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Elevated glucocorticoid level in the early postnatal period is associated with glucocorticoid therapy prescribed at preterm delivery most often has severe long-lasting neurodevelopmental and behavioural effects. Detailed molecular mechanisms of such programming action of antenatal glucocorticoids on behaviour are still poorly understood. To address this question we studied neurotrophins: Bdnf, Nt-3, Ngf and their receptors: p75ngfr, Sorcs3 expression changes after subcutaneous dexamethasone (DEX) 0.2 mg/kg injection to P2 rat pups. Neurotrophins expression level was studied in the hippocampus (HPC). Disturbances in these brain regions have been implicated in the emergence of multiple psychopathologies. p75ngfr and Sorcs3 expression was studied in the brainstem-region where monoamine neurons are located. Immunohistochemically P75NTR protein level changes after DEX were investigated in the brainstem Locus Coereleus norepinephrine neurons (NE). In the first hours after DEX administration elevation of neurotrophins expression in HPC and decline of receptor's expression in the NE brainstem neurons were observed. Another critical time point during maturation is adolescence. Impact of elevated glucocorticoid level in the neonatal period and unpredictable stress (CMUS) at the end of adolescence on depressive-like behaviour was studied. Single neonatal DEX injection leads to decrease in depressive-like behaviour, observed in FST, independently from chronic stress. Neonatal DEX administration decreased Ntf3 and SorCS1 expression in the brainstem. Also Bdnf mRNA level in the brainstem of these animals didn't decrease after FST. CMUS at the end of adolescence changed p75ngfr and SorCS3 expression in the brainstem in the animals that received single neonatal DEX administration.

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Synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone decreased locomotor activity of neonatal rats 120 h after administration. Behavioral changes were associated with an increase in the content of active caspase-3 in the cerebellum. We found that expression of this apoptotic protease was similar to the control value when dexamethasone action was combined to hypoxic treatment to rats; however, the locomotor activity decreased to the hormone action did not recovered. We found that proapoptotic action of dexamethasone was blocked by hypoxic treatment; however, it was not sufficient for prevention of the effect of hormone on behavior.

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Natural glucocorticoid hydrocortisone was suggested as a potent substitution for dexamethasone in the treatment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in neonates. The aim of this study was to investigate whether hydrocortisone is able to affect the expression of apoptotic genes and the intensity of naturally occurring cell death in the developing rat hippocampus. Hormone treatment decreased procaspase-3 and active caspase-3 levels as well as DNA fragmentation intensity in the hippocampal formation of one-week-old rats in 6 h after injection. These changes were accompanied by an upregulation of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-XL, while expression of proapoptotic protein Bax remained unchanged. The action of hydrocortisone was glucocorticoid receptor-independent, as the selective glucocorticoid receptor agonist dexamethasone did not affect either apoptotic protein levels or DNA fragmentation intensity in the hippocampal region. The data are the first evidences for in vivo antiapoptotic effects of hydrocortisone in the developing hippocampus.

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Gingival groove and dental plaque microbiosis was studied for 6 months in patients receiving orthodontic treatment. The patients were divided in two groups according to the type of used toothbrushes (manual or electric). After fixation of orthodontic appliances the increase of S. epidermidis by simultaneous decrease of E. faecium was observed in both groups. This shift was overcome one month later. Electric toothbrush showed better effectiveness for dental hygiene in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.

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After weaning on the 21th day, offspring of Wistar rats were reared in groups of 4-5 (controls), singly (social isolation), or exposed to alternate days of isolation and housing in groups of 10 with partner rotation (social instability) for 6 weeks. Then, a part of the rats was decapitated and the remaining young animals were tested and left undisturbed for 2 months in stable groups of 4-5 animals. Adults were tested repeatedly. The weight of the body, thymus and adrenals, resting and acute stress-induced plasma corticosterone levels and basal testosterone concentration, resting and stress-induced systolic blood pressure, amplitude and prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle reflex, anxiety- and depression-related behavior were studied in young and adult rats. It was shown that social environment in adolescence can affect the physiological and behavioral responses, some of the effects being transient blunted by subsequent rearing in stable groups, yet others still persisted with age or were clearly manifested in adults only.

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The hippocampal fields of neonatal rats differ by the level of active caspase-3: dentate gyrus >CA3>CA1>CA2. In the dentate gyrus it was 70% of its maximum value in the cortex, while in CA2 it corresponded to the minimum level in the brain stem. Taking into account the role of caspase-3 in apoptosis, these differences can indicate different intensity of programmed cell death in different fields of the forming hippocampus.

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Treatment of the adult rats with selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitor: fluoxetine and its complexes with glycyrrizhinic acid during 2 weeks (25 mg/kg/day) significantly increased plasma corticosterone levels that were measured after 5-min plus-maze. All the drugs decreased the content of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the striatum as well as 5-HT in the hippocampus. There was a significant negative correlation between 5-HT in the striatum and corticosterone levels. These data suggest that fluoxetine induces serotoninergic changes in the striatum that might be related to neuroendocrine and behavioural effects of the drug.

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Treatment of male DBA/2 mice with sodium glutamate (4 mg/g) on postnatal days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 induced reductions in the numbers of square crossings, vertical rearings, excursions to the center, and the time spent in the center in adulthood, as compared with a group of males given physiological saline at the same times. These measures showed no change as compared with intact animals. In the light-dark test, the time spent by mice in the light sector was greater after administration of sodium glutamate than after administration of physiological saline but did not differ from that in intact animals. In the acoustic startle reflex test, sodium glutamate decreased startle amplitude but had no effect on the magnitude of prestimulus inhibition. Sexual motivation in males decreased after sodium glutamate, physiological saline producing a tendency to decreased sexual motivation. Neonatal administration of sodium glutamate increased basal blood corticosterone in adult males by a factor of 4, while physiological saline had no effect on this measure. These results lead to the conclusion that neonatal administration of sodium glutamate decreases motor and investigative activity, anxiety, and sexual motivation in adult male mice and increases basal corticosterone. Physiological saline increased all these parameters apart from sexual motivation, though this was not associated with changes in basal corticosterone.

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DBA/2 male mice were exposed to the injections of the saline (0.01 ml/g i.p.) on 1-th, 3-th, 5-th, 7-th, 9-th days after birth. Intact males were used as a control group. Adult saline-treated males displayed the increased number of crossed squares, entries in the centre and time spent in the centre during the open "field" test in comparison with intact animals. The time spent in the light compartment of the light-dark box was decreased in saline treated mice compared with intact animals. During the test of acoustic startle response the magnitude of startle reflex and prepulse inhibition didn't change the startle reflex. Saline administration in males did not affect corticosterone basal level. Sexual motivation was revealed to decrease in saline treated males. These data suggest that neonatal administration of saline induced a stable behavioral syndrome in adult DBA/2 male mice: hyperactivity, a decrease of open space fear and simultaneously an increase of some indices of anxiety.

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DBA/2 male mice were treated with monosodium glutamate (MSG) in a dose of 4 mg/g on 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 days after birth. Saline treated and intact males were used as control groups. MSG treated males displayed decreased number of crossed squares, rearings, entries in the centre and time in the centre of open field in comparison with saline-treated but not intact animals. Time in the light compartment of the light-dark box was increased in MSG-treated mice versus both saline treated and intact animals. MSG administration reduced acoustic startle response but did not affect the magnitude of prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex. Sexual motivation in male mice was reduced by MSG, the same trend was observed after saline treatment. MSG administration increased corticosterone basal level 4-fold while saline treatment did not affect it. These data suggest that neonatal administration of MSG decreases locomotion, exploratory activity, anxiety in male mice, while corticosterone level is increased. Saline treatment increases these parameters (except sexual motivation), and this augmentation is not connected to changes in corticosterone basal level.

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Estrus female behind holed transparent partition produced sexual motivation and sexual arousal in males. It was manifested in behavioral changes (an increase in time spent near the partition) and the testosterone level augmentation in blood. Female mice were exposed to stress (1 h/day restraint) in the last week of gestation. Prenatal stress was shown to decrease the blood corticosterone level as well as to diminish sexual motivation and sexual arousal in adult male mice. Estrus female exposure produced a lesser behavioral response and a lesser testosterone level augmentation. No changes in weight of testicles, seminal vesicles or adrenal glands were found, but preputial gland weight increased. In prenatally stressed males, a female preference decrease and a male preference increase were revealed in the partner preference test. These data suggest that prenatal stress decreases sexual motivation in males and leads to clear predisposition to homosexuality, although it does not produce complete inversion of sexual orientation.

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A dose-dependent the effect of 5HT2C-receptor agonist MK-212 on mouse behavior was demonstrated. Intraperitoneal injection of MK-212 in high doses (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg) increased blood level of corticosterone in mice and reduced their motor activity. In low doses of 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg, the agonist reduced anxiety, but had no effect on motor activity. It is hypothesized that low doses of MK-212 exhibited anxiolytic activity in mice.

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Neonatal injection of sodium glutamate before injection of diethylnitrosamine decreased the number of tumor nodes in the liver of male mice, decreased the weight of the testes and adrenals and blood level of testosterone (but increased blood level of corticosterone), impaired recovery of diethylnitrosamine-disturbed sexual motivation in half of males. Anticarcinogenic effect of sodium glutamate is explained by feminization of males under its effect.

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The effects of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside and the NO synthase blocker L-omega-N-nitroarginine (LNA) on body temperature, hypothalamic monoamines, and plasma corticosterone in conditions of cooling were studied in Male Wistar rats. Reductions in body temperature on cooling, both after administration of sodium nitroprusside and LNA, were no different from those seen without treatment. The basal corticosterone level after treatment with sodium nitroprusside increased from 5.3 +/- 2.2 to 29.1 +/- 1.8 microg%. Cooling led to a multiple increase in corticosterone levels in all animals, both in control conditions and after treatment with sodium nitroprusside and LNA. Sodium nitroprusside significantly decreased the basal hypothalamic noradrenaline level, by 37%. Cooling of the animals in these conditions led to an additional drop in the noradrenaline level. Noradrenaline levels 48 h after cold stress applied to animals cooled after treatment with LNA or sodium nitroprusside were significantly higher than in those cooled without treatment. No changes in serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels were seen in these experiments. The basal dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and dopamine levels increased after treatment with sodium nitroprusside, by 379% and 239% respectively. No dopamine response to cold was observed, though the dihydroxyphenylacetic acid level in the control group and animals treated with LNA increased. Thus, cold stress did not reveal differently directed directions for the actions of the NO donor and the NO synthase blocker, as seen with other types of stress.

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The effects of chronic postweaning social isolation combined with subsequent resocialization on the sexual arousal were studied in male rats with inherited stress-induced arterial hypertension (ISIAH strain) and in Wistar rats. Young males were isolated on the Day 21 of postnatal life for 6 weeks. Then they were kept in groups of 5. 4-month males underwent the partition test: a receptive female was introduced into the male's cage, but the male and the female were separated by a transparent partition. The number of approaches to the partition and total time spent near the partition during the test served as an index of sexual motivation. Hormonal component of sexual arousal was estimated by measuring plasma testosterone level. No interstrain differences in magnitude of the sexual arousal were observed. However, chronic social isolation during juvenile period caused a genotype-dependent diminution of sexual motivation in the adult male rats of both strains. The decrease of sexual motivation in ISIAH rats was more pronounced as compared to Wistar rats. Moreover, the social isolation during the juvenile period completely abolished the female-induced rise in plasma testosterone in ISIAH and Wistar male rats. Plasma corticosterone level was increased during the period of sexual arousal, but this rise of corticosterone was not affected by the social conditions during postweaning period.

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Effects of NO-synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine (LNA) and donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on alteration in body temperature, plasma corticosterone level and hypothalamic monoamines in response to cold exposure, were studied. Drop of the body temperature in cold exposure in rats treated with LNA or SNP was the same as in the control group. Administration of SNP (2 mg/kg i.p.) significantly increased the basal level of corticosterone (CS). Cold exposure elevated CS in all groups of rats. LNA did not markedly alter the hypothalamic noradrenaline (NA) while SNP significantly decreased the NA. Cold exposure resulted in additional decrease of the NA in SNP-treated rats. NA was found to significantly increase within 48 hrs following the cold exposure in the LNA as well as in the SNP groups. SNP significantly increased basal dopamine and DOPAC levels. Cold exposure did not affect hypothalamic dopamine. In the experiments, NO changes of serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were observed. The findings suggest that antagonistic effects of the NO-synthase inhibitor and NO donor postulated in literature for various kinds of stress do not occur in experiments with cold stress.

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The immediate and long-lasting effects of environmental stress during prepubertal life on arterial blood pressure (AP) were studied in rats with inherited stress-induced arterial hypertension (ISIAH) and normotensive Wistar rats. Two models of chronic stress (the 21st-32nd postnatal days) were used: repeated handling and unpredictable stress of daily exposures to a variety of mild physical or psychoemotional stressors. Chronic prepubertal stress did not affect the basal or stress-induced AP levels in young or adult Wistar rats. In ISIAH rats, chronic stress during the early phase of hypertension development did not accelerate its formation and did not augment its manifestation in adults. Moreover, the basal AP was decreased in young and adult ISIAH rats exposed to prepubertal stress as compared to the age-matched controls. AP elevation under acute stress conditions was lower in young ISIAH rats exposed to unpredictable stress. No long-lasting effect of prepubertal stress on acute stress-induced AP elevation in adults was found. The conclusion was drawn that moderate physical and psychoemotional training at prehypertensive stage can positively affect the development of inherited arterial hypertension.

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The effects of water deprivation and hydration on plasma corticosterone concentration and the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate-limiting enzyme in serotonin (5-HT) biosynthesis, in the hypothalamus of vasopressin- (AVP-) deficient homozygous Brattleboro and normal Wistar rats were studied. In the Wistar rats, water deprivation caused an increase in the TPH activity in the anterior and middle (infundibular) parts of the hypothalamus, while hydration did not affect the activity of the enzyme in the anterior hypothalamus but produced an increase in its middle part. In contrast, in the Brattleboro rats, water deprivation had no effect on TPH activity in the anterior and middle parts of the hypothalamus but hydration produced a decrease in TPH activity in the anterior hypothalamus. After 48 h of water deprivation, the plasma corticosterone concentration significantly increased in water-deprived and decreased in hydrated Wistar rats. Under water deprivation, the rise in corticosterone concentration in the homozygous Brattleboro rats was significantly greater than that in the Wistar rats. The data provide evidence that the CRH-like activity of AVP is not necessary for activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system induced by water deprivation. The observations show that AVP is involved in the activation of TPH induced by water deprivation. This suggests that AVP modulates the metabolism of 5-HT and the response of the 5-HT-ergic system to water deprivation.

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