The Role of Hyperthermia in Methamphetamine-Induced Depression-Like Behaviors: Protective Effects of Coral Calcium Hydride

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse causes irreversible damage to the central nervous system and leads to psychiatric symptoms including depression. Notably, METH-induced hyperthermia is a crucial factor in the development of these symptoms, as it aggravates METH-induced neurotoxicity. However, the role of hyperthermia in METH-induced depression-like behaviors needs to be clarified. In the present study, we treated mice with different doses of METH under normal (NAT) or high ambient temperatures (HAT). We found that HAT promoted hyperthermia after METH treatment and played a key role in METH-induced depression-like behaviors in mice. Intriguingly, chronic METH exposure (10 mg/kg, 7 or 14 days) or administration of an escalating-dose (2 ∼ 15 mg/kg, 3 days) of METH under NAT failed to induce depression-like behaviors. However, HAT aggravated METH-induced damage of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, reaction to oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Molecular hydrogen acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent and has been shown to have preventive and therapeutic applicability in a wide range of diseases. Coral calcium hydride (CCH) is a newly identified hydrogen-rich powder which produces hydrogen gas gradually when exposed to water. Herein, we found that CCH pretreatment significantly attenuated METH-induced hyperthermia, and administration of CCH after METH exposure also inhibited METH-induced depression-like behaviors and reduced the hippocampal synaptic plasticity damage. Moreover, CCH effectively reduced the activity of lactate dehydrogenase and decreased malondialdehyde, TNF-α and IL-6 generation in hippocampus. These results suggest that CCH is an efficient hydrogen-rich agent, which has a potential therapeutic applicability in the treatment of METH abusers.

Calcium thermic production of rare metal and intermetallic powders

This paper analyzes the thermodynamic and kinetic environment for calcium thermic production of rare metal and intermetallic powders and the status of this method among other thermal reduction methods. The discussion of thermodynamic processes focuses on gas phase equilibrium. A close consideration is given not only to binary metal-calcium systems but also to three- and multi-component systems. The role of such auxiliary substances as calcium hydride and calcium chloride is discussed. It is shown that, when the final product includes intermetallides of rare metals, calcium can even be used for the reduction of oxides of metals that are more sensitive to oxygen than calcium. There are cases when the presence of calcium chloride during reduction leads to a lower equilibrium content of oxygen in the reduced rare metal than during calcium reduction. The paper describes thermal reduction flow charts and the process equipment. This review is meant for Russian researchers and experts engaged in research and development of the calcium thermic techniques for powder metal and alloy production.

Facile and practical hydrodehalogenations of organic halides enabled by calcium hydride and palladium chloride

Herein, a convenient hydrodehalogenation method was described by employing less-explored calcium hydride as the reductant. A wide range of organic halides such as aromatic bromides, aromatic chlorides, aromatic triflates, aliphatic...

Calciothermic powders of rare metals and intermetallic compounds

This paper presents a profound review of scientific and technical literature on the issues of calciothermic production of powders of rare metals, intermetallic compounds, composite materials and refractory oxygen-free compounds (carbides, nitrides). Calciothermic reduction is a metallothermic synthesis method for those substances where calcium or its derivatives, such as calcium hydride or calcium carbide, are used as a reducing agent. Thermodynamics aspects of a reduction process are covered in the paper broadly, with particular emphasis on assessing the reduction depth of original oxide raw materials, as TiO2. The mechanism and kinetics of calciothermic synthesis of single-component and multi-component alloys are described. Presented are both technological means of obtaining materials and hardware resources of many varieties of calciothermic method. The key features of the work are generalization and systematization of properties (chemical, physical, technological) of materials synthesized by calciothermic method. The data are accumulated in the appropriate tables and divided by substance classes (powders of metals and alloys, powders of intermetallic compounds, powders of carbides, powders of nitrides, and powders of composite materials). Methods of calciothermic powder making in case of the singlecomponent and complex multi-component systems are briefly described. This work will be interesting to the students of metallurgical profile and specialists whose scientific interests are in the field of material synthesis by methods of powder metallurgy.