Response latencies of dopaminergic neurons were reliably longer than those of parabrachial neurons. Intra-parabrachial injections of the local anasethetic lidocaine or the GABA(A) receptor antagonist muscimol reduced tonic parabrachial activity and the amplitude (and in the case of lidocaine, duration) of the phasic response to footshock. Suppression of parabrachial activity with lidocaine reduced the baseline firing rate of dopaminergic neurons, while both lidocaine and muscimol reduced the amplitude of the phasic inhibitory response to footshock, in the case of lidocaine sometimes abolishing it altogether.

Considered together, these results suggest that the parabrachial nucleus is an important source of short-latency nociceptive PDGFR inhibitor input to the dopaminergic neurons. (C) 2010 IBRO. Published GSI-IX by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Aim:

To develop a haemolysin (hly) gene-based species-specific multiplex PCR for simple and rapid detection of Vibrio campbellii, V. harveyi and V. parahaemolyticus.

Methods and Results:

The complete hly genes of three V. campbellii strains isolated from diseased

shrimps were sequenced and species-specific PCR primers were designed based on these sequences and the registered hly gene sequences of Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Specificity and sensitivity of the multiplex PCR was validated with 27 V. campbellii, 16 V. harveyi, and 69 V. parahaemolyticus, 18 other BCKDHA Vibrio species, one Photobacterium damselae and nine other bacterial species. The detection limits of all the three target species were in between 10 and 100 cells per PCR tube.

Conclusions:

Specificity and sensitivity of the multiplex PCR is 100% each and sufficient to be considered as an effective tool in a prediction system to prevent potential disease outbreak by these Vibrio species.

Significance and Impact of the Study:

Because there is lack of simple, rapid and cost-effective method to differentiate these closely related V. campbellii, V. harveyi and V. parahaemolyticus species, the multiplex PCR developed in this study will

be very effective in epidemiological, ecological and economical points of view.”
“We analyzed the effects of different treadmill running protocols on the functional recovery after chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in mice. We found that a treadmill protocol of short-lasting running (1 h/d for 5 days after CCI) reduced the neuropathy-induced mechanical allodynia and normalized the weight bearing and the sciatic static index of the injured hindpaw. At difference, a treadmill protocol of long-lasting running (1 h/d for more than 5 days after CCI) was unfavorable both for allodynia and for functional recovery. Behavioral results were correlated with immunofluorescence assays of microglia and astrocytes activation in L4/L5 lumbar spinal cord sections.