Search results for "CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE"
showing 10 items of 1370 documents
Deflazacort in Duchenne dystrophy: Study of long-term effect
1994
A randomized double-blind controlled trial of deflazacort was conducted in 28 Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients either treated with deflazacort 2.0 mg/kg alternate-day therapy or placebo. The deflazacort group showed significant improvement in climbing stairs (P < 0.01), in rising from a chair, Gower's maneuver, and walking (P < 0.0025) after 6 months of treatment. After 1 year, all the above changes remained significantly improved and the MRC index was significantly better (P < 0.05) in the treated group. After 2 years, a significant change was found in the MRC index: higher scores in walking, chair rising (P < 0.02), and grade and time of Gower's maneuver (P < 0.05) were found. The mea…
Muscarinic mobilization of choline in rat brain in vivo as shown by the cerebral arterio-venous difference of choline.
1987
In anesthetized rats, the choline levels of cerebrospinal fluid and plasma obtained from blood collected from peripheral vessels (carotid artery, cardiac vessels) and from the transverse sinus were determined with a radioenzymatic assay. Cortical release of choline was studied using the "cup technique." The plasma choline level of the peripheral blood (11.5 mumol/L) was lower than that of the sinus blood. The resulting cerebral arterio-venous difference of choline was negative (3.2 mumol/L) and reflected the net release of choline from the whole brain. The plasma choline levels were not different irrespective of whether the rats were anesthetized with ether, urethane, or pentobarbital. Howe…
Antipsychotic drugs antagonize human serotonin type 3 receptor currents in a noncompetitive manner
2004
The serotonin type 3 (5-HT(3)) receptor is the only ligand-gated ion channel receptor for serotonin (5-HT). 5-HT(3) receptors play an important role in modulating the inhibitory action of dopamine in mesocorticolimbic brain regions. Neuroleptic drugs are commonly thought to exert their psychopharmacological action mainly through dopamine and serotonin type 2 (5-HT(2)) receptors. Except for clozapine, a direct pharmacological interaction of neuroleptics with 5-HT(3) receptors has not yet been described. Using the concentration-clamp technique, we investigated the effects of flupentixol, various phenothiazines, haloperidol, clozapine and risperidone on Na(+)-inward currents through 5-HT(3) re…
Pharmacological comparison of rat and human melanocortin 3 and 4 receptors in vitro.
2002
Abstract The melanocortin 3 and 4 receptors are G-protein-coupled receptors found in the hypothalamus with important role in regulation of the energy balance. In this study, we performed pharmacological comparison of the rat and human melancortin (MC) 3 and MC4 receptors. We transiently expressed the genes for these receptors individually in a mammalian cell line and determined the binding affinities to several MSH peptides. The results showed no major difference between the rat and human MC3 receptors while the rat MC4 receptor had higher affinity to several peptides compared with the human MC4 receptor. NDP-, α-, β-, γ-MSH, ACTH(1–24), HS014 and MTII had from 5- to 34-fold higher affinity…
Substance P inactivation by transglutaminase in vitro.
1992
Gamma(glutamyl5)spermine derivative of substance P (Spm-SP) was synthesized in vitro in the presence of purified guinea pig liver transglutaminase and Ca2+. The spermine adduct of the neuropeptide was purified by HPLC on a reversed-phase column and characterized by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The biological activities of Spm-SP were tested by assaying, in comparison with substance P, its ability to induce both the contractions of smooth muscle in vitro and the edema formation in vivo. Spm-SP was shown not to elicit contractile responses in the isolated rat stomach strip and duodenum and not to antagonize the spasmogenic effect evoked by the native neuropeptide. Furthermore, Spm…
Effects of intermittent high frequency electrical stimulation on denervated EDL muscle of rabbit.
1990
This study was performed to determine whether electrical stimulation can retard denervation-induced changes. The denervated extensor digitorum longus of the rabbit, a fast-twitch muscle, was stimulated at a rate mimicking its motoneuron firing pattern. The 100-Hz stimulation given intermittently subjected the muscle to a low mean total daily frequency of 1.6 Hz. Four weeks of stimulation resulted in no effect upon the denervated stimulated muscle. This stimulation protocol, therefore, is unable to substitute for the lost neuronal influence of the nerve. The muscle contralateral to the stimulated side showed physiological changes making it unsuitable to serve as a control.
Effects of electrical stimulation pattern on quadriceps force production and fatigue
2014
Introduction: Mixed stimulation programs (MIX) that switch from constant frequency trains (CFT) to variable frequency trains have been proposed to offset the rapid fatigue induced by CFT during electrical stimulation. However, this has never been confirmed with long stimulation patterns, such as those used to evoke functional contractions. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that MIX programs were less fatiguing than CFTs in strength training-like conditions (6-s contractions, 30-min). Methods: Thirteen healthy subjects underwent 2 sessions corresponding to MIX and CFT programs. Measurements included maximal voluntary isometric torque and torque evoked by each contraction. …
Repeated courses of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Clinical and biological results from a prospective multic…
2011
Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) induces a transient mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor cells from bone marrow to peripheral blood. Our aim was to evaluate safety of repeated courses of G-CSF in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), assessing disease progression and changes in chemokine and cytokine levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Twenty-four ALS patients entered an open-label, multicenter trial in which four courses of G-CSF and mannitol were administered at 3-month intervals. Levels of G-CSF were increased after treatment in the serum and CSF. Few and transitory adverse events were observed. No significant reduction of the mean monthly decrea…
Reversible esophageal motor dysfunction in botulism
1985
Two cases of botulism with autonomic and neuromuscular system involvement are presented. In both patients, dryness of the mouth and difficulties in swallowing were predominant symptoms. Esophageal manometry revealed a marked decrease in peristaltic amplitude, which was most pronounced in the upper third of the esophagus. These functional abnormalities returned to normal following recovery from the acute disease.
Effect of gender and obesity on electrical current thresholds
2011
Introduction: In this study we investigated the influence of gender and obesity on electrical current thresholds in an attempt to optimize the application of skeletal muscle electrical stimulation (ES) in clinical practice. Methods: Thirty- two obese and 35 age-matched, non-obese men and women received graded ES to the quadriceps muscle for sensory (detection) and motor (contraction) threshold assessment. Con- comitant pain and tolerance to ES were recorded. Results: Sen- sory threshold was lower in women than in men (P < 0.001), both obese and non-obese. Sensory and motor thresholds were higher in obese than in non-obese subjects (P < 0.05), and body mass index was a strong predictor of mo…