Correlation between shaking behaviors and seizure severity in five animal models of convulsive seizures

Wet dog shakes (WDS) and head shakes (HS) are associated with experimentally induced convulsive seizures. We sought to determine whether these behaviors are correlated or not with major (status epilepticus (SE) or fully kindled animals) or minor (non-SE or partially kindled animals) seizure severity. WDS are directly correlated with SE induced by intracerebral star fruit extract (Averrhoa carambola) injection and with kindled animals in the amygdala fast kindling model. On the other hand, WDS are inversely correlated with SE induced by intracerebral bicuculline and pilocarpine injections. Systemic pilocarpine in animals pretreated with methyl-scopolamine barely induced WDS or HS. The role of shaking behaviors may vary from ictal to anticonvulsant depending on the experimental seizure model, circuitries involved, and stimulus intensity. The physical presence of acrylic helmets may per se inhibit the HS response. Also, methyl-scopolamine, a drug incapable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, can induce HS in animals without acrylic helmets.     

Asymmetric segregation of mitochondria and mortalin correlates with the multi-lineage potential of inner ear sensory cell progenitors in vitro

The sensory epithelia of the inner ear include hair cells and supporting cells that share a common precursor. One possible mechanism involved in the genesis of these cell types is through asymmetric cell division. In this work we have studied asymmetric division of inner ear sensory cell progenitors in vitro in an attempt to understand how the different cell phenotypes are generated. In the search for molecules that will segregate asymmetrically we have found that mitochondria in general, and a mitochondrial protein named mortalin in particular, are asymmetrically segregated during certain cell divisions. In one conditionally immortal cell line (UB/OC-1), which represents a population of committed hair cell precursors, mortalin is uniformly distributed in the cytoplasm and shared equally between sibling cells during division. In another cell line (UB/UE-1), which represents a bipotent, vestibular supporting cell that can produce both neonatal hair cells as well as supporting cells, mortalin segregates asymmetrically. In UB/UE-1, approximately 12% of the cells display an asymmetric distribution of mortalin and mitochondria. The proportion of asymmetric cells increases immediately after the release of the immortalizing gene and before the onset of differentiation. The asymmetric segregation of mortalin in the bipotent cell line and its uniform distribution in a committed, lineage-restricted cell line raises the possibility that it may play a role in cell fate determination.     

Fertilization outcome,embryo development and birth after unstimulated IVM

Background/Purposes  

A common observation in oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) cycles is poor embryo quality. However, no study was dedicated to assess zygote and early cleavage embryo quality in IVM cycles. The objective of this study is to analyze fertilization outcome, embryo development and the resulting pregnancy and births in unstimulated IVM cycles.     

Impaired neutrophil functions in patients with leukocytoclastic vasculitis

Background Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LV) is characterized by segmental inflammation of small blood vessels, resulting in ischemic damage to the surrounding tissue. It is considered to be related to a type III hypersensitivity reaction, although the exact etiologic mechanism is not clear. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate neutrophil functions in patients with LV in order to understand their role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Methods Neutrophil functions were examined in 25 LV patients. The patients were divided into two groups: Group A consisted of 14 patients with drug-induced LV and Group B consisted of 11 patients where LV was induced by other factors. Results Both groups of patients showed significantly reduced chemotaxis and phagocytosis. Superoxide generation was significantly lower (P < 0.001) only in neutrophils from patients in Group A: 5.8 ± 0.5 nmoles O₂/10⁶ cells/min compared to 9.08 ± 0.8 nmoles O2/106 cells/min in the controls. Preincubation on normal neutrophils with the patients' sera caused an increase in their superoxide generation in accordance with the high IL-8 levels in these sera. Conclusions Neutrophil functions were significantly impaired in patients with LV. It is likely that factors present in LV plasma may chronically activate neutrophils, so that they become refracfory to further stimulation. Our study showed that neutrophil superoxide generation is low only in drug-induced LV; this test may assist in distinguishing such patients from those with LV induced by other causes.     

New anti-angiogenic compound based on chemically modified heparin

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - The purpose of this study was to measure the anti-angiogenic effect of N-desulfated Re–N-acetylated, a chemically modified...