Functional Interplay of Type-2 Corticotrophin Releasing Factor and Dopamine Receptors in the Basolateral Amygdala-Medial Prefrontal Cortex Circuitry.

BACKGROUND: Basolateral amygdala (BLA) excitatory projections to medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) play a key role controlling stress behavior, pain, and fear. Indeed, stressful events block synaptic plasticity at the BLA-PFC circuit. The stress responses involve the action of corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) through type 1 and type 2 CRF receptors (CRF1 and CRF2). Interestingly, it has been described that dopamine receptor 1 (D1R) and CRF peptide have a modulatory role of BLA-PFC transmission. However, the participation of CRF1 and CRF2 receptors in BLA-PFC synaptic transmission still is unclear. METHODS: We used in vivo microdialysis to determine dopamine and glutamate (GLU) extracellular levels in PFC after BLA stimulation. Immunofluorescence anatomical studies in rat PFC synaptosomes devoid of postsynaptic elements were performed to determine the presence of D1R and CRF2 receptors in synaptical nerve endings. RESULTS: Here, we provide direct evidence of the opposite role that CRF receptors exert over dopamine extracellular levels in the PFC. We also show that D1R colocalizes with CRF2 receptors in PFC nerve terminals. Intra-PFC infusion of antisauvagine-30, a CRF2 receptor antagonist, increased PFC GLU extracellular levels induced by BLA activation. Interestingly, the increase in GLU release observed in the presence of antisauvagine-30 was significantly reduced by incubation with SCH23390, a D1R antagonist. CONCLUSION: PFC CRF2 receptor unmasks D1R effect over glutamatergic transmission of the BLA-PFC circuit. Overall, CRF2 receptor emerges as a new modulator of BLA to PFC glutamatergic transmission, thus playing a potential role in emotional disorders.

Validation and transferability study of a method based on near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for the detection and quantification of ergot bodies in cereals.

In recent years, near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging has proved its suitability for quality and safety control in the cereal sector by allowing spectroscopic images to be collected at single-kernel level, which is of great interest to cereal control laboratories. Contaminants in cereals include, inter alia, impurities such as straw, grains from other crops, and insects, as well as undesirable substances such as ergot (sclerotium of Claviceps purpurea). For the cereal sector, the presence of ergot creates a high toxicity risk for animals and humans because of its alkaloid content. A study was undertaken, in which a complete procedure for detecting ergot bodies in cereals was developed, based on their NIR spectral characteristics. These were used to build relevant decision rules based on chemometric tools and on the morphological information obtained from the NIR images. The study sought to transfer this procedure from a pilot online NIR hyperspectral imaging system at laboratory level to a NIR hyperspectral imaging system at industrial level and to validate the latter. All the analyses performed showed that the results obtained using both NIR hyperspectral imaging cameras were quite stable and repeatable. In addition, a correlation higher than 0.94 was obtained between the predicted values obtained by NIR hyperspectral imaging and those supplied by the stereo-microscopic method which is the reference method. The validation of the transferred protocol on blind samples showed that the method could identify and quantify ergot contamination, demonstrating the transferability of the method. These results were obtained on samples with an ergot concentration of 0.02% which is less than the EC limit for cereals (intervention grains) destined for humans fixed at 0.05%.

Path reconstruction as a tool for actin filament speed determination in the in vitro motility assay.

The in vitro motility assay is used to measure speed of actin filaments moving over a glass surface coated with heavy meromyosin. In this paper a new method, the path reconstruction method, is presented to evaluate observed speeds. The method is compared with the commonly used centroid method, in which the centroids of the filaments are followed from frame to frame. Instead, in the path reconstruction method speed is evaluated from determination of perimeters of the filaments in each frame and by reconstruction of the traversed paths of the filaments over a number of frames. Biases in the determination of speed occurring in the centroid method due to curvature of paths and to video noise and Brownian motion are eliminated in the path reconstruction method, allowing measurement over a range of frame rates from 5 to 25 per second. The path reconstruction method leads to a clear separation of motile and nonmotile filaments provided that filaments are analyzed over at least 10 successive frames and allows easier separation of uniform and nonuniform sliding behavior.

Contractility is the main determinant of coronary systolic flow impediment.

We measured the relation between coronary flow amplitude (delta F = Fd-Fs; where d is diastolic and s is systolic) and developed left ventricular pressure (delta PLV = Ps-Pd) at a constant perfusion pressure of 75 mmHg (10 kPa) in the maximally vasodilated blood-perfused isolated cat heart for different steady-state levels of contractility (protocol A) and during transients in contractility (protocol B). Contractility was defined as the slope of the end-systolic pressure-volume relation (Emax). From protocol A it appeared that the coronary flow amplitude was only weakly related to left ventricular pressure at each steady-state level of contractility studied. However, the coronary flow amplitude was strongly related to the different levels of contractility. In protocol B, contractility was changed over a wide range of values (0-100%) but developed pressure and contractility changed simultaneously. Using multiple linear regression analysis, we found that contractility has approximately 10 times (range: 2.8-57.3) stronger effect than left ventricular pressure on coronary flow amplitude (n = 10 experiments). These data and our earlier observations suggest that it is the difference in stiffness of cardiac muscle between systole and diastole that determines coronary flow amplitude.

[Chickenpox, burns and grafts]. / Varicela, quemadura e injerto.

An outbreak of chickenpox that occurred at the Burns Repair Surgery Unit, Department of Children's Surgery, Hospital R. del Río, between June and November, 1975, is reported. 27 cases of burned children were studied, including analysis of correlations of the stages and outcome of the disease (varicela), the trauma (burns) and the graft (repair surgery). As a result, the authors emphasize the following findings: 1. Burns and their repair are not aggravating factors for varicella. In a small number of cases the exanthema looked more confluent in the graft surgical areas and in the first degree burns healing spontaneously. 2. Usually there was an uneventful outcome of graft repair surgery on a varicella patient, either during the incubation period, the acme or the convalescence. 3. The fact that the outmost intensity of secondary viremia of varicella occurs before the onset of exanthemia, that is, during the late incubation period, is confirmed.

Studies on fd fragments of human immunoglobulins. III. Immunogenic properties of gamma chains, myeloma fd gamma, and myeloma fd1 alpha.

Earlier studies on antisera against Fab of pooled human IgG and IgA myeloma proteins disclosed the presence of class-specific Fd antibodies, the demonstration of which required interaction of heavy and light chains. To extend our knowledge about the antigenic structure of the Fd fragment of human immunoglobulins, antisera were prepared in rabbits against gamma chains of pooled IgG and of four IgG1 myeloma proteins, and Fd gamma fragment and a cyanogen bromide-produced CH1 preparation of an IgG1 myeloma protein, and an Fd' alpha fragment of an IgA1 myeloma protein. No antigenic determinants exclusively confined to the CH1 region of intact human IgG could be demonstrated with these antisera. The antigenic structure of CH1 intact immunoglobulins may thus only be defined by light-chain-dependent determinants.