Influence of hydrochlorothiazide on the pain threshold and on the antinociceptive activity of morphine,in rats

Summary Hydrochlorothiazide, acutely injected in rats, has a weak analgesic activity per se and potentiates and prolongs the antinociceptive effect of morphine.This work was supported in part by grants from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, and by Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione, Roma.     

Elaboration and Properties of Nanocomposite Structures Based on Crown Modified Platinum Nanoparticles

1 Results This paper presents the development of platinum nanocomposites structures based on organically modified c.a.2 nm core platinum nanoparticles.The chemical modification of the 4-mercaptoaniline functionalized particles by various in coming molecules is evidenced and precisely quantified.The particles can be dissolved like molecules in various solvents depending on the features of the new crown and X-rays shows that the interparticle distance is affected by the crown modification.These platinum n...     

Heterostructure in ZnO Nano-Tetrapods

1 Introduction 　　Nanoscale science and technology have attracted greatattention since the novel properties become dominant for well-known materials as their sizes reduced to some critical dimension. These properties frequently originate in lattice distortions, structure transformations etc[1]. The variations of size and structure ofnanocrystals lead to the change of their electronic structures. Very recently, nanoscale materials with different electronic structures were utilized in fabricating nanoscale junctions[2]. 　　……     

浅谈新型墙体材料——煤矸石空心砖

煤矸石空心砖是一种新型环保墙体材料，符合国家及山西省出台的限制生产和使用实心黏土砖，鼓励发展新型建筑材料的政策。利用煤矸石制造的空心砖可以作为保温材料，既可节约建筑能耗，又可节约土地资源，减少环境污染。煤矸石空心砖同黏土实心砖相比，具有高强、轻质、隔音、隔热、保温、防震等优点，市场前景良好。     

Timed bromocriptine administration reduces body fat stores in obese subjects and hyperglycemia in type II diabetics.

Obese postmenopausal female volunteers were given timed daily oral dosages of bromocriptine, and tested for reduction of body fat stores. This dopamine agonist has been shown to reset circadian rhythms that are altered in obese animals and to reduce body fat levels in several animal models. The participants were instructed not to alter their existing exercise and eating behavior during treatment. Skinfold measurements were taken on 33 subjects as indices of body fat. The measurements (e.g., suprailiac) were reduced after six weeks by about 25%, which represents a reduction of 11.7% of the total body fat. These dramatic decreases in body fat, which are equivalent to that produced by severe caloric restriction, were accompanied by more modest reductions of body weight (2.5%), indicating a possible conservation of protein that is usually lost as a consequence of such caloric restriction. The effects of bromocriptine treatment on body fat and hyperglycemia were also examined in non-insulin dependent diabetics being treated with oral hypoglycemics (7 subjects) or insulin (7 subjects). Total body fat was reduced by 10.7% and 5.1% in diabetics on oral hypoglycemics and insulin, respectively, without any significant reductions in body weight. Hyperglycemia was reduced in most of the 15 diabetic subjects treated leading to euglycemia and even cessation of hypoglycemic drugs in 3 of the 7 subjects during 4-8 weeks of bromocriptine treatment. These findings support the hypothesis that obesity and type II diabetes may be treated effectively with bromocriptine when administered at the proper times and dosages.     

Preferential excretion of glycated albumin in C57BL-Ks-J mice: effects of diabetes.

Urinary excretion of glycated albumin was quantitated in genetically hyperglycemic mice (C57BL-Ks-J, db/db mice), a model for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and compared with their non-diabetic littermates. The data indicated a preferential excretion of glycated albumin in non-diabetic mice. This phenomenon of 'editing' of glycated albumin is decreased significantly in diabetic mice. Quantitative measurements of overall excretion of glycated albumin suggested that the loss of editing in diabetic mice is due to the dilution of glycated albumin by the unmodified albumin which is excreted in large amounts in diabetic mice. Therefore, the loss of editing observed in this model resembled the one we characterized in insulin-dependent diabetic humans and a streptozotocin-diabetic rat model.     

Quantal transmitter secretion from myocytes loaded with acetylcholine.

It is well known that transmitter secretion requires specialized secretory organelles, the synaptic vesicles, for the packaging, storage and exocytotic release of the transmitter. Here we report that when acetylcholine (ACh) is loaded into an isolated Xenopus myocyte, there is spontaneous quantal release of ACh from the myocyte which results in activation of its own surface ACh channels and the appearance of membrane currents resembling miniature endplate currents. This myocyte secretion probably reflects Ca(2+)-regulated exocytosis of ACh-filled cytoplasmic compartments. Furthermore, step depolarization of the myocyte membrane triggers evoked ACh release from the myocyte with a weak excitation-secretion coupling. These findings suggest that quantal transmitter secretion does not require secretory pathways unique to neurons and that the essence of presynaptic differentiation may reside in the provision of transmitter supply and modification of the preexisting secretion pathway.     

Human cytomegalovirus UL97 open reading frame encodes a protein that phosphorylates the antiviral nucleoside analogue ganciclovir.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV, a betaherpes virus) is the cause of serious disease in immunologically compromised individuals, including those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. One of the compounds used in the chemotherapy of HCMV infections is the nucleoside analogue 9-(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl)-guanine (ganciclovir). The mechanism of action of this drug is dependent on the formation of the nucleoside triphosphate, which is a strong inhibitor of the viral DNA polymerase. Thymidine kinase, which is encoded by many of the herpesviruses, catalyses the initial phosphorylation of ganciclovir. But there is no evidence for the coding of this enzyme by HCMV, and DNA sequence analysis of the HCMV genome has shown that there is no open reading frame characteristic of a herpesvirus thymidine kinase. Here we present biochemical and immunological evidence that the HCMV UL97 open reading frame codes for a protein capable of phosphorylating ganciclovir. This protein seems to be responsible for the selectivity of ganciclovir and will be useful tool in the understanding and refinement of the antiviral activity of new selective anti-HCMV compounds.