牵张应力对退变椎间盘髓核细胞增殖凋亡及细胞外基质表达的影响

目的 探讨不同强度牵张应力刺激对体外培养的人退变髓核细胞增殖凋亡和细胞外基质表达的影响。 方法 分选并体外培养人退变的髓核细胞,使用四点弯曲细胞力学装置对细胞施加不同强度的牵张应力,根据施加牵张应力强度的不同分为对照组（未给予应力刺激）、低强度组（1000 μ）、中强度组（2000 μ）和高强度组（4000 μ）四组。采用流式细胞仪测定退变髓核细胞的增殖情况;采用实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）检测各组细胞的细胞增殖核抗原(PCNA)、细胞凋亡相关蛋白B淋巴细胞瘤-2基因（Bcl-2）与Bcl-2相关X蛋白（Bax）、以及Ⅱ型胶原（ColⅡ）和蛋白聚糖(Aggrecan)的基因表达情况并进行分析。 结果 在不同强度的牵张应力作用下,退变髓核细胞的增殖凋亡和细胞外基质分泌呈现不同的变化。随着施加力学强度的增加,髓核细胞的增殖指数和PCNA基因表达水平先升高而后又逐渐降低,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。髓核细胞凋亡相关基因Bcl-2/Bax mRNA值在1000 μ强度牵张应力作用下为对照组的1.53倍,而在2000 μ和4000 μ强度下分别为0.71和0.43,同样呈现出随应力刺激增加先升高又降低的趋势,差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05）。给予1000 μ强度应力刺激后,Col Ⅱ和Aggrecan均有不同程度的表达增加,分别增加了2.1倍和2.3倍,与对照组比较,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。随着牵张应力强度的增加,Col Ⅱ和Aggrecan基因表达逐渐降低,在4000 μ强度牵张应力刺激时,二者基因表达最低,差异具有统计学意义（P<0.05）。 结论 不同强度的牵张应力对人退变髓核细胞的增殖凋亡以及细胞外基质的表达作用不同。     

Production of reflex cough by brainstem respiratory networks

Delineation of neural mechanisms involved in reflex cough is essential for understanding its many physiological and clinical complexities, and the development of more desirable antitussive agents. Brainstem networks that generate and modulate the breathing pattern are also involved in producing the motor patterns during reflex cough. Neurones of the ventrolateral medulla respiratory pattern generator mutually interact with neural networks in the pons, medulla and cerebellum to form a larger dynamic network. This paper discusses evidence from our laboratory and others supporting the involvement of the nucleus tractus solitarii, midline raphe nuclei and lateral tegmental field in the medulla, and the pontine respiratory group and cerebellum in the production of reflex cough. Gaps in our knowledge are identified to stimulate further research on this complicated issue.     

DNA strand breaks and death of thymocytes induced byN-methyl-N-nitrosourea

Summary N-Methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) is a potent carcinogen in various sites of experimental animals and induces thymic lymphoma in rats, which has long been hard to induce by any carcinogen. To analyze the action of MNU on thymocytes, DNA strand breaking in thymocytes from the MNU-treated rat and that in MNU-treated cultured thymocytes were assayed. Fluorometric analysis of DNA unwinding (FADU assay), first reported by Birnboim and Jevcak to detect X-ray-induced DNA damage, was modified and applied to detect DNA damage in thymocytes treated with MNU in vitro or in vivo. In the present modified method, cell lysate was admixed with 0.15M sodium hydroxide, and DNA unwinding was processed at pH 12.0 for up to 2 h at 0° C in iced water. Double-stranded DNA remaining after alkaline reaction was detected by binding ethidium bromide and measuring its fluorescence. The severity of DNA damage, both in vivo and in vitro, depended on the MNU concentration. In addition, the sequential survival rate and cell-size distribution of thymocytes treated with MNU in vitro were investigated. A close relationship between the severity of DNA damage and cell death was demonstrated in MNU-treated thymocytes, and DNA damage by a non-cell-killing dose of MNU was detected with this FADU assay. MNU-induced cell death is not programmed as in apoptosis, which is caused in thymocytes physiologically, immunologically and by X-ray irradiation or corticoids.Abbreviations used MNU N-methyl-N-nitrosourea - FADU fluorometric analysis of DNA unwinding - PBS calcium- and magnesium-free phosphate-buffered saline     

Functional organization and connectivity of the dorsal column nuclei complex reveals a sensorimotor integration and distribution hub

The dorsal column nuclei complex (DCN‐complex) includes the dorsal column nuclei (DCN, referring to the gracile and cuneate nuclei collectively), external cuneate, X, and Z nuclei, and the median accessory nucleus. The DCN are organized by both somatotopy and modality, and have a diverse range of afferent inputs and projection targets. The functional organization and connectivity of the DCN implicate them in a variety of sensorimotor functions, beyond their commonly accepted role in processing and transmitting somatosensory information to the thalamus, yet this is largely underappreciated in the literature. To consolidate insights into their sensorimotor functions, this review examines the morphology, organization, and connectivity of the DCN and their associated nuclei. First, we briefly discuss the receptors, afferent fibers, and pathways involved in conveying tactile and proprioceptive information to the DCN. Next, we review the modality and somatotopic arrangements of the remaining constituents of the DCN‐complex. Finally, we examine and discuss the functional implications of the myriad of DCN‐complex projection targets throughout the diencephalon, midbrain, and hindbrain, in addition to their modulatory inputs from the cortex. The organization and connectivity of the DCN‐complex suggest that these nuclei should be considered a complex integration and distribution hub for sensorimotor information.     

锰离子增强MRI在显示大鼠视觉传导通路中的最佳时间

目的 探讨锰离子增强MRI在显示大鼠视觉传导通路中的最佳时间.方法 对24只SD大鼠的单侧眼球内注射氯化锰溶液(30 mmol/L)3 μl后,随机分为8组(注射后3、6、12、24、30、36、48、72 h组),在间隔不同时间后分别行MR T1W扫描.设定相同的ROI后,分别测量和计算视神经、外侧膝状体、上丘在各组图像中的CNR.结果 3~24 h视神经、外侧膝状体和上丘的MR强化信号逐渐增高,至24 h达峰值,持续至30 h后逐渐下降.大鼠视神经的信号强度除在注射后6 h组和72 h组、24 h组和30 h组差异无统计学意义外(P均 >0.05),其余各组间的差异均有统计学意义(P均 <0.05);外侧膝状体各组间两两比较、上丘各组间两两比较差异均有统计学意义(P均 <0.05).结论 锰离子增强MRI在显示大鼠视觉传导通路中的最佳时间是24~30 h.     

Repeated Baclofen treatment ameliorates motor dysfunction,suppresses reflex activity and decreases the expression of signaling proteins in reticular nuclei and lumbar motoneurons after spinal trauma in rats

The interruption of supraspinal input to the spinal cord leads to motor dysfunction and the development of spasticity. Clinical studies have shown that Baclofen (a GABA_B agonist), while effective in modulating spasticity is associated with side-effects and the development of tolerance. The aim of the present study was to assess if discontinued Baclofen treatment and its repeated application leads antispasticity effects, and whether such changes affect neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the brainstem, nNOS and parvalbumin (PV) in lumbar α-motoneurons and glial fibrillary acidic protein in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Adult male Wistar rats were exposed to Th9 spinal cord transection. Baclofen (30 mg/b.w.) diluted in drinking water, was administered for 6 days, starting at week 1 after injury and then repeated till week 4 after injury. The behavior of the animals was tested (tail-flick test, BBB locomotor score) from 1 to 8 weeks. Our results clearly indicate the role of nitric oxide, produced by nNOS in the initiation and the maintenance of spasticity states 1, 6 and 8 weeks after spinal trauma. A considerable decrease of nNOS staining after Baclofen treatment correlates with improvement of motor dysfunction. The findings also show that parvalbumin and astrocytes participate in the regulation of ion concentrations in the sub-acute phase after the injury.     

Lateral habenula and the rostromedial tegmental nucleus innervate neurochemically distinct subdivisions of the dorsal raphe nucleus in the rat

The lateral habenula (LHb) is an epithalamic structure differentiated in a medial (LHbM) and a lateral division (LHbL). Together with the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), the LHb has been implicated in the processing of aversive stimuli and inhibitory control of monoamine nuclei. The inhibitory LHb influence on midbrain dopamine neurons has been shown to be mainly mediated by the RMTg, a mostly GABAergic nucleus that receives a dominant input from the LHbL. Interestingly, the RMTg also projects to the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR), which also receives direct LHb projections. To compare the organization and transmitter phenotype of LHb projections to the DR, direct and indirect via the RMTg, we first placed injections of the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin into the LHb or the RMTg. We then confirmed our findings by retrograde tracing and investigated a possible GABAergic phenotype of DR‐projecting RMTg neurons by combining retrograde tracing with in situ hybridization for GAD67. We found only moderate direct LHb projections to the DR, which mainly emerged from the LHbM and were predominantly directed to the serotonin‐rich caudal DR. In contrast, RMTg projections to the DR were more robust, emerged from RMTg neurons enriched in GAD67 mRNA, and were focally directed to a distinctive DR subdivision immunohistochemically characterized as poor in serotonin and enriched in presumptive glutamatergic neurons. Thus, besides its well‐acknowledged role as a GABAergic control center for the ventral tegmental area (VTA)–nigra complex, our findings indicate that the RMTg is also a major GABAergic relay between the LHb and the DR. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:1454–1484, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Species‐specific differences in the medial prefrontal projections to the pons between rat and rabbit

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of both rats and rabbits has been shown to support trace eyeblink conditioning, presumably by providing an input to the cerebellum via the pons that bridges the temporal gap between conditioning stimuli. The pons of rats and rabbits, however, shows divergence in gross anatomical organization, leaving open the question of whether the topography of prefrontal inputs to the pons is similar in rats and rabbits. To investigate this question, we injected anterograde tracer into the mPFC of rats and rabbits to visualize and map in 3D the distribution of labeled terminals in the pons. Effective mPFC injections showed labeled axons in the ipsilateral descending pyramidal tract in both species. In rats, discrete clusters of densely labeled terminals were observed primarily in the rostromedial pons. Clusters of labeled terminals were also observed contralateral to mPFC injection sites in rats, appearing as a less dense "mirror‐image" of ipsilateral labeling. In rabbits, mPFC labeled corticopontine terminals were absent in the rostral pons, and instead were restricted to the intermediate pons. The densest terminal fields were typically observed in association with the ipsilateral pyramidal tract as it descended ventromedially through the rabbit pons. No contralateral terminal labeling was observed for any injections made in the rabbit mPFC. The results suggest the possibility that mPFC inputs to the pons may be integrated with different sources of cortical inputs between rats and rabbits. The resulting implications for mPFC or pons manipulations for studies of trace eyeblink in each species are discussed. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:3052–3074, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Sex differences in circadian timing systems: Implications for disease

Virtually every eukaryotic cell has an endogenous circadian clock and a biological sex. These cell-based clocks have been conceptualized as oscillators whose phase can be reset by internal signals such as hormones, and external cues such as light. The present review highlights the inter-relationship between circadian clocks and sex differences. In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) serves as a master clock synchronizing the phase of clocks throughout the body. Gonadal steroid receptors are expressed in almost every site that receives direct SCN input. Here we review sex differences in the circadian timing system in the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis (HPG), the hypothalamic–adrenal–pituitary (HPA) axis, and sleep–arousal systems. We also point to ways in which disruption of circadian rhythms within these systems differs in the sexes and is associated with dysfunction and disease. Understanding sex differentiated circadian timing systems can lead to improved treatment strategies for these conditions.