Evaluation of collateral sprouting after end-to-side nerve coaptation using a fluorescent double-labeling technique.

The mechanism of end-to-side neurorrhaphy is believed to be by collateral sprouting, although evidence for this is lacking. This study validates whether axonal sprouting originates from the donor intact nerve by collateral sprouting with the use of a fluorescent double-labeling technique. End-to-side neurorrhaphy was performed on adult female Sprague-Dawley rats. Eight and 12 months postoperatively, animals were injected with true blue and diamidino yellow into the tibialis anterior and/or gastrocnemius muscles and were transcardially perfused with fixative after 7 days of retrograde transport. The lumbar enlargement and the dorsal root ganglia from L3 to L6 were harvested and serial sectioning and fluorescent microscopy were performed. No double-labeling neurons were observed in control animals, but a group of neurons that were greenish or yellowish in color were seen with single labeling. Double-labeling neurons, however, were seen in animals treated with end-to-side neurorrhaphy whether or not perineurotomy was performed. These results demonstrate that one parent nerve fiber can emanate another axon by collateral sprouting following end-to-side neurorrhaphy. We hypothesize that the causes of collateral sprouting might result from "switching signals" and/or "switching factors." Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Acyclovir treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Acyclovir treatment was used in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with parallel groups to test the hypothesis that herpes virus infections are involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Sixty patients with the relapsing-remitting form of MS were randomized to either oral treatment with 800 mg acyclovir or placebo tablets three times daily for 2 years. The clinical effect was investigated by an extensive test battery consisting of neurological examinations, neuro-ophthalmological and neuropsychological tests, and evoked potentials. Results were based on intent-to-treat data and the primary outcome measure was the exacerbation rate. In the acyclovir group (n = 30), 62 exacerbations were recorded during the treatment period, yielding an annual exacerbation rate of 1.03. The placebo group (n = 30) had 94 exacerbations and an annual exacerbation rate of 1.57. Thus, 34% fewer exacerbations were encountered during acyclovir treatment. This difference in exacerbation rate between the treatment groups was not significant (P = 0.083). However, this trend to a lower disease activity in acyclovir-treated patients was supported in subsequent data analysis. If the patients were grouped according to exacerbation frequencies, i.e. into low (0–2), medium (3–5) and high (6–8) rate groups, the difference between acyclovir and placebo treatment was significant (P = 0.017). Moreover, in a subgroup of the population with a duration of the disease of at least 2 years providing an exacerbation rate base-line before entry, individual differences in exacerbation rates were compared between the 2-year pre-study period and the study period in acyclovir-treated (n = 19) and placebo (n = 20) patients and acyclovir-treated patients showed a significant reduction of exacerbations (P = 0.024). Otherwise, neurological parameters were essentially unaffected by acyclovir treatment and there were no convincing signs of reduced neurological deterioration in the acyclovir group. This study indicates that acyclovir treatment might inhibit the triggering of MS exacerbations and thus suggests that acyclovir-susceptible viruses might be involved in the pathogenesis of MS. This possibility warrants further investigation.     

Extra- and Intracellular pH in the Brain During Ischaemia,Related to Tissue Lactate Content in Normo- and Hypercapnic rats

The objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between the amount of lactate accumulated during complete ischaemia and the ensuing changes in extra- and intracellular pH (pHe and pHi, respectively). The preischaemic plasma glucose concentration of anaesthetized rats was varied by administration of glucose or insulin, pHe was determined in neocortex with ion-sensitive microelectrodes, and tissue lactate and CO2 contents were measured, tissue CO2 tension being known from separate experiments. The experiments were carried out in both normocapnic [arterial CO2 tension (PaCO2) approximately 40 mm Hg] and hypercapnic (PaCO2 approximately 80 mm Hg) animals. Irrespective of the preischaemic CO2 tension, DeltapHe was linearly related to tissue lactate content. Depending on the preischaemic glucose concentration, DeltapHe varied from <0.4 to >1.4 units. The results thus fail to confirm previous results that the changes in pHe describe two plateau functions (DeltapHe approximately 0.5 and 1.1, respectively), with a transition zone at tissue lactate contents of 17 - 20 mmol kg-1. Changes in pHi given in this study are based on the assumption of a uniform intracellular space. The pHi changed from a normal value of approximately 7.0 to 6.5, 6.1 and 5.8 at tissue lactate contents of 10, 20 and 30 mmol kg-1. The intrinsic (non-bicarbonate) buffer capacity, derived from these figures, was 23 mmol kg-1 pH-1. Some differences in pH and in HCO3- concentration between extra- and intracellular fluids persisted in the ischaemic tissue. These differences were probably caused by a persisting membrane potential in the ischaemic cells.     

Study of the factors of health promotion at an industrial plant]

Using special survey questionnaires industrial problems were identified which directly or indirectly determine healthy lifestyle of workers at the Leningrad spinning factory "Red Thread". Difficulties, efforts and potential opportunities to solve these problems were determined with the assistance of administration and public, and also the reasons for ++shrinking of different authorities from the solution of some problems. The apparent divergences in the assessment of problems by different authorities and the necessary attribution of responsibility for their solution require special instructions for the practice of healthy lifestyle formation.     

Urine melatonin in alcoholic patients: a marker of alcohol abuse?

Ethanol is known to alter central neurotransmission and endocrine functions. Urine melatonin was studied in 10 male chronic alcoholic patients, before and after two weeks of controlled alcohol abstinence, and in sex and age matched healthy controls. In both groups, 24-hour urines were collected in two fractions corresponding to day- (D) (08:00-20:00) and night- (N) (20:00-08:00) time. Urine melatonin was assayed by RIA after methylene chloride extraction. Twenty-four hour urine melatonin levels were calculated adding up D and N values. In patients during alcohol intake, the 24-hour urine melatonin levels were significantly higher than in controls (p = 0.004, Student's t test). A disruption of the physiological ratio between N and D values was also observed, since the higher melatonin levels occurred in the D fraction. In drinking alcoholics, melatonin D values were significantly higher than the D values found in controls (p less than 0.01, Student's t test) and in the same patients after alcohol withdrawal (p less than 0.05). The N/D ratio approximated 1 during alcohol intake and became larger than 1 after alcohol withdrawal, as in the controls. The melatonin data were correlated with the suppressive effects of dexamethasone (DXT) on cortisol secretion evaluated both during alcohol intake and during abstinence. After alcohol withdrawal, the two (out of 10) patients, who remained unresponsive to the DXT suppression test, showed high D melatonin values and a low N/D ratio. These preliminary data indicate that in chronic alcoholism the pattern of urinary "melatonin- like immunoreactivity" is altered.     

Characterization of lymphoid cell populations in bovine lymphosarcomas (“leukosis”) by flow-cytofluorometry

Acridine orange stained cell suspensions from ten cases of bovine lymphosarcoma were analyzed by flow-cytofluorometry. The green DNA-AO fluorescence showed in all cases, but one, two distinct separate lymphoid cell subpopulations. One corresponded to (normal) diploid lymphoid cells, the other had variable aneuploid values. The histograms of the latter cell populations also indicated cells in S- and G₂-phase. Low-angle light scatter histograms did not show a distinct separation between the different cell types, although two maxima could be distinguished. The relative proportions between the two cell populations varied between 20 and 80% with domination of one or the other cell type.There was some conformity to the histological and cytological picture in the ordinary light microscope, although neither a clear distinction in separable cell types nor differential counts was possible.The diploid lymphocyte subpopulation in the tumor might represent an immunoreactive process against the BLV-induced lymphosarcoma.     

活血止痛方的抗炎及抗血栓形成作用

目的 :观察活血止痛方对小鼠的抗炎作用及对大鼠血栓形成的影响。方法 :用二甲苯作为致炎剂 ,观察活血止痛方对二甲苯所致小鼠耳廓肿胀的影响 ,采用大鼠体外颈总动脉—颈外静脉血流旁路形成血小板血栓法 ,观察活血止痛方的抗血栓形成作用。结果 :活血止痛方能显著抑制耳肿胀 (P<0 .0 1) ,能显著减轻血栓湿重 (P<0 .0 1)。结论 :活血止痛方有明显的抗炎、抗脑血栓形成作用     

三黄软膏皮肤用药毒性实验研究

为观察三黄软膏药物外用的安全性 ,进行了动物完整皮肤及破损皮肤长期接触三黄软膏 ,经皮肤渗透对局部及全身产生的毒性和反应的恢复程度 ,用三黄软膏 2g·kg-1、10g·kg-1剂量 (分别相当于 6 0kg人临床用量的 10、5 0倍 )连续对家用兔外用给药4周及停药恢复性观察 2周。结果表明给药期动物的皮肤状况、全身症状、行为活动、摄食、粪便性状、体重增长、血液学均未见明显的毒性反应 ,而高剂量组动物血液生化指标AST、ALT明显增高 ,病理组织学检查时肝水肿明显 ,可见有一定的毒性反应 ;停药期动物的血液生化指标AST、ALT肝组织病理组织学检查恢复正常 ,其他各项指标均未见明显的毒性反应 ,可见该毒性反应是可逆恢复的。表明三黄软膏在临床用药范围内连续使用是比较安全的。