Dopamine mediates a directionally opposite correlation between empathy and the reinforcing effects of amphetamine and gambling in people with gambling disorder vs. healthy controls.

Understanding the relationship between empathy, subjective effects of addictive reinforcers and dopamine function in people with gambling disorder (PGD) vs. healthy controls (HCs) may inform GD treatment. The current investigation addressed this issue via retrospective analysis of data from three studies using amphetamine and a slot machine (SLOTS) as reinforcers in PGD and HCs.

A Novel Approach to Ileal Pouch Prolapse Repair Using Fibrin Sealant.

The ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is a commonly accepted neorectum after total proctocolectomy for familial adenomatous polyposis and ulcerative colitis. Generally, patients have decent bowel control, but ileal pouches are not without complications. One relatively uncommon complication is ileal pouch prolapse.

A novel scoring system for identifying patients at risk for venous thromboembolism undergoing diverticular resection: an American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Study.

Following colorectal surgery, venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious complication occurring at an estimated incidence of 2-4%. There is a significant body of literature stratifying risk of VTE in specific populations undergoing colorectal resection for cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. There has been little research characterizing patients undergoing colorectal surgery for other indications, e.

Traumatic colostomy evisceration in an AIDS patient with anal cancer.

Intestinal evisceration is a rare event and few cases of colostomy rupture have been documented in the medical literature. Complications of colostomy surgery vary in incidence, with most episodes occurring in the immediate postoperative timeframe, including necrosis, hemorrhage, cellulitis and dehiscence. Here, we document the case of a 35-year-old male patient with a history of immunodeficiency, multiple comorbidities and squamous cell carcinoma of the anus who experienced a unique instance of colostomy evisceration weeks after initial surgery.

ECMO after cardiac surgery: a single center study on survival and optimizing outcomes.

Background: The study purpose is to examine survival prognostic and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) application outcomes at our tertiary care center.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis, January 2014 to September 2019. We analyzed 60 patients who underwent cardiac surgery and required peri-operative ECMO.

Acute urinary retention rates following early removal or no placement in colon and rectal surgery: a single-center analysis.

Background: The adequate duration of urinary drainage following colorectal surgery remains debated. The purpose of this study was to compare acute urinary retention (AUR) rates among various durations of urinary catheterization following colon and rectal surgery.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing elective colorectal resection enrolled in the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol from 2018 to 2019.

Patient Selection and Outcomes of Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Performed with Monitored Anesthesia Care Versus General Anesthesia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of monitored anesthesia care (MAC) versus general anesthesia (GA) for transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TF-TAVR) and to describe a selection process for the administration of MAC.

Design: Retrospective analysis of patients who underwent TF-TAVR under MAC or GA.

Setting: Department of Cardiac Anesthesia, Albany Medical Center, a tertiary university hospital.

Structure-activity relationships of two Rhodnius prolixus calcitonin-like diuretic hormone analogs.

The calcitonin-like diuretic hormone (CT/DH) in Rhodnius prolixus influences various tissues associated with feeding-related physiological events. The receptors for this peptide have also been identified and shown to be expressed in these tissues. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of two R.

The perceptions of professional soccer players on the risk of injury from competition and training on natural grass and 3rd generation artificial turf.

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe professional soccer players' perceptions towards injuries, physical recovery and the effect of surface related factors on injury resulting from soccer participation on 3rd generation artificial turf (FT) compared to natural grass (NG).

Methods: Information was collected through a questionnaire that was completed by 99 professional soccer players from 6 teams competing in Major League Soccer (MLS) during the 2011 season.

Results: The majority (93% and 95%) of the players reported that playing surface type and quality influenced the risk of sustaining an injury.

Modafinil increases reward salience in a slot machine game in low and high impulsivity pathological gamblers.

This study examined the effects of modafinil (200 mg) on slot machine betting profiles from a previous sample of low and high impulsivity (LI/HI) pathological gamblers (10/Group; Zack and Poulos, 2009). Hierarchical regression assessed the prospective relationship between Payoff and Bet Size on consecutive trials, along with moderating effects of Group, Cumulative Winnings (low/high) and Phase of game (early/late) under drug and placebo. Y intercepts for the simple regressions of Bet Size on Payoff indexed overall motivation to bet.

Alcohol selectively impairs negative self-relevant associations in young drinkers.

The stress-dampening effects of alcohol have been attributed to 'appraisal disruption'- decreased ability of stimuli to evoke threatening associations in memory. Appraisal disruption could apply to oneself as well as situational stimuli. This question was investigated in undergraduate drinkers (n=90/Gender) with low or high anxiety sensitivity (AS; n=90/AS Group), a trait linked with hyper-vigilance to threat.

The effects of linear and cyclic analogs of Locmi-DH, Dippu-DH(46) and Dippu-DH(31) on appetitive behavior in Locusta migratoria.

The effects of analogs of the diuretic peptides Locmi-DH, Dippu-DH(46) and Dippu-DH(31) on two aspects of appetitive behavior are investigated in previously food-deprived nymphs of Locusta migratoria. The analogs tested are the C-terminal 15-mer and nonapeptides and their corresponding cyclic analogs. At a nominal dose of 1pmol injected per nymph, the linear fragments and their cyclic analogs of Dippu-DH(46) display no significant effects on the latency to feed or on the length of the first meal in nymphs.

Haloperidol modifies instrumental aspects of slot machine gambling in pathological gamblers and healthy controls.

Instrumental conditioning has been implicated in persistence at slot machine gambling, but its specific role remains unclear. Dopamine (DA) mediates aspects of instrumental responding, and D2 antagonists reliably alter this process. This study investigated the effects of the preferential D2 antagonist, haloperidol (3 mg) on reward-related betting behavior in 20 subjects with pathological gambling (PG) and 18 healthy controls.

Parallel roles for dopamine in pathological gambling and psychostimulant addiction.

A variety of evidence suggests important commonalities in the neurochemical basis of reinforcement in pathological gambling (PG) and psychostimulant addiction. This article focuses on the parallel and specific roles that dopamine (DA) activation plays in these two disorders, beyond its generic role in reinforcement. A psychostimulant-mimetic model for PG is proposed based on evidence from the following domains: Acute subjective-behavioral effects of gambling and psychostimulants; Effects of anticipated rewards and uncertainty of reward delivery (key elements of gambling) on DA release; Relationship between DA release and positive arousal; Cross-priming of motivation for gambling by amphetamine; Effects of DA D2 antagonists on gambling and amphetamine reward; Effects of mixed D1-D2 antagonists on clinical symptoms of PG; Effects of DA D2 agonists on experimental measures of risk-taking, gambling, and induction of PG in patients with Parkinson's disease; Electrophysiological and cognitive disturbances associated with chronic exposure to gambling and psychostimulants, and the possible role of sensitization in these effects.

The synthesis and biological activity of linear and cyclic analogs of the two diuretic peptides of Diploptera punctata.

We have investigated the effect of analogs of the two Dippu diuretic hormones, Dippu-DH(46) and Dippu-DH(31), on fluid secretion by Malpighian tubules of male Diploptera punctata. We synthesized analogs containing the amino acid methyl-homoserine, to replace methionine residues, to render these modified peptides less subject to oxidation. We have also synthesized C-terminal fragments and their corresponding cyclic analogs to determine their effect on fluid secretion in D.

Interactions of the dipeptide paralysin beta-Ala-Tyr and the aminoacid Glu with phospholipid bilayers.

Existing evidence points out that the biological activity of beta-Ala-Tyr may in part related to its interactions with the cell membranes. For comparative reasons the effects of Glu were also examined using identical techniques and conditions. In order to examine their thermal and dynamic effects on membrane bilayers a combination of DSC, Raman and solid state NMR spectroscopy on DPPC/water model membranes were applied and the results were compared.

Effects of drink-stress sequence and gender on alcohol stress response dampening in high and low anxiety sensitive drinkers.

Background: This study tested the appraisal disruption hypothesis of alcohol stress response dampening (SRD) in male and female high or low anxiety sensitive (AS) undergraduates. The hypothesis predicts that alcohol SRD will be greater when drinking occurs before versus after stress exposure. High AS males' predominant social-evaluative concerns further implied that alcohol SRD to a social stressor (i.

A D2 antagonist enhances the rewarding and priming effects of a gambling episode in pathological gamblers.

Previous research indicated shared neurochemical substrates for gambling and psychostimulant reward. This suggests that dopamine substrates may directly govern the reinforcement process in pathological gambling. To investigate this issue, the present study assessed the effects of the relatively selective dopamine D2 antagonist, haloperidol (3 mg, oral) on responses to actual gambling (15 min on a slot machine) in 20 non-comorbid pathological gamblers and 18 non-gambler controls in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, counterbalanced design.

Diazepam dose-dependently increases or decreases implicit priming of alcohol associations in problem drinkers.

Aims: Words denoting negative affect (NEG) have been found to prime alcohol-related words (ALC) on semantic priming tasks, and this effect is tied to severity of addiction. Previous research suggested that high doses of benzodiazepines may dampen NEG-ALC priming. The present study tested this possibility and the role of motivation for alcohol in this process.

Negative affect words prime beer consumption in young drinkers.

Negative affect is consistently associated with pathological aspects of alcohol use. Priming of motivation for alcohol by negative affect cues may contribute to this relationship. This study sought to determine whether: (a) exposure to negative affect words primes actual drinking behavior; (b) this effect is related to severity of alcohol problems; and (c) these effects are moderated by gender and anxiety sensitivity.

The synthesis of an analogue of the locust CRF-like diuretic peptide, and the biological activities of this and some C-terminal fragments.

The synthesis is described of an analogue of the locust CRF-like diuretic peptide in which methionine in positions 1,3, and 13 is replaced by isosteric methyl-homoserine residues. This analogue has been tested for biological activity on Malpighian tubules in vitro, and feeding behavior in vivo. It is highly active in stimulating fluid secretion and accumulation of cAMP in tubules, and on increasing the latency to feed and reducing meal duration.