Thalidomide Attenuates Epileptogenesis and Seizures by Decreasing Brain Inflammation in Lithium Pilocarpine Rat Model.

Thalidomide (TAL) has shown potential therapeutic effects in neurological diseases like epilepsy. Both clinical and preclinical studies show that TAL may act as an antiepileptic drug and as a possible treatment against disease development. However, the evidence for these effects is limited.

increases alcohol intake and tonic immobility whilst decreasing food intake in Wistar rats.

The kappa-opioid system (KOP) is the key in drug abuse. Of all the compounds isolated from (), salvinorin-A (Sal-A) is predominant. Further, Sal-A is the only compound within which is reported to have psychoactive properties as a powerful kappa-opioid receptor (KOPr) agonist.

NPY-Y receptors in dorsal periaqueductal gray modulate anxiety, alcohol intake, and relapse in Wistar rats.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is likely the main endogenous anxiolytic neuromodulator involved in alcohol intake. NPY-Y, a receptor for NPY, is highly expressed in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), a mesencephalic structure involved in integrating nervous activity to the performance of active and passive defensive behaviors related to fear and anxiety. Interestingly, anxiety and fear are some of the prevailing emotional negative states during alcohol abstinence.

Enantiomeric N-substituted phthalimides with excitatory amino acids protect zebrafish larvae against PTZ-induced seizures.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease with high prevalence and adverse impacts on the quality of life of patients and caregivers. Up to one-third of individuals with epilepsy do not respond to current pharmacotherapy, underscoring the importance of identifying new molecules for epilepsy control. Thalidomide, the first synthetized phthalimide, is a neuroactive molecule with anti-seizure drug properties.

Potential Mechanisms Involved in Palmitoylethanolamide-Induced Vasodepressor Effects in Rats.

Palmitoylethanolamide is an endogenous lipid that exerts complex vascular effects, enhances the effects of endocannabinoids and induces a direct hypotension, but the mechanisms involved have been poorly explored. Hence, this study investigated in Wistar pithed rats the role of CB1, CB2, TRPV1 and GPR55 receptors in the inhibition by palmitoylethanolamide of the vasopressor responses produced by sympathetic stimulation or exogenous noradrenaline. Frequency- and dose-dependent vasopressor responses were analysed before and during intravenous (i.

Thalidomide protects against acute pentylenetetrazol and pilocarpine-induced seizures in mice.

Thalidomide was originally developed to treat primary neurological and psychiatric diseases. There are reports of anticonvulsant effects of thalidomide in rats and antiepileptic effects in patients. Hence, thalidomide (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) was herein administered to mice to evaluate possible protection against seizures induced by the systemic administration of neurotoxins: 10 mg/kg of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), 90 mg/kg of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), or 380 mg/kg of pilocarpine.

Forced ethanol ingestion by Wistar rats from a juvenile age increased voluntary alcohol consumption in adulthood, with the involvement of orexin-A.

Human adolescents who drink alcohol are more likely to become alcoholics in adulthood. Alcohol administration (intraperitoneally) or drinking (in a 2-bottle free choice paradigm) during the juvenile/adolescent age of rats promotes voluntary alcohol consumption in adulthood. On the other hand, there is growing evidence that the orexinergic system plays a role in several rewarded behaviors, including alcohol ingestion.

Antidepressant effects of acupoint stimulation and fluoxetine by increasing dendritic arborization and spine density in CA1 hippocampal neurons of socially isolated rats.

Given the importance of depression and the adverse effects of conventional treatment, it is necessary to seek complementary therapies. In a rat model of depression, this study aimed to assess the behavioral and morphological effects of embedding absorbable thread in acupoints (acu-catgut), and compare the results to those of fluoxetine treatment and the corresponding control groups. Therefore, depressive-like behavior was evaluated with the forced swimming test, and dendritic morphology (in the CA1 hippocampal region) with the Golgi-Cox technique and Sholl analysis.

Analgesic and anxiolytic effects of [Leu,Pro]-neuropeptide Y microinjected into the periaqueductal gray in rats.

Several reports have demonstrated that neuropeptide Y (NPY) is involved in food intake, epilepsy, circadian rhythms, drug seeking, pain and anxiety, and other physiological or pathological conditions. On the other hand, periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a key brain center for modulating pain, anxiety and fear. It is the main structure implicated in integrated defensive behaviors.

Involvement of opioid and GABA systems in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray on analgesia associated with tonic immobility.

Ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (VL-PAG) contains key neuronal circuits related to the analgesic effect involved in integrated defensive behaviors such as immobility response (IR). The latter is characterized by a reversible state of motor inhibition that can be elicited in rats under several conditions including restriction of movements (tonic immobility: TI). It is known that IR-induced analgesia can be elicited by manipulations or drugs acting on the central nervous system (CNS) at different levels.

[Reference values for blood coagulation factor activity in the Mexican population].

Introduction: During the fluid phase of hemostasis, fibrinogen is converted into fibrin, but other hemostatic factors are required. Reference values of hemostatic factors are established by manufacturers producing reagents using individuals with a specific genetic background.

Objective: To establish reference values for hemostatic factors in the Mexican indigenous and Mestizo populations.

Development of a UPLC-MS/MS method for the quantification of sildenafil by DBS, and its use on pediatric pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Sildenafil is used for the treatment of pediatric pulmonary hypertension. A dried blood spot (DBS)-based LC-MS method for sildenafil quantitation was developed and applied to a group of patients.

Results: DBS showed high portability and stability of samples, and the method was selective and linear for quantitation of sildenafil (5-3,000 ng/ml) and N-desmethyl-sildenafil (3-1,500 ng/ml).

Anticoagulant proteins in a population of Mexican mestizo donors.

Background: To determine the activity of antithrombin (AT), protein C (PC), and protein S (PS), as well as the frequency of deficiencies of these proteins in a population of healthy Mexican mestizo blood donors.

Methods: AT, PC, and PS were determined from 1,502 plasma samples of healthy blood donors by using commercial kits in a coagulometer 4 STA (Diagnostica Stago, Asnières, France).

Results: A total of 741 women and 761 men were under study.

The long-term ingestion of a diet high in extra virgin olive oil produces obesity and insulin resistance but protects endothelial function in rats: a preliminary study.

Background: It has been hypothesized that fatty acids derived from a diet high in saturated fat may negatively affect endothelial function more significantly than a diet high in unsaturated fat; nevertheless, the effects of the long-term ingestion of monounsaturated fatty acids on endothelial function have been poorly studied.

Methods: To examine the chronic effects of monounsaturated (e.g.

Immunotoxic damage in floriculturists exposed to pesticide mixtures.

The aim of the present work was to determine if the use of pesticide mixtures produced alterations in immunotoxicity biomarkers. The study was undertaken in three groups: the first group consisted of 38 floriculturists, the second comprised 38 vendors of the local market, and the last comprised 33 non-exposed persons from another locality. The determinations included haematocrit, mean cellular volume, hemoglobin, number of erythrocytes and leukocytes, immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM, and IgE), percentage of T-lymphocytes, and mitotic index from lymphocyte cultures with and without phytohaemagglutinin (PHA).

Comparison of fasting bioavailability among 100-mg commercial, 100-mg generic, and 50-mg chewable generic sildenafil tablets in healthy male Mexican volunteers: a single-dose, 3-period, crossover study.

Background: Sildenafil citrate (SIL) was the first oral drug registered in Mexico for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. However, succinct pharmacokinetic data are available in the Mexican population.

Objective: The goals of the present work were: (1) to design a specific method to quantify SIL plasma levels by using UPLC-MS/MS; (2) to compare oral SIL bioavailability in Mexican men with pharmacokinetic data in other populations; (3) to fulfill local regulatory requests; and (4) to describe the relative tolerability of a new 50-mg chewable tablet.

Pharmacokinetics of diphenylboroxazolidones of L-α-amino acids with activity on the CNS: quantification in rat DBS by UPLC-MS/MS.

Background: A growing number of boron-containing compounds exhibit many important biological activities; of particular interest are the α-amino acid borinic derivatives with activity in the CNS. A validated, sensitive and specific UPLC-MS/MS technique for quantification of the diphenylboroxazolidones of glycine (DBPX-gly), L-aspartate (DPBX-L-asp) and L-glutamate (DPBX-L-glu) in dried blood spots (DBSs) is presented.

Results: The most intense signal corresponds to compounds with (11)B.

Activation of 5-HT1B receptors inhibits the vasodepressor sensory CGRPergic outflow in pithed rats.

The importance of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the regulation of vascular tone has been widely documented. Indeed, stimulation of the perivascular sensory outflow in pithed rats results in vasodepressor responses, which are mediated by CGRP release. These vasodepressor responses are inhibited by clonidine via prejunctional alpha(2A/2C)-adrenoceptors, but no study has yet reported the role of prejunctional 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors in this experimental model.

Synthesis and theoretical calculations of 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives as potential analgesic agents.

5-Aminosalicylic acid is one of the drugs most commonly used for inflammatory bowel disease treatment, although its use is limited due to side effects. The aim of this work was to synthesize four 5-ASA derivatives (1-4) and analyze their pharmacological effects. The compound structures were elucidated by spectral (IR and 1H and 13C-NMR) analysis, and their analgesic effects and lethal doses 50 (LD50) were evaluated in the mouse model.

Vasodilator effects of bis-dihydropyridines structurally related to nifedipine.

Calcium channel blockers are widely used in therapy for hypertension and angina pectoris, and among these blockers some 1,4-dihydropyridines (e.g. amlodipine, nitrendipine and nifedipine) have had widespread clinical use.

Effect of parathyroidectomy on cardiac fibrosis and apoptosis: possible role of aldosterone.

Background/aim: It has been demonstrated that parathyroidectomy prevents left ventricular hypertrophy in uremic animals. Although this effect may be mediated by direct actions of parathormone (PTH), it may also be exerted through regulation of profibrotic factors such as aldosterone. In adrenal cortex cell cultures, PTH increases aldosterone release.

A simplified procedure for the quantitative measurement of neurological deficits after forebrain ischemia in mice.

This study describes a comprehensive method to assess neurological deficits after brain ischemia produced by sequential common carotid artery sectioning (SCAS) in aged mice, and a scale to determine the degree of functional incapacity of ischemic animals. The method involves an initial phase of undisturbed observation and a later manipulative phase during which each animal is subjected to a sequence of very simple manipulations. Sham-operated animals demonstrated 96% survival throughout the study period (72 h), whereas the 24, 48 and 72 h survival rates of SCAS-mice were 48, 38 and 36%, respectively.

Pharmacological profile of the vascular responses to dopamine in the canine external carotid circulation.

The present study investigated the effects of dopamine on the canine external carotid circulation. One min. intracarotid artery (i.

Activity and residual effect of two formulations of lambdacyhalothrin sprayed on palm leaves to Rhodnius prolixus.

The insecticidal activity and residual effect of two formulations of lambdacyhalothrin were evaluated with Rhodnius prolixus; laboratory and field tests were conducted in the State of Chiapas, Mexico. The results indicate that the lethal concentrations of the active ingredient of SC (LC50 = 2.37 and LC90 = 8.