Effect of agomelatine on psychomotor function tests in healthy human volunteers

Background: Agomelatine is a melatonergic agonist that acts specifically on MT1/MT2 melatonergic receptors and 5-HT2C antagonism. The present study was taken up to evaluate the effect of Agomelatine 25mg on psychomotor function in healthy human volunteers.Methods: The effect of Agomelatine was studied in 12 healthy volunteers of either gender. The study was a randomised, cross over, placebo controlled study, done after obtaining permission from NIMS Institutional Ethics Committee and informed consent taken from all the subjects, after briefly explaining the study procedure and training them adequately. Psychomotor function was assessed using Choice reaction time (CRT), Critical Flicker fusion test (CFFT), Digit letter substitution test (DLST), Six letter cancellation test (SLCT), Card sorting test (CST) and Visual analog scale (VAS). Psychomotor function tests were performed, 90 minutes after administering Agomelatine 25 mg or placebo. Washout period of seven days was allowed between the cross over. Statistical analysis was done by comparing groups using unpaired t test.Results: There was significant decrease in the mean percentage of time (p<0.01) in CRT in Agomelatine group (20.09±9.47%) when compared to placebo (10.48±3.68%). Improved mean percentage of performance was seen in CFFT with Agomelatine (6.2±2.1%) compared to placebo (9.11±2.99%). No significant difference was noted in the performance of DLST, SLCT and CST. Drug was subjectively rated as sedative on VAS.Conclusions: There is no significant effect of Agomelatine on psychomotor performance. CNS processing of information also improved. Agomelatine can thus be safely administered to depressed patients

Superexchange Interaction in Insulating EuZn2_{2}P2_{2}

We report magnetic and transport properties of single-crystalline EuZn$_{2}$P$_{2}$, which has trigonal CaAl$_2$Si$_2$-type crystal structure and orders antiferromagnetically at $\approx$23~K. Easy $ab$-plane magneto-crystalline anisotropy was confirmed from the magnetization isotherms, measured with a magnetic field applied along different crystallographic directions ($ab$-plane and $c$-axis). Positive Curie-Weiss temperature indicates dominating ferromagnetic correlations. Electrical resistivity displays insulating behavior with a band-gap of $\approx\,$0.177~eV, which decreases to $\approx\,$0.13~eV upon application of a high magnetic field. We explained the intriguing presence of magnetic interactions in an intermetallic insulator by the mechanism of extended superexchange, with phosphorus as an anion mediator, which is further supported by our analysis of the charge and spin density distributions. We constructed the effective Heisenberg model, with exchange parameters derived from the \textit{ab initio} DFT calculations, and employed it in Monte-Carlo simulations, which correctly reproduced the experimental value of N\'eel temperature

Effect of nano-size on magnetostriction of BiFeO3 and exceptional magnetoelectric coupling properties of BiFeO3_P(VDF-TrFE) polymer composite films for magnetic field sensor application

The existence of magnetostriction in bulk BiFeO3 is still a matter of investigation and it is also an issue to investigate the magnetostriction effect in nano BiFeO3. Present work demonstrates the existence of magnetostrictive strain in superparamagnetic BiFeO3 nanoparticles at room temperature and the magnetoelectric coupling properties in composite form with P(VDFTrFE). Despite few reports on the magnetostriction effect in bulk BiFeO3 evidenced by the indirect method, the direct method (strain gauge) was employed in this work to examine the magnetostriction of superparamagnetic BiFeO3. In addition, a high magnetoelectric coupling coefficient was observed by the lock-in technique for optimized BiFeO3_P(VDF-TrFE) nanocomposite film. These nanocomposite films also exhibit room-temperature multiferroic properties. These results provide aspects of material with immense potential for practical applications in spintronics and magneto-electronics applications. We report a magnetoelectric sensor using superparamagnetic BiFeO3_P(VDF-TrFE) nanocomposite film for detection of ac magnetic field

The Conservation Costs of Game Ranching

The devolution of user rights of wildlife in southern Africa has led to a widespread land-use shift from livestock farming to game ranching. The economic advantages of game ranching over livestock farming are significant, but so too are the risks associated with breeding financially valuable game where free-ranging wildlife pose a credible threat. Here, we assessed whether the conservation potential of game ranching, and a decentralized approach to conservation more generally, may be undermined by an increase in human-wildlife conflict. We demonstrate that game rancher tolerance towards free-ranging wildlife has significantly decreased as the game ranching industry has evolved. Our findings reveal a conflict of interest between wealth and wildlife conservation resulting from local decision-making in the absence of adequate centralized governance and evidence-based best practice. As a fundamental pillar of devolution-based natural resource management, game ranching proves an important mechanism for economic growth, albeit at a significant cost to conservation

Loss of Ezh2 in the medial ganglionic eminence alters interneuron fate, cell morphology and gene expression profiles

IntroductionEnhancer of zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2) is responsible for trimethylation of histone 3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3), resulting in repression of gene expression. Here, we explore the role of Ezh2 in forebrain GABAergic interneuron development.MethodsWe removed Ezh2 in the MGE by generating Nkx2-1Cre;Ezh2 conditional knockout mice. We then characterized changes in MGE-derived interneuron fate and electrophysiological properties in juvenile mice, as well as alterations in gene expression, chromatin accessibility and histone modifications in the MGE.ResultsLoss of Ezh2 increases somatostatin-expressing (SST+) and decreases parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) interneurons in the forebrain. We observe fewer MGE-derived interneurons in the first postnatal week, indicating reduced interneuron production. Intrinsic electrophysiological properties in SST+ and PV+ interneurons are normal, but PV+ interneurons display increased axonal complexity in Ezh2 mutant mice. Single nuclei multiome analysis revealed differential gene expression patterns in the embryonic MGE that are predictive of these cell fate changes. Lastly, CUT&amp;Tag analysis revealed that some genomic loci are particularly resistant or susceptible to shifts in H3K27me3 levels in the absence of Ezh2, indicating differential selectivity to epigenetic perturbation.DiscussionThus, loss of Ezh2 in the MGE alters interneuron fate, morphology, and gene expression and regulation. These findings have important implications for both normal development and potentially in disease etiologies

Effect of agomelatine on psychomotor function tests in healthy human volunteers

Background: Agomelatine is a melatonergic agonist that acts specifically on MT1/MT2 melatonergic receptors and 5-HT2C antagonism. The present study was taken up to evaluate the effect of Agomelatine 25mg on psychomotor function in healthy human volunteers.Methods: The effect of Agomelatine was studied in 12 healthy volunteers of either gender. The study was a randomised, cross over, placebo controlled study, done after obtaining permission from NIMS Institutional Ethics Committee and informed consent taken from all the subjects, after briefly explaining the study procedure and training them adequately. Psychomotor function was assessed using Choice reaction time (CRT), Critical Flicker fusion test (CFFT), Digit letter substitution test (DLST), Six letter cancellation test (SLCT), Card sorting test (CST) and Visual analog scale (VAS). Psychomotor function tests were performed, 90 minutes after administering Agomelatine 25 mg or placebo. Washout period of seven days was allowed between the cross over. Statistical analysis was done by comparing groups using unpaired t test.Results: There was significant decrease in the mean percentage of time (p&lt;0.01) in CRT in Agomelatine group (20.09±9.47%) when compared to placebo (10.48±3.68%). Improved mean percentage of performance was seen in CFFT with Agomelatine (6.2±2.1%) compared to placebo (9.11±2.99%). No significant difference was noted in the performance of DLST, SLCT and CST. Drug was subjectively rated as sedative on VAS.Conclusions: There is no significant effect of Agomelatine on psychomotor performance. CNS processing of information also improved. Agomelatine can thus be safely administered to depressed patients

Enantioselective Synthesis of Carbocycles and Heterocycles by Radical/Polar and Polar/Radical Cascades

International audienceWOS:00031368810000

One-pot Crabbe homologation-radical cascade cyclisation with memory of chirality

International audienceThe tandem Crabbe homologation-radical rearrangement of terminal enediynes leads, in a one-pot procedure, to the enantioselective synthesis of six- and seven-membered ring alpha-aminoesters bearing a quaternary stereocenter based on the phenomenon of memory of chirality

Copper Carbenoid, Reactant and Catalyst for One-Pot Diazo Ester Coupling Cascade Rearrangement of Enediynes: Formation of Two Contiguous Tetrasubstituted Stereocenters

International audienceThe copper-catalyzed reaction of enediynes with diazo esters leads to cyclic amino esters bearing two contiguous tetrasubstituted stereogenic centers through a one-pot, five-step cascade. Copper iodide catalyzes the formation of an intermediate 3-alkynoate and copper carbenoid promotes its reversible isomerization to the corresponding allenoate. The alkynoate-allenoate equilibrium is completely shifted to the right by the rapid consumption of the allenoate by MyersSaito cyclization. This is followed by 1,5-H atom transfer and recombination of the resulting biradical. Memory of chirality phenomenon explains the high enantioselectivity