High-Salt Diet in the Pre- and Postweaning Periods Leads to Amygdala Oxidative Stress and Changes in Locomotion and Anxiety-Like Behaviors of Male Wistar Rats.

High-salt (HS) diets have recently been linked to oxidative stress in the brain, a fact that may be a precursor to behavioral changes, such as those involving anxiety-like behavior. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has evaluated the amygdala redox status after consuming a HS diet in the pre- or postweaning periods. This study aimed to evaluate the amygdala redox status and anxiety-like behaviors in adulthood, after inclusion of HS diet in two periods: preconception, gestation, and lactation (preweaning); and only after weaning (postweaning).

Phase transformation-driven artificial muscle mimics the multifunctionality of avian wing muscle.

Skeletal muscle provides a compact solution for performing multiple tasks under diverse operational conditions, a capability lacking in many current engineered systems. Here, we evaluate if shape memory alloy (SMA) components can serve as artificial muscles with tunable mechanical performance. We experimentally impose cyclic stimuli, electric and mechanical, to an SMA wire and demonstrate that this material can mimic the response of the avian humerotriceps, a skeletal muscle that acts in the dynamic control of wing shapes.

Sublingual versus vaginal misoprostol (400 microg) for cervical priming in first-trimester abortion: a randomized trial.

Objective: Our objective was to compare the sublingual administration and the vaginal administration of misoprostol for cervical priming before first-trimester surgical abortion.

Design: We used an open, multicenter, randomized trial.

Locations: We conducted the study in four clinics (in Valencia, Castelló, Murcia and Murcia Capital) in Spain.