Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Emphysema—Is Exercise Beneficial?

Following a six-week program of training in a series of exercises, a significant number of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary emphysema showed decided improvement in functional activity. Subjective improvement also was noted and kept the patient motivation high.Preliminary observations indicated that the improvement could be maintained long after the end of the training period.     

3H-Spiroperidol binding and dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase: evidence for multiple classes of receptors in primate brain regions.

Studies of displacement by agonist and antagonist drugs of ³H-spiroperidol binding in brain regions of $\text{Cebus}$ and rhesus monkeys revealed one type of receptor in caudate nucleus and a second type of receptor in both frontal and anterior limbic cortex. Compared with caudate, the cortical regions were more sensitive to clozapine and loxapine, equally sensitive to fluphenazine and relatively less sensitive to haloperidol. Also, the cortical regions were insensitive to molindone. Parallel studies using the dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase have demonstrated three types of receptors, one in caudate, a second in frontal cortex, and a third in anterior limbic cortex. In each region studied, relative sensitivities to drug using these two methods differed, suggesting that in each of these regions only a relatively small portion of ³H-spiroperidol receptors are coupled to adenylate cyclase.     

Synthesis of Tricyclic Phenylpyrrole Lactams, New Models of Antitubulin Agents

The tricyclic lactams 3 and 4 having a phenylpyrrole framework have been prepared from the arylpyrroles 5 and 16 respectively. These structural analogs of rhazinilam 1 present, like the latter, an interesting antitubulin and cytotoxic activity.     

Age-related motor and catecholomine alterations in mice on levodopa supplemented diet

Old mice reared on regular diet show reduced motor activity, decreased basal adenylate cyclase, and increased MAO activities compared to adults. Brain DDC and COMT activities, DA, NE levels and DA-stimulated adenylate cyclase remained unchanged. By contrast, mice fed levodopa for life did not develop decreased motor activity with aging, lived about 50% longer, had slightly elevated whole brain DA and NE levels and failed to develop the expected rise in MAO activity with aging. Levodopa did not alter the number of dopaminergic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors or the adenylate cyclase activity in the striatum during aging. On levodopa, hepatic and renal DA, dopa, and HVA increased but the latter two returned to basal levels by mid life. In liver, DDC was unchanged but MAO tended to be higher in levodopa-fed mice. Thus, motor impairment is an age-related phenomenon in mice associated with selective alterations in brain dopaminergic systems, which may be prevented by dietary levodopa. Extracerebral tissues, through possibly adaptive metabolic mechanisms, play a significant role in regulating brain catecholamines during chronic administration of large doses of levodopa.     

Alcaloïdes d'Alstonia vitiensis var. Novo ebudica monachino

Five alkaloids have been isolated from Alstonia vitiensis: pleïocarpamine, vincorine, cabucraline, alstovine (11-methoxycompactinervine) and quaternoxine; the latter two are new alkaloids.     

Visuospatial Working Memory in Toddlers with a History of Periventricular Leukomalacia: An EEG Narrow-Band Power Analysis

Background

Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) affects white matter, but grey matter injuries have also been reported, particularly in the dorsomedial nucleus and the cortex. Both structures have been related to working memory (WM) processes. The aim of this study was to compare behavioral performances and EEG power spectra during a visuospatial working memory task (VSWMT) of toddlers with a history of PVL and healthy toddlers.

Methodology/Principal Findings

A prospective, comparative study of WM was conducted in toddlers with a history of PVL and healthy toddlers. The task responses and the EEG narrow-band power spectra during a VSWMT were compared in both groups. The EEG absolute power was analyzed during the following three conditions: baseline, attention and WM retention. The number of correct responses was higher in the healthy group (20.5±5.0) compared to the PVL group (16.1±3.9) (p = 0.04). The healthy group had absolute power EEG increases (p≤0.05) during WM compared to the attention condition in the bilateral frontal and right temporal, parietal and occipital regions in frequencies ranging from 1.17 to 2.34 Hz and in the right temporal, parietal and occipital regions in frequencies ranging from 14.06 to 15.23 Hz. In contrast, the PVL group had absolute power increases (p≤0.05) in the bilateral fronto-parietal, left central and occipital regions in frequencies that ranged from 1.17 to 3.52 Hz and in the bilateral frontal and right temporal regions in frequencies ranging from 9.37 to 19.14 Hz.

Conclusions/Significance

This study provides evidence that PVL toddlers have visuospatial WM deficits and a very different pattern of absolute power increases compared to a healthy group of toddlers, with greater absolute power in the low frequency range and widespread neuronal networks in the WM retention phase.     

Ticks of the Central African Republic

A review is presented of the ticks of the Central African Republic (C.A.R.), based on unpublished data and a literature review. We consider as established in the C.A.R. two species of Argasidae (one species of each of the genera Carios and Ornithodoros) and 49 species of Ixodidae: 5 Ixodes, 11 Amblyomma, 2 Dermacentor, 9 Haemaphysalis, 4 Hyalomma, and 18 Rhipicephalus species, 3 of which belong to the subgenus Boophilus. Two of these species, one Amblyomma and one Dermacentor, may by now have disappeared from the country together with their hosts, the black and white rhinoceroses. Moreover, four other species of Ixodidae have been recorded, but are not necessarily established in the country, and 6 species of Ixodidae have apparently been reported incorrectly; the data for the occurrence of three other species of Ixodidae are uncertain. Rhipicephalus species in the C.A.R. present the greatest difficulties in identification, on the one hand because of uncertainties in taxonomy, particularly in the capensis group, on the other hand because of individual variability, which means that individual specimens cannot always be reliably identified to species. Examining the dissected and cleared gonopore structure of females helps, but is very time-consuming where large numbers are involved. Some of the species of the genus Haemaphysalis are also difficult to identify with certainty. There are only a few species of Hyalomma in the country. We revised also some old records of ticks in C.A.R., which we consider as unreliable and should be disregarded because of subsequent changes in taxonomy and nomenclature, unless the material is still available for examination.     

Cholesterol,oxidative stress,and Alzheimer's disease: expanding the horizons of pathogenesis

Recent epidemiological, clinical, and experimental data suggest that cholesterol may play a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have recently shown that cholesterolemia has a profound effect in the development and modulation of amyloid pathology in a transgenic model of AD. This review summarizes recent advancements in our understanding of the potential role of cholesterol and the amyloid beta protein in initiating the generation of free radicals and points out their role in a chain of events that causes damage of essential macromolecules in the central nervous system and culminates in neuronal dysfunction and loss. Experimental data links cholesterol and oxidative stress with some neurodegenerative aspects of AD.     

Potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: design, synthesis and structure-activity relationships of alkylene linked bis-galanthamine and galanthamine-galanthaminium salts

The syntheses, the anticholinesterase activities and structure-activity relationships of homodimeric (3a-c) and heterodimeric (6a-c) alkylene linked bis-galanthamine are reported. Compounds 6b-c were found to be more potent than galanthamine and tacrine in inhibiting AChE.