Integrating, Harmonizing, and Curating Studies With High-Frequency and Hourly Physiological Data: Proof of Concept from Seven Traumatic Brain Injury Data Sets.

Research in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) has historically been limited by studies with relatively small sample sizes that result in low power to detect small, yet clinically meaningful outcomes. Data sharing and integration from existing sources hold promise to yield larger more robust sample sizes that improve the potential signal and generalizability of important research questions. However, curation and harmonization of data of different types and of disparate provenance is challenging.

Cross-sectional and Prospective Associations of Rest-Activity Rhythms With Body Mass Index in Older Men: A Novel Analysis Using Harmonic Hidden Markov Models.

Growing evidence supports a role for rest-activity rhythms (RARs) in metabolic health. Epidemiological studies in adolescents and young adults showed that RAR characteristics consistent with weakened rhythmicity were associated with obesity. However, studies in older adults are lacking.

Rat ultrasonic vocalizations as an index of memory.

The emission of 50 kHz frequency-modulated ultrasonic vocalizations (FM USVs) in rats has been associated with positive affective states, while a decrease in FM USVs has been associated with anxiety-like states. We tested the hypothesis in male Sprague-Dawley rats that FM USVs would complement measures of aversive memories (decrease in FM USVs) in a conditioned fear task in which we examined extinction or reconsolidation disruption. In Experiment 1, rats were fear conditioned using low-level footshock followed by extinction while monitoring freezing and FM USVs.

Enhanced memory persistence is blocked by a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor in the snail Lymnaea stagnalis.

Lymnaea stagnalis provides an excellent model system for studying memory because these snails have a well-described set of neurons, a single one of which controls expression of long-term memory of operantly conditioned respiratory behavior. We have shown that several different manipulations, including pre-training exposure to serotonin (5-HT) or methamphetamine, submersion of snails after training to prevent memory interference, and exposure to effluent from predatory crayfish (CE), enhance memory persistence. Changes in DNA methylation underlie formation of strong memories in mammals and 5-HT-enhanced long-term facilitation in Aplysia.

Lactate production by swine adipocytes: effects of age, nutritional status, glucose concentration, and insulin.

To develop an alternative model in which to study the relationship between adipose tissue lactate production, obesity, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), we investigated lactate production by swine adipocytes. Subcutaneous adipocytes from fasted 3-wk-old, fasted 7-mo-old, and fed 7-mo-old Yucatan minIature swine were isolated and incubated with 0.2, 1, 5, 10, or 25 mM glucose +/- 1 mU/ml insulin.