Differential effects of bupropion on acquisition and performance of an active avoidance task in male mice.

Bupropion is an antidepressant drug that is known to aid smoking cessation, although little experimental evidence exists about its actions on active avoidance learning tasks. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of this drug on two-way active avoidance conditioning. In this study, NMRI mice received bupropion (10, 20 and 40mg/kg) or saline before a daily training session (learning phase, days 1-4) in the active avoidance task. Performance was evaluated on the fifth day (retention phase): in each bupropion-treated group half of the mice continued with the same dose of bupropion, and the other half received saline. Among the vehicle-treated mice, different sub-groups were challenged with different doses of bupropion. Results indicated that mice treated with 10 and 20mg/kg bupropion exhibited more number of avoidances during acquisition. The response latency confirmed this learning improvement, since this parameter decreased after bupropion administration. No differences between groups were observed in the retention phase. In conclusion, our data show that bupropion influences the learning process during active avoidance conditioning, suggesting that this drug can improve the control of emotional responses.

Atractylis gummifera and Centaurea ornata in the Province of Badajoz (Extremadura, Spain)-Ethnopharmacological importance and toxicological risk.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Atractylis gummifera L. and Centaurea ornata Willd. are locally marketed herbal remedies, even though in Spain it is forbidden to sell toxic plants like Atractylis gummifera. Intoxications in Spain are mainly due to accidental substitution of Centaurea ornata with Atractylis gummifera which may be fatal. AIM OF STUDY: The aim of this article is to analyse the current use and marketing of Atractylis gummifera and Centaurea ornata in Badajoz and analyse the ethnopharmacological relevance of two recent cases of Atractylis gummifera poisoning. BACKGROUND AND METHODS: An ethnopharmacological survey was conducted in the area where one of the poisoned patients lives and in Guadiana del Caudillo. The use, knowledge and naming of the species involved in the poisoning was assessed. This information was complemented with an exhaustive search in Spanish ethnobotanical works on the ethnopharmacological uses of both species. RESULTS: Intoxications are due to species' substitutions. The two species are similar in name and use in the area, and both are locally marketed. AG is mainly used to heal wounds and calcaneal spurs, and CO to treat gastric ulcers and wounds. CONCLUSIONS: New intoxications are likely since consumers often have limited knowledge of the plants they consume. Also, it is common to think that all medicinal plants are harmless. As the use of Atractylis gummifera seems to increase in the area, preventive measures need to be taken.

Fundamentos de la oxigenoterapia en situaciones agudas y crónicas: indicaciones, métodos, controles y seguimiento / Oxygen therapy in acute and chronic conditions: Indications, oxygen systems, assessement and follow-up

La oxigenoterapia es una herramienta fundamental para el tratamiento de la insuficiencia respiratoria, tanto aguda como crónica. Los objetivos principales que llevan a su empleo son tratar o prevenir la hipoxemia, tratar la hipertensión pulmonar y reducir el trabajo respiratorio y miocárdico. En situaciones agudas, su utilidad está ampliamente aceptada y en situaciones crónicas se ha extendido de forma importante. Sin embargo, sigue sin haber consenso en puntos fundamentales y son pocos los aspectos en los que la actuación entre los diferentes centros esté estandarizada. El Grupo de Trabajo de Técnicas de la Sociedad Española de Neumología Pediátrica acordó elaborar unas recomendaciones avaladas por esta Sociedad sobre el empleo de este tratamiento, e incorporó las diferentes formas de actuación recogidas en revisiones recientes para intentar establecer sus indicaciones, disminuir los efectos colaterales y procurar una correcta adecuación del gasto económico. Se han incluido aspectos generales del tratamiento con oxígeno, como los mecanismos fisiológicos, las indicaciones para su empleo, tanto en situaciones agudas como crónicas, y los medios disponibles para su correcta administración. Se aborda asimismo el tratamiento del paciente con oxigenoterapia en domicilio y las situaciones especiales que pueden producirse (AU)

Oxygen therapy has become a major tool for infants with acute and chronic respiratory failure. Appropriate goals when prescribing supplemental oxygen are reduction and prevention of hypoxemia, prevention and treatment of pulmonary hypertension and decrease in respiratory and cardiac overload. This is commonplace in the acute setting and is also becoming widespread in chronic pathologies. However, there is a lack of consensus on many fundamental issues, such as appropriate indications, desirable targets and outcome measures amongst centres, reflecting a variety of clinical practices. The Techniques Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Pneumology undertook to design recommendations for a rational approach to oxygen therapy, reviewing the existing literature in order to establish its indications, benefits and potential risks as well as its cost-effectivenes. General aspects of oxygen treatment are reviewed including physiological mechanisms, indications, delivery systems and assessment methods. Management of patients on home oxygen therapy is also addressed with discussion of benefits and potential risks of supplemental oxygen use (AU)

[Oxygen therapy in acute and chronic conditions: Indications, oxygen systems, assessement and follow-up]. / Fundamentos de la oxigenoterapia en situaciones agudas y crónicas: indicaciones, métodos, controles y seguimiento.

Oxygen therapy has become a major tool for infants with acute and chronic respiratory failure. Appropriate goals when prescribing supplemental oxygen are reduction and prevention of hypoxemia, prevention and treatment of pulmonary hypertension and decrease in respiratory and cardiac overload. This is commonplace in the acute setting and is also becoming widespread in chronic pathologies. However, there is a lack of consensus on many fundamental issues, such as appropriate indications, desirable targets and outcome measures amongst centres, reflecting a variety of clinical practices. The Techniques Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Pneumology undertook to design recommendations for a rational approach to oxygen therapy, reviewing the existing literature in order to establish its indications, benefits and potential risks as well as its cost-effectivenes. General aspects of oxygen treatment are reviewed including physiological mechanisms, indications, delivery systems and assessment methods. Management of patients on home oxygen therapy is also addressed with discussion of benefits and potential risks of supplemental oxygen use.

Differential sensitivity to the effects of nicotine and bupropion in adolescent and adult male OF1 mice during social interaction tests.

Few studies have compared the action of both nicotine (NIC) and bupropion (BUP), an antidepressant used to treat NIC dependence, on social and aggressive behavior at different ages. This study aims to determine whether these drugs produce differential effects in adolescent (postnatal day: 36-37) and adult (postnatal day: 65-66) mice that have been housed individually for 2 weeks in order to induce aggressive behavior. Mice received BUP (40, 20, or 10 mg/kg), NIC (1, 0.5, and 0.25 mg/kg as base), or vehicle earlier to a social interaction test. BUP (40 mg/kg) decreased social investigation and increased nonsocial exploration in both adolescent and adult mice. The same effects were also observed in adult mice administered with a lower dose of the same drug (20 mg/kg). In adolescents, NIC (1 mg/kg) decreased social investigation, but this effect did not reach statistical significance in adults. In conclusion, a differential sensitivity to the effects of NIC or BUP emerged in some of the behavioral categories when the two age groups were compared.

[Gastrointestinal malformations: a cause of chest pain]. / Malformaciones gastrointestinales: causa de dolor torácico.

Chest pain is an uncommon cause of consultation in childhood and is even less frequent if resulting from digestive causes. We present the cases of two patients with gastrointestinal tract malformations (diverticulum and esophageal duplication cyst) diagnosed after investigation of chest pain. A potential etiology of diverticulum could be a traction effect caused by fibrous adenopathy of tuberculous primary infection. Duplication cysts are inborn defects. Although these malformations are uncommon, clinicians should take them into account in patients with chest pain.

Malformaciones gastrointestinales: causa de dolor torácico / Gastrointestinal malformations: a cause of chest pain

El dolor torácico es una causa poco común de consulta en la infancia; menos frecuente aún es que su origen sea de etiología digestiva. Presentamos 2 pacientes en los que se diagnostican malformaciones del tracto digestivo (divertículo y quiste de duplicación esofágico) a partir del estudio realizado por dolor torácico. El divertículo podría ser debido al efecto de tracción ejercido por una adenopatía fibrosada secundaria a una primoinfección tuberculosa. En caso del quiste de duplicación se trata de una malformación congénita. Aunque estas malformaciones son hallazgos poco frecuentes, deberían ser tenidas en cuenta al abordar el estudio de un paciente con dolor torácico

Chest pain is an uncommon cause of consultation in childhood and is even less frequent if resulting from digestive causes. We present the cases of two patients with gastrointestinal tract malformations (diverticulum and esophageal duplication cyst) diagnosed after investigation of chest pain. A potential etiology of diverticulum could be a traction effect caused by fibrous adenopathy of tuberculous primary infection. Duplication cysts are inborn defects. Although these malformations are uncommon, clinicians should take them into account in patients with chest pain

Effects of acute bupropion administration on locomotor activity in adolescent and adult mice.

Responses to some psychoactive substances seem to differ between adolescents and adults. Bupropion, an antidepressant which is also used for smoking cessation, induces a dose-dependent increase in locomotor activity in adult mice, although its behavioral actions in adolescents have not been evaluated. In the present study the effects of acute bupropion administration (5, 10, 15 and 20 mg/kg) on locomotor activity were examined in early adolescent (postnatal day (pnd): 29-31 days), late adolescent (pnd: 47-49 days) and adult (pnd > 70 days) male NMRI mice, using an infrared photocell system. Locomotion was recorded for a total period of 90 min. Results indicated that there were significant differences in motor activity counts between the three ages evaluated, with late adolescents being more active than early adolescents. Bupropion (at doses 20, 15 and 10 mg/kg) induced a significant increase in locomotion, but there was no significant interaction between age and treatment. This suggests that the locomotor-stimulating effects of bupropion can be observed at different ages (early adolescence, late adolescence and adulthood), although the detailed analysis of the temporal course of locomotion changes induced by different bupropion doses reflected some differences between ages. The lowest dose (5 mg/kg) failed to induce hyperactivity in either adolescent or adult mice.

[Chronic liver disease associated with cystic fibrosis: energy expenditure at rest, risk factors, and impact on the course of the disease]. / Hepatopatía crónica asociada a fibrosis quística: gasto energético en reposo, factores de riesgo y repercusión en la evolución de la enfermedad.

INTRODUCTION AND GOALS: Cystic fibrosis is the most frequent recessive disease. There are various hepato-biliary alterations, of which the most important is the development of biliary obstruction and periportal fibrosis. The goal is to assess the influence of liver disease on the nutritional status, the progress of the disease and the associated risk factors. SCOPE: Nutrition Unit of the Gastroenterology Department at La Paz Children's Hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective longitudinal study with 53 patients assessed on three occasions over 3 years: at inclusion, after 1 year and after 3 years. Only 37 of them were followed-up for 3 years. A total of 111 measurements were taken, including analysis of body composition, energy expenditure, intake and energy losses as well as nitrogen balance. Simultaneously, respiratory function tests were performed and the presence of repeated acute respiratory problems was evaluated. RESULTS: 37 patients, 19 females and 18 males (mean age 13.04 years +/- 3.28). Twelve (32.43%) were diagnosed as having liver disease (mean age 12.16% +/- 3.86 SD, 11 males, 1 female), of whom 1 presented meconial ileum, 5 were homozygotic, 5 heterozygotic and the other two presented other mutations. Those with liver disease presented anthropometric parameters that were better than or similar to the patients without liver involvement (p NS). Mean Waterlow index in liver disease sufferers: 93.62% +/- 7.87 SD; without liver disease: 93.06% +/- 10.97 SD (p NS). Mean of LVEF in liver disease sufferers: 88.81 +/- 27.32 SD; without liver disease: 75.21 +/- 27.92 SD (p < 0.05). Mean FVC in liver disease sufferers: 95.38 +/- 22.92 SD; without liver disease: 83 +/- 23.7 SD (p < 0.05). Mean energy expenditure at rest/lean body mass in liver disease sufferers: 38.81 kcal +/- 7.26 SD; without liver disease: 42.36 kcal +/- f 6.91 SD (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of chronic liver disease in patients with cystic fibrosis increases with age and is more frequent in males. Liver disease sufferers present a better evolution in pulmonary function and present less energy expenditure.

Spatial learning in male mice with different levels of aggressiveness: effects of housing conditions and nicotine administration.

The main aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the possible modulation of spatial learning ability by housing conditions and level of aggressiveness in mice, also testing whether differences in locomotion and anxiety could influence this relationship. Additionally, we have examined effects of nicotine in the acquisition and retention of a spatial learning task in groups of mice differing in these variables. NMRI male mice were either group-housed or individually housed for 30 days and then classified into mice with short (SAL) and long (LAL) attack latency after a pre-screening agonistic encounter. Locomotor activity and baseline levels of anxiety of these groups were evaluated in the actimeter and elevated plus-maze. Results indicated that SAL and LAL individually housed mice displayed higher locomotion activity than LAL group-housed mice. In the plus-maze test, SAL and LAL individually housed mice showed more total and open arm entries than group-housed LAL mice, confirming the hyperactivity of individually housed mice and suggesting that isolation had no clear anxiolytic or anxiogenic actions. In the water-maze, we compared the performance of individually housed SAL, individually housed LAL mice, and group-housed LAL mice treated with nicotine (0.35 and 0.175 mg/kg) or vehicle. Nicotine did not improve acquisition in group-housed mice and even impaired it in individually housed mice. Retention of platform position was better in vehicle-treated individually housed mice in comparison with vehicle-treated group-housed mice. The present study demonstrates that housing conditions but not level of aggressiveness modify spontaneous locomotor activity and behaviors displayed on the elevated plus-maze test, and can also influence retention of a spatial learning task.

Effects of early spatial training on water maze performance: a longitudinal study in mice.

The aim of the present study is to establish whether in mice the effects of an early experience in the Morris water maze are maintained after a long period. A longitudinal study was performed in which mice of two different strains (NMRI and C57) received spatial training at 2 months of age and their performance was re-evaluated 8 and 16 months later. In both strains, results showed a beneficial effect of prior experience on this spatial memory task even 8 months after the initial training. At 18 months of age, performance of C57 mice that were trained at 2 months of age for the first time was similar to those who received their first training at 10 months of age. These findings suggest that the beneficial effect of previous training could be limited by time. In addition, water maze performance of 18 month-old C57 mice did not differ from their earlier performance when they were 10 months of age, which would indicate that experience in this task could prevent some of the age-related spatial learning deficits observed in mice.

Time estimation and aging: a comparison between young and elderly adults.

Studies about effects of aging on the estimation of short temporal intervals are not conclusive. The aim of the present research was to evaluate age-related differences in the reproduction of a short interval (10 s) using a computerized method. The sample comprised thirteen young adults (M = 26.15 years) and twelve elderly adults (M= 79.1 years). Three parameters of time estimation were measured: estimated time, absolute error, and standard deviation. Results showed that time estimates performed by elderly participants were shorter than those of younger ones, although there were no significant differences between the two age groups in the percentage of absolute errors or standard deviations. These findings could be explained by changes in the rate of the internal clock or to an interaction between more general changes in cognitive processes.

[Pulmonary function after liver transplantation in cystic fibrosis. Report of four cases]. / Evolución respiratoria de 4pacientes confibrosis quística receptores detrasplante hepático.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate pulmonary function in four patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) after liver transplantation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1993 to 1997 three males and one female, aged 12 to 15 years, required liver transplantation for CF with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Three had a history of esophageal variceal bleeding. In three patients, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) before liver transplantation were over 80 and 75% of predicted values, respectively; in the fourth patient FVC was 37% and FEV1was 26%. Two patients presented allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis before transplantation. Only one patient was chronically infected in sputum with multiresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and none had Burkholderia cepacea. RESULTS: After liver transplantation, only the patient with P. aeruginosa in sputum culture and the worst pulmonary function presented a complicated course requiring mechanical ventilation for 43 days followed by non-invasive nasal ventilation for 8 months. This patient died 19 months after transplantation. The remaining three patients, with better pulmonary function before transplantation, presented an uncomplicated course and currently lead normal lives. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that liver transplantation can improve pulmonary function and is well tolerated in children with CF and mild or moderate pulmonary involvement. When pulmonary involvement is severe, combined lung and liver transplantation should be considered.

Evolución respiratoria de 4 pacientes con fibrosis quística receptores detrasplante hepático / Pulmonary function after liver transplantation in cystic fibrosis. Report of four cases

Objetivos: El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la función respiratoria de 4 pacientes con fibrosis quística sometidos a trasplante hepático. Pacientes y métodos: Entre 1993 y 1997, 4 pacientes con fibrosis quística, 3 varones y 1 mujer, de edades comprendidas entre los 12 y los 15 años, con cirrosis e hipertensión portal, fueron sometidos a un trasplante hepático. Tres tenían antecedentes de sangrado por varices gastroesofágicas. Antes del trasplante, 3 casos presentaban una capacidad vital forzada (FVC) y un volumen respiratorio máximo en el primer segundo (FEV1) superiores al 80 y 75%, respectivamente, con respecto a los valores teóricos; el cuarto caso presentaba una FVC del 37 por ciento y un FEV1 del 26%. Dos pacientes presentaron un brote de aspergilosis broncopulmonar alérgica en los meses previos al trasplante. Sólo un paciente estaba colonizado de forma crónica en esputo por Pseudomonas aeruginosa multirresistente y ninguno por Burkholderia cepacia. Resultados: Tras el trasplante hepático sólo el paciente colonizado por P. aeruginosa y peor función pulmonar presentó una evolución más tórpida precisando ventilación mecánica durante 43 días y ventilación nasal no invasiva durante 8 meses, y falleció a los 19 meses del trasplante. Los otros 3 casos, con mejor función pulmonar pretrasplante, presentaron una evolución sin complicaciones importantes y en la actualidad llevan una vida normal. Conclusiones: El trasplante hepático es bien tolerado en niños con fibrosis quística y afectación pulmonar leve-moderada, pudiendo incluso mejorar su función pulmonar. En los casos de afectación pulmonar grave debe considerarse la realización de un trasplante combinado hepatopulmonar (AU)

Estimation of short temporal intervals in Alzheimer's disease.

This study investigated the estimation of short temporal intervals in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Eight patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type, and eight age-matched controls were evaluated in a time-estimation task. The task consisted in the production of three short empty intervals (5, 10, and 25 s). Results indicated that AD patients show deficits both in the accuracy and precision of time judgments: in the three intervals evaluated, the magnitude of absolute error and the variability in time judgments were significantly greater in AD patients than healthy respondents (p < .01). These findings are discussed taking into account the contribution of attentional processes during the performance of temporal tasks. It is concluded that the estimation of short temporal intervals could be useful as an objective indicator of cognitive decline in AD.

beta-adrenergic agonists stimulate Na+-K+-Cl- cotransport by inducing intracellular Ca2+ liberation in crypt cells.

Epinephrine and beta-adrenergic agonists (beta1 and beta2 for isoproterenol, beta1 for dobutamine, beta2 for salbutamol) stimulated K+ (or 86Rb) influx mediated by the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter and the Na+-K+ pump in isolated colonic crypt cells. Preincubation with bumetanide abolished the epinephrine effect on the Na+-K+ pump, suggesting that the primary effect is on the cotransporter. Maximal effect was obtained with 1 microM epinephrine with an EC50 of 91.6 +/- 9.98 nM. Epinephrine-induced K+ transport was blocked by propranolol with an IC50 of 134 +/- 28.2 nM. alpha-Adrenergic drugs did not modify K+ transport mechanisms. Neither Ba2+ nor tetraethylammonium nor DIDS modified the adrenergic enhancement on the cotransporter. In addition, epinephrine did not affect K+ efflux. Dibutyryl cAMP did not alter K+ transport. Reduction of extracellular Ca2+ to 30 nM did not influence the response to epinephrine. However, 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid-AM abolished epinephrine-induced K+ transport. Ionomycin increased Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransport activity. Moreover, epinephrine increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration in a process inhibited by propranolol. In conclusion, epinephrine stimulated the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter in a process mediated by beta1- and beta2-receptors and modulated by intracellular Ca2+ liberation.

Previous training in the water maze: differential effects in NMRI and C57BL mice.

It has been shown that acquisition rates in the water maze vary across strains of mice, although the differential effects of previous experience in this spatial task have been scarcely evaluated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of training in the water maze at an early age (2 months) in two strains of mice (NMRI and C57BL) using a longitudinal study. Mice with or without previous training were tested when they were 6 months, and retested when 10 months old. The results showed that trained NMRI mice performed better than all the other groups, both at test and retest, indicating that previous training had more beneficial effects in NMRI than in C57BL mice. These results demonstrate that the effects of an early training in the water maze may be influenced by the characteristics of the strain of mice. It could have implications in longitudinal studies evaluating effects of pharmacological or behavioral manipulations.

Effects of nicotine on spatial learning in C57BL mice.

In the present study, the effects of nicotine on spatial memory in C57BL/6J mice was evaluated. Mice were trained in a water maze during four daily sessions of three trials each. In the first experiment, nicotine (0.7 and 0.35 mg/kg) or saline was administered once daily for 4 days, 15 min before the start of daily training: an impairment of performance of the water maze was observed in the group treated with 0.7 mg/kg of nicotine. In the second experiment, nicotine (0.7 and 0.35 mg/kg) or saline was administered from the 5 days prior to the beginning of the task and during the 4 days of acquisition. The results indicated an improvement in the rate of learning in the 9-day nicotine treated groups. The comparison between 4-day and 9-day treated groups revealed that the group receiving 0.35 mg/kg of nicotine for 9 days displayed significantly shorter latencies than all the other groups, while the group receiving 0.7 mg/kg of nicotine for 4 days performed significantly worse than all the other groups. The most noteworthy result is that nicotine was more effective after a more prolonged administration than when administered only during the training days.