[Aortic coarctation is correlated with bicuspid aortic valve and intracranial aneurysm: a case report and review of the literature].

Aortic coarctation is often linked to bicuspid aortic valve and only rarely to congenital aneurysm of the circle of Willis. It is possible that a common pathogenetic substrate determines this association, but it has not yet been demonstrated. In this report we describe the case of a 32-year-old woman, affected by previous anamnestic functional cardiac murmur.

Aortic valve replacement through a right minithoracotomy.

Minimally-invasive operative techniques have many advantages, such as less postoperative pain, lower morbidity and mortality, faster recovery, and shorter duration of operation and hospital stay, associated with lower costs. Minimally invasive cardiac surgery has been developed to offer patients the benefits of open heart operations with decreased pain and limited skin incision. It has been popularized as an alternative to the conventional median sternotomy approach.

Antidepressant-like activity and modulation of brain monoaminergic transmission by blockade of anandamide hydrolysis.

Although anecdotal reports suggest that cannabis may be used to alleviate symptoms of depression, the psychotropic effects and abuse liability of this drug prevent its therapeutic application. The active constituent of cannabis, delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, acts by binding to brain CB1 cannabinoid receptors, but an alternative approach might be to develop agents that amplify the actions of endogenous cannabinoids by blocking their deactivation. Here, we show that URB597, a selective inhibitor of the enzyme fatty-acid amide hydrolase, which catalyzes the intracellular hydrolysis of the endocannabinoid anandamide, exerts potent antidepressant-like effects in the mouse tail-suspension test and the rat forced-swim test.

Effect of 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") on dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell and core.

It is known that most of drugs abused by humans preferentially stimulate dopamine transmission in the shell subdivision of the nucleus accumbens as compared to the core. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether this applies also to intravenous 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") administered at doses that sustain self-administration behavior in rats. The effect of 0.

The endogenous cannabinoid anandamide and its synthetic analog R(+)-methanandamide are intravenously self-administered by squirrel monkeys.

Anandamide, an endogenous ligand for brain cannabinoid CB(1) receptors, produces many behavioral effects similar to those of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Reinforcing effects of THC have been demonstrated in experimental animals, but there is only indirect evidence that endogenous cannabinoids such as anandamide participate in brain reward processes. We now show that anandamide serves as an effective reinforcer of drug-taking behavior when self-administered intravenously by squirrel monkeys.

Neuropeptide Y protects against methamphetamine-induced neuronal apoptosis in the mouse striatum.

Methamphetamine (METH) is an illicit drug that causes neuronal apoptosis in the mouse striatum, in a manner similar to the neuronal loss observed in neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, injections of METH to mice were found to cause the death of enkephalin-positive projection neurons but not the death of neuropeptide Y (NPY)/nitric oxide synthase-positive striatal interneurons. In addition, these METH injections were associated with increased expression of neuropeptide Y mRNA and changes in the expression of the NPY receptors Y1 and Y2.

AMPD1 (C34T) polymorphism and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing myocardial revascularization.

Background: C34T variant of adenosine monophosphate deaminase 1 (AMPD1) gene has been associated with a prolonged survival in heart failure and coronary artery disease, hypothetically linked to an enhanced production of adenosine.

Design: Since adenosine administration is a promising approach for the prevention of the ischemia-reperfusion in myocardial revascularization, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the AMPD1 (-) allele is associated with a favorable prognosis after coronary revascularization. In addition, we assessed the association between AMPD1 polymorphism and plasma adenosine levels.

Cannabinoid agonists but not inhibitors of endogenous cannabinoid transport or metabolism enhance the reinforcing efficacy of heroin in rats.

Accumulating evidence suggests that the endogenous cannabinoid system is involved in the reinforcing effects of heroin. In rats intravenously self-administering heroin, we investigated effects of cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonists and compounds that block transport or metabolism of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide. The natural cannnabinoid CB1 receptor agonist delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, 0.

Motivational effects of cannabinoids and opioids on food reinforcement depend on simultaneous activation of cannabinoid and opioid systems.

Strong functional interactions exist between endogenous cannabinoid and opioid systems. Here, we investigated whether cannabinoid-opioid interactions modulate motivational effects of food reinforcement. In rats responding for food under a progressive-ratio schedule, the maximal effort (break point) expended to obtain 45 mg pellets depended on the level of food deprivation, with free-feeding reducing break points and food-deprivation increasing break points.

Involvement of adenosine A1 receptors in the discriminative-stimulus effects of caffeine in rats.

Rationale: Caffeine is a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist in vitro, but involvement of different adenosine receptor subtypes, particularly adenosine A1 and A 2A receptors, in the central effects of caffeine remains a matter of debate.

Objective: Investigate the role of adenosine A1 and A 2A receptors in the discriminative-stimulus effects of caffeine.

Methods: Rats were trained to discriminate an injection of 30 mg/kg (i.

Involvement of mu-, delta- and kappa-opioid receptor subtypes in the discriminative-stimulus effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in rats.

Rationale: Many behavioral effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), including its discriminative-stimulus effects, are modulated by endogenous opioid systems.

Objective: To investigate opioid receptor subtypes involved in the discriminative effects of THC.

Methods: Rats trained to discriminate 3 mg/kg i.

Pathogenic enteric Escherichia coli in children with and without diarrhea in Maputo, Mozambique.

A study was conducted on the circulation of potentially diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in two groups of children, both under the age of seven. The first group (548 children) suffered from mild diarrhea and attended the Xipamanine Health Center of Maputo, in Mozambique. The second group (380 children) included randomly chosen, asymptomatic, children from the same population.

Enantioselective hydrogenation of imines in ionic liquid/carbon dioxide media.

The enantioselective hydrogenation of N-(1-phenylethylidene)aniline using cationic iridium complexes with chiral phosphinooxazoline ligands was studied as a chemical probe to assess the potential of ionic liquid/carbon dioxide (IL/CO2) media for, multiphase catalysis. The biphasic system leads to activation, tuning, and immobilization of the catalyst that would be impossible in classical organic solvent systems or in either of the two unconventional media separately. In particular it is demonstrated that (i) the presence of CO2 can be beneficial or even mandatory for efficient hydrogenation in the IL; (ii) the precursor is activated in the IL by anion exchange allowing one to use in situ catalysts; (iii) the anion of the IL greatly influences the selectivity of the catalyst; (iv) the products are readily isolated from the catalyst solution by CO2 extraction without cross contamination of IL or catalyst; and (v) the IL leads to enhanced stability of the catalyst.

Human cocaine-seeking behavior and its control by drug-associated stimuli in the laboratory.

Second-order schedules of drug self-administration were developed to incorporate the effects of drug-related environmental stimuli into an animal model of drug abuse, making it more similar to human situations. Ironically, little is known about how human subjects behave under these schedules. In this study, human volunteers with a history of cocaine use worked on a second-order schedule in which every 100th lever response produced an auditory-visual brief stimulus (2 s).

Adenosine receptor-mediated modulation of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens depends on glutamate neurotransmission and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor stimulation.

Adenosine, by acting on adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors, exerts opposite modulatory roles on striatal extracellular levels of glutamate and dopamine, with activation of A(1) inhibiting and activation of A(2A) receptors stimulating glutamate and dopamine release. Adenosine-mediated modulation of striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission could be secondary to changes in glutamate neurotransmission, in view of evidence for a preferential colocalization of A(1) and A(2A) receptors in glutamatergic nerve terminals. By using in vivo microdialysis techniques, local perfusion of NMDA (3, 10 microm), the selective A(2A) receptor agonist 2-p-(2-carboxyethyl)phenethylamino-5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (CGS 21680; 3, 10 microm), the selective A(1) receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dimethylxanthine (CPT; 300, 1000 microm), or the non-selective A(1)-A(2A) receptor antagonist in vitro caffeine (300, 1000 microm) elicited significant increases in extracellular levels of dopamine in the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAc).

New findings on X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy: 5alpha-reductase isoform 2 relative gene expression is modified in affected fibroblasts.

X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a neurodegenerative disease with an endocrinological component since, in addition to the nervous system, the adrenal cortex and the testis are mainly affected, with corresponding clinical signs. 5Alpha-reductase, a key enzyme in steroid hormone metabolism, catalyzes the conversion of testosterone into the potent androgen dihydrotestosterone and other metabolic steps in steroidogenesis. It is present in two isoforms, 5alpha-reductase isoform 1 and 2, that are encoded by different genes.

Beta-endorphin elevations in the ventral tegmental area regulate the discriminative effects of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.

beta-Endorphin is an endogenous opioid that produces behavioral effects similar to heroin and morphine and is released in the nucleus accumbens by cocaine, amphetamine and ethanol, suggesting a general involvement in the reinforcing effects of abused drugs. Here we show that, in rats, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, produces large increases in extracellular levels of beta-endorphin in the ventral tegmental area and lesser increases in the shell of the nucleus accumbens. We then used a two-lever choice THC-discrimination procedure to investigate whether THC-induced changes in endogenous levels of beta-endorphin regulate the discriminative effects of THC.

Evaluating patients with vertigo: bedside examination.

Dizziness and vertigo are common complaints in patients referred for neurological evaluation. With a basic understanding of vestibular physiology and proper examination techniques, a correct diagnosis can generally be made at the bedside. This article reviews the most common peripheral and central vestibular syndromes as well as the key elements of the bedside vestibular system examination.

Exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) increases subsequent heroin taking but not heroin's reinforcing efficacy: a self-administration study in rats.

One concern about the widespread use of cannabis is that exposure to its active ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), might increase future reinforcing effects of other abused drugs such as heroin. In this study, we investigated the effects of pre-exposure to THC on subsequent intravenous self-administration of heroin by Sprague-Dawley rats. In one group of rats, we studied (1) acquisition of heroin self-administration behavior using a continuous-reinforcement (fixed-ratio (FR) 1) schedule, (2) heroin dose-response relationships using an FR1/variable-dose schedule, and (3) reinforcing efficacy of heroin using a progressive-ratio schedule.

The usefulness of 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT in the detection of lung metastases from extrapulmonary primary tumors.

Purpose: The appearance of pulmonary metastases in neoplastic patients previously submitted to radical operation of an extrapulmonary primary tumor and with no recurrences and/or secondary distant localizations can markedly worsen disease prognosis if the lesions are in advanced stages and no longer removable by surgical procedures. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of 99mTc-tetrofosmin scintigraphy, both planar and SPECT, in the detection of pulmonary metastases from previously treated extrapulmonary primary tumors, comparing the results with those obtained with CT.

Materials And Methods: We studied 73 patients, 33 M and 40 F, aged 24 to 79 yrs, had who undergone previously surgical resection extrapulmonary primary tumors; 31 patients had mammary, 13 gastrointestinal, 13 genitourinary, 13 thyroid and 3 laryngeal carcinomas.

Opposite modulatory roles for adenosine A1 and A2A receptors on glutamate and dopamine release in the shell of the nucleus accumbens. Effects of chronic caffeine exposure.

Previous studies have demonstrated opposing roles for adenosine A1 and A2A receptors in the modulation of extracellular levels of glutamate and dopamine in the striatum. In the present study, acute systemic administration of motor-activating doses of the A2A receptor antagonist MSX-3 significantly decreased extracellular levels of dopamine and glutamate in the shell of the rat nucleus accumbens (NAc) and counteracted both dopamine and glutamate release induced by systemic administration of motor-activating doses of either the A1 receptor antagonist CPT or caffeine. Furthermore, exposure to caffeine in the drinking water (1 mg/mL, 14 days) resulted in tolerance to the effects of systemic injection of CPT or caffeine, but not MSX-3, on extracellular levels of dopamine and glutamate in the NAc shell.

Selective psychostimulant sensitization by food restriction: differential changes in accumbens shell and core dopamine.

We have recently reported that behavioural sensitization to morphine, amphetamine, cocaine and nicotine is associated with an increased response of dialysate dopamine to the same drugs in the nucleus accumbens core and/or a reduced response in the shell. Prolonged exposure to stressful stimuli also induces behavioural sensitization to drugs of abuse. We therefore investigated the effect of different drugs of abuse on behaviour and on dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell and core of rats stressed by 1 week schedule of food restriction.

Involvement of adenosine A1 and A2A receptors in the adenosinergic modulation of the discriminative-stimulus effects of cocaine and methamphetamine in rats.

Adenosine, by acting on adenosine A1 and A2A receptors, is known to antagonistically modulate dopaminergic neurotransmission. We have recently reported that nonselective adenosine receptor antagonists (caffeine and 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine) can partially substitute for the discriminative-stimulus effects of methamphetamine. In the present study, by using more selective compounds, we investigated the involvement of A1 and A2A receptors in the adenosinergic modulation of the discriminative-stimulus effects of both cocaine and methamphetamine.

Mediastinal lymph node involvement in non-small cell lung cancer: evaluation with 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT and comparison with CT.

Unlabelled: In patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), surgical resection offers the best chance of cure. The preoperative assessment of mediastinal lymph node involvement is crucial to selecting those patients for whom surgery is indicated.

Methods: To evaluate the possible clinical role of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin scintigraphy in the presurgical detection of mediastinal node metastases from NSCLC, we performed a prospective comparative study with CT on 83 patients (48 men, 35 women; age range, 38-81 y) with primary NSCLC (36 adenocarcinomas, 39 epidermoid squamous cell carcinomas, and 8 large cell anaplastic carcinomas).