Organization of the pallium in the fire-bellied toad Bombina orientalis. I: Morphology and axonal projection pattern of neurons revealed by intracellular biocytin labeling

The cytoarchitecture and axonal projection pattern of pallial areas was studied in the fire-bellied toad Bombina orientalis by intracellular injection of biocytin into a total of 326 neurons forming 204 clusters. Five pallial regions were identified, differing in morphology and projection pattern of neurons. The rostral pallium receiving the bulk of dorsal thalamic afferents has reciprocal connections with all other pallial areas and projects to the septum, nucleus accumbens, and anterior dorsal striatum. The medial pallium projects bilaterally to the medial pallium, septum, nucleus accumbens, mediocentral amygdala, and hypothalamus and ipsilaterally to the rostral, dorsal, and lateral pallium. The ventral part of the medial pallium is distinguished by efferents to the eminentia thalami and the absence of contralateral projections. The dorsal pallium has only ipsilateral projections running to the rostral, medial, and lateral pallium; septum; nucleus accumbens; and eminentia thalami. The lateral pallium has ipsilateral projections to the olfactory bulbs and to the rostral, medial, dorsal, and ventral pallium. The ventral pallium including the striatopallial transition area (SPTA) has ipsilateral projections to the olfactory bulbs, rostral and lateral pallium, dorsal striatopallidum, vomeronasal amygdala, and hypothalamus. The medial pallium can be tentatively homologized with the mammalian hippocampal formation, the dorsal pallium with allocortical areas, the lateral pallium rostrally with the piriform and caudally with the entorhinal cortex, the ventral pallium with the accessory olfactory amygdala. The rostral pallium, with its projections to the dorsal and ventral striatopallidum, resembles the mammalian frontal cortex.     

Grasping the Müller-Lyer illusion: the contributions of vision for perception in action

The present study examines the contributions of vision for perception processes in action. To this end, the influence of allocentric information on different action components (i.e., the selection of an appropriate mode of action, the pre-planning and online control of movement kinematics) is assessed. Participants (n=10) were presented with a shaft of various lengths (i.e., 13-20 cm) that was embedded in a Müller-Lyer figure. Picking up the shaft would, dependent on its length, either require a one- or a two-handed grasp. In different conditions participants were instructed to give a verbal judgement on the size of the shaft (VSJ); to make a manual estimation of the shaft's length (MLE); to indicate verbally whether they would grasp the shaft with one- or two hands (VAE); to actually grasp the shaft (G). We found that the Müller-Lyer figure affected the choice between using a one- or two-handed grasp, both when the participants actually grasped (G) the object and when they made a verbal estimation (VAE). The illusionary bias was of a similar magnitude as the one found in the verbal (VSJ) and manual perception task (MLE). The illusion had only a minor influence on the movement kinematics, and appears to be restricted to participants in which the grasping condition was immediately preceded by the VSJ-condition. We conclude that vision for perception contributes to the selection of an action mode, and that its contributions beyond that stage are dependent on the particular (experimental) circumstances.     

The thalamic nucleus submedius and ventrolateral orbital cortex are involved in nociceptive modulation: A novel pain modulation pathway

Recently, a series of studies have given rise to and provided evidence for the hypothesis that the nucleus submedius (Sm) in the medial thalamus is involved in modulation of nociception. The Sm, ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO) and the periaqueductal gray (PAG) constitute a pain modulatory pathway, activation of which leads to activation of the PAG–brainstem descending inhibitory system and depression of the nociceptive inputs in the spinal cord and trigeminal nucleus. Other studies have indicated that the Sm–VLO–PAG pathway plays an important role in the analgesia induced by electroacupuncture stimulation of the acupuncture point (acupoint) for exciting small diameter fiber (A-δ and C group) afferents. Opioid peptides, serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and their related receptors are involved in Sm- and/or VLO-mediated descending antinociception, and a GABAergic disinhibitory mechanism participates in mediating the antinociception induced by activation of μ-opioid receptors, serotonin 1_A receptors, and dopamine D₂-like receptors. This review describes these findings, which provide important new insights into the roles of the thalamus and cerebral cortex in descending pain modulation.     

Sexual dimorphic stages affect both proliferation and serotonergic innervation in the adult rostral migratory stream

One of the sexual dimorphic differences in adult rodents is neural proliferation. Here we demonstrate that physiological hormone stages can modulate this proliferation in the adult forebrain. Female mice, both pregnant and synchronized in oestrus, exhibited higher proliferating cell percentages than males in both the rostral migratory stream (RMS) and the olfactory bulb (OB). Moreover, although the hormonal component also influenced the subventricular zone (SVZ), no differences in proliferation were observed in this region. In addition, both groups of females had higher numbers of serotonergic fibres in these regions. Serotonin may therefore be related to the mechanism of action by which hormones can affect cell proliferation of this brain region. We also evaluated cell death in the SVZ in males and females, finding that this was higher in the former. Taken together, our results support the idea that in female rodents more neuroblasts are able to reach the RMS and then proliferate, apoptosis being an additional mechanism affecting the low proliferation of cells in the RMS and OB in males. Thus, proliferation in the RMS is influenced by sexual dimorphism.     

导管相关性血流感染的病原菌分析

目的分析导管相关性血流感染（CRBSI）的病原菌分布,为临床诊治提供参考。方法对本院2008年9月-2010年12月中心静脉导管培养阳性的180例病例进行回顾性分析。结果 180例中56例（31.1%）为CRBSI确诊病例。来源于重症监护病房29例,结核病区8例,肾内科6例,呼吸科4例,其他科室9例;56株病原菌中革兰阴性杆菌24株（42.8%）,主要为鲍曼不动杆菌和肺炎克雷伯菌;革兰阳性球菌22株（39.3%）,以凝固酶阴性葡萄球菌和金黄色葡萄球菌为主;假丝酵母菌属10株（17.9%）。结论多耐药鲍曼不动杆菌和真菌在CRBSI中出现,应引起临床高度重视。     

salusin α在孤束核内的心血管效应可能通过抑制头端延髓腹外侧区前交感神经元活动介导

目的探讨孤束核内salusinα的心血管效应及其机制。方法♂SD大鼠94只,其中50只大鼠单侧NTS或双侧NTS注射不同剂量salusinα(0.04～4 pmol)或人工脑脊液(artificial cerebrospinal fluid,aCSF),观察NTS内salusinα对大鼠血压和心率产生的影响。33只大鼠分别预先在NTS给予aCSF、非选择性谷氨酸受体拮抗剂犬尿希酸(KYN)、双侧颈部迷走神经切断(bilateral vagotomy)或在头端延髓腹外侧区(RVLM)给予aCSF/GABA受体激动剂muscimol,探讨NTS内salusinα的心血管效应机制。11只大鼠检测NTS水平salusinα对大鼠动脉压力反射(arterial baroreflex,ABR)功能的影响。结果在NTS双侧或单侧微量注射salusinα产生剂量依赖性的降低血压、减缓心率的作用。双侧微量注射salusinα不影响麻醉大鼠的ABR。NTS预先注射KYN(1nmol)或双侧迷走神经切除均不影响孤束核注salusinα产生的降低血压、减缓心率的效应(P>0.05)。RVLM预先注射muscimol(5 pmol)能有效阻断salusinα(4 pmol)在孤束核产生的降低血压、减缓心率的效应(P<0.05)。结论 NTS注射salusinα产生的降低血压、减缓心率的效应可能通过激动RVLM内GABA受体,抑制前交感神经元兴奋性发挥作用。     

Use of multiple dispersal pathways facilitates amphibian persistence in stream networks

Although populations of amphibians are declining worldwide, there is no evidence that salamanders occupying small streams are experiencing enigmatic declines, and populations of these species seem stable. Theory predicts that dispersal through multiple pathways can stabilize populations, preventing extinction in habitat networks. However, empirical data to support this prediction are absent for most species, especially those at risk of decline. Our mark-recapture study of stream salamanders reveals both a strong upstream bias in dispersal and a surprisingly high rate of overland dispersal to adjacent headwater streams. This evidence of route-dependent variation in dispersal rates suggests a spatial mechanism for population stability in headwater-stream salamanders. Our results link the movement behavior of stream salamanders to network topology, and they underscore the importance of identifying and protecting critical dispersal pathways when addressing region-wide population declines.     

Diurnal changes and topographical distribution of ocular surface epithelial dendritic cells in humans,and repeatability of density and morphology assessment

Purpose

Dendritic cells (DC) play a crucial role in ocular surface defence. DC can be visualised in vivo by confocal microscopy but have not yet been fully characterised in humans. This study investigated the diurnal variation, topographical distribution and repeatability of DC density and morphology measurements.

Methods

In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) was conducted on 20 healthy participants (mean age 32.7 ± 6.4 years, 50% female) at baseline and repeated after 30 minutes, 2, 6 and 24 h. Images were captured at the corneal centre, inferior whorl, corneal periphery, limbus and bulbar conjunctiva. DC were counted manually, and their morphology was assessed for cell body size, presence of dendrites, and presence of long and thick dendrites. Mixed-model analysis, non-parametric analyses, Bland and Altman plots, coefficient of repeatability (CoR) and kappa were used.

Results

There were no significant changes in DC density (p ≥ 0.74) or morphology (p > 0.07) at any location over the 24-h period. The highest DC density was observed at the corneal limbus followed by the peripheral cornea (p < 0.001), with the lowest density at the corneal centre, inferior whorl and bulbar conjunctiva. Most DC at the corneal periphery, limbus and bulbar conjunctiva had larger cell bodies compared with the corneal centre (p ≤ 0.01), and the presence of long dendrites was observed mostly at non-central locations. Day-to-day CoR for DC density ranged from ±28.1 cells/mm² at the corneal centre to ±56.4 cells/mm² at the limbus. Day-to-day agreement of DC morphology determined by kappa ranged from 0.5 to 0.95 for cell body size, 0.60 to 0.95 for presence of dendrites, and 0.55 to 0.80 for the presence of long dendrites at various locations.

Conclusions

No diurnal changes are apparent in corneal or conjunctival DC. Substantial topographical differences exist in DC density and morphology. IVCM provides good repeatability of DC density and acceptable agreement of DC morphology.     

胰高血糖素瘤综合征1例

报道1例46岁男性病人，全岙皮肤红斑、水疱3年，加重1年，具有典型的坏死松解性游走性红斑，伴舌炎、糖尿病，体重下降，血胰高血糖素增高。皮肤组织病理变化为表皮浅层坏死，免疫组化发现表皮浅层抗人胰高血糖素抗体着色阳性。腹部CT及锝标记生长抑素类似物（Octreotide）扫描显示患者胰尾及肝脏肿瘤。长效生长抑素治疗后，血胰高血糖素水平在短期内明显下降，皮诊逐渐好转。