Distribution of cytochrome oxidase and parvalbumin in the primary visual cortex of the adult and neonate monkey,Callithrix jacchus

The anatomical distributions of the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome oxidase (CO) and of the calcium binding protein parvalbumin (PV) were studied in the striate cortex of adult and neonate New World monkeys (Callithrix jacchus). In the adult marmoset, both proteins were found in laminar arrangements similar to those described for the macaque monkey, with prominent bands of PV-like immunoreactive (PV-LI) puncta in layers IV and IIIb, and fairly evenly distributed PV-LI nonpyramidal neurons. Furthermore, the pattern of CO activity in area 17 of the neonate marmoset was almost identical to the CO pattern described in neonate macaque and squirrel monkeys. It came, therefore, as a surprise to find that the adult pattern of PV-like immunoreactivity (PV-LI) in the marmoset striate cortex arises from a neonatal pattern strikingly different from that seen in any developmental stage of the macaque, or in any other mammal studied so far. In the deep layers IV through VI of the neonate marmoset, a large number of PV-LI neurons was stained in bandlike patterns, their number in layers IV and V exceeding the number of PV-LI neurons present in these layers of the adult marmoset area 17. Staining of layers IV and VI was restricted to area 17 and involved nonpyramidal cells and their exceeding the number of PV-LI neurons present in these layers of the adult marmoset area 17. Staining of layers IV and VI was restricted to area 17 and involved nonpyramidal cells and their processes. The stained band of layer V, in contrast, continued throughout most of the neocortex. In area 17, an estimated 10 to 20% of the stained cells in layer V exhibited pyramidal shapes. The findings show that the expression of PV by visual cortical cells occurs before birth and suggest that the comparatively early onset of PV expression is not dependent on the onset of textured vision. The exuberant number of stained cells in some layers, and particularly the staining of pyramidal cells, in the neonate marmoset, suggest that a considerable number of cells possesses the stainability for PV-LI only transiently, i.e., in the marmoset, these cells have a specific demand for parvalbumin during this phase of their development. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Estrogenic Induction of NADPH- Diaphorase Activity in the Preoptic Neurons Containing Estrogen Receptor Immunoreactivity in the Female Rat

Nitric oxide and estrogen have been shown to play a critical role in the control of female reproductive function. In order to determine an anatomical relationship between nitric oxide generating neurons and estrogen target neurons, NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry was combined with estrogen receptor immunohistochemistry in the female medial preoptic area. While only a few weakly stained neurons for NADPH-diaphorase were found in ovariectomized control rats, a drastic increase in NADPH-diaphorase activity was observed in the medial preoptic nucleus of estradiol-treated ovariectomized animals. The total number of NADPH-diaphorase neurons in the estradiol-treated group increased three-fold relative to controls, and more than 80% of those neurons contained estrogen receptor-immunoreactivity in their nuclei. Since neuronal NADPH-diaphorase is nitric oxide synthase, the present result suggests that nitric oxide synthase activity can be positively regulated by estradiol in neurons containing estrogen receptor in the female medial preoptic nucleus.     

Increased sensitization in urban vs. rural environment – Rural protection or an urban living effect?

In a population-based longitudinal cohort study, we tested the hypothesis that children growing up in a high-traffic polluted urban area (UA) in the Athens' basin have higher prevalence of allergies and sensitization when compared with those growing up in a Greek provincial rural area (RA). We recruited 478 and 342 children aged 8-10 living in the UA and the RA, respectively. Respiratory health was assessed by a parent-completed questionnaire in three phases: 1995-96 (phase 1), 1999-2000 (phase 2), 2003-04 (phase 3) and skin-prick testing to common indoor and outdoor aeroallergens was performed at phases 1 and 2. Reported asthma and eczema did not differ between the two areas, whereas reported hay fever was persistently more prevalent in the UA than in the RA (16.5%, 17.0%, 18.2% vs. 7.0%, 8.3%, 9.6%, respectively). Sensitization was more prevalent in the UA at both phases (19.0% vs. 12.1% in phase 1, 20.0% vs. 14.1% in phase 2). Residential area contributed independently to sensitization to >or=1 aeroallergens (OR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.13-0.66; p = 0.003) and to polysensitization (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.10-0.82; p = 0.020) in phase 1. These associations were independent of farming practices. No significant contributions were found in phase 2. Our results suggest that long-term exposure to urban environment is associated with a higher prevalence of hay fever but not of asthma or eczema. The negative association between rural living and the risk of atopy during childhood, which is independent of farming practices, implies that it is mainly driven by an urban living effect.     

Mania caused by a diencephalic lesion.

We describe the case of a young male patient, SN, who suffered a MR-documented ischaemic lesion of both dorsomedial thalami and presented with a transient maniform syndrome. SN's neuropsychological, structural and functional imaging findings are compared with similar reported cases and are discussed in the framework of fronto-subcortical circuits and their proposed behavioural disorders. SN's mania was characterized by restlessness, mood elevation, a tendency for pleasurable activities, inflated self-esteem and loss of disease awareness. Other symptoms were sexual disinhibition, tactlessness, abnormal discourse, and reduced need for food and sleep. His neuropsychological assessment revealed an anterograde amnesia, and an impairment of frontal-executive functions. A SPECT-study showed diaschisis-related areas of hypoperfusion in both prefrontal regions which were interpreted as equivalents of SN's frontal-dysexecutive syndrome. In addition, there was a perfusion deficit in the right orbitofrontal cortex, which was taken as the imaging correlate of SN's secondary mania and personality disorder. These findings suggest that SN's mania and his other symptoms result from the twofold disruption of fronto-subcortical connections, namely of the right orbitofrontal loop which is concerned with mood regulation and socially appropriate behaviour, and of the dorsolateral prefrontal loop which mediates executive cognitive functions.     

颞部-颌下联合进路切除咽旁颞下区巨大肿瘤(附2例报道)

[目的]探讨切除侵犯中颅窝的咽旁颞下区巨大肿瘤安全而彻底的手术进路.利用颞部切口可充分暴露中颅窝底和颞下窝以及颌下进路显露咽旁区解剖的特点,联合进路切除2例咽旁颞下区巨大肿瘤.2例侵犯中颅窝底的咽旁颞下区肿瘤顺利切除,患者术中组织损伤、出血量相对较少,术后无严重并发症.[结论]颞部-颌下联合进路适合于侵犯中颅窝底的咽旁颞下区肿瘤的手术切除.     

电刺激兔大脑皮层运动区引起缩瞳反应

电刺激麻醉兔的大脑皮层运动区的某些点,可引起双侧瞳孔缩小和心率减慢。切断双侧颈交感神经干对缩瞳反应无影响,阻断副交感神经对瞳孔括约肌作用后,缩瞳反应明显减弱。切断双侧迷走神经,心率减慢反应减弱,静脉注射心得安后,心率减慢反应则完全消失。结果表明兔大脑皮层运动区内存在缩瞳区及心率减慢区。     

Fever and feeding in the rat: Actions of intrahypothalamic interleukin-6 compared to macrophage inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β)

The chemokines, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1) and its subunit MIP-1β, induce an intense fever in the rat when they are injected directly into the anterior hypothalamic, pre-optic area (AH/POA), a region containing thermosensitive neurons. The purpose of this study was to compare the central action on body temperature (T_b) of MIP-1β with that of interleukin-6 (IL-6), which also has been implicated in the cerebral mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of fever. Following the stereotaxic implantation in the AH/POA of guide cannulae for repeated micro-injections, radio transmitters which monitor T_b continuously were inserted intraperitoneally in each of 15 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Each micro-injection was made in a site in the AH/POA in a volume of 1.0 μl of pyrogen-free artificial CSF, recombinant murine MIP-1β, or recombinant human IL-6. MIP-1β in a dose of 25 pg evoked an intense fever characterized by a short latency, a mean maximum rise in T_b of 2.4 ± 0.21°C reached by 3.7 ± 0.42 hr, and a duration exceeding 6.5 hr. Injected into homologous sites in the AH/POA, IL-6 induced a dose dependent fever of similar latency and a mean maximal increase in T_b of 1.2 ± 0.25°C, 1.8 ± 0.15°C, and 2.1 ± 0.22°C and duration of 6.2 ± 1.28 hr, 6.7 ± 0.49 hr, and 6.8 ± 0.65 hr when given in doses of 25, 50, and 100 ng, respectively. These results show that MIP-1β and the highest dose of IL-6 induce a fever of comparable intensity, but MIP-1β exerts its action in a much lower concentration. Thus, the de novo synthesis and subsequent action of the MIP-1 family of cytokines on neurons of the AH/POA in response to a pyrogen challenge apparently play a functional role in the pathogenesis of fever. Further, the endogenous activity of IL-6 in the hypothalamus which is enhanced in response to a lipopolysaccharide also may reflect its essential part in the acute phase response to a bacterial challenge. Copyright © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Seizures with Onset in the Sensorimotor Face Area: Clinical Patterns and Results of Surgical Treatment in 20 Patients

Summary: It is not generally appreciated that intractable seizures involving the face area are amenable to surgical treatment. Twenty patients with onset of sensorimotor seizures in the face area of the pre- and postcentral gyri have been studied and surgically treated since 1948. Seizures started in the face, tongue, or throat, followed by diverse patterns depending on spread of seizure activity. Two patients had epilepsia partialis continua; 6 had either tonic or atonic drop attacks. All patients had pre- and postcentral face area resections, 12 in the dominant hemisphere. In addition, 3 had more extensive postcentral removal, 7 had temporal lobe, and 4 had small separate or contiguous frontal or parietal resection. Because the seizures were not sufficiently reduced by the first operation, 6 required reoperation; 4 of these patients had residual epileptiform activity on electrocorticogram (ECoG) after the first resection. Three patients had new neurologic signs that did not return to the preoperative level, but in 2 of them the deficit related mainly to higher resection in the central area. All but 2 of these 20 patients had at least moderate seizure reduction. Corticectomy can be performed for treatment of seizures arising in the lower central area and usually does not lead to significant permanent neurologic deficit.     

Stress during gestation alters postpartum maternal care and the development of the offspring in a rodent model.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies suggest that environmental adversity can alter parental care and thus influence child development. We addressed the question of whether stressors can directly affect parental behavior using a rodent model of stable, individual differences in maternal behavior. METHODS: Lactating rat mothers were characterized as high or low in pup-directed licking/grooming (LG) behavior, rebred, and subjected to 7 days of intermittent stress or control conditions during gestation. Female rats were mated a third time without any subsequent intervention. Maternal behavior, oxytocin receptor (OTR) binding, and offspring behavior were examined. RESULTS: Stress reduced OTR levels and pup LG of high LG mothers to levels comparable with those of low LG mothers. The adult offspring of the gestational stress/high LG mothers resembled those of low LG mothers on behavioral measures of anxiety and maternal behavior, as well as OTR levels. The results of the third mating revealed an enduring effect of gestational stress on both mother and offspring maternal LG. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that stress can directly alter maternal care through the neuroendocrine systems that normally regulate this behavior. Thus, the effects of environmental adversity can be transmitted across generations through a nongenomic mechanism involving maternal care.     

主观症状及实验检查诊断早期干眼症

目的 分析主观症状及实验检查对早期干眼症患者诊断的意义。方法 对55例（109眼）已确诊的早期干眼症患者（无或仅伴有轻微体征）的临床症状及实验检查进行回顾性分析及比较。结果 患者中主观症状所占比率：干涩感94％，视疲劳感82％，异物感74％，明显高于其他症状（P〈0．05）。实验检查的阳性率：基础泪液分泌试验（Schirmer I test，SIt）35％，泪膜破裂时间检查（break-up time，BUT）85％，角结膜荧光素（fluorescent，FL）染色60％，其中BUT阳性率明显高于SIt和FL（P〈0．05）。结论 主观症状及实验检查可为早期干眼症诊断提供有利依据。