Successful reversal of recurrent spinal cord ischemia following endovascular repair of a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm.

Despite recent advances in technique, spinal cord ischemia remains one of the most dreaded complications of thoracic aortic surgery. Recently, it has been suggested that thoracic endovascular aortic repair may decrease the risk of paraplegia. We present a case of delayed paraplegia following thoracic endovascular aortic repair that was successfully reversed on 3 separate occasions in the same patient. This highlights the importance of vigilant clinical assessments, efficient multidisciplinary teamwork, and maintenance of the determinants of spinal cord perfusion following endovascular thoracic aortic intervention.

Acute effects of corticosterone on LiCl-induced rapid gustatory conditioning in rats: a taste reactivity analysis.

Previous research has shown that acute corticosterone treatment can have rapid effects on learning and memory. Using the taste reactivity test (TRT), the present study examined the effect of acute administration of corticosterone on sucrose palatability and the development of LiCl-induced rapid gustatory conditioning. On each of two conditioning days rats were injected with either a low dose of lithium chloride (LiCl; 0.75 mEq, i.p.) or saline (NaCl; 0.9%, i.p.) and 10 min later, received a second injection of either corticosterone (5 mg/kg, i.p.) or cyclodextrin vehicle. Rats were then placed in the TRT chamber, where 1 min intraoral infusions of sucrose (0.3 M) were delivered every 10 min. Taste reactivity responses were videotaped and later analyzed for frequency of occurrence. Rats treated with both LiCl and corticosterone showed enhanced aversive responding and reduced ingestive responding relative to control rats treated with LiCl and vehicle. The implication that corticosterone may have a rapid enhancing effect on gustatory conditioning is discussed.

Examining the effects of lipopolysaccharide and cholecystokinin on water ingestion: comparing intake and palatability.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cholecystokinin (CCK) have been shown to have anorectic properties in a variety of species. The present study examined the effects of LPS and CCK, both alone and in combination, on two different aspects of water ingestion, water intake and palatability. On test days, animals were first injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with either LPS (200 microg/kg) or NaCl vehicle, and 2 h later received a second injection of either CCK (8 microg/kg) or NaCl vehicle. In Experiment 1, water intake was monitored for 1 h on 3 separate test days 72 h apart; while in Experiment 2, water palatability was assessed using the taste reactivity test (TRT), on two separate test days 72 h apart. Both LPS and CCK significantly (p<0.05) reduced water intake, with the effects of combined LPS with CCK being more pronounced than either agent injected alone. Rats developed a rapid tolerance to the effects of LPS on water intake on subsequent exposures to LPS. Results from the TRT indicated that LPS enhanced water palatability (p<0.05), as evidenced by a high level of ingestive responding, whereas CCK produced a pattern of responding indicative of satiety. LPS plus CCK reduced ingestive responding on the first test day, but these responses were significantly increased on the second test day (p<0.05). These results demonstrate that although LPS reduces water intake, it enhances water palatability. The results further underscore the necessity for examining palatability changes in addition to intake measures when studying the regulation of feeding and drinking.

Differential effects of lipopolysaccharide and cholecystokinin on sucrose intake and palatability.

The differential effects of CCK and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on sucrose intake and palatability were examined. Rats were injected with LPS (200 microg/kg ip) or NaCl (0.9%, vehicle) and 2 h later received a second injection of either CCK (8 microg/kg ip) or NaCl. In experiment 1, sucrose (0.3 M) intake was monitored for 1 h on three different test days 72 h apart, while in experiment 2, palatability was assessed by means of the taste reactivity test (TRT) on two separate days (72 h apart). In the TRT, orofacial and somatic responses to brief (30 s) intraoral infusions of sucrose were recorded and analyzed for response frequency. Singly, LPS and CCK reduced sucrose intake, with a more pronounced effect from combined LPS and CCK. LPS by itself did not alter sucrose palatability, as evidenced by continuous high levels of ingestive responding. In contrast, CCK-treated rats displayed a pattern of responding indicative of satiety, as did the combined LPS-CCK-treated rats. These results suggest that LPS does not induce hypophagia by altering palatability.