Previous preclinical studies have emphasized that drugs of abuse, through actions within and between mesocorticolimbic (MCL) regions, usurp learning and memory processes normally involved in the pursuit of natural rewards. To distinguish MCL circuit pathobiological neuroadaptations that accompany addiction from general learning processes associated with natural reward, we trained two groups of ...

BACKGROUND To compare the efficacy of oral and intravenous administration of iron supplements for treating postpartum anemia. METHODS One hundred and four anemic postpartum women were studied prospectively. The criteria for the diagnosis of anemia were Hb<8 gr/dl and ferritine<10 microg/dl. They were randomised into two groups. Group A consisted of 78 women who received i.v. a total amount of...

BACKGROUND We hypothesized that acutely sleep-deprived participants would rate ascending concentrations of sucrose as more intense and pleasant, than they would do after one night of normal sleep. Such a finding would offer a potential mechanism through which acute sleep loss could promote overeating in humans. METHOD A total of 16 healthy normal-weight men participated in 2 conditions: sleep...

The efficacy of various carbohydrate-based cocktails in reducing the number of enteropathogens in the crops of broilers subjected to feed withdrawal was examined. Market-aged broilers that had been orally challenged with Salmonella typhimurium were provided the cocktails during a 12-h feed withdrawal. After feed withdrawal, the broilers were processed, and their crops were aseptically removed a...

BACKGROUND α-amylase and α-glucosidase digest the carbohydrates and increase the postprandial glucose level in diabetic patients. Inhibiting the activity of these two enzymes can control postprandial hyperglycemia, and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Bitter gourd or balsam pear is one of the important medicinal plants used for controlling postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetes patients....

BACKGROUND Administration of oral sucrose with and without non-nutritive sucking is the most frequently studied non-pharmacological intervention for procedural pain relief in neonates. OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy, effect of dose, method of administration and safety of sucrose for relieving procedural pain in neonates as assessed by validated composite pain scores, physiological pain ...

BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a recurrent mental illness worldwide. The glutamatergic neurotransmission system is now a target for antidepressant therapy because it takes part in synaptic plasticity and cognition in physical condition and has a potential excitatory neurotoxicity in pathological conditions. Glial glutamate transporter EAAT2 performs 90% of Glu neurotransmission. ...

The present study investigated the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract and its flavonoid fractions on alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase activity in vitro. Ginkgo biloba extracts and their flavonoid fraction significantly inhibited alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase activity in vitro. Furthermore, Ginkgo biloba extracts and their flavonoid fraction reduced the elevation of rat plasma glucose lev...

Punarnavine (20 and 40 mg/kg) and fluoxetine (20 mg/kg) per se administered orally for 14 successive days significantly decreased immobility periods of both unstressed and stressed mice in forced swim test. These drugs also significantly decreased sucrose preference in both stressed and unstressed mice as compared to their respective controls, indicating significant antidepressant-like activity...