Impacts of maternal diet and exercise on offspring behavior and body weights.

Human and animal studies indicate that maternal obesity can negatively impact aspects of metabolism and neurodevelopment in the offspring. Not known, however, is whether maternal exercise can alter these adverse outcomes. In this study, Long-Evans female rats were provided a high fat (60%; HFD) or control diet (CD) 44days before mating and throughout gestation and lactation.

Evaluation of the immunomodulatory effects of 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)-propanoate in C57BL/6 mice.

2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)-propanoate was designed to replace perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which has been mostly phased out of U.S. production due to environmental persistence, detectable human and wildlife serum concentrations, and reports of systemic toxicity.

Does developmental exposure to perflurooctanoic acid (PFOA) induce immunopathologies commonly observed in neurodevelopmental disorders?

Immune comorbidities often are reported in subsets of patients with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. A common immunopathology is an increase in serum autoantibodies against myelin basic protein (MBP) relative to control patients. Increases in autoantibodies suggest possible deficits in self-tolerance that may contribute to the formation of brain-specific autoantibodies and subsequent effects on the central nervous system (CNS).