Female rat sexual behavior is unaffected by perinatal fluoxetine exposure

Serotonin plays an important role in adult female sexual behavior, however little is known about the influence of serotonin during early development on sexual functioning in adulthood. During early development, serotonin acts as neurotrophic factor, while it functions as a modulatory neurotransmitter in adulthood. The occurrence of serotonin release, could thus have different effects on behavioral outcomes, depending on the developmental period in which serotonin is released. Because serotonin is involved in the development of the HPG axis which is required for puberty establishment, serotonin could also alter expression patterns of for instance the estrogen receptor ɑ (ERɑ). The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of increased serotonin levels during early development on adult female rat sexual behavior during the full behavioral estrus in a seminatural environment. To do so, rats were perinatally exposed with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine (10 mg/kg FLX) and sexual performance was tested during adulthood. All facets of female sexual behavior between the first and last lordosis (behavioral estrus), and within each copulation bout of the behavioral estrus were analyzed. Besides the length and onset of the behavioral estrus and the sexual behaviors patterns, other social and conflict behavior were also investigated. In addition, we studied the effects of perinatal FLX exposure on ERɑ expression patterns in the medial preoptic nucleus, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, medial amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and the dorsal raphé nucleus. The results showed that perinatal fluoxetine exposure has no effect on adult female sexual behavior. The behavioral estrus of FLX-females had the same length and pattern as CTR-females. In addition, FLX- and CTR-females showed the same amount of paracopulatory behavior and lordosis, both during the full behavioral estrus and the "most active bout". Furthermore, no differences were found in the display of social and conflict behaviors, nor in ERɑ expression patterns in the brain. We conclude that increases in serotonin levels during early development do not have long-term consequences for female sexual behavior in adulthood.</p

Thrombotic complications in beating heart operations

AbstractBackground: Off-pump coronary artery operations have recently gained popularity among the community of cardiac surgeons. Because the use of cardiopulmonary bypass is avoided, full anticoagulation is generally not sought to decrease perioperative blood loss and transfusion needs. Traditionally, patients undergoing coronary artery bypass operations with cardiopulmonary bypass are not considered at risk of having venous or arterial thromboembolic complications, and prophylaxis is generally not recommended. Methods and results: We have reviewed our experience with off-pump coronary bypass operations, focusing on thromboembolic complications with clinical manifestations, and compared these findings with our experience with cardiopulmonary bypass operations. In our series of 500 off-pump cases, thromboembolic complications occurred in 1%, causing death in 1 patient, whereas in a contemporary cohort of 1476 patients operated on with cardiopulmonary bypass, thromboembolic complications resulted in stroke in 0.5% of the cases. This difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Thromboembolic complications in off-pump coronary bypass operations are comparable with those in cardiopulmonary bypass operations. Although the prevalence of this complication remains low, the associated morbidity should lead to reconsideration of prophylactic measures. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;121:920-2

Glial Cells Decipher Synaptic Competition at the Mammalian Neuromuscular Junction

It is now accepted that glial cells actively interact with neurons and modulate their activity in many regions of the nervous system. Importantly, modulation of synaptic activity by glial cells depends on the proper detection and decoding of synaptic activity. However, it remains unknown whether glial cells are capable of decoding synaptic activity and properties during early postdevelopmental stages, in particular when different presynaptic nerve terminals compete for the control of the same synaptic site. This may be particularly relevant because a major determinant of the outcome of synaptic competition process is the relative synaptic strength of competing terminals whereby stronger terminals are more likely to occupy postsynaptic territory and become stabilized while weaker terminals are often eliminated. Hence, because of their ability to decode synaptic activity, glial cells should be able to integrate neuronal information of competing terminals. Using simultaneous glial Ca2+imaging and synaptic recordings of dually innervated mouse neuromuscular junctions, we report that single glial cells decipher the strength of competing nerve terminals. Activity of single glial cells, revealed by Ca2+responses, reflects the synaptic strength of each competing nerve terminal and the state of synaptic competition. This deciphering is mediated by functionally segregated purinergic receptors and intrinsic properties of glial cells. Our results indicate that glial cells decode ongoing synaptic competition and, hence, are poised to influence its outcome.</jats:p

New perspectives on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: the role of glial cells at the neuromuscular junction

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease leading to the death of motor neurons (MNs). It is also recognized as a non‐cell autonomous disease where glial cells in the CNS are involved in its pathogenesis and progression. However, although denervation of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) represents an early and major event in ALS, the importance of glial cells at this synapse receives little attention. An interesting possibility is that altered relationships between glial cells and MNs in the spinal cord in ALS may also take place at the NMJ. Perisynaptic Schwann cells (PSCs), which are glial cells at the NMJ, show great morphological and functional adaptability to ensure NMJ stability, maintenance and repair. More specifically, PSCs change their properties according to the state of innervation. Hence, abnormal changes or lack of changes can have detrimental effects on NMJs in ALS. This review will provide an overview of known and hypothesized interactions between MN nerve terminals and PSCs at NMJs during development, aging and ALS‐induced denervation. These neuron–PSC interactions may be crucial to the understanding of how degenerative changes begin and progress at NMJs in ALS, and represent a novel therapeutic target. [Image: see text