Effects of Bupropion on Sign-tracking

Sign-tracking is defined as the tendency of an organism to engage with a conditioned stimulus that has been paired with a rewarding unconditioned stimulus. Sign-tracking behavior may be comparable to the behavior drug addicts demonstrate when going through a period of relapse after being exposed to a stimulus they associate with drug use. A medication that reduces sign-tracking could be used to aid in drug addiction treatment. In this study, we investigate the effect of bupropion on sign tracking behavior, hoping to explore if this drug can aid in drug addiction treatment. Subjects were 48 male Sprague Dawley rats. In order to measure sign tracking, operant chambers were used. Subjects were conditioned over the course of 5 days to associate the presence of a lever with food delivery. Then subjects were tested under the influence of 0, 20,40, or 60 Mg/kg of Bupropion. In the present study, Significant differences were found and Bupropion was found to reduce sign tracking

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Effects of Venlafaxine in Sign and Goal Tracking

Sign tracking is when an organism interacts with a conditioned stimulus that signal something desired. This is comparable to when a drug addict is engaging in drug seeking behaviors after interacting with something which could be associated with drug use. Reducing this type of behavior in addicts who are trying to get off of drugs would be beneficial for the future of drug rehabilitation. One medication we think may work is Venlafaxine, a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). This medication effects behavior by increasing the amounts of serotonin and norepinephrine, naturally occurring substances in the brain. For the procedure, the 17 male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to the banana pellets (which is used in the operant chambers) over a few days. Next, the rats were individually kept in the chambers, one day without the pellets and the second day with the pellets. Subjects were conditioned over the course of 5 days to associate the presence of a lever with food delivery. Subjects were tested under the influence of 0mg/kg or saline, 30mg/kg, or 60mg/kg of Venlafaxine. Significant differences were found between intermediate and sign trackers. There was a significant difference in goal tracking as well, however it is unsure what translates to goal tracking in humans. To be more conclusive about the results, we would need to have human trials done