A growing body of evidence implicates endogenous cannabinoids as modulators of the mesolimbic dopamine system and motivated behavior. Paradoxically, the reinforcing effects of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis, have been difficult to detect in preclinical rodent models. In this study, we investigated the impact of THC and inhibitors of the endocan...

Pharmacological manipulation of the type 5 metabotropic glutamate (mGlu5) receptor alters various addiction related behaviors such as drug self-administration and the extinction and reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. However, the effects of pharmacological modulation of mGlu5 receptors on brain reward function have not been widely investigated. We examined the effects of acute administrati...

are more effective asthma-controller medications compared with montelukast in children older than 6 years. Although this study failed to show statistical significance in the primary outcome, it provides data supporting certain treatment benefits of ICSs in children younger than 6 years (257 of 395 children were 5 years old). Compared with previous studies, these children had milder asthma, with...

We evaluated a prototype immunochromatographic strip (ICS) test for qualitative detection of Treponema pallidum antibodies in 353 sera from 157 patients. For sera from 43 syphilis patients, the ICSs were reactive, while for sera from 114 patients without syphilis, including 22 with biologically false-positive Rapid Plasma Reagin test results, the ICSs were nonreactive. The ICS test may expand t...

Rationale: Addictive drugs have a number of commonalities in animal behavioral models. They lower intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) thresholds, support selfadministration, and produce conditioned place preference (CPP). However, cannabinoids appear atypical as drugs of abuse, since there are controversial data in the literature concerning their reinforcing properties. Objectives: The aim of ...

Gas exchange is essential for multicellular organisms. In contrast to the circulatory systems of animals, land plants have tissues with intercellular spaces (ICSs), called aerenchyma, that are critical for efficient gas exchange. Plants form ICSs by two different mechanisms: schizogeny, where localized cell separation creates spaces; and lysogeny, where cells die to create ICSs. In schizogenous...

Cannabinoid receptor agonists produce reliable antinociception in most preclinical pain assays but have inconsistent analgesic efficacy in humans. This disparity suggests that conventional preclinical assays of nociception are not sufficient for the prediction of cannabinoid effects related to clinical analgesia. To extend the range of preclinical cannabinoid assessment, this study compared the...

It has been described that "typical" antipsychotic drugs (APDs) induce characteristic within-session response decrements in operant behaviors, including intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). In contrast, recent reports have shown that in food operant behavior, clozapine and a number of "atypical" APDs do not give rise to within-session effects. However, to elucidate whether or not this is a com...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE CD163 is a monocyte/macrophage-specific molecule whose expression is induced by corticosteroids and IL-10. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of soluble CD163 (sCD163) in the induced sputum of asthmatic patients before and after therapy with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). PATIENTS AND METHODS The study was performed in 24 patients with mild aller...