The effect of thymosin fraction 5 and its synthetic component thymosin-alpha 1 on rat open-field behavior

The effect of thymosin fraction 5 and its synthetic component thymosin-alpha 1 administered i. p. and i. c. v. on the behavior of 219 Wistar rats in the open field was studied to establish the effective dose and time of action of both substances. It was shown that at i. c. v. administration of both compounds in a dose of 10 ng the motor activity was suppressed for about 0.5 hour. At i. p. administration thymosin fraction 5 in doses of 0.15, 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg suppressed the motor activity for more than 2 hours. The higher the dose, the greater the degree of suppression of the motor activity. Both peptides influence in a similar way the motor activity of the animals irrespective of the route of administration.     

The effect of naloxone on the preoperative gastric volume and pH

The effect of 4 mg oral naloxone on preoperative gastric volume and pH of gastric aspirate was studied in a double-blind, randomized study. Twenty patients received 10 ml of naloxone (4 mg) mixed with 10 ml of orange juice, and 20 patients received 10 ml of isotonic saline mixed with 10 ml of orange juice, 2 h before surgery. Gastric content was obtained immediately after intubation of the trachea. No significant difference in gastric volume and pH of gastric aspirate was found between the two groups. It is concluded that naloxone does not affect gastric emptying and gastric acid secretion to a degree great enough to protect against aspiration of gastric contents into the lungs.     

Why homocysteine is a risk factor of neurodegenerative diseases mini review

The receptor-mediated effects of homocysteine and homocysteic acid on neurons and lymphocytes are described. Activation of glutamate receptors by these ligands was shown to induce an increase in intracellular calcium concentration and the level of active forms of oxygen in both types of cells. This increase may serve as a signal for activation of apoptosis. Metabotropic receptors of group III stimulated the excitotoxic effect of homocysteine and homocysteic acid, while those of group I and II prevented it. It is proposed that selective agonists/antagonists of these metabotropic receptors can be used for correction of neuronal and immune cell metabolism during hyperhomocysteinemia.