Long-lasting antinociceptive spinal effects in primates of the novel nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor agonist UFP-112.

Chemical modifications of nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) peptide that result in increased potency and resistance to degradation have recently lead to the discovery of [(pF)Phe(4)Aib(7)Arg(14)Lys(15)]N/OFQ-NH(2) (UFP-112), a novel N/OFQ peptide (NOP) receptor agonist. The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacological profile of intrathecally administered UFP-112 in monkeys under different behavioral assays. Intrathecal UFP-112 (1-10 nmol) dose-dependently produced antinociception against an acute noxious stimulus (50 degrees C water) and capsaicin-induced thermal hyperalgesia.

Factors, process and outcomes of recovery from psychiatric disability: the unity model.

Background: Despite the fruitful findings on related issues of recovery in the West, some researchers have called for more studies on the factors that facilitate recovery and international literature on recovery to be made available. Moreover, to date, a united model that integrates outcome, component process and contextual factors of recovery has not yet been developed. Thus, this study explored the recovery experiences of persons with psychiatric disabilities (hereinafter called consumers) in Taiwan and extracted the key facilitators for developing a preliminary unity theory of recovery.

Differential effects of lesions in the subareas of medial prefrontal cortex on the development of behavioral sensitization to amphetamine: the role of environmental context.

Based on the notion of the heterogeneity of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the effects of lesions of the dorsal and ventral subareas of mPFC were examined on the development of behavioral sensitization induced by d-amphetamine (AMP). The first part of this study determined behavioral sensitization to AMP by the use of the rat with intermittent repeated AMP administrations in three types of environmental context including an infrared locomotor activity test-box, the home cage, and a novel third place. In experimental groups, each subject was initially injected with AMP of 0.

Multispectra CWT-based algorithm (MCWT) in mass spectra for peak extraction.

An important objective in mass spectrometry (MS) is to identify a set of biomarkers that can be used to potentially distinguish patients between distinct treatments (or conditions) from tens or hundreds of spectra. A common two-step approach involving peak extraction and quantification is employed to identify the features of scientific interest. The selected features are then used for further investigation to understand underlying biological mechanism of individual protein or for development of genomic biomarkers to early diagnosis.

Product placement of computer games in cyberspace.

Computer games are considered an emerging media and are even regarded as an advertising channel. By a three-phase experiment, this study investigated the advertising effectiveness of computer games for different product placement forms, product types, and their combinations. As the statistical results revealed, computer games are appropriate for placement advertising.

Hospital ownership and performance: evidence from stroke and cardiac treatment in Taiwan.

This paper compares program expenditure and treatment quality of stroke and cardiac patients between 1997 and 2000 across hospitals of various ownership types in Taiwan. Because Taiwan implemented national health insurance in 1995, the analysis is immune from problems arising from the complex setting of the U.S.

Development of conditioned place preference induced by intra-accumbens infusion of amphetamine is attenuated by co-infusion of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonists.

The present study investigated the role of dopamine receptors within the nucleus accumbens in place conditioning induced by D-amphetamine. Previous work has shown that conditioned place preference can be established by intra-accumbens infusion of amphetamine. The present study further examined whether bilateral co-infusion of the selective dopamine receptor antagonists with D-amphetamine into this region would disrupt the development of conditioned place preference induced by intra-accumbens amphetamine treatment.

Staging on the Internet: research on online photo album users in Taiwan with the spectacle/performance paradigm.

This study explores motivations of online photo album users in Taiwan and the distinctive "staging" phenomenon with media gratifications and an a priori theoretical framework, the spectacle/performance paradigm (SPP). Media drenching, performance, function and reference are "new" gratifications, which no prior research was found. These gratifications are consistent with the argument of the "diffused audience" on the Internet.

Dopamine receptor antagonists reverse amphetamine-induced behavioral alteration on a differential reinforcement for low-rate (DRL) operant task in the rat.

Previous studies have shown that amphetamine significantly alters operant responding on the behavior maintained on a schedule of differential reinforcement of low-rate (DRL). As such, behavioral deficiency of DRL responding has been observed by the drug-induced increase of non-reinforced responses and a leftward shift of inter-response time (IRT) curve on DRL responding in the rat. However, the neurochemical basis for amphetamine-induced DRL behavioral alternations remain to be elucidated.

Reachability of nonsynchronized choice Petri nets and its applications.

A new local structure called a second-order structure was proposed to generate a new class of nets called synchronized choice nets (SNC). SNC covers well-behaved free choice nets. Reachability is no longer P-Space hard problem, but can be solved with polynomial time complexity.

Acute effects of d-amphetamine on the differential reinforcement of low-rate (DRL) schedule behavior in the rat: comparison with selective dopamine receptor antagonists.

Amphetamine and it analogs have been shown to affect operant behavior maintained on the differential reinforcement of a low-rate (DRL) schedule. The aim of the present study was to investigate what specific component of the DRL response is affected by d-amphetamine. The acute effects of d-amphetamine on a DRL task were compared with those of the selective dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonists, SCH23390 and raclopride, respectively.

Provider-client interactions and quantity of health care use.

This paper considers three types of provider-client interactions that influence quantity of health care use: rationing, effort, and persuasion. By rationing, we refer to a quantity limit set by a provider; effort, the productive inputs supplied by a provider to increase a client's demand; persuasion, the unproductive inputs used by a provider to induce a client's demand. We construct a theoretical model incorporating all three mechanisms as special cases.

Differential effects of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonists on conditioned orienting behavior in the rat.

Brain dopamine (DA) systems are known to be important in regulation of behavior conditioned to appetitive stimuli. Nevertheless, despite a large body of evidence showing behavioral deficits in the operant conditioning paradigm produced by DA receptor blockade, there have been relatively few studies directly assessing behavioral changes in classical conditioning paradigm under this drug treatment. By employing an appetitive Pavlovian conditioning task, the present work investigated the effects of selective D1 and D2 receptor antagonists on the expression and acquisition of the conditioned orienting response (COR) and food-cup approach.

The role of catecholamines in retention performance of a partially baited radial eight-arm maze for rats.

To assess the possible involvement of catecholaminergic neurotransmitters in maintenance of spatial cognition, the present work investigated the effects of dopaminergic and noradrenergic receptor antagonists on memory performance of rats in a partially baited radial eight-arm maze. Food-deprived rats were first trained to enter the arms baited with chocolate, and each subject was then randomly assigned to receive further training in either a place version or a cue version of the task. A specific pattern with four arms being baited was used throughout experimentation as the procedure for the place task; whereas four randomly chosen arms, each cued with a piece of sandpaper on the arm entrance, were baited from trial to trial as the procedure of the cue task.

Differential effects of diazepam infused into the amygdala and hippocampus on negative contrast.

Behavioral suppression is observed when animals shift from a high to a lower magnitude of reward in comparison to animals that continuously receive the lower magnitude reward. As previously reported, systemic administration of benzodiazepines promotes recovery from this negative contrast. This study aimed to assess where the neural substrate(s) located in the limbic areas for diazepam to induce such recovery effects on negative contrast.

Effects of SCH23390 and raclopride on a run-climb-run behavioral task in rats.

The present study was designed to compare the putative differential behavioral consequences of treatment with SCH23390 (a selective dopamine D1 receptor blocker) and raclopride (a selective dopamine D2 receptor blocker) by employing a run-climb-run (RCR) behavioral task of different lengths. Rats were trained to traverse an uncovered floor alleyway (150 cm), climb a vertical rope (70 or 130 cm), and run across an upper board (100 cm) to access water for the reinforcement. At doses of 0.

Different effects of 5-HT receptor agonists on operant response in rats under DRL 10-s and DRL 30-s schedules.

5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT ) is thought to be involved in a wide range of behavioral functions. Based on binding evidence, 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-indophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI), and m-chloro-phenyl-biguanide (m-CPBG) are selective 5-HT1a, 5-HT2, and 5-HT3 receptor agonists, respectively. The present study examined the effects of these 5-HT receptor agonists on operant behavior maintained on the differential reinforcement for low rate response 10-second (DRL 10-s) and 30-second (DRL 30-s) schedules of reinforcement.

Operant performance following tail-pinch in the rat: effects of d-amphetamine.

To extend the investigation of tail-pinch induced behavioral changes, rats performing on a differential reinforcement of low rates of 10 sec (DRL10), a fixed-interval of 60 sec (F160), and a fixed-ratio of 20 (FR20) schedules were exposed to a paper clip applied to the tail. While a 10 min tail-pinch conducted 1 hr before operant sessions significantly altered the DRL10 behavior, this stressor had little effect on either F160 or FR20 responding. Marked DRL10 behavior performance changes following tail-pinch included increases in the number of lever presses, decreases in the number of the reinforcers, and disruption in the frequency distribution of inter-response times (IRT).

Distinct accumbal subareas are involved in place conditioning of amphetamine and cocaine.

In considering the heterogeneous function of the nucleus accumbens (NAC), the present work evaluated the conditioned place preference (CPP) after local infusion of d-amphetamine (AMP; 10, 15 microg/side) or cocaine (COC; 50, 100 microg/side) into two subareas of NAC, core and shell. A regular two-compartment CPP apparatus was used to test the place conditioning effects after 6 pairings of drug in one compartment and 6 pairings of vehicle in the other one. Significant CPP was observed with either AMP infused in the core area or COC infused into the shell area.

Influences on water intake in the rat after lesions of the septal subareas.

It has been suggested that the septum plays an inhibitory role in the behavioral function. Recent work has shown that the septum is heterogeneous from the neuroanatomical perspective. The present study examined the water intake of rats lesioned with kainic acid (0.

Influence of SCH23390 and spiperone on the expression of conditioned place preference induced by d-amphetamine or cocaine in the rat.

The present study investigated the effects of selective dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonists, SCH23390 and spiperone, on the expression of conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by either d-amphetamine or cocaine. The CPP protocol consisted of three phases: pre-conditioning exploration, conditioning, and a post-conditioning test. The data indicated that CPP was significantly induced by intraperitoneal injection of either d-amphetamine (2 mg/kg) or cocaine (10 mg/kg).

Quantifying operant behavior deficits in rats with bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the ventrolateral striatum.

The present study examined the effects of bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions in the ventrolateral striatum on the operant behavior of rats. Use of the specially modified operant chambers allowed the measurement of forelimb response force and duration as well as the time intervals between selected behavior in the press-consume-press sequence. More specifically, four time intervals between separate behavioral events were measured: 1) the time from the end of forelimb response to entry of muzzle into the reinforcement well, 2) the time from muzzle entry to the first tongue lick of the water reinforcer; 3) the time from the last lick to muzzle withdrawal from the reinforcement well, and 4) the time from muzzle withdrawal to the beginning of the next forelimb operant response.

Service quality of Chinese traditional medicine in Taiwan: a comparative study.

A consensus is growing that measuring service quality level based on patients' perceptions is crucial for continuous improvement. This work involved a questionnaire survey to evaluate the gap of perceived service quality level between Chinese traditional medicine and Western medicine in Taiwan. The ten dimensions of service quality proposed by Parasuraman et al.

Microinjections of SCH23390 and haloperidol into striatal subregions differentially affect water intake in the rat.

The nigrostriatal dopamine neurotransmission system is known to mediate various types of functional behaviors. Systemic administration of dopamine antagonists impairs drinking behavior induced by different dipsogenic agents. The present study was designed to further characterize the potential neural loci for hypodipsia under dopamine receptor blockade of the striatum via local administrations of SCH23390 and haloperidol.

Chronic effects of haloperidol and SCH23390 on operant and licking behaviors in the rat.

Behavioral effects under chronic treatment of haloperidol and SCH23390 were examined for 18 days. Water deprived rats were trained either to perform an operant response on a fixed ratio 20 (FR20) schedule of reinforcement or to lick from a tube in a separate test. Both drugs completely impaired operant responding over all chronic administration days.