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Skeletal muscle atrophy is a common feature in alcoholism that affects up to two-thirds of alcohol misusers, and women appear to be particularly susceptible. There is also some evidence to suggest that malnutrition exacerbates the effects of alcohol on muscle. However, the mechanisms responsible for the myopathy remain elusive, and some studies suggest that acetaldehyde, rather than alcohol, is the principal pathogenic perturbant. Previous reports on rats dosed acutely with ethanol ( muscle; ethanol; myopathy; starvation; acetaldehyde

Abstract: Aim: To provide information about psychiatric emergency situations in Japan, we examined psychiatrists’ preference among parenteral medication since intramuscular (IM)‐olanzapine became available and clinical characteristics in patients given IM‐olanzapine compared to those given other parenteral medication. Methods: We conducted a naturalistic study proceeding over a 1‐year period in 9 psychiatric emergency departments. Results: Among 197 patients, the distribution of IM‐injections (n = 89) was as follows: IM‐olanzapine, 66 patients (74.2%), IM‐levomepromazine, 17 patients (19.1%), IM‐haloperidol, 5 patients (5.6%), and IM‐diazepam, 1 patient (1.1%). The distribution of intravenous (IV)‐injections (n = 108) was as follows: IV‐haloperidol, 78 patients (72.2%), and IV‐benzodiazepines (diazepam, flunitrazepam, or midazolam), 30 patients (27.8%). Advantages of IM‐olanzapine over other parenteral medications in efficacy were found as follows: less frequent needs of an additional injection despite no difference in duration until a patient became cooperative for oral administration, and less frequent needs of restraint after the injection. Furthermore, advantages of IM‐olanzapine over other injections in safety were found as follows: less frequent appearance of extrapyramidal symptoms, no occurrence of ECG abnormality and other serious adverse events except a fall, less frequent needs of an adjunctive anticholinergic drug, and less frequent needs of another kind of drug additionally injected. Conclusions: Olanzapine has rapidly become the first choice of intramuscular medication in psychiatric emergency situations since it became available in Japan, probably due to the advantages in both efficacy and safety. This study reflecting psychiatric emergency practice in Japan may contribute to periodic international comparison of psychiatric emergency practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Stimulation of dopamine receptors may induce striatal Homer 1a, an immediate-early gene (IEG) that is involved in the molecular mechanism for the signaling pathway of the group I metabotropic glutamate receptors. This study examined the effects of the agonists for dopamine D1-like and D2-like receptors on gene expression of Homer 1a, in comparison with the IEG c-fos expression, in the discrete brain regions of rats. The D1-like agonist SKF38393 (20 mg/kg, s.c.) significantly increased the mRNA levels of Homer 1a in the striatum and nucleus accumbens, but not in the medial prefrontal cortex or hippocampus, 2 h after injection, whereas the D2-like agonist quinpirole (1 mg/kg, s.c.) had no significant effect on Homer 1a mRNA levels in any brain region examined. Co-administration of SKF38393 and quinpirole significantly increased Homer 1a mRNA levels in the striatum, nucleus accumbens and hippocampus, while this effect was not significantly greater than that of SKF38393 alone. Any treatment did not affect the mRNA levels of other splicing variants, Homer 1b or 1c. In contrast, combination of both dopamine agonists produced a greater increase than SKF38393 did in the mRNA levels of c-fos in the nucleus accumbens, striatum and substantia nigra. These results suggest that stimulation of D1-like receptors, but not D2-like receptors, may induce gene expression of Homer 1a in the striatum and nucleus accumbens. However, in contrast to c-fos expression, it is unlikely that co-activation of both D1-like and D2-like receptors exerts a synergic action on Homer 1a expression in these regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigated the changes in protein profiles of treatment responsive biomarkers in three subjects with first-onset schizophrenia using the surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) technology. Our results showed that eight protein peaks were down-regulated or up-regulated during the acute phase, and returned toward the control values during the recovery phase. In particular, a 13,761Da protein peak was markedly down-regulated during the acute phase, and returned during the recovery phase. This protein was identified as unmodified transthyretin using two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by peptide mass fingerprinting based on matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). However, we failed to show transthyretin changes with the treatment using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and two-dimensional electrophoresis. The distinction between unmodified and modified subtypes of transthyretin was difficult with these methods because of similar molecular weights and isoelectric points in these subtypes. The present study showed that the application of SELDI-TOF-MS technology has higher precision for the distinction of detailed molecular weight than conventional proteomics techniques such as ELISA and two-dimensional electrophoresis. The dynamic changes in transthyretin have been reported to be associated with acute-psychosis condition; the present study suggested that unmodified transthyretin has the potential to be a treatment responsive biomarker for schizophrenia.