[Recent studies on the catecholamines].

There is much interest in whether depression and stress may explain the wide variability in the disease course of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This article summarizes the large body of evidence examining whether depression and stress may have an impact on immune- and disease-related parameters in HIV disease. Furthermore, we review what is known about the underlying biological mechanisms of HIV disease, such as alterations in glucocorticoids and catecholamines, which may help explain these psychoimmune relationships. Our review of the literature finds substantial evidence that chronic depression and stressful events may affect HIV disease progression. We know little, however, regarding the biological mechanisms that may account for these relationships. More research is warranted to investigate how depression and stress might impact HIV disease progression and what types of interventions might mitigate the negative impact of chronic depression and trauma.

Catecholamines↗

PubMed2003

On-column electrochemical detection for microchip capillary electrophoresis.

The development of a cellulose acetate decoupler for on-column electrochemical detection in microchip capillary electrophoresis is presented. The capillary based laser-etched decoupler is translated to the planar format to isolate the detector circuit from the separation circuit. The decoupler is constructed by aligning a series of 20 30-microm holes through the coverplate of the microchip with the separation channel and casting a thin film of cellulose acetate within the holes. The decoupler shows excellent isolation of the detection circuit for separation currents up to 60 microA, with noise levels at or below 1 pA at a carbon fiber electrode. Detection limits of 25 nM were achieved for dopamine. This decoupler design combines excellent mechanical stability, effective shunting of high separation currents, and ease of manufacture.

Catecholamines↗