Infection: a hypothesis on active susceptibility and species immunity with implications for AIDS prevention.

There is no fundamental difference in contagiousness or pathogenicity between the normal and pathogenic microfloras: both are contagious, and both may either cause illness or persist in the body of a healthy carrier. The contagiousness of the normal microflora is determined by its positive function in the host. In addition to the normal microflora, endogenous retrovirus genes are also useful for a macroorganism: they have been found to be integral elements of many animal and plant genomes and participate in vital functions, such as genome activity control, antiviral defense, and formation of the placenta; dysfunction of some endogenous retrovirus genes causes pathology.

The anxiolytic and analgesic properties of fenobam, a potent mGlu5 receptor antagonist, in relation to the impairment of learning.

Fenobam [N-(3-chlorophenyl)-N'-(4,5-dihydro-1-methyl-4-oxo-1H-imidazole-2-yl)urea] was suggested to possess anxiolytic actions 30 years ago. Hoffmann-La Roche researchers recently reported that it is a selective and potent mGlu5 receptor antagonist, acting as a negative allosteric modulator. In the present study, we show that fenobam readily penetrates to the brain, reaching concentrations over 600 nM, clearly above the affinity for mGluR5 receptors.

[Analyzing the population's health risks from the influence of environmental factors of various nature in vicinity of the Siberian chemical complex].

The paper provides the results of calculating the risks to human health in the cities of Seversk and Tomsk. The cancer risk from man-caused radiation is 2 orders of magnitude lower than that from air pollution with chemical carcinogens. Air contamination of classical chemical pollutants presents a major hazard to human health.

Comparison of the mGluR1 antagonist A-841720 in rat models of pain and cognition.

In the current study we compared the potency of the selective metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR1) antagonist A-841720 (7-Azepan-1-yl-4-dimethylamino-7H-9-thia-1,5,7-triaza-fluoren-8-one) in rodent models of pain with its effects in models of learning and memory, to obtain information regarding the therapeutic window of this compound. A-841720 significantly reduced formalin-induced behaviours and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced tactile allodynia, starting at doses of 1 and 10 mg/kg, respectively. At the dose of 3 mg/kg, however, A-841720 significantly reduced the percentage of spontaneous alternations in a radial-maze task.

Effects of NAAG peptidase inhibitor 2-PMPA in model chronic pain - relation to brain concentration.

N-acetylated-alpha-linked-acidic peptidase (NAAG peptidase) converts N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG, mGluR3 agonist) into N-acetyl-aspartate and glutamate. The NAAG peptidase inhibitor 2-PMPA (2-(phosphonomethyl)pentanedioic acid) had neuroprotective activity in an animal model of stroke and anti-allodynic activity in CCI model despite its uncertain ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. The NAAG concentration in brain ECF under basal conditions and its alteration in relation to the brain ECF concentration of 2-PMPA is unclear.