Female sex and obesity increase photophobic behavior in mice.

Migraine affects predominantly women. Furthermore, epidemiological studies suggest that obesity is a risk factor for migraine and this association is influenced by sex. However, the biological basis for this bias is unclear. To address this issue, we assessed light avoidant behavior, a surrogate of photophobia, in female C57BL/6J mice fed regular diet (RD) or high-fat diet (HFD, 60% kcal from fat). We first assessed sex differences in basal photophobia in 20-25-week-old mice and found that both obese and lean females spent significantly less time in light than their male counterparts. Next, we assessed photophobia evoked by trigeminal stimulation with intradermal capsaicin. Females at 20-25weeks of age did not display capsaicin-evoked photophobic behavior unless they had diet-induced obesity. When we tested 8-11-week-old females to determine if the diet alone could be responsible for this effect, we found that both HFD and RD 8-11-week-old females exhibit capsaicin-evoked photophobic behavior. This is in contrast to what we have previously shown in males and indicates a sex difference in the photophobic behavior of mice. Comparison of 20-25-week-old RD mice with 8-11-week-old RD mice suggests that age or age-related weight gain may contribute to capsaicin-evoked photophobic behavior in males, but not in females. These findings suggest that obesity exacerbates photophobia in both sexes, but additional work is needed to understand the sex- and age-specific mechanisms that may contribute to photophobia and trigeminal pain.

Abnormal trigeminal sensory processing in obese mice.

Obesity is associated with several pain disorders including headache. The effects of obesity on the trigeminal nociceptive system, which mediates headache, remain unknown. We used 2 complementary mouse models of obesity (high-fat diet and leptin deficiency) to examine this. We assessed capsaicin-induced nocifensive behavior and photophobia in obese and control mice. Calcium imaging was used to determine the effects of obesity on the activity of primary trigeminal afferents in vitro. We found that obese mice had a normal acute response to a facial injection of capsaicin, but they developed photophobic behavior at doses that had no effect on control mice. We observed higher calcium influx in cultured trigeminal ganglia neurons from obese mice and a higher percentage of medium to large diameter capsaicin-responsive cells. These findings demonstrate that obesity results in functional changes in the trigeminal system that may contribute to abnormal sensory processing. Our findings provide the foundation for in-depth studies to improve the understanding of the effects of obesity on the trigeminal system and may have implications for the pathophysiology of headache disorders.

Importancia del ácido fólico en el desarrollo del embrión humano

Se llevó acabo una revisión bibliográfica sobre la importancia del ácido fólico en el desarrollo del embrión humano. Se realizó un estudio a 387 pacientes, de las diferentes áreas de salud del Municipio Especial, con patologías en la columna vertebral. Al analizar las radiografías se comprobó que 81 pacientes (21.6 porciento) tenían anomalías congénitas en su raquis y el defecto más frecuente fue la espina bífida oculta con 46 casos, que representan el 56.7 porciento del total de la muestra. Por su implicación en la síntesis de ADN, ARN y el metabolismo de algunos aminoácidos, la deficiencia de ácido fólico en el embarazo, antes del cierre del tubo neural, puede ocasionar daños en la formación de la médula espinal y el cerebro(AU)

It was carried out a study from of a social problem of the science that refers to the rejection from the Christian believers to the treatments that are applied in the Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM). We didn't know why the believers rejected this therapy because we didnt get any explanation from them about it. Therefore, we intended to settle down the causes. In our study, we checked that philosophical theoretical contradictions were existed, because the Tao's philosophy is based on a primitive Dialectical Materialism instead of the religious philosophy, which is Idealist. The consulted specialists said that the theoretical foundations of the Traditional Medicine, are based on the Tao's philosophy and they are not related with any religion. However, we found in the investigation that the Tao's philosophy, which began like a pure philosophical school, became a Religion where they use magic symbols, as the Ying Yang symbol. In the Asian countries, the Traditional Medicine is related with the Taoist religion. We also verify that many believers ignore about the Taoist religion and their relationship with the CTM(AU)