Ethanol effects on glycinergic transmission: From molecular pharmacology to behavior responses.

It is well accepted that ethanol is able to produce major health and economic problems associated to its abuse. Because of its intoxicating and addictive properties, it is necessary to analyze its effect in the central nervous system. However, we are only now learning about the mechanisms controlling the modification of important membrane proteins such as ligand-activated ion channels by ethanol.

Prognosis of status epilepticus (SE): Relationship between SE duration and subsequent development of epilepsy.

Unlabelled: In animal models, SE duration is related to epileptogenesis. Data in humans are scarce, mainly in NCSE; therefore, we aimed to study the prognosis of SE de novo and which factors may influence subsequent development of epilepsy.

Methods: We evaluated patients with SE without previous epilepsy at our hospital (February 2011-February 2014), including demographics, etiology, number of AEDs, duration of SE, mortality, and occurrence of seizures during follow-up.

Pharmacodynamic Effects of Ticagrelor Dosing Regimens in Patients on Maintenance Ticagrelor Therapy: Results From a Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind Investigation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of ticagrelor dosing regimens on pharmacodynamic (PD) profiles in patients on maintenance ticagrelor therapy.

Background: Many patients on maintenance P2Y12-inhibiting therapies may require coronary revascularization procedures, raising a common clinical question with regard to the dosing regimen of the P2Y12-inhibiting agent to be used. To date, investigations assessing dosing regimens of P2Y12 receptor inhibitors in patients on maintenance therapy have been only assessed with thienopyridines, but not with ticagrelor.

In Vivo Nanodetoxication for Acute Uranium Exposure.

Accidental exposure to uranium is a matter of concern, as U(VI) is nephrotoxic in both human and animal models, and its toxicity is associated to chemical toxicity instead of radioactivity. We synthesized different PAMAM G4 and G5 derivatives in order to prove their interaction with uranium and their effect on the viability of red blood cells in vitro. Furthermore, we prove the effectiveness of the selected dendrimers in an animal model of acute uranium intoxication.

The Recent De Novo Origin of Protein C-Termini.

Protein-coding sequences can arise either from duplication and divergence of existing sequences, or de novo from noncoding DNA. Unfortunately, recently evolved de novo genes can be hard to distinguish from false positives, making their study difficult. Here, we study a more tractable version of the process of conversion of noncoding sequence into coding: the co-option of short segments of noncoding sequence into the C-termini of existing proteins via the loss of a stop codon.

Loss of Expression of Reprimo, a p53-induced Cell Cycle Arrest Gene, Correlates with Invasive Stage of Tumor Progression and p73 Expression in Gastric Cancer.

Reprimo (RPRM), a downstream effector of p53-induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M, has been proposed as a putative tumor suppressor gene (TSG) and as a potential biomarker for non-invasive detection of gastric cancer (GC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the epigenetic silencing of RPRM gene by promoter methylation and its tumor suppressor function in GC cell lines. Furthermore, clinical significance of RPRM protein product and its association with p53/p73 tumor suppressor protein family was explored.

Phenotypic and genetic analyses of the varroa sensitive hygienic trait in Russian honey bee (hymenoptera: apidae) colonies.

Varroa destructor continues to threaten colonies of European honey bees. General hygiene, and more specific Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH), provide resistance towards the Varroa mite in a number of stocks. In this study, 32 Russian (RHB) and 14 Italian honey bee colonies were assessed for the VSH trait using two different assays.

ATP leakage induces P2XR activation and contributes to acute synaptic excitotoxicity induced by soluble oligomers of β-amyloid peptide in hippocampal neurons.

Recent studies suggest that the toxic effects of Aβ can be attributed to its capability to insert in membranes and form pore-like structures, which are permeable to cations and molecules such as ATP. Our working hypothesis is that Aβ increases extracellular ATP causing activation of P2X receptors and potentiating excitatory synaptic activity. We found that soluble oligomers of β-amyloid peptide increased cytosolic Ca(2+) 4-fold above control (415 ± 28% of control).

Epilepsy in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery infarcts and decompressive craniectomies.

Unlabelled: Patients with malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarctions who have undergone craniectomy are susceptible to the development of vascular epilepsy. Our objective was to study the factors that might influence the occurrence of seizures in this group of patients.

Materials And Methods: All patients who developed malignant MCA infarction and had undergone decompressive craniectomy in our center between November 2002 and January 2014 were evaluated.

Bacterial adaptation to sublethal antibiotic gradients can change the ecological properties of multitrophic microbial communities.

Antibiotics leak constantly into environments due to widespread use in agriculture and human therapy. Although sublethal concentrations are well known to select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, little is known about how bacterial evolution cascades through food webs, having indirect effect on species not directly affected by antibiotics (e.g.

Prevention and intervention research with Latino families: a translational approach.

The present paper takes a translational approach in applying the themes of the current special section to prevention and intervention science in Latino families. The paper reviews the current literature on cultural processes in prevention and intervention research with Latino families. Overall, many prevention and intervention programs have either been developed specifically for Latino families or have been modified for Latino families with great attention paid to the socio-cultural needs of these families.

[Gluten sensitivity: presentation of three cases].

In the last few years, the existence of a clinical profile similar to celiac disease has become important; this disease does not adapt to the traditional diagnosis canons. It is related to a number of patients who are diagnosed as having the celiac disease but present normal serology and small bowel's biopsy. Since the 80's, medical literature reports the existence of a syndrome that connects gluten diet with a toxic effect that produces gastrointestinal symptoms even though the mucosa remains normal.

Microbiological and clinical aspects of respiratory infections associated with Bordetella bronchiseptica.

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a well-known veterinary pathogen, but its implication in human disease is probably not fully recognized. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical significance of 36 B. bronchiseptica isolates from respiratory samples of 22 patients.

Coxiella burnetii seroprevalence and associated risk factors in dairy and mixed cattle farms from Ecuador.

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, a bacterial agent for which ruminants are the main reservoir. An extensive cross-sectional study to determine the seroprevalence of and associated risk factors for Q fever was performed in dairy and mixed (dairy-beef) cattle herds in Ecuador. A total of 2668 serum samples from 386 herds were analyzed using an ELISA.

Chromosome constitution of human embryos generated after in vitro maturation including 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine in the oocyte collection medium.

Study Question: Do cleavage-stage embryos obtained from oocytes matured in vitro after pre-incubation with a phosphodiesterase inhibitor (IBMX) carry more chromosomal abnormalities than those generated from oocytes matured in vivo?

Summary Answer: The rate and type of chromosomal abnormalities in normally developing cleavage-stage embryos generated with an in vitro maturation (IVM) system including pre-incubation with IBMX are not different from those observed in supernumerary embryos obtained from oocytes matured in vivo.

What Is Known Already: Very limited information is available about the chromosomal constitution of IVM embryos. Previous studies were carried out using FISH on single biopsied blastomeres or arrested whole embryos and only provided fragmentary information on chromosomal abnormalities in IVM embryos.

Differential viral levels and immune gene expression in three stocks of Apis mellifera induced by different numbers of Varroa destructor.

The viral levels and immune responses of Italian honey bees (IHB), Russian honey bees (RHB) and an outcross of Varroa Sensitive Hygienic bees (POL) deliberately infested with one or two foundress Varroa were compared. We found that the Deformed wing virus (DWV) level in IHB inoculated with one or two foundress Varroa increased to about 10(3) or 10(5) fold the levels of their uninfested brood. In contrast, POL (10(2) or 10(4) fold) and RHB (10(2) or l0(4) fold) supported a lower increase in DWV levels.

An alkyne-appended, click-ready Pt(II) complex with an unusual arrangement in the solid state.

To better understand the range of cellular interactions of Pt(II) -based chemotherapeutics, robust and efficient methods to track and analyze Pt targets are needed. A powerful approach is to functionalize Pt(II) compounds with alkyne or azide moieties for post-treatment conjugation through the azide-alkyne cycloaddition (click) reaction. Herein, we report an alkyne-appended cis-diamine Pt(II) compound, cis-[Pt(2-(5-hexynyl)amido-1,3-propanediamine)Cl2] (1), the X-ray crystal structure of which exhibits a combination of unusual radially distributed CH/π(C≡C) interactions, Pt-Pt bonding, and NH:O/NH:Cl hydrogen bonds.

Evidence for α-helices in the large intracellular domain mediating modulation of the α1-glycine receptor by ethanol and Gβγ.

The α1-subunit containing glycine receptors (GlyRs) is potentiated by ethanol, in part, by intracellular Gβγ actions. Previous studies have suggested that molecular requirements in the large intracellular domain are involved; however, the lack of structural data about this region has made it difficult to describe a detailed mechanism. Using circular dichroism and molecular modeling, we generated a full model of the α1-GlyR, which includes the large intracellular domain and provides new information on structural requirements for allosteric modulation by ethanol and Gβγ.

A polypill strategy to improve adherence: results from the FOCUS project.

Background: Adherence to evidence-based cardiovascular (CV) medications after an acute myocardial infarction (MI) is low after the first 6 months. The use of fixed-dose combinations (FDC) has been shown to improve treatment adherence and risk factor control. However, no previous randomized trial has analyzed the impact of a polypill strategy on adherence in post-MI patients.

Impaired responsiveness to the platelet P2Y12 receptor antagonist clopidogrel in patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Background: Several studies have shown that patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) exhibit an impaired response to clopidogrel. This may contribute to their increased risk of recurrent atherothrombotic events, despite the use of dual-antiplatelet therapy. The mechanisms for impaired clopidogrel response in DM patients have not been fully elucidated.

Operator radiation exposure and physical discomfort during a right versus left radial approach for coronary interventions: a randomized evaluation.

Objectives: This study sought to assess radiation exposure and operator discomfort when using left radial approach (LRA) versus right radial approach (RRA) for coronary diagnostic and percutaneous interventions.

Background: The transradial approach is increasingly being adopted as the preferred vascular access for coronary interventions. Currently, most are performed using an RRA.

Vitamin D deficiency and pregnancy rates in women undergoing single embryo, blastocyst stage, transfer (SET) for IVF/ICSI.

Study Question: What is the influence of vitamin D deficiency on pregnancy rates among women undergoing IVF/ICSI and Day 5 (blastocyst stage) single embryo transfer (SET)?

Summary Answer: Vitamin D deficiency results in significantly lower pregnancy rates in women undergoing single blastocyst transfer.

What Is Known Already: Preliminary experiments have identified the presence of vitamin D receptors in the female reproductive system. However, results regarding the effect of vitamin D deficiency on clinical outcomes are conflicting.

Modulation of neuronal nicotinic receptor by quinolizidine alkaloids causes neuroprotection on a cellular Alzheimer model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and neurodegenerative disorder and one of the current therapies involves strengthening the cholinergic tone in central synapses. Neuroprotective properties for nicotine have been described in AD, through its actions on nicotinic receptors and the further activation of the PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2 survival pathway. We have tested a quinolizidine alkaloid extract (TM0112) obtained from Teline monspessulanna (L.

Functionality of Varroa-resistant honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) when used for western U.S. honey production and almond pollination.

Two types of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., bred for resistance to Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman, were evaluated for performance when used for honey production in Montana, and for almond pollination the following winter. Colonies of Russian honey bees and outcrossed honey bees with Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH) were compared with control colonies of Italian honey bees.

An evaluation of the associations of parameters related to the fall of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) from commercial honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies as tools for selective breeding for mite resistance.

Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman) trapped on bottom boards were assessed as indirect measurements of colony mite population differences and potential indicators of mite resistance in commercial colonies of Russian and Italian honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) by using 35 candidate measurements. Measurements included numbers of damaged and nondamaged younger mites, nymphs, damaged and nondamaged older mites, fresh mites, and all mites, each as a proportion of total mites in the colonies and as a proportion of all trapped mites or all trapped fresh mites.