Role of Prefrontal Cortex Dopamine and Noradrenaline Circuitry in Addiction

Understanding the mechanisms of drug dependence has been the goal of a large number of neuroscientists, pharmacologists and clinicians who carried out research with the hope of individuating and proposing an efficacious therapy for this disorder (Sofuoglu, 2010; Kalivas and Volkow, 2011). Unfortunately, although huge efforts, drug dependence is still a relevant health, social and economical problem (Popova et al., 2012; Hiscock et al., 2011; Shorter and Kosten, 2011). Treatments for drug abuse are for the most part ineffective because the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which drugs of abuse alter neuronal circuitry are still unexplained and above all, because drugs of abuse determine a global alteration of cerebral functions that govern behaviour through decision formation, making therefore unfocused the identification of a pharmacological target (Volkow et al., 2011; Schultz 2011). One of the first strategies pursued in drug dependence therapy was directed to removal of pleasure associated with drug taking, but the compliance with the treatment has been always limited, although it could improve when it was supported by psychology based motivational therapy as in alcohol dependence (Krampe and Ehrenreich, 2010; Simkin and Grenoble, 2010). On the other hand it is not infrequent that heavy smokers or heavy drinkers stop suddenly dependence just because their will overcome year-long habits. Decision making is a process based on the interaction between prefrontal cortex (PFC) and subcortical regions involved in reward and motivation, therefore it is likely that failure in self-regulatory behavior, that is common in addicted subjects, could be dependent upon the alteration of interactions between the prefrontal cortex and subcortical regions (Heatherton and Wagner, 2011). In this chapter we will review the role of PFC in addiction with particular attention to dopamine and norepinephrine transmission

LC-QTOF/MS Untargeted Metabolomics of Sheep Milk under Cocoa Husks Enriched Diet

The aim of this work was to evaluate, by an untargeted metabolomics approach, changes of milk metabolites induced by the replacement of soybean hulls with cocoa husks in the ewes’ diet. Animals were fed with a soybean diet integrated with 50 or 100 g/d of cacao husks. Milk samples were analyzed by an ultra high performance liquid chromatograph coupled to a time of flight mass spectrometer (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) platform. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that the time of sampling profoundly affected metabolite levels, while differences between treatments were evident at the fourth week of sampling. Cocoa husks seem to induce level changes of milk metabolites implicated in the thyroid hormone metabolism and ubiquinol-10 biosynthesis

1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-h]quinolines: III: preparation and antimicrobial evaluation of 4-ethyl-4,7-dihydro-1(2)-R-1(2)H triazolo[4,5-h]quinolin-7-one-6-carboxylic acids as anti-infectives of the urinary tract

Some 4-ethyl-1(2)-R-1(2)H-4,7-dihydro-triazolo[4,5-h]-quinolin-7-one-6- carboxylic acids were prepared as novel analogues of oxolinic acid, in order to discover the influence of the annelation position of the triazole ring on the antimicrobial activity that, in some isomers triazolo[4,5-f]quinoline carboxylic acids, is selective against Escherichia coli. Some interesting side reactions in the cyclization of 1(2)-R-1(2)H-benzotriazol-4-yl-aminomethylenemalonate are also described. The biological results indicate that this type of annelation is not profitable for antimicrobial activity

Chemical effects induced by the mechanical processing of granite powder

Starting from 1970s, the use of mechanical forces to induce chemical transformations has radically changed vast areas of metallurgy and materials science. More recently, mechanochemistry has expanded to core sectors of chemistry, showing the promise to deeply innovate chemical industry while enhancing its sustainability and competitiveness. We are still far, however, from unveiling the full potential of mechanical activation. This study marks a step forward in this direction focusing on the chemical effects induced on the surrounding gaseous phase by the mechanical processing of granite. We show that fracturing granite blocks in oxygen can result in the generation of ozone. The refinement of coarse granite particles and the friction between fine ones are also effective in this regard. Combining experimental evidence related to the crushing of large granite samples by uniaxial compression and the ball milling of coarse and fine granite powders, we develop a model that relates mechanochemical ozone generation to the surface area effectively affected by fracture and frictional events taking place during individual impacts. We also extend the investigation to gaseous phases involving methane, oxygen, benzene and water, revealing that chemical transformations occur as well

Systematic review of involuntary hospitalisation and long-term compliance

Introduction Involuntary hospitalisation denies autonomy and freedom of decision-making and is frequent in psychiatric clinical practice. However, there is still a lack of knowledge of long-term compliance after Involuntary commitment. Methods We conducted a systematic review of published studies reporting people compliance after involuntary hospitalisation and people compliance after voluntary admission. Two investigators independently searched PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL up to December 17th, 2021 to identify eligible studies. The study is registered with PROSPERO number CRD42022299437. Results Ten independent studies analysing the main indicators of compliance, engagement with services and medication adherence, were included. Three studies show that compliance is worse in people that have been involuntary hospitalised and in the others no association is found. Just two of the ten studies show an association with improved compliance. Outcomes are assessed from the first follow-up appointment after discharge up to 96 months. Conclusions Although evidences carried out so far are weak, the data do not show a trend of improvements and do not seem to exclude the possibility of worse compliance after compulsory hospitalisation. More appropriate methodologies and reliable assessment are needed in future research to provide scientific evidence on involuntary admission health effects

Neurological, psychological, and cognitive disorders in patients with chronic kidney disease on conservative and replacement therapy

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a highly prevalent condition in the world. Neurological, psychological, and cognitive disorders, related to CKD, could contribute to the morbidity, mortality, and poor quality of life of these patients. The aim of this study was to assess the neurological, psychological, and cognitive imbalance in patients with CKD on conservative and replacement therapy. Seventy-four clinically stable patients affected by CKD on conservative therapy, replacement therapy (hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD)), or with kidney transplantation (KT) and 25 healthy controls (HC), matched for age and sex were enrolled. Clinical, laboratory, and instrumental examinations, as renal function, inflammation and mineral metabolism indexes, electroencephalogram (EEG), psychological (MMPI-2, Sat P), and cognitive tests (neuropsychological tests, NPZ5) were carried out. The results showed a significant differences in the absolute and relative power of delta band and relative power of theta band of EEG (P=0.008, P<0.001, P=0.051), a positive correlation between relative power of delta band and C-reactive protein (CRP) (P< 0.001) and a negative correlation between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (P<0.001) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) (P<0.001), in all the samples. Qualitative analysis of EEG showed alterations of Grade 2 (according to Parsons-Smith classification) in patients on conservative therapy, and Grade 2-3 in KT patients. The scales of MMPI-2 hysteria and paranoia, are significantly correlated with creatinine, eGFR, serum nitrogen, CRP, 1,25-(OH)2D3, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), phosphorus, and cynical and hysterical personality, are correlated with higher relative power of delta (P=0.016) and theta band (P= 0.016). Moreover, all NPZ5 scores showed a significant difference between the means of nephropathic patients and the means of the HC, and a positive correlation with eGFR, serum nitrogen, CRP, iPTH, and vitamin D. In CKD patients, simple and noninvasive instruments, as EEG, and cognitive-psychological tests, should be performed and careful and constant monitoring of renal risk factors, probably involved in neuropsychological complications (inflammation, disorders of mineral metabolism, electrolyte disorders, etc.), should be carried out. Early identification and adequate therapy of neuropsychological, and cognitive disorders, might enable a better quality of life and a major compliance with a probable reduction in the healthcare costs

Nuovi motivi azabiciclo [X.2.1] alcanici

Abbiamo intrapreso uno studio accurato avente come oggetto la reazione tra un reagente silossidienico a base pirrolica il N-(terzbutilossicarbonil)- 2-(terz-butildimetilsililossi)pirrolo (TBSOP, 1), e una serie di accettori chetonici di varia natura, simmetrici ed asimmetrici, enolizzabili e non, achirali prochirali e chirali prochirali enantiopur

Effectiveness of citrate buffer-fluoride mixture in Terumo tubes as an inhibitor of in vitro glycolysis

Introduction: Glycolysis affects glucose determination in vitro. The placement of sample tubes in ice-water slurry with plasma separation within 30 minutes is recommended, or alternatively the use of a glycolysis inhibitor. The aim of our two-steps study was to evaluate which Terumo tube is best for glucose determination in routine clinical setting. Materials and methods: In the first study, blood from 100 volunteers was collected into lithium heparin (LH), NaF/Na heparin (FH) and NaF/citrate buffer/Na2EDTA (FC-Mixture) tubes. LH sample was treated as recommended and considered as reference, while FH and FC-Mixture samples were aliquoted, maintained at room temperature (RT) for 1, 2 and 4 hours; centrifuged and plasma analysed in triplicate. In the second study, samples from 375 volunteers were collected in LH, FH and FC-Mixture tubes and held at RT before centrifugation from 10 to 340 minutes, depending on each laboratory practice. Samples were analysed in one analytical run. Results: In the first study, FH glucose concentrations were 5.15 ± 0.66 mmol/L, 5.05 ± 0.65 mmol/L and 5.00 ± 0.65 mmol/L (P < 0.001) in tubes stored at RT for 1, 2 and 4 hours, respectively. Mean biases in all time points exceeded the analytical goal for desirable bias based on biological variation criteria. FC-Mixture glucose concentrations were 5.48 ± 0.65 mmol/L, 5.46 ± 0.6 mmol/L and 5.46 ± 0.64 mmol/L in tubes stored at RT for 1, 2 and 4 hours, respectively. Mean biases for FC-Mixture glucose in all time points reached optimal analytical goals. In the second study, the biases for LH and FH glucose compared to reference FC-Mixture glucose exceeded the preset analytical goals, regardless of the blood collection to centrifugation time interval. Conclusions: FC-mixture tubes glucose concentrations were preserved up to 4h storage at RT. We confirmed that NaF alone does not allow immediate glycolysis inhibition in real life pre-centrifugation storage conditions (up to 340 minutes). FC-Mixture should be used exclusively for glucose determination in laboratories unable to implement the recommended blood samples’ treatment

Short communication: Cocoa husks can effectively replace soybean hulls in dairy sheep diets-Effects on milk production traits and hematological parameters.

The aim of this study was to test the effect of replacing soybean hulls with different doses of cocoa husk (CH) on milk production traits and the hematological profile of dairy ewes. Twenty-four mid-lactating Sarda dairy ewes were allotted to 3 homogeneous experimental groups (8 animals per group divided into 4 pens). Each group received a total mixed ration as a basal diet and a supplement that differed among groups. The first group was supplemented with 100 g of soybean hulls/d per head (SBH group). In the second group, soybean hulls were replaced with 50 g of CH/d (CH50 group). In the third group, soybean hulls were replaced with 100 g of CH/d per head (CH100 group). The study lasted 8 wk, with 3 wk of adaptation and 5 wk for the experimental period. The replacement of soybean hulls with 50 and 100 g of CH/d did not affect dry matter intake, milk production, and milk coagulation properties. Milk fat, protein, casein, and somatic cell count concentration and curd-firming time showed a significant interaction between treatment and sampling date. During the experiment, the somatic cell counts were lower in both the CH50 and CH100 groups than in the SBH group. Most of the hematological parameters were not affected by treatments except for basophiles, which were significantly higher in the SBH group than in the CH50 and CH100 groups. In conclusion, CH can be substituted for soybean hulls in the diet of dairy sheep without adverse effects on milk production or apparent negative effects on animal health conditions