Chronic use of apraclonidine decreases its moderation of post-laser intraocular pressure spikes

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the efficacy of 1.0% apraclonidine in preventing intraocular pressure (IOP) spike after argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) in patients on chronic apraclonidine therapy compared with patients not on chronic apraclonidine use. DESIGN: The study design was a prospective study. PARTICIPANTS: This study consisted of 231 consecutive eyes of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma undergoing ALT: 70 eyes (30%) were started on a regimen including chronic apraclonidine 0.5% use (group A) and 161 eyes (70%) were started on a regimen without chronic apraclonidine 0.5% use (group B). INTERVENTION: Both groups received one drop of apraclonidine 1.0% 15 minutes before ALT to 180 degrees of previously untreated trabecular meshwork. Intraocular pressure was measured before the procedure and at 5 minutes, 1 hour, and 24 hours after the laser treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidences of an IOP spike and mean IOPs at 5 minutes, 1 hour, and 24 hours after the laser treatment were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis also was carried out to identify the significant risk factors for post-ALT IOP spikes despite prophylactic apraclonidine 1.0% treatment. RESULTS: The incidences of IOP spikes greater than 0 mmHg, greater than 2 mmHg, and greater than 5 mmHg at 1 hour after ALT were 32.9%, 22.9%, and 12.9%, respectively, in group A versus 13.7%, 11%, and 3.1%, respectively, in group B (P = 0.0007, P = 0.009, and P = 0.004). Chronic apraclonidine 0.5% use was found to be the only significant risk factor for IOP spikes at 1 hour after ALT by multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The incidences of IOP spikes in group A were significantly greater than in group B and approached the reported incidences of IOP spikes without perilaser apraclonidine prophylaxis. This indicates that peri-ALT apraclonidine is relatively ineffective in patients with chronic apraclonidine 0.5% use (group A) compared with patients without chronic apraclonidine use (group B), presumably because of saturation of the ocular alpha-2 receptors with apraclonidine in patients with chronic apraclonidine use. Therefore, in patients receiving chronic apraclonidine therapy, it is especially important to monitor their post-ALT IOPs and to be prepared to treat postlaser IOP spikes using agents other than apraclonidine.     

Pharmacological characterization of in vivo properties of putative mixed 5-HT1A agonist/5-HT2A/2C antagonist anxiolytics. I. Antipunishment effects in the pigeon

A conflict procedure in pigeons was used to characterize the antipunishment effects of the putative mixed 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)1A agonist/5-HT2A/2C antagonists WY 50,324, CGS 18102A, LEK 8804 and FG 5974 and to further investigate interactions between the antipunishment effects of the 5-HT1A agonists buspirone and 8-OH-DPAT [8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin] administered in combination with the mixed 5-HT2A/2C antagonist ritanserin and the alpha 1 antagonist prazosin. The 5-HT1A agonists, buspirone and 8-OH-DPAT, which lack affinity for 5-HT2A/2C receptors, produced dose-related increases in punished responding. Of the compounds with a mixed binding profile, only WY 50,324 showed effects that were comparable to those observed after 8-OH-DPAT, whereas FG 5974 and CGS 18102A exhibited limited effects on punished responding, and LEK 8804 was ineffective. Administration of a relatively low, behaviorally active dose of ritanserin (0.16 mg/kg) significantly enhanced the potency of 8-OH-DPAT and buspirone to increase punished responding from 8 to 50-fold without altering their effects on unpunished responding. Importantly, ritanserin failed to increase the number of doses of 8-OH-DPAT that significantly increased punished responding. In contrast, prazosin (2.5 mg/kg) significantly enhanced the potency and increased the number of doses of buspirone exerting significant effects on punished responding, but did not alter the effects of 8-OH-DPAT. Taken together, the results neither explain the suggested greater efficacy in producing anxiolytic effects of compounds with putative mixed 5-HT1A agonist and 5-HT2A/2C antagonist properties, nor confirm a proposed interaction between alpha1 adrenoreceptors and 5-HT1A agonists in preclinical tests of anxiolytic activity.     

When public and private self-foci clash: Self-consciousness and self-disclosure reciprocity during the acquaintance process.

Assessed in 2 experiments the responses of undergraduate Ss who differed in public and private self-consciousness to the intimate or nonintimate self-disclosures of a same-sex confederate. Results of both experiments revealed that Ss scoring high on either aspect of self-consciousness and low on the other reciprocated the intimacy of the confederate's disclosures, whereas Ss scoring either high or low on both self-aspects failed to partake in reciprocal self-disclosure. Experiment 2 provided additional information about the processes that underlie these self-consciousness effects on self-disclosure reciprocity. Taken together, the results imply that a strong and predominant focus on either the public or private aspects of self makes one more contingently responsive to the disclosures of a new acquaintance, whereas a strong concurrent focus on both self-aspects can divide one's attention, thereby limiting the extent to which either self-attribute guides self-disclosure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Isolation of sucrose late-fermenting and nonfermenting variants of Vibrio cholerae O139 Bengal: implications for diagnosis of cholera

The sucrose-containing selective medium thiosulfate-citrate-bile salt-sucrose agar missed a sucrose nonfermenting and four sucrose late-fermenting variant strains of Vibrio cholerae O139 Bengal from diarrheal stools. These strains were, however, correctly identified as V. cholerae O139 on a sucrose-deficient selective medium, taurocholate-tellurite-gelatin agar.     

Functional analysis of a rat sodium channel carrying a mutation for insect knock-down resistance (kdr) to pyrethroids

As a model for establishing an optimized medium for human in vitro fertilization (IVF), modified human tubal fluid (HTF) media containing amino acids at concentrations found in human serum and follicular fluid were prepared, and the effect of the media on development of random-bred (ICR) and F1 hybrid (CBF1) mice embryos was studied. The total concentrations of amino acids found in serum and follicular fluid were about one-third to one-half the concentrations present in two conventional media used in human IVF: Ham's F-10 and Eagle's minimal essential medium (MEM). When ICR mouse embryos were cultured in the HTF medium containing 21 amino acids at concentrations found in follicular fluid, the number of embryos developing to morulae at 72 h and to blastocysts at 96 h increased in comparison with those cultured in HTF medium. When HTF containing amino acids at concentrations found in serum was used, only induced morula formation at 72 h was enhanced. The number of hatching blastocysts at 96 h also increased when CBF1 mouse embryos were cultured with HTF supplemented with amino acids at concentrations found in follicular fluid. When ICR mouse embryos were cultured in modified HTF media containing concentrations of amino acids found in Ham's F-10 and MEM that contained higher concentrations of glutamine, embryo development was inhibited. The amount of ammonium produced during incubation for 3 days was significantly less when embryos were cultured in media containing concentrations of amino acids found in follicular fluid compared with when Ham's F-10 or MEM was the culture medium. Ammonium is produced by the breakdown of glutamine in the culture medium during incubation with or without embryos. These results suggest that the concentrations of amino acids found in follicular fluid are more effective and safer for embryo culture than those in other media currently in use.     

Capillary blood lactate concentrations during intermittent all-out exercise

Struma has called for treatment very early in medical history due to its appearance. At the beginning of our calendar, the physicians dealt with this problem already. This paper gives a historical review about the surgical treatment of struma.     

Chronic aluminum intoxication in rats: dose-dependent morphological changes

The objective of the study was to evaluate the chronic cytotoxic effect of very low nontoxic aluminum (Al) in the drinking water of rats. The control group (10 rats) received deionized water, whereas the two experimental groups (10 rats each) received Al in a dose of 5 mg and 20 mg/kg bw/day, respectively. Al was applied in their drinking water during the 6-month duration of the study. Light and electron microscopy (EM) was performed on several body tissues (i.e., kidney, liver muscle, brain). The results showed distinct dose-dependent changes in kidney and brain. In tubulo-interstitial part of the kidney many proximal tubules were hyperdilated. Their cells were swollen and the microvilli were largely lost. Atrophy of some tubules, surrounded by focal areas of interstitial fibrosis was also observed. Some of the glomeruli were undergoing partial sclerosis and in many focal mesangial hypercellularity was found. No distinct morphological changes in other peripheral tissues were observed. In brain, most pronounced changes were observed in hippocampus: they include spongioform changes in pyramidal layer, nuclear deformity and presence of vaculoes in the nuclei. Neurofibrillary degeneration, similar to neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease, was also observed. It can thus be concluded that despite very low gastrointestinal absorption (less than 1%), Al in drinking water might accumulate in the long term in vital organs such as kidney and brain, with distinct cytotoxic and neurotoxic effects.