Search results for "farmacologia"
showing 10 items of 411 documents
Fate of autologous dermal stem cells transplanted into the spinal cord after traumatic injury (TSCI)
2003
Rat dermis is a source of cells capable of growing in vitro and, in appropriate conditions, forming floating spheres constituted by nestin-positive cells. We have clonally grown these spheres up to the 15th generation. These spheres can be dissociated into cells that differentiate in vitro under appropriate conditions, these cells are labeled by antibodies to immature neuron markers such as nestin and beta-tubulin III and, later, to mature neuron markers such as microtubule-associated protein 2 and neurofilaments. However, most cells are positive to the astroglial marker glia fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). When sphere-derived cells are transplanted into the spinal cord after traumatic in…
Neurosteroid modulation of the presynaptic NMDA receptors regulating hippocampal noradrenaline release in normal rats and those exposed prenatally to…
2003
Abstract Prenatal exposure to diazepam (DZ), a positive allosteric modulator of the γ-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor complex, exerts profound effects that become more evident during puberty and in many cases are sex-specific, suggesting that such exposure interferes with the activity of steroid hormones. Apart from their well known effects on the genome, the reduced metabolites of many steroid hormones also interact directly with membrane receptors, including those for N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA). In this study, we compared the effects of several neurosteroids on NMDA receptors from normal rats and those exposed in utero to DZ (1.25 mg/kg per day) from the 14th through the 20th day o…
The role of pregnenolone sulphate in spatial orientation-acquisition and retention: An interplay between cognitive potentiation and mood regulation
2013
Abstract Neurosteroids can alter neuronal excitability interacting with specific neurotransmitter receptors, thus affecting several functions such as cognition and emotionality. In this study, we investigated, in adult male rats, the effects of the acute administration of pregnenolone-sulfate (PREGS) (10 mg/Kg, s. c.) on cognitive processes using the Can test, a non aversive spatial/visual task which allows the assessment of spatial information-acquisition during the baseline training, and of memory retention in the longitudinal study. Furthermore, on the basis of PREGS pharmacological profile, the modulation of depressive-like behaviour was also evaluated in the forced swim test (FST). Our…
Acetaldehyde Oral Self-Administration: Evidence from the Operant-Conflict Paradigm
2011
Background: Acetaldehyde (ACD), ethanol's first metabolite, has been reported to interact with the dopaminergic reward system, and with the neural circuits involved in stress response. Rats self-administer ACD directly into cerebral ventricles, and multiple intracerebroventricular infusions of ACD produce conditioned place preference. Self-administration has been largely employed to assess the reinforcing and addictive properties of most drugs of abuse. In particular, operant conditioning is a valid model to investigate drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior in rats. Methods: This study was aimed at the evaluation of (i) the motivational properties of oral ACD in the induction and maintenanc…
Long-lasting handling affects behavioural reactivity in adult rats of both sexes prenatally exposed to diazepam
2001
Environmental stressors can substantially affect the adaptive response of rats to novelty in a sexually dimorphic manner. Gender-related differences are also observed in neurochemical and behavioural patterns of adult rats following prenatal exposure to diazepam (DZ). In the present study the behavioural reactivity to novelty is investigated in open field (OF) and in acoustic startle reflex (ASR) tests, in non handled (NH), short-lasting handled (SLH) and long-lasting handled (LLH) adult male and female rats prenatally exposed to DZ. A single daily s.c. injection of DZ (1.5 mg/kg) over gestation days 14-20 decreases GABA/BDZ receptor function in both sexes, as shown by the decreased electro…
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…
Polypharmacy, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality among elderly patients in internal medicine wards. The REPOSI study
2011
PURPOSES: We evaluated the prevalence and factors associated with polypharmacy and investigated the role of polypharmacy as a predictor of length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality. METHODS: Thirty-eight internal medicine wards in Italy participated in the Registro Politerapie SIMI (REPOSI) study during 2008. One thousand three hundred and thirty-two in-patients aged ≥65 years were enrolled. Polypharmacy was defined as the concomitant use of five or more medications. Linear regression analyses were used to evaluate predictors of length of hospital stay and logistic regression models for predictors of in-hospital mortality. Age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, polypharmacy, and numb…
Ethanol Modulates Corticotropin Releasing Hormone Release From the Rat Hypothalamus: Does Acetaldehyde Play a Role?
2010
BACKGROUND AND METHODS Ethanol (EtOH) activates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in adrenocorticotropin hormone, glucocorticoid release, and in modifications of the response of the axis to other stressors. The initial site of EtOH action within the HPA system seems to be the hypothalamus. Thus, to determine the mechanisms responsible for these effects, we investigated: (i) whether EtOH was able to release corticotrophic releasing hormone (CRH) from incubated hypothalamic explants; (ii) whether acetaldehyde (ACD), its first metabolite formed in the brain by catalase activity, might play a role in EtOH activity. To this aim, rat hypothalamic explants were incubated with: (…
In utero Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure confers vulnerability towards cognitive impairments and alcohol drinking in the adolescent offspring: Is th…
2020
Background:Cannabinoid consumption during pregnancy has been increasing on the wave of the broad-based legalisation of cannabis in Western countries, raising concern about the putative detrimental outcomes on foetal neurodevelopment. Indeed, since the endocannabinoid system regulates synaptic plasticity, emotional and cognitive processes from early stages of life interfering with it and other excitability endogenous modulators, such as neuropeptide Y (NPY), might contribute to the occurrence of a vulnerable phenotype later in life.Aims:This research investigated whether in utero exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may induce deficits in emotional/cognitive processes and alcohol vulner…
Prostaglandin E2 receptors and COX enxymes in human hepatocellular carcinoma: role in the regulation of cell growth
2008
The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of prostaglandin E 2 receptors (EP 1-4 ), cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), and COX-2 in nontumor and tumor human liver tissues, and also to evaluate the antitumor activity of selective EP 1 receptor antagonist used alone or in combination with COX-1 and COX-2 selective inhibitors. Semiquantitative PCR analyses revealed that EP 1-4 , COX-1, and COX-2 mRNA expression was detected in nearly all the tissue samples assayed, although with a high variability between nontumor and tumor tissues. In vitro EP 1 receptor antagonist inhibited anchorage-independent cell growth and reduced the viability of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in a dose-depe…