The ejaculatory behavior of sexually sluggish male rats treated with (-)deprenyl, apomorphine, bromocriptine and amphetamine

Bromocriptine (0.5 mg/kg) and apomorphine (0.03 mg/kg) exert moderate aphrodisiac effect in sexually sluggish rats. This effect appears rapidly and reaches its peak within 24 h. Amphetamine (2 mg/kg) acts similarly but with a more rapid onset and offset of the effect. A single dose of (-)deprenyl, a selective inhibitor of MAO-B, exerts a much more potent effect in this test.     

Calcineurin Inhibitor Withdrawal from Sirolimus-Based Therapy in Kidney Transplantation: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials

Calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) withdrawal has been used as a strategy to improve renal allograft function, however, it also carries risk of acute rejection. We conducted a systematic review of randomized trials that involved CNI withdrawal from a sirolimus-based immunosuppressive regimen. The search strategy yielded six trials (n = 1047 patients) reported in eight publications. CNI withdrawal from sirolimus-based therapy, was associated with an increased risk of acute rejection (risk difference, 6%; 95% CI 2-10%, p = 0.002) but a higher creatinine clearance (mean difference, 7.49 mL/min; 95% CI 5.08-9.89 mL/min, p < 0.00001) at 1 year compared to continued CNI and sirolimus therapy. Graft loss (relative risk, 0.87; 95% CI 0.46-1.64, p = 0.66) and death (relative risk, 0.88; CI 0.40-1.96, p = 0.76) were similar in both groups at 1 year. Hypertension was significantly reduced in the CNI withdrawal group (relative risk, 0.56; 95% CI 0.40-0.78, p = 0.0006). CNI withdrawal from sirolimus-based therapy is associated with an increased risk of acute rejection in the short term with a significant improvement in renal function and a reduction in hypertension. Longer follow-up is needed to determine if these changes will result in a significant improvement in patient and graft survival.     

The reduction of methemoglobin levels by antioxidants

Preventing the oxidation of hemoglobin in solution is one of the major requirements for the successful production and long-term storage of hemoglobin-based blood substitutes. To this end we have studied the effects of antioxidants on the rate of methemoglobin formation and disappearance in solutions of human and bovine hemoglobin at 4 degrees C and 37 degrees C. Ascorbate and desferal (5 mM) were observed to act as prooxidants, increasing the rate of methemoglobin formation at 37 degrees C. Trehalose, mannitol, glucose, and EDTA (5 mM) had no significant effect. Glutathione and NADH (10 mM) were the most effective antioxidants tested, causing a significant decrease in the rate of methemoglobin formation at 37 degrees C for periods of up to 50 hours. The combination of these antioxidants in bovine hemoglobin at 4 degrees C resulted in the reduction of methemoglobin levels to nearly undetectable levels in approximately 150 hours. In addition, NADH and glutathione were found to reduce methemoglobin levels to 10% over a period of 100 hours in a sample of human hemoglobin that had been stored at 4 degrees C for one year and had 60% methemoglobin. These results suggest that the prevention and reversal of methemoglobin formation during the long-term storage of hemoglobin solutions and hemoglobin-based blood substitutes may now be possible.