Evidence suggests a link between RBM sleep in early development and the clinical condition known as 'REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)', which is characterized by the resurgence of periodic bouts of quasi-fetal motility that closely resemble RBM sleep. Early developmental neuromotor risk factors for RBD in humans also point to a relationship between RBM sleep and RBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT It is becoming increasingly apparent that somatosensation plays an important role in regulating prenatal movement and developmental plasticity. Numerous studies performed on embryonic chicks and perinatal rats are beginning to implicate proprioception to be particularly important in modulating motility very soon after afferent connections are made in the spinal cord. In this report, we demonstrate new approaches in the chick embryo to explore the role of sensation in modulating embryonic movement. Force recordings from the legs of chick embryos on E9 and E11, during spontaneous motility, demonstrate changes in sensory regulation consistent with the concept that sensory regulation is functioning one day after sensory synapse formation and that the complexity of this regulation increases by E11. Additionally, we present new video data showing activation of embryonic motility on E5 and E9 in embryos expressing channelrhodopsin in the spinal cord as a novel way to approach the issues of sensorimotor development. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 57: 385-396, 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements made under microscopic examination of spontaneous motility shortly before and after hatching in the cuttlefish. Sepia officinalis, revealed a developmental continuity wherein bursts of vigorous mantle contractions lasting a few seconds at most, often associated with irregular twitching of the tentacles and head (but less often of the eyes or chromatophores), follow each other at variable intervals ranging from less than 5 s to many minutes. Releasing the animals prematurely into sea water had no qualitative effect on visible movements but augmented their incidence considerably if done several days before hatching, while reducing it if done shortly prior to hatching. That this was not an age effect is suggested by the lack of any difference between the two groups after their emergence from the egg capsule. The temporal patterning of these stereotyped 'rapid-body-movements', defined here as an immature subclass of 'motorically active sleep', differed both quantitatively and qualitatively from the repetitive bouts of swimming ('active wakefulness') that also occur episodically in hatchlings but not in embryos. Similar to endothermic vertebrates, sleep bursts in cuttlefish rapidly became much less frequent with increasing age as the incidence of wake-like behaviour increased. Spontaneous embryonic motility, c.q., active sleep, thus appears to constitute an ontogenetically and phylogenetically primordial behavioural state which continues without discontinuity into postnatal life, with classical 'rapid-eye-movement', c.q., 'paradoxical' sleep, being a later appearing special case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive overview is presented of the literature dealing with the development of sleep-like motility and neuronal activity patterns in non-vertebrate animals. it has been established that spontaneous, periodically modulated, neurogenic bursts of movement appear to be a universal feature of prenatal behavior. New empirical data are presented showing that such' seismic sleep' or 'rapid-body-movement' bursts in cuttlefish persist for some time after birth. Extensive ontogenetic research in both vertebrates and non-vertebrates is thus essential before current hypotheses about the phylogeny of motorically active sleep-like states can be taken seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the adverse biomechanical effects of methotrexate (MTX) on spontaneous tubal motility and on a widely distributed Cajal-like type of tubal interstitial cells (t-ICC) in rabbits. In our previous study, MTX was confirmed to cause acute endosalpingitis, and ultrastructural and steroid receptor damage in rat''s endosalpinx in a dose-dependent manner. Design: Differences in spontaneous tubal contractions and cellular distribution of t-ICC in isthmus were evaluated in response to MTX. Setting: Medical school research laboratory. Animal(s): Twenty nonpregnant female New Zealand albino rabbits in estrus stage were divided equally into four groups. Intervention(s): Rabbits received IM MTX (1, 5, 10 mg/kg body weight) and controls received physiological saline. Main Outcome Measure(s): On day 7, in vitro motility studies measuring spontaneous tubal contractions were performed, and cellular distribution of t-ICC was determined by immunohistochemistry. Result(s): Methotrexate produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of spontaneous isthmus contractions (frequency in 5, 10 mg/kg groups, and amplitude in 1, 5, 10 mg/kg MTX groups). It decreased significantly compared with the control group. Meanwhile, MTX at 5, 10 mg/kg decreased the population of c-kit immunoreactive t-ICC significantly. Conclusion(s): The decreased t-ICC may contribute to the diminished tubal smooth muscle contractility caused by MTX as observed. Tubal interstitial cells might be new potential targets for a variety of dysfunctional tubal motility diseases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A comprehensive review is presented of reported aspects and putative mechanisms of sleep-like motility rhythms throughout the animal kingdom. It is proposed that 'rapid eye movement (REM) sleep' be regarded as a special case of a distinct but much broader category of behavior, 'rapid body movement (RBM) sleep', defined by intrinsically-generated and apparently non-purposive movements. Such a classification completes a 2 × 2 matrix defined by the axes sleep versus waking and active versus quiet. Although 'paradoxical' arousal of forebrain electrical activity is restricted to warm-blooded vertebrates, we urge that juvenile or even infantile stages of development be investigated in cold-blooded animals, in view of the many reports of REM-like spontaneous motility (RBMs) in a wide range of species during sleep. The neurophysiological bases for motorically active sleep at the brainstem level and for slow-wave sleep in the forebrain appear to be remarkably similar, and to be subserved in both cases by a primitive diffuse mode of neuronal organization. Thus, the spontaneous synchronous burst discharges which are characteristics of the sleeping brain can be readily simulated even by highly unstructured neural network models. Neuromotor discharges during active sleep appear to reflect a hierarchy of simple relaxation oscillation mechanisms, spanning a wide range of spike-dependent relaxation times, whereas the periodic alternation of active and quiet sleep states more likely results from the entrainment of intrinsic cellular rhythms and/or from activity-dependent homeostatic changes in network excitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Educatio Artis Gymnasticae is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Educatio Artis Gymnasticae is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Alpha2-adrenergic receptors (α2-adrenoceptors) mediate various physiological actions of endogenous catecholamines in the central and peripheral nervous systems being involved in alertness, heart rate regulation, vasomotor control and nociceptive processing. In the present study, the pharmacological profile of a novel α2-adrenoceptor agonist, fadolmidine, was studied in various in vitro and in vivo assays and compared to the well characterised α2-adrenoceptor agonist, dexmedetomidine. Fadolmidine displayed high affinity and full agonist efficacy at all three human α2-adrenoceptor subtypes (A, B and C) in transfected CHO cells with EC50 values (nM) of 0.4, 4.9 and 0.5, respectively. Fadolmidine inhibited also electrically evoked contractions in rat vas deferens demonstrating the activation of rodent presynaptic α2D-adrenoceptors with an EC50 value of 6.4 nM. Moreover, fadolmidine was a full agonist at human α1A-adrenoreceptor (EC50 value 22 nM) and α1B-adrenoreceptor (EC50 value 3.4 nM) in human LNCaP cells and transfected HEK cells, respectively. Agonism at the α1-adrenoceptor was also observed in rat vas deferens preparations although at lower potency (EC50 value 5.6 μM). Fadolmidine demonstrated potent α2-adrenoceptor agonist activity also in vivo by inhibiting electrically induced tachycardia in pithed rats and increasing mean arterial pressure in anaesthetised rats. However, after systemic administration, fadolmidine had considerably weaker CNS-mediated effects (mydriasis and sedation) compared to dexmedetomidine possibly due to limited penetration through the blood brain barrier by fadolmidine. In a conclusion, fadolmidine is a potent full agonist at all three α2-adrenoceptor subtypes with a pharmacological profile compatible with a therapeutic value e.g. after spinal administration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Chemotaxis-deficient amiB-null mutant Dictyostelium cells show two distinct movements: (1) they extend protrusions randomly without net displacements; (2) they migrate persistently and unidirectionally in a keratocyte-like manner. Here, we monitored the intracellular distribution of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3) to gain insight into roles PIP3 plays in those spontaneous motilities. In keratocyte-like cells, PIP3 showed convex distribution over the basal membrane, with no anterior enrichment. In stalled cells, as well as in wild type cells, PIP3 repeated wave-like changes, including emergence, expansion and disappearance, on the basal membrane. The waves induced lamellipodia when they approached the cell edge, and the advancing speed of the waves was comparable to the migration speed of the keratocyte-like cells. LY294002, an inhibitor of PI3 kinase, abolished PIP3 waves in stalled cells and stopped keratocyte-like cells. These results together suggested that keratocyte-like cells are 'surfing' on the PIP3 waves by coupling steady lamellipodial protrusions to the PIP3 waves. Simultaneous live observation of actin filaments and PIP3 in wild type or stalled amiB− cells indicated that the PIP3 waves were correlated with wave-like distributions of actin filaments. Most notably, PIP3 waves often followed actin waves, suggesting that PIP3 induces local depolymerization of actin filaments. Consistent with this idea, cortical accumulation of PIP3 was often correlated with local retraction of the periphery. We propose that the waves of PIP3 and actin filaments are loosely coupled with each other and play important roles in generating spontaneous cell polarity. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To assess the clinical value of a modified version, not employing video recording, of Precthl''s method on the qualitative assessment of general movements (GMs) in preterm, term and young infants at neurological risk. Materials and methods: One-hundred and fifteen infants consecutively enrolled in our follow-up program were selected for the study (103 preterm and 12 term infants). While being video recorded, each infant''s spontaneous motor activity was directly observed and documented using a written proforma. An evaluation of the video was later performed by a different assessor blind to the infant''s clinical history. Results: The correlation between the two techniques was significant both at writhing age (birth to 6 weeks post-term age) and at fidgety age (9–15 weeks post-term age). Both methods showed a very high sensitivity for the prediction of cerebral palsy, as no false negatives were observed. The direct assessment showed a lower specificity, particularly during the writhing period. Conclusions: These results support the use of the direct assessment of GMs when the full application of the standard video observation cannot be routinely applied, restraining the use of video recordings to the abnormal or doubtful cases. This may facilitate the wished integration of the assessment of spontaneous motility into more general protocols of neurological examination and into clinical follow-up programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spontaneous motility of the human oviduct is an important factor in the regulation of fertility that can be influenced by a variety of substances. In this study we examined the effects of several antiepileptic drugs on spontaneous contractions of isolated human oviducts. The isolated ampullar and isthmic segments of Fallopian tubes, taken from 34 patients with extensive uterine fibroids, were exposed to carbamazepine, lamotrigine, valproic acid, phenobarbital, diazepam and lorazepam. Carbamazepine and lamotrigine produced concentration-dependent inhibition of spontaneous contractions of both ampullar and isthmic isolated preparations, while the other investigated substances did not exhibit any effect. The effective concentrations of carbamazepine and lamotrigine fall within the range of their therapeutic serum concentrations. When choosing antiepileptics for women of reproductive age, the effects of the drug on motility of the Fallopian tubes should also be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early spontaneous orofacial movements have rarely been studied experimentally, though the motor experiences gained from these behaviors may influence the development of motor skills emerging for speech. This investigation quantitatively describes developmental changes in silent, spontaneous lip and jaw movements from 1 to 12 months of age using optically based 3D motion capture technology. Twenty-nine typically developing infants at five ages (1, 5, 7, 9, and 12 months) were studied cross-sectionally. Infants exhibited spontaneous facial movements at all ages studied. Several age-related changes were detected in lip and jaw kinematics: the occurrence of spontaneous movements increased, movement speed increased, the duration of movement epochs decreased and movement coupling among different facial regions increased. Additionally, evidence for stereotypic movements was not strong. The present findings suggest that, during the first year of life, early spontaneous facial movements undergo significant developmental change in the direction of skill development for speech. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 48: 16–28, 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of movement variability in the first year of life has been acknowledged for many decades. However, its role has been difficult to assess as throughout motor development, increased and decreased movement variability has been associated with different outcomes. For example, low variability in the first few months of infancy has been associated with motor disability, whereas low variability in skill acquisition such as learning to walk has been linked to improved performance. The current paper investigates the different roles attributed to variability throughout the different stages of motor development in the infant’s first year. Explanations based on maturational, dynamic systems and neuronal group selection theories were explored in order to understand the changing role of variability in early motor development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We developed an ex vivo model of arterially perfused rat duodenum to examine the motor activity of intestine. In this preparation, spontaneously occurring pressure waves with regular rhythm were observed. The oxygen consumption and motor activity of the intestine were compared at different arterial perfusion rates to determine the degree of oxygenation required to elicit spontaneous motility. Pressure waves with regular rhythm occurred at a frequency of 1 min–1 when the arterial perfusion was 3–5 mL min–1, and stopped when the perfusion rate fell below 2 mL min–1. Atropine and hexamethonium reduced the percentage motor index/10 min of pressure waves in a dose-dependent manner, and tetrodotoxin completely blocked motor activity. Acetylcholine stimulated motor activity, and this effect was not antagonized by TTX. These findings suggest that spontaneous contraction in the ex vivo perfused rat duodenum might be mediated by a cholinergic mechanism via muscarinic receptors on smooth muscle, but that noncholinergic mechanisms may also participate in this response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outpatients receiving daily methadone-maintenance treatment were crossed over to alternating-day doses of l-alpha-acetylmethadol, receiving placebo on between-dose days. Spontaneous motility was dramatically higher on acetylmethadol dose days than on placebo days; activity on methadone days was intermediate between these extremes. Patients reported less vigor, more fatigue, and fewer ejaculations on placebo days than on acetylmethadol days, and patients' mood while on this drug was slightly euphoric in comparison to methadone. These effects are subtle, but such drug-induced variations in day-to-day behavior might adversely affect social interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monkeys receiving acetylmethadol thrice weekly were more active on dosing days, and less active on between-dose days, than while drug-free. Aggressive social behaviours increased significantly on drug-dosing days, while quiescent resting behaviors were much more common on between-dose days. Tolerance to these effects was modest, and the effects were not blocked by naltrexone. These subtle but potentially disruptive behavioral effects appear to parallel many of the actions of acetylmethadol in man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well-known that the physiological uterine peristalsis, related to several phases of reproductive functions, plays a pivotal role in fertility and female reproductive health. Here, we have addressed the role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) signaling in changes of uterine contractions driven by diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, a murine model of type-1 diabetes mellitus. The isolated uterus of NOD mice showed a significant reduction in spontaneous motility coupled to a generalized hypo-contractility to uterotonic agents. The levels of cyclic nucleotides, cAMP and cGMP, notoriously involved in the regulation of uterus homeostasis, were significantly elevated in NOD mouse uteri. This increase was well-correlated with the higher levels of H2S, a non-specific endogenous inhibitor of phosphodiesterases. The exposure of isolated uterus to L-cysteine (L-Cys), but not to sodium hydrogen sulfide, the exogenous source of H2S, showed a weak tocolytic effect in the uterus of NOD mice. Western blot analysis revealed a reorganization of the enzymatic expression with an upregulation of 3-mercaptopyruvate-sulfurtransferase (3-MST) coupled to a reduction in both cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) expression. In conclusion, the increased levels of cyclic nucleotides dysregulate the uterus peristalsis and contractility in diabetic mice through an increase in basal H2S synthesis suggesting a role of 3-MST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]