N-acetylcysteine and ceftriaxone as preconditioning strategies in focal brain ischemia : influence on glutamate transporters expression

Glutamate (Glu) plays a key role in excitotoxicity-related injury in cerebral ischemia. In the brain, Glu homeostasis depends on Glu transporters, including the excitatory amino acid transporters and the cysteine/Glu antiporter (xc-). We hypothesized that drugs acting on Glu transporters, such as ceftriaxone (CEF, 200 mg/kg, i.p.) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 150 mg/kg, i.p.), administered repeatedly for 5 days before focal cerebral ischemia in rats and induced by a 90-min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), may induce brain tolerance to ischemia. We compared the effects of these drugs on brain infarct volume, neurological deficits and the mRNA and protein expression of the Glu transporter-1 (GLT-1) and xc- with the effects of ischemic preconditioning and chemical preconditioning using 3-nitropropionic acid. Administration of CEF and NAC significantly reduced infarct size and neurological deficits caused by a 90-min MCAO. These beneficial effects were accompanied by changes in GLT-1 expression caused by a 90-min MCAO at both the mRNA and protein levels in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, and dorsal striatum. Thus, the results of this study suggest that the regulation of GLT-1 and xc- plays a role in the development of cerebral tolerance to ischemia and that this regulation may be a novel approach in the therapy of brain ischemia

Ethylene glycol ethers induce oxidative stress in the rat brain

Ethylene glycol ethers (EGEs) are components of many industrial and household products. Their hemolytic and gonadotoxic effects are relatively well known while their potential adverse effects on the central nervous system have not yet been clearly demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of 4-week administration of 2-buthoxyethanol (BE), 2-phenoxyethanol (PHE) and 2-ethoxyethanol (EE) on the total antioxidant capacity, activity of some antioxidant enzymes, such as the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase and lipid peroxidation in the frontal cortex and hippocampus in the rat. These studies showed that BE and PHE decreased the total antioxidant activity, SOD and GPX activity, while increased lipid peroxidation in the frontal cortex. Like in the frontal cortex, also in the hippocampus BE and PHE attenuated the total antioxidant activity, however, lipid peroxidation was increased only in animals which received BE while reduction in GPX activity was present in rats administered PHE. The obtained data indicated that 4-week administration of BE and PHE, but not EE, reduced the total antioxidant activity and enhanced lipid peroxidation in the brain. In the frontal cortex, adverse effects of PHE and BE on lipid peroxidation probably depended on reduction in SOD and GPX activity, however, in the hippocampus the changes in the total antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation were not connected with reduction of the investigated antioxidant enzyme activity

Morphological filtering using graphs

Celem pracy było zaproponowanie algorytmów obrazujących działanie filtracji morfologicznej wykorzystującej grafy. Oznacza to, że przekształcenia nie zostały wykonane na pikselach, lecz każda z operacji była zrealizowana na obszarach. W pracy przedstawiono efekty działania następujących przekształceń morfologicznych: erozji, dylatacji, otwarcia oraz zamknięcia. Operacje te przeprowadzone zostały na obrazach mozaikowych, zarówno binarnych jak i monochromatycznych. Praca zawiera niezbędne definicje, opis dwóch algorytmów, wnioski oraz ocenę przydatności takiego postępowania. Środowiskiem programistycznym był program Matlab.The aim was to propose algorithms, showing the action of morphological filtering that uses graphs. This means that the transformation has not been performed on the pixels, but each operation was carried out in the areas. The study presents effects of the following morphological transformations: erosion, dilation, opening and closing. These operations were carried out on mosaic images, both binary and monochrome. The work includes: necessary definitions, description of the two algorithms, conclusions and evaluation of the usefulness of such a procedure. Development environment was Matlab.praca inżyniersk