Publications by authors named "Damira F Avgustinovich"

Opisthorchiosis is a parasitic liver disease found in mammals that is widespread throughout the world and causes systemic inflammation. Praziquantel remains the drug of choice for the treatment of opisthorchiosis, despite its many adverse effects. An anthelmintic effect is attributed to the main curcuminoid of L.

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The combination of 4-week repeated social defeat stress (RSDS) and Opisthorchis felineus infection was modeled in C57BL/6 mice. Various parameters were compared between three experimental groups of male mice (SS: mice subjected to RSDS, OF: mice infected with O. felineus, and OF + SS: mice subjected to both adverse factors) and behavior-tested and intact (INT) controls.

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A model of chronic opisthorchiasis combined with social stress is examined; this situation is more likely for humans and animals than a separate impact of the infectious factor. For this purpose, we evaluated the effects of Opisthorchis felineus ("OP" group) and 30-day social stress (confrontations between males, "SS" group) alone and in combination ("OP + SS" group) in inbred C57BL/6 male mice and compared these effects according to the parameters listed below. The animals exposed to neither factor formed the control group ("CON").

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The effects of two influences, social stress and acute opisthorchiasis, were investigated in inbred C57BL/6J male mice. In the model of social stress, mice were repeatedly attacked and defeated by aggressive outbred ICR male mice and were in continuous sensory contact with an aggressive conspecific mouse in their home cage for 20 days. Acute opisthorchiasis was provoked by invasion of Opisthorchis felineus (50 larvae per animal) on the fourth day after the social stress was induced.

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Alcohol consumption and addiction have been related to anxiety and the anxiolytic effect of ethanol. It has been shown in mice that losers with repeated experience of social defeats are more anxious than winners with repeated experience of victories. Mice with a different social status were tested for their oral ethanol consumption using a free two bottle choice paradigm and for their social approach behaviour after ethanol consumption using the partition test, in which anxiety is an important component.

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This study was aimed to determine the effects of mu- and kappa-opioid receptor activation in relation to the social status of mice, being a winner with repeated experience of victories or a loser with repeated experience of social defeats. The behaviors of the animals were assessed in a social encounter test measuring the communicative behavior towards a familiar and an unfamiliar partner behind a perforated transparent partition (partition test) and in an elevated plus-maze test estimating the anxiety level of mice. Placebo and graded doses of the mu-opioid receptor agonist DAMGO (0.

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We experimented on inbred C57BL/6J strain mice who experienced social stress caused by defeat in inter-male confrontations for 20 days. From the fifth fight on, some mice were injected with ipsapirone (3 mg/kg), and some with buspirone (1 mg/kg) on a daily basis, for 14 days. Post-treatment behavior was examined in the plus-maze, partition, and Porsolt forced swim test (Porsolt's test).

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The sensory contact technique increases aggressiveness in male mice and allows an aggressive type of behavior to be formed as a result of repeated experience of social victories in daily agonistic confrontations. In the low aggressive and high emotional mice of CBA/Lac strain, repeated positive fighting experience leads to increased plus maze anxiety in the winners after 10 days of experience of victories and much more after 20 days. Behavioral reactivity to other conspecifics was significantly increased as revealed by the parameters of partition test, which measures aggressive motivation in the winners.

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