Influence of imipramine on the duration of immobility in chronic forced-swim-stressed rats.

We studied the influence of imipramine on the duration of immobility in chronic forced-swim-stressed rats. Both single and chronic administration of imipramine potently shortened immobility in naive rats during forced-swim testing. However, chronic, 14-day forced-swim stress testing blocked the immobility-decreasing effect induced by a single administration of imipramine. When imipramine was administered for 14 days concurrently with forced-swim stress testing, immobility was shortened significantly. From the viewpoint of imipramine's effect, these findings suggest that chronic forced-swim stress testing in rats may be an effective animal model for depression.</p

Effect of peppermint oil on serum lipid peroxidation and hepatic enzymes after immobility stress in mice

This study was undertaken to determine the influences of various doses of peppermint oil on the hepatic enzymes, alanine transaminase, apartate tranaminase, alkaline phosphotase and gamma glutamyl transferase and the level of malondialdehyde in the serum of mice with and without immobility stress. The mice exposed to drink water, 0.9, 27 and 60 mg/kg peppermint oil from the days 1 to 5 for a period of 4 h before and after immobility stress. Serum MDA increased in treatment group II, III and IV after immobility stress. There was a significant decrease in ALT in treatment group III and IV after immobility stress. There were also significant decreases in ALP and GGT in treatment group IV after immobility stress. This result may suggest that, MDA level is higher in immobilization stress group than in the un-immobilized animals in serum and this results show that enzyme activities decreased after immobilization stress. © Marjani et al

Earnings Mobility and Origin Dependence: What can twins say together with nonparametric econometrics?

This study focuses on earnings immobility and its relation to the originin terms of both the social background and the initial position in the earnings distribution. Twin data is used to reveal the importance for the common background for immobility. A nonparametric technique is used to study if the immobility varies over the distribution. The results indicate strong immobility, an important effect of the background, and that these effects vary over the distribution. For the male monozygotic sample, the social background accounts for 71-88 percent of the immobility in deciles 3 to 7, where the background is found to be most important. The common background has its strongest impact in deciles 6 to 10 for the female sample, where these effects accounts for 66-77 percent of the immobility. Comparing results for monozygotic and dizygotic twins also indicate that genes play an important role in income immobility.Earnings mobility; nonparametric; twins

Vasopressinergic modulation of stress responses in the central amygdala of the Roman high-avoidance and low-avoidance rat

The central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) is selectively involved in the passive component of the behavioral (immobility) and the accompanying parasympathetic response during conditioned, stressful environmental challenges. Vasopressinergic mechanisms in the brain seem to play a role in these stress responses. The effects of the neuropeptides arginine-8-vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) on modulating CEA activity during conditioned stress of inescapable footshock were studied in male Roman high-avoidance (RHA/Verh) and low-avoidance (RLA/Verh) rats, psychogenetically selected on the basis of shuttle-box acquisition behavior. In RLA/Verh rats, the cardiac and behavioral responses to the conditioned emotional stressor were bradycardia and immobility, suggesting an important role for the CEA in these rats. The RHA/Verh rats, however, failed to show any change in heart rate or immobility in response to a conditioned stress situation. The low dose of AVP (20 pg) in the CEA of conscious RLA/Verh rats caused an enhancement of the stress-induced bradycardiac and immobility response. However, the high dose of AVP (2 ng) and OXT (200 pg) attenuated the bradycardiac and immobility responses in the RLA/Verh rats. Infusion of AVP and OXT in the RHA/Verh rats failed to induce any change in heart rate nr immobility. Binding studies revealed that the AVP receptor selectively binds AVP with high affinity. In contrast, the OXT receptor recognizes both AVP and OXT with a similar (but lower) affinity. This suggests that the behavioral and autonomic responses of the high dose of AVP may be caused by OXT receptor stimulation. In conclusion, on the basis of the present results one may hypothesize that CEA differences in AVP and OXT innervation and/or receptor densities may contribute to the differences in coping strategy found in these animals.

Differences in sympathetic nervous response due to gender

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityThe sympathetic nervous system, in addition to its many roles as part of the autonomic nervous system, utilizes contact with many organs in the body to recruit them for an immediate response to danger. The multiple survival responses that the sympathetic nervous system manifests are typically known as the fight, flight or freeze response. The freeze response, otherwise referred to as tonic immobility, is being explored here for its survival value in the specific context of gender. It is our belief that in situations of interpersonal aggression, females may be more suited to survive by utilizing a tonic response when they are confronted with violence. Research in the areas of both tonic immobility and gender differences will be explored and compared, as well as animal origins of tonic immobility. It is our hope that by looking at the various studies already conducted on these topics, a path for future research on gender and sympathetic response may be illuminated in the field of physiological psychology

Risk marker associations with venous thrombotic events: a cross-sectional analysis.

ObjectiveTo examine the interrelations among, and risk marker associations for, superficial and deep venous events-superficial venous thrombosis (SVT), deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).DesignCross-sectional analysis.SettingSan Diego, California, USA.Participants2404 men and women aged 40-79 years from four ethnic groups: non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, African-American and Asian. The study sample was drawn from current and former staff and employees of the University of California, San Diego and their spouses/significant others.Outcome measuresSuperficial and deep venous events, specifically SVT, DVT, PE and combined deep venous events (DVE) comprising DVT and PE.ResultsSignificant correlates on multivariable analysis were, for SVT: female sex, ethnicity (African-American=protective), lower educational attainment, immobility and family history of varicose veins. For DVT and DVE, significant correlates included: heavy smoking, immobility and family history of DVEs (borderline for DVE). For PE, significant predictors included immobility and, in contrast to DVT, blood pressure (BP, systolic or diastolic). In women, oestrogen use duration for hormone replacement therapy, in all and among oestrogen users, predicted PE and DVE, respectively.ConclusionsThese findings fortify evidence for known risk correlates/predictors for venous disease, such as family history, hormone use and immobility. New risk associations are shown. Striking among these is an association of PE, but not DVT, to elevated BP: we conjecture PE may serve as cause rather than consequence. Future studies should evaluate the temporal direction of this association. Oxidative stress and cell energy compromise are proposed to explain and predict many risk factors, operating through cell-death mediated triggering of coagulation activation

Why is Capital so Immobile Internationally?: Possible Explanations and Implications for Capital Income Taxation

The evidence on international capital immobility is extensive, ranging from the correlations between domestic savings and investment pointed out by Feldstein-Horioka (1980), to real interest differentials across countries, to the lack of international portfolio diversification. To what degree does capital immobility modify past results forecasting that small open economies should not tax savings or investment? The answer depends on the cause of this immobility. We argue that asymmetric information between countries provides the most plausible explanation for the above observations. When we examine optimal tax policy in an open economy allowing for asymmetric information, rather than simply finding that savings and investment should not be taxed, we now forecast government subsidies to foreign acquisitions of domestic firms. Some omitted factors that would argue against subsidizing foreign acquisitions are explored briefly.

Immobility

Surgical anaesthesia usually requires hypnosis, antinociception (ensuring blood pressure and heart rate control) and immobility with varying degrees of muscle relaxation. However, the relative contribution of these three components to the state of anaesthesia may vary between different anaesthesias and surgical procedures. While volatile anaesthetics may be used to produce anaesthesia in and by themselves, most often anaesthesia is produced by a combination of drugs. Anaesthesia produced by the concomitant use of hypnotics, analgesics and neuromuscular blocking drugs is called ‘balanced anaesthesia’.Surgical anaesthesia usually requires hypnosis, antinociception (ensuring blood pressure and heart rate control) and immobility with varying degrees of muscle relaxation. However, the relative contribution of these three components to the state of anaesthesia may vary between different anaesthesias and surgical procedures. While volatile anaesthetics may be used to produce anaesthesia in and by themselves, most often anaesthesia is produced by a combination of drugs. Anaesthesia produced by the concomitant use of hypnotics, analgesics and neuromuscular blocking drugs is called ‘balanced anaesthesia’. © Pedro L. Gambús and Jan F.A. Hendrickx 2020.Peer reviewe

Clinical features of pneumonia in extreme old age

The clinical features of 70 people over the age of 85 with radiologically positive pneumonia were studied. It was shown that the classical presenting symptoms of pneumonia were often absent and 81 % had one or more acute ’geriatric’ features such as acute confusion, recent onset of falls, recent worsening immobility or recent onset of incontinence, at the time of presentation. An increased risk of mortality was associated with acute confusion, dementia, central cyanosis and long term immobility. Well kept body temperature and respiratory rate charts provide a useful early warning of possible pneumonia in very elderly in patients and the finding of a raised body temperature with a raised respiratory rate should always prompt the need to rule out lower respiratory tract infection.peer-reviewe