International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 2007
Objective. The &a... more Objective. The "Seroquel" Outcomes Study (SOS) aimed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine in patients with schizophrenia in the clinical practice setting. Methods. A 6-month, non-comparative, open-label study in adults with schizophrenia in a standard care setting in Spain. Outpatients received flexibly dosed quetiapine. Efficacy was evaluated using the Brief Psychiatry Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. BPRS response was defined as≥30% decrease from baseline. Tolerability was assessed using the Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS) and a modified Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) side-effects scale. Results. A total of 2029 patients enrolled. Significant changes from baseline to Month 6 were recorded for BPRS total and subscale scores (P<0.001). Compared with doses of≥600 mg/day, doses of<400 mg/day were a strong predictor of a lower response rate (OR 0.62; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.82) and higher withdrawal rate (OR 3.3; 95% CI: 2.5, 4.4). Mean change in weight was minimal (+0.4 kg). Somnolence (26.7%), asthenia (12.5%), and constipation (9.8%) were the most common adverse events. Conclusion. Quetiapine was found to improve symptoms of schizophrenia, as indicated by a significant decrease in BPRS scores, and was well tolerated by patients in clinical practice.
It is accepted that both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia may be due to hypofuncti... more It is accepted that both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia may be due to hypofunction of glutamatergic pathways leading to altered dopaminergic neurotransmission activity. Specifically, there may be diminished glutamatergic signaling at the level of the NMDA receptors, but direct receptor agonists have no clinical utility due to their nonspecific actions and undesirable side effects. Given the problems of ineffectiveness or side effects of drugs that act directly on ionotropic and metabotropic mGlu2-3 receptors, clinical trials have been conducted with other drugs that have other mechanisms of action, especially indirect mechanisms, such as the co-administration of NMDA agonists (glycine or D-serine), glycine transporter inhibitors (sarcosine bitopertin), ampakines (CX-516), and mGlu5 receptor agonists. However, despite repeated failures, the glutamatergic approach to the treatment of schizophrenia has not been exhausted and all theoretical aspects that relate these co...
The evolution in the understanding of the neurobiology of most prevalent mental disorders such as... more The evolution in the understanding of the neurobiology of most prevalent mental disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder or schizophrenia has not gone hand in hand with the synthesis and clinical use of new drugs that would represent a therapeutic revolution such as that brought about by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or atypical antipsychotics. Although scientists are still a long way from understanding its true aetiology, the neurobiological concept of depression has evolved from receptor regulation disorder, to a neurodegenerative disorder with a hippocampal volume decrease with the controversial reduction in neurotrophins such as BDNF, to current hypotheses that consider depression to be an inflammatory and neuroprogressive process. As regards antidepressants, although researchers are still far from knowing their true mechanism of action, they have gone from monoaminergic hypotheses, in which serotonin was the main protagonist, to emph...
1. Assess the evolution of disability and quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with ... more 1. Assess the evolution of disability and quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with risperidone and who had received depot neuroleptics; 2. Evaluate risperidone efficiency; 3. Evaluate safety of this drug. Post-marketing multicentric observational (8 months) surveillance study was carried out. 109 schizophrenic patients (ICD-10 criteria). baseline and months 2, 4 and 8. SF-36, WHO/DDS-S, BPRS and CGI. Safety was evaluated by the UKU subscale for neurological side effects and spontaneous reports. statistically significant improvement of the mean scores of BPRS, CGI, WHO/DDS-S and SF-36 at 2, 4 and 8 months. There was a significant reduction in the total UKU subscale for neurological side effects scores from visit 1 (month 2) onwards. Risperidone was generally well tolerated by the study patients. From a total of 104 patients included, only 4 (3.8%) discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions. During the 8 months of study period, 87.6% of the patients did not suffer a...
International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 2001
Three neurotransmitter systems are implicated in the biological basis of depression: the serotone... more Three neurotransmitter systems are implicated in the biological basis of depression: the serotonergic system is thought to be a major component in the development of depression and in the efficacy of antidepressant drugs, while the noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems play lesser roles, but are important in the development of antidepressant side-effects. Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are still the drug treatments of choice in major depressive disorder, but each has a subtly different pharmacological profile, which has implications for pharmacodynamic actions and clinical efficacy and side-effect profiles. Although the precise mechanisms responsible for specific depressive symptoms are not yet well defined, evidence is emerging that some SSRIs may be more effective in combating certain symptoms than others. Fluoxetine appears to be particularly effective in overcoming symptoms of fatigue and low energy, whereas paroxetine or sertraline may be more appropriately used for depressed patients experiencing anxiety. A growing understanding of molecular mechanisms in depression and the unique clinical consequences of each pharmacological agent brings us one step closer to being able to individualize antidepressant treatment on the basis of core presenting symptoms and the needs of the individual patient. ( Int J Psych Clin Pract 2001; 5 (Suppl 1): S19-S28).
Actas luso-españolas de neurología, psiquiatría y ciencias afines
A total of 439 schizophrenic patients according to ICD-10 criteria was included in an open label ... more A total of 439 schizophrenic patients according to ICD-10 criteria was included in an open label postmarketing surveillance study to evaluate the efficiency of resperidone as maintenance treatment of the schizophrenic acute exacerbation. The efficiency of risperidone was assessed according the number of patients who responded to treatment, the duration of the hospitalization period an the decrease in the total score as well as in the different clusters of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) during the study period. A patient was considered as responder to treatment when a decrease of, at least, a 20% was achieved in the total BPRS score while being treated in monotherapy with risperidone. Safety was evaluated by the UKU subscale for neurological side effects and spontaneous reports. Patients were evaluated at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 6 and 12. Forty patients (9.1%) were excluded from the statistical analysis due to protocol violation. Eighty one patients (20.3%) dropped out due to lost for follow-up (n = 25; 6.3%), new hospitalization (n = 23; 5.8%), inefficacy (n = 12; 3%), side effects (n = 7; 1.8%) and others (n = 14; 3.5%). Risperidone was used at doses between 1.5 and 19 mg daily (mean dosage: 7.66 +/- 3.07 mg daily). The duration of the hospitalization when dosages of risperidone of less than 6 mg daily were used was 32.1 days. However, when higher dosages were used, the number of days in-hospital decreased (26.6 days at dosages between 6 and 9 mg daily and 25.3 days when dosages higher than 9 mg daily were used). There was a significant reduction, versus baseline, in the BPRS mean total scores as well as in it's different clusters. (positive symptoms, negative symptoms, anxiety/depression) from week one onwards. At week 1, 66.9% of the patients had an improvement (20% versus baseline in their BPRS total score. At the end of the study period, 93.2% of the patients had an improvement (20% in their BPRS total score. There was a significant reduction in the total UKU subscale for neurological side effects scores (p < 0.005) from week 1 onwards, as well as for the total score of the following symptoms: rigidity, hypokinesia, hyperkinesia tremor and akatysia.
1. Assess the evolution of disability and quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with ... more 1. Assess the evolution of disability and quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with risperidone and who had received depot neuroleptics; 2. Evaluate risperidone efficiency; 3. Evaluate safety of this drug. Post-marketing multicentric observational (8 months) surveillance study was carried out. 109 schizophrenic patients (ICD-10 criteria). baseline and months 2, 4 and 8. SF-36, WHO/DDS-S, BPRS and CGI. Safety was evaluated by the UKU subscale for neurological side effects and spontaneous reports. statistically significant improvement of the mean scores of BPRS, CGI, WHO/DDS-S and SF-36 at 2, 4 and 8 months. There was a significant reduction in the total UKU subscale for neurological side effects scores from visit 1 (month 2) onwards. Risperidone was generally well tolerated by the study patients. From a total of 104 patients included, only 4 (3.8%) discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions. During the 8 months of study period, 87.6% of the patients did not suffer any adverse event; the resting 12.4 suffered one or more side effects. The most frequently reported adverse events according spontaneous reports were: anxiety and restlessness (n= 4; 3.8%), weight increase (n= 4; 3.8%), sexual disturbances (n= 4; 3.8%) and amenorrhea (n= 2; 1.9%) among others. the long-term treatment with risperidone has improved the disability and quality of life levels of a large group of schizophrenic patients previously treated with depot neuroleptics.
To determine the evolution of the degree of long term disability (8 months) in a group of schizop... more To determine the evolution of the degree of long term disability (8 months) in a group of schizophrenic outpatients undergoing monotherapy with risperidone. DESIGN, An observational multicentre study of 8 months follow up. 354 patients with schizophrenic disorder (ICD-10). Baseline, 2, 4 and 8 months. BPRS, CGI, UKU, WHO/DAS-S. a significant decrease in both the global scores and in each of the 4 areas of disability. Improvement in disability depends to a large degree on the improvement of the disorder as shown on the BPRS and CGI. After 8 months, those patients with paranoid subtype and the less severe ones (BPRS and CGI) showed a considerably lesser degree of disability. The final level of disability (square root = 0,61) is narrowly related to the baseline level of disability, the 3 clusters of the final BPRS, the final CGI, gender and the subtype of schizophrenia.
180 psychotic patients with opiate dependence and abuse (ICD-10) were included in an open label s... more 180 psychotic patients with opiate dependence and abuse (ICD-10) were included in an open label study. The study objectives were to evaluate safety and efficacy of risperidone for a six month follow-up period. The total mean dose was 4.4 (SD: 2.4 mg/daily; range: 0.5-12 mg/daily). BPRS, CGI and DDS-SV were used to assess efficacy and UKU subscale for neurological side effects and spontaneous reports for safety. Risperidone treatment improved symptoms, disability of the included patients with a significant reduction in the mean total scores of BPRS, CGI and DDS-SV observed from the first month of treatment onwards. Risperidone also reduced illegal opiate abuse patients from 39% basedate to 18% at month 6. There was a significant reduction (p< 0.0001) in the total UKU subscale for neurological side effects scores from visit 1 onwards for studied sample. Risperidone was well tolerated by the study patients. From 165 elegible patients, just 10 (6.1%) discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions, 94% of the patients did not suffer any adverse event; the most frequent adverse events according spontaneous reports were extrapyramidal effects (3%) and anxiety (1.8%). Risperidone improved disability, psychotic symptoms and tolerability of these patients. Those results could mean an outstanding breakthrough in the treatment of these type of disorders and, if it is confirmed that risperidone can lead to abstinence, we would be before a new line of treatment for dual pathology.
Adrenal medullary transplant into spinal subarachnoid space in the rat is a promising therapeutic... more Adrenal medullary transplant into spinal subarachnoid space in the rat is a promising therapeutic tool in pain t reatment. Transplant acts through opioid peptides and catecholamines released by chromaffin cells into cerebrospinal fluid. Therefore, neuroactive substances reach opioid- and adrenergic- receptors located in spinal cord dorsal horn. In many cases, analgesic effect observed in acute pain tests in rats was obtained following subcutaneous nicotine injection estimulated-release. In animal models of chronic pain, nicotine was not necessary. Transplant induced-analgesia was antagonized by naloxone and phentolamine. In our laboratory, we have enhanced transplant induced-analgesia by one enkephalin catabolism inhibitor and amitriptyline treatment. A few clinic studies have been carried out to alleviate pain in terminal cancer patients. Some good results have been obtained both pain relief and complementary opiate-therapy reduction.
http://jose-navarro.wikispaces.com/file/view/revista%20a%20comportamiento%201984%201.pdf/45851241... more http://jose-navarro.wikispaces.com/file/view/revista%20a%20comportamiento%201984%201.pdf/458512416/revista%20a%20comportamiento%201984%201.pdf Conducted 4 experiments with Sprague-Dawley rats to evaluate the differential effects of experimentally induced stress (via immobilization and injections) and exposure to uncontrollable shocks on operant learning, the sex-dependent effects of uncontrollable shocks, and ponderal and gastric mucus variations occurring as a result of uncontrollable shock. Results indicate that while conditions of uncontrollability produced significant increases in number of trials required to acquire operant responding, separate analyses according to sex yielded significant effects for male but not for female Ss. Experimentally induced stress by either procedure did not significantly affect operant acquisition and, in contrast to other studies, did not cause significant differences between experimental and control groups in gastric mucus. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Data...
To test the hypothesis that there is an association between susceptibility to inflammation and a ... more To test the hypothesis that there is an association between susceptibility to inflammation and a hyporesponsive hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Animals were separated on the basis of behaviour in the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm into groups of LH(+) (i.e. animals which did not escape footshock) and LH(-) animals. Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) was subsequently induced in the LH(+) and LH(-) animals. Plasma corticosterone was significantly increased in response to the LH test in the LH(-) compared with the LH(+) rats. We observed an earlier onset and increased inflammation in the LH(-) rats in spite of the greater corticosterone response to the acute stress. We noted lower levels of plasma testosterone in the LH(-) animals suggesting a possible influence for this protective factor in AA. These data suggest that increased onset and severity of inflammation in AA is not a simple consequence of an attenuated HPA axis response to stress as proposed in the Lewis rat. Inde...
International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 2007
Objective. The &a... more Objective. The "Seroquel" Outcomes Study (SOS) aimed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine in patients with schizophrenia in the clinical practice setting. Methods. A 6-month, non-comparative, open-label study in adults with schizophrenia in a standard care setting in Spain. Outpatients received flexibly dosed quetiapine. Efficacy was evaluated using the Brief Psychiatry Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. BPRS response was defined as≥30% decrease from baseline. Tolerability was assessed using the Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS) and a modified Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) side-effects scale. Results. A total of 2029 patients enrolled. Significant changes from baseline to Month 6 were recorded for BPRS total and subscale scores (P<0.001). Compared with doses of≥600 mg/day, doses of<400 mg/day were a strong predictor of a lower response rate (OR 0.62; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.82) and higher withdrawal rate (OR 3.3; 95% CI: 2.5, 4.4). Mean change in weight was minimal (+0.4 kg). Somnolence (26.7%), asthenia (12.5%), and constipation (9.8%) were the most common adverse events. Conclusion. Quetiapine was found to improve symptoms of schizophrenia, as indicated by a significant decrease in BPRS scores, and was well tolerated by patients in clinical practice.
It is accepted that both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia may be due to hypofuncti... more It is accepted that both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia may be due to hypofunction of glutamatergic pathways leading to altered dopaminergic neurotransmission activity. Specifically, there may be diminished glutamatergic signaling at the level of the NMDA receptors, but direct receptor agonists have no clinical utility due to their nonspecific actions and undesirable side effects. Given the problems of ineffectiveness or side effects of drugs that act directly on ionotropic and metabotropic mGlu2-3 receptors, clinical trials have been conducted with other drugs that have other mechanisms of action, especially indirect mechanisms, such as the co-administration of NMDA agonists (glycine or D-serine), glycine transporter inhibitors (sarcosine bitopertin), ampakines (CX-516), and mGlu5 receptor agonists. However, despite repeated failures, the glutamatergic approach to the treatment of schizophrenia has not been exhausted and all theoretical aspects that relate these co...
The evolution in the understanding of the neurobiology of most prevalent mental disorders such as... more The evolution in the understanding of the neurobiology of most prevalent mental disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder or schizophrenia has not gone hand in hand with the synthesis and clinical use of new drugs that would represent a therapeutic revolution such as that brought about by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or atypical antipsychotics. Although scientists are still a long way from understanding its true aetiology, the neurobiological concept of depression has evolved from receptor regulation disorder, to a neurodegenerative disorder with a hippocampal volume decrease with the controversial reduction in neurotrophins such as BDNF, to current hypotheses that consider depression to be an inflammatory and neuroprogressive process. As regards antidepressants, although researchers are still far from knowing their true mechanism of action, they have gone from monoaminergic hypotheses, in which serotonin was the main protagonist, to emph...
1. Assess the evolution of disability and quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with ... more 1. Assess the evolution of disability and quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with risperidone and who had received depot neuroleptics; 2. Evaluate risperidone efficiency; 3. Evaluate safety of this drug. Post-marketing multicentric observational (8 months) surveillance study was carried out. 109 schizophrenic patients (ICD-10 criteria). baseline and months 2, 4 and 8. SF-36, WHO/DDS-S, BPRS and CGI. Safety was evaluated by the UKU subscale for neurological side effects and spontaneous reports. statistically significant improvement of the mean scores of BPRS, CGI, WHO/DDS-S and SF-36 at 2, 4 and 8 months. There was a significant reduction in the total UKU subscale for neurological side effects scores from visit 1 (month 2) onwards. Risperidone was generally well tolerated by the study patients. From a total of 104 patients included, only 4 (3.8%) discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions. During the 8 months of study period, 87.6% of the patients did not suffer a...
International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 2001
Three neurotransmitter systems are implicated in the biological basis of depression: the serotone... more Three neurotransmitter systems are implicated in the biological basis of depression: the serotonergic system is thought to be a major component in the development of depression and in the efficacy of antidepressant drugs, while the noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems play lesser roles, but are important in the development of antidepressant side-effects. Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are still the drug treatments of choice in major depressive disorder, but each has a subtly different pharmacological profile, which has implications for pharmacodynamic actions and clinical efficacy and side-effect profiles. Although the precise mechanisms responsible for specific depressive symptoms are not yet well defined, evidence is emerging that some SSRIs may be more effective in combating certain symptoms than others. Fluoxetine appears to be particularly effective in overcoming symptoms of fatigue and low energy, whereas paroxetine or sertraline may be more appropriately used for depressed patients experiencing anxiety. A growing understanding of molecular mechanisms in depression and the unique clinical consequences of each pharmacological agent brings us one step closer to being able to individualize antidepressant treatment on the basis of core presenting symptoms and the needs of the individual patient. ( Int J Psych Clin Pract 2001; 5 (Suppl 1): S19-S28).
Actas luso-españolas de neurología, psiquiatría y ciencias afines
A total of 439 schizophrenic patients according to ICD-10 criteria was included in an open label ... more A total of 439 schizophrenic patients according to ICD-10 criteria was included in an open label postmarketing surveillance study to evaluate the efficiency of resperidone as maintenance treatment of the schizophrenic acute exacerbation. The efficiency of risperidone was assessed according the number of patients who responded to treatment, the duration of the hospitalization period an the decrease in the total score as well as in the different clusters of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) during the study period. A patient was considered as responder to treatment when a decrease of, at least, a 20% was achieved in the total BPRS score while being treated in monotherapy with risperidone. Safety was evaluated by the UKU subscale for neurological side effects and spontaneous reports. Patients were evaluated at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 6 and 12. Forty patients (9.1%) were excluded from the statistical analysis due to protocol violation. Eighty one patients (20.3%) dropped out due to lost for follow-up (n = 25; 6.3%), new hospitalization (n = 23; 5.8%), inefficacy (n = 12; 3%), side effects (n = 7; 1.8%) and others (n = 14; 3.5%). Risperidone was used at doses between 1.5 and 19 mg daily (mean dosage: 7.66 +/- 3.07 mg daily). The duration of the hospitalization when dosages of risperidone of less than 6 mg daily were used was 32.1 days. However, when higher dosages were used, the number of days in-hospital decreased (26.6 days at dosages between 6 and 9 mg daily and 25.3 days when dosages higher than 9 mg daily were used). There was a significant reduction, versus baseline, in the BPRS mean total scores as well as in it's different clusters. (positive symptoms, negative symptoms, anxiety/depression) from week one onwards. At week 1, 66.9% of the patients had an improvement (20% versus baseline in their BPRS total score. At the end of the study period, 93.2% of the patients had an improvement (20% in their BPRS total score. There was a significant reduction in the total UKU subscale for neurological side effects scores (p < 0.005) from week 1 onwards, as well as for the total score of the following symptoms: rigidity, hypokinesia, hyperkinesia tremor and akatysia.
1. Assess the evolution of disability and quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with ... more 1. Assess the evolution of disability and quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with risperidone and who had received depot neuroleptics; 2. Evaluate risperidone efficiency; 3. Evaluate safety of this drug. Post-marketing multicentric observational (8 months) surveillance study was carried out. 109 schizophrenic patients (ICD-10 criteria). baseline and months 2, 4 and 8. SF-36, WHO/DDS-S, BPRS and CGI. Safety was evaluated by the UKU subscale for neurological side effects and spontaneous reports. statistically significant improvement of the mean scores of BPRS, CGI, WHO/DDS-S and SF-36 at 2, 4 and 8 months. There was a significant reduction in the total UKU subscale for neurological side effects scores from visit 1 (month 2) onwards. Risperidone was generally well tolerated by the study patients. From a total of 104 patients included, only 4 (3.8%) discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions. During the 8 months of study period, 87.6% of the patients did not suffer any adverse event; the resting 12.4 suffered one or more side effects. The most frequently reported adverse events according spontaneous reports were: anxiety and restlessness (n= 4; 3.8%), weight increase (n= 4; 3.8%), sexual disturbances (n= 4; 3.8%) and amenorrhea (n= 2; 1.9%) among others. the long-term treatment with risperidone has improved the disability and quality of life levels of a large group of schizophrenic patients previously treated with depot neuroleptics.
To determine the evolution of the degree of long term disability (8 months) in a group of schizop... more To determine the evolution of the degree of long term disability (8 months) in a group of schizophrenic outpatients undergoing monotherapy with risperidone. DESIGN, An observational multicentre study of 8 months follow up. 354 patients with schizophrenic disorder (ICD-10). Baseline, 2, 4 and 8 months. BPRS, CGI, UKU, WHO/DAS-S. a significant decrease in both the global scores and in each of the 4 areas of disability. Improvement in disability depends to a large degree on the improvement of the disorder as shown on the BPRS and CGI. After 8 months, those patients with paranoid subtype and the less severe ones (BPRS and CGI) showed a considerably lesser degree of disability. The final level of disability (square root = 0,61) is narrowly related to the baseline level of disability, the 3 clusters of the final BPRS, the final CGI, gender and the subtype of schizophrenia.
180 psychotic patients with opiate dependence and abuse (ICD-10) were included in an open label s... more 180 psychotic patients with opiate dependence and abuse (ICD-10) were included in an open label study. The study objectives were to evaluate safety and efficacy of risperidone for a six month follow-up period. The total mean dose was 4.4 (SD: 2.4 mg/daily; range: 0.5-12 mg/daily). BPRS, CGI and DDS-SV were used to assess efficacy and UKU subscale for neurological side effects and spontaneous reports for safety. Risperidone treatment improved symptoms, disability of the included patients with a significant reduction in the mean total scores of BPRS, CGI and DDS-SV observed from the first month of treatment onwards. Risperidone also reduced illegal opiate abuse patients from 39% basedate to 18% at month 6. There was a significant reduction (p< 0.0001) in the total UKU subscale for neurological side effects scores from visit 1 onwards for studied sample. Risperidone was well tolerated by the study patients. From 165 elegible patients, just 10 (6.1%) discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions, 94% of the patients did not suffer any adverse event; the most frequent adverse events according spontaneous reports were extrapyramidal effects (3%) and anxiety (1.8%). Risperidone improved disability, psychotic symptoms and tolerability of these patients. Those results could mean an outstanding breakthrough in the treatment of these type of disorders and, if it is confirmed that risperidone can lead to abstinence, we would be before a new line of treatment for dual pathology.
Adrenal medullary transplant into spinal subarachnoid space in the rat is a promising therapeutic... more Adrenal medullary transplant into spinal subarachnoid space in the rat is a promising therapeutic tool in pain t reatment. Transplant acts through opioid peptides and catecholamines released by chromaffin cells into cerebrospinal fluid. Therefore, neuroactive substances reach opioid- and adrenergic- receptors located in spinal cord dorsal horn. In many cases, analgesic effect observed in acute pain tests in rats was obtained following subcutaneous nicotine injection estimulated-release. In animal models of chronic pain, nicotine was not necessary. Transplant induced-analgesia was antagonized by naloxone and phentolamine. In our laboratory, we have enhanced transplant induced-analgesia by one enkephalin catabolism inhibitor and amitriptyline treatment. A few clinic studies have been carried out to alleviate pain in terminal cancer patients. Some good results have been obtained both pain relief and complementary opiate-therapy reduction.
http://jose-navarro.wikispaces.com/file/view/revista%20a%20comportamiento%201984%201.pdf/45851241... more http://jose-navarro.wikispaces.com/file/view/revista%20a%20comportamiento%201984%201.pdf/458512416/revista%20a%20comportamiento%201984%201.pdf Conducted 4 experiments with Sprague-Dawley rats to evaluate the differential effects of experimentally induced stress (via immobilization and injections) and exposure to uncontrollable shocks on operant learning, the sex-dependent effects of uncontrollable shocks, and ponderal and gastric mucus variations occurring as a result of uncontrollable shock. Results indicate that while conditions of uncontrollability produced significant increases in number of trials required to acquire operant responding, separate analyses according to sex yielded significant effects for male but not for female Ss. Experimentally induced stress by either procedure did not significantly affect operant acquisition and, in contrast to other studies, did not cause significant differences between experimental and control groups in gastric mucus. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Data...
To test the hypothesis that there is an association between susceptibility to inflammation and a ... more To test the hypothesis that there is an association between susceptibility to inflammation and a hyporesponsive hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Animals were separated on the basis of behaviour in the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm into groups of LH(+) (i.e. animals which did not escape footshock) and LH(-) animals. Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) was subsequently induced in the LH(+) and LH(-) animals. Plasma corticosterone was significantly increased in response to the LH test in the LH(-) compared with the LH(+) rats. We observed an earlier onset and increased inflammation in the LH(-) rats in spite of the greater corticosterone response to the acute stress. We noted lower levels of plasma testosterone in the LH(-) animals suggesting a possible influence for this protective factor in AA. These data suggest that increased onset and severity of inflammation in AA is not a simple consequence of an attenuated HPA axis response to stress as proposed in the Lewis rat. Inde...
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