Effects of new generation triptans – frovatriptan and almotriptan – on hemodynamic parameters in intact male and female rats

The introduction of the second generation triptans in clinical and experimental practice was a major progress in the pharmacotherapy of migraine. Frovatriptan is a second generation triptan with strong 5-HT1B/1D serotonergic agonism and low 5-HT1A/7 receptor affinity, while almotriptan possesses not only the typical 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist activity, but shows an affinity to the 5-HT1F receptor. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of frovatriptan and almotriptan on hemodynamics in male and female rats. We used a non-invasive “tail-cuff” method to measure the arterial blood pressure. Female and male Wistar rats were treated separately with high and low dosages of frovatriptan and almotriptan. Male and female rats showed reduction in all hemodynamic parameters, but only male rats showed an increase in the heart rate. In general we could say that both almotriptan and frovatriptan potentiate cardiovascular safety

“Even the way I make my coffee is autistic”: The lived experiences of autistic women participating in the Icelandic documentary Seeing the Unseen

Ritgerð þessi er til meistaragráðu í fötlunarfræði og byggir á niðurstöðum eigindlegrar rannsókna á reynslu einhverfra kvenna á Íslandi sem tóku þátt í heimildarmyndinni Að sjá hið ósýnilega, þar sem fleiri karlmenn eru greindir með einhverfu en konur og fáar rannsóknir skrifa um reynslu einhverfra kvenna. Tekin voru viðtöl við fimm af 17 þátttakendum í heimiladarmyndinni, sem unnin voru frá nóvember 2020 til maí 2021. Við val á viðmælendum var lögð áhersla á konur yfir fertugu sem geta borið saman skilning sinn á einhverfu miðað við yngri ár. Fræðilegar forsendur rannsóknirnar byggja á túlkunarfræði og notuð var túlkandi fyrirbæraleg nálgun í greiningu gagna. Mikilvægasta niðurstaða úr rannsókninni var að allar konur fengu einhverfugreiningu á fullorðinsárum. Ónógur aðgangur að einhverfugreiningu og viðeigandi þjónustu fyrir einhverft fólk í æsku, sérstaklega fyrir konur, voru aðalástæðan fyrir þátttöku þeirra í heimildarmyndinni. Áhrif heimildarmyndarinnar á líf þeirra var valdefling í formi þess að tjá sig opinberlega um einhverfu. Viðmælendur lýstu því líka að þátttaka í heimildarmyndinni vakti systratilfinningu milli þeirra og hinna einhverfu kvennanna. Sérstaklega athyglisverð var sú niðurstaða að konurnar tengdu starfsval og jákvæða persónueiginleika sína við einhverfu. Þær höfðu líka tilhneigingu til að eiga samskipti við ,,heiðarlegt“ fólk, sem hugsaði út fyrir kassann og var mögulega einhverft. Vonast er að ritgerðin veiti hjálplegar upplýsingar fyrir fjölskyldur barna með einhverfu, starfsfólk og konur án greiningar.This master’s thesis in Disability Studies is a qualitative study that focuses on the motivation, impact, and experiences of autistic women in Iceland as self-advocates in the documentary Seeing the Unseen. It focuses on the female experience of autism because this tends to be ignored in research as the prevalence of autism is higher in men. The data were gathered through conducting interviews in the period between November 2020 and May 2021. Five of the 17 participants in the documentary took part in this study. Age over 40 years was a selection criterion as the goal was to gain a self-reflective perspective over a long lifespan. This study was informed by hermeneutics as a foundational belief, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used as an approach in data analysis. The most important findings related to the phenomenon of being late-diagnosed autistic women. Improving access to a diagnosis with appropriate services in early life, especially for women, was this study’s participants’ main motivation for taking part in Seeing the Unseen. Empowerment by public disclosure about their diagnosis had a significant impact on their lives. A sense of sisterhood with the other participants was another positive experience of participation in the documentary. A unique aspect in the findings of this study was the participants’ explanation of their professional choices and best personality qualities with autism. Another unique aspect was reporting an attraction towards honest, fair and non-mainstream people, who were also possibly autistic. This study intends to provide valuable information for family members, professionals and undiagnosed women who may be autistic

Fjölskyldulíf í sátt við greiningu á einhverfu

Meginmarkmið mitt var að varpa ljósi á sálrænt álag á foreldra einhverfra barna og leiðir til lausna með áherslu á fjölskyldumeðferð. Unnið var út frá fræðilegum heimildum sem tengdust kenningum um áföll og geðhlífar, tengslamyndun barns við foreldra og áhrif uppeldishátta á þroska barns. Álag í umönunnarhlutverkinu getur ógnað ánægju í hjónabandinu og því jafnvægi sem er nauðsynlegt til þess að barnið þroskist og tryggð geðtengsl við foreldra skapist. Skoðuð var fjölskyldan í heild sem kerfi samkvæmt Kerfiskenningunni og í tengslum við umhverfið samkvæmt Vistræðikerfislíkani Bronfenbrenners þar sem stuðningur frá stofnana(exo)- og makrókerfinu skiptir miklu máli varðandi hvernig fjölskyldur bregðast við aðstæðum. Leitað var við að svara spurningunni: Hvaða lausnir eru til staðar til að styðja við góð tengsl í fjölskyldum einhverfra barna? Niðurstöður voru þær að barnið er alltaf hluti af stærri heild þar sem fjölskyldan getur gefið skýra mynd af líðan og atferli barnsins. Það er hlutverk þroskaþjálfa að veita foreldrunum ráðgjöf og fagfólki ber að taka mið af venjum, tengslum, styrkleikum og veikleikum fjölskyldunnar, þess vegna ættu félagsþjónustan og heilsugæslan hvar sem er á landinu að horfa meira til þess að ráða til sín sérmenntaða fjölskyldufræðinga í fjölskyldumeðferð

Cutaneous manifestations of aortoiliac occlusive disease: two cases and review of the literature

Aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD) is non-inflammatory obstructive vasculopathy commonly affecting patients with advanced atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, or elevated cholesterol levels, and subjects with other risk factors such as cigarette smoking. Two Caucasian patients (a 55-year-old woman and a 56-year-old man), with ulcerous cutaneous lesions of AIOD are reported. In both cases, medical history comprises initial lower limb claudication, multiple painful ulcers along the legs and absence of superficial femoral artery pulse. Severe obstruction of both infrarenal aorta and iliac arteries on the left side was demonstrated by contrast angiography and Doppler ultrasonography. The evolution of the disease showed some characteristic findings, including pyoderma gangrenosum-like ulcerations as the initial cutaneous manifestation of AIOD, multiple painful ulcers along the lower extremities, and aorto-iliac occlusive disease due to atherosclerosis. Early diagnosis and surgical reconstruction of vessels in patients with AIOD improved quality of life and limb salvage rates

Effects of new generation triptans – frovatriptan and almotriptan – on hemodynamic parameters in intact male and female rats

The introduction of the second generation triptans in clinical and experimental practice was a major progress in the pharmacotherapy of migraine. Frovatriptan is a second generation triptan with strong 5-HT1B/1D serotonergic agonism and low 5-HT1A/7 receptor affinity, while almotriptan possesses not only the typical 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist activity, but shows an affinity to the 5-HT1F receptor. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of frovatriptan and almotriptan on hemodynamics in male and female rats. We used a non-invasive “tail-cuff” method to measure the arterial blood pressure. Female and male Wistar rats were treated separately with high and low dosages of frovatriptan and almotriptan. Male and female rats showed reduction in all hemodynamic parameters, but only male rats showed an increase in the heart rate. In general, we could say that both almotriptan and frovatriptan potentiate cardiovascular safety

Ex Vivo and In Vivo Study of Some Isoquinoline Precursors

This article concerns the synthesis and biological activities of some N-(1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propan-2-yl) amides as isoquinoline precursors and compounds with smooth muscle (SM) relaxant activity. Aim: find the biological activity of N-(1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propan-2-yl) amides and compare it with papaverine, an isoquinoline alkaloid that has been known as a brain and coronary vasodilator and SM relaxant. Materials and methods: In silico simulation with the PASS online program predicts SM relaxant activity for the compounds. The amides were tested on the isolated gastric SM preparations (SMPs) from rats to determine their effects on spontaneous contractile activity (CA) compared with papaverine. The in vivo effect on the learning and memory processes of rats was also assessed. Results: the data from the isometric measurements showed that one of the compounds caused ex vivo relaxation in circular SM tissues isolated from the stomach (corpus) of male Wistar rats. Conclusion: We found that the compound’s SM relaxation uses the papaverine pathway. It also has an improving effect on the cognitive functions of learning and memory processes in rats

Ex Vivo and In Vivo Study of Some Isoquinoline Precursors

This article concerns the synthesis and biological activities of some N-(1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propan-2-yl) amides as isoquinoline precursors and compounds with smooth muscle (SM) relaxant activity. Aim: find the biological activity of N-(1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propan-2-yl) amides and compare it with papaverine, an isoquinoline alkaloid that has been known as a brain and coronary vasodilator and SM relaxant. Materials and methods: In silico simulation with the PASS online program predicts SM relaxant activity for the compounds. The amides were tested on the isolated gastric SM preparations (SMPs) from rats to determine their effects on spontaneous contractile activity (CA) compared with papaverine. The in vivo effect on the learning and memory processes of rats was also assessed. Results: the data from the isometric measurements showed that one of the compounds caused ex vivo relaxation in circular SM tissues isolated from the stomach (corpus) of male Wistar rats. Conclusion: We found that the compound’s SM relaxation uses the papaverine pathway. It also has an improving effect on the cognitive functions of learning and memory processes in rats

Impact of a Newly Synthesized Molecule (2-chloro-N-(1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl) propan-2-yl)-2-phenylacetamide) on the Bioelectrogenesis and the Contractile Activity of Isolated Smooth Muscles

Introduction: Examination of the potential possibilities of 2-chloro-N-(1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propan-2-yl)-2-phenylacetamide (IQP) to affect bioelectrogenesis and the contractile activity of isolated smooth muscles (SM) from stomach.Aim: Having in mind the structural similarities between the molecules of papaverine and IQP, the aim of the present study was to examine such features of the newly synthesized molecule that may potentially affect the muscle tonus, spontaneous bioelectrical and contractile activities of smooth muscles isolated from the stomach, basing on specific mechanisms of papaverine.Materials and methods: The synthesis of IQP is based on the initially formed aziridine ring by principles of Gilbert’s reaction. Impact of IQP on the bioelectrogenesis and the contractile activity of isolated smooth muscles from male Wistar rats was measured by the single sucrose-gap method and isometrically recorded.Results: IQP (1×10-5 – 2.5×10-4 mol/l) causes muscle relaxation, producing changes in two processes that have influence on the mechanical activity of smooth muscles:1.    Blocked Ca2+ influx through the potential-dependent membrane Ca2+ channels, followed in turn by lowering the Ca2+ intracellular levels. This effect is proved by the changes in the frequency and amplitude of spike-potentials in sucrose-bridge experiments when IQP is applied.2.    Activation of a cAMP-dependent signal cascade. The relaxing effect of IQP was significantly reduced in the presence of KT5720(5×10-6 mol/l), an inhibitor of protein kinase A.Conclusion: We assume that there might be interconnections between these two IQP-dependent processes, because PKA-dependent phosphorylation of the L-type Ca2+ channels in smooth muscles provokes a reaction of inactivation