CISPLATIN-INDUCED VOMITING DEPENDS ON CIRCADIAN TIMING

We examined whether the clock time of cisplatin plus antiemetic and diuretic administration affects the amount of cisplatin-associated emesis and severity of renal toxicity. We treated 22 patients with urogenital cancer with two courses of chemotherapy containing 70 mg/m² of cisplatin. Cisplatin together with furosemide was administered in the morning (05:00) or evening (17:00) during two courses 1 month apart in a crossover fashion. Ondansetron was given either before or after cisplatin to control nausea and vomiting. The number of vomiting episodes, serum creatinine, serum urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine clearance, and urinary β-N-acetyl glucosamidase (NAG) concentration were evaluated before and after each treatment course. Regardless of the timing of ondansetron, morning compared to evening cisplatin was always associated with greater vomiting in the first treatment course. However, prophylactic administration of ondansetron markedly diminished the impact of the clock time of cisplatin administration. Serum creatinine transiently decreased rather than increased 14 days after cisplatin and furosemide administration, while NAG excretion increased 3 days after cisplatin and furosemide administration. In the first course, serum creatinine levels were similar regardless of the clock time of cisplatin and furosemide administration. However, in the second course, serum creatinine rose in patients given evening cisplatin and furosemide, while it remained unchanged in those given morning cisplatin and furosemide. Moreover, the first course morning cisplatin and furosemide treatment was associated with less change in NAG excretion (less kidney toxicity) than the first course of evening cisplatin and furosemide treatment. The second course evening cisplatin and furosemide treatment was associated with an increase in NAG excretion compared to the first course of treatment, while morning cisplatin and furosemide treatment in the second course showed less change in NAG excretion compared to the first course. The clock time of cisplatin administration had an impact on the frequency of emesis. Prophylactic ondansetron, however, diminished the time-of-day dependency of cisplatin-induced vomiting. Administration of cisplatin and furosemide in the morning rather than evening appears to cause less renal damage, and this damage may be further reduced with aggressive hydration and routine administration of furosemide. (Chronobiology International, 18(5), 851-863, 2001)     

INFLUENCE OF CIRCADIAN TIME OF HYPERTENSION TREATMENT ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK: RESULTS OF THE MAPEC STUDY

Clinical studies have documented morning-evening, administration-time differences of several different classes of hypertension medications in blood pressure (BP)-lowering efficacy, duration of action, safety profile, and/or effects on the circadian BP pattern. In spite of these published findings, most hypertensive subjects, including those under combination therapy, are instructed by their physicians and pharmacists to ingest all of their BP-lowering medications in the morning. The potential differential reduction of cardiovascular (CVD) morbidity and mortality risk by a bedtime versus upon-awakening treatment schedule has never been evaluated prospectively. The prospective MAPEC study was specifically designed to test the hypothesis that bedtime chronotherapy with ≥1 hypertension medications exerts better BP control and CVD risk reduction than conventional therapy, i.e., all medications ingested in the morning. A total of 2156 hypertensive subjects, 1044 men/1112 women, 55.6?±?13.6 (mean?±?SD) yrs of age, were randomized to ingest all their prescribed hypertension medications upon awakening or ≥1 of them at bedtime. At baseline, BP was measured at 20-min intervals from 07:00 to 23:00?h and at 30-min intervals at night for 48?h. Physical activity was simultaneously monitored every min by wrist actigraphy to accurately determine the beginning and end of daytime activity and nocturnal sleep. Identical assessment was scheduled annually and more frequently (quarterly) if treatment adjustment was required. Despite lack of differences in ambulatory BP between groups at baseline, subjects ingesting medication at bedtime showed at their last available evaluation significantly lower mean sleep-time BP, higher sleep-time relative BP decline, reduced prevalence of non-dipping (34% versus 62%; p?<?.001), and higher prevalence of controlled ambulatory BP (62% versus 53%; p?<?.001). After a median follow-up of 5.6 yrs, subjects ingesting ≥1 BP-lowering medications at bedtime exhibited a significantly lower relative risk of total CVD events than those ingesting all medications upon awakening (0.39 [0.29–0.51]; number of events 187 versus 68; p?<?.001). The difference between the treatment-time groups in the relative risk of major events (including CVD death, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke) was also highly statistically significant (0.33 [0.19–0.55]; number of events: 55 versus 18; p?<?.001). The progressive decrease in asleep BP and increase in sleep-time relative BP decline towards a more normal dipping pattern, two novel therapeutic targets requiring proper patient evaluation by ambulatory BP, were best achieved with bedtime therapy, and they were the most significant predictors of event-free survival. Bedtime chronotherapy with ≥1 BP-lowering medications, compared to conventional upon-waking treatment with all medications, more effectively improved BP control, better decreased the prevalence of non-dipping, and, most importantly, significantly reduced CVD morbidity and mortality. (Author correspondence: rhermida@uvigo.es)     

LOCAL ADAPTATION WHEN COMPETITION DEPENDS ON PHENOTYPIC SIMILARITY

Recent work incorporating demographic–genetic interactions indicates the importance of population size, gene flow, and selection in influencing local adaptation. This work typically assumes that density‐dependent survival affects individuals equally, but individuals in natural population rarely compete equally. Among‐individual differences in resource use generate stronger competition between more similar phenotypes (frequency‐dependent competition) but it remains unclear how this additional form of selection changes the interactions between population size, gene flow, and local stabilizing selection. Here, we integrate migration–selection dynamics with frequency‐dependent competition. We developed a coupled demographic‐quantitative genetic model consisting of two patches connected by dispersal and subject to local stabilizing selection and competition. Our model shows that frequency‐dependent competition slightly increases local adaptation, greatly increases genetic variance within patches, and reduces the amount that migration depresses population size, despite the increased genetic variance load. The effects of frequency‐dependence depend on the strength of divergent selection, trait heritability, and when mortality occurs in the life cycle in relation to migration and reproduction. Essentially, frequency‐dependent competition reduces the density‐dependent interactions between migrants and residents, the extent to which depends on how different and common immigrants are compared to residents. Our results add new dynamics that illustrate how competition can alter the effects of gene flow and divergent selection on local adaptation and population carrying capacities.     

外周血淋巴细胞凋亡依赖于细胞周期运行

目的以培养的人类正常外周血淋巴细胞（peripheral blood lymphocytes,PBLs）为模型,模拟细胞周期运行的不同状态,研究细胞凋亡与细胞周期运行的关系。方法将PHA及咖啡因处理前后的PBLs,分别用喜树碱（CPT）、X-射线、抗Fas抗体和肿瘤坏死因子TNF-α诱导,流式细胞术方法对细胞凋亡进行定量检测。结果PBLs经PHA刺激后进入细胞周期并发生凋亡,在凋亡因子打击作用下凋亡明显增加,用咖啡因废除细胞周期检测点后对凋亡打击敏感性降低。未经PHA刺激的PBLs对凋亡打击无应答。结论细胞进入细胞周期总是伴随细胞凋亡的发生,细胞不进入周期,则不会发生凋亡,细胞周期不停止,也不会凋亡。细胞周期检测点是联结细胞周期和细胞凋亡的重要位点。     

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE EFFORT DEPENDS ON THE DEGREE OF ORNAMENTATION OF THEIR MATES

Sexual selection theory assumes that secondary sexual characters do not influence female reproductive effort. Female animals may invest relatively more in reproduction if they acquire mates of high phenotypic quality, because offspring sired by preferred males may be relatively more viable than offspring sired by less preferred males. Here we report for the first time in a field study that females of the monogamous barn swallow Hirundo rustica adjust their reproductive effort to the attractiveness of their mates. Experimental manipulation of male tail length, which is a trait currently subject to a directional female mating preference, affected the reproductive effort by females in single broods as well as their decision on the seasonal number of clutches. These results, and those of previous experiments, demonstrate that female barn swallows assess the quality of their mates throughout the reproductive season and adjust their reproductive decisions accordingly. This result has important implications for the theory of sexual selection and for the possibility of testing current models of female mate preferences, because the viability of offspring will be confounded by differential reproductive effort.     

RECOMBINATION RATE BETWEEN SEX CHROMOSOMES DEPENDS ON PHENOTYPIC SEX IN THE COMMON FROG

We show that the recombination rate between the sex chromosomes is controlled by phenotypic, rather than genotypic, sex in sex‐reversed common frogs. This supports the recent hypothesis that in ectothermic vertebrates sex reversal can prevent the progressive accumulation of mutations to nonrecombining Y chromosomes and their subsequent evolutionary decay.     

THE INFLUENCE OF CIRCADIAN PHASE AND PRIOR WAKE ON NEUROMUSCULAR FUNCTION

Previous forced desynchrony (FD) studies have shown that neurobehavioral function is affected by circadian phase and duration of prior wakefulness. There is some evidence that neuromuscular function may also be affected by circadian phase and prior wake, but these effects have not been systematically investigated. This study examined the effects of circadian phase and prior wake on two measures of neuromuscular function—postural balance (PB) and maximal grip strength (MGS)—using a 28-h FD protocol. Eleven male participants (mean?±?SD: 22.7?±?2.5 yr) lived in a sound-attenuated, light- and temperature-controlled time-isolation laboratory for 12 days. Following two training days and a baseline day, participants were scheduled to seven 28-h FD days, with the ratio between sleep opportunity and wake spans kept constant (i.e., 9.3?h sleep period and 18.7?h wake period). PB was measured during 1?min of quiet standing on a force platform. MGS of the dominant hand was measured using a dynamometer. These two measures were obtained every 2.5?h during wake. Core body temperature was continuously recorded with rectal thermistors to determine circadian phase. For both measures of neuromuscular function, individual data points were assigned a circadian phase and a level of prior wake. Data were analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with two within-subjects factors: circadian phase (six phases) and prior wake (seven levels). For MGS, there was a main effect of circadian phase, but no main effect of prior wake. For PB, there were no main effects of circadian phase or prior wake. There were no interactions between circadian phase and prior wake for MGS or PB. The significant effect of circadian phase on muscle strength is in agreement with previous reports in the literature. In terms of prior wake, both MGS and PB remained relatively stable across wake periods, indicating that neuromuscular function may be more robust than neurobehavioral function when the duration of wakefulness is within a normal range (i.e., 18.7?h). (Author correspondence: charli.sargent@unisa.edu.au)     

大鼠交叉上核中SS和VIPmRNA昼夜节律的研究

用Ｎｏｒｔｈｅｒｎｂｌｏｔ杂交方法分析ＬＤ循环条件下大鼠ＳＣＮ和ＣＸ的ＳＳｍＲＮＡ和ＶＩＰｍＲＮＡ丰度的昼夜变化，结果表明这两种ｍＲＮＡ昼夜间的相对含量在ＣＸ中基本不变，而在ＳＣＮ中则呈现规律性变化的模式，与双侧眼球摘除后大鼠ＳＣＮｍＲＮＡ丰度昼夜变化的实验结果相比较，ＳＳｍＲＮＡ丰度变化不受外界光的影响，具有内源性的昼夜节律，而ＶＩＰｍＲＮＡ丰度的昼夜变化则受外界光的影响。     

DIATOM EPIPHYTES ON ODONTHALIA FLOCCOSA: THE IMPORTANCE OF EXTENT AND TIMING

The interaction between the epiphytic diatom Isthmia nervosa Kütz and the red alga Odonthalia floccosa (Esp.) Falkenb. was examined in terms of host physiology (photosynthesis and growth), fitness (reproduction and survival), and population dynamics. Most of these characteristics were compared among plants that varied naturally in epiphyte load. Diatom cover was also manipulated in field-deployed containers to study effects on host growth. Increasing levels of epiphytes were correlated with declines in host photosynthesis and growth, and experiments confirmed that reduced growth was directly caused by diatoms. Populations that hosted diatoms throughout the summer contained lower proportions of reproductive plants than did populations colonized in late summer or not epiphytized at all (60% vs. >80%, respectively). Odonthalia with epiphytes experienced greater biomechanical drag when submerged than did unepiphytized individuals of similar size. Despite differences in drag, epiphytized and unepiphytized hosts were equally susceptible to complete mortality (removed with holdfast) relative to partial mortality (shoots broken). In general, higher epiphytism was associated with reduced host performance, and this apparent damage was easier to detect at physiological levels than at population levels. In fact, negative effects of epiphytes were not evident at the population level, and host density and epiphyte load were positively correlated. Based on 4 years of monthly censuses of Odonthalia using marked plants and quadrats, the abundance of Isthmia varies spatially and temporally. Diatoms tend to colonize Odonthalia in late summer, after host growth has stopped and cystocarps and tetraspores have begun to develop. Subsequently, shoots break and plants persist through the winter as shorter perennating basal systems. Life spans were >4 years for some Odonthalia individuals. Many hosts may escape the effects of epiphytes by completing growth and reproduction before diatom colonization.     

叶片涂施茉莉酸对玉米幼苗防御反应的时间和浓度效应

茉莉酸是环境胁迫下植物产生防御反应的重要信号物质, 但它发挥生理作用的时间和浓度效应以及该效应在叶片和根系中差异性并不清楚。该文以‘高油115’玉米(Zea mays)为材料, 采用4种浓度(1、2.5、5和10 mmol·L^-1)的外源茉莉酸溶液涂施玉米幼苗叶片, 在3~48 h的不同时间内跟踪测定叶片和根系中的直接防御物质(丁布(DIMBOA)和总酚)含量及其合成调控基因(Bx1、Bx9和PAL)、直接防御蛋白调控基因(PR-1、PR-2a和MPI)和间接防御物质挥发物调控基因(FPS和TPS)表达的动态变化。结果表明, 外源茉莉酸处理对玉米叶和根系的化学防御反应具有显著的时间和浓度效应。茉莉酸处理玉米叶片后3~6 h就能诱导叶片中Bx9和PAL基因的表达, 使得丁布和总酚的含量显著增加, 且与处理浓度有呈正比的趋势, 随后诱导作用逐渐减弱; 茉莉酸处理还能明显诱导叶片中PR-2a和MPI基因的表达, 诱导作用分别持续到24和48 h; 在处理后3~6 h内, 高浓度茉莉酸处理对挥发物调控基因FPS表达起诱导作用, 而低浓度茉莉酸则对TPS基因的表达起诱导作用。此外, 茉莉酸处理玉米叶片还能间接影响到根系的防御反应, 但大部分检测指标表明间接诱导作用主要出现在处理后期(24~48 h)。例如, 在处理后48 h, 茉莉酸能系统增加根系中直接防御物质丁布和总酚的含量, 增强根系中防御相关基因PR-2a、MPI、FPS和TPS的表达, 并有随茉莉酸处理浓度的增加而增强的趋势。可见, 外源茉莉酸叶片涂施玉米幼苗对根系的间接诱导作用不如对叶片的直接诱导作用强; 叶片启动防御反应的时间较根系早; 随着处理浓度的增加, 茉莉酸对叶片和根系中防御反应的诱导作用有增强的趋势。     

SEX‐SPECIFIC INBREEDING DEPRESSION DEPENDS ON THE STRENGTH OF MALE–MALE COMPETITION

Inbreeding depression has become a central theme in evolutionary biology and is considered to be a driving force for the evolution of reproductive morphology, physiology, behavior, and mating systems. Despite the overwhelming body of empirical work on the reproductive consequences of inbreeding, relatively little is known on whether inbreeding depresses male and female fitness to the same extent. However, sex‐specific inbreeding depression has been argued to affect the evolution of selfing rates in simultaneous hermaphrodites and provides a powerful approach to test whether selection is stronger in males than in females, which is predicted to be the consequence of sexual selection. We tested for sex‐specific inbreeding depression in the simultaneously hermaphroditic freshwater snail Physa acuta by comparing the reproductive performance of both sex functions between selfed and outcrossed focal individuals under different levels of male–male competition. We found that inbreeding impaired both male and female reproductive success and that the magnitude of male inbreeding depression exceeded female inbreeding depression when the opportunity for sperm competition was highest. Our study provides the first evidence for sex‐specific inbreeding depression in a hermaphroditic animal and highlights the importance of considering the level of male–male competition when assessing sex differences in inbreeding depression.     

INFLUENCE OF SEASONALITY ON CIRCADIAN MOTOR ACTIVITY RHYTHM IN COMMON MARMOSETS DURING PUBERTY

The effect of puberty on circadian rhythmicity in nonhuman primates has been little studied, even though it has been demonstrated that puberty-related changes in circadian activity rhythm occur in a number of species, including humans. To characterize the motor activity rhythm during puberty in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), six animals was continuously monitored by actimeters between their 5th and 12th months of age. The animals were housed with their families in outdoor cages under seminatural conditions. Onset of puberty was determined from fecal estrogen and progesterone levels in females and androgen levels in males. The spectral power of the circadian component stabilized later in the last two animals to enter puberty. The bimodal characteristic of the active phase in this species became progressively more apparent over the course of the months in which the mean temperature was highest, irrespective of the animal's age. Although the onset of activity advanced after entry into puberty, this parameter showed a strong correlation with sunrise, indicating that seasonality influences this variable. Neither age nor climatic factors included in the regression model influenced the differences in phase angles between sunrise and onset of activity, and between sunset and offset of activity. Total activity was the only parameter influenced by age in the regression model, showing an increase after entry into puberty. Despite the evidence of pubertal influence on both the circadian component and total activity, under seminatural conditions seasonal factors may have a more important effect on motor activity rhythm in common marmosets. (Author correspondence: E-mail: carolina@cb.ufrn.br)     

树鼩24小时昼夜节律的探讨

自从Carlsson(1922)时期到现在,树鲍(tupaiidae)的分类地位问题一直引起人们很大的兴趣和讨论。历史上树鼩曾不止一次地被错定为松鼠(Grzimek 1975)。虽然人们对树鼩是否属食虫目(Insectivora),原猿亚目(Prosimiae)或另立新目方面尚存在不少争议,但大多数人都同意灵长类在大约第三纪自食虫目演化而来,而树鼩是目前地球上幸存的少数几种灵长类原宗(Ptimitive stock)中的一种(chiarelli 1974;Lende 1970;Grzimak1975;Casseday等1979)。 树鼩可分成2亚科,6属,47种和约100个亚种,它们绝大部分产自亚洲南部。本研     

PERSPECTIVES ON THE CHRONOTHERAPY OF HYPERTENSION BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THE MAPEC STUDY

Appreciation of chronotherapy in hypertension continues to lag, despite clear demonstrations by many studies of (i) clinically relevant dosing-time differences of the beneficial and adverse effects of most blood pressure (BP) medications and (ii) significant association between reduced sleep-time BP decline of non-dippers and their heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The Syst-Eur and HOPE outcome trials showed evening administration of nitrendipine and ramipril in these respective studies impacts sleep-time BP, converting the 24-h BP pattern to a more dipper one and in the HOPE study decreasing CVD risk. The CONVINCE study intended to compare BP control and CVD protection afforded by conventional β-blocker and diuretic medications versus a special drug-delivery verapamil formulation as a bedtime hypertension chronotherapy; however, the trial was terminated prematurely, not based on inadequate performance of the chronotherapy but on a corporate business decision. The just completed MAPEC study is the first trial specifically designed to prospectively test the hypothesis that bedtime administration of ≥1 conventional medications exerts better BP control and CVD risk reduction than the traditional approach of scheduling all medications in the morning. The results of this 5.6-yr median follow-up study establish that bedtime chronotherapy more effectively improves BP control, better decreases prevalence of non-dipping, and, most importantly, best reduces CVD morbidity and mortality. This chronotherapeutic approach to hypertension is justified by the fact that BP is usually lowest at night as is sodium excretion, but when sodium intake is excessive or its daytime excretion hampered, nocturnal BP is adjusted higher, to a level required for compensation overnight, via the pressure/natriuresis mechanism, resulting in non-dipping 24-h BP patterning. In diurnally active persons, the entire circadian BP pattern may be reset to a lower mean level and to a “more normal” day-night variation, simply by enhancing natriuresis during the night—the time-of-day when it can be most effective. A modification as simple and inexpensive as switching ≥1 hypertension medications from morning to evening may be all that is needed to normalize nighttime BP, exerting an effect exactly like sodium restriction. Current clinical concepts such as “normotensive non-dipper” (with higher CVD risk than a hypertensive dipper), broad recommendation of pharmacotherapy with exclusively high “smoothness index” medications (without attention to individual patient needs defined by the features of the 24-h BP pattern), and reliance upon static daytime diagnostic BP thresholds based solely on single office cuff assessment necessitate urgent reconsideration. (Author correspondence: prf@unife.it)     

EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE ON THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM OF HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE

Although the effects of aerobic exercise on resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and blood pressure have been investigated, there are scant data on the effects of aerobic exercise on the circadian rhythm of such cardiovascular parameters. In this study, we investigated the effects of aerobic exercise on the 24?h rhythm of heart rate and ambulatory blood pressure in the morning, when cardiovascular events are more common. Thirty-five healthy young subjects were randomized to control and aerobic exercise groups. Subjects in the latter group participated in their respective exercise program for two months, while those in the former group did not exercise. Twenty-four-hour electrocardiogram and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring data were obtained at baseline and at the end of the exercise intervention. The control group showed no changes, while the aerobic exercise group showed a significant decrease in heart rate (73.7?±?6.6?bpm to 69.5?±?5.1?bpm, p?<?0.005) and sympathetic activity such as LF/HF ratio (2.0?±?0.7 to 1.8?±?0.6, p?<?0.05) throughout the 24?h period, particularly in the daytime. The decrease in the heart rate was most prominent in the morning. However, heart rate and LF/HF ratio showed no statistical changes during the night. No significant changes were observed in blood pressure. These findings suggest aerobic exercise exerts beneficial effects on the circadian rhythm of heart rate, especially in the morning. (Author correspondence: hshio@kobe-u.ac.jp)     

PHENOTYPIC SELECTION BY PARASITOIDS ON THE TIMING OF LIFE HISTORY IN A LEAFMINING MOTH

Direct measurements of phenotypic selection by parasitoids on quantitative traits in herbivorous insects have been rare. I analysed episodes of phenotypic selection on the timing of life-history events in a multivoltine leafmining moth, Phyllonorycter mespilella, and assessed the importance of hymenopterous parasitoids as selective influences. Phyllonorycter mespilella has two consecutive stages of larval development, the sap-feeding (SF) and tissue-feeding (TF) stages. Adult parasitoids host feed predominantly on SF larvae, and oviposit predominantly on TF larvae. Oviposition attack on TF larvae caused positive directional selection on the date of transition to the the TF stage (TF date) in the third generation of P. mespilella in one population in 1991. Overwinter mortality caused negative directional selection on TF date in the third generation in a second population in 1993. No directional or variance selection on TF date was detected in the second population in the second generation of 1993. Parasitoid females accepted SF larvae for oviposition more often in the fall generation than in summer generations in both populations. The relative frequencies of SF and TF larvae may alter the pattern of oviposition attack by parasitoids, and thus the form of phenotypic selection on TF date.     

切断视神经对蟹视网膜电图昼夜节律的影响

在切断视神经后锯缘青蟹视网膜电图的昼夜节律发生了明显的变化,但并不完全消失,提示在中枢和眼柄中分别存在着两种起搏器。文中提出了蟹视网膜电图昼夜节律控制的模式图。     

EFFECTS OF L-DOPA ON CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS OF 6-OHDA STRIATAL LESIONED RATS: A RADIOTELEMETRIC STUDY

Temporal variation in the motor function of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients suggests the potential importance of a chronobiological and chronopharmacological approach in its clinical management. We previously documented the effects of striatal injection of 6-OHDA (as an animal model of PD) on the circadian rhythms of temperature (T), heart rate (HR), and locomotor activity (A). The present work assessed the possible influence of L-Dopa on these same rhythms in the 6-OHDA animal model of PD. The study began after a four-week recovery period following surgical implantation of telemetric devices to monitor the study variables and/or anaesthesia. The study was divided into an initial one-week control period (W1) for baseline measurement of T, HR, and A rhythms. Thereafter, stereotaxic 6-OHDA lesioning was done. and a second monitoring for two weeks followed (W2, W3). Rats were then randomly divided into two groups: eight control rats received, via a mini-osmotic pump implanted subcutaneously, the excipient saline; the other eight rats received L-Dopa (100?mg/kg SC/day). After a seven-day period (W4), the pumps were removed and the T, HR, and A rhythms were monitored for two weeks (W5 and W6). To control for 6-OHDA striatal dopamine-induced depletion, 12 other rats were injected by identical methods (eight rats with 6-OHDA and four controls with saline) and sacrificed at W1, W3, and W5 for dopamine striatal content determination. To verify the delivery of levodopa from the osmotic pumps, plasma levels of levodopa and its main metabolites 3-OMD, DOPAC, and HVA were determined on separate group of rats receiving the drug under the same experimental conditions (osmotic pumps delivering continuously 10 µl/h for seven days, 100?mg/kg/subcutaneously). Our results agree with previously reported rhythmic changes induced by 6-OHDA—loss of circadian rhythmicity or changes in the main parameters of the registered rhythms. When circadian rhythmicity was abolished, L-Dopa treatment improved or accelerated recovery of the circadian rhythms, the effect being more pronounced for the HR rhythm. When circadian rhythms were not abolished but perturbed, L-Dopa treatment did not improve the 6-OHDA-induced changes in the T and A mesor (24?h mean level), while a significant effect was observed for HR. It appears that constant-rate L-Dopa infusion is unable to totally balance dopamine depletion; taking into account the circadian pattern of many structures implicated in drug effect, a sinusoidal delivery of L-Dopa must be evaluated in future experiments. (Author correspondence: bernard.bruguerolle@univmed.fr)     

EFFECT OF LIGHT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM OF MOTOR ACTIVITY IN THE MOUSE

In previous experiments, we found that rats raised in constant light (LL) manifested a more robust circadian rhythm of motor activity in LL and showed longer phase shifts after a light pulse in constant darkness (DD) than those raised under constant darkness. In addition, we observed that the effects produced by constant light differed depending on the time of postnatal development in which it was given. These results suggest that both sensitivity to light and the functioning of the circadian pacemaker of the rat could be affected by the environmental conditions experienced during postembryonic development. Thus, the present experiment aimed to study whether postnatal exposure to light could also affect the circadian system of the mouse. Three groups of mice were formed: One group was raised under constant darkness during lactation (DD group), the second under constant light (LL group), and the third under light-dark cycles (LD group). After lactation, the three groups were submitted first to constant light of high intensity, then to LD cycles, and finally to constant darkness. In the DD stage, a light pulse was given. Finally, mice were submitted to constant light of low intensity. We observed that the circadian rhythm of the DD group was more disturbed under constant light than the rhythm of the LL group, and that, when light intensity increased, the period of the rhythm of the DD group lengthened more than that of the LL group. No significant differences among the groups were found in the phase shift induced by the light pulse. Therefore, it appears that DD mice are more sensitive to light than their LL counterparts. However, at present there is no evidence to affirm that the light environment experienced by the mouse during postnatal development affects the circadian pacemaker. (Chronobiology International, 18(4), 683–696, 2001)