Uticaj pentobarbitala i pentilenetetrazola na nivo azot oksida u frontalnom korteksu pacova

Levels of nitric oxide (NO) in the rats frontal cortex were continuously monitored before and after intraperitoneal administration of an antiepileptic drug-pentobarbital (20 and 40 mg/kg) or convulsant drug - pentylenetetrazol (50 mg/kg). Pentobarbital decreased the levels of NO in a dose dependent manner However, NO levels had a tendency to increase following the administration of pentylenetetrazol. It is suggested that central NO participates in the modulation of neuronal excitability, supporting the idea that NO is an important excitatory factor involved in the regulation of seizure susceptibility. Also, our results on anaesthetized rats suggests that endogenous NO may be involved in the mechanism of action of antiepileptic and analeptic drugs and this further suggest that NO levels in the human brain may decrease during antiepileptic therapy and increase during epileptic attacks or administration of excitatory drugs. The aim of the present study was to determine the possible role of NO levels in the brain during neuronal excitability and seizures.Nivo azot oksida (NO) u frontalnom korteksu pacova meren je kontinuirano kako pre, tako i nakon intraperitonealne primene antiepileptika pentobarbitala (u dozi od 20 i 40 mg/kg) ili konvulzivnog agensa pentilenetetrazola (u dozi od 50 mg/kg). Rezultati ovih eksperimenta su ukazali da pentobarbital smanjuje nivo NO u frontalnom korteksu pacova, dok koncentracija NO ima tendeciju rasta nakon primene pentilenetetrazola. Osim toga, dokazano je da endogeni NO ima važnu ekscitatornu ulogu u centralnim mehanizmima nastanka epilepsije. Takođe, naši rezultati su ukazali da kod anestetisanih životinja endogeni nivo NO ima uticaja na dejstvo kako antikonvulzivnih, tako i prokonvulzivnih lekova. Nivo NO u mozgu pacova je bio snižen tokom terapije antiepilepticima, a povišen tokom epileptičkih napada ili primene lekova iz grupe centralnih stimulansa

BOREAS TF-1 SSA-OA Tower Flux, Meteorological, and Soil Temperature Data

The BOREAS TF-1 team collected energy, carbon dioxide, and momentum flux data above the canopy along with meteorological and soils data at the BOREAS SSA-OA site from mid-April to the end of the year for 1996. The data are available in tabular ASCII files

Fentanyl Analogs: Structure-Activity-Relationship Study

Fentanyl is the prototype of the 4-anilidopiperidine class of synthetic opioid analgesics. This study was aimed to review the structure-activity-relationship (SAR) of fentanyl analogs substituted in the position 3, or 4 of the piperidine ring. Pharmacological results show that the groups in position 3 of the piperidine ring, which are larger than methyl, severely reduce the analgesic potency compared to fentanyl. It is likely that the steric factor alone (i.e. voluminosity of the group and cis/trans isomerism), rather than the polarity and/or chemical reactivity, plays a crucial role in the analgesic potency of this series. Although the duration of action, in general, does not depend on the stereochemistry, longer action of the most potent 3-alkyl fentanyl analogs such as cis-3-methyl- and cis-3-ethyl fentanyl, is more likely influenced by pharmacodynamic, rather than pharmacokinetic variables. Also, it is possible that the introduction of a functional group such as 3-carbomethoxy reduces the duration of action by altering pharmacokinetic properties. SAR findings obtained by evaluating the neurotoxic effects of fentanyl analogs substituted in the position 3 of the piperidine ring parallel the SAR findings on analgesia in regard to potency and duration of action. This might suggest that similar receptors are involved in producing both antinociceptive and neurotoxic effects of these drugs. It appears that both the potency and the duration of action in the series of fentanyl analogs substituted in position 4 of the piperidine ring is influenced only by the steric requirement and not by the chemical nature of the substituent

Increased carbon sequestration by a boreal deciduous forest in years with a warm spring

A boreal deciduous forest in Saskatchewan, Canada, sequestered 144±65, 80±60, 116±35 and 290±50 g C m−2 y−1 in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. The increased carbon sequestration was the result of a warmer spring and earlier leaf emergence, which significantly increased ecosystem photosynthesis, but had little effect on respiration. The high carbon sequestration in 1998 was coincident with one of the strongest El Niño events of this century, and is considered a significant and unexpected benefit. An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2000 American Geophysical Union.Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofReviewedFacult