Ketamine and Hydroxynorketamine as Novel Pharmacotherapies for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorders.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) has reached epidemic proportions, with many countries facing high levels of opioid use and related fatalities. Although currently prescribed medications for OUD are considered lifesaving, they inadequately address negative affect and cognitive impairment, resulting in high relapse rates to nonmedical opioid use even years after drug cessation (protracted abstinence). Evidence supports the notion that ketamine, an anesthetic and rapid-acting antidepressant drug, holds promise as a candidate for OUD treatment, including the management of acute withdrawal somatic symptoms, negative affect during protracted opioid abstinence, and prevention of retaking nonmedical opioids.

Measuring social phobia symptoms in a community sample of adolescents: An examination of the psychometric properties of the SPAI-23.

A number of studies to date examine dimensions of social phobia and anxiety in adolescents. A variety of tools has been developed, along with their abbreviated versions, that are used to assess Social Anxiety (SA) but little research has been devoted to the types of fears they each assess. Due to differences in the content of the multitude of instruments, different aspects of SA are addressed and this leads to confusion when the relationship between SA and other constructs is being investigated.

Pain during cardiac implantable electronic device implantation.

In order to evaluate the extent and causes of pain during cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation in our hospital, a prospective audit over a 23-month period using a patient selfreporting questionnaire was undertaken. In total, 599 procedures were reported, 52.9% for pacemaker implantation and 23.

Physical activity is associated with lower arterial stiffness in normal-weight postmenopausal women.

The impact of physical exercise, as preventative measure, to control the progression of cardiovascular disease in midlife remains under investigation. We aimed to investigate the effect of different levels of intensity of physical activity on metabolic and vascular profile in healthy postmenopausal women. A total of 625 healthy postmenopausal women (mean age 57.

Predictors of incident hypertension in healthy non-diabetic postmenopausal women with normal renal function.

We aimed to investigate the incidence of hypertension and to identify potential risk factors in healthy, non-diabetic recently postmenopausal Greek women with normal renal function. This retrospective cohort study evaluated 141 recently postmenopausal women at baseline and annually thereafter (follow-up time: 1 to 8 years). Blood samples were obtained, and ultrasound evaluations were performed at baseline.

Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin D, a soluble steroid hormone synthesized in the skin after sun exposure, plays a crucial role in calcium metabolism and is also involved in cardiovascular pathophysiology. The aim of this review is to summarize the available evidence (a) on the association between endogenous vitamin D status and cardiovascular disease, and (b) on the effect of vitamin D supplementation on cardiovascular outcomes. Most studies have shown an inverse association between vitamin D levels and cardiovascular outcomes.

Endogenous sex hormones and memory performance in middle-aged Greek women with subjective memory complaints.

The changing hormonal milieu during the menopausal transition may contribute to the development of memory disorders. We aimed to assess the association of sex hormones with memory function in a sample of Greek middle-aged women. This pilot study included 44 women with subjective memory complaints.

MTHFR C677T polymorphism modifies the effect of HRT on metabolic parameters in postmenopausal women.

Objective: To assess the interaction of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism with changes in lipid and glucose metabolism effected by oral hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women.

Methods: In this open-label, prospective, interventional study, parameters of lipid and glucose metabolism, as well as homocysteine, were assessed in 97 postmenopausal women at baseline and 1 year after the initiation of HRT. Participants were stratified into three subgroups, according to the MTHFR C677T polymorphism (wild-type: CC genotype; heterozygous: CT genotype; homozygous for the mutant variable: TT genotype).

Effects of intracerebroventricular administration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on blood pressure, heart rate and plasma ADH and corticosterone levels in normal and dehydrated rabbits.

In order to investigate the effects of centrally administered Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) on plasma ADH and corticosterone levels as well as on blood pressure and on heart rate, 20 male New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits were used. Measurements were made on restrained conscious animals one week after the implantation of an indwelling intracerebroventricular (i.c.

Effects of intracerebroventricular administration of atrial natriuretic peptide on subcortical EEG activity in conscious rabbits.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) influences the activity of rat hypothalamic neurons, modifies the membrane excitability of the rat forebrain neurons, and induces changes in membrane potentials in cultured rat glioma cells. In order to explore whether these effects are reflected in the electrical activity of larger subcortical brain areas, we investigated the electroenceophalographic activity (EEG) recorded from 20 male albino (New Zealand White) rabbits. Recordings of EEG were made on restrained, conscious animals 1 week after the implantation of an indwelling intracerebroventricular (i.

Biomagnetic methodologies for the noninvasive investigations of the human brain (MAGNOBRAIN).

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) non-invasively infers the distribution of electric currents in the brain by measuring the magnetic fields they induce. Its superb spatial and temporal resolution provides a solid basis for the 'functional imaging' of the brain provided it is integrated with other brain imaging techniques. MAGNOBRAIN is an applied research project that developed tools to integrate MEG with MRI and EEG.

Ultrastructural alterations of the rabbit sciatic nerve, spinal cord and cerebellum, following methionine sulphoximine administration.

Methionine sulphoximine (MSO) is a centrally acting neurotoxin which inhibits the glutamate metabolism enzymes and has convulsive properties. Small doses of MSO were administered to rabbits, either intravenously (i.v.

Long-term effects of the administration of the convulsive substance DL-methionine-DL-sulfoximine to the rabbit.

Methionine sulfoximine (MSO) is a centrally acting neurotoxin which inhibits the glutamate metabolism enzymes and has convulsive properties. Administration of a small dose of MSO to rabbits, either intravenously or intracerebroventricularly, except for the already known convulsive effects, may also be responsible for hind leg myopathy (rigid paralysis with histological findings resembling myositis) which sets in by the 4th day after MSO administration.

A neural net model for the release of prolactin during pseudopregnancy in the rat.

A theoretical probabilistic neural net model is proposed here based on the interaction between two subsystems, the connections of which are made up by means of chemical markers. The activity of such a system at t = n tau is exclusively dependent on the firing record of the system at t = (n-1) tau, on the level of spontaneous activity and on an external inhibitory influence which we have found that may play an important role in the prolactin release level during pseudopregnancy in rats. We explore some of the implications of this model on the possible role of the hippocampus in the phenomenon.

Involvement of the caudate nucleus in the modulation of the brain somatosensory evoked potentials.

The participation of the caudate nucleus in the modulation of the cortical somatosensory evoked potentials was investigated in male rabbits. The power spectra of the somatosensory evoked potential recorded from the scalp in the intact animal was compared with that recorded after kainic acid lesion of specific regions of the caudate nucleus (i.e.

Effects of growth hormone and triiodothyronine administration of the localization of 14C-D-glucose on regenerating sciatic nerve in rabbits.

In the present study the effect of the administration of GH and T3 on glucose distribution in the regenerating nerve was studied. The right sciatic nerve of 40 male rabbits was crushed at a specific site so that axonotmesis ensued. The animals were divided into two equal groups: one for the study of the effects of human growth hormone (hGH) and the other of triiodothyronine (T3).

Effects of GABA, glycine, and sodium barbiturate on dendritic growth in vitro.

Dendritic growth and dendritic arborization of both the large neurons of the cerebral and the cerebellar cortex and the small bipolar neurons were studied in vitro under normal feeding conditions and under the influence of GABA, glycine, and sodium barbiturate. By the end of week 1 the neurons cultured in normal nutrient developed primary dendritic shafts, demonstrating a tendency for bifurcation. By the end of week 2 the neurons appeared as numerous secondary dendritic branches studded with spines.

Work capacity, contractile protein and quantitative electromyogram (EMG) changes following exercise or nandrolone decanoate treatment in experimentally induced muscle disuse atrophy in rats.

Anabolic steroid administration and planned exercise have been the two main methods applied to improve the function and morphology of atrophied muscle tissue. The effects of these two factors-specifically nandrolone decanoate administration and exercise by swimming on muscle weight, EMG activity, work capacity and on contractile protein content of rat gastrocnemius muscle, following experimentally induced atrophy by immobilization, were investigated. The results appear to support the conclusion that although both types of treatment obtain significant positive results exercise acts more effectively than the anabolic steroid in this respect.