A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the entorhinal cortex in schizophrenia

The entorhinal cortex (ERC) has been implicated in schizophrenia by a number of studies. There is anatomical observation of neuronal heterotopias in the rostral ERC, which is consistent with a hypothesis of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in this disease. In view of the significant cytoarchitectonic variation of the ERC throughout its rostro-caudal extent, we performed a detailed subareal analysis of the rostral two-thirds of the entorhinal cortex (ERCr) in 14 postmortem schizophrenic brains and 14 matched controls (mean ages of 48 and 47 respectively). This systematic evaluation included both a qualitative microscopic analysis of morphogenetic anomalies that would be consistent with neurodevelopmental pathology and quantitative measurements of total neuronal number, average neuronal density, laminar volume and laminar depth from the cortical surface in cytoarchitectonically matched subareas of schizophrenic and control brains. Parcellation of the entire ERC on the basis of cytoarchitectonic criteria identified five distinct regions, similar to those described in the macaque, except that in the human brain three of the regions were further divisible into two or three subareas, yielding nine distinct cellular compartments. Five rostral areas, prorhinal (Pr), lateral (28L), intermediate rostral and caudal (281r and 281c), and sulcal (28S), comprise the ERCr. Gross and microscopic examination of these subdivisions throughout the ERCr failed to reveal laminar disorganization in any of the schizophrenic brains. The brains also did not differ significantly with respect to total neuronal number, total volume and neuronal density per laminar and subareal subdivision, or laminar thickness per entorhinal subarea. However, neuronal number and density were reduced by 12-18% in Pr and 28L, suggesting that mild quantitative abnormalities may exist in the ERCr and might possibly be revealed in a larger sample of schizophrenic brains. We have failed to confirm previous reports of laminar disorganization in the ERCr in brains of patients with schizophrenia; to the extent that this region is implicated in schizophrenia, the structural changes are likely to consist of more subtle cellular disturbances.      

离子色谱法同时测定葡萄糖酸钙及其杂质(Cl-,SO42-)的含量

本文采用Waters ILC-1离子液相色谱仪,IC-PAK A50×4.6mm色谱柱,pH6.61×10^-3mol/L邻苯二甲酸溶液为流动相,430型电导检测器检测,由外标法和外标单点校正法同时测定了葡萄糖酸钙及其杂质(Cl^-,SO₄^2-)的含量。方法简便、快速,测定结果与中国药典法一致。外标法和外标单点校正法测定Cl^-,SO₄^2-的平均回收率为100.8%和100.2%,相关系数分别为0.9951(n=8)和0.9961(n=8)。     

The predictive value of cranial ultrasound and of somatosensory evoked potentials after nerve stimulation for adverse neurological outcome in preterm infants

Thirty-nine preterm infants were studied to compare the predictive value of somatosensory evoked responses (SEPs) following median-nerve and posterior tibial-nerve stimulation with the predictive value of cranial ultrasound. With regard to the SEP, a normal median-nerve response was by no means a guarantee of a normal outcome. A normal posterior tibial-nerve response, however, almost guaranteed a normal outcome, but the test was very time consuming and the number of false positive responses was high (sensitivity. 95.6%, specificity 50%). The presence of parenchymal involvement, either due to a haemorrhage or cystic leukomalacia predicted cerebral palsy with a sensitivity of 95.6% and a specificity of 68.5%. The combination of an abnormal posterior tibial response and the presence of parenchymal brain lesions had the best predictive value with a sensitivity of 91.3% and a specificity of 81.2%. These results show that, although posterior tibial-rferve responses have a better predictive value than median-nerve responses, these values were lower than that of cranial ultrasound. The best prediction was obtained when a combination of posterior-tibial responses and cranial ultrasound was used.