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Gao Q, Liu MQ, Li JX, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Zhu H. Sex differences in stress-induced hyperalgesia and its mechanisms. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25266. [PMID: 38284853 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Chronic stress induces a variety of physiological and/or psychological abnormalities, including hyperalgesia. Researchers have discovered sex differences in the prevalence of stress-induced hyperalgesia (SIH) in recent years. Sex differences may be one of the reasons for the heterogeneity of susceptibility to stress-related diseases. In this review, the potential mechanisms of sex differences in SIH are discussed, such as hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis responses, regulation of sex hormones, and immune system responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Gao
- Department of Physiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Mei-Qi Liu
- Department of Physiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Jia-Xin Li
- Department of Physiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Yi Wang
- Biotechnology Experimental Teaching Center, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Hui Zhu
- Department of Physiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P. R. China
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Butkevich IP, Mikhailenko VA, Vershinina EA. Sexual Dimorphism in the Effect of Neonatal Inflammatory Pain on Stress Reactivity of Hormonal Response and Cognitive Functions in Adult Rats. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2022; 58:353-363. [PMID: 35599637 PMCID: PMC9109674 DOI: 10.1134/s0022093022020053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The effect of moderate neonatal stress induced by inflammatory
pain in rat pups of both sexes on the hormonal response and cognitive
processes in adult animals was studied in the Morris water maze.
No significant differences in spatial learning and memory were found
in experimental rats exposed to neonatal inflammatory pain vs. control
animals. However, experimental rats exhibited sex differences in
long-term spatial memory whose efficiency was higher in males vs.
females. After long-term memory testing, stress responsiveness of
the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis, as assessed by the
plasma corticosterone level in the formalin test, was higher in
experimental males vs. females. Only experimental females exhibited
differences between short-term and long-term memory, with the efficiency
being higher in the former. Thus, sexual dimorphism was found in
the effect of neonatal nociceptive stress on long-term spatial memory
in adult rats: experimental males vs. females demonstrated more
effective long-term memory combined with a higher stress reactivity
of the hormonal response.
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Affiliation(s)
- I. P. Butkevich
- Pavlov Institute of Physiology,
Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - V. A. Mikhailenko
- Pavlov Institute of Physiology,
Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - E. A. Vershinina
- Pavlov Institute of Physiology,
Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
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Öst M, Noreikiene K, Angelier F, Jaatinen K. Sex-specific effects of the in ovo environment on early-life phenotypes in eiders. Oecologia 2019; 192:43-54. [PMID: 31786666 PMCID: PMC6974505 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04569-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects affect offspring phenotype and fitness. However, the roles of offspring sex-specific sensitivity to maternal glucocorticoids and sex-biased maternal investment remain unclear. It is also uncertain whether telomere length (a marker associated with lifespan) depends on early growth in a sex-specific manner. We assessed whether maternal traits including corticosterone (CORT; the main avian glucocorticoid) and in ovo growth rate are sex-specifically related to offspring CORT exposure, relative telomere length (RTL) and body condition in eiders (Somateria mollissima). We measured feather CORT (fCORT), RTL and body condition of newly hatched ducklings, and growth rate in ovo was expressed as tarsus length at hatching per incubation duration. Maternal traits included baseline plasma CORT, RTL, body condition and breeding experience. We found that fCORT was negatively associated with growth rate in daughters, while it showed a positive association in sons. Lower offspring fCORT was associated with higher maternal baseline plasma CORT, and fCORT was higher in larger clutches and in those hatching later. The RTL of daughters was negatively associated with maternal RTL, whereas that of males was nearly independent of maternal RTL. Higher fCORT in ovo was associated with longer RTL at hatching in both sexes. Duckling body condition was mainly explained by egg weight, and sons had a slightly lower body condition. Our correlational results suggest that maternal effects may have heterogeneous and even diametrically opposed effects between the sexes during early development. Our findings also challenge the view that prenatal CORT exposure is invariably associated with shorter telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Öst
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland. .,Novia University of Applied Sciences, Ekenäs, Finland.
| | - Kristina Noreikiene
- Chair of Aquaculture, Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi tn. 46, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Frederic Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Kim Jaatinen
- Nature and Game Management Trust Finland, Degerby, Finland
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Abd Aziz CB, Ahmad Suhaimi SQ, Hasim H, Ahmad AH, Long I, Zakaria R. Effects of Tualang honey in modulating nociceptive responses at the spinal cord in offspring of prenatally stressed rats. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE-JIM 2018; 17:66-70. [PMID: 30591413 DOI: 10.1016/j.joim.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was done to determine whether Tualang honey could prevent the altered nociceptive behaviour, with its associated changes of oxidative stress markers and morphology of the spinal cord, among the offspring of prenatally stressed rats. METHODS Pregnant rats were divided into three groups: control, stress, and stress treated with Tualang honey. The stress and stress treated with Tualang honey groups were subjected to restraint stress from day 11 of pregnancy until delivery. Ten week old male offspring (n = 9 from each group) were given formalin injection and their nociceptive behaviours were recorded. After 2 h, the rats were sacrificed, and their spinal cords were removed to assess oxidative stress activity and morphology. Nociceptive behaviour was analysed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), while the levels of oxidative stress parameters and number of Nissl-stained neurons were analysed using a one-way ANOVA. RESULTS This study demonstrated that prenatal stress was associated with increased nociceptive behaviour, changes in the oxidative stress parameters and morphology of the spinal cord of offspring exposed to prenatal stress; administration of Tualang honey reduced the alteration of these parameters. CONCLUSION This study provides a preliminary understanding of the beneficial effects of Tualang honey against the changes in oxidative stress and neuronal damage in the spinal cord of the offspring of prenatally stressed rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che Badariah Abd Aziz
- Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
| | - Siti Qusyasyiah Ahmad Suhaimi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Hidani Hasim
- Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Asma Hayati Ahmad
- Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Idris Long
- School of Health Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Rahimah Zakaria
- Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
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Does the Stress of Laboratory Life and Experimentation on Animals Adversely Affect Research Data? A Critical Review. Altern Lab Anim 2018; 46:291-305. [DOI: 10.1177/026119291804600501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recurrent acute and/or chronic stress can affect all vertebrate species, and can have serious consequences. It is increasingly and widely appreciated that laboratory animals experience significant and repeated stress, which is unavoidable and is caused by many aspects of laboratory life, such as captivity, transport, noise, handling, restraint and other procedures, as well as the experimental procedures applied to them. Such stress is difficult to mitigate, and lack of significant desensitisation/habituation can result in considerable psychological and physiological welfare problems, which are mediated by the activation of various neuroendocrine networks that have numerous and pervasive effects. Psychological damage can be reflected in stereotypical behaviours, including repetitive pacing and circling, and even self-harm. Physical consequences include adverse effects on immune function, inflammatory responses, metabolism, and disease susceptibility and progression. Further, some of these effects are epigenetic, and are therefore potentially transgenerational: the biology of animals whose parents/grandparents were wild-caught and/or have experienced chronic stress in laboratories could be altered, as compared to free-living individuals. It is argued that these effects must have consequences for the reliability of experimental data and their extrapolation to humans, and this may not be recognised sufficiently among those who use animals in experiments.
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Bailey J. Does the stress inherent to laboratory life and experimentation on animals adversely affect research data? Altern Lab Anim 2018; 45:299-301. [PMID: 29313701 DOI: 10.1177/026119291704500605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Stress and distress in laboratory animals is often inherent and unavoidable. The effect of these factors on the reliability and relevance of experimental data is not sufficiently appreciated. Greater awareness, debate and discussion of this issue are urgently required
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Xing G, Carlton J, Jiang X, Wen J, Jia M, Li H. Differential Expression of Brain Cannabinoid Receptors between Repeatedly Stressed Males and Females may Play a Role in Age and Gender-Related Difference in Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications from Animal Studies. Front Neurol 2014; 5:161. [PMID: 25221540 PMCID: PMC4147999 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2014.00161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Inconsistent gender differences in the outcome of TBI have been reported. The mechanism is unknown. In a recent male animal study, repeated stress followed by TBI had synergistic effects on brain gene expression and caused greater behavioral deficits. Because females are more likely to develop anxiety after stress and because anxiety is mediated by cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) (CB1 and CB2), there is a need to compare CB1 and CB2 expression in stressed males and females. CB1 and CB2 mRNA expression was determined in the amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hypothalamus of adolescent male and female rats after 3 days of repeated tail-shock stress using qPCR. PFC CB1 and CB2 protein levels were determined using Western blot techniques. Both gender and stress had significant effects on brain CB1 mRNA expression levels. Overall, females showed significantly higher CB1 and CB2 mRNA levels in all brain regions than males (p < 0.01). Repeated stress reduced CB1 mRNA levels in the amygdala, hippocampus, and PFC (p < 0.01, each). A gender × stress interaction was found in CB1 mRNA level in the hippocampus (p < 0.05), hypothalamus (p < 0.01), and PFC (p < 0.01). Within-sex one-way ANOVA analysis showed decreased CB1 mRNA in the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and PFC of stressed females (p < 0.01, each) but increased CB1 mRNA levels in the hypothalamus of stressed males (p < 01). There was a gender and stress interaction in prefrontal CB1 receptor protein levels (p < 0.05), which were decreased in stressed females only (p < 0.05). Prefrontal CB2 protein levels were decreased in both male and female animals after repeated stress (p < 0.05, each). High basal levels of CBR expression in young naïve females could protect against TBI damage whereas stress-induced CBR deficits could predict a poor outcome of TBI in repeatedly stressed females. Further animal studies could help evaluate this possibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqiang Xing
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Janis Carlton
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Xiaolong Jiang
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Jillian Wen
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - Min Jia
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
| | - He Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda, MD , USA
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Abd Aziz CB, Ahmad R, Mohamed M, Wan Yusof WN. The effects of Tualang honey intake during prenatal stress on pain responses in the rat offsprings. Eur J Integr Med 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eujim.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Cannabinoid receptor expression and phosphorylation are differentially regulated between male and female cerebellum and brain stem after repeated stress: Implication for PTSD and drug abuse. Neurosci Lett 2011; 502:5-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2011.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2011] [Revised: 04/22/2011] [Accepted: 05/04/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Sandercock DA, Gibson IF, Rutherford KMD, Donald RD, Lawrence AB, Brash HM, Scott EM, Nolan AM. The impact of prenatal stress on basal nociception and evoked responses to tail-docking and inflammatory challenge in juvenile pigs. Physiol Behav 2011; 104:728-37. [PMID: 21803065 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2010] [Revised: 07/12/2011] [Accepted: 07/13/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The consequences of tail-docking (at 2-4 days) and prenatal stress (maternal social stress during the 2nd third of pregnancy) on baseline nociceptive thresholds and responses to acute inflammatory challenge were investigated in juvenile pigs in two studies. Nociceptive thresholds were assessed on the tail root and on the hind foot using noxious mechanical and cold stimulation before and after acute inflammatory challenge by intradermal injection of 30 μg capsaicin (study 1) or 3% carrageenan (study 2) into the tail root. Four groups of 8 (study 1, n=14-16 pigs/treatment) or 5 (study 2, n=6 pigs/treatment/sex) week-old pigs were exposed to the main factors: maternal stress and treatment (docked vs. intact tails). In study 1, tail docking did not significantly alter thresholds to noxious mechanical stimulation, whilst prenatally stressed pigs had significantly higher baseline thresholds to noxious mechanical stimulation on the tail root and on the hind foot than unstressed pigs, whether tail-docked or intact. Capsaicin injection induced localised mechanical allodynia around the tail root in all treatment groups, but had no effect on noxious plantar mechanical responses; however prenatally stressed offspring exhibited significantly attenuated response thresholds to capsaicin compared to controls. In study 2 tail docking did not alter thresholds to either mechanical or noxious cold stimulation. Baseline response durations to noxious cold stimulation of the tail root were significantly shorter in both sexes of prenatally stressed pigs, whilst male but not female prenatally stressed pigs exhibited significantly higher baseline thresholds to mechanical stimulation than controls, although results in female pigs tended towards significance. Carrageenan injection into the tail root induced localised mechanical and cold allodynia in all treatment groups, effects that were attenuated in prenatally stressed pigs. Collectively, these findings indicate that prenatal stress can induce long-term alterations in nociceptive responses, manifest as a reduced sensitivity to noxious mechanical and cold stimulation and evoked inflammatory allodynia. Neonatal tail-docking does not lead to long-term alterations in nociception in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dale A Sandercock
- College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
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Sinkus ML, Wamboldt MZ, Barton A, Fingerlin TE, Laudenslager ML, Leonard S. The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and the acute stress response: maternal genotype determines offspring phenotype. Physiol Behav 2010; 104:321-6. [PMID: 21073885 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2010] [Revised: 11/01/2010] [Accepted: 11/03/2010] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
α7 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAchRs) modulate immune activation by suppressing production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in peripheral immune cells. α7nAchRs also modulate inhibitory output in the hippocampus, which provides input to key circuits of the HPA axis. Therefore, the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene (CHRNA7) may be associated with cortisol stress response. Polymorphisms in the CHRNA7 promoter decrease its expression and may dampen the cholinergic response, leading to an increase in inflammation. Increased inflammation may change the intrauterine environment, altering neuroendocrine development in the offspring. Maternal CHRNA7 genotype could affect an offspring's HPA regulation via reprogramming in utero. Patients with allergic disorders have a differential cortisol response to stress. This study utilized samples collected from a cohort of 198 adolescents in a previous study of atopic disorders, who demonstrated a disturbance in HPA response associated with atopy. Salivary cortisol samples collected from the adolescents after a series of laboratory procedures and DNA samples collected from the adolescents and their parents were used for further analysis. DNA samples were genotyped for allelic variation in the CHRNA7 promoter. Genetic association analyses with the cortisol levels were performed in the adolescents. Maternal genotype influences were investigated for the CHRNA7 gene. We also included maternal and child atopy diagnosis as covariates in determining cortisol levels and tested for association of CHRNA7 to atopy. Polymorphisms in the CHRNA7 promoter were associated with lower cortisol levels after a small laboratory stress. Our findings also show that although the child's CHRNA7 genotype affects stress response, the maternal genotype has a stronger influence on cortisol release after stress in male offspring. These effects were independent of atopy status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Sinkus
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado at Denver, CO 80045, USA
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Butkevich IP, Mikhailenko VA, Vershinina EA, Semionov PO, Otellin VA, Aloisi AM. Heterogeneity of the infant stage of rat development: inflammatory pain response, depression-related behavior, and effects of prenatal stress. Brain Res 2009; 1286:53-9. [PMID: 19559682 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.06.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2009] [Revised: 06/15/2009] [Accepted: 06/17/2009] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The infant stage of rat development is a very important period for potential correction of adverse consequences produced by negative prenatal events. However the age limit for this correction needs to be investigated. The last prenatal and first two weeks after birth are "critical" for maturation of the nociceptive and emotional systems. Clinical observations suggest a correlation between persistent pain response and emotional behavior. In infant male rats of different ages, we studied indices of the inflammatory pain response (the number of flexes+shakes in the formalin test), depression-related behavior (immobility in the forced swim test) and the relations between them, as well as the effects of prenatal stress on these indices. Furthermore, we assessed the trend of body weight and the relations between body weight and the depression- and pain-related behaviors. We demonstrate heterogeneity of the infant stage: control prenatally non-stressed rat pups showed significantly lower immobility at 7 days of age than at 10 days; prenatal stress caused an increase of immobility and the number of flexes+shakes in 7-8-day-old pups but not in 10-11-day-olds. These findings should be taken into account in the treatment of abnormalities of emotional and inflammatory pain-related behaviors produced by prenatal stressful events. The present data and our previous findings indicate that the deficiency of body weight in prenatally stressed newborns may predict the development of abnormalities in inflammatory pain-related responses during postnatal ontogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina P Butkevich
- Laboratory of Ontogeny of the Nervous System, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nab. Makarova, 6, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
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