Riluzole prolongs survival and delays muscle strength deterioration in mice with progressive motor neuronopathy (pmn).

The neuroprotective drug riluzole (Rilutek) is a sodium channel blocker and anti-excitotoxic drug which is marketed for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Previous studies have shown that riluzole prolongs survival of transgenic mice harboring the mutated form of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase found in familial forms of the human disease. In this study we have examined the effect of treatment with riluzole in mice suffering from progressive motor neuronopathy (pmn), a hereditary autosomal recessive wasting disease which shares some symptoms of ALS.

Ethics committee recommendations for laboratory animals in private research in France.

Complementary to existing legislation, non-public research companies in France have been working together voluntarily within an organization known as Grice (Interprofessional Working Group on Ethics Committees for Laboratory Animals/Groupe de Réflexion Interprofessionnel sur les Comites d'Ethique appliquée à l'animal de laboratoire) with the objective of creating institutional ethics committees in an effort to promote animal welfare and good scientific procedures. Each company's commitment to the creation of these committees has been expressed by signing the Charter. Each ethics committee is composed of at least three members, including one who is not a scientist; a veterinarian is highly desirable.

Somatic gene transfer of human ApoA-I inhibits atherosclerosis progression in mouse models.

Background: Apolipoprotein (apo) A-I is the major component of HDL, and it displays antiatherogenic properties.

Methods And Results: The human apoA-I gene has been transferred into different mouse models by use of a recombinant adenovirus under the control of an RSV-LTR promoter (AV RSV apoA-I). Administration of AV RSV apoA-I to C57BL/6 mice resulted in moderate expression of human apoA-I for 3 weeks, leading to a transient elevation (40% at day 11 after injection) of HDL cholesterol concentration.

Intervessel (arteries and veins) and heart/vessel selectivities of therapeutically used calcium entry blockers: variable, vessel-dependent indexes.

The intervessel selectivity indexes of the calcium entry blockers amlodipine, felodipine, isradipine, nicardipine, nifedipine, nitrendipine, diltiazem and verapamil were assessed by determining the potency of these compounds [concentration decreasing tension developed by KCl in blood vessels by 50% (bvlC50)] to relax several KCl-precontracted blood vessels (femoral, jugular and saphenous veins and left anterior descending and left circumflex coronary and renal arteries) precontracted with KCl. The concentrations of KCl (25 mM for arteries and 50 mM for veins) used gave a similar response in these vessels. Intervessel selectivity indexes are the ratios of the bvlC50 determined in two different vessels.