Neonatal handling alters maternal emotional response to stress.

Neonatal handling is an experimental procedure used to analyze the effects of environmental interventions during early postpartum days (PPD). Long-lasting effects of repeated stress exposure in the neonatal period on the maternal side are poorly studied in this model. The aim of this study was to verify if handling the pups induces enduring effects on damsstress responses, increasing their risk for depression. Dams were divided into two groups (NH-Non-handled and H-Handled) based on the handling procedure (pups were handled for 1 min/per day from PPD1-PPD10) and then subdivided into four groups (NH, NH + S, H, and H + S) based on the exposure or not to restraint stress after weaning (1 hr/per day for 7 days, PPD22-PPD28). We analyzed damsbehavior in the forced swimming test (FST PPD29-PPD30), plasma basal corticosterone and BDNF levels, as well as adrenal weight (PPD31). The results show that handling alters the stress response of dams to acute and chronic stress, as evidenced by dams of the H group having increased immobility in the first day of FST (p < .001), similar to NH + S (p < .01). Dams of the H and H + S groups show decreased levels of corticosterone when compared to NH and NH + S groups (p < .05), but the H + S group shows an increased adrenal weight, suggesting an increased sensibility of the maternal organism to the chronic stress applied after weaning (p < .05). We show that handling may induce a long-lasting effect on maternal stress response; these changes in the damsemotional reactivity increase their susceptibility for the development of psychiatric disorders such as depression. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 58: 614-622, 2016.

The impact of maternal consumption of cafeteria diet on reproductive function in the offspring.

Maternal obesity is a risk factor for the development of metabolic syndrome and childhood obesity, and early overnutrition seems to induce the development of pathologies in adulthood, including insulin resistance, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a higher BMI. In addition, it is known that obesity can negatively affect fertility and reproductive function in men. The objective of this work was to investigate the impact of maternal obesity induced by the consumption of cafeteria diet on metabolic, endocrine and reproductive outcomes in the male offspring. Body weight, abdominal fat content and concentrations of insulin, leptin, glucose and total cholesterol were analyzed in dams. The same parameters were evaluated in pups when in adulthood, in addition to the analysis of sexual behavior, followed by measurement of plasma luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, and prolactin. Maternal consumption of cafeteria diet affected reproductive hormone regulation in the offspring and such modifications were reflected on sexual performance. Also, these modifications were independent of time and of the reproductive period during which dams consumed the diet. Our results indicate, for the first time, that maternal nutrition may have a deep impact on the reproductive function of the adult male offspring.

Neonatal handling reduces renal function in adult rats.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the effects of neonatal handling on hydroelectrolytic balance in adult rats. METHODS: The litters were divided into two groups: nonhandled and handled. The procedure consisted of handling the pups for 1 min/day in the first 10 days postnatally. When adults, animals had their body weight verified and were housed in individual metabolic cages. After a 24-hour period, urine samples were collected and the urinary and water intake volumes measured. Blood samples to determine osmolality, aldosterone, corticosterone, angiotensin II, creatinine, urea, sodium and potassium levels were collected. The kidneys were removed for histological assessment. Urinary osmolality, sodium, urea and creatinine were also measured and the creatinine clearance (CC) calculated. RESULTS: No difference between groups was found in the body weight. Handled animals showed a reduction in the total kidney wet weight, water intake, urinary volume, CC, plasma angiotensin II, corticosterone and aldosterone when compared to the nonhandled and an increase in the urinary osmolality and sodium excretion fraction. No differences in serum potassium and no evidence of structural changes were demonstrated by histological analysis. CONCLUSION: Neonatal handling induced long-lasting effects decreasing renal function without evidence of kidney structural changes.

Effects of neonatal handling on social memory, social interaction, and number of oxytocin and vasopressin neurons in rats.

Early-life environmental events can induce profound long-lasting changes in several behavioral and neuroendocrine systems. The neonatal handling procedure, which involves repeated brief maternal separations followed by experimental manipulations, reduces stress responses and sexual behavior in adult rats. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of neonatal handling on social behaviors of male and female rats in adulthood, as manifest by the results of social memory and social interaction tests. The number of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) neurons in the paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei of hypothalamus were also analyzed. The results did not demonstrate impairment of social memory. Notwithstanding, handling did reduce social investigative interaction and increase aggressive behavior in males, but did not do so in females. Furthermore, in both males and females, handling was linked with reduced number of OT-neurons in the parvocellular region of the PVN, while no differences were detected in the magnocellular PVN or the SON. On the other hand, handled males exhibited increased number of VP-neurons in the magnocellular zone of the PVN. We may conclude that the repeated brief maternal separations can reduce affiliative social behavior in adult male rats. Moreover, the disruption of the mother-infant relationship caused by the handling procedure induced long-lasting morphological changes in critical neuroendocrine areas that are involved in social bonding in mammals.

Análise da resposta muscular obtida por portadores da Síndrome de Down submetidos a um programa de exercícios resistidos / Analysis of muscular response from Down´s Syndrome carriers submited to the resisted exercises program

Este estudo objetivou determinar a resposta muscular dos indivíduos com Síndrome de Down quando submetidos a técnicas cinesioterapêuticas contra resistência. Foram selecionadas quatro crianças na faixa etária de 8 a 10 anos da APAE-Passo Fundo, RS. Todas foram submetidas a uma avaliação inicial, sendo o pico máximo de torque mensurado com o dinamômetro isocinético Biodexã Multi Joint System3 Pro, e, posteriormente, submetidas a um programa de exercícios resistidos, envolvendo a musculatura extensora e flexora dos joelhos, por um período de dois meses com três sessões semanais de vinte minutos cada. Ao final do segundo mês, após a coleta final, os resultados foram comparados entre si, concluindo-se que a cinesioterapia através de exercícios resistidos mostrou-se efetiva no fortalecimento muscular em crianças portadoras da Síndrome de Down.