Search results for "pine"
showing 10 items of 2022 documents
Involvement of cyclic guanosine monophosphosphate (cGMP) and cytosolic guanylate cyclase in the regulation of synaptic ribbon numbers in rat pineal g…
1992
In the rat pineal gland N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity and synaptic ribbon (SR) numbers display a circadian rhythm. It is well-known that NAT activity is regulated by adrenergic mechanisms involving cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) as a second messenger. However, the mechanism involved in the regulation of SR numbers has not been established so far. In the present in vitro study, we have investigated the effects of 8-bromo-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (8-bromo-cGMP), a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) analog, and stimulation of guanylate cyclase on SR numbers. Incubation with 8-bromo-cGMP increased SR numbers in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further, stimulation of the …
Demonstration of action-potential-producing cells in the rat pineal gland in vitro and their regulation by norepinephrine and nitric oxide
1998
There is evidence that sympathetically innervated mammalian pineal glands contain cells that exhibit action potentials. It is unknown whether ex vivo pineal glands deprived of their nervous input are still capable of firing. In the present study, multiple-unit recordings from rat pineals revealed spontaneously active cell clusters with a mean firing frequency of 1.5 +/- 0.3 Hz which could be abolished by tedrodotoxin. Regularly firing clusters showed no inherent periodicity in the minute range, whereas rhythmical clusters with periodically repeated bursts had period lengths of 12.6 min (day) and 9.5 min (night). Superfusion of norepinephrine reduced the firing frequency of both cluster type…
Nitric oxide inhibits electrically active units in the rat pineal gland.
1997
Extracellular multiple unit recordings were performed in isolated rat pineal glands to determine a possible effect of nitric oxide (NO) on the spontaneous electrical activity of pinealocytes. Spontaneously active cells forming clusters of 3-5 cells fell into two categories: more or less regularly firing clusters (REG, 64%) and irregularly discharging clusters with periodically repeated bursts (RHY, 36%). The NO-donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) reduced the discharge rate of the great majority of REG clusters and of all the RHY clusters examined. Moreover, the burst activity of RHY clusters was abolished. These results could be completely reproduced by using another NO-donor, S-nitroso-N-acet…
The dopamine uptake inhibitor 3 alpha-[bis(4'-fluorophenyl)metoxy]-tropane reduces cocaine-induced early-gene expression, locomotor activity, and con…
2009
Benztropine (BZT) analogs, a family of high-affinity dopamine transporter ligands, are molecules that exhibit pharmacological and behavioral characteristics predictive of significant therapeutic potential in cocaine addiction. Here, we examined in mice the effects of 3 alpha-[bis(4'-fluorophenyl)metoxy]-tropane (AHN-1055) on motor activity, conditioned place preference (CPP) and c-Fos expression in the striatum. AHN-1055 produced mild attenuation of spontaneous locomotor activity at a low dose (1 mg/kg) and weak stimulation at a higher dose (10 mg/kg). In parallel, the BZT analog significantly increased c-Fos expression in the dorsolateral caudoputamen at the high dose, whereas producing ma…
Children monosensitized to pine nuts have similar patterns of sensitization
2012
Background Several cases of pine nut allergies and anaphylaxis have been reported in the literature, but only few pine nut allergens have been characterized. The aim of this research is to identify through immunoelectrophoretic techniques the major pine nut allergens in a group of children monosensitized to pine nuts. Methods We studied five children with pine nut allergies and no other sensitization to food except to pine nuts, confirmed by in vivo (prick test, prick-to-prick) and in vitro tests (specific IgE determinations [CAP-FEIA]). The protein profile of pine nuts was analyzed by Sodium Dodecyl sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Immunoblotting was performed after i…
Treatments used for obsessive-compulsive disorder-An international perspective.
2018
Objective The objective of this study was to characterise international trends in the use of psychotropic medication, psychological therapies, and novel therapies used to treat obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods Researchers in the field of OCD were invited to contribute summary statistics on the characteristics of their samples. Consistency of summary statistics across countries was evaluated. Results The study surveyed 19 expert centres from 15 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States) providing a total sample of 7,340 participants. Fluoxetine (n = 972; 13…
Interface transition checklists in spinal surgery
2016
Issue Recently, quality tools have been promoted to improve patient safety and process efficiency in healthcare. While surgeons primarily focused on surgical issues, like infection rates or implant design, we introduced pre-admission and preoperative checklists in the early 2000s. Initial assessment To assess the efficiency of these tools in a neurosurgical department, we performed a survey of all spinal instrumentation patients operated in 2011 ( n = 147). The results revealed several problems. Choice of solution We consequently redesigned the checklists accompanied by flanking measures, such as written and online accessible standards. Furthermore, the staff was trained to use the update…
A novel cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor modulates catabolic and antiinflammatory mediators in osteoarthritis.
2004
ITB (6-(p-bromophenyl)amino-7-(p-chlorophenyl)indazolo[2',3':1,5]-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]-1,3,5-benzotriazepine) is a novel inhibitor of cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) with antiinflammatory activity in animal models. In the present study, we investigated the effect of this compound on the production of catabolic or antiinflammatory mediators in osteoarthritis (OA) cartilage. In OA cartilage explants, ITB inhibited the production of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas nitrite was partially reduced. On the contrary, ITB increased the production of interleukin (IL)-10 and the expres…
Chronic fluoxetine treatment alters the structure, connectivity and plasticity of cortical interneurons
2014
Novel hypotheses suggest that antidepressants, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine, induce neuronal structural plasticity, resembling that of the juvenile brain, although the underlying mechanisms of this reopening of the critical periods still remain unclear. However, recent studies suggest that inhibitory networks play an important role in this structural plasticity induced by fluoxetine. For this reason we have analysed the effects of a chronic fluoxetine treatment in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of transgenic mice displaying eGFP labelled interneurons. We have found an increase in the expression of molecules related to critical period pla…
Effects of acute and chronic maprotiline administration on inhibitory avoidance in male mice
2000
The effects of acute and chronic administration of maprotiline (5, 10 or 20 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) were assessed on inhibitory avoidance in male mice. Acute administration of maprotiline before training did not effect training phase latencies, but impaired performance (i.e. produced shorter latencies) in the test at doses of 5 and 20 mg/kg. When given after training, the drug did not modify test latencies at any of the doses used. Chronic administration for 21 days (interrupted 24 h before training) also shortened latencies in the test but not in training. An experiment on the acute effects of maprotiline on analgesia (determination of flinch and jump thresholds for increasing electric f…