Offspring myocardium alteration from dams submitted to nitric oxide synthesis inhibition during pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide synthesis (NOS) inhibition during pregnancy alters offspring cardiac structure. METHODS: Thirty female Wistar rats were assigned to two groups: control (15 rats) and LN (15 rats). LN rats received N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) during 5 weeks (2 weeks before matching and the weeks of pregnancy). Offspring were separated and sacrificed in three age groups (n=5): 2, 15 and 30 postnatal days. Left ventricular myocardium was analyzed with light microscopy and stereology. RESULTS: BP increased significantly in LN matrices. No significant difference in neonate C-R length, body mass (BM) nor heart mass (HM) occurred in control and LN groups with 2 days of life. HM was greater in LN group than in control group from 15 days of life; BM was greater in LN group than in control group only with 30 days of life. HM/BM ratio was greater in LN neonates than in control neonates in all age groups. Vasculature total length (L[VE]) increased from days 2 to 15 and from days 15 to 30 and total number of cardiomyocyte nuclei profiles (N[CM]) also increased from days 2 to 30 in both LN and control neonates. CONCLUSION: The offspring main cardiac structural alteration due to prenatal NOS inhibition is compatible with neonatal cardiac hypertrophy with intramyocardial vasculature enhancement. Furthermore, the prenatal NOS inhibition apparently stimulates the cardiomyocyte proliferation that can be observed until the end of lactation, which is when the number of cardiomyocytes nuclei profiles seems to become stable.     

Stereological estimation of total intracranial volume on CT images

This study aims to investigate the possibility of generating stereological estimations of total intracranial volume (TIV) on CT scans. The study group included 16 consecutive patients referred for a cranial CT examination. The TIV was estimated using the stereological point counting technique. Volume measurements were optimized by systematically sampling CT sections and by defining an optimum spacing between test points of the grid. The intraobserver and interobserver variability of the optimized volumetric technique was determined. Stereological TIV estimations were compared with the respective planimetric measurements. The application of a test grid with a point spacing of 2.4 cm on 6–8 systematically sampled CT sections provided TIV estimations with a coefficient of error of less than 5%. The intraobserver and interobserver coefficient of variation values were found to be 2.4 and 4.0%, respectively. The 95% limits of agreement between stereological and planimetric TIV measurements were equal to –91.4 and 103.4 cm³. The mean time (±SD) needed to obtain stereological TIV estimations was 2.9±0.6 min. The application of the optimized stereological technique on CT scans enables the efficient estimation of TIV.     

No loss of hippocampal neurons in AIDS patients

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is often accompanied by neurological disorders and neuropathological abnormalities. A loss of up to 30% of the neocortical neurons in brains from AIDS patients has been demonstrated in several studies. This neuron loss appeared to have no relationship with either the presence of clinical dementia or HIV encephalitis. The hippocampal region of the brain is an essential component of learning and memory processes and it is severely affected in a number of diseases, including temporal lobe epilepsy and Alzheimer’s dementia. In view of the reports of a considerable loss of neocortical neurons, the aim of the present study was to investigate the degree to which neurons may be lost in hippocampus of AIDS patients. A stereological method, the optical fractionator, was used to estimate the total number of neurons in the five subregions of the hippocampus of nine AIDS patients and ten controls. There were no statistically significant differences in the group means of the number of neurons in any of the subdivisions. This result is discussed in the light of the large loss of neurons in the neocortex reported to take place in AIDS patients. Received: 21 June 1999 / Revised, accepted: 17 August 1999     

地方性氟中毒病区胎儿肾上腺皮质细胞超微结构体视学研究

对地方性氟病病区胎儿肾上腺皮质细胞进行超微结构体视学研究。结果显示：病区胎儿肾上腺皮质细胞核比表面和核平均体积缩小，细胞平均截面积和平均体积缩小；线粒体肿胀，平均周长和平均体积增大；粗面内质网体密度缩小。结果表明：机体过量氟对胎儿肾上腺皮质细胞超微结构有损伤作用。     

用逐步回归法对乳腺单纯癌癌细胞形态结构进行定量分析

用体视学方法对女性晚期乳腺单纯癌癌细胞、细胞核、核仁的１７ 个形态参数进行测试, 并用逐步回归法分析, 得最优方程 Ｙ＝ ０６０９ ＋ ００２８ Ｎ１４ － ０４７５ Ｎ１ － ０５８７ Ｎ１７ , 结果筛选出区分正常及癌细胞的最佳参数： 核质比 Ｖｎｐ 、核平均截面积 Ａｎ 、核仁平均周长 Ｂｕ ． 提示了３ 个形态参数变化程度越大, 可能癌症病人的预后越不好．     

补阳还五汤对小鼠额叶皮质神经元胞体形态影响的定量研究

用体视学方法统计饲补阳还五汤小鼠大脑额叶皮质神经元胞体、细胞核、核仁的８个有关形态参数，结果发现补阳组与对照组比较，在性成熟期胞体体密度Ｖｖ１、细胞核体密度Ｖｖ２、核仁体密度Ｖｖ３均明显减小，细胞核比表面δ３明显增大，在老年期８个参数均无明显变化。结果表明补阳还五汤有一定程度促进生长和恢复大脑功能的作用。     

激素敏感型肾病单个核细胞培养上清液对大鼠肾小球多阴离子及超微结构的影响

用刀豆蛋白Ａ刺激激素敏感型肾病单个核细胞，并将其培养上清液灌注于大鼠肾内。结合电镜观察，用图像分析仪及体视学方法分别对其肾组织胶体铁染色切片和电镜照片上的足突和滤过裂隙的平均宽度进行测定。结果表明：该病极期上清液灌注的鼠肾小球多阴离子明显减少，足突肿胀、融合，滤过裂隙变窄；而该病缓解组和正常对照组则为阴性。说明该病单个核细胞培养上清液可引起鼠肾小球微小病变型肾病综合征的病变，并揭示该变化可能是由其上清液中一种异常的Ｔ淋巴细胞因子所致。     

颅内血肿体积的体视学估计

通过在头颅ＣＴ片上对颅内血肿体积的体视学研究，我们认为体视学法是简单、有效的方法。     

运动与负荷对大鼠骨形态影响的无偏体视学观察

为探讨运动对青少年长骨发育的机理,本研究以大鼠作为实验模型,使生长期大鼠进行不同强度的跑台运动,同时结合悬吊和负重模型,采用体视学全视野无偏采样方法对不同强度运动和不同形式机械负荷的生长期大鼠骨量、骨结构、骨代谢等形态参数进行测试分析,取得运动与负荷对大鼠长骨发育影响的系列结果,为儿童少年生长发育状况的评价、运动和其它干预手段的选择以及运动处方的制订等提供部分依据。