Alpha-fetoprotein in ovarian teratoma with glial implants on the peritoneum

A case of ovarian teratoma with glial implants on the peritoneum associated with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the blood is reported. After repeated surgical excision the AFP became negative. The AFP can also be considered as a tumor marker in case of ovarian teratoma. The literature concerning ovarian teratoma with glial implants on the peritoneum is reviewed. The pathogenesis of glial implantation on the peritoneum and the association with AFP is discussed.     

Organization of somatosensory input to the deep collicular laminae in hamster

Retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used to delineate the sources of somatosensory input to the hamster's superior colliculus. Cells in the ipsilateral somatosensory cortex and contralateral dorsal horn of the spinal cord, dorsal column nuclei, lateral cervical nucleus, internal basilar nucleus, nucleus of the spinal trigeminal tract and deep layers of the superior colliculus were labeled following HRP injections centered in the deep tectal laminae.The response characteristics of somatosensory corticotectal, spinotectal and intertectal neurons were investigated with extracellular single unit recording methods and, with the exception of the fact that the receptive fields of corticotectal and spinotectal neurons were consistently smaller than those of cells recorded in the colliculus, the response characteristics of these neurons were quite similar to those of somatosensory neurons in the deep layers of the tectum. Lesions of the somatosensory cortex or dorsal half of the spinal cord were also combined with single unit recording in the colliculus to determine whether or not such damage altered the incidence and/or response characteristics of deep layer somatosensory cells. These lesions had no appreciable effect upon the functional organization of the deep tectal laminae. The implications of these results with regard to the convergence of visual and somatosensory information in the tectum are discussed.     

Laminar differences in field potential morphology and long-term potentiation in motor cortex coronal slices from both unstimulated and previously potentiated rats

We have reported that long-term potentiation (LTP) can be reliably induced in motor cortex of adult, freely moving rats by the application of spaced and repeated high frequency stimulating trains to the white matter. In the present study, we monitored field potentials (FPs) and LTP in both layer II/III and V in coronal slices of motor cortex taken from implanted control and previously potentiated Long-Evans rats. The baseline FP amplitudes were decreased in layer II/III, and the amplitude of small spikes was significantly increased in layer V in slices from previously potentiated rats compared to unpotentiated control rats. In response to high frequency stimulation applied to the slice itself, both implanted control and previously potentiated rats showed similar levels of LTP in layer II/III. LTP could not be induced in layer V. These results show that layer II/III and V respond differently to high frequency stimulation in vitro. In addition, layer II/III responds very differently in slice compared to chronic preparations.     

Review of egg-related salmonellosis and reduction strategies in United States,Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand

Globally, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica is one of the most commonly reported causes of foodborne illness in humans. Contaminated food products of animal origin, particularly egg and egg products are frequently implicated in outbreaks of human salmonellosis. Salmonella enteritidis is frequently involved in egg and egg products-associated foodborne outbreaks in the USA and UK. However, in Australia and New Zealand, human infections caused by this serovar occur as a result of infection acquired while overseas travel, with Salmonella typhimurium being a predominant cause of local foodborne outbreaks. In this paper, an overview of Salmonella epidemiology on laying farms, egg-related Salmonella outbreaks in humans, and regulatory practises to control Salmonella across USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand is provided. Considering the estimated production of eggs in the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand in 2015, the risk of foodborne illness in general is quite low for humans consuming eggs. Salmonella diagnostics, reporting and surveillance systems have improved over the years and will continue to improve in the years to come. However, given the number of different emerging Salmonella serovars a regular review of Salmonella control strategies from farm to fork is required.     

胎儿脑动脉分叉部构筑发育特征与脑动脉瘤病因假说的验证

目的:探讨人类胚胎脑动脉分叉部弹力纤维和中层平滑肌细胞(Smoothmusclecell,SMC)的构筑发育过程及特点,以助对脑动脉瘤病因假说的理解和验证。方法:收集胎龄12～28周人类胚胎共17例,每1个周龄取1例,男女不限。对胎脑Willis环周围的动脉分叉部行不同方向组织切片,观察弹力纤维和中层SMC的构筑发育过程。结果:胎脑Willis环周各动脉弹力纤维在1.5～12.6层之间,弹力纤维在同一切片有紊乱和逐渐减少现象,内弹力层第19周发育完整;中层SMC在1.1～9.0层之间,70.6%的胎脑动脉个别分叉部发现中层SMC缺陷,所取标本的30.3%发现中层SMC缺陷。结论:胎脑动脉内弹力纤维和中层SMC随胎龄增长而增多,内弹力层于第13～19周出现并发育成熟,脑动脉分叉部存在先天性SMC缺陷、弹力纤维紊乱和逐渐减少现象,有助于对脑动脉瘤病因假说的理解和验证。     

Layer‐specific BOLD activation in human V1

The neocortex is known to have a distinct laminar structure which has previously been probed in animals using high‐resolution fMRI. Detection of layer‐specific activation in humans has however to date proven elusive. In this study we demonstrate for the first time such layer‐specific activation, specifically at a depth corresponding to layer IV of human primary visual cortex (V1). We used a gradient‐echo (GE) sequence at 3T with an isotropic resolution of 0.75 mm, in which a stria at the depth of layer IV was visible in the averaged time series, and could be used as an anatomical landmark. Upon visual stimulation (7.5 Hz flickering checkerboard) the signal increase of 3% in layer IV was significantly higher than in the neighboring laminae. The width of this activation peak was 0.8–1 mm. Based on this result and known laminar organization of the intracortical vasculature we conclude that in the direction perpendicular to the cortical surface the intrinsic spatial resolution of the GE‐BOLD fMRI signal is in the submillimetre range. Human laminar fMRI is a significant development which may improve our understanding of intracortical activation patterns and of the way in which different cortical regions interact. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Astrocyte and Glutamate Markers in the Superficial,Deep, and White Matter Layers of the Anterior Cingulate Gyrus in Schizophrenia

Most studies of the neurobiology of schizophrenia have focused on neurotransmitter systems, their receptors, and downstream effectors. Recent evidence suggests that it is no longer tenable to consider neurons and their functions independently of the glia that interact with them. Although astrocytes have been viewed as harbingers of neuronal injury and CNS stress, their principal functions include maintenance of glutamate homeostasis and recycling, mediation of saltatory conduction, and even direct neurotransmission. Results of studies of astrocytes in schizophrenia have been variable, in part because of the assessment of single and not necessarily universal markers and/or assessment of non-discrete brain regions. We used laser capture microdissection to study three distinct partitions of the anterior cingulate gyrus (layers I–III, IV–VI, and the underlying white matter) in the brains of 18 well-characterized persons with schizophrenia and 21 unaffected comparison controls. We studied the mRNA expression of nine specific markers known to be localized to astrocytes. The expression of astrocyte markers was not altered in the superficial layers or the underlying white matter of the cingulate cortex of persons with schizophrenia. However, the expression of some astrocyte markers (diodinase type II, aquaporin-4, S100β, glutaminase, excitatory amino-acid transporter 2, and thrombospondin), but not of others (aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member L1, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and vimentin) was significantly reduced in the deep layers of the anterior cingulate gyrus. These findings suggest that a subset of astrocytes localized to specific cortical layers is adversely affected in schizophrenia and raise the possibility of glutamatergic dyshomeostasis in selected neuronal populations.     

The natural outcome of melamine-induced bladder stones with bladder epithelial hyperplasia after the withdrawal of melamine in mice

The natural outcome of melamine-induced bladder stones (cystoliths) with bladder epithelial hyperplasia (BEH) after melamine withdrawn is unclear. Using an ideal dual-model system, three experiments were conducted in BALB/c mice. Each experiment included a control, model 1 and model 2 groups. The mice were fed a regular diet in controls or a 9373 ppm melamine diet in models, and the first day was designated as dosing day 1. The melamine diet was then replaced by the regular diet in the model 2 groups, and the first day was designated as post-dosing day 1. On dosing days 12, 35 and 49, the incidence of cystoliths and diffusely active BEH was 8/8 in the mice of three model 1 groups. On post-dosing days 1, 4 and 8, in the mice of three model 2 groups, the incidence of cystoliths was 2/8, 0/8 and 1/8, respectively, and the progressive regression of BEH was observed. In conclusion, both the stones and BEH have the natural property of rapid development and rapid regression, and melamine withdrawn plays a key role in the stone dissolution-discharge necessary for BEH regression. BEH may be reversible after the discharge of the stones. The conventionally conservative therapy is thus reasonable.     

Spatial and temporal visual properties of the neurons in the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus

Although the visual perception depends on the integration of spatial and temporal information, no knowledge is available concerning the responsiveness of neurons in the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus (SCi) to extended visual grating stimuli. Accordingly, we set out to investigate the responsiveness of these neurons in halothane-anesthetized cats to drifting sinewave gratings at various spatial and temporal frequencies. The SCi units responded optimally to gratings of low spatial frequencies (none of the analyzed SCi units exhibited maximal activity to spatial frequencies higher than 0.3 c/deg) and exhibited low spatial resolution and narrow spatial frequency tuning. On the other hand, the SCi neurons preferred high temporal frequencies and exhibited high temporal resolution. Thus, the SCi neurons seem to be good spatio–temporal filters of visual information in the low spatial and high temporal frequency domain. Based upon the above summarized results we suggest that the SCi units can detect large contours moving at high velocities well, but are unable to distinguish small details. This is in line with the generally held view that the SCi could possess visuomotor function, such as organizing the complex, sensory-guided oculomotor and skeletomotor responses during the self-motion of the animal.     

干湿环境下循环载荷对氧化锆-饰面瓷叠层瓷结构抗弯强度的影响

目的:比较干燥和唾液浸泡环境下动态循环加载对氧化锆/饰面瓷叠层瓷结构抗弯强度的影响。方法:制作氧化锆/饰面瓷叠层瓷结构圆片试件30个,随机分为干燥和唾液浸泡两组,循环加载10000次后进行双轴弯曲测试,光学显微镜观察其表面损伤及断裂面形貌。结果:在干燥环境下,经过10000次循环疲劳实验后,表面裂纹主要为赫兹锥状裂纹,破碎模式主要为完全断裂。而在唾液环境下,经过疲劳实验后,表面裂纹除了赫兹锥状裂纹外还有环状裂纹,破碎模式主要为饰瓷脱瓷,而且在干燥环境下的样品抗弯强度比在湿润环境下平均要高70%。结论:口腔内氧化锆全瓷修复材料长期使用后出现性能下降的疲劳现象,与牙科陶瓷修复体处于充满唾液的水环境有关。