A morphometric analysis of the development of the fourth ventricle choroid plexus in the rat

The choroid plexus from the rat fourth ventricle was investigated at ages from 16 days of gestation to 30 days after birth. Choroid plexus weights were measured and light and electron micrographs were analysed by quantitative stereological techniques at 4 levels of magnification. There was a 10-fold increase in plexus weight between 19 days of gestation and 30 days after birth which was largely due to an increase in epithelial weight, with little change occurring in the connective tissue core. Before birth, epithelial cell height decreased whereas between 10 and 30 days after birth cross-sectional area increased, both events being accompanied by corresponding changes in cell volume. Large intracellular stores of glycogen were present around birth, when they occupied up to 20% of the cell volume. After birth there were significant increases in apical microvillus height, the number of microvilli per cell and in the size of the mitochondria, suggesting that a large increase in choroid plexus secretory function, or the commencement of a new function, occurs after birth in the rat.     

3,5-甾二烯化合物的合成及抗早孕活性

以18-甲基-17β-羟基-17α-乙炔基-雌甾-4-烯-3-酮(18-甲基炔诺酮),17β-羟基-17α-乙缺基-雌甾-4-烯-3-酮(炔诺酮),17β-羟基-17α-乙炔基-雄甾-4-烯-3-酮(妊娠素)和17a-羟基孕甾-4-烯-3,20二酮(17α-羟基黄体酮)为原料,经NaBH,还原、脱水、双键转位和酯化等反应合成一系列3,5-甾二烯化合物,用¹HNMR和MS证明了它们的结构。动物筛选结果表明,17β-丙酰氧基-17α-乙炔基-雌甾-3,5-二烯(IV_b2有明显的抗早孕活性。中断早期妊娠的作用似与其雌激素活性有关。     

Evaluation of encephalic ventricular volume from the magnetic resonance imaging scans of thirty-eight human subjects

Summary Accurate volume determination of the encephalic ventricles is of importance in several clinical conditions, including Alzheimer's presenile dementia, schizophrenia, and benign intracranial hypertension. Previous studies have investigated the accuracy with which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used in clinical practice to evaluate the encephalic ventricles. However, adequate evaluation of pathological conditions depends on a sufficient amount of morphometric data from normal subjects. To begin establishing this data base for normal subjects, we evaluated the MRI scans of 38 subjects found to have no apparent pathology and calculated the ventricular volume in each case by using methods previously developed in our laboratory. The results were then compared with published volumes determined from studies that used either ventricular casts or computerized tomographic scans. The average total ventricular volume for all 38 subjects was 17.4 cm³, while that for males was 16.3 cm³ and that for females was 18.0 cm³. A small but significant correlation was found between age of subject and ventricular volume, with ventricular size increasing with age.

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Evaluation du volume des ventricules cérébraux à partir des images obtenues en résonance magnétique nucléaire chez 38 sujets humains

Résumé La détermination exacte du volume des ventricules cérébraux est importante en clinique comme par exemple dans la démence présénile d'Alzheimer, la schizophrénie et l'hypertension intracrânienne bénigne. Des études antérieures ont étudié la fiabilité de la résonance magnétique nucléaire en pratique clinique pour évaluer le volume des ventricules cérébraux. Toutefois une évaluation correcte dans les conditions pathologiques implique une bonne connaissance des données morphométriques du sujet normal. Pour établir ces données sur « le sujet normal », nous avons étudié les coupes obtenues en IRM chez 38 sujets apparemment indemnes de toute pathologie; nous avons calculé le volume ventriculaire dans chaque cas en utilisant des méthodes mises au point auparavant dans notre laboratoire. Les résultats ont été ensuite comparés avec ceux obtenus par d'autres études utilisant soit des moules ventriculaires, soit des coupes tomographiques computérisées. Le volume ventriculaire total moyen chez 38 sujets est de 17,4 cm³, mais il est chez les sujets masculins de 16,3 cm³ et chez les sujets de sexe féminin de 18 cm³. Une corrélation faible mais significative a été trouvée entre l'âge du sujet et le volume ventriculaire, étant entendu que la taille du ventricule augmente avec l'âge.

     

Congenital pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect: angiographic and surgical correlates

Of 181 patients with severe congenital pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect or "type IV truncus" (an obsolete term), all but 11% had true central pulmonary arteries. These arteries were demonstrable by large serial biplane angiograms using multiple selective injections into collateral vessels, frequent photographic subtraction, and occasional pulmonary vein-wedge angiograms. These techniques are extremely important for accurate diagnosis and in planning corrective or palliative surgery, which was done in 77% of patients with pulmonary arteries.     

New evidence for,and challenges in,linking small CGG repeat expansion FMR1 alleles with Parkinson's disease

We recently reported a significant increase in the frequency of carriers of grey zone (GZ) alleles of FMR1 gene in Australian males with Parkinson's disease (PD) from Victoria and Tasmania. Here, we report data comparing an independent sample of 817 PD patients from Queensland to 1078 consecutive Australian male newborns from Victoria. We confirmed the earlier finding by observing a significant excess of GZ alleles in PD (4.8%) compared to controls (1.5%). Although both studies provided evidence in support of an association between GZ‐carrier status and increased risk for parkinsonism, the existing evidence in the literature from screening studies remains equivocal and we discuss the need for alternative approaches to resolve the issue.     

Telomere dysfunction accurately predicts clinical outcome in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia,even in patients with early stage disease

Defining the prognosis of individual cancer sufferers remains a significant clinical challenge. Here we assessed the ability of high‐resolution single telomere length analysis (STELA), combined with an experimentally derived definition of telomere dysfunction, to predict the clinical outcome of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). We defined the upper telomere length threshold at which telomere fusions occur and then used the mean of the telomere ‘fusogenic’ range as a prognostic tool. Patients with telomeres within the fusogenic range had a significantly shorter overall survival (P < 0·0001; Hazard ratio [HR] = 13·2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 11·6–106·4) and this was preserved in early‐stage disease patients (P < 0·0001, HR=19·3, 95% CI = 17·8–802·5). Indeed, our assay allowed the accurate stratification of Binet stage A patients into those with indolent disease (91% survival at 10 years) and those with poor prognosis (13% survival at 10 years). Furthermore, patients with telomeres above the fusogenic mean showed superior prognosis regardless of their IGHV mutation status or cytogenetic risk group. In keeping with this finding, telomere dysfunction was the dominant variable in multivariate analysis. Taken together, this study provides compelling evidence for the use of high‐resolution telomere length analysis coupled with a definition of telomere dysfunction in the prognostic assessment of CLL.