Glucocorticoid receptor antagonists: new tools to investigate disorders characterized by cortisol hypersecretion.

Increased cortisol levels have been observed in patients suffering from a number of metabolic and psychiatric disorders. In some of these disorders a causal relationship has been suggested between the increased cortisol secretion and the observed clinical phenomena. Glucocorticoid receptor antagonists which block cortisol effects might have a benefit in both the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.

Laryngeal abductor reinnervation with a phrenic nerve transfer after a 9-month delay.

Background: Successful restoration of laryngeal abductor function, using the phrenic nerve, has been described in the cat model in the acute phase. However, in clinical practice there is usually a considerable delay between injury to the RLN and presentation for treatment. Delayed reinnervation therefore would be more suitable in clinical practice.

Selective laryngeal reinnervation with separate phrenic and ansa cervicalis nerve transfers.

Objective: To perform selective reinnervation of the laryngeal abductor and adductor muscle groups after injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, recovering laryngeal function without impairment by synkinesis.

Design: Ten cats underwent the surgical procedure. To reinnervate the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle (abductor), a phrenic nerve graft was anastomosed to the main trunk of the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Laryngeal abductor function after recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in cats.

Objective: To determine the influence of severity of neural injury of t he recurrent laryngeal nerve on recovery of laryngeal abductor function and the importance of synkinesis.

Design: The recovery of laryngeal abductor function was studied in 30 cats after crushing (second-degree injury) or transection followed by neurorrhaphy (fifth-degree injury) of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, with a reinnervation period of 10 weeks.

Main Outcome Measures: Recovery of laryngeal abductor function was evaluated by videolaryngoscopy of spontaneous laryngeal abduction during respiration and electromyography of the posterior cricoarytenoid and vocalis muscles.

Melanocortin analogue Org2766 binds to rat Schwann cells, upregulates NGF low-affinity receptor p75, and releases neurotrophic activity.

Binding of the stable melanocortin(4-9) analogue, Org2766 [Met(O2)-Glu-His-Phe-D-Lys-Phe] to cultured rat sciatic nerve Schwann cells was demonstrated using a biotinylated derivative in semiquantitative histochemical and CELISA assays. Org2766 bound to Schwann cells, but not to fibroblasts, and was displaced maximally by unlabeled Org2766, alpha-MSH and ACTH(1-24). Displacement of Org2766 from the binding sites was considerably reduced by N- and C-truncation of the peptide.