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Brain glucose metabolism is altered in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD), whose pathologies are reproduced in rodents by intracerebroventricular (icv) infusion of streptozotocin (STZ) in subdiabetogenic doses. The icv-STZ model also culminates in central cholinergic dysfunctions, which in turn are known to underlie both the sAD cognitive decline, and synaptic plasticity impairments. Considering the cognitive-enhancing potential of chronic nicotine (Nic), we investigated whether it attenuates icv-STZ-induced impairments in recognition memory and synaptic plasticity in a cognition-relevant substrate: the hippocampal CA1-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pathway. Rats treated with icv-STZ were submitted to a chronic Nic regime, and were evaluated for recognition memory. We then examined long-term potentiation (LTP), paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) under urethane anesthesia, and brains were also evaluated for hippocampus-mPFC cell density. We found that Nic treatment prevents icv-STZ-induced disruptions in recognition memory and LTP. STZ did not precipitate neuronal death, while Nic alone was associated with higher neuronal density in CA1 when compared to vehicle-injected animals. Through combining behavioral, neurophysiological, and neuropathological observations into the Nic-STZ interplay, our study reinforces that cholinergic treatments are of clinical importance against early-stage Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairments., (Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The bis(diamine)palladium(II) cations (diamine = ethane-1,2-diamine, propane-1,3-diamine, or butane-1,4-diamine) all undergo condensation reactions with formaldehyde and nitroethane to produce macromonocycles where each pair of cis-disposed primary amines has been converted to a -NH-CH(2)-C(CH(3))(NO(2))-CH(2)-NH- strap. The 14-membered-ring macrocycle has been previously prepared by condensation around copper(II) and nickel(II), but this does not permit synthesis of the larger ring macrocycles. The macrocyclic complex (6,13-dimethyl-6, 13-dinitro-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane)palladium(II) perchlorate crystallizes in the triclinic space group P&onemacr;, a = 8.105(3) Å, b = 8.370(2) Å, c = 9.437(4) Å, alpha = 69.04(3) degrees, beta = 68.60(3), gamma = 71.53(3) degrees. Complexes of the 16- and 18-membered macrocycles (3,11-dimethyl-3,11-dinitro-1,5,9,13-tetraazacyclohexadecane)palladium(II) perchlorate and (3,12-dimethyl-3,12-dinitro-1,5,10,14-tetraaazacyclooctadecane)palladium(II) perchlorate crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/c, with a = 8.391(2) Å, b = 12.816(3) Å, c = 23.925(9) Å, and beta = 93.18(2) degrees, and the triclinic space group P&onemacr;, with a = 7.746(5) Å, b = 9.912(5) Å, c = 18.96(2) Å, alpha = 91.76(6) degrees, beta = 101.73(7) degrees, and gamma = 112.83(5) degrees respectively. The larger macrocycles are "swollen" by incorporating longer methylene chains, "swelling" leading to an increase in Pd-N distance and in tetrahedral distortion, with the dominant geometric isomer apparently changing with macrocycle size from anti-disposed nitro pendants (14-membered) to the syn isomer (16-, 18-membered). An irreversible Pd(II/IV) oxidation occurs at ca +1 V (vs Ag/AgCl), varying slightly with ring size, with a multi-electron nitro group reduction observed near -0.8 V in each case. Electronic spectra also vary slightly with ring size.

The authors describe in 321 of 170,000 examined slaughter pigs certain cardiac malformations which were associated with endocardiosis of the mitral valve. Aortic stenosis was associated with endocardiosis of the aortic valve. It is assumed that in certain breeds of swine a congenital predisposition for impairment of the collagen metabolism may support the development of endocardiosis.