Fractalkine is not a major chemoattractant for the migration of neutrophils across microvascular endothelium.

Inflammatory responses during sepsis are determined by leucocyte recruitment into inflamed tissues. Both chemokines and adhesion molecules are believed to be involved in this process. As fractalkine exists as transmembrane protein with cell adhesion properties and as soluble chemotactic factor, the present study was conducted to study the role of fractalkine, produced by microvascular and macrovascular endothelial cells, in neutrophil recruitment.

Bathing. Pleasure or pain?

Bathing creates some of the highest levels of discomfort in the lives of individuals diagnosed with dementia. The present study measured the frequency of 14 agitated behaviors during bathing in 15 elderly residents with dementia residing in a continuing care center. Each resident was observed for four sessions of two different bathing methods, the conventional tub bath and a modification of the bed bath, known as the Thermal bath.

Inhibition of LPS-induced chemokine production in human lung endothelial cells by lipid conjugates anchored to the membrane.

1. In acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) induced by endotoxins, a high production of inflammatory mediators by microvascular lung endothelial cells (LMVEC) can be observed. Activation of cells by endotoxins may result in elevated secretion of phospholipase A(2) (sPLA(2)) which is thought to contribute to tissue damage.

Collaboration to implement smoking cessation guidelines during the childbirth continuum.

Background: Smoking during pregnancy has been linked with such negative outcomes as increased risk for spontaneous abortions, low birth weight, and perinatal and neonatal mortality. In spring 1998 three leading health care systems in San Diego initiated the Trilateral Partnership ("the Partnership"), whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of children. The Partnership chose tobacco control in pregnant women and their families as its first initiative.

Chronic desipramine alters stress-induced behaviors and regional expression of the immediate early gene, c-fos.

This experiment examined the effects of acute or chronic administration of the antidepressant drug desipramine on conditioned stress-induced behaviors and regional c-fos expression in the brain. To this end, rats were exposed to three sequential daily sessions of uncontrollable foot-shock and matched, on the basis of crouching, into one of four groups. Two of these groups were exposed to saline injections twice daily and two were exposed to injections of desipramine (5 mg/kg, SC) twice per day, for 9 days.

Acute treatment with antidepressant drugs selectively increases the expression of c-fos in the rat brain.

Rats were treated acutely, ip, with saline vehicle or an antidepressant: iprindole (15 mg/kg), nortriptyline (15 mg/kg), A75200 (10 mg/kg), fluoxetine (15 mg/kg), desipramine (10 mg/kg), bupropion (20 mg/kg) or tranylcypromine (7.5 mg/kg). Mapping the neuroanatomical distribution at 64 sites of the immediate early gene, c-fos revealed several patterns: first, increased counts of Fos-like neurons were found in all but one instance; second, drugs which had dopaminergic effects (bupropion and tranylcypromine) were more likely to potentiate c-fos reactivity than were the other drugs; third, Fos-like counts were more likely to be significantly elevated in structures bordering brain ventricles; fourth, only in the central amygdala were the Fos-like counts higher in all seven drug groups relative to the saline group.

Conditioned fear-induced changes in behavior and in the expression of the immediate early gene c-fos: with and without diazepam pretreatment.

The synthesis of Fos, the protein product of the immediate early gene c-fos, was used to map metabolically some of the neural substrates of conditioned fear in the rat. Analysis of the behaviors emitted by the rats during the test session provided strong evidence that the conditioning procedure was effective. Exposure to the environment in which they had previously received footshock significantly increased the number of Fos-like immunoreactive neurons in nearly 50 brain regions, both cortical and subcortical.

Effects of D1 and D2 dopamine antagonists on behavior of polydipsic rats.

The behavioral and neurochemical effects of SCH3390 (SCH), a dopamine (DA) D1 antagonist, and haloperidol (HAL), a DA D2 receptor antagonist, on schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) were examined. Once animals were made polydipsic, a vehicle or one of three doses of SCH or HAL were administered to seven groups of rats in a series of three five-session blocks in a drug condition, no-drug condition, drug condition design. Detailed behavioral measures and brain regional levels of monoamine neurotransmitters and their major acidic metabolites were analyzed.

Analysis of the ongoing behavior of rats in non-matching-to-sample: improved acquisition and performance is related to facilitation of investigation.

In a non-matching-to-sample task, rats were trained according to the conventional procedure in which the displacement of the sample object resulted in food reinforcement and termination of the sample period. Compared to these animals, rats given a longer duration sample period, and rats not reinforced with food for displacing the object in the sample period, improved their rate of acquisition and their accuracy of performance. Detailed behavioral observations indicated that improved discrimination was related to increased investigation of the objects in the sample period, reduced side preferences, and an inclination to examine both objects in the test period.

Food granules elicit heavy drinking in polydipsic rats independently of meal duration.

Excessive drinking, in rats made polydipsic on intermittent delivery of food pellets, is inversely related to the time the rat spends with its head in the feeder, early in the interfood interval. In a sensitization model, this explains why food textures that induce more oral activity, e.g.

Behavioral analysis of diazepam-induced memory deficits: evidence for sedation-like effects.

Rats were trained on a nonmatching-to-sample task with delays of 2, 5, and 10 min. Subsequently, performance was assessed in three groups of rats following treatment with saline or diazepam (2.0 mg/kg) administered acutely or tested chronically in six administrations.

Diazepam effects on the exploratory behaviour of rats in an elevated runway: evidence for biphasic effects of benzodiazepines.

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the fear-reduction model of benzodiazepine (BZ) action on the exploration of novelty. According to this hypothesis an animal given a tranquilizer should selectively increase the amount of investigative behaviour in the more novel portion of an elevated maze. To permit comparison of the same behaviours at both ends of the maze, an elevated runway was built with a wall running lengthwise along the midline of one end.

Reduced behavioral variability in extinction: effects of chronic treatment with the benzodiazepine, diazepam or with ethanol.

Extinction of a food reinforced habit results in an increase in the variability of the response learned in acquisition and in the appearance of previously suppressed competing responses. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of chronically administered diazepam (0.0, 1.

Rats treated chronically with the benzodiazepine, diazepam or with ethanol exhibit reduced variability of behavior.

The hypothesis that chronic treatment with diazepam or with ethanol reduces behavioral variability, was tested on rats in a radial maze. Eight groups (n = 6) of male Sprague-Dawley rats were given one of eight treatments of diazepam (0.0, 1.

Schedule-induced polydipsia: attenuating effects of decreased size of food granulations.

The effect of food texture on the development of schedule-induced polydipsia was examined in six groups of rats (n = 8), each receiving one of six grades of food granulation. A seventh group received pellets. By the end of 15 sessions of FT 60-sec food delivery, rats receiving pellets and the coarser granulations had developed polydipsia.

Initial environment influences amphetamine-induced stereotypy: subsequently environment change has little effect.

Saline-treated and amphetamine-treated (7 mg/kg, ip, immediate) male rats from a Sprague-Dawley substrain were observed in two test environments designed to elicit different investigative responses in normal rats. Snout contact with the substrate was generated by placing the rat in a small enclosed cage. Absence of snout contact was induced by placement of the rat on a square elevated platform.

beta-Carboline FG 7142-reduced aggression in male rats: reversed by the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, Ro15-1788.

The beta-carboline FG 7142 decreases conspecific aggression in male hooded rats. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of pretreatment with Ro15-1788 or chlordiazepoxide (CDP) in this paradigm. The six groups (n = 8) were saline, FG 7142 (5 mg/kg, immediate, IP), CDP (5 mg/kg, -10 min, IP), CDP (5 mg/kg, -10 min) plus FG 7142 (5 mg/kg, immediate), Ro15-1788 (10 mg/kg, -10 min, IP), and Ro15-1788 (10 mg/kg, -10 min) plus FG 7142 (5 mg/kg, immediate).

Dose-related response of male rats to apomorphine: snout contact in the open-field.

Apomorphine (0.01 to 5 mg/kg, SC) was administered to male rats observed singly in the open-field. The behavior of each rat was coded using a microprocessor during 3 preinjection and 9 postinjection trials of 6 min duration over a 2 hr session.

The effect of the beta-carboline FG 7142 on the behaviour of male rats in a living cage: an ethological analysis of social and nonsocial behaviour.

The effects of FG 7142, a beta-carboline benzodiazepine receptor partial inverse agonist, on the social behavior of pair-housed rats were investigated. Four 6-min dyadic social encounters in a living cage were observed in a paradigm in which one member of a pair of rats was injected. The four injection groups (n = 8) were vehicle control, and FG 7142 at 2.

p-Chlorophenylalanine and p-chloroamphetamine pretreatment of apomorphine-challenged rats: effects on solitary and social behavior.

Following an initial rise in locomotor activity, apomorphine in large doses causes a concurrent rise in brain serotonin levels, locomotor akinesia, and stereotypic gnawing. However, reports to date have failed to observe any effect of pretreatment with serotonin depletors parachlorophenylalanine (pCPA) or parachloroamphetamine (pCA) on apomorphine-induced stereotypy. In the present study the effects of pCPA (250 or 400 mg/kg i.

Subacute apomorphine injections in rats: effects on components of behavioral stereotypy.

This study was aimed at documenting the changes in the frequency and duration of bouts of behavior of Sprague-Dawley male rats in the open-field following each of four injections of apomorphine (Apo, 5 mg/kg, sc, immediate), or normal saline, delivered at 3-day intervals. Independent quantification of locomotion, sniffing, rearing, grooming, inactivity, gnawing, nodding, and jumping was obtained continuously throughout the 78-min sessions. Apo eliminated grooming and inactivity on all sessions.

Solitary and social behavior of male rats in the open-field.

The short-term effects of anxiolytic drugs have been assessed with tests of social affiliative behavior in rats. These tests must be completed in a brief time span, yet must include measures both of solitary activity and social behavior to dissociate affiliative from sedative and hypermotive drug effects. This study demonstrates that a paradigm of observation of alternating periods of solitary and social behavior of male rats yields data in accord with facts known about rats tested in separate, uninterrupted periods of solitary and social behavior.

P-chloroamphetamine and a side-chain fluorinated analog: effects on brain amine levels and behavior.

Reserpinized (1 mg/kg, IP-24 hr) and saline-pretreated male rats were subdivided into groups receiving p-chloroamphetamine (pCA, 5.2 mg/kg, IP), 1-fluoromethyl-2-p-chlorophenylethylamine (FpCA, 5.6 mg/kg, IP), or saline, 90 minutes before the testing of behavior in the open-field and 150 minutes before sacrifice for assay of brain levels of amines.

Processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic events: a review of comparisons in selected cognitive activities.

The cognitive processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic events was compared. Evidence was drawn from the clinical and experimental literature on normal processing, on hemispheric asymmetry and on brain damage sequelae. It was concluded that several basic cognitive activities were manifest both symbolically and nonsymbolically.