Heparin in haemorrhagic infarction in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis

Morbidity and mortality in puerperal cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) can be reduced by arresting the progression of thrombosis using heparin. However, conventional dose of heparin requires monitoring of coagulation parameters and carries a risk of haemorrhage. The present study involved 56 patients of puerperal CVT with CT evidence of haemorrhagic infarction. Twenty nine of these patients received low dose heparin till 30th post-partum day or symptomatic relief. Their clinical features and severity were similar to 27 patients who did not receive heparin. The mortality and morbidity at discharge was significantly less (P < 0.001) in heparin treated group. There were no haemorrhagic complications. Low dose heparin is safe and effective in cerebral venous thrombosis, even with haemorrhagic infarction.     

Forced swimming stress induced alterations in ingestive behavior in rats.

The effects of forced swimming stress (15 minutes per day) on body weight, food intake, blood sugar, water intake, and urine output were studied in adult male Wistar rats on the first, seventh, fourteenth and 21st days in different subgroups. There was a significant initial decrease in the body weight up to 14 days followed by a regain in the body weight, which was sustained until 21 days. Though there was no change in the food intake initially for 7 days, after 14 days a significant increase in the food intake was observed. A significant hypoglycemia was observed throughout the entire period of stress. More significant fall in the blood sugar level was observed in the initial period of exposure of stress (1-7 days). There was a significant reduction in the water intake in the stressed animals. Urine output decreased significantly up to 7 days of stress, though it got marginally increased later. Thus, repeated stress may produce a reduction in body weight only initially, which is accompanied with an initial decrease in food and water intake also. The peak response to stress was seen after 7 days of stress exposure. There was a gradual recovery back to normal in the body weight, food intake, and water intake and urine output when stress period was prolonged to 14-21 days. This is suggestive of the adaptation of the organism to repeated exposure of similar kind of stress.     

Enhanced Synaptic Inhibition in the Cerebellar Cortex of the Ataxic PMCA2−/− Knockout Mouse

Mice with genetic deletion of a calcium extrusion pump, the plasma membrane calcium ATPase isoform 2, PMCA2, exhibit overt cerebellar ataxia, but the cellular mechanisms are only partially understood. Here, we report an enhanced synaptic GABAergic inhibition within the molecular layer of cerebellar cortex slices from PMCA2 knockout (PMCA2^?/?) mice, a finding that could contribute to the observed ataxia. Purkinje neurons from PMCA2^?/? mice exhibited an increased frequency and amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory post-synaptic currents that was accompanied by an enhanced spontaneous firing frequency of molecular layer interneurons (both basket cells and stellate cells). The elevated inhibition was sufficient to reduce the frequency and regularity of spike firing by PMCA2^?/? Purkinje neurons. Acute pharmacological inhibition of PMCA recapitulated some of these features in wild-type mice indicating that the changes were in part a direct result of PMCA2 removal. However, additional compensatory mechanisms within the PMCA2^?/? mouse were also a major factor. Indeed, morphological studies revealed an abnormally large number of molecular layer interneurons (basket cells and stellate cells) and GABAergic synapses within the PMCA2^?/? cerebellar cortex. We conclude that loss of PMCA2 adversely influences the function and organisation of Purkinje neuron synaptic inhibition as a major contributory mechanism to the ataxic phenotype of the PMCA2^?/? mouse.