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A comparative experimental analysis of intensity of nitric oxide (NO) production and the copper content in the tissues of hippocampus of male Wistar rats after modeling of hemorrhagic stroke and brain injury was conducted using EPR spectroscopy. Modeling of hemorrhagic stroke was carried out by microinjection of 500 nl of autologous blood into the brain to a depth of 5.0 mm (hippocampus) on the left side. Brain injury was performed by removing a piece of nerve tissue from 5.0 mm depth on the left side of hippocampus. It was registered a significant decrease in the NO content in hippocampus by 36 ± 17% on the 3rd day after modeling of hemorrhagic stroke together with decrease by an average of 24 ± 14% of the copper content. There were no significant changes in the NO level in hippocampus found neither on the 3rd day nor on the 7th day after brain injury modeling. There was also no change in copper content. Thus, it was experimentally demonstrated that modeling of brain injury, in contrast to hypoxia induced by hemorrhagic stroke, was not accompanied with significant changes in NO production in hippocampus of rat.

In order to simulate apoptotic processes in the central nervous system and retina, one eyeball was enucleated in each of the male Wistar rats (n = 10) aged 10–12 weeks. Simultaneously, in one of the series of experiments (n = 5), 100 000 PKH67-labeled mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in 100 µL of buffer solution were injected parabulbarically on the side of an intact eye. In another series of experiments on rats (n = 5), immediately after enucleation, on one side of the eye, 100 000 PKH67-labeled MSCs in 100 µL of buffer solution were injected intranasally into the upper part of the nasal cavity. Three days after enucleation, brain and retinal slices were prepared on a cryostat. In both series of experiments, the distribution of fluorescent MSCs was determined in the mesencephalic quadruplet bodies, diencephalic lateral geniculate body, and intact eye’s retina. It was inferred that intranasal perineural implantation of MSCs, due to its simplicity and efficiency, is a promising alternative method of MSC delivery into the retina of patients with signs of dystrophic and degenerative processes.

Results of analysis of nitric oxide and copper content in rat liver and hippocampus after brain ischemia modeling are provided. The studies are carried out using the electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy method with spin traps. It was shown that, the day after brain ischemia modeling, nitric oxide content in hippocampus decreases on average by 50% and a tendency toward its decrease was observed in liver tissues. Two days after brain ischemia modeling, nitric oxide content in the brain recovered and a significant increase by 46% against control indices was observed in the liver. On the second day of the postischemic period, the copper content, which is associated with superoxide dismutase content, increased on average by 2.5-fold in the liver. No significant changes in copper content was found in the hippocampus.

A comparative experimental analysis by EPR spectroscopy of the intensity of nitric oxide (NO) production and the content of the copper in the tissues of olfactory bulb of the brain of male Wistar rats were performed after modeling of ischemic stroke and treatment with immediate intranasal injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Brain ischemia was simulated by ligation at the level of bifurcation of the common carotid arteries. It was found a significant reduction of NO content in the olfactory bulb of the brain of rats on the 1st and 2nd days after modeling of ischemia. The level of NO production was also reduced on the 1st and 2nd days after ischemia with MSCs’ administration as compared to intact animals. It was not found the significant difference of the NO content in rats after ischemia with MSCs’ administration relative to ischemic rats. The copper content in the olfactory bulb of the rat, which corresponds to the level of superoxide dismutase 1 and 3, tended to increase after modeling ischemia and remained for 2 days. The MSCs’ administration was accompanied by a significant increase in copper content on the 1st day after modeling of ischemia and by decrease of its content on 2nd day after ischemia. The experiments showed that MSCs’ administration did not affect the intensity of NO production on the 1st and 2nd days after the modeling of brain ischemia, but was accompanied by an increase in the antioxidant protection of the nervous tissue 1 day after ischemia.

It was shown by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy that one day after bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (to simulate ischemia) in Wistar rats (group 1, n = 15) under ketamine-xylazine-acepromazine anesthesia (55.6, 5.5, 1.1 mg/kg, respectively, intraperitoneally), the content of nitric monoxide (NO) in the olfactory bulbs decreased, and recovered after two days. A similar trend was observed in Wistar rats (group 2, n = 15), which, simultaneously with ischemia modeling, were implanted intranasally with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). An intact group of rats (group 3, n = 15) was kept in the usual conditions of the vivarium and did not undergo surgical interventions. The content of copper in the olfactory bulbs of rats (for assessing the activity of superoxide dismutases 1 and 3) after ischemia modeling (group 1) tended to increase and maintain the increase for two days of observation. Intranasal administration of MSCs during the ischemia modeling was accompanied by a more significant increase in copper content on the first day after brain ischemia modeling, but after two days, a tendency towards restoration of the initial copper level was noted.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used as a method to record nitric oxide (NO) production in the tissues of the brain, heart and liver of healthy rats, and rats after modeling of ischemic stroke. Direct measurement of the dynamics of NO production by EPR spectroscopy in our experiments showed that after the emergence of signs of ischemic stroke, 5 h after the start of ischemia, the content of NO in the hippocampus decreased two- to threefold and this decrease was maintained at 24 and 72 h. Deserving special attention is the data demonstrating that there is a greater decrease of NO production in the tissues of the heart and liver than in the brain. Consequently, the change in intensity of NO production in the modeling of ischemic events in the brain has a systemic, not a local character.

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Reactions of 4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-ylcarbonitrile with methylmagnesium iodide and ethylmagnesium bromide afforded the corresponding alkyl (4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl) ketones. The reaction of (4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl) methyl ketone with morpholine and piperidine provided 5-morpholino-(piperidino)-substituted derivatives, by the action of sodium borohydride in 2-propanol the keto group was reduced to alcoholic hydroxy group. The bromination of (4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl) methyl ketone with elemental bromine gave bromomethyl (4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl) ketone, whose reaction with thiourea resulted in 2-amino-4-(4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl)thiazole.

Deep body temperature of 57 male Wistar rats was measured in response to systemic (i.v. or i.p.) injection of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Animals were preliminarily (4 weeks before the experiment) treated with microinjections of the toxic dose of glutamate receptors agonists or vehicle into solitary tract nucleus or caudal part of ventrolateral medulla. Microinjections of the glutamate receptors agonists provoked a local destruction of brain tissue, which was accompanied by the significant transformation (amplification or attenuation) of temperature response to the systemic injection of 3 μg/kg E. coli LPS. Animals treated with vehicle did not demonstrate significant changes in their response to LPS. Obtained data testify that impairment of central nervous structure involved in the regulation and maintenance of deep body temperature is accompanied by atypical development of E. coli LPS-induced fever.

Immersion is a useful tool for studying fluid-volume homeostasis. Natriuretic peptides play a vital role in renal, humoral, and cardiovascular regulation under changing environmental conditions. We hypothesized that dry immersion would rapidly induce a new steady state for water and sodium metabolism, and that serum NT-proBNP levels, a proxy measure for brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), would decrease during long-term dry immersion and increase during recovery. Eight healthy young men were studied before, during, and after 7 days of dry immersion. Body weight, water balance, and plasma volume changes were evaluated. Plasma and serum samples were analyzed for active renin, NT-proBNP, aldosterone, electrolytes, osmolality, total protein, and creatinine. Urine samples were analyzed to determine levels of electrolytes, osmolality, creatinine, and free cortisol. A stand test was performed before and after dry immersion to evaluate cardiovascular deconditioning. Long-term dry immersion induced acute changes in water and sodium homeostasis on day 1, followed by a new steady state. Plasma volume decreased significantly during dry immersion. The serum levels of NT-proBNP increased significantly in recovery (10 ± 3 ng/L before dry immersion vs. 26 ± 5 ng/L on the fourth recovery day). Heart rate in the standing position was significantly greater after immersion. Results suggest that chronic dry immersion rapidly induced a new level of water-electrolyte homeostasis. The increase in NT-proBNP levels during the recovery period may be related to greater cardiac work and might reflect the degree of cardiovascular deconditioning.

Methyl 5-hydroxy-4-oxo-4 H-pyran-2-carboxylate was synthesized by esterification of methanol with comenic acid under acidic catalysis. The obtained ester was alkylated with 3-(chloromethyl)-5-phenylisoxazole and 4,5-dichloro-3-(chloromethyl)isothiazole to afford corresponding conjugates containing isoxazole and isothiazole moieties which then were transformed into water-soluble Li-salts. During the bioassays of synthesized isoxazole and isothiazole derivatives of comenic acid in mixtures with first-line antitumor drug Temobel (Temozolomid) used in brain tumors chemotherapy, a synergetic effect was observed.

The survival of rat C6 glioma decreased in the presence of implants from VT-16 titanium alloy. Diamond-like carbon coating of VT-16 alloy slightly increased cell death on day 5 of the experiment (39.9+/-2.1%). The percentage of dead C6 glioma cells inside titanium rings with diamond-like carbon coating, incorporating up to 3.5 atom.% Ag nanoparticles, was 53.7+/-4.3% on day 5 of culturing, while after doping to 6.7 atom.% Ag cell death reached 66.7+/-3.2% (p0.05). The maximum toxic effect towards C6 glioma was detected in the specimens coated with diamond-like film with silver nanoparticles.

The technique of combined DC metal arc and carbon pulsed arc was used to deposit thin solid films containing up to 6.5 at.% of silver. The microstructure and antibacterial properties of silver-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been investigated. Silver nanoparticle of flat disk shape located inside of an amorphous carbon matrix revealed excellent antibacterial properties concerning Staphylococcus аureus bacteria. Titanium substrates with DLC films doped with silver have an inhibiting effect on growth of some tumors, in particular, on rat neoplastic С6 glioma. This result is new and opens further possibility for application of DLC:Ag composite in medicine.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic inflammation is accompanied by either hypothermia (prevails when the ambient temperature (Ta) is subneutral) or fever (prevails when Ta is neutral or higher). Because platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a proximal mediator of LPS inflammation, it should mediate both thermoregulatory responses to LPS. That PAF possesses hypothermic activity and mediates LPS-induced hypothermia is known. We asked whether PAF possesses pyrogenic activity (Expt 1) and mediates LPS fever (Expt 2). The study was conducted in Long-Evans rats implanted with jugular catheters. A complex with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was infused as a physiologically relevant form of PAF; free (aggregated) PAF was used as a control. In Expt 1, either form of PAF caused hypothermia when infused (83 pmol kg-1 min-1, 60 min, i.v.) at a subneutral Ta of 20 degrees C, but the response to the PAF-BSA complex (-4.5 +/- 0.5 degrees C, nadir) was ~4 times larger than that to free PAF. At a neutral Ta of 30 degrees C, both forms caused fever preceded by tail skin vasoconstriction, but the febrile response to PAF-BSA (1.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C, peak) was2 times higher than that to free PAF. Both the hypothermic (at 20 degrees C) and febrile (at 30 degrees C) responses to PAF-BSA started when the total amount of PAF infused was extremely small,830 pmol kg-1. In Expt 2 (conducted at 30 degrees C), the PAF receptor antagonist BN 52021 (29 micromol kg-1, i.v.) had no thermal effect of itself. However, it strongly (~2 times) attenuated the febrile response to PAF (5 nmol kg-1, i.v.), implying that this response involves the PAF receptor and is not due to a detergent-like effect of PAF on cell membranes. BN 52021 (but not its vehicle) was similarly effective in attenuating LPS (10 microg kg-1, i.v.) fever. It is concluded that PAF is a highly potent endogenous pyrogenic substance and a mediator of LPS fever.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A decreased resistance to infection and impairments of immunity are common in obese humans and in rodents with hereditary obesity. Since brown fat thermogenesis is also suppressed in obese rodents, we hypothesized that obesity leads to a decreased febrile responsiveness. METHODS: We compared the fever responses to intravenous E. coli lipopolysaccharide (10 µg/kg) between Zucker fa/fa (obese due to a defective leptin receptor) and Fa/? (lean) rats and between Otsuka Long–Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF; obese due to the lacking cholecystokinin-A receptor) and Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (lean) rats. Obesity of Zucker fa/fa and OLETF rats was verified by increased body mass and fat content, hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia. RESULTS: Neither fa/fa nor OLETF animals exhibited a decreased febrile responsiveness; if anything, their fevers tended to be higher than those in their lean counterparts. CONCLUSION: Obesity per se does not lead to antipyresis. International Journal of Obesity (2001) 25, 586–589

In rats, fevers induced by moderate-to-high doses of intravenous lipopolysaccharide consist of three phases (phases 1, 2 and 3) with body temperature peaks at approximately 1, 2, and 5 h postinjection, respectively. In this study, the effects of bilateral truncal subdiaphragmatic vagotomy and intraperitoneal capsaicin desensitization on febrile phases 1-3 were assessed in adult Wistar rats. Surgical vagotomy was performed approximately 30 d before the experiment; this procedure interrupts both afferent and efferent vagal fibers. Capsaicin was administered intraperitoneally in two consecutive injections (2 and 3 mg/kg, 3 h apart) 1 week prior to the experiment; this procedure desensitizes afferent fibers, primarily within the abdominal cavity, and does not lead to the known thermal effects of systemic capsaicin desensitization. At a neutral ambient temperature, the rats were given Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (10 microg/kg) through a preimplanted jugular catheter, and their colonic temperature wes measured by thermocouples for 7 h. The control rats exhibited the typical triphasic febrile responses. Confirming our earlier studies, subdiaphragmatic vagotomy did not affect phases 1 and 2; it did, however, result in a 2.5-fold reduction of phase 3. Capsaicin desensitization modified the febrile response differently: phases 2 and 3 were unaffected, but phase 1 disappeared. We suggest that neural afferent fibers (nonvagal but perhaps vagal as well) play an important role in the early febrile response (phase 1) by transducing peripheral pyrogenic signals to the brain. We also suggest that vagal efferent fibers are likely to participate in the later febrile response (phase 3) via an unknown mechanism.

Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy decreases the febrile responsiveness to intraperitoneal (i.p.) lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but whether this effect is due to interruption of afferent or efferent vagal fibers remains unknown. To address this issue, we injected LPS (10 μg/kg, i.p.) in four groups of rats: (i) subdiaphragmatically vagotomized at the trunk level; (ii) sham-vagotomized; (iii) selectively de-efferented (via combined right efferent rhizotomy and anterior gastroceliac branch vagotomy); and (iv) sham-de-efferented. The febrile response in both groups (i) and (iii) was attenuated two-fold as compared to groups (ii) and (iv), respectively. We suggest that motor vagal fibers may be involved in fever genesis, perhaps by interfering with LPS transport from the peritoneal cavity to the blood.

This study explains why the recently described triphasic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) fevers have been repeatedly mistaken for biphasic fevers. Experiments were performed in loosely restrained male Wistar rats with a catheter implanted into the right jugular vein. Each animal was injected with Escherichia coli LPS, and its colonic (Tc) and tail skin temperatures were monitored. The results are presented as time graphs and phase-plane plots; in the latter case the rate of change of Tc is plotted against Tc. At an ambient temperature (Ta) of 30.0°C, the response to the 10 μg/kg dose of LPS was triphasic, as is obvious from time graphs of Tc (3 peaks), time graphs of effector activity (3 waves of tail skin vasoconstriction), and phase-plane plots (3 complete loops). When the Ta was below neutral (22.0°C) or the LPS dose was higher (100 or 1,000 μg/kg), the time graph of Tc did not allow for the reliable detection of all three febrile phases, but the phase-plane plot and time graph of effector activity clearly revealed the triphasic pattern. In a separate experiment, LPS (10 μg/kg) or saline was injected via one of two different procedures: in the first group the injection was performed through the jugular catheter, from outside the experimental chamber; in the second group the same nonstressing injection was combined with opening the chamber and pricking the animal in its lower abdomen with a needle. In the first group the febrile response was obviously triphasic, and none of the phases was due to the procedure of injection per se (injection of saline did not affect Tc). In the second group the fever similarly consisted of three Tc rises, but it might have been readily mistaken for biphasic because the first rise was indistinguishable from stress hyperthermia occurring in the saline-injected (and needle-pricked) controls. We conclude that several methodological factors (dose of LPS, procedure of its injection, and Ta) have contributed, although each in a different way, to the common misbelief that there are only two febrile phases.

Experimentally, systemic inflammation induced by a bolus intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) may be accompanied by three different thermoregulatory responses: monophasic fever (the typical response to low doses of LPS), biphasic fever (medium doses), and hypothermia (high doses). In our recent study [Romanovsky, A. A., V. A. Kulchitsky, C. T. Simons, N. Sugimoto, and M. Szekely. Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol.). In press], monophasic fever did not occur in subdiaphragmatically vagotomized rats. In the present work, we asked whether vagotomy affects the two other types of thermoregulatory response. Adult Wistar rats were vagotomized (or sham operated) and had an intravenous catheter implanted. On day 28 postvagotomy, the thermal responses to the intravenous injection of Escherichia coli LPS (0, 1, 10, 100, or 1,000 micrograms/kg) were tested in either a neutral (30 degrees C) or slightly cool (25 degrees C) environment. Three major results were obtained. 1) In the sham-operated rats, the 1 microgram/kg dose of LPS caused at 30 degrees C a monophasic fever with a maximal colonic temperature (Tc) rise of approximately 0.6 degree C; this response was abated (no Tc changes) in the vagotomized rats. 2) At 30 degrees C, all responses to higher doses of LPS (10-1,000 micrograms/kg) were represented by biphasic fevers (the higher the dose, the less pronounced the first and the more pronounced the second phase was); none of these biphasic fevers was altered in the vagotomized animals. 3) In response to the 1,000 micrograms/kg dose at 25 degrees C, hypothermia occurred: Tc changed by -0.5 +/- 0.1 degree C (nadir); this hypothermia was exaggerated (-1.1 +/- 0.1 degrees C) in the vagotomized rats. It is concluded that vagal afferentation may be important in the mediation of the response to minor amounts of circulating LPS, whereas the response to larger amounts is brought about mostly (if not exclusively) by nonvagal mechanisms. This difference may be explained by the dose-dependent mechanisms of the processing of exogenous pyrogens. Vagotomized animals also appear to be more sensitive to the hypothermizing action of LPS in a cool environment; the mechanisms of this phenomenon remain speculative.

Reactions of 4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-ylcarbonitrile with methylmagnesium iodide and ethylmagnesium bromide afforded the corresponding alkyl (4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl) ketones. The reaction of (4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl) methyl ketone with morpholine and piperidine provided 5-morpholino-(piperidino)-substituted derivatives, by the action of sodium borohydride in 2-propanol the keto group was reduced to alcoholic hydroxy group. The bromination of (4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl) methyl ketone with elemental bromine gave bromomethyl (4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl) ketone, whose reaction with thiourea resulted in 2-amino-4-(4,5-dichloroisothiazol-3-yl)thiazole.

The natural switch from fever to hypothermia observed in the most severe cases of systemic inflammation is a phenomenon that continues to puzzle clinicians and scientists. The present study was the first to evaluate in direct experiments how the development of hypothermia vs. fever during severe forms of systemic inflammation impacts the pathophysiology of this malady and mortality rates in rats. Following administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 5 or 18 mg/kg) or of a clinical Escherichia coli isolate (5 × 109or 1 × 1010CFU/kg), hypothermia developed in rats exposed to a mildly cool environment, but not in rats exposed to a warm environment; only fever was revealed in the warm environment. Development of hypothermia instead of fever suppressed endotoxemia in E. coli -infected rats, but not in LPS-injected rats. The infiltration of the lungs by neutrophils was similarly suppressed in E. coli -infected rats of the hypothermic group. These potentially beneficial effects came with costs, as hypothermia increased bacterial burden in the liver. Furthermore, the hypotensive responses to LPS or E. coli were exaggerated in rats of the hypothermic group. This exaggeration, however, occurred independently of changes in inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins. Despite possible costs, development of hypothermia lessened abdominal organ dysfunction and reduced overall mortality rates in both the E. coli and LPS models. By demonstrating that naturally occurring hypothermia is more advantageous than fever in severe forms of aseptic (LPS-induced) or septic ( E. coli -induced) systemic inflammation, this study provides new grounds for the management of this deadly condition.

In acute experiments on nembutal–urethan-anaesthetized rats, a slow infusion of subseptic dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Escherichia coli (1 mg/ml) via the right jugular vein immediately led to bradycardia and extrasystoles. Preliminary administration of 20 mg/kg N (G)-nitro- l -arginine methyl ester ( l -NAME) or 30 mg/kg aminoguanidine hydrochloride prevented the LPS-induced extrasystoles but did not affect the pattern of bradycardia. We conclude that nitric oxide (NO)-ergic mechanisms are involved in provoking electrical instability of the heart in conditions of endotoxemia.

Neuroepithelial tumor cells were cultured in vitro. The biopsy material was taken from 93 children at removal of the brain tumors during neurosurgical operations. The individual features of the cells sensitivity of primary cultures in respect to protocol-approved chemotherapy drugs and changes in the Interleukin-6 (Il-6) level in the culture medium after the application of chemotherapy were established. The initial level of Il-6 exceeded 600.0 pg/ml in the cultural medium with histologically verified pilomyxoid astrocytoma cells, and ranged from 100.0 to 200.0 pg/ml in the medium at cultivation of ganglioneuroblastoma and pilocytic astrocytoma. A decrease in the Il-6 level in the medium culture of primary tumors cells was observed after the application of chemotherapeutic agents on the cells of pilomyxoid astrocytoma, astrocytomas, and pilocytic desmoplastic/nodular medulloblastoma. The production of Il-6 increased after application of cytostatic drugs on the cells of oligoastrocytomas. A decrease in Il-6 level after application of Cisplatin and Methotrexate and a 5-10 fold increase in the level of Il-6 after application of Etoposide, Carboplatin, Cytarabine, and Gemcitabine were registered in the medium with ganglioneuroblastoma. To improve the cytotoxic action of chemotherapeutic agents, the combined application of cytostatics with heterocyclic compounds was carried out. A computer modeling of ligand-protein complexes of carbamide using the Dock 6.4 and USF Chimera program packages was performed with molecular mechanics method. Special attention was drawn to the ability of several isoxazole heterocycles and isothiazolyl to inhibit the tyrosine kinase. It was proved in vitro that the joint application of chemotherapeutic agents and heterocyclic compounds could reduce the concentration of the cytostatic factor by 10 or more times, having maintained the maximum cytotoxic effect. It was assumed that the target amplification of cytotoxic action of chemotherapeutic agents had prospects for reducing toxic side effects of chemotherapy in vivo, which would be carried out only after the preclinical studies.

Intraperitoneal capsaicin desensitizes sensory fibers traveling within both the vagus and splanchnic nerves. Because capsaicin desensitization blocks the first phase of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) fever, whereas surgical vagotomy does not, splanchnic mediation of the first phase was proposed. However, all phases of the febrile response of splanchnicotomized rats to intravenous LPS (10 microg/kg) were similar to those of sham-operated controls. Hence, the splanchnic nerve is likely uninvolved in LPS fever.

The repeatedly observed attenuation of fever in vagotomized rats has been accepted as evidence of an essential role of vagal afferents in the transduction of pyrogenic signals from the periphery to the brain. If, however, the general condition of a vagotomized animal is poor (the usual case) and accompanied by malnutrition and body mass loss (common complications of vagotomy), the febrile responsiveness can be suppressed not because of the lack of vagal afferentation, but rather secondarily to a malnutrition-associated thermogenic incompetence. In the present study, we addressed this dilemma. Male Wistar rats were subjected to subdiaphragmatic vagotomy (or sham surgery) and, 24 days later, catheterized in the jugular vein. Postsurgically, the rats were closely watched and fed highly palatable food. Their febrile responsiveness [colonic (Tc) and tail skin (Tsk) temperature responses] to Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS: 1 microgram/kg i.v.) was tested on day 27 postvagotomy. To verify the completeness of vagotomy, each rat was food deprived for 24 h and then euthanized; its stomach's evacuatory function was assessed by weighing the organ. One month postsurgery, both food consumption and body mass of the vagotomized rats (33 +/- 2 g/day and 313 +/- 4 g, respectively) were similar to the control values (30 +/- 1 g/day and 315 +/- 8 g). In the sham rats, LPS induced a monophasic Tc rise of 0.5 +/- 0.3 degree C at 70 min postinjection (peak), preceded by a fall in Tsk. Neither this Tsk fall (tail skin vasoconstriction) nor the resultant fever occurred in the vagotomized rats; at 70 min, Tc change was -0.1 +/-0.1 degree C. The gastric mass (4.1 +/- 0.5 g in the vagotomized vs. 1.8 +/- 0.1 g in sham rats) indicated the effectiveness of vagotomy. In sum, although the vagotomy-associated malnutrition was successfully prevented with special perioperative care, the vagotomized animals still did not respond to LPS with fever. Malnutrition is, therefore, unlikely to constitute the main reason of the febrile irresponsiveness of vagotomized rats.

In acute experiments on nembutal-urethan-anesthetized rats, structures selectively sensitive to capsaicin were found near the ventral surface of the medulla at the exit of hypoglossal nerve roots. Microinjection of 5-50 nl 0.01% capsaicin to the rostral region of the capsaicin-sensitive area mostly activated respiration, arterial pressure and heart rate (HR) while that to the caudal region inhibited arterial pressure and HR. In chronic experiments on rats, injection of 25 nl 1% capsaicin to the caudal capsaicin-sensitive area led to a decrease in arterial pressure by 35-45% and in HR by 10-15% within a week after operation. Arterial pressure and HR virtually reached the control level and the rostral and caudal ventral medulla showed asymmetric distribution of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d)-positive cells by the end of the 2nd week. It is suggested that nitric oxide may be involved in the mechanisms of neurochemical rearrangements in the brainstem after application of capsaicin to the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM).

s / Neuropeptides 40 (2006) 417–445 443 are known to correlate negatively with body mass index (BMI) so that ghrelin is elevated in anorexia nervosa and decreased in obesity. In patients with cancer cachexia, it has been postulated that lack of appetite and weight loss, despite elevated ghrelin levels, results from partial ghrelin resistance. Exogenous ghrelin administered to these patients has been shown to increase caloric intake by 31%. In this study, we have shown that increased endogenous release of ghrelin from neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) can overcome the partial ghrelin resistance seen in cancer cachexia. Methods: The study was conducted as a single-center, prospective trial enrolling 35 patients with NETs. Total ghrelin levels and chromogranin A (CgA) values were measured and analyzed for differences by t test (p < 0.05). Subgroups examined included patients with and without hepatic metastases, carcinoid versus pancreatic NETs, and patients with and without hypergastrinemia due either to prolonged proton pump inhibitor use or due to Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome (ZES). Results: Mean total ghrelin levels in patients with NET and hepatic metastases (589 pg/ml) were significantly elevated compared to the group of NET patients without hepatic metastases (411 pg/ml). The former had a mean BMI of 27.2 compared to a mean of 26.3 for the latter. These higher ghrelin levels correlated with higher serum chromogranin A levels. Mean total ghrelin in patients with hypergastrinemia due to prolonged proton pump inhibitor therapy (591 pg/ml) differed significantly from untreated patients (418 pg/ml). No significant differences in ghrelin levels were seen in patients with carcinoid tumors compared to those with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors nor between patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome versus those without. All patients with neuroendocrine tumors had elevated levels of ghrelin compared to the standard reference range. Conclusions: We report that in all subgroups analyzed, patients with NETs had levels of ghrelin that positively correlated with BMI suggesting that any partial ghrelin resistance may be overcome with increased endogenous ghrelin. This data supports the possibility that ghrelin is co-released from NETs and exerts an orexigenic effect in these patients, helping to maintain weight preservation despite widely disseminated disease. doi:10.1016/j.npep.2006.09.044 P-8: INVOLVEMENT OF PROTEOGLYCANCONTAINING CELLS AND/OR THE PROTEOGLYCAN EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX IN SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION Yu.S. Garkun , A.A. Denisov , P.G. Molchanov , N.V. Yakubovich , V.A. Kulchitsky ; a Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Sciences, 28 Akademicheskaya Str., 220072, Minsk, Belarus; b Belarus State University, 4 Nezavisemosty Ave., 220050, Minsk, Belarus In many respects cell-to-cell communications are determined by interaction between cells and extracellular matrix. We attempted to change the functional state of the extracellular matrix by applying chondroitin sulfate to test the hypothesis that proteoglycans can influence synaptic transmission in brain slices by transforming extracellular matrix. Experimental series were performed on 400 lm-thick hippocampal slices from 3–4-week old rats. Population spikes (PS) and field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in the CA1 area were recorded under electrical stimulation of the Schaffer collaterals in a series of 48 hippocampal slices taken from 16 young rats under perfusion with 0.001– 1.0% chondroitin sulfate. Beginning at 60s after application of 0.01% chondroitin sulfate, an increase in the amplitude of the fEPSPs in response to both paired pulse stimuli was induced and persisted until 90s. Following this, the fEPSPs in response to both pulses declined rapidly over 60s, to an extent whereby fEPSPs were almost abolished. The initial facilitation of fEPSPs and PSs amplitudes following chondroitin sulfate may result from either an increase in net excitatory post-synaptic current or an increase in post-synaptic impedance. Similarly, the subsequent impairment of fEPSPs and PSs amplitude in the period 90 to 150s after chondroitin application presumably reflects a reduction in excitatory post-synaptic current or a large fall in postsynaptic impedance. All these processes can be initiated by structural shifts in perineuronal nets including changes of a configuration of active zones and receptor ratio. Thus, proteoglycans may influence interneuronal communications in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. doi:10.1016/j.npep.2006.09.045 P-9: VASOACTIVE INTESTINAL PEPTIDE MODULATES PLASMACYTOID DENDRITIC CELL FUNCTION BY ALTERATION OF THE IMMUNE PHENOTYPE AND INHIBITION OF IFNA SECRETION D. Fabricius , M. Sue O’Dorisio , Sue Blackwell , Bernd Jahrsdoerfer ; a Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; b Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; c Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are thought to be the main sentinels for viral infections, to which they

We hypothesized that the systemic inflammatory response undergoes two consecutive stages, each characterized by different nonspecific sickness patterns. To test this hypothesis, we studied thermal, nociceptive, and motor responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in 43 unanesthetized, habituated, and lightly restrained male Wistar rats previously implanted with a catheter in the jugular vein. Escherichia coli LPS was injected intravenously in a dose of 0, 0.1, 1, 10, 100, or 1,000 micrograms/kg. Colonic temperature (Tc) was measured with a thermocouple. Changes in nociception were assessed by tail flick latency (TFL) to a noxious heat stimulus. Motor activity was evaluated using an observation-based activity score (AS). The two lowest doses were apyrogenic. The next dose induced a monophasic fever with a maximal Tc rise of 0.9 +/- 0.2 degrees C at 108 +/- 11 min post-LPS. The next two higher doses caused biphasic fevers with the first and second peaks of 0.7 +/- 0.1 and 1.4 +/- 0.1 degrees C (10 micrograms/kg) and 0.7 +/- 0.1 and 1.4 +/- 0.2 degrees C (100 micrograms/kg) occurring at 60 +/- 6 and 165 +/- 17 min and at 45 +/- 3 and 141 +/- 6 min, respectively. The highest dose of LPS resulted in a Tc fall (nadir, -0.6 +/- 0.1 degree C at 83 +/- 6 min). Two different sickness patterns were exhibited. The first (high Tc, low TFL and high AS) occurred during the monophasic fever and the first (early) phase of the biphasic fevers, and it was termed the early phase syndrome. The second pattern (high or low Tc, high TFL, and low AS) developed during the second (late) phase of the biphasic fevers and LPS-hypothermia (endotoxin shock), and it was termed the late phase syndrome. Occurring at different stages of the systemic inflammatory response and developing through different coping patterns [fight/flight (energy expenditure) vs. depression/withdrawal (energy conservation)], the two syndromes represent two different types of adaptation to infection and have different biological significance. Viewing sickness as a dynamic entity is justified clinically. Such a dynamic approach to the problem resolves several contradictions in the current concept of sickness.