Smoking, coffee intake, and Parkinson's disease: Potential protective mechanisms and components.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Environmental and lifestyle factors, such as smoking and coffee drinking, have been associated with a decreased risk for PD. However, the biological mechanisms underlying protective effects on PD are still not fully understood.

Long-term cooperative relationships among vampire bats are not strongly predicted by their initial interactions.

In many group-living animals, survival and reproductive success depend on the formation of long-term social bonds, yet it remains largely unclear why particular pairs of groupmates form social bonds and not others. Can social bond formation be reliably predicted from each individual's immediately observable traits and behaviors at first encounter? Or is social bond formation hard to predict due to the impacts of shifting social preferences on social network dynamics? To begin to address these questions, we asked how well long-term cooperative relationships among vampire bats were predicted by how they interacted during their first encounter as introduced strangers. In Study 1, we found that the first 6 h of observed interactions among unfamiliar bats co-housed in small cages did not clearly predict the formation of allogrooming or food-sharing relationships over the next 10 months.

The effect of group size on sleep in a neotropical bat, Artibeus jamaicensis.

Sleep is associated with many costs, but is also important to survival, with a lack of sleep impairing cognitive function and increasing mortality. Sleeping in groups could alleviate sleep-associated costs, or could introduce new costs if social sleeping disrupts sleep. Working with the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis), we aimed to: (1) describe sleep architecture, (2) assess how sleeping in groups affects sleep, and (3) quantify total sleep time and identify rapid eye movement (REM) sleep using behavioral indicators that complement physiological evidence of sleep.

Seasonal shifts in insect ephemerality drive bat foraging effort.

Animal foraging is fundamentally shaped by food distribution and availability. However, the quantification of spatiotemporal food distribution is rare but crucial to explain variation in foraging behavior among species, populations, or individuals. Clumped but ephemeral food sources enable rapid energy intake but require increased effort to find, can generate variable foraging success, and force animals to forage more efficiently.

Dietary practices, physical activity and social determinants of non-communicable diseases in Nepal: A systemic analysis.

Unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity are major risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally. The objective of this paper was to describe the role of dietary practices and physical activity in the interaction of the social determinants of NCDs in Nepal, a developing economy. The study was a qualitative study design involving two districts in Nepal, whereby data was collected via key informant interviews (n = 63) and focus group discussions (n = 12).

By a whisker: the sensory role of vibrissae in hovering flight in nectarivorous bats.

Whiskers are important tactile structures widely used across mammals for a variety of sensory functions, but it is not known how bats-representing about a fifth of all extant mammal species-use them. Nectar-eating bats typically have long vibrissae (long, stiff hairs) arranged in a forward-facing brush-like formation that is not present in most non-nectarivorous bats. They also commonly use a unique flight strategy to access their food-hovering flight.

Roost making in bats.

Structures created by animals can serve many purposes. Spiders weave intricate webs to trap prey; beavers engineer complex networks of dams to alter waterways; male bower birds construct and decorate elaborate bowers to attract mates. Animal architecture ranges widely in function, but by far the most common use is shelter.

Tactics of evasion: strategies used by signallers to deter eavesdropping enemies from exploiting communication systems.

Eavesdropping predators, parasites and parasitoids exploit signals emitted by their prey and hosts for detection, assessment, localization and attack, and in the process impose strong selective pressures on the communication systems of the organisms they exploit. Signallers have evolved numerous anti-eavesdropper strategies to mitigate the trade-off between the costs imposed from signal exploitation and the need for conspecific communication. Eavesdropper strategies fall along a continuum from opportunistic to highly specialized, and the tightness of the eavesdropper-signaller relationship results in differential pressures on communication systems.

A review of monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors in tobacco or tobacco smoke.

Tobacco smoking is reputed to be the most difficult addiction of all to give up, and nicotine has been noted as the major addictive agent in tobacco smoke. However, research shows that nicotine addiction is due to more than nicotine alone. One hypothesis is that monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition from non-nicotinic components in, or derived from, tobacco smoke contributes to nicotine addiction.

Cross-modal facilitation of auditory discrimination in a frog.

Stimulation in one sensory modality can affect perception in a separate modality, resulting in diverse effects including illusions in humans. This can also result in cross-modal facilitation, a process where sensory performance in one modality is improved by stimulation in another modality. For instance, a simple sound can improve performance in a visual task in both humans and cats.

Long-term memory in frog-eating bats.

Long-term memory has clear advantages for animals but also has neurological and behavioral costs. Encoding memories is metabolically expensive. Older memories can interfere with retrieval of more recent memories, prolong decision-making and reduce cognitive flexibility.

Biologically Active Compounds Present in Tobacco Smoke: Potential Interactions Between Smoking and Mental Health.

Tobacco dependence remains one of the major preventable causes of premature morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are well over 8,000 compounds present in tobacco and tobacco smoke, but we do not know what effect, if any, many of them have on smokers. Major interest has been on nicotine, as well as on toxic and carcinogenic effects and several major and minor components of tobacco smoke responsible for the negative health effects of smoking have been elucidated.

The Inhibitory Effects of New Zealand Pine Bark (Enzogenol) on α-Amylase, α-Glucosidase, and Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP-4) Enzymes.

The New Zealand pine bark extract (Enzogenol) has previously been shown to elicit acute hypoglycaemic effects in humans. The present study investigated the underlying mechanisms of Enzogenol in reducing postprandial glucose in humans. The potential inhibitory action of Enzogenol against digestive enzymes: α-amylase and α-glucosidase, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) enzyme was determined.

A Narrative Review of Human Clinical Trials on the Impact of Phenolic-Rich Plant Extracts on Prediabetes and Its Subgroups.

Phenolic-rich plant extracts have been demonstrated to improve glycemic control in individuals with prediabetes. However, there is increasing evidence that people with prediabetes are not a homogeneous group but exhibit different glycemic profiles leading to the existence of prediabetes subgroups. Prediabetes subgroups have been identified as: isolated impaired fasting glucose (IFG), isolated impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and combined impaired fasting glucose and glucose intolerance (IFG/IGT).

Flying bats use serial sampling to locate odour sources.

Olfactory tracking generally sacrifices speed for sensitivity, but some fast-moving animals appear surprisingly efficient at foraging by smell. Here, we analysed the olfactory tracking strategies of flying bats foraging for fruit. Fruit- and nectar-feeding bats use odour cues to find food despite the sensory challenges derived from fast flight speeds and echolocation.

Hearing sensitivity: An underlying mechanism for niche differentiation in gleaning bats.

Tropical ecosystems are known for high species diversity. Adaptations permitting niche differentiation enable species to coexist. Historically, research focused primarily on morphological and behavioral adaptations for foraging, roosting, and other basic ecological factors.

Posterior tibial nerve stimulation: is ultrasound guided needle placement more accurate?

Unlabelled: INTRODUCTION To compare the accuracy of the transcutaneous ultrasound (US) in detecting the tibial nerve (TN) as opposed to digital palpation in the performance of posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS).

Materials And Methods: After Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, 25 adults were enrolled to quantify the difference in position of the distal TN by the use of US as opposed to cutaneous palpation. The position of the TN was determined first by the palpation method and then by using a L12-4MHz high frequency Linear Array Transducer.

Covariation among multimodal components in the courtship display of the túngara frog.

Communication systems often include a variety of components, including those that span modalities, which may facilitate detection and decision-making. For example, female túngara frogs and fringe-lipped bats generally rely on acoustic mating signals to find male túngara frogs in a mating or foraging context, respectively. However, two additional cues (vocal sac inflation and water ripples) can enhance detection and choice behavior.

Potential of Beetroot and Blackcurrant Compounds to Improve Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of metabolic abnormalities, which together lead to increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as well as reduced quality of life. Dietary nitrate, betalains and anthocyanins may improve risk factors for MetS and reduce the risk of development of CHD and T2DM. Beetroot is a rich source of dietary nitrate, and anthocyanins are present in high concentrations in blackcurrants.

Non-kin adoption in the common vampire bat.

Individual animals across many different species occasionally 'adopt' unrelated, orphaned offspring. Although adoption may be best explained as a by-product of adaptive traits that enhance parental care or promote the development of parental skills, one factor that is possibly important for the likelihood of adoption is the history of cooperative interactions between the mother, adopted offspring and adopter. Using 652 h of behavioural samples collected over four months, we describe patterns of allogrooming and food sharing before and after an instance of non-kin adoption between two adult female common vampire bats () that were captured from distant sites (340 km apart) and introduced to one another in captivity.

Individual and community experience of rising burden of non-communicable diseases in two case districts of Nepal: a qualitative exploration.

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a rapidly emerging global health challenge with multi-level determinants popularly known as social determinants. The objective of this paper is to describe the individual and community experiences of NCDs in the two case districts of Nepal from a social determinants of health perspective.

Method: This study adopted qualitative study design to identify the experiences of NCDs.

The Effects of Anticipation and Visual and Sensory Performance on Concussion Risk in Sport: A Review.

Sports-related concussions pose a significant public health concern, and preventative measures are needed to help reduce risk in sport. Vision training could be a suitable prevention strategy for sports-related concussion to help improve athletes' abilities to scan the visual field for oncoming objects or opponents and thus anticipate head impacts. By accurately anticipating impacts, athletes can prepare for impact or attempt to avoid the collision altogether.

Do bats use guano and urine stains to find new roosts? Tests with three group-living bats.

Many animals use social cues to find refuges. Bats can find roosts using the echolocation and social calls of conspecifics, but they might also use scent cues, a possibility which is less studied. The entrances of bat roosts are often marked by guano and urine, providing possible scent cues.