The Road to Healthcare is Paved with Good Intentions: Perceptions of Mexico City's Government-Managed Healthcare Program.

The and government-led health programs bring free healthcare services to the homes of Mexico City residents. Despite international recognition of the program, program evaluation has thus far adopted a top-down perspective, mostly excluding the point of view of recipients and other locals in reports on the program. Driven by the culture-centered approach, this study employs interview research methods to investigate perceptions of the program by centering the voices of residents whom the healthcare program is designed to serve.

Differential expression of D2 receptor isoforms in the mesocorticolimbic system after treatment with modafinil and its rewarding combination with citalopram in rats.

Background: Psychostimulants induce neuroplastic changes in the mesocorticolimbic system associated with the expression of the D2 receptor, which has two isoforms: D2long (D2L) and D2short (D2S). These isoforms seem to participate differentially in the plasticity changes induced by psychostimulants; however, the expression changes of this receptor induced by these substances remain unclear. Psychostimulants have a mechanism that involves the participation of monoamines, and there is evidence that the dopamine activation by modafinil (MOD) in combination with the serotonin activation by citalopram (CIT) enhances psychostimulant-like effects for this combination.

Atomoxetine promotes incentive value of modafinil and sensitizes exploratory behavior.

Substance dependence is a disorder that alters the functioning of the nervous system due to frequent abuse of drugs. The role of dopamine in the addictive effect of psychostimulants is well known; however, the involvement of the noradrenergic system is still unclear and poorly understood, though drugs like cocaine and amphetamines are known to exert significant activity on this system. The drug modafinil (MOD) has no proven addictive effect.

Chiral Indolizinium Salts Derived from 2-Pyridinecarbaldehyde-First Diastereoselective Syntheses of (-)-1-lentiginosine.

The first diastereoselective synthesis of (-)-1--lentiginosine from a common chiral -epoxyamide derived from 2-pyridincarbaldehyde is reported. This methodology involves a sequential oxirane ring opening and intramolecular 5-- cyclization of tosylate -epoxyalcohol to afford a diastereomeric mixture of indolizinium salts in a one-pot fashion, followed by regio- and diastereospecific pyridinium ring reduction.

Co-administration of bromocriptine and corticosterone produces short- and long-lasting reduction in intake of high-fat food in male rats.

Dopaminergic and glucocorticoid activity has been associated with reduced food consumption; however, their possible synergic action has not yet been studied. With the aim of examining the effect of the co-administration of the dopamine receptor D2 agonist bromocriptine and corticosterone on palatable food intake, male Wistar rats were administered either bromocriptine (1 mg/kg), corticosterone (2 mg/kg), bromocriptine + corticosterone (1 mg + 2 mg/kg) or a vehicle, with a fifth group used as a control. In all cases, substances were administered 30 min before exposure to standard food or palatable food, the latter high in carbohydrates [high carbohydrate food (HCF), 75%] or high-fat food (HFF, 67%).

Modafinil acquires reinforcing effects when combined with citalopram.

Modafinil (MOD) is a wakefulness promoter used to treat sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea. Its action mechanism consists in inhibiting dopamine (DAT) and norepinephrine (NET) transporters, but it has no affinity for the serotonin transporter (SERT). Modafinil's addictive potential is not yet clear, but one feature that differentiates it from potentially addictive drugs like cocaine revolves around affinity for SERT.

Chronic early-life stress increases cognitive impulsivity and D2 immunoreactivity in the nucleus accumbens of adult rats.

Chronic early life stress (ECS) induced by limited bedding and nesting (LBN) material in rodents is a naturalistic stress model that mimics many of the behavioral and neural consequences of child abuse and neglect; however, the effect of ECS on adult impulsivity has never been studied. The aim of our work was to determine the effects of ECS on cognitive impulsivity and its relation to D2 immunoreactivity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) of adult male rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to LBN from postnatal day 2 to 9.

Diastereoselective synthesis of new zwitterionic bicyclic lactams, scaffolds for construction of 2-substituted-4-hydroxy piperidine and its pipecolic acid derivatives.

The synthesis of new chiral highly functionalized zwitterionic bicyclic lactams starting from acyclic β-enaminoesters derived from ()-(-)-2-phenylglycinol is described. The key step involved an intramolecular non-classical Corey-Chaykovsky ring-closing reaction of the corresponding sulfonium salts derived from β-enaminoesters. This methodology permits the generation of two or three new stereogenic centers with high diastereoselectivity.

Differential effects of citalopram on the intake of high fat or high carbohydrates diets in female and male rats.

Chronic administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), usually prescribed as antidepressants, decreases total energy intake; however, at present the differential effect on the intake of distinct macronutrients and on female . male organisms is not clear. On this basis, female and male adult Wistar rats were exposed to two types of diets: (1) a standard balanced diet (BD); or (2) two types of diets simultaneously, (a) one high in carbohydrates (HC); the other (b) high in fat (HF).

Impact of embryo technologies on secondary sex ratio in rabbit.

Increasing evidence indicates that assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) disturb skewed sex-ratio and induce sex-dimorphic postnatal effects. Undoubtedly, the combination of multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) together with the use of vitrification technique (MOVET) is currently being used in breeding programs. However, since the first case of sex skewing reported in 1991, the accumulative and long-term transmission of skewed sex-ratio to future generations has not been thoroughly evaluated.

Rederivation by Cryopreservation of a Paternal Line of Rabbits Suggests Exhaustion of Selection for Post-Weaning Daily Weight Gain after 37 Generations.

Rabbit selection programmes have mainly been evaluated using unselected or divergently selected populations, or populations rederived from cryopreserved embryos after a reduced number of generations. Nevertheless, unselected and divergent populations do not avoid genetic drift, while rederived animals seem to influence phenotypic traits such as birth and adult weights or prolificacy. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of a long-term selection for post-weaning average daily weight gain (ADG) over 37 generations with two rederived populations.

Modafinil reduces choice impulsivity while increasing motor activity in preadolescent rats treated prenatally with alcohol.

Rats exposed prenatally to alcohol show a reduction in the spontaneous activity of dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), as well as greater impulsive behavior and motor activity, behavioral alterations that have been related to dopaminergic dysfunction. Modafinil (MOD) is a dopamine (DA) reuptake blocker prescribed to treat sleep disorders; however, in recent years it has been used for the treatment of ADHD with positive results. Also, studies in humans and rodents show beneficial effects on learning and attention; however, studies evaluating MOD effects on impulsivity are few and show contradictory results.

Differential effect of modafinil on impulsivity, attention and motor activity in preadolescent rats prenatally treated with alcohol.

The purpose of the present research was to study the effect of different doses of modafinil (0, 10, 30 and 60 mg/kg) on reactive impulsivity, attention and hyperactivity in male Wistar rats treated with prenatal alcohol (PA), treatment that produces an alteration in dopaminergic (DA) neurons. The control rats were treated prenatally with sucrose (PS). Animals with PA were less efficient, more impulsive, and inattentive compared to PSs, in a Go-Signal-Task paradigm.

Changes in the incentive value of food after naltrexone treatment depend on a differential preference for a palatable food in male rats.

Introduction: Opioid antagonist treatments such as naltrexone (NTX) and naloxone reduce consummatory behavior of palatable food (PF) and other incentives. Meanwhile, a significant increase in alcohol consumption has been observed when it is offered immediately after ending NTX treatment, an effect apparently produced by increased opioidergic activity caused by up-regulation of opioid receptors.

Objective: On this basis we assessed changes in the consumption of PF after opioid antagonist treatment in rats with different preferences for that food.

Risk-taking, locomotor activity and dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex in male rats treated prenatally with alcohol.

Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PA) restricted to days 8-20 of rat gestation reduces the activity of the dopaminergic neurons (DA) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Hyperactivity and impulsivity have been observed under this treatment; however, it is unknown whether DA levels are affected. Decision-making in risk situations, meanwhile, has been associated with impulsive behavior, but because studies of this phenomenon in animal models are limited, we do not yet know whether PA has any effect.

Differential Improvement of Executive Functions During Abstinence in Cocaine-Dependent Patients: A Longitudinal Study.

Background: In substance abusers, deficits in executive functioning (EF) are relevant to understanding the behavioral regulation of substance consumption and the failure to remain abstinent.

Objective: To determine the course of EF impairment, measured with traditional and ecological instruments, after 1 and 3 months of abstinence in patients with cocaine dependence.

Methods: 26 cocaine-only-dependent in-patients (cocaine-dependent group, CDG) and 24 nondependent controls (control group, CG) recruited from a typical population were assessed using several EF tests and questionnaires [Stroop, verbal and graphic fluency, Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST), Tower of London (TOL), and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A)] after three periods of abstinence: 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months.

Effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine on impulsivity and motor activity in preadolescent rats prenatally-treated with alcohol.

Prenatal alcohol treatment (PA) produces a decrease in dopaminergic neuron activity in the ventral tegmental area, an alteration that is alleviated with methylphenidate treatment. Evidence exists that PA also produces hyperactivity, inattention and enhanced impulsivity, behavioral alterations that have been related to dopaminergic and noradrenergic functions. The purpose of this work was to study the effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine on impulsivity and motor activity in preadolescent male rats prenatally exposed to alcohol.

Copulation is reactivated by bromocriptine in male rats after reaching sexual satiety with a same sexual mate.

Male sexual satiety has been associated with a decrease in dopamine levels. Spontaneous recovery of copulatory behavior begins at least 72 h after sexual satiety is reached or in the condition in which a sexually-satiated male is exposed to a new receptive female distinct from the one with which sexual satiety was reached. The aim of the present study was to explore whether dopaminergic activation by bromocriptine (BrCr) can reactivate copulatory behavior with the same sexual mate immediately after sexual satiety is reached.

Assessing impulsivity in prepubertal male rats: a novel device and method to assess motor and cognitive impulsivity.

The use of animal models in studies of impulsivity has made valuable contributions to our understanding of this behavioral trait as it relates to disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The objective of this work was to develop a paradigm that would make it possible to evaluate both motor and cognitive impulsivity using the same device after a short training period. The operant behavior demanded in this device consists in having rats cross a bridge after receiving a signal to obtain a reward that is available on a goal platform in a Wait-to-Go-signal task, or in crossing a bridge after the animals make a choice between two alternatives in a Delay-discounting task.

(R)-3,3-Diethyl-1-(2-hy-droxy-1-phenyl-eth-yl)piperidin-2-one.

In the title compound C(17)H(25)NO(2), the piperidin-2-one ring adopts an envelope conformation with the C atom in the 5-position as the flap. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, building a infinite chain along the b-axis direction. C-H⋯π inter-actions further stabilize the crystal packing.

(S)-(-)-2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)-N-(1-phenyl-eth-yl)acetamide.

In the title compound, C(18)H(18)N(2)O, the dihedral angle between the indole system and the phenyl ring is 17.2 (2)°. The crystal packing features two N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which link the mol-ecules into layers parallel to (001).

(7aS)-(-)-Dimeth-yl(1-oxido-3-oxo-5,6,7,7a-tetra-hydro-3H-pyrrolizin-2-yl)sulfonium.

In the zwitterionic title compound, C(9)H(13)NO(2)S, the pyrrolidine heterocycle adopts an envelope conformation (with the C atom in the 7-position as the flap). The negative charge is delocalized over the two carbonyl groups and the C atom connecting them. The positive charge is located on the S atom.

Boar semen can tolerate rapid cooling rates prior to freezing.

Two experiments were performed in the present study that demonstrated that boar spermatozoa are capable of surviving rapid cooling rates within a range of 15-5 °C before freezing. Boar ejaculates diluted in Beltsville thawing solution (BTS) (1:1, v/v) were held at 17-20 °C and shipped over a 24-h time period from two AI centres to a cryobiology laboratory, where they were pooled (Experiment 1) or cryopreserved individually (Experiment 2) using a standard 0.5-mL straw freezing protocol.

(R)-(+)-Dimeth-yl[4-oxido-2-oxo-1-(1-phenyl-eth-yl)-1,2,5,6-tetra-hydro-pyridin-3-yl]sulfonium.

In the title zwitterionic compound, C(15)H(19)NO(2)S, the six-membered heterocycle adopts a sofa conformation. The negative charge is delocalized along the carbonyl and enolate system on the ring and the positive charge is localized on the S atom. Two inter-molecular C-H⋯O inter-actions help to establish the packing.