Electromembrane Extraction of Naphthenic Acids in Produced Water Followed by Ultra-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Analysis.

Naphthenic acids comprise one of the most toxic compounds of the produced water released from offshore oil platforms. Therefore, developing and applying faster, simpler, and more efficient analytical methods for analyzing naphthenic acids are urgently needed. Electromembrane extraction (EME) uses the electrokinetic migration of target ions through a porous membrane.

Genotoxicity and pharmacokinetic characterization of ethanolic extract in rats.

The effect of ethanolic extract in rats was analyzed using genotoxicity assays and liver and gene expression. The lyophilized extract of cladodes was analyzed with LC-MS/MS. Male Wistar rats (=36) were equally distributed into six groups that did (+) or did not (-) receive cyclophosphamide treatments: Control (-); Control (+); EXP 1 (-), and EXP 1 (+), both treated with 210 mg/kg of ethanolic extract; and EXP 2 (-) and EXP 2 (+), both treated with 420 mg/kg of ethanolic extract.

Monoaminergic neurotransmission is mediating the antidepressant-like effects of Passiflora edulis Sims fo. edulis.

The genus Passiflora is popularly used to treat anxiety. Recent studies showed antidepressant-like effects of two varieties of P. edulis (edulis and flavicarpa) in mice.

Antidepressant activity of nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor antagonists in the mouse learned helplessness.

Rationale: Pharmacological and genetic evidence support antidepressant-like effects elicited by the blockade of the NOP receptor. The learned helplessness (LH) model employs uncontrollable and unpredictable electric footshocks as a stressor stimulus to induce a depressive-like phenotype that can be reversed by classical antidepressants.

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the action of NOP receptor antagonists in helpless mice.

Blockade of nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor signaling reverses LPS-induced depressive-like behavior in mice.

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ is the natural ligand of a Gi-protein coupled receptor named NOP. This peptidergic system is involved in the regulation of mood states and inflammatory responses. The present study aimed to investigate the consequences of blocking NOP signaling in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sickness and depressive-like behaviors in mice.

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ-NOP receptor system in inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases.

The neuropeptide nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is the endogenous ligand of the G-protein-coupled receptor NOP. Cells from the immune system express the precursor preproN/OFQ and the NOP receptor, as well as secrete N/OFQ. The activation of the N/OFQ-NOP pathway can regulate inflammatory and immune responses.

[Intestinal parasites in nursery schools of Lages, southern Brazil].

Two hundred children from nursery schools in Lages, southern Brazil, were associated as to parasitic infections. The overall prevalence of helminths and protozoa was 70.5%, affecting 61.