The long-term consequences of extreme prematurity assume more importance as survival rates increase. Pulmonary problems are common immediately after birth and most extremely preterm (EP) infants (<28 weeks' gestation) require respiratory support. Many survivors develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia and some have long-term oxygen dependency, occasionally for years. Their brain has to respond to an ...

Recent evidence suggests that leptin's action on food intake and body weight regulation is mediated by a number of orexigenic and anorectic neuronal systems in the hypothalamus. Our previous demonstration that central injections of leptin induce hypothalamic neurotensin (NT) gene expression in association with a reduced food intake and decreased body weight in rats indicates that NT, an anorect...

Introduction: Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) to rodents has been reported as an appropriate model for sporadic dementia of Alzheimer's type (SDAT), characterized by a progressive impairment of memory. However, very little or nothing is known about non-cognitive behavioral effects in the STZ model. This study was carried out in order to show the protective eff...

The present study was undertaken to investigate the beneficial effects of widely-prescribed lipid lowering drugs, pitavastatin, atorvastatin and simvastatin 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors in cognitive dysfunctions of mice. Intra-cerebroventricular (ICV)-Streptozocin-(STZ)- and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced amnesia served as interoceptive memory models where a...

Central administration of serotonergic 5-HT1A receptor agonists delays the reflex sympatholytic response to severe hemorrhage in conscious rats. To determine the region where 5-HT1A receptor agonists act to mediate this response, recovery of mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was compared in hemorrhaged rats after injection of the selectiv...

Rett syndrome (RTT), caused by loss-of-function mutations in the MECP2 gene, is a neurological disorder characterized by severe impairment of motor and cognitive functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of vector design, dosage, and delivery route on the efficacy and safety of gene augmentation therapy in mouse models of RTT. Our results show that AAV-mediated delivery of ...

The present study was designed to explore the anti-inflammatory effect of fluvoxamine, as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressant, on carrageenan-induced paw edema in more details. At first, fluvoxamine was administered intra-peritoneally (2.5, 12.5, 25 and 50 mg Kg(-1)) 30 min before the subplantar injection of carrageenan. Fluvoxamine was also injected intra-peritoneal...

One hundred and twenty nine high risk preterm infants (gestational ages 26-36 weeks, mean 31.2 weeks; birth weights 800-3880 g, mean 1490 g) were studied by cranial ultrasound during the neonatal period, over a period of one week to three months, and at the age of 1 year. Neonatal ultrasound scanning was performed with an ATL Mk III real time echoscope, and follow up ultrasound scans at the age...

In addition to its insulinotropic action, exogenously administered glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) inhibits gastropancreatic motility and secretion via central pathways. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the effects of exogenous GLP-1-(7-36) amide on fecal output and to investigate the role of endogenous GLP-1 on stress-induced colonic activity. With the use of a stereotaxic instrume...

The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that a decrease in central nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the enhancement of the central gain of the cardiac "sympathetic afferent" reflex (CSAR) in dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF). Thirteen dogs with pacing-induced CHF and sixteen sham dogs were anesthetized with α-chloralose and were baroreceptor denervated and vagotomized. Th...