Does neonatal brain ischemia induce schizophrenia-like behavior in young adult rats?

Perinatal cerebral hypoxia represents a major cause of obstetric complications and the resulting transient oxygen deficiency might belong to early risk factors for schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible long-term behavioral changes induced by one hour of continuous bilateral common carotid artery occlusion in 12-day-old male rats. Post-ischemic behavioral disturbances were evaluated in social (play) behavior on postnatal day 22 (PND 22), open field test (PND 35 and 50) and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex (PND 50). Transient ischemia in neonatal rats was not significantly altered in social dyadic interactions evaluated in pre-weaning pups, but resulted in enhanced locomotor activity in pubertal rats (PND 35) and impaired prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex in post-pubertal males (PND 50). These behavioral alterations suggest that perinatal hypoxic/ischemic insults may represent a risk factor for later manifestation of specific features relevant to schizophrenia in predisposed individuals.

In vitro antiprotozoal activity of the lipophilic extracts of different parts of Turkish Pistacia vera L

Thirteen lipophilic extracts prepared with n-hexane from various parts of Pistacia vera L. tree (Anacardiaceae) growing in Turkey were screened for their in vitro activity against four parasitic protozoa, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania donovani and Plasmodium falciparum. Melarsoprol, benznidazole, miltefosine, artemisinin and chloroquine were used as reference drugs. The cytotoxic potentials of the extracts on rat skeletal myoblast (L6) cells were also assessed and compared to that of podophyllotoxin. The screening method employed was medium-throughput, where the extracts were tested at two concentrations, at 0.8 and 4.8 microg/ml (T. brucei rhodesiense, L. donovani and Plasmodium falciparum), or at 1.6 and 9.7 microg/ml (T. cruzi and L6 cells). At 4.8 microg/ml concentration, the branch extract of Pistacia vera (PV-BR) significantly inhibited (77.3%) the growth of L. donovani, whereas the dry leaf extract (PV-DL) was active against Plasmodium falciparum (60.6% inhibition). The IC50 values of these extracts were determined as 2.3 microg/ml (PV-BR, L. donovani) and 3.65 microg/ml (PV-DL, Plasmodium falciparum). None of the extracts possessed cytotoxicity on mammalian cells.

Synthesis of new esters and oximes with 4-aminobicyclo[2.2.2]octane structure and evaluation of their antitrypanosomal and antiplasmodial activities

New 4-amino-6,7-diphenylbicyclo[2.2.2]octane derivatives, esters of bicyclo[2.2.2]octan-2-ols and O-methyl oximes of bicyclo[2.2.2]octan-2-ones were synthesised. Their activities against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (STIB 900) and their activity against the K1 strain of Plasmodium falciparum (resistant to chloroquine and pyrimethamine) were determined by use of microplate assays. The cytotoxicity was assessed using L6 cells. The antiprotozoal activities of the new compounds are compared with those of former prepared derivatives and drugs in use. Structure-activity relationships are discussed.

Comparative antiplasmodial, leishmanicidal and antitrypanosomal activities of several biflavonoids

The antiplasmodial, leishmanicidal and antitrypanosomal activities of eight natural biflavonoids were estimated in vitro on a chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum, axenically grown Leishmania donovani amastigotes and Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense bloodstream forms. Lanaroflavone showed the highest antiplasmodial activity (IC(50) = 0.48 microM), isoginkgetin was the most active leishmanicidal compound (IC(50) = 1.9 microM), whereas ginkgetin (IC(50) = 11 microM) and isoginkgetin (IC(50) = 13 microM) showed the best antitrypanosomal activity in our assays. The cytotoxicity and the selectivity indices for the most active compounds were also estimated. Lanaroflavone exhibited a high selectivity index value (SI = 159), indicating selective antiplasmodial activity.

The influence of interleukin-1β on γ-glutamyl transpepidase activity in rat hippocampus

Brain infections as well as peripheral challenges to the immune system lead to an increased production of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), a cytokine involved in leukocyte-mediated breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. The effects of IL-1beta have been reported to depend on whether the route of administration is systemic or intracerebral. Using 50-day-old male rats, we compared the effects of IL-1beta on brain gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT; an enzymatic marker of brain capillary endothelium) at 2, 24 and 96 h after either an intravenous (i.v.) injection of 5 microg IL-1beta or an intracerebroventricular (i.c.v. - lateral ventricle) infusion of 50 ng IL-1beta. When the i.v. route was used, the GGT activity underwent small but significant changes; decreasing in the hippocampus 2 h after the i.v. injection, increasing 24 h later and returning to control levels at 96 h. No significant changes in the hippocampal GGT activity were observed at 2 and 24 h following the i.c.v. infusion. The GGT activity in the hypothalamus remained unchanged regardless of the route of IL-1beta administrations. Similar changes in GGT activity were revealed histochemically. The labeling was found mainly in the capillary bed, the changes being most evident in the hippocampal stratum radiatum and stratum lacunosum-moleculare. A transient increase in GGT activity at 24 h, together with a less sharp delineation of GGT-stained vessels, may reflect IL-1beta induced increased turnover of glutathione and/or oxidative stress, that may in turn, be related to altered permeability of the blood-brain barrier in some neurological and mental disorders, including schizophrenia.

Assessing ethics and animal welfare in animal biotechnology for farm production

This paper addresses the ethical issues involved in animal biotechnology. Considerable advances in this field have been made with transgenic fish, which may be the first real test case for regulatory bodies. Intrinsic concerns about animal biotechnology are often voiced in public debate, and the paper presents and critically discusses these issues. Even though these concerns may be hard to reconcile with standards of rational argument, they might still have practical consequences for ethical policy making. Animal welfare and environmental issues are discussed as the most salient extrinsic concerns about animal biotechnology. The most serious obstacle to a good risk assessment of animal biotechnology is the extent of scientific uncertainty. Ethical assessments need to address these uncertainties upfront, and the precautionary principle provides a good criterion for responsible policies. At the end of the paper, a practical method for the ethical assessment of animal biotechnology, the so-called ethical matrix, is briefly presented and discussed.

The Number of Stratum corneum Cell Layers Correlates with the Pseudo-Absorption of the Corneocytes

The removal of the stratum corneum (SC) using adhesive tapes is a common technique in cutaneous studies. The determination of the varying amounts of the SC removed would be a helpful tool in such investigations. In the present study, the cell layers of porcine SC were counted before and after removal of several tape strips using histological techniques. In addition, the pseudo-absorption of the corneocytes reflecting the amount of these cells was determined using spectroscopy. Different amounts of SC were removed using 20 tape strips. The spectroscopically determined data correlate linearly with the number of removed cell layers. Based on these results, the pseudo-absorption of the corneocytes can be used to calculate the absolute number of cell layers removed with a standard deviation of less than 11%. In this way, the SC can be quantified using the procedure of tape stripping in combination with the spectroscopic determination of the corneocytes.

A bioactive biflavonoid from Campnosperma panamense

Lanaroflavone (1), a biflavonoid isolated from the methanol extract of the aerial part of Campnosperma panamense by bioguided fractionation, has been assessed for in vitro antiprotozoal activity. Lanaroflavone showed both antimalarial and leishmanicidal activities, but was inactive against Chagas disease vector, Trypanosoma cruzi.

Mutational spectrum in Usher syndrome type II

Usher syndrome type II is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by moderate to severe hearing impairment and progressive visual loss due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP). We carried out a mutation screening of the USH2A gene in 88 probands with Usher syndrome type II to determine the frequency of USH2A mutations as a cause for USH2. Six mutations, including 2299delG, 921-922insCAGC, R334W, N346H, R626X, and N357T were identified, with 2299delG mutation being the most frequent (16.5% of alleles), accounting for 77.5% of the pathologic alleles. Thirty-five percent (31/88) of the probands had a USH2A mutation. Nine of them carried two pathogenic mutations: six cases were homozygotes and three were compound heterozygotes. Twenty-two probands (25%) were found to carry only single USH2A mutations. One new missense mutation (N357T) occuring within the laminin N-terminal (type VI) domain of usherin was identified. Eight polymorphisms were found, five of which are novel. Our data support the view that the 2299delG is the most common mutation in USH2A.

USH1C: a rare cause of USH1 in a non-Acadian population and a founder effect of the Acadian allele

Usher syndrome (USH) is characterized by the associated findings of hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), leading to progressive loss of vision. Three forms of USH can be distinguished clinically. In the most severe form, USH1, profound congenital deafness is associated with vestibular dysfunction and RP. To determine the frequency of USH1C mutations as a cause for USH1, 128 probands with Usher syndrome type 1 including seven from Acadian and 121 from non-Acadian populations were systematically screened for mutations in USH1C using a combined single-strand conformational polymorphisms (SSCP)/heteroduplex and sequencing method. All seven Acadian USH1 patients were found to be homozygous for both the 216G>A mutation and the 9-repeat VNTR which characterizes the Acadian allele, confirming previous evidence for a founder effect by haplotype analysis. However, USH1C mutations were identified in only two non-Acadian USH1 probands (1.65%) including one from Pakistan who was homozygous for a 238-239insC mutation and one from Canada was also homozygous for the Acadian allele. The low prevalence of USH1C mutations in the present study suggests that the high prevalence of the 238-239insC in Germany may reflect a founder effect. Comparison of the affected haplotypes in the Canadian patient with the Acadian USH1 patients yielded evidence for a founder effect. Our data suggest that USH1C is a relatively rare form of USH1 in non-Acadian populations and that in addition to the 216G>A Acadian mutation, the 238-239insC mutation appears to be common in some populations.

Intima-media thickness and atherosclerotic plaques in familial defective apolipoprotein B-100 and familial hypercholesterolemia

Familial defective apolipoprotein B-100 (FDB) is a genetic disorder characterized by a decreased binding of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles to the LDL receptor due to defective apo B-100. Impaired LDL clearance could also be due to defects of the LDL receptor (familial hypercholesterolemia, FH). FDB was suggested to be clinically indistinguishable from classical FH. The measurement of the intima-media thickness (IMT) is an accepted method for the direct evaluation of early atherosclerosis. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the IMT in patients with FDB in comparison to FH. Our data indicate that IMT in FDB does not differ from IMT in FH.

Pumpless extracorporeal lung assist using an arterio-venous shunt. Applications and limitations

We report the use of a pumpless extracorporeal lung assist (PECLA) in 70 patients with severe pulmonary failure of various causes. The device was used under rescue conditions in patients with preserved cardiac function. By establishing a shunt between femoral artery and vein using the arterio-venous pressure gradient as the driving force for the blood flow through the oxygenator, PECLA proved to be extremely effective in terms of oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal.

Migration of naive, effector and memory T cells: implications for the regulation of immune responses

T cells play an important role in protective immune responses and in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Understanding the mechanisms regulating their distribution in vivo may therefore be of therapeutic value. Reviewing studies that have followed the migration of labelled naive, effector and memory T cells in healthy animals reveals that all T-cell subsets enter all organs investigated. Within the tissue, two principally different migration patterns can be identified. First, naive and memory T cells accumulate in lymphoid organs for about 48 h after injection, as the time needed for migration through lymphoid organs is longer than through non-lymphoid organs. During this time, surface molecule expression is temporarily modified. These changes are reversed before leaving the lymphoid organs and entering the blood to start a new cycle of migration. Second, effector T cells are evenly distributed throughout the body, and most die in the tissues within 24 h. However, depending on the presence of cytokines, some are able to survive and to proliferate, and thereby accumulate in defined microenvironments of the body. Analysing the principles regulating T-cell migration and survival within the tissue may lead to the development of new options for the treatment of disease.

[N(2)H(5)](+)(2)[N(4)C-N=N-CN(4)](2-): a new high-nitrogen high-energetic material

The reaction of [N(2)H(5)](+)(2)[SO(4)](2-) with barium 5,5'-azotetrazolate gave new high-energy-density materials (HEDM) based on the 5,5'-azotetrazolate dianion. The dihydrazinium salt of [N(4)C-N=N-CN(4)](2-) 1, its dihydrate 2, and its dihydrazinate 3 were prepared in high yield. Synthesis in water afforded yellow needles of [N(2)H(5)](2)(+)[N(4)C-N=N-CN(4)](2-).2H(2)O (2): monoclinic, P2/c, a = 8.958(2) A, b = 3.6596(7) A, c = 16.200(3) A, beta = 96.834(3) degrees, V = 527.3(2) A(3), Z = 2; synthesis in anhydrous hydrazine gave yellow [N(2)H(5)](2)(+)[N(4)C-N=N-CN(4)](2-).2N(2)H(4) (3): triclinic, P1, a = 4.6208(6) A, b = 8.585(1) A, c = 9.271(1) A, alpha = 108.486(2) degrees, beta = 95.290(2) degrees, gamma = 102.991(2) degrees, V = 334.51(8) A(3), Z = 1. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis and vibrational (IR, Raman) and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy ((1)H, (13)C, (14)N, (15)N). The new compounds represent new high-nitrogen HEDMs with one of the highest nitrogen contents reported to date ([N(2)H(5)](+)(2)[N(4)C-N=N-CN(4)](2-) 85.2%; [N(2)H(5)](+)(2)[N(4)C-N=N-CN(4)](2-).2H(2)O 73.3%; [N(2)H(5)](+)(2)[N(4)C-N=N-CN(4)](2-).2N(2)H(4) 85.7%). The standard heat of formation of the solvate-free compound 1 was computed at the MP2(FULL)/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory to be DeltaH degrees (f) = 264 kcal mol(-1), which translates to 1147 kcal kg(-1) and is one of the highest ever reported. The compounds are stable at room temperature, almost insensitive to friction and impact, but detonate violently when the explosion is initiated, e.g., by rapid heating over the decomposition temperature or by using an initiator.

Naive and memory T cells migrate in comparable numbers through the normal rat lung: only effector T cells accumulate and proliferate in the lamina propria of the bronchi

T cells reach the lung via the pulmonary and bronchial arteries that supply the alveolar and bronchial regions. Although these regions are differentially affected by T cell-mediated diseases, the migration of T-cell subsets in these two regions has not been studied. Naive, memory, and effector T cells were injected into congenic rats and traced in sections of normal lung. All three T-cell subsets were found in large numbers in the alveolar region and exited again quickly. Only effector T cells accumulated in the lamina propria of the bronchi. Further, 72 h after injection 6% of the effector T cells still proliferated in the lung, whereas apoptotic effector T cells were only observed 1 h after injection (0.2%). Thus, not only effector and memory but also naive T cells continuously migrated through the lung. The preferential accumulation of effector T cells in the bronchial lamina propria may explain why some diseases preferentially affect the bronchial region.

Phase I Clinical Trial of Alitretinoin and Tamoxifen in Breast Cancer Patients: Toxicity, Pharmacokinetic, and Biomarker Evaluations

PURPOSE: To determine the overall and dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) of alitretinoin (9-cis-retinoic acid) in combination with tamoxifen and the pharmacokinetics of alitretinoin alone and when combined with tamoxifen in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The effect of tamoxifen and alitretinoin on MIB-1, a marker of proliferation, in unaffected breast tissue was explored.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients had metastatic breast cancer. Previous tamoxifen therapy was allowed. Planned dose levels for alitretinoin ranged from 50 to 140 mg/m2/d with 20 mg/d tamoxifen in all patients after 4 weeks of alitretinoin as a single agent. Plasma concentrations of alitretinoin and retinol were measured at baseline and after 1, 2, and 3 months. Breast core biopsies were obtained at baseline and after 2 months of therapy.

RESULTS: Twelve patients with metastatic breast cancer received a total of 86 cycles of therapy. At 90 mg/m2/d, three of five patients experienced a DLT: grade 3 headache, grade 3 hypercalcemia, and grade 3 noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. At 70 mg/m2/d, one of six patients experienced a DLT (headache), and this level was considered the maximal tolerated dose in this study. Three toxicities occurred that had not been reported previously with alitretinoin: an asymptomatic delay in dark adaptation, a marked decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the occurrence of enthesopathy. Two of the nine assessable patients had a durable clinical response: one partial response and stable disease for 18 months and one complete response in continuous remission for 48+ months. Both responding patients were estrogen receptor–positive and had had previous tamoxifen therapy. There was a high degree of interpatient variability of plasma alitretinoin concentrations, although a significant decline in alitretinoin plasma levels over time was observed. MIB-1 scores declined in four of the eight paired breast specimens obtained.

CONCLUSION: The combination of tamoxifen and alitretinoin is well tolerated and has antitumor activity in metastatic breast cancer. The recommended phase II dose is 70 mg/m2/d with 20 mg/d tamoxifen.

Life-history correlates of evolution under high and low adult mortality

Life-history theory predicts evolutionary changes in reproductive traits and intrinsic mortality rates in response to differences in extrinsic mortality rates. Trade-offs between life- history traits play a pivotal role in these predictions, and such trade-offs are mediated, at least in part, by physiological allocations. To gain insight into these trade-offs, we have been performing a long-term experiment in which we allow fruitflies, Drosophila melanogaster, to evolve in response to high (HAM) and low (LAM) adult mortality rates. Here we analyze the physiological correlates of the life-history trade-offs. In addition to changing development time and early fecundity in the direction predicted, high adult mortality affected three traits expressed early in life-body size, growth rate, and ovariole number-but had little or no effect on body composition (relative fat content), viability, metabolic rate, activity, starvation resistance, or desiccation resistance. Correlations among lines revealed trade-offs between early fecundity, late fecundity, and starvation resistance, which appear to be mediated by differential allocation of lipids.

Pumpless extracorporeal lung assist and adult respiratory distress syndrome

We report use of a pumpless extracorporeal lung assist-a safe and effective method in the management of severe acute respiratory failure that allows an extracorporal gas-exchange without the use of a pump.