Age-related accumulation of congophilic fibrillar inclusions in endocrine cells

Summary Intracellular fibrillar congophilic inclusions are well known as neurofibrillary tangles in neurons and as Biondi bodies in choroid plexus epithelial cells. Recently similar amyloid-like inclusions in adrenal cortical cells were described (Eriksson and Westermark 1990). This study on 150 adrenal glands confirms these observations. In our material the age-related accumulation of congophilic inclusions starts earlier (in the sixth decade) and reaches a higher incidence (42.7%). We found similar intracellular inclusions in other endocrine organs, for example in the anterior lobe of the pituitary, in the cells of parathyroid glands and in Sertoli cells. The age-related incidence of these fibrillar inclusions in the pituitary was 68%; the co-incidence with interstitial amyloid deposits was 49.5%. Thus the intracellular accumulation of congophilic fibrils in old age is a widespread phenomenon and occurs not only in neurons but also in endocrine cells (adrenal, pituitary and parathyroid glands) and in active secretory cells (choroid plexus and Sertoli cells).     

大鼠下丘脑及邻近区域催产素免疫阳性神经元与垂体后叶的关系

本文运用免疫细胞化学PAP及ABC法,显示大白鼠下丘脑内OXT免疫阳性神经元,并于垂体后叶注射WGA-HRP,显示下丘脑中逆行标记细胞,结合免疫细胞化学方法,观察下丘脑及其邻近区域内HRP与OXT双标记细胞,证实下丘脑视上核、室旁核、穹窿前核和后核、血管周细胞群、下丘脑视前区、下丘脑前区及外侧区、背侧副细胞群内、室周部、第三脑室侧壁室管膜细胞下及室间孔部室管膜细胞下,均有OXT免疫阳性神经元,其中至少部分神经元可发出向垂体后叶的投射纤维。位于第三脑室侧壁室管膜下及室间孔部室管膜下的神经元,可能监测脑脊液中各种因素的变化,调节垂体后叶OXT的分泌,也可能直接通过共树突向脑脊液内释放OXT。     

Immunocytochemical detection of effects of TRH and T4 on prolactin- and TSH-producing cells in the pituitary gland of Rana ridibunda

Effects of synthetic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and various doses of thyroxin (T4) on prolactin (PRL)-producing cells and thyrotropic cells in the pituitary were investigated in adult male and female Rana ridibunda frogs. Animals were given 200 microg TRH once a week for 4 weeks and 0.2-0.5 mg T4 during 3 days per week for a period of 2 weeks by injections in the groin. PRL-producing cells and thyrotropic cells were identified with light microscopical and electron microscopical immunocytochemical methods, using rabbit anti-PRL and rabbit anti-thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) as primary antibodies. TRH caused cytological changes in both cell types, which were consistent with increased synthesis and release of both PRL and TSH. Treatment with 0.5 mg T4 activated both cell types less than TRH treatment did, whereas 0.2 and 0.4 mg T4 caused inactivation of both cell types. In conclusion, mammalian TRH is effective on both types of frog pituitary cells. Our study suggests that T4 has a positive rather than a negative effect when concentrations above a certain threshold are given.     

KOCH三角的解剖

本实验解剖了110例人心标本(成人70、儿童40)的Koch三角区,观察和测量了房室结的形态、大小、毗邻和标志。房间隔及冠状窦口上、下方均有肌束连于房室结。Todaro腱在儿童多全部为腱性;在成人,其后部为肌性。三角区的深面为左、右心房壁和室间隔顶所构成的锥形间隙,其内为进入房室结区的血管和神经。根据构成不同,可将三角区分为5个区,即前上角的纤维支架区和房室结区,其余部分自上向下分别为房间隔区、右房壁区和室间隔区。本文还讨论了这些形态结构的功能及外科意义。     

Stability of intracranial self-stimulation following hypophysectomy

The possibility of a hypothalamo-pituitary involvement in the intracranial self-stimulation phenomenon was investigated. Threshold and optimal stimulation currents were identified by means of the method of limits, in rats with bipolar electrodes implanted in the lateral hypothalamus. Total or sham hypophysectomies were performed after the establishment of these current values, and found to have no effect on reinforcing brain stimulation. It was concluded that a hypothalamo-pituitary mechanism does not subserve reinforcing brain stimulation.     

Pituitary chromophobe adenomas consisting of prolactin cells

Summary Morphologic studies of pituitary neoplasms removed by surgery from 36 human patients revealed 8 chromophobe adenomas which differed clearly from the remaining tumors. The cytoplasm of the adenoma cells failed to stain with PAS, aniline blue, aldehyde fuchsin, aldehyde thionin, orange G or light green, but positively stained granules were found by using erythrosine or carmoisine. Immunoperoxidase technique disclosed the presence of prolactin in the cytoplasm of some adenoma cells. The adenoma cells exhibited distinct ultrastructural features such as well developed rough surfaced endoplasmic reticulum with Nebenkern formation, prominence of Golgi apparatus, presence of misplaced exocytosis as well as pleomorphism of secretory granules with a considerable variation of size ranging from 130 to 500 nm in diameter. Thus, by electron microscopy the adenoma cells showed a close resemblance to prolactin cells of the non-tumorous pituitary glands except for the reduced size and number of secretory granules.These chromophobe adenomas are regarded as representing a distinct pathological entity clearly distinguishable from other forms of pituitary neoplasms. In view of the morphologic findings and the elevation of blood prolactin level (measured in 3 patients) the term, sparsely granulated prolactin producing pituitary adenoma, appears to be the most appropriate one to designate these tumors.The authors wish to thank Dr. H. Friesen for providing the anti-human prolactin and Dr. L. A. Sternberger for the peroxidase-anti-peroxidase complex. The excellent technical assistance of Mrs. Gezina Ilse and Miss Nancy Macphail and the valuable secretarial help of Mrs. Maureen Rowling are appreciated.The work was supported in part by MA-552 grant of the Medical Research Council of Canada and by the St. Michael's Hospital Research Society.     

Monosynaptic inputs from the nucleus tractus solitarii to the laryngeal motoneurons in the nucleus ambiguus of the rat

The cricothyroid (CT) and the posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscles in the larynx are activated by the laryngeal motoneurons located within the nucleus ambiguus; these motoneurons receive the laryngeal sensory information from the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) during respiration and swallowing. We investigated whether the neurons in the NTS projected directly to the laryngeal motoneurons, and what is the synaptic organization of their nerve terminals on the laryngeal motoneurons using the electron microscope. When wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) was injected into the NTS after cholera toxin subunit B-conjugated HRP (CT-HRP) was injected into the CT muscle or the PCA muscle, the anterogradely WGA-HRP-labeled terminals from the NTS were found to directly contact the retrogradely CT-HRP-labeled dendrites and soma of both the CT and the PCA motoneurons. The labeled NTS terminals comprised about 4% of the axosomatic terminals in a section through the CT motoneurons, and about 9% on both the small (PCA-A) and the large (PCA-B) PCA motoneurons. The number of labeled axosomatic terminals containing round vesicles and making asymmetric synaptic contacts (Gray’s type I) was almost equal to that of the labeled terminals containing pleomorphic vesicles and making symmetric synaptic contacts (Gray’s type II) on the CT motoneurons. The labeled axosomatic terminals were mostly Gray’s type II on the PCA-A motoneurons, while the majority of them were Gray’s type I on the PCA-B motoneurons. These results indicate that the laryngeal CT and PCA motoneurons receive a few direct excitatory and inhibitory inputs from the neurons in the NTS. Accepted: 2 June 2000     

Immunocytochemistry of ambiguous cells in adult and embryonic dwarf (dw) mouse pituitaries

In the pars distalis of the pituitary gland in adult and embryonic dwarf (dw/dw) mutant mice, ambiguous cells exhibiting ultrastructural features common to growth hormone (GH) cells and prolactin (Prl) cells were analyzed by means of colloidal gold ultrastructural immunocytochemistry in order to define the functional nature of these peculiar cells. Adult and 18-day embryonic pituitaries from normal (+/+; dw/+) and dwarf (dw/dw) mice were processed with antibodies to GH, Prl, TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), LH (luteinizing hormone), FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), and HCG (chorionic gonadotropic hormone). In the adult and embryonic dwarf pituitaries, the ambiguous cells reacted negatively to all of the antibodies except for anti-ACTH, which labeled them well. In addition, the ACTH-positive cells showed a much wider variety of shapes and granule size and distribution, as compared with normal adults. In the embryos, this variability in ACTH cell morphology occurred not only in dwarf embryos, but in their normal counterparts as well. The results thus suggest that adult dwarf pituitaries may retain an embryonic or incompletely differentiated form of ACTH cells. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Immunohistochemistry of folliculo-stellate cells in normal human adenohypophyses and in pituitary adenomas

Summary Presence and distribution of S-100 protein (S-100), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), cytokeratin polypeptides, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, actin, lysozyme and pituitary hormones (prolactin, hGH, ACTH, -FSH, -LH, -TSH, alpha subunit) in folliculo-stellate cells (FSC) were studied in seven normal human pituitary glands and 28 pituitary adenomas using peroxidase-antiperoxidase and the avidin-biotin immunohistochemical techniques. Approximately 5% of the cells of the adenohypophysis were agranular, non-hormon-producing FSC most of which showed a conspicuous and strong reaction with S-100 antibodies but some were, in addition, GFAP- and vimentin-positive. In contrast to endocrine cells (EC), FSC were not decorated by antibodies to NSE or cytokeratins. In addition to supportive functions, these cells, due to their close special relationship to EC, seem to have transport and other metabolic functions yet to be elucidated. By their S-100 reactivity and their distribution FSC are comparable to glial cells of the central and schwann and satellite cells of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) as well as to supportive cells in neuroendocrine organs and related tumors (e.g., pheochromocytomas, paragangliomas, carcinoids). With one exception, S-100 reactive FSC were not found in pituitary adenomas. The immunohistochemical demonstration of S-100 protein in pituitary tissue is, therefore, a reliable aid in the discrimination between adenomas and normal pituitary tissue, particularly in small and poorly preserved specimens. In one adenoma FSC were found in addition to ACTH-producing tumor cells. This seems to be an extremely rare event suggesting a combination tumor.Supported in part by Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (no. 4708) to H. Denk     

预防性护理干预在女性垂体瘤切除术患者围手术期的应用效果

目的探讨预防性护理干预在女性垂体瘤切除术患者围手术期的应用效果。方法选取2019年11月至2020年12月中国科学技术大学附属第一医院南区收治的84例女性垂体瘤切除术患者作为研究对象,根据护理方法的不同分为观察组(42例)和对照组(42例),分别实施预防性护理干预和常规护理,比较两组患者术后并发症发生率、护理满意度及护理前后焦虑自评量表(SAS)和抑郁自评量表(SDS)评分。结果观察组患者术后并发症总发生率低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。两组护理后的SAS和SDS评分低于护理前,观察组护理后SAS和SDS评分低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。观察组患者的护理总满意度高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论女性垂体瘤切除术患者实施预防性护理干预,可提高术后并发症的防治效果,促进患者快速、良好康复。