Hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis in neurogenetic syndromes

There are conflicting reports on the relationship between cerebellar vermal lobule hypoplasia and autism. Using quantitative magnetic resonance image analysis, we measured the cerebellar vermis in 125 normal individuals with a broad age range and 102 patients with a variety of neurogenetic abnormalities. We conclude that hypoplasia of cerebellar vermal lobules VI and VII is a nonspecific finding that even occurs in several conditions without autistic behavior. This suggests that it is not a specific neuroanatomical marker for autism, nor is cerebellar dys- genesis likely to be solely responsible for clinical autistic behaviors.     

Intracerebroventricular LHRH relieves behavioral deficits due to vomeronasal organ removal

Contact between the sexes in many species is known to produce hormonal changes in the male [increases in serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and/or testosterone] that can be interpreted as due to an intracerebral release of LH-releasing hormone (LHRH). In some circumstances, these hormonal changes appear to depend on an intact vomeronasal sensory system. Exogenous LHRH is also known to facilitate mating behavior in several species. We show here that LHRH delivered into the cerebral ventricles can restore some mating behavior lost when the vomeronasal organs are removed from sexually inexperienced male hamsters. The results are consistent with our working hypothesis that intracerebral LHRH release is an intermediate in the facilitation of mating behavior by vomeronasal sensory input.     

Characterization of isolated and cultured chick osteoclasts: the effects of acetazolamide, calcitonin, and parathyroid hormone on acid production

The effects of acetazolamide, calcitonin (CT), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) on acid production in isolated osteoclasts has been investigated. Osteoclasts were isolated from the endosteum of 3-week chick tibias and were maintained under culture conditions for 5 days. The cells were treated with acetazolamide (10 x 4 M and 10(-7) M), CT (1 mU/ml and 0.31 mU/ml) and PTH (6.5 U/ml and 0.40 U/ml) for 1, 3, 6, and 18 hr. The cells were stained with acridine orange and the intensity of fluorescence measured by a light microscope photometer. Acetazolamide treatment resulted in a steady decline in intracellular acidity, suggesting that carbonic anhydrase plays a major role in acid production in isolated osteoclasts. Treatment with PTH produced a decline in acidity at 1 hr, followed by a peak at 3 hr and then a decline at 6 and 18 hr. The transient increase in acidity may be due to activation of carbonic anhydrase by PTH. Calcitonin treatment also resulted in a decline in cell acidity which was similar, but less pronounced than that resulting from acetazolamide treatment. These results indicate that calcitonin may mediate osteoclast activity by alterations in intracellular acid production.     

Mediastinitis in heart transplantation.

Between March 1985 and December 1991, mediastinitis developed in 12 of 420 cardiac transplantation patients (2.8%). The mortality rate in this group of patients was 8.3% (1/12). Actuarial survival (1 year, 75%; and 5 years, 65%) was not significantly different from that of the group without mediastinitis (1 year, 88%; and 5 years, 75%). A higher percentage of the patients in the group with mediastinitis were listed as UNOS status 1 (50% versus 35%) and had a history of previous sternotomies (58% versus 44%). The presentation of mediastinitis was typical. Computed tomographic scanning with or without aspiration was a valuable adjunct in the diagnosis of mediastinitis. Induction immunotherapy with minimal steroids in the perioperative period was used in all patients. This may contribute to the patients' ability to mount an appropriate and effective response to infection, permitting earlier diagnosis. The debridement irrigation technique used in 8 of 12 patients had a low success rate of 33%, whereas the debridement muscle flap technique used in 4 of 12 was 100% successful in eliminating infection.     

Ultracytochemical investigation of calcium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Ca++-ATPase) in chick tibia

The ultrastructural distribution of Ca++-ATPase in bone cells of growing chick tibia was investigated by a cytochemical method in order to gain insight into possible sites of calcium ion translocation. Both osteoclasts and osteoblasts showed a polar distribution of reaction product along the plasma membrane. In osteoclasts, enzymatic activity occurred along the portion of the plasma membrane facing the marrow but not along the ruffled border or clear zone. The reaction product in these cells was due solely to Ca++-ATPase action. In osteoblasts, the plasma membrane facing away from bone (apical and lateral membrane) was very intensely stained, whereas the basal membrane was unstained. The reaction product in these cells appeared to be the result of both Ca++-ATPase and Ca++,Mg++-ATPase. In osteocytes, no plasma membrane staining was detectable. Mitochondrial staining in all three types of cells was more sensitive to fixation than was the plasma membrane enzyme, suggesting that mitochondrial and plasma membrane Ca++-ATPases are chemically distinct, as biochemical studies have shown. In general, mitochondria in osteoclasts stained more intensely than those in osteoblasts or osteocytes. Mitochondrial and vesicular sites of activity may be related to intracellular calcium storage, whereas calcium ATPases of the plasma membrane are presumed to be involved in calcium efflux from the cells. Calcitonin treatment did not alter the enzymatic distribution or intensity in osteoclasts. The striking polar distribution of both osteoclast and osteoblast plasma-membrane activity suggests that directional calcium pumping by these cells may be of importance in bone-forming and bone-resorbing mechanisms.