[Effect of glucocorticoid receptor function on the behavior of rats with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ideal animal models for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes and the effect of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) function on the behavior of ADHD rats by comparing behavioral differences between spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. METHODS: A total of 24 male SHRs aged 21 days were randomly divided into GR agonist group, GR inhibitor group, and SHR group, with 8 rats in each group. Eight male WKY rats and 8 male SD rats, also aged 21 days, were enrolled as WKY group and SD group respectively. The GR agonist group was treated with intraperitoneal injection of dexamethasone (0.5 mg/kg daily); the GR inhibitor group was treated with intraperitoneal injection of mifepristone (RU486) (54 mg/kg daily); the SHR, WKY, and SD groups were treated with intraperitoneal injection of normal saline (0.5 mL/kg daily). The course of treatment was 14 days for all groups. The open field test and Lat maze test were used to evaluate spontaneous activity and non-selective attention. RESULTS: The open field test showed that before drug intervention the SHR group had significantly higher numbers of line crossings and rearings than the WKY and SD groups (P<0.05); the WKY group had a significantly higher number of line crossings than the SD group (P<0.05); the SD group had a significantly higher number of groomings than the WKY group (P<0.05). After drug intervention, the GR agonist group had significantly lower numbers of line crossings and groomings than the SHR group (P<0.05). The Lat maze test indicated that before drug intervention the SHR group had significantly higher numbers of corner crossings and rearings than the WKY and SD groups (P<0.05); the WKY group had significantly higher numbers of rearings and leanings than the SD group (P<0.05). After drug intervention, the GR agonist group had significantly lower numbers of corner crossings and rearings than the SHR group (P<0.05); the GR inhibitor group had a significantly higher number of rearings than the SHR group (P<0.05); the WKY group had significantly higher numbers of rearings and leanings than the SD group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SHR is an ideal animal model for mixed subtype ADHD, and further studies are needed to determine whether WKY rats can be used as an animal model for attention-deficit subtype ADHD. GR agonist can effectively improve spontaneous activity and non-selective attention in SHRs.

Fabrication and Tribological Properties of Copper Matrix Solid Self-Lubricant Composites Reinforced with Ni/NbSe2 Composites.

This paper presents a facile and effective method for preparing Ni/NbSe2 composites in order to improve the wettability of NbSe2 and copper matrix, which is helpful in enhancing the friction-reducing and anti-wear properties of copper-based composites. The powder metallurgy (P/M) technique was used to fabricate copper-based composites with different weight fractions of Ni/NbSe2, and tribological properties of composites were evaluated by using a ball-on-disk friction-and-wear tester. Results indicated that tribological properties of copper-based composites were improved by the addition of Ni/NbSe2. In particular, copper-based composites containing 15 wt.% Ni/NbSe2 showed the lowest friction coefficient (0.16) and wear rate (4.1 × 10-5 mm3·N-1·m-1) among all composites.