Counteracting incentive sensitization in severe alcohol dependence using deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens: clinical and basic science aspects

The ventral striatum / nucleus accumbens has been implicated in the craving for drugs and alcohol which is a major reason for relapse of addicted people. Craving might be induced by drug-related cues. This suggests that disruption of craving-related neural activity in the nucleus accumbens may significantly reduce craving in alcohol-dependent patients. Here we report on preliminary clinical and neurophysiological evidence in three male patients who were treated with high frequency deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens bilaterally. All three had been alcohol dependent for many years, unable to abstain from drinking, and had experienced repeated relapses prior to the stimulation. After the operation, craving was greatly reduced and all three patients were able to abstain from drinking for extended periods of time. Immediately after the operation but prior to connection of the stimulation electrodes to the stimulator, local field potentials were obtained from the externalized cables in two patients while they performed cognitive tasks addressing action monitoring and incentive salience of drug related cues. LFPs in the action monitoring task provided further evidence for a role of the nucleus accumbens in goal-directed behaviors. Importantly, alcohol related cue stimuli in the incentive salience task modulated LFPs even though these cues were presented outside of the attentional focus. This implies that cue-related craving involves the nucleus accumbens and is highly automatic.

THE ROLE OF NANOMATERIALS IN COSMETICS: NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEGISLATIVE ASPECTS

Nanotechnology is currently one of the fastest growing scientific fields. The products of this science have become part of our everyday lives. However, to date, regulatory agencies have not yet established a single definition for nanomaterials and nanotechnology. Therefore, each country has its own definitions and legislation to control products containing nanomaterials. Being relatively new materials, there are no long-term studies showing their impact on human health and the environment. Consequently, countries control the amount of nanomaterials present in cosmetics, allowing the end consumer to choose which cosmetic to use, by choosing products with or without nanomaterials. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to identify the most used nanomaterials in cosmetics and verify whether these formulations are in accordance with the laws in force in the United States, the European Union and Brazil, thereby determining if the cosmetics on the market are in line with the existing laws in these three economic powers. This study is unique and will contribute to furthering the discussion on existing laws pertinent to the use of nanotechnology in cosmetics.

Inheritance of resistance to powdery mildew in pea and pathogenesis-related aspects

The inheritance of resistance to powdery mildew in the pea cultivar MK-10 and some histological aspects of infection were assessed. For the inheritance study, F1, F2, backcrosses and F3 generations of MK-10 crossed with two susceptible populations were evaluated. Histological evaluations included percentage of germinated conidia, percentage of conidia that formed appresoria, percentage of conidia that established colonies, and number of haustoria per colony. Segregation ratios obtained in the resistance inheritance study were compared by Chi-square (ײ) test and the histological data were analyzed by Tukey's test at 5% probability. It was concluded that resistance of MK-10 to powdery mildew is due to a pair of recessive alleles since it is expressed in the pre-penetration stage and completed by post-penetration localized cellular death, characteristic of the presence of the pair of recessive alleles er1er1.

Development and some histochemical aspects of foliar glandular trichomes of Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bert. - Asteraceae

The ten-celled biseriate glandular trichome of Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bert.-Asteraceae, found on both leaf surfaces, originates from a single protruding, protodermal cell undergoing an anticlinal division. A subsequent series of periclinal divisions, occurring in acropetal sequence, leads to the formation of the trichome, composed of five pairs of cells, one pair of basal cells, another of stalk cells and three pairs of secretory head cells. Developing, still two-celled glandular trichomes already occur on leaf primordia of the second pair (these primordia measuring, in some cases, ca. 0.30 mm in length), and most of the glandular trichomes are at the mature phase on very young, expanding leaves, for example on those of the sixth pair. The secretory material released by the head cells is stored in the trichome cavity (subcuticular space). Basic histochemical tests reveal that such material is lipophilic (mainly) and hydrophilic in nature.

"I'm Your Biggest Fan, I'll Follow You ... " Lady Gaga, Little Monsters and the Religious Dimension of Fandom in Pop Music

This thesis examines the religious dimension of fandom in popular music, taking as an object of reflection Lady Gaga and her fans. I combine fan studies with theories of immanence as well as Deleuze and Guattari's notion of the process of becoming, and provide a theoretical reading of the relationship between Lady Gaga and her most fervent fans, the 'little monsters.' Both fandom and religion promise a stable sense of identity and authentic community to devotees. Performing deconstructive discourse analysis on three of Lady Gaga's music videos, I demonstrate how fandom, like organized religion, can simultaneously be an emancipatory practice and a practice that seeks to deny individual subjects their agency. This thesis provides a new theoretical framework for understanding fandom, and illustrates how the purported benefits of both fandom and religion can only be gained when the figureheads of each group are symbolically destroyed by the members themselves.

Second International American Conference México: 1901-1902: Organization of the Conference, Projects, Reports, Motions, Debates and Resolutions

UANL

Is Reinke's Edema a Precancerous Lesion? Histological and Electron Microscopic Aspects

The objectives of this study were to evaluate morphologic alterations and precancerous lesions in Reinke's edema. Patients included were 54 smokers with bilateral Reinke's edema submitted to surgery in the Otolaryngology Department, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Brazil, between 2002 and 2006. All specimens were evaluated by light microscopy and five contralateral lesions were also evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The main histological alterations were edema (100%), inflammation (81.48%), basal membrane (bm) thickening (77.77%), and vessel proliferation (75.92%). Epithelium alterations were classified as grade 0 (11.11%), grade 1 (70.37%), grade 2 (14.81%), and grade 3 (3.70%). In the case included in grade 3 classification, microinvasive carcinoma was detected. SEM showed epithelial surface with some cellular desquamation, few microridges, and a polished and impermeable surface aspect. TEM showed epithelial hyperplasia, basal cells with different sizes, widening of the intercellular spaces, abnormal desmosome architecture, thickening of the bm, some electron-dense vesicles, and points of interruption. The morphological alterations presented in this study are not specific to Reinke's edema but this lesion can be the site of different grades of dysplasia and carcinoma, justifying the importance of periodic laryngeal endoscopic exams and meticulous histological analysis.

Functional and Morphological Reproductive Aspects in Male Rats Exposed to Di-n-Butyl Phthalate (DBP) in Utero and During Lactation

The potential adverse reproductive effects, with emphasis on the epididymis, of in utero and lactational exposure to 100 mg/kg/d di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) in adult male rat offspring were investigated. The fetal testis histopathology was also determined. The selected endpoints included reproductive organ weights, sperm motility and morphology, sperm epididymal transit time, sperm quantity in the testis and epididymis, hormonal status, fetal testis and epididymal histopathology and stereology, and androgen receptor (AR), aquaporin 9 (AQP9), and Ki-67 immunoreactivities. Pregnant females were divided into two groups: control (C) and treated (T). The treated females received DBP (100 mg/kg/d, by gavage) from gestation day (GD) 12 to postnatal day (PND) 21, while control dams received the vehicle. Some pregnant dams were killed by decapitation on GD20, and testes from male fetuses were collected for histopathogy. Male rats from other dams were killed at PND 90. Fetal testes from treated group showed Leydig-cell clusters, presence of multinucleated germinative cells, and increase of the interstitial component. Testosterone levels and reproductive organ weights were similar between the treated and control adult groups. DBP treatment did not markedly affect relative proportions of epithelial, stromal, or luminal compartments in the epididymis; sperm counts in the testis and epididymis; sperm transit time; or sperm morphology and motility in adult rats. The AR and AQP9 immunoreactivities and proliferation index were similar for the two groups. These results showed that fetal testes were affected by DBP as evidenced by testicular histopathologic alterations, but reproductive parameters and epididymal structure/function were not significantly altered in the adult animals exposed to 100 mg/kg DBP in utero and during lactation.