Effect of dietary fish oil on the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism in liver and skeletal muscle of lactating sows.

This study investigated the hypothesis that dietary supplementation of fish oil as a source of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) influences the expression of target genes of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP)-1 and (SREBP)-2 involved in triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis and fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism in the liver, and moreover activates the expression of target genes of peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor (PPAR)-α involved in TAG and fatty acid catabolism in liver and skeletal muscle. Twenty lactating sows were fed a control diet or a fish oil diet with either 50 g of a mixture of palm oil and soya bean oil (4:1, w/w) or fish oil per kg. The diet of the fish oil group contained 19.1 g of n-3 PUFA (mainly 20:5 n-3 and 22:6 n-3) per 100 g of total fatty acids, while the diet of the control group contained 2.4 g of n-3 PUFA (mainly 18:3 n-3) per 100 g of total fatty acids. The fish oil group had reduced relative mRNA concentrations of various target genes of SREBP-1 involved in fatty acid and TAG synthesis in comparison with the control group (p < 0.05). Relative mRNA concentrations of target genes of PPARα involved in fatty acid catabolism in both liver and muscle, and mRNA concentrations of target genes of SREBP-2 involved in cholesterol synthesis and uptake were not influenced by fish oil supplementation. Concentrations of cholesterol and TAG in plasma, fat content of milk and weight gains of litters during the suckling period were not different between the two groups of sows. In conclusion, this study suggests that fish oil has only minor effects on hepatic lipid metabolism, which are non-critical with respect to milk production in sows.

Speech freezing in Parkinson's disease: a kinematic analysis of orofacial movements by means of electromagnetic articulography.

Kinematic recordings of orofacial movements by means of electromagnetic articulography were performed in an akinetic-rigid Parkinsonian patient presenting with intermittent speech freezing in diadochokinesis tasks (rapid repetitions of the syllable /ta/). During freezing periods the patient produced a sustained /a/ instead of the required consonant-vowel sequences. The underlying articulatory trajectories were characterized by repetition rates amounting to 8-10 Hz concomitant with reduced movement amplitudes. Obviously, the undershooting of articulatory gestures failed to establish a sufficient occlusion of the vocal tract giving rise to the perceived speech freezing. In contrast, preserved diadochokinesis occurred at frequencies of 4-6 Hz. Most probably, the increased articulatory repetition rate reflects a pacing of orofacial movements by released tremor oscillations. Due to slowing of articulatory movements spastic dysarthrics can also present with missing syllabic modulation during oral diadochokinesis. The results of the articulographic recordings demonstrate the different pathophysiology of Parkinsonian freezing.