Predictors of vascular disease in myelodysplastic syndromes.

The escalating link between somatic mutations commonly seen in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and atherosclerotic vascular disease has increased the interest in management and associations of these conditions. We present a retrospective study examining clinical and molecular variables associated with vascular disease in patients with MDS. This study included a comprehensive evaluation of 236 patients with MDS.

Triple Therapy versus Dual or Monotherapy with Long-Acting Bronchodilators for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

There is uncertainty on the use of using triple therapy (inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting β-agonist/long-acting muscarinic antagonist) inhaler therapy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who complain of dyspnea and/or exercise intolerance. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses to estimate the safety and efficacy of using triple therapy compared with long-acting β-agonist/long-acting muscarinic antagonist dual therapy or monotherapy with a single long-acting bronchodilator in patients with stable COPD who complained of dyspnea and/or exercise intolerance. A search of MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases was conducted for randomized controlled trials pertaining to the clinical question.

Oral Methylphenidate Treatment of an Adolescent ADHD Rat Model Does Not Alter Cocaine-Conditioned Place Preference during Adulthood: A Negative Report.

The stimulant, methylphenidate (MPH), is commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has been increasingly prescribed for school age children and adolescents. Concerns regarding its long-term effects on later substance use disorders (SUDs) have been raised. Previous animal studies have produced contradictory results regarding whether early exposure to MPH increases or protects against SUD in adulthood.

Modeling the utility of binaural cues for underwater sound localization.

The binaural cues used by terrestrial animals for sound localization in azimuth may not always suffice for accurate sound localization underwater. The purpose of this research was to examine the theoretical limits of interaural timing and level differences available underwater using computational and physical models. A paired-hydrophone system was used to record sounds transmitted underwater and recordings were analyzed using neural networks calibrated to reflect the auditory capabilities of terrestrial mammals.

Nicotine and methamphetamine disrupt habituation of sensory reinforcer effectiveness in male rats.

The reinforcing effectiveness of a sensory stimulus such as light-onset rapidly habituates (Lloyd, Gancarz, Ashrafioun, Kausch, & Richards, 2012). According to memory-based theories, habituation occurs if a memory exists for perceived stimulation, and dishabituation occurs if a memory does not exist and the stimulation is "unexpected." According to Redgrave and Gurney (2006), unexpected response-contingent sensory stimuli increase phasic firing of dopamine neurons, providing a sensory error signal that reflects the difference between perceived and expected stimuli.

Habituation of reinforcer effectiveness.

In this paper we propose an integrative model of habituation of reinforcer effectiveness (HRE) that links behavioral- and neural-based explanations of reinforcement. We argue that HRE is a fundamental property of reinforcing stimuli. Most reinforcement models implicitly suggest that the effectiveness of a reinforcer is stable across repeated presentations.

Sensory reinforcement as a predictor of cocaine and water self-administration in rats.

Rationale: The ability of locomotor activity in a novel environment (Loco) and visual stimulus reinforcement (VSR) to predict acquisition of responding for cocaine and water reinforcers in the absence of explicit audiovisual signals was evaluated.

Methods: In Experiment 1 (Exp 1), rats (n = 60) were tested for VSR, followed by Loco, and finally acquisition of responding for cocaine (0.3 mg/kg/inf).

Habituation and the reinforcing effectiveness of visual stimuli.

The term "sensory reinforcer" has been used to refer to sensory stimuli (e.g. light onset) that are primary reinforcers in order to differentiate them from other more biologically important primary reinforcers (e.

Effects of novelty and methamphetamine on conditioned and sensory reinforcement.

Background: Light onset can be both a sensory reinforcer (SR) with intrinsic reinforcing properties, and a conditioned reinforcer (CR) which predicts a biologically important reinforcer. Stimulant drugs, such as methamphetamine (METH), may increase the reinforcing effectiveness of CRs by enhancing the predictive properties of the CR. In contrast, METH-induced increases in the reinforcing effectiveness of SRs, are mediated by the immediate sensory consequences of the light.

Association between locomotor response to novelty and light reinforcement: sensory reinforcement as a rodent model of sensation seeking.

Background: The human personality trait of sensation seeking (SS) indicates an attraction to novel sensations and experiences, and is associated with greater likelihood of drug abuse. In rodents, locomotor activity in a novel environment (Loco) has been found to predict drug self-administration (SA), and has been hypothesized to be a translational model of human SS. Previously, we reported (Gancarz et al.

Between-session progressive ratio performance in rats responding for cocaine and water reinforcers.

Rationale: A between-session progressive ratio (BtwPR) procedure was tested in rats responding for cocaine and water reinforcers.

Objectives: Experiment 1 evaluated the sensitivity of the BtwPR procedure to the magnitude of cocaine and water reinforcers. Experiment 2 compared BtwPR performance to within-session progressive ratio (WinPR) performance.