Methoxetamine affects brain processing involved in emotional response in rats.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Methoxetamine (MXE) is a novel psychoactive substance that is emerging on the Internet and induces dissociative effects and acute toxicity. Its pharmacological effects have not yet been adequately investigated. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We examined a range of behavioural effects induced by acute administration of MXE (0.5-5 mg·kg-1 ; i.p.) in rats and whether it causes rapid neuroadaptive molecular changes. KEY RESULTS: MXE (0.5-5 mg·kg-1 ) affected motor activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner, inducing hypermotility and hypomotility at low and high doses respectively. At low and intermediate doses (0.5 and 1 mg·kg-1 ), MXE induced anxious and/or obsessive-compulsive traits (marble burying test), did not significantly increase sociability (social interaction test) or induce spatial anxiety (elevated plus maze test). At a high dose (5 mg·kg-1 ), MXE induced transient analgesia (tail-flick and hot-plate test), decreased social interaction time (social interaction test) and reduced immobility time while increasing swimming activity (forced swim test), suggesting an antidepressant effect. Acute MXE administration did not affect self-grooming behaviour at any dose tested. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that behaviourally active doses of MXE (1 and 5 mg·kg-1 ) increased phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: MXE differentially affected motor activity, behaviour and emotional states in rats, depending on the dose tested. As reported for ketamine, phosphorylation of the ribosomal protein S6 was increased in MXE-treated animals, thus providing a 'molecular snapshot' of rapid neuroadaptive molecular changes induced by behaviourally active doses of MXE.

Tumour-like presentations of anogenital herpes simplex in HIV-positive patients.

Genital and perianal ulcers seen in patients with HIV are commonly due to herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. While it is well known that the characteristic presentation of HSV is a vesicular rash or crops of erosions, the clinical presentation of genital HSV infection in HIV is varied and can assume vegetative, hypertrophic, condyloma-like, nodular, ulcerative and tumour-like nodules or plaques. These unusual presentations often lead to a delayed diagnosis. We describe five immunocompromised HIV-positive patients with CD4 counts ranging from 114 to 326 cells/µL with unusual presentations of anogenital herpes.

Nicotine increases the expression of neurotrophin receptor tyrosine kinase receptor A in basal forebrain cholinergic neurons.

In this study, we investigated whether the potential positive effects of nicotine in Alzheimer's disease (AD) may involve neurotrophic factors, such as nerve growth factor (NGF), closely associated with basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic function and survival. To this aim, we studied the effects of prolonged nicotine treatment on neurotrophin receptors expression and on NGF protein levels in the rat BF cholinergic circuitry. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted. We found that s.c. nicotine infusion (1.2 mg free base/kg/d delivered by mini-pumps for 7 days) induced in vivo an increase in tyrosine kinase receptor A (TrkA)-but not TrkB, TrkC or low affinity neurotrophin receptor p75 (p75)-expression in BF cholinergic neurons targeting the cerebral cortex. Nicotine did not produce statistically significant long-lasting effects on NGF levels in the cerebral cortex, or in the BF. In vitro experiments performed on primary BF neuronal cultures, showed that 72 h exposure to nicotine increased both TrkA expression, and NGF release in culture medium. Neutralization experiments with an anti-NGF antibody showed that NGF presence was not necessary for nicotine-induced increase of TrkA levels in cultured cholinergic neurons, suggesting that nicotine may act through NGF-independent mechanisms. This study shows that nicotine, independently of its action on NGF levels, may contribute to the restoration of the trophic support to BF cholinergic neurons by increasing TrkA levels.

Distributed personal health information management system for dermatology at the homes for senior citizens.

A distributed personal health information management system (D-PHIMS) has been tested at a nursing home for the senior citizens (NHSC) in Singapore. The personal health information management system (PHIMS) from the University of Washington was customized to Singapore's context for teledermatology. A clinical trial commenced in October 2005 is ongoing and the survey results obtained indicate that the participants are satisfied with the D-PHIMS system. The diagnosis and treatment recommendations made by the dermatologists using the D-PHIMS diagnosis module were effective in most cases based on feedback from the nursing staff at the elderly nursing home. The results suggest that a teledermatology system could become a useful tool for the nursing homes and to control increasing healthcare costs for elderly care.

Presynaptic localization of the small conductance calcium-activated potassium channel SK3 at the neuromuscular junction.

Small conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels (SK channels) are present in most neurons, in denervated muscles and in several non-excitable cell types. In excitable cells SK channels play a fundamental role in the generation of the afterhyperpolarization which follows an action potential, thereby modulating neuronal firing and regulating excitability. To date, three channel subunits (SK1-3) have been cloned from mammalian brain. Since SK3 only has been shown to be expressed in muscles upon denervation, this channel may be involved in hyperexcitability and afterhyperpolarization observed in muscle cells in the absence of the nerve. Using confocal microscopy and SK3 specific antibodies, we demonstrate that SK3 immunoreactivity is present at the rat neuromuscular junction in denervated but also in innervated muscles. In denervated muscle fibers, SK3 is localized in the extrajunctional as well as the junctional plasma membrane, where it appears to be less abundant in the acetylcholine receptor-rich domains, corresponding to the crests of the postsynaptic folds. In innervated muscles, SK3 is not detectable in the muscle fiber but is present at the neuromuscular junction and seems to be localized presynaptically in the motor nerve terminals. Axonal accumulation of SK3 immunoreactivity occurs above and below a ligature of rat sciatic nerve, indicating that the SK3 protein is transported in both directions along the axons of the motor neurons. During rat development SK3 immunoreactivity is not found at the neuromuscular junction until day 35 of postnatal development when SK3 first appears in the motor neuron terminals. These results indicate that SK3 channels are components of the presynaptic compartment in the mature neuromuscular junction, where they may play an important regulatory role in synaptic transmission.

[Fascioliasis in children. A study of 10 cases]. / Fasciolosis en los niños. Estudio de 10 casos.

These are the observation found in ten children with fascioliasis diagnosis at the Servicio de Parasitología, of the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, from 1979 to 1990; six children in scholar age; one prescholar and three teenagers; only one was female. Four of them lined at the State of Mexico; three at Morelos; one at Puebla, another one at Oaxaca and the other one at Mexico City. In nine of the watercress eaten was confirmed. The most important clinic manifestations were: fever, weight lose, paleness, hepatomegaly, hiporexia, right hypochondrium pain and diarrhoea. Diagnosis was established by: counterimmunoelectrophoresis, indirect haemagglutination and there were found eggs by simple sedimentation, Ritchie's method and microscopic study of duodenal sample. Leukocytes counts were between 11,000 and 34,000/mm3. Eosinophils were to 77% with 24,430 totals. Only in three of them haemoglobin was found under 9 g/dL. All of them had hypergammaglobulinemia. In nine patients the alkaline phosphatase was found in higher levels; only in three of them, transaminase, oxalacetic and glutamic piruvic were found in higher levels. The most effective drug in the treatment was dehidroemetine.

[Trichinosis in children. A report of 8 cases]. / Triquinosis en el niño. Informe de 8 casos.

A comparative study between 8 cases of trichinosis and 16 of typhoid fever is presented in this paper; all of them were attended in the INP during the period from 1970 to 1990. The diagnosis was established under epidemiologic, clinic and laboratory bases. The range of age of these patients was from 10 to 14 years, from low socioeconomic status; half of the cases had history of in take of infested pork meat. The most characteristic symptoms were: fever, myalgia and limitation of muscular movements. Leukocytosis in addition to eosinophilia were found in 7 cases. Correlation with indirect hemagglutination, CIEF positive test for Trichinella spiralis and biopsy of muscle was done. Thiabendozole therapy was utilized for treatment with satisfactory evolution, except in one case that developed progressive and fatal neurologic damage.