Morphine exposure prevents up-regulation of MR and GR binding sites in the brain of adult male and female rats due to prenatal stress

Our previous work demonstrated that the hormone response to stress and the negative feedback inhibition to these hormones are sex-dependently altered by prenatal morphine exposure in adult rats. An alteration in the glucocorticoid negative feedback inhibition is mediated by glucocorticoid receptors (GR) that are distributed throughout the brain, and mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) localized mainly in the hippocampus and involved in a tonic influence of brain functions. Therefore, the present study examined the binding characteristics of MR and GR in young adult male and female rats exposed prenatally (E11-E18) to morphine (10 mg/kg/2 x /day), saline or no treatment at all (controls). At 60-90 days of age, animals were adrenalectomized (ADX) 24 h prior to decapitation. The hippocampus and hypothalamus were dissected for saturation binding assays. The data demonstrate that prenatal stress due to maternal saline injections up-regulates MR and GR binding in the hippocampus of adult male rats and this effect is prevented by prenatal morphine exposure. There is no effect of prenatal morphine exposure on GR binding in the hypothalamus of males. In female rats, prenatal morphine exposure does not affect the binding of MR and GR in the hippocampus or GR in the hypothalamus relative to controls; however, they are affected by ovarian hormone fluctuation. Moreover, prenatal stress decreases MR binding in the hippocampus of diestrous females and GR binding in the hypothalamus of estrous females. Both decreases are prevented by prenatal morphine exposure. Thus, the present study demonstrates that: (1) prenatal stress due to maternal saline injections alters MR and GR binding of adult male and female rats and is prevented by prenatal morphine exposure; (2) the MR and GR binding in adult female rats are affected by ovarian hormone fluctuations.     

Anesthesia and/or Sedation for Pulsed Dye Laser Therapy

One of the most exciting developments in pediatric dermatology has been the use of the flashlamp-pumped, 585-nm, pulsed dye laser for treatment of vascular birthmarks. In many cases the results are miraculous. The increase in self-esteem and happiness of many children and adolescents has been overwhelming; for some, depression has been lifted, stuttering has ceased, social involvement has increased, and antidepressants have been discontinued. There are many success stories to tell.
Despite the remarkable effects of the pulsed dye laser and the medical and psychosocial indications for its use, the issue of pain control remains significant. We have no perfect outpatient pediatric anesthetic. Most methods carry either some risk or, if not hazardous, often are not very effective for controlling pain. Needless to say, a diversity of opinions exist on how to manage discomfort from this treatment modality. Therefore, we thought it would be useful to share the experiences and opinions of several dermatologists who have extensive experience with the pulsed dye laser.     

The relationship between activity and pain in patients 6 months after lumbar disc surgery: Do pain-related coping modes act as moderator variables?

BACKGROUND: In LBP patients, the relationship between pain and physical activity remains unclear. Whereas a negative relationship between pain and self-reported physical activity was found, this relation disappeared in the case of overt behavioral data (e.g., accelerometer). Cognitive-behavioral models of the development of chronic pain suggest subgroups with signs of physical underuse and overuse. AIMS: To examine if patients with pain-related adaptive, endurance and fear-avoidance coping differ in pain, self-reported physical function and overt physical activity 6 months after disc surgery. METHODS: 24 patients completed questionnaires (Von Korff chronic pain grade (CPG), Kiel pain inventory (KPI), Funktionsfragebogen Hannover-Rücken FFbH-R) and underwent an 8-h accelerometer assessment in their daily life (physical activity level (PAL), number of constant postures (CP)). The KPI differed between adaptive coping (AC) (N=9), fear avoidance coping (FAC) (N=1) and endurance coping (EC) (N=14). RESULTS: In the whole group, pain intensity was negative related to self-reported physical activity whereas PAL and CP displayed no correlation with pain. EC patients showed significantly higher pain scores and lower self-reported physical functioning compared to AC but the same level of PAL and furthermore, a significantly higher number of CPs in daily life. The visual inspection of the FAC patient revealed also high pain, low physical functioning and low overt physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of pain-related coping modes yielded an important differentiation between subgroups of LBP patients 6 months after surgery. Endurance copers displayed signs of overuse in their daily behavior in spite of pain than adaptive copers. The one fear avoidance coper tends to do less physical activity in the sense of underuse.     

Are microproerythroblasts in human bone marrow real or artefacts? A cytochemical note

Early erythroid precursors were studied in human bone marrow smears to provide more information on small proerythroblasts--"microproerythroblasts"--using a silver reaction to demonstrate silver stained nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) and light microscopic densitometry of large irregularly shaped nucleoli and cytoplasm stained for RNA. No significant differences were found for the density of such nucleoli and basophilic cytoplasm between characteristic large proerythroblasts with a nuclear diameter larger that 9 microm (K2 and K1 erythroblasts) and small proerythroblasts--"microproerythroblasts" representing a subpopulation of K1/2 erythroblasts (early basophilic erythroblasts), which are characterized by a smaller nuclear diameter. In addition, large irregularly shaped nucleoli of "microproerythroblasts" possessed numerous silver stained particles representing AgNORs similar to those of large proerythroblasts. The number of AgNORs in "microproerythroblasts" was slightly, but significantly, smaller than that in large characteristic proerythroblasts.     

Possible effect of gender and season on the length of hospitalisation in unipolar major depressives

BACKGROUND: Seasonal variation as well as gender differences of several phenomena of affective disorders are a common topic of interest. METHODS: The authors analysed the possible effect of season and gender on the length of hospital stay in 529 in-patients with unipolar major depressive episode. RESULTS: Age and menopausal status alone did not influence the length of hospitalisation but there was a statistical tendency (only for females) for the shortest hospital stay in summer, that reached significance in females younger than 50 years. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a possible seasonal and gender effect on recovery from major depression. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective nature of the study, lack of systematic assessment of clinical response and no data collection about marital status and living conditions, that also can influence the time of discharge.     

Localization of [Met5]- and [Leu5]-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity in nerve terminals in human paravertebral sympathetic ganglia

Both [Leu⁵]- and [Met⁵]-enkephalin have been localized immunohistochemically in nerve fibres and in small, intensely fluorescent cells of adult human sympathetic ganglia. The nerve fibres showing enkephalin-like immunoreactivity formed a network varying in density around the sympathetic neurons, some being closely related to the perikarya. No labelled neuronal cell bodies were found. No structures within the ganglion were labelled after reaction with antibodies to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, adrenocorticotrophin or substance P. No differences between the distributions of [Leu⁵]-and [Met⁵]-enkephalin-like immunoreactivities were found.The physiological roles of enkephalins are still unknown, but it is possible that they might act as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators in the human sympathetic nervous system.     

Theory of mind and motion perception in schizophrenia

This study investigated the relationship between theory of mind (ToM) deficits and visual perception in patients with schizophrenia (N=52; 17 remitted and unmedicated) compared with healthy controls (N=30). ToM was assessed with the Eyes Test, which asked participants to choose which of 4 words best described the mental state of a person whose eyes were depicted in a photograph. Visual perception was evaluated with form and motion coherence threshold measurements. Results revealed that patients with schizophrenia (both remitted and nonremitted) showed deficits on the Eyes Test and the motion coherence task. ToM dysfunctions were associated with higher motion coherence thresholds and more severe negative symptoms. This suggests that ToM deficits are related to motion perception dysfunctions, which indicates a possible role of motion-sensitive areas in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.     

Dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline changes in the striatum of C57BL mice following myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) 35-55 and complete Freund adjuvant (CFA) administration.

Many data suggest involvement of inflammation in neurodegeneration. However, the exact mechanisms of this cooperation are poorly understood. We have previously shown that induction of inflammatory reaction, both before and after injury of the striatum, affects regeneration of dopaminergic neurons. In the present research we studied the role of inflammatory reaction in non-injured striatum. We used myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) 35-55 in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) to elicit experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice model. As determined by HPLC, striatal dopamine (DA) and serotonin levels in mice treated with either MOG 35-55 in CFA or CFA alone were significantly higher compared to vehicle-treated controls on 13th day after induction. The ratio of homovanilic acid/dopamine (HVA/DA) and 3, 4 dihydroxyphenylacetic acid/dopamine (DOPAC/DA) were significantly lower in the MOG and CFA groups on 13th day, indicating decreased DA metabolism. Noradrenaline (NA) concentration did not differ between groups. Moreover, the striatal mRNA IL-1beta and TNF-alpha levels were elevated during induction phase of EAE in both groups, as determined by RT-PCR. Our data indicate regulatory connection between dopaminergic and immune systems.