Male and female rats show opiate withdrawal-induced place aversion and extinction in a Y-maze paradigm.

Gender differences have been observed in the vulnerability to drug abuse and in the different stages of the addictive process. In opiate dependence, differences between sexes have been shown in humans and laboratory animals in various phases of opiate addiction, especially in withdrawal-associated negative affective states. Using a Y-maze conditioned place aversion paradigm, we investigated potential sex differences in the expression and extinction of the aversive memory of precipitated opiate withdrawal state in morphine-dependent rats.

Waning humoral immunity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in a rheumatoid arthritis cohort and the benefits of a vaccine booster dose.

Objectives: We aimed to assess SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibody kinetics postvaccination and the benefit of a mRNA vaccine booster dose in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs.

Methods: Consecutive RA patients on immunosuppressive therapies, with no known history of SARS-CoV-2 infection or high-risk contact, vaccinated with 2 doses SARS-CoV-2 mRNA, BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273, or viral vectored ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine were recruited during their routine rheumatology consultation. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG spike-specific antibodies were quantified at 1, 3 and 6 months respectively following the second vaccine dose.

Sequential development of ANCA-associated vasculitis and anti-GBM disease: A report of two cases.

In case of AAV with kidney involvement, physicians should explore anti-GBM antibodies and be aware of the possible sequential development of AAV, especially with MPO-ANCA, and anti-GBM glomerulonephritis. This sequential disease history is associated with a poor renal outcome, highlighting the need for urgent diagnosis and management.

Fractal structures and silica films formed by the Treignac water on inert and biological surfaces.

The Treignac water is a natural mineral water containing mainly orthosilicic acid. On inert substrates, it forms a silica film with fractal structures which cannot be reproduced in laboratory-reconstituted water. These structures form by condensation of orthosilicic acid monomers, following the Witten-Sander model of diffusion-limited aggregation.