Location of proprioceptive neurons innervating the muscle spindles of the snout muscles in the talpoides.

Location of the primary neurons of the proprioceptive afferents from the facial musculature has been investigated by denervating the facial nerve in the Japanese shrew-mole and Japanese lesser shrew-mole. In all the cases at 5, 7 and 14 days after the operation, the muscle spindle innervation, the cells of the posterolateral group in the glossopharyngeal-vagus ganglion and the facial motor neurons on the treated side showed clearcut anterograde and retrograde changes, complete damage of the spindle nerve fibers, central chromatolysis and peripheral concentration of the Nissl granules and the excentric displacement of the nucleus in the cytoplasm of the neurons, justifying their classification as pathologically altered specimens. These findings are taken to provide experimental support for the demonstration that primary neurons of the proprioceptive afferents from the facial muscles of the talpoides exist in the posterolateral group of the glossopharyngeal-vagus ganglion. Also the presence of the thick ramus communicans between the facial nerve and the posterolateral part of the ganglion gives further information concerning the site of their somata in this part of the ganglion.     

Studies on mechanisms of diarrhea induced by fusarenon-X,a trichothecene mycotoxin from Fusarium species

Cardinal signs of red mold toxicosis in man and farm animals are vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and food refusal. The red mold toxicosis has been suggested to be induced by trichothecenes which are produced by Fusarium fungi. Fusarenon-X (F-X) is one of the trichothecene mycotoxins. The ip injection of F-X to rats caused watery diarrhea 36 to 60 hr after injection. Autopsy done 24 hr after an injection of F-X revealed an expansion of the small intestine but no macroscopic bleeding into the lumen of the intestine. F-X increased the absorption rate of d-xylose from the intestine in vitro, caused leakage of intravenously injected Evan's blue dye into the intestinal lumen, and decreased the serum sodium level. However, F-X did not increase leakage of erythrocytes into the intestinal lumen. In histological observations, F-X shortened intestinal villi and caused an infiltration of erythrocytes into the intestinal lamina propria. These findings suggest that F-X may increase the permeability of the blood vessel wall and intestinal mucosal epithelium and thereby cause leakage of plasma contents into the intestinal lumen which eventually leads to diarrhea.     

Identification of cells in deposits on the intraocular lens surface

We performed posterior chamber lens implantation in a monkey eye and removed the lens on the 14th day after implantation. Cellular deposits on the IOL were observed by a dissecting microscope. Two kinds of cells, large and small, were observed on the lens surface. The large cells constituted the major proportion of the deposits. The same cellular deposits, which were observed by the dissecting microscope, were examined by scanning electron microscopy and then by transmission electron microscopy. The large cells had the structural features of multinucleated giant cells, and the small cells were macrophages.