Loss of FKBP5 Affects Neuron Synaptic Plasticity: An Electrophysiology Insight.

FKBP5 (FKBP51) is a glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding protein, which acts as a co-chaperone of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and negatively regulates GR. Its association with mental disorders has been identified, but its function in disease development is largely unknown. Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a functional measurement of neuronal connection and communication, and is considered one of the major cellular mechanisms that underlies learning and memory, and is disrupted in many mental diseases.

Microstructural characteristics and gastro-small intestinal digestion in vitro of potato starch: Effects of refrigerated storage and reheating in microwave.

The objective of our study was to evaluate paste clarity, retrogradation (syneresis %), thermal characteristics and kinetics of glucose release during in vitro gastro-small intestinal digestion of freshly cooked and refrigerated potato starch. Freshly cooked starch pastes had a paste clarity of 71%, which decreased to 35.4% whereas syneresis (%) increased after 7days of refrigerated storage.

The FKBP5 Gene Affects Alcohol Drinking in Knockout Mice and Is Implicated in Alcohol Drinking in Humans.

FKBP5 encodes FK506-binding protein 5, a glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-binding protein implicated in various psychiatric disorders and alcohol withdrawal severity. The purpose of this study is to characterize alcohol preference and related phenotypes in Fkbp5 knockout (KO) mice and to examine the role of FKBP5 in human alcohol consumption. The following experiments were performed to characterize Fkpb5 KO mice.

Npy deletion in an alcohol non-preferring rat model elicits differential effects on alcohol consumption and body weight.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is widely expressed in the central nervous system and influences many physiological processes. It is located within the rat quantitative trait locus (QTL) for alcohol preference on chromosome 4. Alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats consume very little alcohol, but have significantly higher NPY expression in the brain than alcohol-preferring (P) rats.

Pediatric Mechanical Support with an External Cardiac Compression Device.

The PediBooster external cardiac compression device is a minimally invasive, non-blood contacting Biventricular Assist Device (BiVAD) intended for pediatric use. It is being developed as a palliative therapy for acute Postcardiotomy Shock (PCS). The PediBooster extracardiac wrap is pneumatically actuated to circumferentially compress the heart, providing co-pulsation support.

Innovative approach to investigating the microstructure of calcified tissues using specular reflectance Fourier transform-infrared microspectroscopy and discriminant analysis.

Although bone fracture has become a serious global health issue, current clinical assessments of fracture risk based on bone mineral density are unable to accurately predict whether an individual is likely to suffer a fracture. There is increasing recognition that the chemical structure and composition, or microstructure, of mineralized tissues has an important role to play in determining the fracture resistance of bone. The objective of this preliminary study was to evaluate the use of specular reflectance Fourier transform infrared (SR FT-IR) microspectroscopy in conjunction with discriminant analysis as an innovative technique for providing future insights into the origins of orthopedic abnormalities.

Genetic propensities to increase ethanol intake in response to stress: studies with selectively bred swim test susceptible (SUS), alcohol-preferring (P), and non-preferring (NP) lines of rats.

Rationale: Swim test susceptible (SUS) rats selectively bred for reduced struggling in the forced swim test (FST) following stress show high voluntary ethanol intake like alcohol-preferring (P) rats selectively bred for ethanol preference. It is unknown whether stress enhances drinking in SUS rats or FST behavior in P and non-preferring (NP) rats.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the response to stress in male SUS, Sprague-Dawley (SD), P, and NP rats on 10% ethanol drinking and FST behavior.

Behavioral profiling of multiple pairs of rats selectively bred for high and low alcohol intake using the MCSF test.

Genetic aspects of alcoholism have been modeled using rats selectively bred for extremes of alcohol preference and voluntary alcohol intake. These lines show similar alcohol drinking phenotypes but have different genetic and environmental backgrounds and may therefore display diverse behavioral traits as seen in human alcoholics. The multivariate concentric square field™ (MCSF) test is designed to provoke exploration and behaviors associated with risk assessment, risk taking and shelter seeking in a novel environment.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY)-induced reductions in alcohol intake during continuous access and following alcohol deprivation are not altered by restraint stress in alcohol-preferring (P) rats.

Administration of neuropeptide Y (NPY) reduces anxiety-like behavior and alcohol intake in alcohol-preferring rats. The present experiment examined whether the effects of NPY on alcohol drinking are modulated by stress exposure during continuous access or following ethanol deprivation. Female P rats underwent 6 weeks of continuous access to 15% v/v ethanol and water prior to intracerebroventricular (ICV) cannula implantation.

Effects of neuropeptide Y and ethanol on arousal and anxiety-like behavior in alcohol-preferring rats.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is abundant in the mammalian brain and plays a prominent role in behaviors related to negative affect and alcohol. NPY suppresses anxiety-like behavior and alcohol-drinking behaviors in a wide array of rodent models and also affects changes in these behaviors produced by fearful and stressful stimuli. Rats selectively bred for high alcohol preference (P rats) appear to be particularly sensitive to the behavioral effects of NPY.

Dental fluorosis linked to degassing of Ambrym volcano, Vanuatu: a novel exposure pathway.

Ambrym in Vanuatu is a persistently degassing island volcano whose inhabitants harvest rainwater for their potable water needs. The findings from this study indicate that dental fluorosis is prevalent in the population due to fluoride contamination of rainwater by the volcanic plume. A dental survey was undertaken of 835 children aged 6-18 years using the Dean's Index of Fluorosis.

Neuropeptide Y suppresses ethanol drinking in ethanol-abstinent, but not non-ethanol-abstinent, Wistar rats.

In outbred rats, increases in brain neuropeptide Y (NPY) activity suppress ethanol consumption in a variety of access conditions, but only following a history of ethanol dependence. NPY reliably suppresses ethanol drinking in alcohol-preferring rats, and this effect is augmented following a period of ethanol abstinence. The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effects of NPY on two-bottle choice ethanol drinking and feeding in Wistar rats that had undergone chronic ethanol vapor exposure, cycles of ethanol abstinence, or both.

The effects of neuropeptide S on ethanol drinking and other related behaviors in alcohol-preferring and -nonpreferring rats.

Background: Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a 20-amino-acid peptide, identified in the brain and periphery, that is reported to regulate arousal, anxiety, and feeding behavior. Studies were conducted to determine whether this peptide would alter ethanol intake, sucrose intake, anxiety, and general motor activity in alcohol-preferring (P) and -nonpreferring (NP) rats.

Methods: Experiment 1: P and NP rats were given 8 weeks of continuous access to ethanol (15% w/v) and water.

Neuropeptide Y administration into the amygdala suppresses ethanol drinking in alcohol-preferring (P) rats following multiple deprivations.

The present experiment examines the effects of NPY administered into the amygdala on ethanol drinking by alcohol-preferring P rats following long-term continuous ethanol access, with and without multiple periods of imposed ethanol abstinence. P rats had access to 15% (v/v) ethanol and water for 11 weeks followed by 2 weeks of ethanol abstinence, re-exposure to ethanol for 2 weeks, 2 more weeks of ethanol abstinence, and a final ethanol re-exposure. Immediately prior to the second ethanol re-exposure, 4 groups of rats received bilateral infusions NPY (0.

Neuropeptide Y modulation of ethanol intake: effects of ethanol drinking history and genetic background.

Intracerebroventricular administration of NPY suppresses ethanol intake in selectively bred alcohol-preferring rat lines, but not in rats selectively bred for low ethanol drinking or in unselected Wistar rats, when access to ethanol is limited to 2h/day. However, when rats undergo chronic (24h/day) ethanol drinking (or exposure to ethanol by vapor inhalation) and have periods of imposed ethanol abstinence, the reductions in ethanol drinking following NPY administration are enhanced in alcohol-preferring rats and are also observed in unselected Wistar rats. Thus, sensitivity to the effects of NPY on ethanol drinking appears to be altered by selective breeding for ethanol preference and by a prior history of chronic but intermittent exposure to ethanol.

Sensitized effects of neuropeptide Y on multiple ingestive behaviors in P rats following ethanol abstinence.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) suppresses ethanol drinking in alcohol-preferring (P) rats, an effect which is augmented following a single ethanol abstinence period. The present experiment tests both ethanol drinking and feeding in P rats following multiple abstinence periods. Female P rats had continuous access to 15% (v/v) ethanol and water for 6 weeks followed by 3 ethanol access cycles of 2 weeks with no ethanol and 2 weeks with ethanol.

Mercury volatilisation and phytoextraction from base-metal mine tailings.

Experiments were carried out in plant growth chambers and in the field to investigate plant-mercury accumulation and volatilisation in the presence of thiosulphate (S2O3)-containing solutions. Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) plants grown in Hg-contaminated Tui mine tailings (New Zealand) were enclosed in gastight volatilisation chambers to investigate the effect of ammonium thiosulphate ([NH4]2 S2O3) on the plant-Hg volatilisation process. Application of (NH4)2 S2O3 to substrates increased up to 6 times the Hg concentration in shoots and roots of B.

Induced plant uptake and transport of mercury in the presence of sulphur-containing ligands and humic acid.

The induced accumulation of mercury (Hg) by plants was investigated for the species Phaseolus vulgaris (Bush bean), Brassica juncea (Indian mustard), and Vicia villosa (Hairy vetch). All plants were grown in modified Hg-contaminated mine tailings and were treated with sulphur-containing ligands to induce Hg accumulation. The effects of varied substrate Hg concentration and humic acid (HA) level on the induced plant-Hg accumulation for B.

Development of acute tolerance during steady-state arterial alcohol concentrations: a study of auditory event-related potentials in rats.

Background: The blood alcohol clamp is a method whereby alcohol is infused intravenously to maintain a predetermined arterial alcohol concentration (AAC) for an indefinite period of time. The objective of this study was to use the clamp to examine the effects of alcohol on event-related potentials (ERPs) in rats and to assess the development of tolerance during a single alcohol exposure.

Methods: Adult male Wistar rats that had a chronic implant of EEG electrodes overlying the frontal cortex and were equipped with cannulae in the jugular vein, were clamped at 75 or 150 mg/dl via an intravenous infusion of 20% (v/v) alcohol.

Sedative and motor-impairing effects of neuropeptide Y and ethanol in selectively bred P and NP rats.

Past findings suggest a positive association between endogenous neuropeptide Y (NPY) activity and ethanol-induced sedation, and there is evidence for additive effects of administered NPY with sedative-hypnotics. The present investigation examined the effects of intracerebroventricular NPY injection on ethanol-induced sedation and motor impairment in selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and -nonpreferring (NP) rats. In Experiment 1, P and NP rats were assessed for loss and recovery of righting reflex (RR) following infusion with either NPY (10.

Overlapping peptide control of alcohol self-administration and feeding.

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2003 annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The organizers and chairpersons were Mark Egli and Todd E. Thiele.

Neuropeptide Y reduces oral ethanol intake in alcohol-preferring (P) rats following a period of imposed ethanol abstinence.

Background: Intracerebroventricular infusion of NPY has been shown to reduce ethanol intake in alcohol-preferring (P) rats in a limited access procedure. The purpose of the present investigation was to extend this finding to a two-bottle free-choice continuous access procedure in groups of rats that either did or did not undergo a period of imposed ethanol abstinence and ethanol reinstatement.

Methods: In experiment 1, female P rats were given 6 weeks of continuous access to ethanol (8% w/v) and water.

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the Indiana University rat lines selectively bred for high and low alcohol preference.

The Indiana lines of selected rats, the HAD and LAD replicates and the P and NP lines, were bred for high and low alcohol preference. The P and HAD lines have met criteria for an animal model of alcoholism in that they voluntarily consume sufficient ethanol to achieve significant blood alcohol concentrations, and their alcohol-seeking behavior is reinforced by the pharmacological effects of ethanol rather than its taste, caloric content, or other properties. These lines have been characterized extensively for associated behavioral and physiological phenotypes.

Improved microvessel repair: laser welding with an anti-thrombotic solder.

Background And Objectives: Concentrated protein solutions can be used as thermally polymerized solders in laser welding. Solders supplemented with biologically active chemicals may provide in situ drug delivery for localized therapeutics. These studies characterize a serum albumin (SA) solder containing heparin, designed to reduce microvascular thrombosis rates.

Relative reinforcing effects of different oral ethanol doses in rhesus monkeys.

The relative reinforcing effects of different doses of orally delivered ethanol were evaluated. Mouth-contact responding by rhesus monkeys was measured under concurrent fixed-ratio fixed-ratio schedules of liquid delivery (0.67 ml/delivery) from each of two spouts during daily 3-hr sessions.