The psychoactive effects of Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken leaves in young zebrafish.

Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken (BP) is a plant that is used worldwide to treat inflammation, infections, anxiety, restlessness, and sleep disorders. While it is known that BP leaves are rich in flavonoids, the extent of the beneficial and toxic effects of its crude extracts remains unclear. Although some neurobehavioral studies using leaf extracts have been conducted, none has examined the effects of water-extracted leaf samples. The zebrafish is a powerful animal model used to gain insights into the efficacy and toxicity profiles of this plant due to its high fecundity, external development, and ease of performing behavioral assays. In this study, we performed behavioral testing after acute exposure to different concentrations of aqueous extract from leaves of B. pinnatum (LABP) on larval zebrafish, investigating light/dark preference, thigmotaxis, and locomotor activity parameters under both normal and stressed conditions. LABP demonstrated dose-and time-dependent biphasic effects on larval behavior. Acute exposure (25 min) to 500 mg/L LABP resulted in decreased locomotor activity. Exposure to 300 mg/L LABP during the sleep cycle decreased dark avoidance and thigmotaxis while increasing swimming velocity. After sleep deprivation, the group treated with 100 mg/L LABP showed decreased dark avoidance and increased velocity. After a heating stressor, the 30 mg/L and 300 mg/L LABP-treated groups showed decreased dark avoidance. These results suggest both anxiolytic and psychoactive effects of LABP in a dose-dependent manner in a larval zebrafish model. These findings provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying relevant behavioral effects, consequently supporting the safe and effective use of LABP for the treatment of mood disorders.

Assessment of pelvic floor of women runners by three-dimensional ultrasonography and surface electromyography. A pilot study.

AIM: To evaluate female runners' pelvic floor muscles using three-dimensional ultrasonography (3DUS) and surface electromyography (SEMG). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 24 female runners. SEMG was performed using surface electrodes inserted in the vagina. 3DUS was performed using perineal convex transducer. SEMG was evaluated at rest and with maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and slow contraction. Levator ani muscle thickness, levator hiatus area and the angle between the levator muscles at rest and with MVC and Valsalva were evaluated using 3DUS. The women were divided into two groups (women running 25 km/week). Means, standard deviations and non-paired t tests were used for both groups. RESULTS: Among the 24 women, 11 ran 25 km/week (40.77 +/- 1.15 km/week). The mean SEMG at rest and with MVC and slow contraction were 16.25, 65.86 and 71.41 mV, respectively. For the levator hiatus area at rest and with MVC and Valsalva, the means were 12.54, 10.06 and 16.57 sqcm, respectively. Correlations between 3DUS and SEMG showed significant differences in SEMG at rest and levator thickness with Valsalva (r = 0.46; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: 3DUS and SEMG are two feasible methods for evaluating female runners' pelvic floor. Correlations between 3DUS and SEMG showed significant differences in SEMG at rest and levator thickness with Valsalva.