The modulatory effect of estrogen on the neuronal activity in the barrel cortex of the rat. An electrophysiological study

In acute experiments, the effects of iontophoretically applied 17 beta-estradiol hemisuccinate on the activity of the primary somatosensory cortical neurons were studied in ovariectomized rats by extracellular single-unit recording. 17 beta-Estradiol increased both the spontaneous and the vibrissa deflection-evoked responses, with an average latency of 24 min. It is suggested that this relatively long latency of the 17 beta-estradiol effect is based not so much on membrane mechanisms as on genomic mechanisms.     

Foreign body in tracheobronchial tree

Inhalation of foreign body into the tracheobronchial tree is a medical emergency sometimes resulting into sudden death. The current mortality rate due to foreign body inhalation ranges from 0% to 1.8%. Children with or without positive history of aspiration were examined and diagnosis was made on the basis of history, clinical findings, radiological evaluation and strong index of suspicion. A review of 30 cases of suspected foreign body aspiration revealed, children between 6 months were found to be very vulnerable to aspiration. Majority of children were boys. 80% of the patients had positive history of inhalation. Only 50% of the patients presented immediately i.e. within 24 hours after aspiration. Common symptoms were cough and respiratory distress. Decreased air entry was the significant clinical sign (50%). Obstructive emphysema and mediastinal shift were found in the majority of cases (50%). Rigid bronchoscopy under general anaesthesia and patient ventilating using a jet ventilator is a very safe and effective technique.     

Identification of mammalian sperm surface antigens: II. Characterization of an acrosomal cap protein and a tail protein using monoclonal anti-mouse sperm antibodies

Monoclonal anti-mouse sperm antibodies have been produced by fusing mouse myeloma cells with spleen cells from rats immunized with epididymal sperm of C3H mice. Immunoprecipitation and immunoperoxidase techniques showed that one such monoclonal antibody, AMS IV-33, recognized a 200 000 dalton protein localized on the acrosomal cap of the sperm cell. Two other monoclonal antibodies AMS IV-54 and -76, reacted with a 68 000 dalton component on the surface of the sperm tail. Both antigenic targets were species specific and were present in about equal amounts on sperm from several different strains of mice. The tail protein was sperm specific, whereas the antibody reacting with the acrosomal cap protein also appeared to react somewhat with antigens present in other mouse tissues.     

Early symptoms in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, 2, 3, and 6

Onset of genetically determined neurodegenerative diseases is difficult to specify because of their insidious and slowly progressive nature. This is especially true for spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) because of varying affection of many parts of the nervous system and huge variability of symptoms. We investigated early symptoms in 287 patients with SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, or SCA6 and calculated the influence of CAG repeat length on age of onset depending on (1) the definition of disease onset, (2) people defining onset, and (3) duration of symptoms. Gait difficulty was the initial symptom in two‐thirds of patients. Double vision, dysarthria, impaired hand writing, and episodic vertigo preceded ataxia in 4% of patients, respectively. Frequency of other early symptoms did not differ from controls and was regarded unspecific. Data about disease onset varied between patients and relatives for 1 year or more in 44% of cases. Influence of repeat length on age of onset was maximum when onset was defined as beginning of permanent gait disturbance and cases with symptoms for more than 10 years were excluded. Under these conditions, CAG repeat length determined 64% of onset variability in SCA1, 67% in SCA2, 46% in SCA3, and 41% in SCA6 demonstrating substantial influence of nonrepeat factors on disease onset in all SCA subtypes. Identification of these factors is of interest as potential targets for disease modifying compounds. In this respect, recognition of early symptoms that develop before onset of ataxia is mandatory to determine the shift from presymptomatic to affected status in SCA. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society     

An intra‐individual surgical wound comparison shows that octenidine‐based hydrogel wound dressing ameliorates scar appearance following abdominoplasty

Hypertrophic scar formation because of surgical procedures is associated with higher levels of pain, a lower quality of life, and poor cosmetic outcome and requires more resources in follow‐up management. An octenidine‐based hydrogel has been shown to modulate immunological function in an in vitro wound model, suggesting an improved scar formation. In this prospective, randomised, observer‐blinded, and intra‐patient‐controlled study, 45 patients who underwent abdominoplasty or mastectomy with transverse rectus abdominis muscle (TRAM) flap reconstruction were given both a standard postoperative wound dressing on one wound side and an octenidine‐based hydrogel with transparent film dressing, covered with standard postoperative dressing on the other side. Four instances of hypertrophia were reported in the gel side versus 12 in the standard dressing side. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores taken during postoperative dressing changes showed reduced scores on the gel side at all time points. Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) scores showed improvement in the gel side at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Skin distensibility measured using a cutometer showed significantly improved measures in gel‐treated wounds, similar to measures of healthy skin. Trans‐epidermal water loss (TEWL), measured using a tewameter, showed improved values on the gel side soon after surgery, with both the control and the gel side normalising after approximately 6 months. The octenidine‐based wound dressing demonstrates improved wound healing associated with a lower incidence of hypertrophic scar formation.     

Persistent reduction in sialylation of cerebral glycoproteins following postnatal inflammatory exposure

Background

The extension of sepsis encompassing the preterm newborn’s brain is often overlooked due to technical challenges in this highly vulnerable population, yet it leads to substantial long-term neurodevelopmental disabilities. In this study, we demonstrate how neonatal neuroinflammation following postnatal E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure in rat pups results in persistent reduction in sialylation of cerebral glycoproteins.

Methods

Male Sprague-Dawley rat pups at postnatal day 3 (P3) were injected in the corpus callosum with saline or LPS. Twenty-four hours (P4) or 21?days (P24) following injection, brains were extracted and analyzed for neuraminidase activity and expression as well as for sialylation of cerebral glycoproteins and glycolipids.

Results

At both P4 and P24, we detected a significant increase of the acidic neuraminidase activity in LPS-exposed rats. It correlated with significantly increased neuraminidase 1 (Neu1) mRNA in LPS-treated brains at P4 and with neuraminidases 1 and 4 at P24 suggesting that these enzymes were responsible for the rise of neuraminidase activity. At both P4 and P24, sialylation of N-glycans on brain glycoproteins decreased according to both mass-spectrometry analysis and lectin blotting, but the ganglioside composition remained intact. Finally, at P24, analysis of brain tissues by immunohistochemistry showed that neurons in the upper layers (II–III) of somatosensory cortex had a reduced surface content of polysialic acid.

Conclusions

Together, our data demonstrate that neonatal LPS exposure results in specific and sustained induction of Neu1 and Neu4, causing long-lasting negative changes in sialylation of glycoproteins on brain cells. Considering the important roles played by sialoglycoproteins in CNS function, we speculate that observed re-programming of the brain sialome constitutes an important part of pathophysiological consequences in perinatal infectious exposure.