Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Dec 2003
ReviewMoxonidine, a mixed alpha(2)-adrenergic and imidazoline receptor agonist, identifies a novel adrenergic target for spinal analgesia.
Moxonidine is a mixed alpha(2)-adrenergic and imidazoline receptor agonist with an improved side effect profile compared to clonidine. Intrathecal (i.t.) moxonidine has been found to possess analgesic activity that, in contrast to the majority of alpha(2)-adrenoceptor (alpha(2)AR) agonists, does not require activation of the alpha(2A)AR subtype, which mediates many of the side effects associated with alpha(2)AR use. In addition, moxonidine (i.t.) interacts in a synergistic manner with opioid agonists and this synergy is retained in neuropathic pain states. Moxonidine may therefore be clinically useful in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain, either alone or as a coadjuvant with opioids.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Dec 2003
Emotion in the infant's face: insights from the study of infants with facial anomalies.
Darwin viewed "experiments in nature" as an important strategy for elucidating the evolutionary bases of human emotional expressions. Infants with craniofacial anomalies are of special interest because morphological abnormalities and resulting distortions or deficits in their facial expressions could make it more difficult for caregivers to read and accurately interpret their signals. As part of a larger study on the effects of craniofacial anomalies on infant facial expression and parent-infant interaction, infants with different types of craniofacial conditions and comparison infants were videotaped interacting with their mothers at 3 and 6 months. ⋯ A 4 (infant group) x 4 (expression category) ANOVA showed a significant main effect for expression category, F(3) 5 71.9, P 5 0.000, but no significant effect for infant group or group 3 expression interaction. The observers' ratings were thus highly "accurate" in terms of a priori Baby FACS criteria, even in the case of infants with severely disfiguring facial conditions. These findings demonstrate that the signal value of infant facial expressions is remarkably robust, suggesting that the capacity to read emotional meaning in infants' facial expressions may have a biological basis.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Dec 2003
Inhibition of apoptosis by amphiregulin via an insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor-dependent pathway in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines.
The reciprocal activation of amphiregulin (AR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) pathways has been shown to induce inhibition of serum deprivation apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines H358 and H322. We demonstrated that AR activated the IGF1 receptor (IGF1-R), which in turn induced the secretion of AR and IGF1. Transactivation of the IGF1-R by AR is independent of its binding to EGFR. Thus, AR can inhibit apoptosis in NSCLC cells through an IGF1-R-dependent pathway.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Dec 2003
The discrimination of faces and their emotional content by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
The ability to recognize and discriminate conspecific faces and facial expressions has played a critical role in the evolution of social communication. Darwin was one of the first to speculate that human and nonhuman primate facial expressions share similar mechanisms for production and functions in expressing emotion. Since his seminal publication, numerous studies have attempted to unravel the meaning of animal signals, with the most success coming from the field of vocal communication, where researchers have identified the referential and emotional nature of specific vocalizations. ⋯ Chimpanzees were given the task of matching expressions according to which sensory modality was more salient, the visual or auditory component. For some expressions the visual modality was preferred, while for others the auditory modality was preferred. These data suggest that different social and ecological pressures may shift attention towards one sensory modality over another, such as during long-distance communication or emotional conflict.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Dec 2003
Transient leukocytosis, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor plasma concentrations, and apoptosis determined by binding of annexin V by peripheral leukocytes in patients with severe sepsis.
This study was undertaken to clarify the relation between transient increases in the numbers of leukocytes and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) plasma concentrations as well as the degree of apoptosis, as determined by binding of annexin V by these cells in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Over a 6-month period, annexin V binding by leukocytes was determined daily using flow cytometry and FITC-labeled annexin V in 33 postoperative patients with severe sepsis or septic shock during their intensive care unit stay. The percentage of annexin V binding neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes was significantly lower, and G-CSF plasma concentrations were higher in patients than in controls on most days. ⋯ In conclusion, apoptosis of leukocytes is lowered during severe sepsis and septic shock in critically ill patients. Moreover, the degree of apoptosis does not increase during transient leukocytosis. G-CSF might contribute to the low degree of apoptosis of neutrophils and monocytes in those patients.