Expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the hippocampal formation in affective disorders

Hippocampal output is increased in affective disorders and is mediated by increased glutamatergic input via N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and moderated by antidepressant treatment. Activation of NMDA receptors by glutamate evokes the release of nitric oxide (NO) by the activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). The human hippocampus contains a high density of NMDA receptors and nNOS-expressing neurons suggesting the existence of an NMDA-NO transduction pathway which can be involved in the pathogenesis of affective disorders. We tested the hypothesis that nNOS expression is increased in the human hippocampus from affectively ill patients. Immunocytochemistry was used to demonstrate nNOS-expressing neurons in sections obtained from the Stanley Consortium postmortem brain collection from patients with major depression (MD, N = 15), bipolar disorder (BD, N = 15), and schizophrenia (N = 15) and from controls (N = 15). nNOS-immunoreactive (nNOS-IR) and Nissl-stained neurons were counted in entorhinal cortex, hippocampal CA1, CA2, CA3, and CA4 subfields, and subiculum. The numbers of Nissl-stained neurons were very similar in different diagnostic groups and correlated significantly with the number of nNOS-IR neurons. Both the MD and the BD groups had greater number of nNOS-IR neurons/400 µm² in CA1 (mean ± SEM: MD = 9.2 ± 0.6 and BD = 8.4 ± 0.6) and subiculum (BD = 6.7 ± 0.4) when compared to control group (6.6 ± 0.5) and this was significantly more marked in samples from the right hemisphere. These changes were specific to affective disorders since no changes were seen in the schizophrenic group (6.7 ± 0.8). The results support the current view of the NMDA-NO pathway as a target for the pathophysiology of affective disorders and antidepressant drug development.Stanley FoundationCoordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES

Light and Kno3 on Tridax procumbens seed germination at constant and alternating temperatures

Poucos são os estudos relacionados à germinação de espécies de plantas daninhas tropicais, incluindo-se a de Tridax procumbens, apesar de sua importância como infestante em áreas de lavoura. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito de luz e KNO3 sobre a germinação de sementes de T. procumbens em temperatura constante e alternada. Quatro subamostras de 75 sementes foram submetidas ao teste de germinação utilizando-se uma combinação fatorial de luz (escuro; fotoperíodo de 12 horas diárias de luz) e umedecimento do substrato com solução de KNO3 (0% de KNO3; 0,2% de KNO3) para os ensaios na temperatura de 25 °C constante e alternada de 15 ºC/35 ºC, em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado. Efetuou-se a contagem diária da germinação pela emissão da raiz primária, bem como as análises de porcentagem de germinação acumulada, velocidade de germinação e curva de germinação acumulada. Em temperatura constante, a luz contribuiu para aumentar a porcentagem e a velocidade de germinação, enquanto em temperaturas alternadas houve aumento na porcentagem e velocidade de germinação com a aplicação de KNO3, independentemente da presença ou ausência de luz. As curvas de germinação acumulada se ajustaram ao modelo logístico tanto a 25 ºC quanto a 15 ºC/35 ºC, demonstrando assincronia na germinação de sementes no tempo.There are few studies available on germination of tropical weed species, Tridax procumbens included, despite its importance as a crop weed. This study was carried out at the Laboratory of Plant Biophysics of Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, DF, to evaluate the effect of light and KNO3 on T. procumbens seed germination at constant and alternating temperatures. Four sub-samples of 75 seeds were submitted to a factorial combination of light (darkness; 12 daily hours of light photoperiod) and substrate moistened with KNO3 solution (0% of KNO3; 0.2% of KNO3) for the assays at 25 °C constant and 15 ºC/35 ºC alternating temperatures, arranged in a completely randomized experimental design. Seed germination was daily counted based on emission of primary roots, with accumulated germination percentage, germination speed and accumulated germination curve being evaluated. Light contributed to increase germination percentage and speed at constant temperature, while at alternating temperatures, increase of germination percentage and speed occurred with KNO3 application, regardless of the presence or absence of light. The accumulated germination curves at 25 ºC and 15 ºC/35 ºC were adjusted to the logistic model, showing seed germination asynchrony along time

Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from pigs intended for human consumption in Brazil

AbstractThis study genetically Toxoplasma gondii isolates obtained from pigs intended for human consumption in northeastern Brazil; multilocus PCR-RFLP and sequencing techniques were utilized. Bioassays were conducted using the brain and tongue of 20 pig heads purchased at butcher shops in the city of Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil. Overall, 11 T. gondii isolates designated TgPgBr06-16 were identified. Application of multilocus PCR-RFLP with seven molecular markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, C22-8, PK1 and Apico) identified six different genotypes. Isolates TgPgBr 06, 08, 11, 12, 14 and 15 were indistinguishable by this technique, forming a single genotype; the remaining isolates were characterized as distinct genotypes. However, when five genetic markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB and c22-8) were employed in multilocus PCR-sequencing, all eleven strains of T. gondii were shown to be different. All isolates differed from Type I, II and III clonal genotypes using both genotyping techniques. These results demonstrate that the multilocus PCR-RFLP assay underestimated the true diversity of the T. gondii population in this study. Thus, DNA sequencing is the preferred technique to infer the genetic diversity and population structure of T. gondii strains from Brazil. Moreover, it is necessary to develop new molecular markers to group and characterize atypical T. gondii isolates from South America

Toxicity of antiretrovirals on the sea Urchin Echinometra lucunter and its predicted environmental concentration in seawater from Santos Bay (Brazilian coastal zone)

Antiretrovirals (ARVs) have been detected in aquatic ecosystems throughout the world; however, studies focused on assessing their ecotoxicological effects on marine aquatic organisms are still rare. In the present study, the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) of 13 ARVs was estimated for surface seawater from Santos Bay, Brazil, according to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) guidelines. The results indicated that all ARVs need to be assessed for their ecological effects, considering that they all exceeded the EMEA guideline limits (PEC > 0.01 µg L−1). In this sense, three ARVs (namely atazanavir, nevirapine and efavirenz) were selected for the acute and chronic tests with sea urchin (Echinometra lucunter). Furthermore, the Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) for these three ARVs was also performed by calculating the risk quotient. The acute and chronic toxicity results showed inhibitory concentrations (IC) for the fertilization (IC50; 1 h; range: 11.46–84.61 mg L−1) and for the embryo–larval development (IC50; 42 h; range: 0.52–0.97 mg L−1) of the sea urchin, respectively. Moreover, the ERA showed that these three ARVs are potentially hazardous for aquatic life in Santos Bay, raising concerns about the continuous introduction of ARVs in aquatic ecosystems. The data presented may contribute to the provision of subsidies for the development of monitoring public policies that aim to reduce the introduction of ARVs into the aquatic environment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fine-tuning of defensive behaviors in the dorsal periaqueductal gray by atypical neurotransmitters

This paper presents an up-to-date review of the evidence indicating that atypical neurotransmitters such as nitric oxide (NO) and endocannabinoids (eCBs) play an important role in the regulation of aversive responses in the periaqueductal gray (PAG). Among the results supporting this role, several studies have shown that inhibitors of neuronal NO synthase or cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) receptor agonists cause clear anxiolytic responses when injected into this region. The nitrergic and eCB systems can regulate the activity of classical neurotransmitters such as glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that control PAG activity. We propose that they exert a ‘fine-tuning’ regulatory control of defensive responses in this area. This control, however, is probably complex, which may explain the usually bell-shaped dose-response curves observed with drugs that act on NO- or CB1-mediated neurotransmission. Even if the mechanisms responsible for this complex interaction are still poorly understood, they are beginning to be recognized. For example, activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 channel (TRPV1) receptors by anandamide seems to counteract the anxiolytic effects induced by CB1 receptor activation caused by this compound. Further studies, however, are needed to identify other mechanisms responsible for this fine-tuning effect

The brain decade in debate: II. Panic or anxiety? From animal models to a neurobiological basis

This article is a transcription of an electronic symposium sponsored by the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC). Invited researchers from the European Union, North America and Brazil discussed two issues on anxiety, namely whether panic is a very intense anxiety or something else, and what aspects of clinical anxiety are reproduced by animal models. Concerning the first issue, most participants agreed that generalized anxiety and panic disorder are different on the basis of clinical manifestations, drug response and animal models. Also, underlying brain structures, neurotransmitter modulation and hormonal changes seem to involve important differences. It is also common knowledge that existing animal models generate different types of fear/anxiety. A challenge for future research is to establish a good correlation between animal models and nosological classification.Universidade Federal do Paraná Departamento de Farmacologia Laboratório de Fisiologia e Farmacologia do Sistema Nervoso CentralUniversity of Hawaii Department of NeurobiologyUniversity of Hawaii Department of PsychologyUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto Departamento de PsicobiologiaUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto Departamento de FisiologiaUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto Departamento de NeuropsiquiatriaUniversidade Federal de Santa Catarina Departamento de FarmacologiaCentral Nervous System Research Department Sanofi SynthelaboAston University Institute of Pharmaceutical SciencesHoffmann-La Roche Ltd.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de PsicologiaUniversity of Leeds Department of Psychology Ethopharmacology LaboratoryUniversidade Federal do Espírito Santo Centro de Biomedicina Departamento de Ciências FisiológicasUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de PsicologiaSciEL

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Monitoramento do ciclo estral de cutias (Dasyprocta leporina Lichtenstein, 1823) através de citologia esfoliativa vaginal e ultrassonografia

O objetivo deste estudo foi monitorar o ciclo estral em cutias (Dasyprocta leporina) criadas em cativeiro no semiárido brasileiro. Durante 70 dias, cinco cutias foram diariamente submetidas a citologia esfoliativa vaginal, e o monitoramento ultrassonográfico ovariano foi realizado a cada três dias. Um total de 8 ciclos estrais foi completamente monitorado, com duração de 28,2±0,7 dias, variando de 24 a 31 dias. Pela citologia esfoliativa vaginal, houve uma predominância de células superficiais nas fases de proestro e estro (P0,05). Os folículos foram identificados durante as fases estrogênicas (proestro e estro), com diâmetro médio de 1±0,5mm. Em apenas 12,5% das fases luteais, corpos lúteos medindo 1,4±0,9mm foram identificados. Conclui-se que a associação da citologia vaginal e da ultrassonografia ovariana constitui uma alternativa viável para o monitoramento de ciclos estrais e identificação das fases estrogênicas em cutias da espécie Dasyprocta leporin