bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prior exposure to a behaviorally sensitizing regimen of d‐methamphetamine does not alter the striatal dopaminergic damage induced by a neurotoxic regimen
Authors: Miller Diane B. , O'Callaghan James P. , Johnson E. Anne 
Published: October 2006

AbstractRepeated exposure to psychostimulant drugs such as d‐methamphetamine (d‐METH) and cocaine can be associated with extremely long‐lived changes in dopamine systems at the behavioral, cellular and molecular level. Sensitization or an enhanced response to drug exposure is one such change. Investigations of these phenomena at the cellular and molecular levels are being conducted in the hope that this will aid in understanding how such adaptations might contribute to drug addition. Repeated exposure to certain amphetamines can also result in damage to dopaminergic pathways. Although some of the same molecular adaptations and mechanisms are suspected to occur or play a role in the neurotoxic sequelae associated with psychostimulant exposure, there has been little attempt to examine the relationship among these phenomena. Here we utilized C57BL/6J female mice to examine whether exposure to a sensitizing regimen of d‐METH would impact the degree of neural injury induced by a subsequent exposure to a neurotoxic regimen of the same psychostimulant. Every other day exposure to d‐METH (1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg) for 11 days produced a behavioral sensitization, as evidenced by a significant increase in the degree of locomotor activity induced by each subsequent exposure to d‐METH. Following a 5‐day period of no drug exposure sensitized mice were given a neurotoxic regiment of d‐METH (a total of four injections of 10.0 mg/kg, one every 2 hours) and striatal tissue examined 72 hours later. All groups, whether drug‐naive or sensitized previously to d‐METH, showed exactly the same degree of dopaminergic striatal damage induced by a neurotoxic regimen. This was evidenced by equivalent reductions in dopamine and elevations in GFAP protein, a marker of astrocytic response to injury, GFAP. The inability of a sensitizing regimen to either exacerbate or lessen the neurotoxic actions of the same compound suggests that the molecular and cellular control of these two aspects of psychostimulant exposure may differ.
The effects of acute cocaine administration in paradoxical sleep‐deprived rats
Authors: Andersen Monica L. , Palma Beatriz D. , Rueda Adriana D. , Tufik Sergio 
Published: October 2006

AbstractRecent studies demonstrate the action of cocaine on reward pathways, which are activated by pleasant stimuli. Cocaine's mechanism of action involves the blockade of dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake by the presynaptic terminal. Paradoxical sleep (PS) deprivation is known to induce several behavioural alterations most of which suggest the occurrence of supersensitivity of D 2 and a subsensitivity of b 1 and b 2 receptors.The present study sought to examine the effects of PS deprivation on the actions of cocaine on the erection and ejaculation behaviours in rats. Four different doses of cocaine (3.5, 7.0, 15.0 and 30.0 mg/kg) were acutely administered to Wistar male rats, at the end of a 4‐day period of PS deprivation or at the equivalent time‐point to control animals. Moreover, 15 mg/kg of cocaine were administered in animals submitted to immobilization, footshock and forced swimming. The data were analysed by the Chi‐square test, and revealed that only PS‐deprived animals exhibited penile erections and ejaculation behaviours, which were absent in control animals. PS deprivation increases the sexual behaviour of male rats, probably due to its action on dopaminergic systems. However, further studies need to be carried out in order to clarify the mechanisms involved between PS deprivation and cocaine.
Dopamine D4 receptor gene and severity of dependence
Authors: Lusher Joanne , Ebersole Lorna , Ball David 
Published: October 2006

AbstractFamily, twin and adoption studies demonstrate that substance dependence is determined partially by genes. Recent studies in opiate‐dependent subjects have found a significant excess of the long‐long (LL) allele of the 48bp repeat in the coding sequence of the DRD4 gene. This study examined this association further in a sample of 60 opiate dependent, 51 alcohol‐dependent and 64 normal, healthy control subjects. No significant association between the polymorphism at DRD4 and opiate or alcohol abuse was found. However, results yielded a significant main effect on severity of dependence, demonstrating that individuals with the LL allele rated their severity of dependence significantly higher than those who had the short‐short (SS) allele :[F(2, 101) = 5.0, p < 0.01]. This study suggests that the DRD4 gene does not directly influence vulnerability to substance dependence, but that possession of the LL genotype significantly increases severity of dependence.
PRECLINICAL STUDY: Schedule‐induced alcohol drinking: non‐selective effects of acamprosate and naltrexone
Authors: Escher Tobie , Mittleman Guy 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTAcamprosate and naltrexone are therapeutically effective drugs that promote abstinence and prevent drinking relapse among alcohol‐dependent patients, and dose‐dependently decrease alcohol self‐administration in animals. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the behavioral specificity of acamprosate and naltrexone treatment in mice on alcohol drinking elicited in a schedule‐induced polydipsia (SIP) task. Food‐deprived male C57BL/6J (B6) mice were divided into three groups assigned to a 5% alcohol SIP, water SIP, or a 1‐hour limited access regulatory water drinking task. Injections (intraperitoneal) of acute (0, 50, 100, 200, 400 mg/kg) and chronic (2 × 100 mg/kg, 10 days) acamprosate, or naltrexone (0, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 mg/kg) were administered. Behavioral drug specificity was determined by comparing alterations in alcohol or water consumption in SIP with alterations in limited access drinking. Additionally, drug effects on drinking‐specific measures (g/kg consumption and lick efficiency) were compared with those of non‐drinking measures (head entries for food and locomotor activity) during SIP. In comparison with saline injections, acute acamprosate (400 mg/kg) reduced both alcohol and water drinking in both SIP and the regulatory drinking conditions, but had no significant effects on non‐drinking measures. Chronic administration of acamprosate reduced both alcohol and water drinking during SIP, but did not significantly affect regulatory drinking or non‐drinking measures. Naltrexone (1.0, 2.5, 5.0 mg/kg) reduced alcohol and water drinking in both paradigms, and at the highest dose, significantly reduced head entries for food. These results indicate that acamprosate (acute and chronic) and naltrexone are relatively non‐selective in their effects on alcohol self‐administration in this task.
PRECLINICAL STUDY: Effects of venlafaxine and desipramine on heroin‐induced conditioned place preference in the rat
Authors: Tzschentke Thomas M. , Magalas Zofia , De Vry Jean 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTVenlafaxine, an antidepressant with serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibiting properties, has been reported to reduce acquisition (but not maintenance) of heroin intravenous self‐administration (IVSA) in rats. The present study investigated whether this phase‐dependent effect is due to an antidepressant‐induced attenuation of the rewarding effect of heroin, as assessed in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. In order to study the effects of venlafaxine and the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine on acquisition and expression of heroin CPP, both compounds were administered prior to the conditioning sessions (together with heroin), or prior to the expression test after conditioning, respectively. As clinical evidence indicates that antidepressants require repeated administration for full efficacy, additional experiments were performed in which both antidepressants were administered for 2 weeks prior to conditioning, or for 1 week prior to the expression test, respectively. When tested alone, heroin [0.05–3.16 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.)] produced a dose‐dependent CPP, whereas the antidepressants (1–21.5 mg/kg i.p.) produced neither a CPP nor a conditioned place aversion (CPA). For both antidepressants (10 mg/kg i.p.), neither acute nor repeated pretreatment affected acquisition or expression of heroin (0.5 mg/kg) CPP. Thus, the present study does not support the hypothesis that the previously observed attenuation of acquisition of heroin IVSA by venlafaxine is due to an antidepressant‐induced attenuation of the rewarding effect of heroin. It is conceivable, however, that the rewarding effect of the 0.5 mg/kg dose of heroin was too pronounced to be susceptible to modulation by antidepressants. Alternatively, the modulation of acquisition of heroin IVSA in the previous study may be related to mechanisms that cannot be modelled with the CPP paradigm.
REVIEW: Targeting treatments for alcohol dependence: the pharmacogenetics of naltrexone
Authors: Oslin David W. , Berrettini Wade H. , O’Brien Charles P. 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTAlcohol dependence is one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide, yet only a minority of those afflicted engages in treatment. While increasing access to treatment is an important public health approach, increasing the success of treatment is also likely to lead to greater engagement. However, alcohol dependence is a complex disorder likely to consist of several biological subtypes. Recent evidence from a number of different studies has suggested that genetic variation in the mu‐opioid receptor has a significant influence on clinical presentation of alcohol problems and response to treatment with an opioid antagonist. Most notably, the A118G polymorphism of the mu‐receptor gene has been demonstrated to predict clinical response to naltrexone in alcohol‐dependent individuals. This article reviews the biological correlates and outlines a scientific agenda for better understanding the role of opioid neurotransmission in the etiology, maintenance and treatment of alcohol dependence.
Mechanism of prolonged gene expression by Epstein–Barr virus‐based plasmid in porcine cells
Authors: Son Jung Kyu , Oh Sang Taek , Cho Sung Kyu , Yoon Kun Ho , Lee Suk Kyeong 
Published: October 2006

Abstract:  Background:  We previously showed that an Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐based plasmid, pEBVGFP, exerts prolonged gene expression in porcine neonatal pancreatic cell clusters (NPCCs). In this study, the mechanism underlying this was investigated.Methods:  GFP expression was analyzed in porcine cells transfected with pEBVGFP by FACS analysis and confocal microscopy. The possible integration of pEBVGFP into the chromosomal DNA was analyzed by Southern blot. Self‐replication of the EBV‐based plasmid in porcine cells was investigated by PCR. The NPCCs were immunostained to characterize cells transfected with pEBVGFP.Results:  The EBV based plasmid provided prolonged GFP expression in porcine cells and duct cells were the main cells transfected among NPCCs. Southern blot showed that the transfected pEBVGFP stayed for a long time as an episome rather than integrating into the chromosomal DNA. pEBVGFP isolated from the transfected porcine cells had methylated CpG suggesting that they self‐replicated in those cells.Conclusions:  The EBV‐based plasmid may be useful for genetically manipulating porcine cells to enhance their value as xenotransplantation sources.
Prenatal diagnosis of haemophilia A by chorionic villus sampling and cordocentesis: All India Institute of Medical Science experience
Authors: Ranjan R. , Biswas A. , Kannan M. , Meena A. , Deka D. , Saxena R. 
Published: October 2006

Background and Objective  We looked at the two most commonly used methods for prenatal diagnosis, cordocentesis and chorionic villus sampling for prenatal diagnosis of haemophilia A in an Indian setting.Material and Methods  The study sample included 16 families which reported to us for prenatal diagnosis of haemophilia A at All India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi, India. Prenatal tests were done on chorionic villus samples or on cord blood (cordocentesis). Molecular work‐up included the use of indirect mutation analysis in the form of linkage markers like CA‐13, CA‐22, Xba1 and Bcl1 as well as direct mutation analysis in the form of inversion 1 and 22 detection. Non‐molecular work‐up included primarily factor VIII assays.Result  Chorionic villus sampling was performed in eight mothers. Of the other eight mothers, six underwent cord blood factor VIII assays because these had absence of family history and were negative for linkage and inversion 1 and 22. One patient had a female child and another had a fetus that showed congenital abnormalities.Conclusion  We found that the choice of either technique, chorionic villus or cordocentesis, is not really an alternative, but rather dependent on the gestational age of presentation.
International Dissemination of a High Virulence Rabbit Staphylococcus aureus Clone
Authors: Vancraeynest D. , Haesebrouck F. , Deplano A. , Denis O. , Godard C. , Wildemauwe C. , Hermans K. 
Published: October 2006

SummaryHigh virulence rabbit Staphylococcus aureus strains cause chronic and spreading problems of mastitis, pododermatitis and subcutaneous abscesses on rabbit flock level, whereas infections with low virulence strains are limited to individual rabbits. In the present report, 13 high virulence rabbit S. aureus strains, selected out of a large collection of strains isolated in five European countries between 1983 and 2004, were genotyped using pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis, spa typing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and accessory gene regulator (agr) group typing. Two low virulence rabbit S. aureus strains were also included in the study. The results indicate the clonal origin of high virulence rabbit S. aureus strains present in Europe. Furthermore, the results of MLST and spa typing form a basis for international epidemiology of rabbit S. aureus strains, as these DNA sequence‐based typing techniques can easily be used for intercentre comparisons.
Molecular Typing of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Cows, Goats and Sheep with Intramammary Infections on the Basis of Gene Polymorphisms and Toxins Genes
Authors: Vimercati C. , Cremonesi P. , Castiglioni B. , Pisoni G. , Boettcher P. J. , Stella A. , Vicenzoni G. , Moroni P. 
Published: October 2006

SummaryWe investigated 116 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from cows, goats and sheep with intramammary infections (IMI) in Italy to provide information about the spread of enterotoxigenic strains and to compare strains isolated from different ruminant species. The isolates were typed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the coagulase (coa) gene, by analysis of polymorphisms of the X region of protein A (spa) gene and by detection of genes encoding enterotoxins (sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, sei, sej and sel). Seven different coa types and 12 different spa types were distinguished. On the basis of polymerase chain reaction‐RFLP, 29 different coa subtypes were identified. Two different coa subtypes accounted for 49% and 67% of bovine and ovine isolates respectively. Only seven coa subtypes were observed in isolates from more than one host species and no coa subtype was present in isolates from all three ruminant species. Furthermore, 85 of the isolates (73%) harboured at least one enterotoxin gene (se) with a predominance of sea, sed and sej among isolates from bovine IMI, and sec and sel among isolates from caprine and ovine IMI. Comparing the S. aureus isolates on the basis of gene polymorphisms and presence of se genes, significant differences were found in distributions of genotypes among isolates from cows, goats and sheep.
Phylogenetic Analysis of Anaplasma marginale Strains from Paraná State, Brazil, Using the msp1α and msp4 genes
Authors: Vidotto M. C. , Kano S. F. , Gregori F. , Headley S. A. , Vidotto O. 
Published: October 2006

Summary Anaplasma marginale is an obligate intraerythrocytic rickettsial pathogen (order, Rickettsiales: family, Anaplasmataceae) that causes bovine anaplasmosis. This disease is widely distributed in tropical and sub‐tropical regions of the world and causes important economic losses to cattle production. Major surface protein (MSP)1a (msp1α gene) is one of the six MSPs identified on A. marginale from cattle, whose sequence and size vary according to the number of tandem 28‐ to 29‐amino acid repeats. This study characterized the msp1α and msp4 genes obtained from three distinct Brazilian herds from the State of Paraná. Three strains of the msp1α and one strain of the msp4 gene were sequenced. The strains evaluated revealed PCR products of different size, representing three, five and six internal repeats. Sequence analyses confirmed the number of tandem sequence copies and revealed a high degree of sequence identity with strains from other Brazilian States, as well as strains from the USA, Europe and Israel. The msp1α DNA and amino acid sequences from A. marginale and DNA sequences of msp4 strains did not reveal distinct phylogeographical segregation. However, the amino acid sequences of msp4 demonstrated definite phylogeographical relationship. These results suggest that the amino acid sequences of msp4 should be used for phylogenetic identification of A. marginale strains and may be an important tool for the epidemiology and control of anaplasmosis. Additionally, the close similarity of the Paraná strains of A. marginale with strains from USA, Europe and Asia may reflect the introduction of these genes during the development of the Brazilian bovine herd.
Molecular Typing and Anti‐microbial Susceptibility of Clinical Isolates of Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus from Equine Bacterial Endometritis
Authors: Luque I. , Fernández‐Garayzábal J. F. , Blume V. , Maldonado A. , Astorga R. , Tarradas C. 
Published: October 2006

SummaryThe anti‐microbial susceptibility and genetic diversity of 65 strains of Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus (Sez) isolated from mares presenting clinical signs of endometritis was determined by disk agar diffusion and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) methods, respectively. Overall, Sez isolates were susceptible to β‐lactams, enrofloxacin, trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole and gentamicin. These anti‐microbials could be recommended as empiric anti‐microbial therapy in cases of endometritis caused by Sez. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis typing revealed a great genetic diversity (56 different PFGE macrorestriction profiles) and a low level of genetic relatedness amongst the isolates.
Localized lesions of arcopallium intermedium of the lateral forebrain caused a handling‐cost aversion in the domestic chick performing a binary choice task
Authors: Aoki Naoya , Csillag Andras , Matsushima Toshiya 
Published: October 2006

AbstractBehavioral effects of handling cost (time and/or energetic cost for food consumption) on choice were examined using domestic chicks trained in operant task reinforced by delayed food rewards. When scattered sesame was delivered in more demanding conditions, a colored cue bead associated with six grains (‘large’ and ‘costly’ reward) was chosen progressively less frequently against another bead associated with one grain (‘small’ and ‘not costly’ reward). The choice thus proved to be highly sensitive to the anticipated handling cost. Excitotoxic lesion of the bilateral arcopallium intermedium also selectively reduced the choice of the six grains, while leaving actual cost investment (number of pecks and handling time) unaltered. No significant changes occurred in choices between one grain of sesame (‘small’ and ‘not costly’ reward) and one grain of barley (or a ball composed of six sesame grains glued by starch; ‘large’ and ‘not costly’ reward), indicating that choice based on anticipated food amount was not impaired. On the other hand, lesion of the ventral striatum did not change the choice ratio in any trial types. Operant peck latencies somewhat depended on food rewards, but were not affected by lesions of the arcopallium or the ventral striatum. The arcopallium could contribute to foraging behaviors by enabling chicks to overcome the handling cost, thus gaining more beneficial food. Furthermore, the present results indicate doubly dissociated functional roles of the ventral striatum and the arcopallium, the former in the cost of traveling for food and the latter in the cost of handling food, respectively.
Altered subcellular location of phosphorylated Smads in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Ueberham Uwe , Ueberham Elke , Gruschka Hildegard , Arendt Thomas 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA number of growth factors and cytokines, such as transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF‐β1), is elevated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), giving rise to activated intracellular mitogenic signaling cascades. Activated mitogenic signaling involving the mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and other protein kinases might alter the phosphorylation states of structural proteins such as tau, resulting in hyperphosphorylated deposits. Many intracellular signaling proteins are potential targets of misregulated phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Recently, a crosstalk between MAPKs and Smad proteins, both involved in mediating TGF‐β1 signaling, has been reported. Although TGF‐β1 has previously been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of AD, the role of Smad proteins has not been investigated. In this study we thus analysed the subcellular distribution of phosphorylated Smad2 and Smad3 in the hippocampus of both normal and AD brains. Here we report on strong nuclear detection of phosphorylated Smad2 and Smad3 in neurons of control brains. In AD brains these phosphorylated proteins were additionally found in cytoplasmic granules in hippocampal neurons, within amyloid plaques and attached to neurofibrillary tangles. Our data suggest a critical role of Smad proteins in the pathogenesis of AD.