Introduction: Stimulation or inactivation of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) produces antinociception. Studies showed a role for the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the antinociception induced by LH chemical stimulation through the orexinergic receptors. In this study, we assessed the role of intra-VTA dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in antinociceptive effects of cholinergic agonist, carbachol, m...

BACKGROUND Buprenorphine, a synthetic molecule derived from thebaine, has been commercialized in France since 1987 as a substitute treatment for pharmacodependence on opiates. Hepatotoxicity is poorly documented, since only few cases of hepatic injury have been reported. METHODS We report seven cases of acute cytolytic hepatitis due to buprenorphine. All patients were former drug addicts by t...

The long-term response to neurotropic drugs depends on drug-induced neuroplasticity and underlying changes in gene expression. However, alterations in neuronal gene expression can be observed even following single injection. To investigate the extent of these changes, gene expression in the medial striatum and lumbar part of the spinal cord was monitored by cDNA microarray following single inje...

Naloxone, an opiate antagonist, has recently been reported to temporarily reverse neurologic deficits associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage. To determine if this unexpected effect of naloxone might also occur in other forms of cerebrovascular diseases, 13 patients who presented with acute neurologic deficits were administered intravenous naloxone. In 3 of these patients, coincidental improvem...

Creatine exerts beneficial effects on a variety of pathologies in which energy metabolism and oxidative stress play an etiological role. Creatine supplements have shown beneficial effects on neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and stroke. However, the potential benefits of creatine for patients with convu...

Acute caffeine administration has physiological, behavioral, and subjective effects. Despite its widespread use, few studies have described the impact of caffeine consumption in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acute caffeine administration in adolescents. We measured cardiovascular responses and snack food intake after acute administration o...

Primarily opioidergic and adenosine mechanisms are considered to be involved in the antinociceptive effects of antidepressants. This study was designed to determine the efficacy of acute venlafaxine administration in alleviating symptoms of neuropathic pain and the role of endogenous adenosine and opioid systems in this effect of venlafaxine. We have evaluated the effect of caffeine, a non-sele...

This study intended to assess the efficacy of acute administration of natural honey on cardiac arrhythmias and infarct size when it is used during the normothermic ischemia in isolated rat heart. During 30 min of regional normothermic ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion, the isolated hearts were perfused by a modified drug free Krebs-Henseleit solution (control) or the solution containi...

During a randomized, double blind, crossover, placebo-controlled clinical trial of oral isoniazid (isonicotonic acid hydrazide, INH),’ serum cholesterol was measured during the sixth week of treatment ofboth phases ofplaeebo and the drug in five men. The ages of the patients ranged from 28 to 65 years, with a mean of 45 years. The dosage of isoniazid was 300 mg thrice daily (15 mg/kg body weigh...

Previous experimental studies in humans have reported that the administration of cortisol impairs retrieval of hippocampal dependent, episodic memory. In particular, cortisol impaired recall of previously learnt words. In the present study, we investigated if cortisol also affects autobiographical memory, which reflects a subcategory of hippocampal dependent, episodic memory. Twenty two male st...