Attenuation of acute morphine withdrawal in the neonatal rat by the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist LY235959.

The present study examined the ability of LY235959, a competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, to attenuate behaviors and c-fos mRNA expression associated with acute morphine withdrawal in the infant rat. Rat pups were given a single dose of morphine (10.0 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline. Two hours later, pups were removed from the dam and injected with either LY235959 (10.0 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline. Fifteen minutes later acute morphine withdrawal was precipitated with naltrexone (10.0 mg/kg, s.c.) and behaviors were recorded every 15 s for the next 60 min. Immediately after behavioral testing, brain and spinal cord were assayed for c-fos mRNA analysis by solution hybridization. The intensity of the morphine withdrawal syndrome was reduced in pups pre-treated with LY235959. Withdrawal behaviors such as head moves, moving paws, rolling, and walking were decreased, and vocalizations were completely eliminated in pups pre-treated with LY2359559. Acute morphine withdrawal increased c-fos mRNA expression in the brain and the spinal cord, which was attenuated by pre-treatment of LY235959. Thus, in the 7-day-old rat, as in the adult, NMDA receptors play a role in the behavioral and molecular manifestations of acute morphine withdrawal.     

A prospective comparison of wedge matrix resection with nail matrix phenolization for the treatment of ingrown toenail

In a prospective study, 110 patients with ingrown toenails were operated on, 55 with wedge matrix resection (WMR) and 55 with nail matrix phenolization (NMP). The patients were randomized on the basis of their address. All patients were reviewed by questionnaire 4 weeks postoperatively to establish the degree of pain, time of pain relief, walking and working ability, and the presence of infection. Furthermore, they were examined clinically at a median follow-up time of 11 months postoperatively to evaluate recurrence rate, rate of spicula formation, and patient satisfaction with regard to cosmesis and symptom relief. The data were tested for statistical significance using the chi-square test and Mann-Whitney rank sum test. The recurrence rate of ingrown toenail for the WMR group was 5.5% (3 patients) with a spicula rate of 36% (20 patients) and a reoperation rate of 20% (9 patients). In the NMP group, there were no recurrences (p = n.s.), the spicula rate was 7.3% (4 patients) (p < .005) and no patients were reoperated on (p < .016). Patient satisfaction with less pain and earlier pain relief was greatest in the NMP group. These results indicate that nail matrix phenolization is an efficient therapy for ingrown toenails and may be preferable to nail wedge resection.     

The Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Breast Density Changes: A Clinical Trial Study

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of supplementation with 50,000 IU/monthly vitamin D for 1 yr on breast density in Iranian women. Methods: This double-blind, placebo-controlled, single center clinical trial was conducted among 400 women aged 40 yr and older. Participants were allocated to 2 groups. Group 1 received vitamin D (Cholecalciferol) 50,000 IU in tablet form, monthly, for 1 yr. Group 2 received vitamin E 400 IU in tablet form, monthly, for the same period of time. Participants had follow-up clinic visits every 6 mo and received an annual mammogram. Results: Final data were evaluated based on 216 and 194 women in the vitamin D and control groups. The mean decrease in mammographic density was ?5.01%(95% CI, ?9.9% to ?0.01%) and ?2.34 %(95% CI, ?6.84% to ?2.15%) in the vitamin D and control groups, respectively. There was no significant association between vitamin D consumption and breast density after 1 yr (OR = 0.7, 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.06; P = 0.1).Similar results were observed when multivariate model of logistic regression analysis was performed. Conclusions: This study showed that monthly consumption of 50,000 IU of vitamin D supplementation for 1 yr did not affect breast density.     

Antiproliferative and Apoptosis-Inducing Activities of Thymoquinone in Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cell Line

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is one of the malignant proliferations of lymphoid cells in the early stages of differentiation and accounts for about 80% of all cases of childhood leukemia. Side effects of available treatment are still main concern. Thymoquinone (TQ), a natural compound isolated from Nigella sativa, induces growth inhibition and apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of TQ alone and in combination with doxorubicine on the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction of TQ in a lymphoblastic leukemia cell line. Jurkat cell line was cultured in standard condition and with concentrations of TQ (0–30 μm) and doxorubicine for 24, 48 and 72 h. Cell viability was measured by MTS assay. Apoptosis induction by TQ was assessed by annexin V-FITC/PI and flow cytometry analysis. TQ and DOX decreased cell viability with a time and dose dependent manner. The IC50 values were 19.461 ± 1.141, 17.342 ± 1.949 and 14.123 ± 1.874 μM in 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively for TQ. IC50 values for DOX were. 075 ± .0124, .028 ± .007 and.007 ± .001 μM in 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively. The level of cell apoptosis in all used concentrations of TQ (4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 μm) was higher than control group (10.2, 14.1, 36.6, 87.5 and 93.3% respectively after 24 h; 10.7, 13.9, 64.6, 92.2 and 93.1 respectively after 48 h; 2.83, 5.83, 41.4, 71.6 and 86.6% respectively after 72 h) and reached to a significant level at 12, 16 and 20 μm concentration for 24 and 48 h and 16 and 20 μm for 72 h incubation. Combination of doxorubicine and TQ lead to a synergistic cytotoxicity as compared to any of them alone. The study indicated that TQ is effective on proliferation inhibition and is a strong apoptotic inducer in Jurkat lymphoblastic cell line and has synergistic effect in combination with DOX. This combination strategy can be an alternative way for more powerful anticancer effects. Therefore, the study of the mechanism of apoptosis induction of TQ can be a step forward to in target therapy which might be considered in the future studies.     

Prevalence and Correlates of Hepatitis C Infection among Male Injection Drug Users in Detention,Tehran, Iran

For the benefit of planning for the future care and treatment of people infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and to help guide prevention and control programs, data are needed on HCV seroprevalence and associated risk factors. We conducted a cross-sectional sero-behavioral survey of injection drug users (IDU) detained for mandatory rehabilitation during a police sweep of Tehran, Iran, in early 2006. During the study period, a consecutive sample comprising 454 of 499 (91.0%) men arrested and determined to be IDU by urine test and physical examination consented to a face-to-face interview and blood collection for HCV antibody testing. Overall, HCV prevalence was 80.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 76.2–83.6). Factors independently associated with HCV infection included history of incarceration (adjusted OR 4.35, 95% CI 1.88–10.08), age of first injection ≤25 years (OR 2.72, 95% CI 1.09–6.82), and history of tattooing (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.05–5.17). HCV prevalence in this population of IDU upon intake to jail was extremely high and possibly approaching saturation. Findings support that incarceration is contributing to the increased spread of HCV infection in Iran and calls for urgent increased availability of HCV treatment, long-term preparation for the care of complications of chronic infection, and rapid scale-up of programs for the primary prevention of parenterally transmitted infections among drug users.     

The clinically available NMDA receptor antagonist dextromethorphan attenuates acute morphine withdrawal in the neonatal rat

We investigated the ability of dextromethorphan, a clinically available NMDA receptor antagonist, to attenuate the behaviors and the expression of c-fos mRNA associated with acute morphine withdrawal in the 7-day-old rat. The intensity of the acute morphine withdrawal behaviors and the elevation in c-fos mRNA expression in the brain induced by acute morphine withdrawal were reduced by dextromethorphan. Thus, dextromethorphan can attenuate acute morphine withdrawal in the developing organism.     

Sex differences in the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine

Several recent reports have demonstrated sex differences in the behavioral and neurochemical response to cocaine. However, it is not clear whether differences exist in cocaine reward or the extent to which adrenal hormones regulate cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in either sex. To address these questions, side-by-side comparisons were conducted to determine the effects of conditioning length, cocaine dose and adrenalectomy on cocaine CPP in male and female rats. Female rats demonstrated cocaine CPP after four pairing sessions, while male rats required eight pairing sessions to develop CPP for cocaine. Also, female rats developed CPP at cocaine doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg while male rats required higher cocaine doses (20 mg/kg). Overall, females had higher blood serum levels of corticosterone. Furthermore, a dose-dependent effect on serum levels of corticosterone was observed only in female rats, where rats conditioned with 20 mg/kg cocaine had significantly higher serum levels of corticosterone than rats conditioned with 5 mg/kg cocaine. However, adrenalectomy did not affect CPP for cocaine in either sex. These results suggest that a female’s higher sensitivity to cocaine’s rewarding effects is not completely mediated by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Therefore, sex differences in the acquisition and/or expression of cocaine CPP may be regulated by other mechanisms, such as the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis.     

Sex differences in cocaine-induced behavioral responses, pharmacokinetics, and monoamine levels

Female rats display a more robust behavioral response to acute cocaine administration than do male rats. However, a clear understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying these differences remains elusive. The present study investigated whether sexual dimorphisms in cocaine-induced motor behavior might be based on monoaminergic levels and/or cocaine pharmacokinetics. An acute injection of cocaine (5, 15, 20 or 30 mg/kg) or saline was administered to male and female rats, and behavioral activity was monitored for 3 h. Following acute cocaine or saline administration motor behavior varied according to dose and sex; overall, female rats displayed greater rearing counts and stereotypic scores, greater total locomotor counts at 15, 20, and 30 mg/kg of cocaine, and greater ambulatory counts at 20 and 30 mg/kg of cocaine than did male rats. Neurochemical determinations in post-mortem tissue showed that both male and female rats had increases in total dopamine (DA) in the caudate putamen (CPu) 15 min following cocaine administration. Additionally, male rats had a decrease in dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC)/DA turnover. Female rats showed significant reductions in total levels of DA, DOPAC, HVA, serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA), and DOPAC/DA turnover in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Male rats displayed a reduction only in DOPAC/DA turnover and increases in 5-HT in the NAc following cocaine administration. Furthermore, sex differences in cocaine metabolism were observed where females had greater brain/blood levels of norcocaine and ecgonine methyl ester while male rats had higher blood levels of benzoylecgonine. These results suggest that sex differences in the behavioral responses to cocaine administration could be explained in part by intrinsic differences in both monoaminergic levels and metabolic processes.     

Evaluation of platelet-rich plasma gel potential in acceleration of wound healing duration in patients underwent pilonidal sinus surgery: A randomized controlled parallel clinical trial

Objectives

One of the most important surgical issues applied in the treatment of pilonidal sinus disease is wound healing. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) gel on accelerating wound healing in these patients.