In addition

to activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, acute stress also elevates cytokines in brain. Initially, to test possible cytokine involvement in this stress/withdrawal protocol, cytokines were increased in brain with 2 weekly repeated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administrations (1000 mu/kg) (LPS/withdrawal protocol) or with twice weekly intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administrations of the cytokines IL-1 beta, CCL2 (MCP-1) or TNF alpha (cytokine/withdrawal protocol) before exposure and withdrawal from a 5-day cycle of chronic ethanol diet. Both protocols sensitized withdrawal-induced Tubastatin A price anxiety and confirm cytokine involvement in the sensitized anxiety response. Testing of various doses of LPS (16-1000 mu g/kg) and TNF alpha (3- 100 ng, i.c.v.) demonstrated the dose-related nature of these protocols to sensitize withdrawal-induced anxiety. The sensitized anxiety was not produced by a single 5-day ethanol selleck chemicals llc diet cycle or by repeated

LPS or cytokine treatments alone. Likewise, sensitized anxiety in these protocols could not be attributed to differences in ethanol ingestion. When challenged with a subsequent re-exposure to a 5-day ethanol diet cycle 16 days after completion of the LPS/withdrawal or cytokine/withdrawal protocols, an increase in withdrawal-induced anxiety was observed-Fan indication of induction of an underlying persistent adaptive change. Finally, just as found previously with the stress/withdrawal protocol, administration GKT137831 of the benzodiazepine

receptor antagonist flumazenil before the LPS or TNF treatments prevented anxiety sensitization. Together, these findings indicate that increased cytokine activity induces adaptive change that supports sensitization of ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety that may be linked to GABA(A)-receptor function.”
“Purpose: The incidence of metastatic lymph node involvement in prostate cancer has decreased with the advent of prostate specific antigen testing. Various algorithms have been designed to assess the probability of lymphatic involvement, resulting in the omission of lymph node dissection in many cases. However, recent reports suggest an underestimation of lymph node involvement. Meticulous lymph node dissection may provide a survival benefit by addressing micrometastatic disease. We analyzed the current literature on extended pelvic lymphadenectomy in prostate cancer.

Material and Methods: The pelvic lymphadenectomy literature was reviewed using a MEDLINE (R) search, focusing on the prevalence of positive nodes, staging vs extended lymphadenectomy and therapeutic benefits.

Results: Staging pelvic lymphadenectomy provides valuable prognostic data and it may be therapeutic. Extended lymph node dissection increases the detection of positive nodes. The number of positive or negative nodes resected may increase survival.