[Nutrition and orphan diseases].

Diagnosis and treatment of orphan (rare) diseases is an important problem of modern pediatrics due to multivarious clinical signs and severe course of this pathology. Orphan diseases are associated with accumulation, absence or insufficient synthesis of one or several metabolites in the organism. The absence of early diagnostics and treatment of patients with such diseases leads to bad prognosis.

[Age-dependent characteristics of nutritional status and resting metabolism in overweight and obese children].

The age-dependent nutritional status and resting metabolism in overweight and obese children have been examined. The study included 625 children of 2.5-17 years old.

Sensory responses of neurons in the medial septal area in conditions of modulation of theta activity using the alpha-2-adrenoreceptor agonist clonidine.

Our previous studies on conscious rabbits showed that administration of the alpha-2-adrenoreceptor agonist clonidine induces dose-dependent changes in theta oscillations in the septohippocampal system. Low doses of clonidine suppressed theta activity, while high doses produced significant potentiation. It was suggested that the different effects of clonidine might be associated with differences in the sensitivities of pre- and postsynaptic alpha-2-adrenoreceptors to clonidine, this agent being a pure agonist of noradrenaline when used at high doses.

The serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine suppresses theta oscillations in the electroencephalogram of the rabbit hippocampus.

Our previous studies on conscious rabbits showed that stimulation of the median cervical nucleus (MCN) decreases the extent and frequency of oscillatory theta activity in the septohippocampal system, while functional blockade of the nucleus by administration of the anesthetic lidocaine produces a stage high-frequency theta rhythm. The present study addresses the nature of the serotoninergic influences of the MCN (which also contains cells of other chemical natures) on the septohippocampal system. Experiments on conscious rabbits involved recording of the hippocampal EEG in control conditions and after microinjection of fluoxetine, a serotonin reuptake blocker which increases the levels of this transmitter in the brain.

[Sensory responses of neurons in the medial septal area to modulation of the theta-activity by alpha2-adrenergic receptor agonist clonidine].

It was shown by us earlier that bilateral intracerebroventricular injection of alpha2-adrenoreceptor agonist clonidine produced a dose-dependent effect on theta oscillations in the septohippocampal system of awake rabbits. A relatively low dose of clonidine (0.5 microgram) attenuated and a high dose (5 micrograms) significantly enhanced the rhythmic activity.