Effect of resistive discontinuities on waveshape and velocity in a single cardiac fibre

A computer model of a one-dimensional cardiac fibre of resistively coupled cells is used to investigate the influence of the junction resistance on the nature of conduction. The results of the simulations are presented and indicate that the effect of the junction on both intracellular and extracellular waveshape and on the velocity of propagation depends on the size and frequency of the coupling resistance and the kinetics of the active membrane. Significant changes in these factors are not observed without the generation of prepotentials in the action potential upstroke. The absence of this ‘signature’ in microelectrode recordings of activity in ventricular muscle suggests that under normal conditions cardiac tissue behaves as a functional syncytium.     

大鼠骨髓间质干细胞体外诱导分化为心肌样细胞Cx43通讯连接功能检测

目的： 探讨大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞（MSCs）体外诱导分化为心肌样细胞Cx43的分布与通讯连接功能状态。方法： 取健康SD大鼠骨髓，用5-氮杂胞苷体外诱导培养。取诱导培养2、3、4周的MSCs为Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ组，另取急性分离的心肌细胞为对照组，用激光共聚焦技术检测Cx43的分布及平均荧光漂白恢复率。结果： 对Cx43在细胞内分布检测发现，随诱导培养时间的延长，细胞内蛋白颗粒密度逐渐增加；诱导培养4周后MSCs内蛋白颗粒密度与对照组比较无显著差异（63.87±12.43，64.87±12.15，P>0.05）。各组细胞平均荧光漂白率的变化趋势与Cx43分布变化相似，即随诱导培养时间的延长，细胞平均荧光漂白率逐渐增加；Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ组及对照组分别为19.59%±6.08%、37.17%±3.84%、46.82%±2.69%、49.71%±5.53%，Ⅲ组与对照组比较无显著差异（P>0.05）。结论： 大鼠MSCs在体外诱导培养4周后已分化为心肌样细胞，其细胞Cx43的分布与通讯连接功能与正常心肌细胞相似。     

Egfl7 knockdown causes defects in the extension and junctional arrangements of endothelial cells during zebrafish vasculogenesis.

The endothelial cell (EC) -specific secreted protein EGFL7 is important for tubulogenesis in newly forming blood vessels. We studied its role in vascular tube formation by a quantitative ultrastructural analysis of Egfl7-knockdown zebrafish embryos. At 24 hours postfertilization, the endothelia of dorsal aorta (DA) and posterior cardinal vein (PCV) were correctly anchored to the hypochord and endoderm, respectively, but failed to expand into the vascular area. This resulted in vessels with reduced or split lumen and open sheets of ECs. Concomitantly, the organization of hematopoietic cells-identified by the presence of previously undescribed membrane tubules-between DA and PCV, and within the vessels, was severely disturbed. Strikingly, ectopic cell junctions occurred across the obstructed vessel lumen, on the luminal EC surfaces, which in control conditions never display junctions of any kind. These data suggest that Egfl7 provides ECs with a cue for their extension into the vascular area and in establishing EC cell polarity.     

Active response of a one-dimensional cardiac model with gap junctions to extracellular stimulation

To study the response of cardiac tissue to electrical stimulation, a one-dimensional model of cardiac tissue has been developed using linear core-conductor theory and the DiFrancesco-Noble model of Purkinje tissue. The cable lies in a restricted extracellular medium and includes a representation of the junctional resistances known to interconnect cardiac cells. Two electrode geometries are considered: (a) a semi-infinite cable with a monopolar electrode at the end of the cable and (b) a terminated cable with one electrode at each end of the cable. In a series of simulations, stimuli of varying magnitude and polarity are applied at three different times during the plateau of the action potential. The results at the stimulus site show that the action potential duration may either decrease or increase in response to the stimulus, depending on the polarity and application time of the stimulus. The spatial behaviour of the cable in response to the stimulus indicates that sites greater than 200 cells from the stimulating electrode are not affected by the stimulus.     

Development of prosaccade and antisaccade task performance in participants aged 6 to 26 years

There are few studies on the development of oculomotor functions during childhood. B. Fischer, M. Biscaldi, and S. Gezeck (1997) reported improvement of antisaccade task performance between ages 6 and 16 years. The present study is a replication and extension of those results. In three age groups (6-7, 10-11, 18-26 years), saccades during pro- and antisaccade tasks with 200-ms gap and overlap and during a fixation task were measured. Adults exhibited faster saccades and less prosaccades during the antisaccade tasks than 10-11-year-old children; these two groups had faster saccades during all tasks and less prosaccades during the anti- and the fixation task than 6-7-year-old subjects. Both children groups made more express saccades than adults. Results suggest different degrees of age-related improvement for different saccadic parameters, the effects being greatest for prosaccade inhibition during the antisaccade task and in line with the assumed protracted development of prefrontal functions.     

A possible paracellular route for the resolution of hydrocephalic edema

Summary Considering the possibility of a paracellular route for edema resolution we studied the microvasculature of the subependymal and subcortical white matter in hydrocephalic rats. Normal adult rats were used as controls. After injection of kaolin suspension into the cisterna magna, the animals were killed at intervals of 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks. In hydrocephalic rats at 1 week after kaolin injection, widening of the interendothelical cleft between the tight junction (dehiscence) was seen in 27 of 76 (35%) vessels. At 2 weeks after kaolin injection, the number of the dehiscences had increased (39/7:56%) and some were enlarged, forming interendothelial blisters. At 4 weeks in hydrocephalic rats, both dehiscences and blisters were still prominent (45/7363%) and at 8 weeks the dehiscences were still prominent, but the number of the blisters had decreased (25/8131%). The blisters and dehiscences were most pronounced in the corpus callosum and occipital regions. Following i.v. injection of horseradish peroxidase, the interendothelial dehiscences and blisters were completely devoid of the marker substance. These findings indicate that in obstructive hydrocephalus the tight junctions may constitute part of a paracellular pathway for the resorption of interstitial edema fluid.     

Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Carnosic Acid and Carnosol in Standardized Rosemary Extract and the Effect on the Disease Activity Index of DSS-Induced Colitis

Rosemary extract (RE) is an approved food preservative in the European Union and contains dietary phytochemicals that are beneficial for gastrointestinal health. This study investigated the effects of RE on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis and also determined the pharmacokinetics of dietary phytochemicals administered to mice via oral gavage. Individual components of rosemary extract were separated and identified by LC–MS/MS. The pharmacokinetics of two major diterpenes from RE, carnosic acid (CA) and carnosol (CL), administered to mice via oral gavage were determined. Then, the effect of RE pre-treatment on the disease activity index (DAI) of DSS-induced colitis in mice was investigated. The study determined that 100 mg/kg RE significantly improved DAI in DSS-induced colitis compared to negative control. Sestrin 2 protein expression, which increased with DSS exposure, was reduced with RE treatment. Intestinal barrier integrity was also shown to improve via fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)–dextran administration and Western blot of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), a tight junction protein. Rosemary extract was able to improve the DAI of DSS-induced colitis in mice at a daily dose of 100 mg/kg and showed improvement in the intestinal barrier integrity. This study suggests that RE can be an effective preventative agent against IBD.     

Voltage clamp of a small muscle membrane area by means of a circular sucrose gap arrangement

Summary A new method is described which permits the measurement of membrane currents of thick muscle fibres (diameter 300 m or more) ofAstacus fluviatilis orBalanus balanus under voltage clamp conditions.The potential difference across a small patch of membrane (60–100 m in diameter) is controlled by connecting a voltage source across it with two external electrodes. One of them is connected to the fluid bathing the muscle fibre. The other, tubular one is in touch with the test area. The current flowing through the electrodes represents the sum of the membrane current flowing across the test area and the leak current flowing in the external fluid between the electrodes. In the first version of the method the leak current is limited by a circular sucrose gap around the test area. In the second, more elaborate method, the leak current is eliminated by a system of two concentric sucrose rings with a guard ring electrode between them. This method permits in addition the measurement of full sized action potentials in the test area.This work has been briefly reported in Cs. fysiol.17, 48 (1968).     

Electrical coupling, without dye coupling, between mammalian astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in cell culture

Evidence of electrical and dye coupling between oligodendrocytes and astrocytes was sought in cultures of mouse spinal cord. Cell identity was verified using cell specific antigenic markers. In most experiments current was injected into oligodendrocytes while recording voltage in nearby astrocytes. Nine of 17 oligodendrocyte-astrocyte cell pairs showed weak electrical coupling; the average estimated coupling ratio was 0.03 +/- 0.06 (cf. 0.11 for oligodendrocyte-oligodendrocyte and 0.44 for astrocyte-astrocyte pairs; Kettenmann and Ransom: Glia, 1: 64-73, 1988). Application of 0.5 mM BaCl2 or 44.6 mM CsCl depolarized astrocytes and oligodendrocytes and was estimated to increase the coupling ratio between these cells 3-5-fold; these effects were rapid in onset and completely reversible. In 5 of 7 cases, oligodendrocyte-astrocyte pairs that appeared uncoupled in normal solution exhibited coupling during Ba++ or Cs+ exposure. The actions of these cations are believed to be mediated by blockade of glial K+ channels. Depolarization, per se, as induced by increasing [K+]o, did not increase coupling ratio. The fluorescent dye lucifer yellow (LY) was injected into 10 oligodendrocytes, 8 of which were electrically coupled to nearby astrocytes, and never passed into astrocytes in detectable quantities. Likewise, astrocytes injected with LY stained other astrocytes, but never oligodendrocytes. These findings document the presence of weak electrical coupling between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, in the absence of dye coupling. Weak coupling of this sort could subserve metabolic interactions between these cells mediated by the passage of small but important molecules such as cyclic AMP, but would not allow strong electrical interactions. If such coupling among glial cells is widespread, it would constitute a "metabolic syncytium" that could serve to coordinate glial behavior.     

脂蛋白对人血管内皮细胞间隙连接通讯功能的影响

用激光扫描共聚焦显微镜及荧光漂白后回复技术,观察HDL,LDL及维生素对培养的人血管内皮细胞间隙连接通讯功能的影响。结果：培养条件下的人血管内皮细胞之间可形成功能性的间隙连接。LDL组的荧光回复率分别为6．691±2．634,4．153±2．125,2.441±0.720,与对照组比较及两两比较,有显著性差异（P＜0.05）;HDL组及维生素C组的荧光回复率与对照组比较,无显著性差异;LDL＋HDL组的荧光回复率分别为3．500±0.890,4．339±1．126,5．243±1．278,与对照组比较及两两比较,有显著性差异（P＜0．05）;LDL＋维生素C组的荧光回复率分别为3．959±1．088,4．974±1．194,8．673±2．488,与对照组比较及两两比较,有显著性差异（P＜0．05）。以上结果提示：LDL对内皮细胞的间隙连接通讯功能具有明显的抑制作用,而HDL与维生素C可改善之。LDL致动脉粥样硬化的机理之一可能是抑制了内皮细胞的间隙连接通讯功能,但亦有可能这仅是内皮细胞对损伤的一种代偿反应。而HDL及维生素C对内皮细胞的保护作用可能是通过改善间隙连接的通讯功能来实现的。