Search results for " Brain."
showing 10 items of 976 documents
Involvement of prostacyclin and potassium channels in the diabetes-induced hyporeactivity of the rabbit carotid artery to B-type natriuretic peptide
2012
The relation between diabetes and stroke is bidirectional: diabetes is an important risk factor for ischemic stroke, and acute stroke frequently induces hyperglycemia. On the other hand, plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are raised in diabetes and stroke. The purpose was to study how alloxan-induced diabetes might modify the effects of BNP in rabbit carotid arteries and the mechanisms involved in such actions. To do this, isometric tension in isolated rabbit carotid artery was recorded and prostanoids release and plasma NT-proBNP were measured by enzyme immunoassay. BNP induced a relaxation of phenylephrine-precontracted carotid arteries, and this relaxation was lower in diabet…
Static magnetic field influence on rat brain function detected by heart rate monitoring.
2004
The aim of the present study was to identify the effects of a static magnetic field (SMF) on rat brain structures that control autonomic functions, specifically heart rate and heart rhythmicity. The experiments were carried out on 44 male Wistar rats under ketamine-xylazine anesthesia. SMF was induced using samarium-cobalt fused magnets (20 x 20 x 10 mm in size) placed bitemporally. Magnetic induction intensity was 100 mT on the surface of the head. Duration of magnetic field application was 15 min. An electrocardiogram was recorded from limb lead II, and both heart rate (average duration of cardiac cycles) and heart rhythmicity were analyzed before and after SMF application. SMF evoked cha…
Potential pitfalls in fetal neurosonography
2005
Objective To present anatomic variants of the fetal brain and artifacts related to scanning techniques that could be misinterpreted as abnormalities on prenatal neurosonographic studies. Methods The findings were derived from fetal neurosonographic studies performed routinely from 16 to 36 weeks' gestation during the last 3 years, supervised by a sonologist specialized in neonatal cranial sonography. Results The pitfalls were divided into three groups: brain parenchyma, ventricular system and choroid plexus. We provide images of these pseudolesions and clues to their differentiation from true brain pathology. Conclusions Knowledge of misleading images seen on fetal neurosonographic studies …
Caspase-dependent cell death involved in brain damage after acute subdural hematoma in rats
2006
Abstract Traumatic brain injury is associated with acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) that worsens outcome. Although early removal of blood can reduce mortality, patients still die or remain disabled after surgery and additional treatments are needed. The blood mass and extravasated blood induce pathomechanisms such as high intracranial pressure (ICP), ischemia, apoptosis and inflammation which lead to acute as well as delayed cell death. Only little is known about the basis of delayed cell death in this type of injury. Thus, the purpose of the study was to investigate to which extent caspase-dependent intracellular processes are involved in the lesion development after ASDH in rats. A volume o…
The selective estrogen receptor modulator, bazedoxifene, reduces ischemic brain damage in male rat
2014
While the estrogen treatment of stroke is under debate, selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) arise as a promising alternative. We hypothesize that bazedoxifene (acetate, BZA), a third generation SERM approved for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, reduces ischemic brain damage in a rat model of transient focal cerebral ischemia. For comparative purposes, the neuroprotective effect of 17β-estradiol (E2) has also been assessed. Male Wistar rats underwent 60min middle cerebral artery occlusion (intraluminal thread technique), and grouped according to treatment: vehicle-, E2- and BZA-treated rats. Optimal plasma concentrations of E2 (45.6±7.8pg/ml) and BZA (20.7±2.1ng/ml) w…
Carotid artery stenting in patients with brain meningioma.
2014
The association between carotid artery stenosis and brain meningioma is rather rare. Indeed, data in literature about this association are scarce and potential risks of carotid artery stenting using different protection devices are not known. We describe the endovascular treatment of severe carotid stenosis in two patients with intracranial meningioma.Riassunto L’associazione tra stenosi carotidea e menigioma cerebrale è piuttosto rara. Di conseguenza I dati su questa associazione sono scarsi in letteratura, e non sono noti i rischi potenziali dello stenting carotideo con l’uso di diversi apparati di protezione. Descriviamo il trattamento endovascolare di una stenosi carotidea serrata in du…
Adaptive Function and Brain Evolution
2012
Comparing brains is not a mere intellectual exercise but also helps to understand how the brain enables adaptive behavioral strategies to cope with an ever-changing world and how this complex organ has evolved during the phylogeny. For instance, comparative neurobiology helps understanding the specific features of our species, an issue that attracted scientists since the time of Santiago Ramon y Cajal. Following this tradition, 20 years ago Hans ten Donkelaar and Gerhard Roth started the European Conferences on Comparative Neurobiology (ECCN). This e-book includes some of the contributions to the last meeting, the sixth ECCN (Valencia, Spain; April 22-24 2010), plus selected works by severa…
Assessment of Functional Connectome in End-Stage Organ Disease Patients After Life-Threatening Surgery
2020
Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the organization of intrinsic functional brain networks (functional connectome) in neurologically asymptomatic patients with end-stage organ disease who had undergone major surgery for life-threating conditions and compare it to a control group. Materials and Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rest-fMRI) was performed in 10 adult, post-operative patients with end-stage organ disease. The patients (7 men, 3 women, mean age 57.9 ± 7.4 years) had undergone: n=4 coronary artery bypass graft for heart failure, n=2 orthotopic liver transplantation for non-alcoholic cirrhotic liver failure, n=3 mitral valve repair for heart …
Safety and efficacy outcomes after intranasal administration of neural stem cells in cerebral palsy : a randomized phase 1/2 controlled trial
2023
Abstract Background Neural stem cells (NSCs) are believed to have the most therapeutic potential for neurological disorders because they can differentiate into various neurons and glial cells. This research evaluated the safety and efficacy of intranasal administration of NSCs in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The functional brain network (FBN) analysis based on electroencephalogram (EEG) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis based on T1-weighted images were performed to evaluate functional and structural changes in the brain. Methods A total of 25 CP patients aged 3–12 years were randomly assigned to the treatment group (n = 15), which received an intranasal infusion of NSCs loade…
Glutamatergic projection from the nucleus incertus to the septohippocampal system
2012
Abstract Recent findings support a relevant role of the nucleus incertus in the control of the hippocampal activity through the modulation of theta rhythm. Previous studies from our group have shown that this nucleus is a critical relay between reticularis pontis oralis and the medial septum/diagonal band, regarded as the main activator and the pacemaker of the hippocampal oscillations, respectively. Besides, the nucleus incertus is highly linked to activated states related to the arousal response. The neurotransmission of the nucleus incertus, however, remains uncertain. Only GABA and the neuromodulator relaxin 3 are usually considered to be involved in its contribution to the septohippoca…