Clinicopathologic correlation and pathogenesis of ocular and central nervous system manifestations in Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome

Summary We have correlated the clinical and histopathologic features of the eyes and central nervous system in a patient with Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome who died at age 11 years. The main ocular findings included degeneration of photoreceptors, marked thinning of the outer nuclear and outer plexiform layers, retinal gliosis, narrowing and obliteration of blood vessel with a perivascular cuffing of pigment cells, and degenerative changes in the retinal pigment epithelia cells with accumulation of melanolipofuscin. The positive findings in the brain included a symmetrical, partially destructive lesion of the globus pallidus, especially in its internal fibers and neurons; in addition, we noted gliosis, widely disseminated axonal spheroidal bodies, which were most numerous in the globus pallidus and pars reticulata, as well as deposits of iron. Our histopathologic findings implicate three possible mechanisms, namely, lipid peroxidation, a deficiency of fatty acid membrane components, and increased cGMP which, either singly or in combination, are responsible for a pathogenesis that is common to the eye and brain in Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome.Supported in part by awards from the Research to Prevent Blind ness, Inc. and the Vision Research Foundation     

Mycotoxicity in Leaves of some Higher Plants with Special Reference to that of Ageratum houstoniannm Mill/Mycotoxische Wirkung der Blätter einiger höherer Pflanzen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Ageratum Houstonianum Mill

Summary: A screening of 25 plant species showed that the leaves of Ageratum houstonianum exhibit absolute toxicity against Microsporum gypseum inhibiting the mycelial growth completely. The essential oil isolated from the leaves showed mycostatic property at minimum inhibitory concentration of 100 ppm and became mycocidal at 300 ppm. The killing time of the oil against the test fungus was found to be one second. It showed broad mycotoxic spectrum inhibiting 30 out of 33 animal and human pathogenic fungi tested. The toxicity of the oil was not affected by temperature, autoclaving and storage. Further, the oil showed superiority over five prevalent antimycotic drugs viz. griseofulvin, jadit, multifungin, mycoderm and mycostatin.
Zusammenfassung: Bei einer Untersuchung von 25 Pflanzenarten zeigte sich, daß die Blätter von Ageratum Houstonianum hohe Toxizität gegen Microsporum gypseum besitzen, wodurch sie das myzeliale Wachstum vollständig hemmen. Das aus den Blättern extrahierte ätherische Öl zeigte mykostatische Wirkung bei einer minimalen Hemmkonzentration von 100 ppm und wurde bei 300 ppm fungizid. Die Abtötungszeit des Öls gegen den Testpilz betrug eine Sekunde. Das mykotoxische Spektrum der Substanz war sehr breit und führte bei 30 von 33 tier- und humanpathogenen Pilzen zur Hemmung. Temperaturwechsel, Autoklavieren und Lagerung beeinträchtigten die Wirkung des Öles nicht. Bei Vergleichsuntersuchungen zeigte das ätherische Öl stärkere Wirkung als 5 übliche Antimykotika.     

Studies on the action of acetylcholine on the sino-auricular node of the dog

1. The response of the sino-auricular node to direct injection of acetylcholine in the artery supplying the node has been studied in the dog.     

Effect of oxygen on the developing retinal vessels of the rabbit: III. Mode of growth of rabbit retinal vessels in tissue culture

This paper is the third in a series reporting our studies on the effect of hyperoxia on the growing retinal vessels of the rabbit. It deals with the in vitro behaviour of the rabbit retinal complex in a normal tissue culture environment, a necessary preliminary to an investigation of the effect of hyperoxia on such cultures, which is reported in the fourth and last paper of this series. An account is given of the materials and methods employed, including timelapse cinephotomicrography, phase contrast light microscopy, conventional light microscopy and electron microscopy. The origin and mode of growth of the cells composing the vascular complex, their differentiation and formation into capillaries, and the behaviour of their associated cells are described.It was found that growth began both as a budding of mesenchymal-like cells, arising from endothelium and pericytes, and as a direct growth of endothelial cells. In either case the cultures eventually assumed the typical appearances of endothelial growth with the formation of interlacing cords or strands which very occasionally differentiated into capillaries. The outgrowth was associated with an active proliferation of macrophages, but there was no evidence that these arose from the mesenchymal or endothelial cells or vice versa.Since this is the only reported work on tissue cultures of retinal endothelium the findings are compared and contrasted with tissue culture studies of endothelium from other tissue sources.