A fourth case of ring chromosome 7

An 8-year-old child with a ring chromosome 7 is presented, the first female and the fourth such individual to be described. The associated anomalies were rather benign: she presented with short stature, minor skeletal alterations, and normal intelligence. The only truly striking feature was the presence of multiple large, pigmented naevi, suggestive of a hamartomatous origin, but unlike those typical of any particular syndrome. Though other ring 7 patients have had naevus flammeus, and one had cafk-au-lait spots, our proband is the first with an anomaly of chromosome 7 to have such extensive lesions. These four cases of ring 7, which show great phenotypic variation, are reviewed, and the clinical presentation of the proband is also compared with that of patients suffering from terminal, interstitial and translocation-derived 7p and 7q deletions. The formation and behaviour of ring chromosomes are discussed, as are the cytogenetic factors which may influence their phenotypic expression.     

Acute thermoregulatory effects of unilateral electrolytic lesions of the medial and lateral preoptic area in rats

Unilateral anodal lesions of the medial or lateral preoptic area (POA) in unanesthetized rats had opposite thermoregulatory effects immediately after the lesions were made. Lesions of the medial POA evoked hyperthermias and accompanying cold defense responses, including vasoconstriction of the tail, increased oxygen consumption, shivering, and heat conservation postures. The hyperthermias had latencies of 0–30 minutes and reached maximum values within 120 minutes postlesion. They were independent of ambient temperature and dissociable from the hyperactivity often seen after such lesions. Damage to the lateroventral POA elicited acute falls in body temperature, as well as vasodilation of the tail, decreased oxygen consumption, inhibition of shivering in cool environments, and prone body extension. Unilateral cathodal lesions throughout the POA yielded only hyperthermia. These results suggest a possible anatomical segregation of heat and cold defense functions within the anterior basal forebrain.     

ThinPrep evaluation of fluid samples aspirated from cystic ovarian masses

The cytological evaluation of ovarian cystic fluid using ThinPrep has not been reported. To determine the diagnostic accuracy of ThinPrep cytology in distinguishing between benign and nonbenign ovarian cystic lesions, we examined 65 fluid samples aspirated during intraoperative consultation with subsequent histologic correlation. One ThinPrep slide was prepared from each sample aspirated from surgically removed ovarian cystic masses and reviewed blindly by a panel of three cytopathologists. The parameters used in cytological evaluation were cellularity, cell types, cellular arrangement, and background. Four samples were acellular and excluded from the study. The consensus cytologic diagnoses were compiled for 61 cases which were assigned to one of the following diagnostic categories: negative for malignant cells (40 cases), atypical cytology (13 cases), and suspicious or positive for malignancy (8 cases). Histologic correlation of the cytological benign/negative cases showed that 26/40 (65%) were histologically benign and 14/40 were false-negative (35%, 5 carcinomas and 9 borderline tumors) with 10 of these cases being mucinous tumors. Most false-negative cytologic samples (11/14 or 79%) did not have an epithelial component. Of the 21 cytological nonbenign diagnoses (atypical/suspicious/positive), 15 (71%) were confirmed on histology (10 carcinomas and 5 borderline tumors). However, a nonbenign cytologic diagnosis was rendered in 6 histologically benign cases, including 2 serous cystadenomas, 1 mucinous cystadenoma, 1 serous cystadenofibroma, 1 endometriosis, and 1 corpus luteal cyst. The diagnostic sensitivity by ThinPrep evaluation of ovarian cystic masses is 81% (26/32) for benign and 52% (15/29) for nonbenign lesions. Our results concluded that ThinPrep examination of ovarian cystic fluid is not accurate in distinguishing benign from malignant cysts, given the significant number of false-negative diagnoses. Major contributing factors include sparse cellularity of the fluid samples and mucinous differentiation of the tumors.     

Orienting and classical conditioning in the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus): effects of septal area lesions

Rabbits with either sham or septal lesions recieved differential classical conditioning training in which tones of different frequencies served as CSs and paraorbital shock served as the UCS. Eyeblink (EB), EMG, and heart rate (HR) CRs were concommitantly assessed. Free field activity was also studied in selected animals. Animals with septal lesions revealed an impaired EB discrimination which resulted from increased responding to the CS-. These animals showed HR CRs of greater magnitude than sham animals. The HR discrimination was, however, unimpaired by septal lesions. Differential EMG activity also occurred, but was unaffected by septal destruction. Septal lesions resulted in greater free-field activity associated with visual stimulation, but no differences were obtained between septal and sham animals in the dark. It is suggested that these results were due to an enhanced reactivity to environmental stimulation, possibly related to dysfunctions of the orienting reflex.     

Disruption of diurnal feeding and weight gain cycles in weanling rats by ventromedial and dorsomedial hypothalamic lesions

At the age of 28 days, male Sprague-Dawley rats received bilateral electrolytic lesions in the ventromedial (VMN) and dorsomedial (DMN) hypothalamic nuclei, repectively. Sham-operated rats served as controls. Food intake and body weight gains were measured for 13 days at the beginning of the light period (0800–2000 hr) and prior to the start of the dark period (2000-0800 hr). Both types of hypothalamic lesions caused a disruption of the naturally occurring diurnal feeding and weight gaining cycles. In accordance with previous data, the VMN rats remained normophagic and made normal weight gains while DMN animals were hypophagic and gained weight subnormally; linear growth was reduced in both types of lesioned animals, but only the VMN rats became obese. The data suggest the existence in the medial hypothalamus of an area that is involved in feeding and weight gaining cycles. From the standpoint of overall-caloric intake, this area consists of two types of neuronal assemblies that differ fuctionally as profoundly as they are anatomically separate.     

Simultaneous evaluation of lymphocyte subpopulations in the liver and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HCV-infected patients: relationship with histological lesions

Intrahepatic lymphocytes are believed to be involved in the immunopathogenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the evolution of HCV-induced hepatitis. In the present study, we examined the three main intrahepatic lymphocyte subsets, namely CD3+CD56- conventional T lymphocytes, CD3+CD56+ natural T (NT) lymphocytes and CD3-CD56+ natural killer (NK) lymphocytes in HCV-infected patients. The proportion of each lymphocyte subset was evaluated both in liver biopsies and in samples of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) by flow cytometry in 21 patients with histologically proven chronic hepatitis C. Simultaneously, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, viral load and histological lesions were assessed. Neither NT nor NK populations correlated with any biochemical, viral or histological parameters. Furthermore, Valpha24+ NT lymphocytes showed no preferential enrichment in the liver of HCV-infected patients. Regarding conventional T lymphocytes, a highly significant linear correlation was found between intrahepatic CD3+CD56- T lymphocytes and the Knodell score, a numerical score for assessing histological activity and fibrosis (r = 0.715, P < 0.0001) and more specifically with the periportal necrosis parameter, which is the main lesion of chronic hepatitis C. In addition, analysis of the peripheral compartment revealed a high correlation between values of CD3+CD56- lymphocytes and both Knodell score (r = 0.624, P = 0.003) and serum ALT levels and again with periportal necrosis. The strong correlation between the proportion of peripheral CD3+CD56- conventional T lymphocytes and the severity of hepatic lesions leads us to propose that evaluation of this accessible peripheral population could be used as an indicator test for the severity of histological lesions in chronic hepatitis C. Abbreviations:     

端粒酶转录酶及其调节相关蛋白与增殖细胞核抗原在卵巢上皮性肿瘤中的表达及临床意义

目的　探讨端粒酶转录酶 (hTERT)及端粒酶调节相关蛋白 (TRAP)与增殖细胞核抗原(PCNA)在卵巢上皮性肿瘤中的表达和临床意义。方法　收集 10 6例卵巢上皮性肿瘤 (恶性 5 4例 ,交界性 33例 ,良性 19例 )的临床资料 ,行hTERT、TRAP和PCNA 3种抗体的免疫组织化学标记链霉素卵白素生物素 (LSAB)法染色。对 87例恶性和交界性患者进行了随访 ,4 5例获结果 ,随访时间为 2～6 0个月。结果　hTERT蛋白的表达在良性 (4/ 19)和交界性 (90 9% ,30 / 33)以及良性和恶性(94 4 % ,5 1/ 5 4 )间的差异均有显著性 (P均 <0 0 0 1) ,TRAP蛋白的表达在良性 (4/ 15 )和恶性(77 8% ,2 8/ 36 )间的差异有显著性 (P <0 0 0 1) ;hTERT和TRAP蛋白的表达在卵巢癌Ⅰ、Ⅱ期和Ⅲ、Ⅳ期两组病例中的差异均无显著性 (P >0 0 5 ,P >0 3)。PCNA的表达在良性 (6 9± 5 9) %和交界性 (2 6 4± 17 8) %、良性和恶性 (5 1 8± 2 2 1) %以及交界性和恶性间的差异均有显著性 (P <0 0 1,P <0 0 0 1,P <0 0 5 )。 33例交界性患者全部存活 ,5 4例恶性患者中 35例 (6 4 8% )有转移 (包括 5例淋巴结转移 ) ,4例 (7 4 % )死亡。结论　hTERT和TRAP蛋白的表达与卵巢上皮性肿瘤的良恶性有关 ,但与其临床分期无关 ;hTERT和TRAP蛋白的表达相似     

Selective cytotoxic lesions of the retrohippocampal region produce a mild deficit in social recognition memory

Although a number of studies have implicated the hippocampal formation in social recognition memory in the rat, a recent study in this laboratory has demonstrated that selective cytotoxic lesions, confined to the hippocampus proper (encompassing the four CA subfields and the dentate gyrus), are without effect on this behaviour. This finding suggests that the hippocampus proper does not subserve social recognition memory in the rat, but does not preclude the possibility that other areas of the hippocampal formation, such as the entorhinal cortex or subiculum, could support this form of learning. The present study addressed this issue by examining the effects of selective cytotoxic retrohippocampal (RHR) lesions (including both the entorhinal cortex and subiculum) on social recognition memory in the rat. RHR lesions produced a mild social recognition memory impairment, although lesioned animals still displayed a reduction in investigation time between the first and second exposure to the juvenile. This result is consistent with other studies which have implicated the retrohippocampal or parahippocampal area in olfactory recognition memory processes. It also suggests, however, that other areas, out with the retrohippocampal region, are also likely to play an important role in social recognition memory.     

Neocortical and hippocampal EEG in normal and lateral hypothalamic-damaged rats

Cortical and hippocampal EEG were correlated with behavior in rats before and after bilateral hypothalamic (LH) damage. In Stage 1 of recovery (aphagia and adipsia), the neocortex showed continuous large amplitude slow activity. It did not desynchronize during spontaneous acts such as grooming as well as during tail pinch-induced struggling or orienting, even though a slow form of hippocampal theta accompanied these acts. However, during Stage 2 (anorexia), the neocortical EEG did desynchronize when such theta appeared. Therefore, as behavioral recovery progresses after LH damage, there appears to be a concomitant recovery of cortical participation in such behavior. Early in recovery, LH rats, unlike normals, showed slow (3–4.5 Hz) atropine-sensitive hippocampal theta during automatisms such as grooming as well as during immobility. Thus, LH damage, while temporarily abolishing fast. noncholinergic theta, appears to release slow cholinergic theta. Later in recovery, faster atropine-resistant (noncholinergic) theta becomes functional again.