The extract from T avellanedae produced an antidepressant-like effect, in the EST (100 mg/kg, p.o.) and in the TST (10-300 mg/kg, p.o.), without accompanying changes in ambulation when assessed in the open-field test. The anti-immobility effect of the extract (30 mg/kg, p.o.) in the TST was prevented

by pre-treatment of mice with ketanserin (5 mg/kg, i.p., a preferential 5-HT(2A) receptor antagonist), prazosin (1 mg/kg, i.p., an alpha(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist), yohimbine (1 mg/kg, i.p., an alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist), propranolol (2 mg/kg, i.p., beta-adrenoceptor antagonist), sulpiride (50 mg/kg, i.p., a dopamine D(2) receptor antagonist) and SCH23390 (0.05 mg/kg, s.c., a dopamine D, receptor antagonist). The combined NSC23766 order administration of a subeffective dose of WAY100635 (0.1 mg/kg, s.c., a selective

5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist) Tucidinostat ic50 and a subeffective dose of the extract (1 mg/kg, p.o.) produced a significant reduction in the immobility time in the TST. In addition, the combination of fluoxetine (1 mg/kg, p.o.), desipramine (0.1 mg/kg, p.o.), or bupropion (1 mg/kg, p.o.) with a subeffective dose of the extract (1 mg/kg, p.o.) produced a synergistic antidepressant-like effect in the TST, without causing hyperlocomotion in the open-field test. It may be concluded that the extract from T. avellanedae produces an antidepressant-like effect in the EST and in the TST that is dependent on the monoaminergic system. Taken together, our results suggest that T. avellanedae deserves further investigation as a putative alternative

therapeutic tool that could help the conventional pharmacotherapy, of depression. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Abnormalities of bone mineral metabolism and vascular calcification are prevalent in patients with kidney failure. Clinical management is based on biochemical targets, in particular parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations, but this has many limitations including high biological variation. A possible alternative is bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP); therefore, we evaluated the biological variation of this marker in patients undergoing others hemodialysis. Bone ALP was measured in non-fasting serum samples taken twice a week over a 6-week period in 22 stable hemodialysis patients and 12 healthy volunteers. The within-individual coefficients of variance were calculated and used to derive the critical difference required to be certain that an observed change was significant. The coefficient of variance for bone ALP was significantly higher in hemodialysis patients compared to healthy individuals. Seven samples were required to estimate the homeostatic set point of bone ALP, within 10%, in a hemodialysis patient.