Conserved Role of unc-79 in Ethanol Responses in Lightweight Mutant Mice

The mechanisms by which ethanol and inhaled anesthetics influence the nervous system are poorly understood. Here we describe the positional cloning and characterization of a new mouse mutation isolated in an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) forward mutagenesis screen for animals with enhanced locomotor activity. This allele, Lightweight (Lwt), disrupts the homolog of the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) unc-79 gene. While Lwt/Lwt homozygotes are perinatal lethal, Lightweight heterozygotes are dramatically hypersensitive to acute ethanol exposure. Experiments in C. elegans demonstrate a conserved hypersensitivity to ethanol in unc-79 mutants and extend this observation to the related unc-80 mutant and nca-1;nca-2 double mutants. Lightweight heterozygotes also exhibit an altered response to the anesthetic isoflurane, reminiscent of unc-79 invertebrate mutant phenotypes. Consistent with our initial mapping results, Lightweight heterozygotes are mildly hyperactive when exposed to a novel environment and are smaller than wild-type animals. In addition, Lightweight heterozygotes exhibit increased food consumption yet have a leaner body composition. Interestingly, Lightweight heterozygotes voluntarily consume more ethanol than wild-type littermates. The acute hypersensitivity to and increased voluntary consumption of ethanol observed in Lightweight heterozygous mice in combination with the observed hypersensitivity to ethanol in C. elegans unc-79, unc-80, and nca-1;nca-2 double mutants suggests a novel conserved pathway that might influence alcohol-related behaviors in humans

Constant-depth halothane anesthesia in respiratory studies

Iako se u Dubrovniku 18. stoljeća osjetio izostanak intenzivnijih književnostvaralačkih poticaja, zahvaljujući marljivosti pojedinaca održava se tradicija pisane riječi i kazališne kulture. U tom smislu značajnu ulogu imao je prevodilački rad, naročito kad se u domaćem kazalištu osjeća sve jači utjecaj iz Francuske i Italije. Početak stoljeća u znaku je frančezarija, tj. utjecaja francuske kulture na dubrovačku dramsku književnost i kazalište, ali i općenito na modu i ostale društvene pojave. U užem značenju pojam frančezarija odnosi se na prijevode/preradbe komedijā najvećeg klasičnog francuskog komediografa Jean-Baptistea Poquelina Molièrea na hrvatski jezik. Molièreovom najpoznatijom komedijom smatra se salonska komedija Mizantrop koja govori o čovjekomrstvu, a u radu se uspoređuje kako je francuski izvornik prerađen u dubrovačkoj inačici s obzirom na tematsko-motivsku razinu, strukturna i prostorna obilježja, likove te jezik i stil. Premda je uspio zadržati Molièreov duh, dubrovački Mizantrop originalno je djelo jer se prilagođava domaćem mentalitetu i književnoj tradicij