Isochronic transplantation of neonatal grafts in the visual cortex of cats: responsiveness,ocular dominance and specificity of cortical cells to visual stimulation

Summary The visual cortex of adult cats was studied physiologically following neonatal isochronic transplantation of grafts from areas 17,18, which were placed homotopically, in order to reveal their functional integration and thus possible repairing of damaged cortical neuronal circuits. Three homograft cats, in which transplantation was carried out between siblings (228 cortical cells) were compared to 4 animals receiving reimplanted autografts of the equivalent size (131 cells) as well as 3 animals with analogous sectioning of the visual cortex (162 cells) (pseudograft controls). The location of the boundaries between the transplant region and the host were determined using the Nissl's method for staining histological cross sections. Extracellular unit recording revealed typical waveform of the action potentials in the transplanted region and in the surrounding host tissue of all groups of cats. Visual responsiveness in the homograft cats was 17.5% in the transplanted region and 80.4% in the unoperated hemisphere; the corresponding results were 40.3% for the transplanted region and 82.2% for the unoperated hemisphere in the autografts and 23.1% and 73.4% in the pseudografts. The specificity of the cells to visual stimulation as expressed by their orientation and direction specificity, indicated preservation of these properties in the transplanted cats. While all responsive cells in the transplanted region of the homografts were orientation specific, their proportion was 60% in the autografts and 55.5% in the analogous region in the pseudograft controls. As to the direction specific cells, their performance in the grafted region of the grafted cats was even much higher than that of the pseudograft controls. The ocular dominance distribution of the cells showed preservation of binocularity in the transplanted region (90.0% binocular cells) of the homografts; it was however smaller in the equivalent region of the autografts (65.0%) and remarkably reduced (20.0%) in the pseudografts. It was concluded that despite the deafferentation induced during the transplantation procedure, a remarkable visual responsiveness was found in the transplanted region, indicating postoperative recovery. However, the cells there were mainly affected in their activity and less in their specificity to visual stimulation.     

大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞静脉移植对脊髓损伤的修复作用

目的初步探讨骨髓间充质干细胞（BMSCs）静脉移植对脊髓损伤后神经功能恢复和神经修复的影响。方法体外培养BMSCs，改良Allen法制备大鼠脊髓损伤模型，经尾静脉移植Brdu标记的BMSCs，损伤后24h、移植后1、3、5周评价实验动物的神经功能状况，并检测BMSCs在体内迁移、存活以及分化情况，电子显微镜观察组织形态学变化。结果移植的BMSCs在宿主损伤脊髓中聚集并存活，3～5周后有部分移植细胞表达神经元特异性烯醇化酶（NSE）、神经丝蛋白（NF）、微管相关蛋白（MAP2）；BMSCs静脉移植组大鼠运动功能改善，BBB评分高于对照组（P〈0．05）；5周后组织学观察，与对照组相比移植组损伤区脊髓结构较完整。结论BMSCs经静脉移植后可向脊髓损伤处聚集并存活分化，促进神经修复及神经功能的恢复。     

维生素D衍生物联合供者骨髓细胞输注诱导异基因大鼠心脏移植免疫耐受

目的 探讨同种异基因心脏移植后免疫耐受的诱导。方法 建立大鼠颈部异位心脏移植模型，按分组分别给予门静脉输注供者骨髓细胞(DBMC)(B组)、骨化三醇灌胃(C组)、输注DBMC及骨化三醇灌胃(D组)以及环孢素A(CsA)灌胃(E组)。观察移植心脏的存活时间及心肌组织病理改变，测定心肌组织中肿瘤坏死因子及细胞间粘附分子-1 mRNA的表达以及血清钙、磷浓度，进行受者与供者及无关第三品系大鼠脾细胞混合淋巴细胞培养(MLR)。结果 D组移植心脏的存活时间较其它各组显著延长(P＜0．05)；术后7d，C组、D组、E组受者脾细胞均能显著抑制供者及第三方无关供者脾细胞作为刺激细胞引起的MLR；D组手术前后血磷、血钙浓度的差异无显著性(P＞0．05)；各组急性排斥反应的程度，D组最轻；D组肿瘤坏死因子及细胞间粘附分子-1 mRNA的表达受到显著抑制，与对照组(A组)、B、C组比较，差异有显著性(P＜0．05)。结论 骨化三醇灌胃联合DBMC输注可显著延长移植心脏的存活时间，二者具有协同作用。     

血细胞彩色图像的微机自动计数方法探讨

目的　探讨血细胞自动计数的方法。方法　采用微机彩色图像处理技术对血液细胞图像进行图像分割和细胞计数。结果　与人工计数相平行 ,相关系数r =0 .96 1～ 0 .997,P >0 .0 5。结论　该方法可行且计数相对精确、迅速、客观     

Effect of amyloid peptides on the increase in TrkA receptor expression induced by nicotine in vitro and in vivo

The ability of nicotine to induce a cytoprotective or neuroprotective action occurs through several down-stream mechanisms. One possibility is that the drug increases the expression of tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) nerve growth factor (NGF) receptors. Certain β-amyloid peptides (e.g., Aβ1–42) have been shown to bind with high affinity to α7 nicotinic receptors and thus interfere with a potentially neurotrophic influence. Treatment of differentiated PC-12 cells with nicotine produced a concentration-dependent increase in cell-surface TrkA receptors that occurred concomitantly with cytoprotection. The effect of nicotine was blocked by either of the α7 receptor antagonists α-bungarotoxin (α-BTX) or methyllycaconatine. The cytoprotective action of nicotine also was inhibited by pretreatment with 10–100 nM Aβ1–42. Nicotine also was administered (four injections of 30 μg, spaced evenly over 24 h) to rats by direct injection into a lateral cerebral ventricle. Brain TrkA expression was increased significantly in hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (up to 32% above control), with no changes found in cerebral cortex or hypothalamus. The nicotine-induced increases in TrKA expression in hippocampus and entorhinal cortex were significantly inhibited by 10 μg α-BTX or by 10 nmol Aβ1–42. Therefore, physiologically relevant concentrations of Aβ1–42 can prevent nicotine-induced TrkA receptor expression in brain regions containing cholinergic neurons susceptible to the neurotoxicity associated with Alzheimer’s disease.     

Ca2+ mobilization in physiologically stimulated single T cells gradually increases with peptide concentration (analog signaling)

We have investigated Ca²⁺ mobilization in single T cells stimulated with their physiological ligand, i.e. antigenic peptide bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules on antigen-presenting cells (APC). Fibroblasts expressing I-E^d class II molecules were pulsed with a peptide derived from the λ2³¹⁵ immunoglobulin light chain. Onto such antigen-pulsed fibroblasts were sedimented cloned Th1 cells loaded with Fura-2. Changes in cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration in single T cells were continually monitored by use of an imaging system based on fluorometry. Ca²⁺ mobilization was both peptide-specific and MHC-restricted. Within seconds of the initial APC-T cell contact, a Ca²⁺ spike could be observed. The Ca²⁺ response gradually declined over a 25-min period, during which oscillations were noted. Various parameters characterizing the magnitude of the Ca²⁺ response (latency, increase rate, max and mean Ca²⁺ increase, frequency and period of oscillations) all correlated with the amount of peptide used for pulsing the fibroblasts. Thus, Ca²⁺ mobilization in single T cells appears not to be an all or none phenomenon. Rather, activation is incremental (analog signaling), the degree of Ca²⁺ mobilization probably being related to the number of stimulatory peptide-MHC complexes on the surface of the APC. The extent of calcium mobilization and lymphokine production (interleukin (IL)-2, IL-3, interferon-γ) correlated, at least at the population level.     

Additive effects of CD59 expression in Gal knockout mice in vitro but not in an ex vivo model

Abstract: Transgenic expression of the human complement regulatory molecule CD59 in mice and genetic deletion of the major xenoantigen galactose α 1,3 galactose (Gal KO) each resulted in partial protection of spleen cells from lysis by human serum. These protective effects were additive when the two genetic modifications were combined. However, when the effects of these genetic modifications were examined in an ex vivo model in which mouse hearts were perfused with human plasma, it was Gal KO which was the modification which determined protection. CD59 expression alone was not protective and CD59 expression in combination with Gal knockout did not result in a significant additional increase in protection over and above that provided by Gal knockout alone. The likely explanation for this discrepancy between the in vitro and ex vivo data is that the H2-K^b promoter used to drive CD59 expression results I in substantially less expression on endothelium than on spleen cells.