Self-construal modulates default mode network connectivity in refugees with PTSD.

BACKGROUND: While self-construal and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are independently associated with altered self-referential processes and underlying default mode network (DMN) functioning, no study has examined how self-construal affects DMN connectivity in PTSD. METHODS: A final sample of 93 refugee participants (48 with DSM-5 PTSD or sub-syndromal PTSD and 45 matched trauma-exposed controls) completed a 5-minute resting state fMRI scan to enable the observation of connectivity in the DMN and other core networks. A self-construal index was calculated by substracting scores on the collectivistic and individualistic sub-scales of the Self Construal Scale. RESULTS: Independent components analysis identified 9 active networks-of-interest, and functional network connectivity was determined. A significant interaction effect between PTSD and self-construal index was observed in the anterior ventromedial DMN, with spatial maps localizing this to the left ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), extending to the ventral anterior cingulate cortex. This effect revealed that connectivity in the vMPFC showed greater reductions in those with PTSD with higher levels of collectivistic self-construal. LIMITATIONS: This is an observational study and causality cannot be assumed. The specialized sample of refugees means that the findings may not generalize to other trauma-exposed populations. CONCLUSIONS: Such a finding indicates that self-construal may shape the core neural architecture of PTSD, given that functional disruptions to the vmPFC underpin the core mechanisms of extinction learning, emotion dysregulation and self-referential processing in PTSD. Results have important implications for understanding the universality of neural disturbances in PTSD, and suggest that self-construal could be an important consideration in the assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress reactions.

Economic evaluations of neglected tropical diseases interventions in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to provide an overview of economic evaluation studies of interventions for neglected tropical diseases in low- and/or middle-income countries. INTRODUCTION: The majority of people most susceptible to neglected tropical diseases reside in low- and middle-income countries and suffer significant economic impact due to these diseases. The World Health Organization suggests utilizing a systematic and cross-cutting approach with multiple interventions to lessen the neglected tropical disease burden. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies will be eligible for inclusion if they include economic evaluations of interventions for neglected tropical diseases and are conducted in low- and/or middle-income country settings. METHODS: A preliminary search of MEDLINE (PubMed) was undertaken using MeSH terms, such as neglected tropical disease, economic evaluation, therapeutics, low- and/or middle-income countries. Two reviewers will screen titles and abstracts independently, followed by a full-text review against the inclusion criteria. Disagreements will be resolved by discussion or with a third reviewer. To assess methodological quality, the JBI checklist for economic evaluations will be used. For economic evaluations, data will be extracted using the standardized JBI data extraction form. The Dominance Ranking Matrix will be used to summarize and compare the results of different types of economic evaluations. Cost per quality adjusted life year gained and cost per disability adjusted life year averted will be measures for economic evaluation. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach will be used to assess the certainty of economic evidence, such as resource use and costs. REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42017070386.

Opponent intrinsic brain network connectivity profiles associated with posttraumatic fear and dysphoria symptoms in trauma-exposed refugees.

OBJECTIVE: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) studies report functional alterations in the connectivity between intrinsic brain networks in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but PTSD heterogeneity is rarely considered. Evidence points to fear (e.g., reexperiencing) and dysphoria (e.g., withdrawal) symptom factors as important in PTSD presentations, including relating to variable emotion dysregulation patterns. This study, therefore, tested how fear and dysphoria posttraumatic symptoms were differentially associated with core network connectivity and emotion dysregulation behaviors in a large group of trauma-exposed refugees. METHOD: A final sample of 77 trauma-exposed participants completed a rsfMRI scan. Independent component analysis identified active networks and functional network connectivity (FNC) between networks was assessed. Fear and dysphoria posttraumatic symptoms were partially correlated with FNCs, and linear regression models examined relationships with self-reported difficulties in emotion regulation. RESULTS: Twenty-three active networks were identified, eight being in the networks of interest (p < .05 false discovery rate-corrected). Fear and dysphoria symptoms were specifically related to connectivity patterns between two subnetworks of the default mode network (DMN). Fear symptoms were negatively associated with anterior dorsomedial DMN (admDMN) and temporoparietal DMN (tpDMN) connectivity; whereas dysphoria symptoms were positively associated with admDMN-tpDMN connectivity. Additionally, admDMN-tpDMN connectivity was positively predicted by goal-directed emotion dysregulation but negatively predicted by poor emotional clarity. CONCLUSIONS: Fear and dysphoria posttraumatic symptoms showed opponent associations with admDMN and tpDMN connectivity, potentially reflecting patterns of under- and overemotion dysregulation associated with these symptom profiles respectively. Findings highlight the importance of considering posttraumatic heterogeneity when constructing neural models of PTSD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploiting Visible Light Triggered Formation of trans-Cyclohexene for the Contra-thermodynamic Protection of Alcohols.

We report herein a method for the contra-thermodynamic protection and thermodynamic deprotection of alcohols in which all reagents are returned to their original state. This is accomplished by the use of visible light photochemical energy to drive the formation of a highly strained trans-(Z)-cyclohexene. At STP the product ethers contain more potential energy than the starting materials and, thus, can be catalytically returned to the starting materials, effectively realizing a protection-deprotection scheme paid for with an energy currency.

Refugee visa insecurity disrupts the brain's default mode network.

BACKGROUND: Research has largely focused on the psychological consequences of refugee trauma exposure, but refugees living with visa insecurity face an uncertain future that also adversely affects psychological functioning and self-determination. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine how refugee visa insecurity affects the functional brain. METHOD: We measured resting state brain activity via fMRI in 47 refugees with insecure visas (i.e. temporary visa status) and 52 refugees with secure visas (i.e. permanent visa status) residing in Australia, matched on key demographic, trauma exposure and psychopathology. Data analysis comprised independent components analysis to identify active networks and dynamic functional causal modelling tested visa security group differences in network connectivity. RESULTS: We found that visa insecurity specifically affected sub-systems within the default mode network (DMN) - an intrinsic network subserving self-referential processes and mental simulations about the future. The insecure visa group showed less spectral power in the low frequency band in the anterior ventromedial DMN, and reduced activity in the posterior frontal DMN, compared to the secure visa group. Using functional dynamic causal modelling, we observed positive coupling between the anterior and posterior midline DMN hubs in the secure visa group, while the insecure visa group displayed negative coupling that correlated with self-reported fear of future deportation. CONCLUSIONS: Living with visa-related uncertainty appears to undermine synchrony between anterior-posterior midline components of the DMN responsible for governing the construction of the self and making mental representations of the future. This could represent a neural signature of refugee visa insecurity, which is marked by a perception of living in limbo and a truncated sense of the future.

Refugee visa insecurity disrupts default mode network (DMN) connectivity ­ a core network that supports the internal construction of the self.Refugees living with insecure visa status showed decreased connectivity in the DMN and more negative coupling between midline anterior­posterior hubs of the DMN, compared to refugees living with secure visas.Diminished DMN connectivity may represent a neural basis for the psychological effects of refugee visa insecurity, which is associated with prolonged uncertainty regarding the future self and increased risk for psychological distress.

Significant age by childhood trauma interactions on grey matter volumes: A whole brain VBM analysis.

BACKGROUND: Childhood trauma is deleterious to long term brain development. The changes are variable, and depend on gender, age and the nature of the trauma. In this exploratory analysis, we investigated the effects of exposure to emotional trauma on grey matter (GM) volumes in adolescent females. METHODS: We explored GM volumes in non-clinical females aged 12-17 years who had been exposed to either higher (HET; N = 75) or minimal (MET; N = 127) emotional trauma. High-resolution T1-weighted structural images were analysed with an optimised FSL-VBM protocol. The General Linear Model was run on HET versus MET with continuous age as an interaction. Mean GM volumes were extracted from significant corrected age interaction statistical maps and scrutinised with SPSS®. RESULTS: We observed greater HET*age than MET*age interactions (corrected p-value = 0.0002), in 4 separate bilateral cortical regions associated with mood disorders. Scrutiny of these regions showed significant GM volume enlargements in the early adolescent HET group (p = 0.017) and reductions in the late adolescent HET group (p < 0.0001). Notably, there were no differences in middle adolescence (p > 0.05). LIMITATIONS: Causality cannot be inferred from this cross-sectional study and the onset of trauma cannot be determined using retrospective measures. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst GM volumes diminish from early adolescence onwards, our results show that HET impacts this brain development, perhaps first via unstable adaptative mechanisms, followed by maladaptive processes in late adolescence. This suggests that compromises of emotional and cognitive self-regulation in mood disorders may underpin the structural abnormalities observed across multiple brain regions in these teenage girls.

An fMRI examination of the neural basis of suicide attempts: The role of mentalizing in the context of mood.

OBJECTIVES: Facial emotion recognition (FER) deficits in depressed mood disorder patients contribute to suicidality. Prior research shows that intrinsic brain activity patterns are altered by attempting suicide. Therefore, we investigated in depressed patients whether differences in FER contribute to their clinical symptoms of suicide. METHODS: Neural activity in response to an FER task was compared across three groups: healthy controls (HCs, N = 66), suicide non-attempter (SNA, N = 50), suicide attempter (SA, N = 25). Modulation of brain networks by the task and functional connectivity (FC) within (using spatial map, spectral power) and between (using functional network connectivity; FNC) were examined. The contribution of these differences to suicidal symptoms in each group was also examined. RESULTS: Patient groups displayed impaired FC both within and between networks but differed in nature and networks involved. They also showed differential modulation of networks by task, such that compared with both HC and SNA, SA displayed impaired FC within the default-mode network (DMN) and also its task modulation. In the SA group, FC within the DMN and FNC between two lateral prefrontal networks, and its interaction with the basal ganglia network contributed significantly to the clinical symptoms of suicide. CONCLUSIONS: This study affirms differences between SA and SNA brain activity patterns and suggests that suicidal activity probably emanates via different mechanisms in these patient groups. Perhaps, over-attribution of emotion impairs one's self-referential thought processes and coupled with diminished emotional control this makes depressed individuals vulnerable to suicide.

Aryldiazonium Salts and DABSO: A Versatile Combination for Three-Component Sulfonylative Cross-Coupling Reactions.

A combination of aryldiazonium salts and DABSO provides a unique opportunity for sulfonylative multicomponent cross-coupling reactions. Here, a copper-catalyzed three-component cross-coupling of aryldiazonium salts, DABSO with arylboronic acids to obtain medicinally relevant unsymmetrical diarylsulfones is disclosed. Interestingly, a catalyst-free approach for the synthesis of arylvinylsulfones from the corresponding vinyl boronic acids or vinyl halides is explored under basic condition. Tethered aryldiazonium salts provided the corresponding annulated alkylvinylsulfones via alkene difunctionalization under the same transition metal-free condition. Mechanistically, these multicomponent reactions proceed through a single electron pathway by the formation of arylsulfonyl radical as a key intermediate.

Torture exposure and the functional brain: investigating disruptions to intrinsic network connectivity using resting state fMRI.

Torture has profound psychological and physiological consequences for survivors. While some brain structures and functions appear altered in torture survivors, it is unclear how torture exposure influences functional connectivity within and between core intrinsic brain networks. In this study, 37 torture survivors (TS) and 62 non-torture survivors (NTS) participated in a resting-state fMRI scan. Data-driven independent components analysis identified active intrinsic networks. Group differences in functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN) and central executive network (CEN) of the triple network model, as well any prefrontal network, were examined while controlling for PTSD symptoms and exposure to other potentially traumatic events. The analysis identified 25 networks; eight comprised our networks of interest. Within-network group differences were observed in the left CEN (lCEN), where the TS group showed less spectral power in the low-frequency band. Differential internetwork dynamic connectivity patterns were observed, where the TS group showed stronger positive coupling between the lCEN and anterior dorsomedial and ventromedial DMN, and stronger negative coupling between a lateral frontal network and the lCEN and anterior dorsomedial DMN (when contrasted with the NTS group). Group differences were not attributed to torture severity or dissociative symptoms. Torture survivors showed disrupted dynamic functional connectivity between a laterally-aligned lCEN that serves top-down control functions over external processes and the midline DMN that underpins internal self-referential processes, which may be an adaptive response to mitigate the worst effects of the torture experience. This study provides a critical step in mapping the neural signature of torture exposure to guide treatment development and selection.

Dynamics and control of delayed rumor propagation through social networks.

Investigation of rumor spread dynamics and its control in social networking sites (SNS) has become important as it may cause some serious negative effects on our society. Here we aim to study the rumor spread mechanism and the influential factors using epidemic like model. We have divided the total population into three groups, namely, ignorant, spreader and aware. We have used delay differential equations to describe the dynamics of rumor spread process and studied the stability of the steady-state solutions using the threshold value of influence which is analogous to the basic reproduction number in disease model. Global stability of rumor prevailing state has been proved by using Lyapunov function. An optimal control system is set up using media awareness campaign to minimize the spreader population and the corresponding cost. Hopf bifurcation analyses with respect to time delay and the transmission rate of rumors are discussed here both analytically and numerically. Moreover, we have derived the stability region of the system corresponding to change of transmission rate and delay values.

A Review on Expression, Pathological Roles, and Inhibition of TMPRSS2, the Serine Protease Responsible for SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Activation.

SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, uses the host cell membrane receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for anchoring its spike protein, and the subsequent membrane fusion process is facilitated by host membrane proteases. Recent studies have shown that transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), a protease known for similar role in previous coronavirus infections, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), is responsible for the proteolytic cleavage of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, enabling host cell fusion of the virus. TMPRSS2 is known to be expressed in the epithelial cells of different sites including gastrointestinal, respiratory, and genitourinary system. The infection site of the SARS-CoV-2 correlates with the coexpression sites of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Besides, age-, sex-, and comorbidity-associated variation in infection rate correlates with the expression rate of TMPRSS2 in those groups. These findings provide valid reasons for the assumption that inhibiting TMPRSS2 can have a beneficial effect in reducing the cellular entry of the virus, ultimately affecting the infection rate and case severity. Several drug development studies are going on to develop potential inhibitors of the protease, using both conventional and computational approaches. Complete understanding of the biological roles of TMPRSS2 is necessary before such therapies are applied.

Activating the attachment system modulates neural responses to threat in refugees with PTSD.

Social attachment systems are disrupted for refugees through trauma and forced displacement. This study tested how the attachment system mitigates neural responses to threat in refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Refugees with PTSD (N = 28) and refugee trauma-exposed controls (N = 22) viewed threat-related stimuli primed by attachment cues during a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Group differences and the moderating effects of avoidant or anxious attachment style and grief related to separation from family on brain activity and connectivity patterns were examined. Separation grief was associated with increased amygdala but decreased ventromedial prefrontal cortical (VMPFC) activity to the attachment prime and decreased VMPFC and hippocampal activity to attachment primed threat in the PTSD (vs trauma-exposed control) group. Avoidant attachment style was connected with increased dorsal frontoparietal attention regional activity to attachment prime cues in the PTSD group. Anxious attachment style was associated with reduced left amygdala connectivity with left medial prefrontal regions to attachment primed threat in the PTSD group. Separation grief appears to reduce attachment buffering of threat reactivity in refugees with PTSD, while avoidant and anxious attachment style modulated attentional and prefrontal regulatory mechanisms in PTSD, respectively. Considering social attachments in refugees could be important to post-trauma recovery, based within changes in key emotion regulation brain systems.

Mathematical model of COVID-19 with comorbidity and controlling using non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccination.

Pandemic is an unprecedented public health situation, especially for human beings with comorbidity. Vaccination and non-pharmaceutical interventions only remain extensive measures carrying a significant socioeconomic impact to defeating pandemic. Here, we formulate a mathematical model with comorbidity to study the transmission dynamics as well as an optimal control-based framework to diminish COVID-19. This encompasses modeling the dynamics of invaded population, parameter estimation of the model, study of qualitative dynamics, and optimal control problem for non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and vaccination events such that the cost of the combined measure is minimized. The investigation reveals that disease persists with the increase in exposed individuals having comorbidity in society. The extensive computational efforts show that mean fluctuations in the force of infection increase with corresponding entropy. This is a piece of evidence that the outbreak has reached a significant portion of the population. However, optimal control strategies with combined measures provide an assurance of effectively protecting our population from COVID-19 by minimizing social and economic costs.

Dynamics of COVID-19 transmission with comorbidity: a data driven modelling based approach.

An outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health disease as well as a challenging task to people with comorbidity worldwide. According to a report, comorbidity enhances the risk factors with complications of COVID-19. Here, we propose and explore a mathematical framework to study the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 with comorbidity. Within this framework, the model is calibrated by using new daily confirmed COVID-19 cases in India. The qualitative properties of the model and the stability of feasible equilibrium are studied. The model experiences the scenario of backward bifurcation by parameter regime accounting for progress in susceptibility to acquire infection by comorbidity individuals. The endemic equilibrium is asymptotically stable if recruitment of comorbidity becomes higher without acquiring the infection. Moreover, a larger backward bifurcation regime indicates the possibility of more infection in susceptible individuals. A dynamics in the mean fluctuation of the force of infection is investigated with different parameter regimes. A significant correlation is established between the force of infection and corresponding Shannon entropy under the same parameters, which provides evidence that infection reaches a significant proportion of the susceptible.

Irritability and mood symptoms in adolescent girls: Trait anxiety and emotion dysregulation as mediators.

BACKGROUND: Irritability is a common symptom in youth that is thought to be predictive of mood disorders. Its effects on mood are likely to be age-dependent, with direct and indirect mediators. We assessed age-related effects and mediators of irritability in adolescent girls with subthreshold depressive and manic symptoms. METHODS: We analysed the irritability item from the Mood Disorder Questionnaire in 3 cohorts of girls aged 12-18years (N=229); 12-13years (N=82); 14-15years (N=68); and 16-18years (N=79). They also completed mood, anxiety and emotion regulation questionnaires. MANOVA, correlations and bootstrapped mediation analyses were performed with SPSS®v25 and Hayes Processv3.5®. RESULTS: Overall, irritable girls had higher depressive and manic symptoms, trait anxiety and emotion dysregulation than those who were not irritable. Significantly higher rates of irritability were observed in mid-adolescents (aged 14-15years; p = 0.001). Notably, irritability exerted effects on depressive symptoms via trait anxiety, non-acceptance of emotions and dysregulation in emotion clarity throughout adolescence. However, irritability directly exerted effects on manic symptoms in mid-adolescence but in older adolescents, their relationship was indirect via impulse control dysregulation. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design and non-clinical sample limit generalisability of our findings. CONCLUSIONS: Irritability is involved in subthreshold depressive symptoms, via trait anxiety and perceptual emotion dysregulation. On the other hand, irritability is directly and indirectly associated with subthreshold manic symptoms via dysregulated impulse control depending on age. Therefore, screening for irritability, trait anxiety and emotion dysregulation throughout adolescence may facilitate the early detection of subthreshold depressive and manic symptoms, and the implementation of preventive strategies.

The impact of torture on interpersonal threat and reward neurocircuitry.

OBJECTIVE: Torture adversely influences emotional functioning, but the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning its impact are unknown. This study examined how torture exposure affects the neural substrates of interpersonal threat and reward processing. METHODS: Male refugees with (N = 31) and without (N = 27) torture exposure completed a clinical interview and functional magnetic resonance imaging scan where they viewed fear, happy and neutral faces. Between-group activations and neural coupling were examined as moderated by posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and cumulative trauma load. RESULTS: Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and trauma load significantly moderated group differences in brain activation and connectivity patterns. Torture survivors deactivated the ventral striatum during happy processing compared to non-torture survivor controls as a function of increased posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity - particularly avoidance symptoms. The ventral striatum was more strongly coupled with the inferior frontal gyrus in torture survivors. Torture survivors also showed left hippocampal deactivation to both fear and happy faces, moderated by trauma load, compared to controls. Stronger coupling between the hippocampus and frontal, temporoparietal and subcortical regions during fear processing was observed, with pathways being predicted by avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms. CONCLUSION: Torture exposure was associated with distinct brain activity and connectivity patterns during threat and reward processing, dependent on trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity. Torture appears to affect emotional brain functioning, and findings have the potential to guide more targeted interventions for torture survivors.

Exploring dynamical complexity in a time-delayed tumor-immune model.

The analysis of dynamical complexity in nonlinear phenomena is an effective tool to quantify the level of their structural disorder. In particular, a mathematical model of tumor-immune interactions can provide insight into cancer biology. Here, we present and explore the aspects of dynamical complexity, exhibited by a time-delayed tumor-immune model that describes the proliferation and survival of tumor cells under immune surveillance, governed by activated immune-effector cells, host cells, and concentrated interleukin-2. We show that by employing bifurcation analyses in different parametric regimes and the 0-1 test for chaoticity, the onset of chaos in the system can be predicted and also manifested by the emergence of multi-periodicity. This is further verified by studying one- and two-parameter bifurcation diagrams for different dynamical regimes of the system. Furthermore, we quantify the asymptotic behavior of the system by means of weighted recurrence entropy. This helps us to identify a resemblance between its dynamics and emergence of complexity. We find that the complexity in the model might indicate the phenomena of long-term cancer relapse, which provides evidence that incorporating time-delay in the effect of interleukin in the tumor model enhances remarkably the dynamical complexity of the tumor-immune interplay.

Dysfunctional coupling of the parahippocampal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus during memory suppression in posttraumatic stress disorder.

The current study aimed to identify alterations in brain activation and connectivity related to memory suppression in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using the Think/No-Think paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Reduced activation in the parahippocampal cortex during No-Think vs. Baseline trials was found in participants with PTSD compared to controls with no history of trauma (pFWE<0.05). Trauma-related intrusive memories (r = 0.562, p = 0.046) and avoidance behaviors (r = 0.636, p = 0.020) were positively correlated with parahippocampal cortex activation during memory suppression in the PTSD group. Psychophysiological interactions (PPI) analysis identified increased functional connectivity between the inferior frontal gyrus and the parahippocampus during memory suppression in the PTSD group compared to trauma-free controls (pFWE<0.05). Our findings support a network-based phenotype for altered memory suppression in individuals with PTSD rooted in dysfunctional parahippocampal-prefrontal coupling. These data validate neural models of PTSD and offer a novel neural circuit for brain-based interventions targeting trauma-related memory.

Metabolic adaptability in liver and gastrocnemius muscle of mice following subacute lead toxicity.

Lead (Pb) is one of several environmental pollutants that adversely affect human health by producing toxicity at the tissue level. The aim of the study was to understand the effects of Pb on the metabolic profiles of liver and gastrocnemius muscle of mice in relation to carbohydrate and fat metabolisms. Swiss albino mice were chosen and divided into two groups, control and Pb-treated. The Pb-treated animals were exposed to Pb at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight for 30 days orally, which resulted in hypoglycemia, glycosuria, and increased glycogenolysis in the liver and gastrocnemius muscle of treated mice. Pyruvic acid, the end product of glycolysis decreased in muscular tissue and increased in the liver. Additionally, the activity of G-6Pase was depressed in the liver, whereas lactate dehydrogenase activity was increased in skeletal muscle only. An adaptive mechanism was initiated by stimulating glycogenolytic and retarding glycolytic activity in the liver and also by alteration of liver and muscle pyruvate dehydrogenase activity along with increased activity of malate dehydrogenase in skeletal muscle. There was enhancement of succinate dehydrogenase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activities in the studied tissues. Interestingly, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein levels were elevated, whereas those of triglycerides were decreased in Pb-treated mice serum. The activities of fatty acid synthase and glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase were depressed in Pb-treated mice livers. Pb also significantly altered the morphological features of the liver, skeletal muscle, and pancreas. These data suggested that subacute Pb exposure was responsible for metabolic modulation in an adaptive fashion in the liver and skeletal muscle of mice.