The wake-promoting drug modafinil stimulates specific hypothalamic circuits to promote adaptive stress responses in an animal model of PTSD.

Pharmacotherapeutic intervention during traumatic memory consolidation has been suggested to alleviate or even prevent the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We recently reported that, in a controlled, prospective animal model, depriving rats of sleep following stress exposure prevents the development of a PTSD-like phenotype. Here, we report that administering the wake-promoting drug modafinil to rats in the aftermath of a stressogenic experience has a similar prophylactic effect, as it significantly reduces the prevalence of PTSD-like phenotype. Moreover, we show that the therapeutic value of modafinil appears to stem from its ability to stimulate a specific circuit within the hypothalamus, which ties together the neuropeptide Y, the orexin system and the HPA axis, to promote adaptive stress responses. The study not only confirms the value of sleep prevention and identifies the mechanism of action of a potential prophylactic treatment after traumatic exposure, but also contributes to understanding mechanisms underlying the shift towards adaptive behavioral response.

Characterization of novel CD55 isoforms expression in normal and neoplastic tissues.

CD55 (decay-accelerating factor, DAF) is overexpressed in several types of cancer, including colorectal cancer. Because of its inhibitory effect on the complement system, it has been suggested as a possible target for cancer immunotherapy. However, CD55 is also expressed in normal tissues, body fluids and stroma, limiting the use of anti-CD55 therapeutic antibodies. Two novel CD55 splice variants or isoforms have recently been identified. These have been shown to contain part or all of intron 7 (CD55(int7+)), in contrast to the previously identified splice variants (CD55(wt)), which do not contain intron 7. Our aim was to determine the pattern of expression of the CD55(int7+) isoforms in normal and cancer tissues and to compare it to CD55(wt). We found that while CD55's isoforms levels vary directly, CD55(wt) is much more abundant (on average 48 times more) than CD55(int7+). Moreover, colon cancers that express high CD55(wt) mRNA levels tend to upregulate CD55(int7+) to a further extent. Finally, we compared the protein levels of CD55(int7+) to CD55(wt) by immunohistochemistry in various colorectal pathological conditions including neoplasia, and found that the levels of both isoforms were elevated in all types of colonic pathology. These results show that the levels of CD55(int7+) in normal tissue are much lower than CD55(wt), while in tumors it is restricted to the epithelial structures unlike CD55(wt). Thus, CD55(int7+) may be a more suitable target for cancer immunotherapy.

Reduced inositol content in lymphocyte-derived cell lines from bipolar patients.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to determine whether low inositol content and uptake previously reported in brain and peripheral tissue of bipolar patients are also reflected in lymphocyte-derived cell lines from these patients. METHODS: Inositol content and uptake were studied in lymphocyte-derived cell lines grown in vitro for at least five generations to eliminate influences of drug treatment. Inositol content was studied gas chromatographically and inositol uptake by following 3H-inositol incorporation at various concentrations. RESULTS: Inositol levels of cell lines derived from bipolar patients were significantly lower than those of cell lines from controls. CONCLUSIONS: Low inositol content in lymphocyte-derived cell lines from bipolar patients corroborates previous findings in frontal cortex and in lymphoblastoid cell lines and are consistent with the notion that the phosphatidylinositol signaling system is involved in the pathophysiology of this disorder.

[The dependence of the biological effect of electron radiation on the pulse repetition rate. The dependence of mortality and life span in rats on the radiation dose and pulse repetition rate]. / Zavisimost' biologicheskogo éffekta élektronnogo izluchenia ot chastoty sledovaniia impul'sov. Zavisimost' smertnosti i prodolzhitel'nosti zhizni krys ot dozy izlucheniia i chastoty sledovaniia impul'sov.

Quantitative regularities have been established for mortality and life-span of rats in relation to the pulse recurrence frequency (3-2400 s-1) of electron radiation with electron energies of 25 and 50 MeV. Electrons with pulse recurrence frequencies of 600 and 1200 s-1 have shown a higher biological effectiveness.

[The effect of the pulsed radiation of a fast electron beam on the fluorescence of solutions of biological molecules]. / Vliianie impul'snogo izlucheniia puchka uskorennykh élektronov na fluorestsentsiiu rastvorov biologicheskikh molekul.

The intensity of fluorescence of amino acid and globular protein solutions, exposed to a pulsed electron beam in the presence and absence of the concurrent pulsed electromagnetic field was found to be a function of radiation dose. The observed decline in the fluorescence intensity was slightly dependent on the solution concentration and dependent on the time and dose-rate of irradiation. The effect of the concurrent pulsed radiation of the electromagnetic field was sometimes observed.

[Automated line for the manufacture of sterilizer doors]. / Avtomatizirovannaia liniia dlia izgotovleniia dverei sterilizatorov.

The paper is concerned with an automated line for the manufacture of sterilizer doors made of sheet metal with a C-section around the edges. The automated line is likely to be applied in any branch of machine building, instrument making and other branches of industry producing box-like goods.

Incidence of chromosomal aberrations in patients under combined tuberculostatic chemotherapy.

Chromosome studies were carried out on the peripheral blood lymphocytes of ten tuberculosis (tb) patients receiving combined tuberculostatic chemotherapy for long intervals (3-10 months) and on those of two control groups, one of ten healthy subjects and the second of ten other tb patients in whom the tuberculostatic treatment had been discontinued 10-19 months previously. An increased proportion of aberrations, particularly chromosomal breaks and achromatic gaps, were observed in the patients under treatment, suggesting a possible synergic interaction of INH and RMA in the production of chromosomal damage.

[Medical equipment at the Leipzig Fall Fair, 1978]. / Meditsinskaia tekhnika na Leiptsigskoi osennei iarmarke 1978 g.

This is an attempt to reveal the main directions and trends in the medical technique progress, as evidenced by the most interesting exhibits at the 1978 Autumn Leipzig Fair. Advantages of the functional-block designing method were noted, seen in the instruments made for clinical diagnostic laboratories. Promising features are emphasized, intrinsic for units intended for reconstructive X-ray tomography, autoanalysers for studying blood, enzymes and substrates, as well as for ultrasonic diagnostic devices. The latter provide a combination of A and B-mode echography, or the M-type scanning with Doppler ultrasonic pulse investigation. Such a combination allows to fix on the echogram the precise position of the structure being investigated by the Doppler approach.