Clastogenic effect of fenfluramine in mice bone marrow cells in vivo

Fenfluramine, an amphetamine derivative used in the treatment of obesity, has been evaluated in vivo in the bone marrow cells of Swiss albino mice using two cytogenetic endpoints for assessing its genotoxic and clastogenic potentials. Concentrations of 0.75, 1.5, 3.0, and 5.0 mg/kg b.w. were administered orally for the study of sister chromatid exchange frequencies and chromosome aberrations (CA). SCE frequencies showed a positive dose response; 1.5 mg/kg being the minimum effective concentration. Fen caused a prolongation of cell cycle at all concentrations. Except for the minimum therapeutic dose (0.75 mg), all other doses (1.5, 3.0, and 5.0 mg) showed a significant increase in the percentage of damaged cells over that of the vehicle control. The degree of clastogenicity was directly proportional to the dosage used and inversely related with the duration of treatment. A gradual reduction of the clastogenic potential was observed after 12 and 24 hr of exposure, indicating that the maximum effect occurs at the middle or late synthetic phase of the cell cycle. This study, probably the first detailed screening of the drug for its genotoxicity, shows that Fen is moderately clastogenic and a DNA damaging agent in vivo.     

女性毒品犯人格的基本特征及其相关因素的研究

目的 探讨在押女性毒品犯人格的基本特征、类型特征及其影响因素。方法 以252名在押女性毒品犯为被试，对CPI的测验数据进行t检验、Z检验和F检验。结果 ①女性毒品犯不仅与常模团体相比较具有显著特征．而且与男性毒品犯相比较也存在特殊性；②女性毒品犯在4种人格类型上的分布不平衡．较多地在Delta型；③民族、地域、年龄及关押时间对女性毒品犯的人格特征的变异均有一定影响．但减刑次数未见反映出被试人格积极改变的效果。结论 女性毒品犯广泛而明显的消极性人格特征，并与民族、地域、年龄及关押时间有关。     

Role of oxidative stress,angiogenesis and chemo-attractant cytokines in the pathogenesis of ischaemic protection induced by remote ischaemic conditioning: Study of a human model of ischaemia-reperfusion induced vascular injury

Aims

We explored the effect of remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) on endothelial function and on circulating mediators.

Acute and chronic caffeine administration increases physical activity in sedentary adults

Caffeine is a commonly used stimulant thought to have ergogenic properties. Most studies on the ergogenic effects of caffeine have been conducted in athletes. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that caffeine reduces ratings of perceived exertion and increases liking of physical activity in sedentary adults. Participants completed treadmill walking at 60% to 70% of their maximal heart rate at baseline and for 6 subsequent visits, during which half of the participants were given caffeine (3 mg/kg) and half given placebo in a sports drink vehicle. To investigate the potential synergistic effects of acute and chronic caffeine on self-determined exercise duration, participants were rerandomized to either the same or different condition for the last visit, creating 4 chronic/acute treatment groups (placebo/placebo, placebo/caffeine, caffeine/placebo, caffeine/caffeine). Participants rated how much they liked the activity and perceived exertion at each visit. There was a main effect of time on liking of physical activity, with liking increasing over time and an interaction of sex and caffeine treatment on liking, with liking of activity increasing in female participants treated with caffeine, but not with placebo. There was no effect of caffeine on ratings of perceived exertion. Individuals who received caffeine on the final test day exercised for significantly longer than those who received placebo. These data suggest that repeated exposure to physical activity significantly increases liking of exercise and reduces ratings of perceived exertion and that caffeine does little to further modify these effects.     

Taguchi L16 orthogonal array approach for optimization of fluoride removal from aqueous solution using Saccharum spontaneum weed grass novel biosorbent

Optimization of operating and design parameters is needed for the greater application to achieve higher quality, performance, and minimum cost. The paper mainly concentrates on, the optimization of process parameters influencing the deflouridation of water by Analysis of mean (ANOM) approach. The current work mainly aims at the utilization of the Taguchi approach to optimize influencing operating parameters for maximizing the removal of fluoride under batch experimental studies by using biosorbent developed from Saccharum spontaneum, weed plant. The optimum conditions were found at pH 7, sorbate content 5 mg/L, period of contact 120 min, sorbent dosage 10 g/L, and temperature 30 °C. The percent part of various process parameters is obtained in the successive sequence pH 56.21% > initial concentration of adsorbate 33.94% > biosorbent dose 5.49% > contact time 3.35% > temperature 1.01%. The equilibrium study indicates fluoride sorption on Saccharum spontaneum adsorbent fulfill the Langmuir model with parameters ‘a' and ‘b' determined as 1.617 mg/g and 0.473 L/mg. The kinetic study with sorption data suggested the Pseudo-second order kinetic model as best fitting with kinetic rate k₂ 0.218 g/mg min. The thermodynamic analysis suggested a spontaneous and endothermic nature (ΔH = 16.268 kJ/mol). Characterization of adsorbent was done using BET, SEM, and also by the determination of textual properties. Regeneration of the biosorbent is done for three cycles and is used for fluoride removal.     

Circulating CCL20: A potential biomarker for active vitiligo together with the number of Th1/17 cells

Background

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease with varying pathological features. Activation of the CCL20-CCR6 axis plays an important role in chronic inflammatory diseases. However, whether CCL20-CCR6 and Th1/17 cells are indicative of active vitiligo is unclear.

Randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled,safety and immunogenicity study of 4 formulations of Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed plus CPG 7909 (AV7909) in healthy adult volunteers

A new anthrax vaccine that could accelerate the immune response and possibly reduce the number of injections needed for protection would be desirable in a post-exposure setting.     

固定效应方差分析中四种离差平方和的定义与探讨

目的系统介绍并探讨固定效应方差分析中四种离差平方和计算方法,为正确进行方差分析提供参考。方法介绍四种离差平方和的原理,结合实例展示具体计算过程和它们相互间的联系,并用SPSS和SAS软件验证。结果对相关理论和具体计算方面都给出了较详尽的过程。结论方差分析应根据数据特征选择离差平方和的计算方法。     

Pravastatin restored the infarct size-limiting effect of ischemic preconditioning blunted by hypercholesterolemia in the rabbit model of myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVES

We tested to find out whether pravastatin restores the infarct size (IS)-limiting effect of ischemic preconditioning (IP) and if it has any effect on the IP-induced activation of adenosine producing enzyme ecto-5′-nucleotidase which plays a key role in the IP-induced cardioprotection.

BACKGROUND

The IS-limiting effect of IP is blunted by hypercholesterolemia. Recently, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors are shown to have direct cytoprotective effects.

METHODS

Rabbits were fed with a normal or cholesterol (1%) added diet with or without pravastatin (5 mg/kg/day) treatment. Infarct size was measured after 30 min occlusion and 3 h reperfusion of circumflex coronary artery with or without the IP procedure (5 min occlusion and 10 min reperfusion). Additionally, ecto-5′-nucleotidase activities of ischemic and nonischemic myocardium were measured immediately after IP procedure.

RESULTS

This dose of pravastatin did not normalize the increased level of serum cholesterol. The IS-limiting effect of preceding IP (IS reduced from 36.7% to 9.6%, p < 0.001) was abolished by hypercholesterolemia (from 46.1% to 31.3%, p = NS) and restored by pravastatin treatment (from 35.2% to 9.4%, p < 0.001). Pravastatin treatment did not affect IS or the effect of IP under normocholesterolemia. The activation of ecto-5′-nucleotidase presented as the activity ratio of ischemic to nonischemic myocardium (3.1-fold in normocholesterolemia) was blunted by hypercholesterolemia (1.8-fold, p < 0.05) and restored by pravastatin treatment (2.9-fold).

CONCLUSIONS

Pravastatin, at the dose serum cholesterol was not normalized, restored the IS-limiting effect of IP and IP-induced ecto-5′-nucleotidase activation, which were both blunted by hypercholesterolemia. The activation of ecto-5′-nucleotidase may be worth further investigation as a possible mechanism for the hypercholesterolemia-induced retardation and pravastatin-mediated restoration of the cardioprotective effect of IP.