Weight status, dietary habits, physical activity, screen time and sleep duration among university students.

BACKGROUND: University life is a crucial period when dietary habits and lifestyle behaviours are formed and may have long-lasting effects on the development of obesity and related chronic diseases. AIM: To investigate the association of overweight/obesity with dietary habits, physical activity, screen time and sleep duration among university students. METHODS: A total of 438 students aged 18-26 years were recruited from Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco. Anthropometric measurements were assessed using standardized equipment. Data regarding dietary habits, physical and sedentary activities were collected via a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 14.8% and 1.6%, respectively. Students who reported frequent consumption (>3 times/week) of fast food, fried potatoes and sugary drinks were more likely to be overweight/obese than peers who did not. Similarly, odds of being overweight/obese were slightly higher among females who reported non-daily intake of fruits and milk or dairy products and among males who ate vegetables less frequently (<7 times/week). Approximately 26% of students were physically inactive, with a higher proportion of females (35.8%) than males (10.7%). Both short and long sleep durations were associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity in males. In contrast, physical inactivity and increased screen time were associated with a slightly reduced risk of overweight/obesity, particularly in females. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, unhealthy dietary habits were associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity. A similar trend was also observed between abnormal sleep duration and overweight/obesity in males. Interventions to promote healthy dietary and lifestyle habits and prevent overweight/obesity in this population are needed.

Restraint Stress Exacerbates Apoptosis in a 6-OHDA Animal Model of Parkinson Disease.

Activation of the apoptotic pathway has been associated with promoting neuronal cell death in the pathophysiology of Parkinson disease (PD). Nonetheless, the mechanisms by which it may occur remain unclear. It has been suggested that stress-induced oxidation and potential apoptosis may play a major role in the progression of PD. Thus, in this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of subchronic restraint stress on striatal dopaminergic activity, iron, p53, caspase-3, and plasmatic acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels in male Wistar rat model of PD induced by administration of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). The obtained results showed that restraint stress exacerbates motor coordination deficits and anxiety in animals treated with 6-OHDA in comparison to animals receiving saline, and it had no effect on object recognition memory. On another hand, 6-OHDA decreased dopamine (DA) levels, increased iron accumulation, and induced overexpression of the pro-apoptotic factors caspase-3, p53, and AChE. More interestingly, post-lesion restraint stress exacerbated the expression of caspase-3 and AChE without affecting p53 expression. These findings suggest that subchronic stress may accentuate apoptosis and may contribute to DA neuronal loss in the striatal regions and possibly exacerbate the progression of PD.

Bioactive strawberry fruit (Arbutus unedo L.) extract remedies paraquat-induced neurotoxicity in the offspring prenatally exposed rats.

Background: Paraquat (1,1'-dimethyl-4-4'-bipyridinium dichloride) exposure is well-established as a neurotoxic agent capable of causing neurological deficits in offspring. This study aimed to investigate therapeutic effects of Arbutus unedo L. aqueous extract (AU) against paraquat (PQ) exposure. Methods: For that the phytoconstituents of AU was determined by LC/MS, and then its antioxidant potential was assessed by DPPH and ABTS assays. The assessment included its impact on cell viability and mitochondrial metabolism using N27 dopaminergic cells. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of prenatal PQ exposure on motor coordination, dopamine levels, trace element levels, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in rat progeny. Results: The phytochemical profile of AU extract revealed the presence of 35 compounds, primarily phenolic and organic acids, and flavonoids. This accounted for its strong in vitro antioxidant activities against DPPH and ABTS radicals, surpassing the activities of vitamin C. Our findings demonstrated that AU effectively inhibited PQ-induced loss of N27 rat dopaminergic neural cells and significantly enhanced their mitochondrial respiration. Furthermore, daily post-treatment with AU during the 21 days of the rat's pregnancy alleviated PQ-induced motor deficits and akinesia in rat progeny. These effects inhibited dopamine depletion and reduced iron levels in the striatal tissues. The observed outcomes appeared to be mediated by the robust antioxidant activity of AU, effectively counteracting the PQ-induced decrease in TAC in the blood plasma of rat progeny. These effects could be attributed to the bioactive compounds present in AU, including phenolic acids such as gallic acid and flavonoids such as quercetin, rutin, apigenin, glucuronide, and kaempferol, all known for their potent antioxidant capacity. Discussion: In conclusion, this preclinical study provided the first evidence of the therapeutic potential of AU extract against PQ-induced neurotoxicity. These findings emphasize the need for further exploration of the clinical applicability of AU in mitigating neurotoxin-induced brain damage.

Effects of postweaning undernutrition on exploratory behavior, memory and sensory reactivity in rats: implication of the dopaminergic system.

The effects of early undernutrition on behavior and brain biochemistry were examined in rats. At weaning, rats were provided either an ad lib diet (control group) or maintained at 80% of the weight of their control littermates (undernourished group). Three weeks into the diet they were tested in an open field. After 6 weeks of diet, HPLC analyses were conducted on sample brains from each group to assess levels of dopamine and metabolites, respectively dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the striatum. At seven weeks of diet, remaining rats were trained in an 8-arm radial maze, and a retention test conducted 72 h after attaining the learning criterion. At fourteen weeks of diet, sensory reactivity was measured by tail-immersion in a water bath maintained at constant temperature 50 +/- 1 degrees C. Undernourished rats exhibited hyperactivity and increased exploratory behavior in the open field, as well as increased sensory reactivity in the tail flick test. In the radial maze, however, undernourished rats did not differ from controls in either learning or retention. Haloperidol (i. p. injection) impaired retention by control but not undernourished animals. HPLC analyses showed an increase in dopamine turnover in the striatum of undernourished rats. Our results suggest that, unlike its effects when induced immediately at birth or in adulthood, undernutrition at weaning does not appear to influence learning and retention but induced an hyperactivity and alterations in striatal DA turnover which was associated with a decrease in responsiveness to i. p. haloperidol injection.

Malnutrition and brain development: an analysis of the effects of inadequate diet during different stages of life in rat.

Protein malnutrition or undernutrition can result in abnormal development of the brain. Depending on type, age at onset and duration, different structural and functional deficits can be observed. In the present review, we discuss the neuroanatomical, behavioral, neurochemical and oxidative status changes associated with protein malnutrition or undernutrition at different ages during prenatal and immediately postnatal periods as well as in adult rat. Analysis of all data suggests that protein malnutrition as well as undernutrition induced impaired learning and retention when imposed during the immediately postnatal period and in adulthood, whereas hyperactivity including increased impulsiveness and greater reactivity to aversive stimuli occurred when malnutrition or undernutrition was imposed either pre or postnatally. This general state of hyperreactivity may be linked essentially to an alteration in dopaminergic system. Hence, the present review shows that in spite of the attention devoted in the literature to prenatal effects, cognitive deficits are more serious following malnutrition or undernutrition after birth. We thus clearly establish a special vulnerability to malnutrition after weaning in rats.