Recognition and Processing of Visual Information after Neuronavigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Session.

Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a method of noninvasive and painless stimulation of the nervous system, which is based on Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction. Over the past twenty years, the TMS technique has been deployed as a tool for the diagnosis and therapy of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as in the treatment of mental disorders (e.g.

A comparison of the remineralizing potential of dental restorative materials by analyzing their fluoride release profiles.

Background: The accessibility of the remineralizing ions in teeth's environment is essential for their incorporation into caries-affected dentin. Novel bioglass-reinforced materials capable of releasing fluoride, calcium and phosphates may be particularly useful in the tissue remineralization process. A novel restorative material, ACTIVA BioActive-Restorative (Pulpdent Corp.

Melatonin nephroprotective action in Zucker diabetic fatty rats involves its inhibitory effect on NADPH oxidase.

Excessive activity of NADPH oxidase (Nox) is considered to be of importance for the progress of diabetic nephropathy. The aim of the study was to elucidate the effect of melatonin, known for its nephroprotective properties, on Nox activity under diabetic conditions. The experiments were performed on three groups of animals: (i) untreated lean (?/+) Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats; (ii) untreated obese diabetic (fa/fa) ZDF rats; and (iii) ZDF fa/fa rats treated with melatonin (20 mg/L) in drinking water.

ERK1/2 pathway is involved in renal gluconeogenesis inhibition under conditions of lowered NADPH oxidase activity.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the inhibition of renal gluconeogenesis occurring under conditions of lowered activity of NADPH oxidase (Nox), the enzyme considered to be one of the main sources of reactive oxygen species in kidneys. The in vitro experiments were performed on primary cultures of rat renal proximal tubules, with the use of apocynin, a selective Nox inhibitor, and TEMPOL (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl), a potent superoxide radical scavenger. In the in vivo experiments, Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, a well established model of diabetes type 2, were treated with apocynin solution in drinking water.

NADPH oxidase inhibitor, apocynin, improves renal glutathione status in Zucker diabetic fatty rats: a comparison with melatonin.

Apocynin (4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyacetophenone) is the most commonly used NADPH oxidase (Nox) inhibitor. However, its application raises serious controversies, as the compound has been reported to reveal some prooxidative effects. The aim of this study was to elucidate apocynin action on glutathione, the main intracellular antioxidant, metabolism in kidneys of Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat, a well established model of diabetes type 2.

Single dose and steady state pharmacokinetics of temocapril and temocaprilat in young and elderly hypertensive patients.

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the potential impact of age on the pharmacokinetics of temocapril and its pharmacologically active diacid metabolite, temocaprilat, in hypertensive patients.

Methods: Male and female patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension (DBP 95-114 mmHg inclusive) were allocated to two age groups: young, < or = 40 years; elderly, > or = 69 years, (n = 18 per group). In Part I of the study, subjects took a single oral tablet dose of 20 mg temocapril hydrochloride following an overnight fast.

Pharmacokinetics of temocapril and temocaprilat after 14 once daily oral doses of temocapril in hypertensive patients with varying degrees of renal impairment.

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the potential influence of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics of temocapril and its pharmacologically active diacid metabolite, temocaprilat.

Methods: Non-compartmental pharmacokinetics were assessed in four groups of hypertensive patients (n=8 per group, four investigational centres) with normal (creatinine clearance determined via 24 h urine sampling, CL[CR], > or = 60 ml min-1) and impaired renal function (CL[CR] 40-59, 20-39, < 20 ml min-1) after 14 once daily oral doses of 10 mg temocapril hydrochloride.

Results: For temocapril, there were no statistically significant differences in median tmax or mean Cmax, AUC(SS), t1/2,Z, CL/F between the four groups.

Comparison of temocapril and atenolol in the long-term treatment of mild to moderate essential hypertension.

This 1-year, dose-titration, General Practitioner (GP) study compared efficacy, tolerability and safety of oral temocapril (10-40 mg once daily) with atenolol (25-100 mg once daily) in mild to moderate adult hypertensives (diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 95-114 mmHg). A 12-week dose-titration period, randomized 3:1 temocapril: atenolol, preceded 40 weeks long-term treatment. An intent-to-treat population of 472 patients was analysed for efficacy after 12 weeks dose-titration.

Single-dose pharmacokinetics of temocapril and temocapril diacid in subjects with varying degrees of renal impairment.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of renal impairment on the single-dose pharmacokinetics of temocapril and its pharmacologically active metabolite, temocapril diacid.

Methods: A single oral dose of 20 mg temocapril hydrochloride was given after an overnight fast to eight healthy (control) subjects (group A, n = 8) with a mean baseline creatinine clearance (CLCR) of 115.2 ml.

[Kidney function in hypertensive patients with chronic renal failure treated with the dual eliminated ACE-inhibitor spirapril].

Patients And Method: Spirapril is a recent ACE inhibitor with a both renal and hepatic elimination pathway. In order to determine its tolerability, primarily the impact on renal function, Spirapril was tested in a single-blind trial with a 2-week placebo run-in phase and a 4-week active treatment period. Forty-nine patients (34 males and 15 females) with varying degrees of renal impairment were included.

Spirapril in chronic renal failure.

In a single-blind trial with a 2-week placebo run-in phase and a 4-week active-treatment period, spirapril at 6 mg once daily was administered to 49 consecutive hypertensive patients (34 men and 15 women). All had pretreatment diastolic blood pressures (DBP) of 95-115 mmHg and varying degrees of renal impairment. At the end of the placebo run-in and at the end of active treatment, renal function was assessed using the following procedures: technetium 99m-DTPA clearance [for glomerular filtration rate (GFR)]; radioiodine (131I)-labelled sodium iodohippurate (Hippuran) clearance [for renal plasma flow (RPF)]; creatinine clearance (Clcr).

Pharmacokinetics of spirapril and spiraprilat in patients with chronic renal failure.

In this single-blind trial with a 2-week placebo run-in followed by a 4-week active-treatment period, patients were given 6 mg of spirapril once daily. Forty-nine hypertensive men and women were recruited; all had pretreatment diastolic blood pressures (DBP) of 95-115 mmHg with varying degrees of renal impairment. Regression analysis of pharmacokinetic parameters C(max)ss (the maximum steady-state drug concentration in plasma during a dosing interval), Cl/f (total plasma clearance) and k (elimination rate constant) of spirapril on creatinine clearance (Clcr) showed that the pharmacokinetics of spirapril were not significantly influenced by the degree of renal impairment.

Single daily administration of spirapril in the treatment of essential hypertension. A multicentre double-blind comparison of 1, 6, 12 and 24 mg of spirapril once daily.

A total of 171 male and female patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension [diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 100-115 mmHg] entered this randomized, double-blind, multicentre study. A 3-week placebo run-in period was followed by a 5-week active-treatment period during which patients received either 1, 6, 12 or 24 mg of spirpril once daily. Predose sitting blood pressure was taken in the morning by sphygmomanometer as well as by an automatic device (Tonoprint).

[Significance of vitamin E in aging].

In order to understand and investigate the phenomenon of aging and its related characteristics various hypotheses have been put forward. Among these the free radical hypothesis is the best known and the most often discussed. Considering the biological function of vitamin E as an important preventive factor, for lipid peroxidation, and on the basis of existing parallelisms between some characteristics of aging and different symptoms of tocopherol deficiency, a possible influence of this vitamin on the aging process was postulated.

Isoenzyme patterns of soluble glutathione S-transferases from rat adrenal gland and ovary.

Soluble glutathione S-transferases (EC 2.5.1.