Structural modifications and fibre processing of hydroxy-functionalised mesogenic polyazomethines

A number of semiflexible homopolyazomethines and copolyazomethines based on hydroxy-functionalised mesogenic cores have been synthesised and characterised. The reported polymers include structural modifications such as an alteration of the coaxiality, shortening of the flexible spacers or copolymerisation to attain materials with reduced melting temperatures and suitable processability. These structural alterations have been introduced by condensing different ,ω-bis-[(4-formyl-3-hydroxyphenyl)oxy]alkanes with 2-methyl-1,4-phenylenediamine and/or 4-methyl-1,3-phenylenediamine. Fibres have been melt extruded from those nematic polyazomethines with the most favourable thermal properties. As-spun and tension-annealed fibres have been investigated by thermal analysis (TGA and DSC), X-ray diffraction and SEM microscopy in an attempt to infer a relationship between microstructure and tensile properties. From the results presented here, copolymerisation incorporating flexible spacers of different lengths seems to be the best strategy to balance ease of processing and tensile properties. Some of the fibres have improved mechanical properties compared with those previously reported for this class of semiflexible polyazomethine. A nematic polyazomethine with a decamethylenic spacer has also been modified with low percentages of several metal ions [Fe(III), Zn(II), V(IV) and Ni(II)] in order to establish a comparison with previously reported Cu(II)-modified fibres.     

Retrograde Amnesia Induced by Drugs Acting on Different Molecular Systems.

The gamma aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) agonist, muscimol, the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, D-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5), and the inhibitor of the extracellularly regulated kinases (ERKs), UO 126, cause retrograde amnesia when administered to the hippocampus. In the present study, the authors found that they all cause retrograde amnesia for 1-trial inhibitory avoidance, not only when infused into the dorsal CA1 region of the hippocampus, but also when infused into the basolateral amygdala or the entorhinal, parietal, and posterior cingulate cortices. The posttraining time course of the effect of each drug was, however, quite different across brain structures. Thus, in all of them, NMDA receptors and the ERK pathway are indispensable for memory consolidation, and GABAA receptor activation inhibits memory consolidation: but in each case, their influence is interwoven differently. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Foetal alcohol syndrome in Saskatchewan: unchanged incidence in a 20-year period

Ethers and thioethers of monosaccharides have been synthesised which show potent toxicity to mouse (LD50 > or = 4 g.kg-1 O.W. and 0.2 to 1.5 g.kg-1 I.P.W.). A study of calcium antagonist activity for the full series of compounds indicated that the activity was similar for both O- and S- ethers and maximum activities were observed for monoacetoneglucose ethers possessing carbon chain close to 8 carbons.     

Event-related desynchronization (ERD) patterns during verbal memory tasks: effect of age

Event-related desynchronization (ERD) was studied in 10 young (mean age = 19.1) and 10 older (mean age = 62.8) subjects during a verbal recognition task. The attention load of the task varied according to the difficulty of discriminating between targets and distractors. EEG recorded from 29 electrodes was used to compute ERD from 14 source derivations in 125 ms intervals. Thereafter, it was displayed as spatiotemporal maps. The results show that attention influences the characteristics of EEG desynchronization. In young subjects, ERD is more pronounced and more widespread when the attentional load is high. In the elderly, differences between the two attention conditions are less marked. ANOVA reveals main effects of attention and time. The significant 'attention x time x age group' interaction confirms the presence of different brain activation patterns in the two age groups in relation to attention load.     

Cardiac tamponade as a presentation of primary hypothyroidism in a young woman

Pericardial effusion (PE) as a hypothyroidism associated sign, is something that can be found with relative frequency; nevertheless, cardiac tamponade (CT) as the first sign of this disease may be considered exceptional especially in young patients. We report a 31 years old woman with clinical symptoms and signs of CT that in the forward workshop was diagnosed of primary hypothyroidism as cause of the CT. We shortly describe the case and review the literature, emphasizing the importance of the knowledge of CT trigger factors in myxedematous PE, as well as its usual benign evolution with hormonal treatment, without recurrences of the CT after pericardiocentesis is performed. This justify a conservative approach, in spite of the slow resolution of the PE what can take as long as 1.5 years.     

Major abdominal surgery and the clearance of lipid emulsions

Reaction of bacterial adhesins with complementary receptors on the surfaces of mucosal respiratory, gastrointestinal and genitourinary cells leads to bacterial adhesion to the human body. This is the first step in the sequence of events leading to infection. It has been observed that subinhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of some antibiotics are able to reduce bacterial adhesion. The pharmacokinetic curves of antibiotics show that these sub-MICs are present in tissues during a typical course of therapy. This study investigated the ability of sub-MICs of seven macrolides and four fluoroquinolones to reduce adhesiveness of Staphylococcus aureus to human buccal cells. The literature generally reports data for only one antibiotic at a time. To obtain an overall view of the findings of eleven antibiotics together, the data have been normalized according to the molecular weight of each antibiotic and the dose-effect curves determined.     

Astrocytes regulate amino acid receptor current densities in embryonic rat hippocampal neurons

Embryonic rat hippocampal neurons were cultured in a serum-free defined medium (MEM/N3) either directly on poly-D-lysine (PDL) or on a confluent monolayer of postnatal cortical astrocytes, C6 glioma cells, or Rat2 fibroblasts. Neurons on PDL were grown in MEM/N3 or in MEM/N3 conditioned for 24 h by astrocytes or C6 cells. Membrane capacitance (Cm) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-, glycine-, kainate-, and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced currents were quantified using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. Cm as well as the amplitude and the density of these currents in neurons cultured on astrocytes were significantly greater than those in neurons grown on PDL after 24 and 48 h. C6 cells mimicked astrocytes in promoting Cm and GABA-, glycine-, and NMDA-evoked, but not kainate-evoked, currents. Cm and currents in neurons grown on Rat2 cells were comparable to those in neurons on PDL. Astrocytes maintained in culture for 3 months were noticeably less effective than freshly prepared ones just grown to confluence. Suppression of spontaneous cytoplasmic Ca2+ (Ca[c]2+) elevations in astrocytes by 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy) ehane-N, N, N, N-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA-AM) loaded intracellularly blocked the observed modulatory effects. Medium conditioned by either astrocytes or C6 cells mimicked the effects of direct coculture of neurons on these cells in promoting Cm and amino acid-evoked currents. Inclusion of antagonists at GABA and glutamate receptors in coculture experiments blocked the observed effects. Thus, diffusible substances synthesized and/ or secreted by astrocytes in a Ca(c)2+-dependent manner can regulate neuronal growth and aminoacid receptor function, and these effects may involve neuronal GABA and glutamate receptors.     

A linkage map of human chromosome 21:43 PCR markers at average intervals of 2.5 cM

A genetic linkage map of human chromosome 21q (HC21q) containing 43 markers genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction in the CEPH pedigrees is presented. The markers placed on this map are highly polymorphic with an average heterozygosity of 61%. The average interval size of the markers localized at 1000:1 odds is 2.5 cM. The map has a total length of 65.5 cM, with male and female lengths of 47.7 and 83.3 cM, respectively. The genotypes used in the construction of this map were subjected to rigorous error checking, which is reflected in the shorter map length compared to previous maps; the estimated error rate in genotyping is less than 0.04%. As noted in previous linkage maps there is increased recombination in females on proximal HC 21q and in the male in a region near the telomere. This map of HC 21 represents a highly informative and dense meiotic linkage map and will be useful in linking disease phenotypes to loci on this chromosome.