Search results for "Terminal"
showing 10 items of 364 documents
Presynaptic effects of anandamide and WIN55,212-2 on glutamatergic nerve endings isolated from rat hippocampus
2006
We examined the effects of the endocannabinoide-anandamide (AEA), the synthetic cannabinoid, WIN55,212-2, and the active phorbol ester, 4-beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (4-beta-PMA), on the release of [(3)H]d-Aspartate ([(3)H]d-ASP) from rat hippocampal synaptosomes. Release was evoked with three different stimuli: (1) KCl-induced membrane depolarization, which activates voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels and causes limited neurotransmitter exocytosis, presumably from ready-releasable vesicles docked in the active zone; (2) exposure to the Ca(2+) ionophore-A23187, which causes more extensive transmitter release, presumably from intracellular reserve vesicles; and (3) K(+) channel block…
Modulation of hippocampal theta oscillations and spatial memory by relaxin-3 neurons of the nucleus incertus.
2009
Hippocampal theta rhythm is thought to underlie learning and memory, and it is well established that “pacemaker” neurons in medial septum (MS) modulate theta activity. Recent studies in the rat demonstrated that brainstem-generated theta rhythm occurs through a multisynaptic pathway via the nucleus incertus (NI), which is the primary source of the neuropeptide relaxin-3 (RLN3). Therefore, this study examined the possible contribution of RLN3 to MS activity, and associated hippocampal theta activity and spatial memory. In anesthetized and conscious rats, we identified the ability of intraseptal RLN3 signaling to modulate neuronal activity in the MS and hippocampus and promote hippocampal the…
Role of calcineurin in Ca2+-induced release of catecholamines and neuropeptides
1998
Neurotransmission requires rapid docking, fusion, and recycling of neurotransmitter vesicles. Several of the proteins involved in this complex Ca2+-regulated mechanism have been identified as substrates for protein kinases and phosphatases, e.g., the synapsins, synaptotagmin, rabphilin3A, synaptobrevin, munc18, MARCKS, dynamin I, and B-50/GAP-43. So far most attention has focused on the role of kinases in the release processes, but recent evidence indicates that phosphatases may be as important. Therefore, we investigated the role of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin in exocytosis and subsequent vesicle recycling. Calcineurin-neutralizing antibodies, which blocke…
Convergence of olfactory and vomeronasal projections in the rat basal telencephalon
2007
Olfactory and vomeronasal projections have been traditionally viewed as terminating in contiguous non-overlapping areas of the basal telencephalon. Original reports, however, described areas such as the anterior medial amygdala where both chemosensory afferents appeared to overlap. We addressed this issue by injecting dextran amines in the main or accessory olfactory bulbs of rats and the results were analyzed with light and electron microscopes. Simultaneous injections of different fluorescent dextran amines in the main and accessory olfactory bulbs were performed and the results were analyzed using confocal microscopy. Similar experiments with dextran amines in the olfactory bulbs plus Fl…
Intensive care unit strain should not rush physicians into making inappropriate decisions, but merely reduce the time to the right decisions being ma…
2016
The effect of capacity strain in an ICU on the timing of end-of-life decision-making is unknown. We sought to determine how changes in strain impact timing of new do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders and of death.Retrospective cohort study of 9891 patients dying in the hospital following an ICU stay ≥72 h in Project IMPACT, 2001-2008. We examined the effect of ICU capacity strain (measured by standardized census, proportion of new admissions, and average patient acuity) on time to initiation of DNR orders and time to death for all ICU decedents using fixed-effects linear regression.Increases in strain were associated with shorter time to DNR for patients with limitations in therapy (predicted ti…
Sexual dimorphism in the vomeronasal system of the rabbit.
2006
Abstract Studies have shown that the vomeronasal system (VNS), an olfactory neural network that participates in the control of reproductive physiology and behavior, is sexually dimorphic in the rat. These works have also shown two main characteristics of brain sexual dimorphism: (a) dimorphism appears in neural networks related to reproduction and (b) it can present two morphological patterns: one in which males present greater morphological measures than females (male > female) and another in which the opposite is true (female > male). The present work extends the hypothesis to the rabbit, as a representative species of Lagomorpha. In addition, the locus coeruleus (LC), which is known to s…
How do cancer patients receiving palliative care at home die? A descriptive study
2011
Abstract Context Data regarding the circumstances of the process of death of terminally ill patients followed at home are lacking. Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and assess the circumstances of the process of death of terminally ill patients followed at home. Methods This was a prospective survey to assess the dying process of advanced cancer patients followed at home. Within a week after death, the principal caregiver was interviewed. Information from the palliative home care team and the caregiver about expectation of death, time of death, professional and nonprofessional people present at time of death, emergency admission to hospital, and administra…
The use of opioids in the last week of life in an acute palliative care unit.
2010
The aim of this survey was to assess the opioid use in the last week of life of cancer patients admitted at an acute palliative care unit. From a consecutive sample of patients surveyed for a period of one year, patients who died in the unit were selected. Type of opioid, route of administration, and doses were recorded one week before death (or at admission time if the interval admission-death was less than one week) (-7), and on the day of death (Tend). Seventy-seven patients died in the unit in the period taken into consideration (12.4%). Oral morphine equivalents were 170 mg/day and 262 mg/day at -7 and Tend, respectively. Patients were receiving transdermal drugs or intravenous morphi…
Effect of physical training on exercise capacity, gas exchange and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels in patients with chronic heart fai…
2006
BACKGROUND: Decreased exercise capacity is the main factor restricting the daily life of patients with chronic heart failure. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT pro-BNP) is strongly related to the severity of and is an independent predictor of outcome in chronic heart failure. DESIGN: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of exercise training on functional capacity and on changes in NT pro-BNP levels and to assess the effect of exercise training on quality of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty patients (45 men/15 women, mean age 52.7 years; +/-5.3 SD), with stable heart failure (45 ischaemic/hypertensive and 15 idiopathic patients), in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional…
Enhanced terminal room disinfection and acquisition and infection caused by multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile (the Benefits of …
2017
Summary Background Patients admitted to hospital can acquire multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile from inadequately disinfected environmental surfaces. We determined the effect of three enhanced strategies for terminal room disinfection (disinfection of a room between occupying patients) on acquisition and infection due to meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , vancomycin-resistant enterococci, C difficile , and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter . Methods We did a pragmatic, cluster-randomised, crossover trial at nine hospitals in the southeastern USA. Rooms from which a patient with infection or colonisation with a target organism was discharged were terminally dis…