Blood endotyping distinguishes the profile of vitiligo from that of other inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases

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Neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN): a new tool in the diagnosis of central neurocytoma

The use of neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN) as a reliable neuronal marker in the differential diagnosis of clear cell neoplasms of the central nervous system was determined in a biopsy series of 23 cases. Immunohistochemical analyses were carried out by antisera against neuronal nuclear antigen, synaptophysin, neuron-specific enolase, microtubule-associated protein 2, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. All eight central neurocytomas were characteristically immunolabeled by NeuN. NeuN immunoreactivity was uniformly strong and basically located in the nuclei of neurocytes. Despite this uniform staining pattern of central neurocytomas, 12 cases of oligodendrogliomas and three cases of ependymoma were negative for NeuN. As the diagnostic criteria for central neurocytoma include immunohistochemical and/or ultrastructural evidence for neuronal differentiation, NeuN as a sensitive and specific neuronal marker in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues may greatly facilitate the differential diagnosis of central neurocytomas.     

Increased central adiposity is associated with pro-inflammatory immunoglobulin G N-glycans

Background

Increased body fat may be associated with an increased risk of developing an underlying pro-inflammatory state, thus leading to greater risk of developing certain chronic conditions. Immunoglobulin G has the ability to exert both anti- and pro-inflammatory effects, and the N-glycosylation of the fragment crystallisable portion is involved in mediating this process. Body mass index, a rudimentary yet gold standard indication for body fat, has been shown to be associated with agalactosylated immunoglobulin G N-glycans.

Pharmacological manipulation of cardiovascular responses to lower body negative pressure

To evaluate influences on blood volume distribution, atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations (ANP) and thoracic and leg electrical impedance at 2.5 (TI_2.5 and LI_2.5, respectively) and 100 kHz (TI₁₀₀ and LI₁₀₀, respectively) were monitored during administration of ketanserin, noradrenaline and trimetaphan combined with lower body negative pressure (LBNP) in 12 subjects. Administration of clinically relevant doses of ketanserin alone did not induce changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) or in the central blood volume, as electrical impedance and ANP concentrations did not change. During continued infusion of ketanserin an increase in MAP from a mean of 90 (range 83–108) to 113 (range 98–138) mmHg was induced by noradrenaline, but TI_2.5 [mean 45.6 (range 39.3–54.2)] and TI₁₀₀ [mean 33.8 (range 27.5–38.5) ] remainded stable until ganglionic blockade and LBNP were applied, when they increased by a mean of 3.1 (range 2.0–6.1) and 2.7 (range 1.1–4.2) , respectively (P < 0.05). Conversely, LI_2.5 [mean 79.6 (range 74.1–89.4)] and LI₁₀₀ [mean 56.7 (range 52.4–63.3) ] decreased by a mean of 3.2 (range 1.2–8.0) and 2.3 (range 0.9–3.9) ANP from a mean of 27.7 (range 10.2–62.7) to 12.7 (range 7.1–27.5) pmol· 1^–1 and MAP fell to a mean of 62 (range 42–70) mmHg (P < 0.05). The heart rate was a mean of 75 (range 69–77) beats -min-' and did not change until LBNP, when it increased to a mean of 102 (range 78–104) beats · min^–1, as presyncopal symptoms appeared. The data indicated that serotonergic blockade by ketanserin and -sympathetic stimulation by noradrenaline did not affect blood volume distribution in normal humans, but that ganglionic blockade combined with LBNP reduced the central blood volume as leg volume increased; during central hypovolaemia tachycardia induced by ganglionic blockade did not prevent the fall in MAP, and thereby the appearance of presyncopal symptoms.     

Primary manifestation of Hodgkin’s disease in the central nervous system

 A 62-year-old woman presented with loss of memory and a mild hemiparesis. Neuroradiology demonstrated a left frontoparietal tumour. Biopsy specimens of this lesion revealed intracerebral Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a diagnosis supported by immunohistochemical reactions of the tumour cells for the CD30 antigen. Additional cell cycle studies revealed a high proliferative activity of the tumour cells in association with absence of apoptosis. There was no evidence that overexpression of bcl-2 or Epstein-Barr virus infection was involved in the pathogenesis of this neoplasm. Lymphomas in the lung were detected 3 months later. Following neurosurgical excision, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the patient had no evidence of Hodgkin’s disease after 13 months of follow-up. Received: 8 October 1997 / Accepted: 8 December 1997     

Use of pulsed field gel electrophoresis to determine the source of microbial contamination of central venous catheters

Microorganisms detected in situ on the distal tip of central venous catheters (CVC) within 90 min of insertion were investigated using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to analyse genomic fragments obtained with theSmaI restriction enzyme. Thirty patients received a triple lumen CVC, which was inserted directly through the skin using the Seldinger technique. In a further 30 patients a triple lumen CVC was inserted through a Swan sheath, thereby avoiding direct contact of the CVC with the skin. Staphylococci were isolated from the distal tips of the catheters in 6 patients (5 who had the CVC inserted directly through the skin and 1 who had the CVC inserted via a Swan sheath.) Twenty-three staphylococcal isolates were also isolated from the insertion equipment and the skin swabs surrounding the insertion site of these six patients. All the isolates were genotyped. In one of the patients the organisms isolated from the skin were identical to those on the CVC tip. In two further patients similar organisms were isolated from the insertion equipment and the patients' skin. These results, in addition to the reduced colonisation rates observed when catheters were introduced through a Swan sheath, support the hypothesis that microorganisms from the skin are impacted onto the CVC tip and the CVC insertion equipment at catheter insertion.     

Distribution of serotonin-immunoreactivity in the brain of the pigeon (Columba livia)

The distribution of serotonin (5-HT)-containing perikarya, fibers and terminals in the brain of the pigeon (Columba livia) was investigated, using immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence methods combined with retrograde axonal transport. Twenty-one different groups of 5-HT immunoreactive (IR) cells were identified, 2 of which were localized at the hypothalamic level (periventricular organ, infundibular recess) and 19 at the tegmental-mesencephalic and rhombencephalic levels. Ten of the cell groups were situated within the region of the midline from the isthmic to the posterior rhombencephalic level and constituted the raphe system (nucleus annularis, decussatio brachium conjunctivum, area ventralis, external border of the nucleus interpeduncularis, zona peri-nervus oculomotorius, zona perifasciculus longitudinalis medialis, zona inter-flm, nucleus linearis caudalis, nucleus raphe superior pars ventralis, nucleus raphe inferior). The 9 other cell populations belonged to the lateral group and extended from the posterior mesencephalic tegmentum to the caudal rhombencephalon [formatio reticularis mesencephali, nucleus ventrolateralis tegmenti, ectopic area (Ec) of the nucleus isthmo-opticus (NIO), nucleus subceruleus, nucleus ceruleus, nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis, nucleus vestibularis medialis, nucleus reticularis parvocellularis and nucleus reticularis magnocellularis]. Combining the retrograde axonal transport of rhodamine -isothiocyanate (RITC) after intraocular injection and immunohistofluorescence (fluoresceine isothiocyanate: FITC/5-HT) showed the centrifugal neurons (NIO, ec) to be immunonegative. Serotonin-IR fibers and terminals were found to be very broadly distributed within the brain and were particularly prominent in several structures of the telencephalon (archistriatum pars dorsalis, nucleus taeniae, area parahippocampalis, septum), diencephalon (nuclei preopticus medianus, magnocellularis, nucleus geniculatus lateralis pars ventralis, nucleus triangularis, nucleus pretectalis), mesencephalon-rhombencephalon (superficial layers of the optic tectum, nucleus ectomamillaris, nucleus isthmo-opticus and in most of the cranial nerve nuclei). Comparing the present results with those of previous studies in birds suggests some major serotonin containing pathways in the avian brain and clarifies the possible origin of the serotonin innervation of some parts of the brain. Moreover, comparing our results in birds with those obtained in other vertebrate species shows that the organization of the serotoninergic system in many regions of the avian brain is much like that found in reptiles and mammals.Abbreviations Ad Archistriatum pars dorsalis - alp area interpeduncularis - al ansa lenticularis - Ann nucleus annularis - APH area parahippocampalis - Av archistriatum pars ventralis - AVT area ventralis (Tsai) - bcd brachium conjunctivum descendens - BO bulbus olfactorius - ca commisssura anterior - CDL area corticoidea dorsolateralis - Cer cerebellum - cf fiber layer of the olfactory bulb - cg granular cell layer of the olfactory bulb - co chiasma opticum - ct commissura tectalis - dbc decussatio brachiorum conjunctivorum - DL nucleus dorsolateralis anterior thalami - DLP nucleus dorsolateralis posterior thalami - DM nucleus dorsomedialis thalami - dnt decussatio nervi trochlearis - E ectostriatum - Ec ectopic area of the nucleus isthmo-opticus - EM nucleus ectomamillaris - flm fasciculus longitudinalis medialis - fpl fasciculus prosencephali lateralis - FRL formatio reticularis lateralis mesencephali - FRM formatio reticularis medialis mesencephali - fu fasciculus uncinatus - GCt substantia grisea centralis - GLv nucleus geniculatus lateralis pars ventralis - gr granular cell layer of the cerebellum - HA hyperstriatum accessorium - HD hyperstriatum dorsale - HIS hyperstriatum intercalatus superior - HL nucleus habenularis lateralis - HM nucleus habenularis medialis - Hp hippocampus - HV hyperstriatum ventrale - ICo nucleus intercollicularis - i-flm inter fasciculus longitudinalis medialis - Imc nucleus ishmi pars magnocellularis - Ip nucleus interpeduncularis - Ipc nucleus isthmi pars parvocellularis - LA nucleus lateralis anterior thalami - La nucleus laminaris - LC nucleus linearis caudalis - LHy nucleus lateralis hypothalami - lm lemniscus medialis - LoC locus coeruleus - LPO lobus paraolfactorius - ls lemniscus spinalis - MLd nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis pars dorsalis - mo molecular layer of the cerebellum - MoV nucleus motorius nervi trigemini - Mp magnocellularis preopticus - N neostriatum - NIII nucleus nervi oculomotorii - nIII nervus oculomotorius - NIV nucleus nervi trochlearis - NV nucleus nervi trigemini nV nervus trigeminus - NVII nucleus nervifacialis - nVIII nervus octavus - NIO nucleus isthmo-opticus - om tractus occipitomesencephalicus - OPH hypothalamic periventricular organ - Os nucleus olivaris superior - Ov nucleus ovoidalis - PA paleostriatum augmentatum - Po nucleus pontis - POM nucleus preoticus medialis - PP paleostriatum primitivum - PrV nucleus sensorius principalis nervi trigemini - PT nucleus pretectalis - pu Purkinje cell layer - qf tractus quintofrontalis - Rai nucleus raphe inferior - RasV nucleus raphe superior pars ventralis - ReI recessus infundibularis - Rm nucleus reticularis magnocellularis - Rp nucleus reticularis parvocellularis - RPc nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis - RPO nucleus reticularis pontis oralis - Rt nucleus rotundus - Ru nucleus ruber - S septum - Sac stratum album centrale - SCH stratum cellulare hypothalami - Sgc stratum griseum centrale - Sgf stratum griseum et fibrosum superficiale - Sgfp stratum griseum et fibrosum periventriculare - Sop stratum opticum - SP nucleus subpretectalis - SPC nucleus superficialis parvocellularis - Spl nucleus spiriformis lateralis - Spm nucleus spiriformis medialis - SRt nucleus subrotundus - SuC nucleus subcoeruleus - to tractus opticus - Tn nucleus taeniae - TPc nucleus tegmenti pedunculo-pontinus pars compacta - Tr nucleus triangularis - tsm tractus septomesencephalicus - ttd nucleus et tractus descendens nervi trigemini - Tu nucleus tuberis - Vel nucleus vestibularis lateralis - Vem nucleus vestibularis medialis - Vlt nucleus ventrolateralis thalami - VT nucleus ventrolateralis tegmenti - Zp-flm zona perifasciculus longitudinalis medialis - Zp-NIII zona perinervus oculomotorius     

Behavioral effects of stimulating positive reward sites in the central tegmentum of rhesus monkeys.

Rhesus monkeys with electrodes chronically implanted in reward sites in central tegmentum were given telemetered brain stimulation while they were free ranging alone or with cagemates. Stimulation seemed to induce a relaxed positive affect as measured by increased huddling, increased lipsmacking, reduced muscle tone, increased solicitation of grooming and increased grooming of other monkeys. Stimulation did not increase dominant/submissive interactions and seemed to have no effect on aggression or fear. These results are very different from those obtained from an anterolateral hypothalamic self-stimulation site and indicate that fibers which provide input from this area to anterolateral hypothalamus are not solely responsible for effects obtained in the anterolateral hypothalamic area.     

The ophthalmic artery and its branches,measurements and clinical importance

Summary Seventy-one Caucasian orbits (36 right, 35 left) were studied by dissection. The diameter of the ophthalmic a. (2 mm from the origin) was 1.54 ± 0.04 mm (male) and 1.31 ± 0.05 mm (female). In individual cases, there were no significant differences in vessel diameter between the right and left sides but, differences in vessel diameter between males and females were more commonly observed in the arteries which leave the orbit (extraorbital group), the individual vessels having a larger diameter in males. The incidence of the ophthalmic a. passing in the orbit medially under the optic n. was 18.6%. The lacrimal a. was observed to arise from the ophthalmic a. in only 82.5% of the cases examined, 15.9% of the cases showed the origin to be at the anastomotic branch of the middle meningealThis article is dedicated to Pr Dr Hoepke on occasion of his 100th birthday     

Extensive immune-mediated hippocampal damage in mice surviving infection with neuroadapted Sindbis virus

Viral infections of the central nervous system and immune responses to these infections cause a variety of neurological diseases. Infection of weanling mice with Sindbis virus causes acute nonfatal encephalomyelitis followed by clearance of infectious virus, but persistence of viral RNA. Infection with a neuroadapted strain of Sindbis virus (NSV) causes fatal encephalomyelitis, but passive transfer of immune serum after infection protects from fatal disease and infectious virus is cleared. To determine whether persistent NSV RNA is associated with neurological damage, we examined the brains of recovered mice and found progressive loss of the hippocampal gyrus, adjacent white matter, and deep cerebral cortex associated with mononuclear cell infiltration. Mice deficient in CD4(+) T cells showed less tissue loss, while mice lacking CD8(+) T cells showed lesions comparable to those in immunocompetent mice. Mice deficient in both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells developed severe tissue loss similar to immunocompetent mice and this was associated with extensive infiltration of macrophages. The number of CD4(+) cells and macrophage/microglial cells, but not CD8(+) cells, infiltrating the hippocampal gyrus was correlated with the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling positive pyramidal neurons. These results suggest that CD4(+) T cells can promote progressive neuronal death and tissue injury, despite clearance of infectious virus.