Evidence for senescence in survival but not in reproduction in a short-lived passerine.

Senescence has been studied since a long time by theoreticians in ecology and evolution, but empirical support in natural population has only recently been accumulating. One of the current challenges is the investigation of senescence of multiple fitness components and the study of differences between sexes. Until now, studies have been more frequently conducted on females than on males and rather in long-lived than in short-lived species.

[Changes in the pattern electroretinogram in glaucoma and ocular hypertension are dependent on stimulus frequency].

A pattern electroretinogram (PERG) was recorded in patients in the initial stages of visual field defects resulting from open-angle glaucoma, in patients with ocular hypertension (OHT) and in age-matched controls. In both groups the visual acuity was above 0.8.

[Effect of piracetam on passive avoidance learning in ethanol-treated mice].

Mice received pre- and postnatal drinking water containing 20% ethanol. Ethanol treatment significantly impaired learning, reflected by shorter latency to enter the dark compartment of the apparatus. This effect could be antagonized by the administration of twice daily 100 mg/kg piracetam for ten days.