Search results for "Polar"
showing 10 items of 3817 documents
Skin chromophore mapping by modified video-microscope
2013
Possibilities to map skin chromophores using a modified low-cost digital video-microscope is discussed. The device comprises CMOS digital imaging sensor, four-colour LED illumination system and image acquisition optics. The main goal is to obtain a set of spectral images of the skin area of interest for further conversion into maps of the main skin chromophores
Cl−uptake promoting depolarizing GABA actions in immature rat neocortical neurones is mediated by NKCC1
2004
GABA is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mature brain, but during early postnatal development the elevated [Cl−]i in immature neocortical neurones causes GABAA receptor activation to be depolarizing. The molecular mechanisms underlying this intracellular Cl− accumulation remain controversial. Therefore, the GABA reversal potential (EGABA) or [Cl−]i in early postnatal rat neocortical neurones was measured by the gramicidin-perforated patch-clamp method, and the relative expression levels of the cation−Cl− cotransporter mRNAs (in the same cells) were examined by semiquantitative single-cell multiplex RT-PCR to look for statistical correlations with [Cl−]i. The mRNA expression …
Oxygen and glucose deprivation induces major dysfunction in the somatosensory cortex of the newborn rat
2005
The mechanisms and functional consequences of ischemia-induced injury during perinatal development are poorly understood. Subplate neurons (SPn) play a central role in early cortical development and a pathophysiological impairment of these neurons may have long-term detrimental effects on cortical function. The acute and long-term consequences of combined oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) were investigated in SPn and compared with OGD-induced dysfunction of immature layer V pyramidal cortical neurons (PCn) in somatosensory cortical slices from postnatal day (P)0-4 rats. OGD for 50 min followed by a 10-24-h period of normal oxygenation and glucose supply in vitro or in culture led to pron…
Does the “Silver Bullet” Lose its Shine Over the Time? Assessment of Loss of Lithium Response in a Preliminary Sample of Bipolar Disorder Outpatients.
2016
Background:Though often perceived as a “silver bullet” treatment for bipolar disorder (BD), lithium has seldom reported to lose its efficacy over the time.Objective:The aim of the present study was to assess cases of refractoriness toward restarted lithium in BD patients who failed to preserve maintenance.Method:Treatment trajectories associated with re-instituted lithium following loss of achieved lithium-based maintenance in BD were retrospectively reviewed for 37 BD-I patients (median age 52 years; F:M=17:20 or 46% of the total) over an 8.1-month period on average.Results:In our sample only 4 cases (roughly 11% of the total, of whom F:M=2:2) developed refractoriness towards lithium after…
Pentobarbital-sensitive EDHF comediates ACh-induced arteriolar dilation in the hamster microcirculation
1999
It is unclear to what extent the endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) contributes to the control of microcirculatory blood flow in vivo. We analyzed, by intravital microscopy in hamster muscles, the potential role of EDHF along the vascular tree under stimulated (ACh) or basal conditions. Experiments were performed in conscious as well as anesthetized (pentobarbital, urethan) animals. Additionally, cellular effects of the potential EDHF were studied in isolated small arteries. In pentobarbital-anesthetized animals, treatment with N ω-nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA; 30 μmol/l) and indomethacin (3 μmol/l) reduced the dilation in response to 10 μmol/l ACh from 60 ± 6 to 20 ± 4%. This ni…
Functional impairment and previous suicide attempts in bipolar disorder
2008
Objective:The aim of the present study was to assess the association between previous suicide attempts and functional impairment among euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (BD).Methods:Seventy-one Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV) patients with BD and 61 healthy volunteers were recruited from the Bipolar Disorder Program at the Clinic Hospital of Barcelona. Patients with (n = 36, 50.7%) and without (n = 35, 49.3%) previous suicide attempts were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID-P). Previous suicide attempts were carefully investigated by means of patient and caregiver interview and by a standard structured interview from the protocol of our BD P…
A meta-review of “lifestyle psychiatry”: the role of exercise, smoking, diet and sleep in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders
2020
There is increasing academic and clinical interest in how "lifestyle factors" traditionally associated with physical health may also relate to mental health and psychological well-being. In response, international and national health bodies are producing guidelines to address health behaviors in the prevention and treatment of mental illness. However, the current evidence for the causal role of lifestyle factors in the onset and prognosis of mental disorders is unclear. We performed a systematic meta-review of the top-tier evidence examining how physical activity, sleep, dietary patterns and tobacco smoking impact on the risk and treatment outcomes across a range of mental disorders. Result…
Model-specific effects of bumetanide on epileptiform activity in the in-vitro intact hippocampus of the newborn mouse.
2007
The immature brain has a higher susceptibility to develop seizures, which often respond poorly to classical pharmacological treatment. It has been recently suggested that bumetanide, which blocks Na(+)-dependent K(+)-Cl(-)-cotransporter isoform 1 (NKCC1) and thus attenuates depolarizing GABAergic responses, could soothe epileptiform activity in immature nervous systems. To evaluate whether bumetanide consistently attenuates epileptiform activity, we investigated the effect of 10 microM bumetanide in five different in-vitro epilepsy models using field potential recordings in the CA3 region of intact mouse hippocampal preparations at postnatal day 4-7. Bumetanide reduced amplitude and frequen…
Activity-dependent endogenous taurine release facilitates excitatory neurotransmission in the neocortical marginal zone of neonatal rats.
2014
In the developing cerebral cortex, the marginal zone (MZ), consisting of early-generated neurons such as Cajal-Retzius cells, plays an important role in cell migration and lamination. There is accumulating evidence of widespread excitatory neurotransmission mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the MZ. Cajal-Retzius cells express not only GABAA receptors but also α2/β subunits of glycine receptors, and exhibit glycine receptor-mediated depolarization due to high [Cl(-)]i. However, the physiological roles of glycine receptors and their endogenous agonists during neurotransmission in the MZ are yet to be elucidated. To address this question, we performed optical imaging from the MZ using …
Secretagogues Modulate the Calcium Concentration in the Endoplasmic Reticulum of Insulin-secreting Cells
1999
The precise regulation of the Ca2+ concentration in the endoplasmic reticulum ([Ca2+]er) is important for protein processing and signal transduction. In the pancreatic beta-cell, dysregulation of [Ca2+]er may cause impaired insulin secretion. The Ca2+-sensitive photoprotein aequorin mutated to lower its Ca2+ affinity was stably expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of rat insulinoma INS-1 cells. The steady state [Ca2+]er was 267 +/- 9 microM. Both the Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor cyclopiazonic acid and 4-chloro-m-cresol, an activator of ryanodine receptors, caused an almost complete emptying of ER Ca2+. The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate generating agonists, carbachol, and ATP, reduced [Ca2+]e…