Dietary fatty acid composition drives neuroinflammation and impaired behavior in obesity.

Nutrient composition in obesogenic diets may influence the severity of disorders associated with obesity such as insulin-resistance and chronic inflammation. Here we hypothesized that obesogenic diets rich in fat and varying in fatty acid composition, particularly in omega 6 (ω6) to omega 3 (ω3) ratio, have various effects on energy metabolism, neuroinflammation and behavior. Mice were fed either a control diet or a high fat diet (HFD) containing either low (LO), medium (ME) or high (HI) ω6/ω3 ratio.

Defects in AMPAR trafficking and microglia activation underlie socio-cognitive deficits associated to decreased expression of phosphodiesterase 2 a.

Phosphodiesterase 2 A (PDE2A) is an enzyme involved in the homeostasis of cAMP and cGMP and is the most highly expressed PDE in human brain regions critical for socio-cognitive behavior. In cerebral cortex and hippocampus, PDE2A expression level is upregulated in Fmr1-KO mice, a model of the Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), the most common form of inherited intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Indeed, PDE2A translation is negatively modulated by FMRP, whose functional absence causes FXS.

Acid-sensing ion channel 3 mediates pain hypersensitivity associated with high-fat diet consumption in mice.

Lipid-rich diet is the major cause of obesity, affecting 13% of the worldwide adult population. Obesity is a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome that includes hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus. The early phases of metabolic syndrome are often associated with hyperexcitability of peripheral small diameter sensory fibers and painful diabetic neuropathy.

Microgliosis: a double-edged sword in the control of food intake.

Maintaining energy balance is essential for survival and health. This physiological function is controlled by the brain, which adapts food intake to energy needs. Indeed, the brain constantly receives a multitude of biological signals that are derived from digested foods or that originate from the gastrointestinal tract, energy stores (liver and adipose tissues) and other metabolically active organs (muscles).

Methodology to evaluate stress corrosion cracking in ethanol environments, applied to circumferential welds on API 5 L steel pipelines.

This work presents an experimental methodology developed to perform fatigue crack growth (FCG) and slow strain rate (SSR) tests in ethanol environments aiming to evaluate stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of circumferential welds on steel pipelines. FCG and SSR specimens were machined from a welded pipe and the notches were properly designed to promote crack propagation in the different regions of the weld. Tests were carried out keeping the crack-tip region fully immersed in an ethanol solution, which was fueled by a circulation system to ensure replenishment and aeration throughout the test.