Hypertonic/hyperoncotic fluids reverse prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-induced T-cell suppression

In recent years, hypertonic, and hyperoncotic fluids have been examined for their potential to replace conventional isotonic fluids. This study describes the effects of commonly used intravenous fluids on immune function. The action of increased concentrations of hypertonic saline (HTS), hypertonic saline-dextran (HSD), dextran (Dx), albumin (ALB), and hydroxyethylstarch (HET) on in vitro proliferation of phytohemagglutinin-stimulated normal and prostaglandin E2-suppressed human peripheral blood mononuclear cells was tested. At clinically relevant levels, HTS, HSD (20-40 mM hypertonicity), and ALB (2.5 mg/mL) enhanced T-cell proliferation by 65, 75, and 70%, respectively. Dx and HET had little effect. HTS also reversed prostaglandin E2-suppressed (10 ng/mL) T-cell proliferation to normal levels, and HSD enhanced T-cell proliferation by 40%, in contrast to Dx, ALB, and HET which had minimal effects. The results suggest that hypertonic/hyperoncotic solutions might improve prostaglandin-mediated suppression of T-cell function in patients and may be a useful adjunct to reduce the risk of infection.

Dopaminergic regulation of transcription factor expression in organotypic cultures of developing striatum

Dopamine is a major neurotransmitter in neural systems innervating the striatum, and dopamine receptors are expressed during early pattern formation in the developing striatum. To test for the functional responsiveness of developing striatal neurons to dopaminergic stimulation, we established an organotypic slice culture of newborn rat striatum. We analyzed the effects of dopamine receptor agonists and of adenylate cyclase and protein kinase activation on striatal neurons by measuring the induction of Fos-like and Fra-like proteins in the cultured striatum. Fos-like and Fra-like proteins were induced in striatal neurons by activation of D1-like dopamine receptors but not by activation of D2-like receptors. The induction of Fos-like protein was mainly in striosomes and a medial compartment next to the ventricular zone, whereas Fra-like protein was induced in the striatal matrix as well. cAMP analogs and forskolin induced widespread expression of both Fos-like and Fra-like proteins. Our findings thus suggest that neurons of developing striosome and matrix compartments not only have different functional coupling of D1-like receptors to adenylate cyclase, but also have distinct maturational programs for dopaminergic regulation of individual transcription factors. Finally, despite evidence that protein kinase was involved in the induction of Fos-like protein, experiments with kinase inhibitors suggested that the induction of Fos-like protein had unusual pharmacological characteristics and raised the possibility that a novel protein kinase A-like molecule may have been involved in the induction. The cultured striatal slice preparation should provide a valuable tool for analyzing the molecular determinants of striatal development and function.

Tumor necrosis factor antibody treatment of septic baboons reduces the production of sustained T-cell suppressive factors

Post-traumatic septic complications result from impaired cell-mediated immune function, which is caused in part by circulating T-cell suppressive factors (TSFs). We examined whether tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) antibody treatment in a baboon sepsis model influences the production of TSFs, including interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). Sepsis was induced in anesthetized baboons by Escherichia coli infusion, and caused an increase in plasma levels of TNF, TSF activity, IL-10, and active TGF-beta, as well as a decrease in latent TGF-beta. TNF antibody pretreatment reduced TNF levels by 98%. Transient TSF activity (0-4 h) was only marginally influenced, while sustained TSF activity (8-24 h) was markedly reduced. TSF activity at 24 h correlated with peak TNF levels. IL-10 levels, coinciding with early TSF activity, remained unchanged by anti-TNF treatment. Levels of active TGF-beta and the drop in latent TGF-beta were decreased. We conclude that anti-TNF treatment reduces sustained TSF activity and may partially restore impaired cell-mediated immune function.

Effects of trauma on immune cell function: impairment of intracellular calcium signaling

Immunosuppression following injury influences infectious morbidity and mortality. Impaired T-cell activation conceding to inadequate antigen recognition contributes to this immunosuppression. Successful activation and proliferation of T-cells requires precisely specified levels of intracellular calcium thresholds and peak signals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate intracellular calcium signaling following injury. Hospitalized blunt and penetrating trauma patients in a Level 1 Trauma Center following injury and sepsis were tested for immune cell calcium signaling. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated and calcium signaling tested with Fura-2 AM. PBMC from trauma patients had significantly depressed values of baseline, peak and sustained levels of intracellular calcium prior to and following phytohemagglutinin stimulation when compared to normal controls. This deficit in intracellular calcium signaling is more severe in septic trauma patients (60% reduction). Suppression of calcium signaling appears to be mediated by at least, in part, circulating serum factors. Prostaglandin E2 seems to have a limited contribution to this effect as it is suppressive only when in direct contact with PBMC. Immune cell activation failure can in part be explained by the inadequacy of calcium signaling; restoration of immunocompetence following trauma will have to be addressed by strategies to restore calcium signaling, a vital step necessary for T-cell proliferation following antigen recognition.

Hypertonic saline enhances cellular immune function

Hypertonic saline (HTS) resuscitation improves outcome after trauma. We studied the effect of HTS on immune function. In vitro T-cell proliferation of human and rabbit peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was doubled at 25 mM increased extracellular Na+ concentrations. Further increased hypertonicity (more than 40 mM with human cells, and 80 mM with rabbit cells) caused progressive suppression of proliferation. Human and rabbit monocyte functions (tumor necrosis factor production) were augmented by 300% at 30 mM hypertonicity, indicating that HTS-enhanced accessory cell function of monocytes may cause increased T-cell proliferation. Substitution of HTS with KCl also enhanced T-cell proliferation, suggesting an involvement of osmotic effects. HTS (up to 30 mM) increased Ca2+i of nonstimulated human PBMC. HTS injection in rabbits increased cell-mediated immune function (delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction). Our findings suggest that increased plasma osmolality may up-regulate cellular immune function. HTS resuscitation of trauma patients may thus reverse posttraumatic immunosuppression and reduce the risk of sepsis.

Intrastriatal grafts derived from fetal striatal primordia--IV. Host and donor neurons are not intermixed

Embryonic striatal grafts transplanted into excitotoxin-damaged host striatum develop a heterogeneous structure in which some regions resemble striatum but others do not. In the experiments reported here, we tested for the possibility that the regions resembling striatum were actually derived from host neurons that migrated into the grafts, rather than being derived from donor cells. We placed embryonic striatal grafts into host brains in which striatal cells had been multiply pulse-labeled with [3H]thymidine. Four groups of host rats were exposed to [3H]thymidine at embryonic days 12 and 13-15, 15-18, 16-19, or 20 to postnatal day 1, and were allowed to reach maturity. One week prior to grafting, lesions of the caudoputamen were made unilaterally in each host rat by injecting ibotenic acid. At grafting, dissociated cells from embryonic days 14-16 rat striatal primordia were injected bilaterally into the host caudoputamen. The locations of [3H]thymidine-labeled neurons were analysed by autoradiography eight to 16.5 months post-grafting. Despite the presence of many intensely labeled neurons in the host striatum of rats in all four groups, intensely labeled neurons were rarely found in the cores of grafts. A few weakly labeled small cells appeared in the graft cores, and occasional strongly or weakly labeled medium-sized cells appeared at the margins of the graft zones. Some perivascular cells associated with blood vessels in the grafts were also weakly labeled, but the gliotic tissue surrounding the graft zones was not labeled. These results suggest that very few host striatal neurons migrate into the cores of intrastriatal grafts, or that, if they do, such neurons return to the host striatum or do not survive. At most, surviving host striatal neurons have limited spatial interactions with donor cells at the margins of the grafts, both in the damaged and in the intact host striatal environment. These observations, combined with our previous finding that [3H]thymidine-labeled cells derived from embryonic day 15 striatal primordia do not appear in the host striatum, indicate that no extensive mutual migrations of striatal donor neurons and host neurons occur in the zones of grafting.

Improved rapid photometric assay for quantitative measurement of PMN migration

We developed an improved quantitative method to measure in vitro polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) migration using an assembly consisting of a 96-well chamber, polycarbonate filter membrane, and a 96-well microtiter plate. The convenience in setup and counting of migrated cells using this method allows processing of 80 samples and 16 controls in a short assay time of only 2 h. The peroxidase contained in PMNs was used as a marker enzyme to determine the number of migrated cells. Peroxidase released from lysed migrated cells was detected with an enzymatic method utilizing o-dianisidine as substrate. Photometric measurement was performed with a conventional microtiter plate reader at a wavelength of 405 nm. Optical density readings obtained using the enzymatic assay correlated with the number of migrated cells in a linear fashion up to 1 x 10(5) cells/well. The sensitivity of the enzymatic assay was sufficient to determine cell counts as low as 500 PMNs. PMNs lost no measurable amounts of peroxidase during the migration assay when ZAS was used as the chemoattractant. A calibration method was developed to make corrections for variations in the peroxidase content of different cell preparations and changes in the peroxidase content of cells exposed to the chemoattractant. High speed, convenient handling, and the use of standard laboratory equipment result in low cost per assay and make this migration assay ideally suited to research and clinical applications.

Influence of mesostriatal afferents on the development and transmitter regulation of intrastriatal grafts derived from embryonic striatal primordia

Embryonic striatal grafts develop a modular organization in which patches of tissue enriched in many transmitter substances characteristic of striatum (P regions) are embedded in surrounds (NP regions) expressing only low levels of these substances. Catecholaminergic fibers from the host brain, identified by their expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), grow into such grafts and selectively terminate in the striatum-like P regions. This terminal pattern suggests that cell-cell affinities between neurons of the substantia nigra and striatum may play a role either in the aggregation of the striatal cells into P regions, or in the targeting of the TH-positive fibers to the cell clusters. In the present study, we tested the first of these possibilities. Striatal grafts derived from embryonic day 15 striatal primordia were implanted into the ibotenate-damaged host striatum of rats previously treated with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) to destroy TH-containing dopaminergic nigrostriatal afferents. The 6-OHDA lesions that eliminated nearly all TH-like immunostaining in the host striatum also resulted in disappearance of nearly all TH-positive fibers in the grafts. In this dopamine-depleted environment, the grafts nevertheless developed a clear modular organization. They contained striatum-like patches with neurons expressing many of the neurochemicals characteristic of striatum (ACh, ChAT, calbindin-D28KD, met-enkephalin, and dopamine- and adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-regulated phosphoprotein-32,000 or DARPP-32), and these patches were surrounded by graft tissue expressing few of these striatal markers. These observations suggest that the ingrowth of TH-positive fibers from the host is not obligatory for the sorting out of striatal from nonstriatal cells during the formation of P regions in embryonic striatal grafts. Despite the fact that dopaminergic denervation of the host striatum did not disrupt either the aggregation of grafted cells into P regions or the acquisition of striatal neurochemical phenotypes by cells in the P regions, there were clear differences between the staining patterns of these grafts and grafts placed into dopamine-innervated striatum. Most striking was a sharp increase of met-enkephalin-like immunostaining in the P zones of the denervated grafts. Upregulation of met-enkephalin is known to occur in the dopamine-depleted mature striatum, and was observed in the parts of host striatum surrounding the grafts on the side ipsilateral to the 6-OHDA lesions. This result suggests that functional interactions between dopaminergic and enkephalinergic systems can occur in the striatal circuits reconstructed by embryonic striatal grafting. More generally, our results suggest that TH-containing afferents from the host striatum, though not required for induction and maintenance of striatal phenotypy in striatal grafts, can chronically regulate neurotransmitter/neuromodulator expression in neurons of the striatum-like P zones in a manner similar to that found for the normal striatum.

[Experimental and clinical research of dachengqi decoction in treating post-traumatic respiratory distress syndrome]

12 cases of post-traumatic RDS treated with Dachengqi Decoction were reported.

RESULTS

10 patients survived, which showed a bright prospect for the treatment of post-traumatic RDS. In the experimental study, model of RDS was set up in rabbits. The pressure of PaO2 was determined and the morphologic changes of their lung tissues was observed after the rabbits were perfused with Dachengqi Decoction. The results showed that their PaO2 were markedly increased and lung conditions greatly improved, which provided an experimental basis for RDS with Dachengqi Decoction. Among 12 cases; nine were moderate cases and three serious ones. During the course of treatment with Dachengqi Decoction, two patients died, covering only 16.6% of the total number of patients. This fact confirms the efficacy of Dachengqi Decoction in treating the post-traumatic RDS.

The enzymatic and release characteristics of sheep neutrophil elastase: a comparison with human neutrophil elastase

Sheep are often used to study tissue damage following shock after traumatic injury and in the course of other diseases. The processes involved are thought to be caused at least in part by elastase released from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). Since little is known about elastase and its role as a mediator of tissue damage in sheep, we studied the biochemical properties and release characteristics to sheep leukocyte elastase (SLE) in comparison of those of human leukocyte elastase (HLE). Both enzymes showed similar molecular masses, amino-acid compositions, N-terminal amino-acid sequences, and abilities to digest elastin substrates. Differences, however, were found in kinetic parameters measured with the elastase-specific substrate N-methoxysuccinyl-(L-alanyl)2-L-prolyl-L- valine-4-nitroanilide (MeoSuc-AAPV-pNa). The Michaelis constant (Km) of ovine elastase was nearly 10 times higher (1.82 mM) than the Km of HLE (0.21 mM). Values of SLE calculated for kcat were 70% and for kcat/Km 8% of corresponding values determined for HLE. In addition, significant differences between sheep and human PMNs were found in in vitro stimulation experiments. In contrast to human PMNs, sheep neutrophils released no active elastase, and only 50 to 70% of the H2O2 produced by human PMNs. This failure to release active elastase could not be explained by a lower elastase content of sheep PMNs, as there were no significant differences found between the elastase contents of sheep and human PMNs. We conclude that elastase liberated by stimulated sheep PMNs is inactivated by a concomitantly released proteinase inhibitor also located within the sheep PMNs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Heterogeneous development of calbindin-D28K expression in the striatal matrix

In the present study, we attempted to trace the development of the striatal matrix by analyzing the ontogenetic expression of calbindin-D28K (calbindin), a calcium binding protein selectivity expressed in medium-sized neurons of the matrix compartment of the mature rat's caudoputamen. The localization of calbindin was documented in a series of developing rat brains, as was the compartmental location of these cells relative to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunostained dopamine islands, sites of future striosomes. Medium-sized striatal neurons appeared in the striatum at embryonic day (E) 20, and from their first appearance, the calbindin-positive neurons had highly heterogeneous distributions. They first formed a latticework of patches and bands in a ventral region of the caudoputamen. By postnatal day (P) 7, this early calbindin-positive lattice had evolved into a mosaic in which circumscript pockets of low calbindin-like immunoreactivity appeared in more extensive calbindin-rich surrounds. With further development, the mosaic gradually encroached on all but the dorsolateral caudoputamen, a district that is calbindin-poor at adulthood. A special lateral branch of the striatal calbindin system was also identified, distinct from the rest of the calbindin-positive mosaic in several developmental characteristics. In the parts of the caudoputamen where the developing calbindin system and dopamine island system were both present, the dopamine islands invariably lay in calbindin-poor zones. Most dopamine islands, however, only filled parts of the corresponding calbindin-poor zones. Moreover, there were some calbindin-poor zones for which TH-positive dopamine islands could not be detected. Thus during development, calbindin was expressed in the extrastriosomal matrix of the striatum, but the matrix could be divided into calbindin-rich and calbindin-poor zones. In the calbindin-rich regions, there were patches of especially intense calbindin expression and zones of weaker expression. These results suggest that there is neurochemical heterogeneity in the striatal matrix during the prolonged developmental period in which the early calbindin-positive lattice expands to form the calbindin-positive matrix of the mature striatum. Surprisingly, calbindin expression in the matrix, although eventually distributed in strictly complementary fashion to striosomes, does not originate as a system complementary to dopamine islands. The prolonged disparity between the borders of dopamine islands and calbindin-poor zones, and the different spatiotemporal schedules of development of the islands and the calbindin gaps suggest instead that the final match between the borders of striosomes and surrounding matrix results from dynamic processes occurring early in postnatal development. Candidate mechanisms for the gradual adjustment of these borders are proposed.

Transient calbindin-D28k-positive systems in the telencephalon: ganglionic eminence, developing striatum and cerebral cortex

Calbindin-D28k (calbindin) is a member of the superfamily of calcium-binding proteins implicated in the regulation of intracellular calcium. In the mature brain, calbindin is widely expressed in neurons of the forebrain and the hindbrain, and in the telencephalon calbindin-like immunoreactivity is particularly strongly expressed by medium-sized neurons of the striatum and by certain other neurons in the cortex and subcortex. We have traced the development of calbindin expression in the forebrain of the rat, and report here that in addition to the steady development of these calbindin-positive neuronal systems, transient waves of calbindin expression occur in cells of the ventricular zones of the basal ganglia and cortex and in cells of the telencephalic regions derived from these ventricular zones including radial glia of the developing striatum. In the striatum and its ventricular zone (the ganglionic eminence, or GE) we identified four transient calbindin-positive systems in the perinatal period. First, calbindin-immunoreactive cells began to appear in the GE by embryonic day (E)18, and by E20 an extensive dorsal and lateral part of the GE was marked by dense calbindin-like immunoreactivity in the ventricular zone. This calbindin system peaked at postnatal day (P)0-P3 and disappeared by P15. Its presence suggests that the GE is divisible on a molecular basis into lateral and medial districts that may correspond to derivatives of the lateral and medial ventricular ridges. Second, a system of calbindin-positive processes appeared in the dorsal and lateral caudoputamen with temporal and spatial distributions matching the germinal zone system. Many of these processes could be traced from calbindin-positive cells in the ventricular zone of the GE, including processes stretching across the full width of the dorsal caudoputamen. Double-staining experiments demonstrated that these radial processes were Rat.401-positive, suggesting that they form a subset of radial glia in the developing telencephalon. These findings demonstrate that during development calbindin is expressed in glial as well as neural cells. They further suggest that the radial glia associated with the GE form heterogeneous populations, the transient calbindin-positive radial glia being associated with the lateral ridge of the GE and its derivatives. Third, a scattered population of calbindin-positive cells with morphologies different from the common medium-sized calbindin-immunoreactive neurons of the striatum appeared in the dorsal and lateral striatum from about E20 to P15. Some of these cells were close to the transient calbindin-positive radial processes in the same region, but others were not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

[Changes in superoxide dismutases and serum Zn, Cu in senile patients with yang deficiency]

This article reports on the respective determinations, which employ RIA and AAS, of superoxide dismutases (SOD-I) and serum Zn, Cu from 40 cases of senile patients with Yang deficiency. The results, which 994 +/- 125 ng/mg Hb, 63.6 +/- 12.1 micrograms%, 72.6 +/- 10.7 micrograms% respectively, were all significantly lower than the normal subjects and senile subjects (P less than 0.01), and showed that serum Zn was positively interrelated with SOD-I (r = 0.34). Integrating SOD-I and the function of serum Zn, Cu in senile especially the relations between Zn, Cu and SOD-I, the authors have made a preliminary probe into the mechanism of senile Yang deficiency's occurrence.

Intrastriatal grafts derived from fetal striatal primordia. III. Induction of modular patterns of fos-like immunoreactivity by cocaine

Cocaine, a catecholamine agonist, has been shown to produce a transient induction of the immediate-early gene c-fos and its protein product Fos in the striatum of normal rats. In the present study we report that the expression of Fos can be induced by cocaine challenge in intrastriatal grafts derived from cell suspensions of embryonic striatal primordia. Fos-like immunoreactivity in the nuclei of grafted neurons was detected 2 hr after the injection of 50 mg/kg cocaine into the host rats. Neurons with Fos-immunoreactive nuclei tended to form clusters in the striatal grafts. The Fos-rich clusters were aligned with acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-rich and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-rich patches demonstrated in adjoining sections. Previous studies have shown that presynaptic and postsynaptic cellular markers of the dopaminergic system in the striatum, including immunostaining for TH and dopamine- and adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-regulated phosphoprotein (DARPP-32), and binding for high affinity dopamine uptake sites and for dopamine D1 and D2 receptor sites, are all concentrated in the AChE-rich patch regions (P regions) of such embryonic striatal grafts. The preferential expression of Fos in neurons of the P regions of the grafts thus implies that the induction of Fos was cell-type specific in being concentrated in the parts of the grafts that express striatal phenotype and that are innervated by catecholamine-containing fibers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Laser resistant stainless steel endotracheal tube: experimental and clinical evaluation

A fire due to endotracheal tube (ET) ignition is a catastrophic event that may occur during laser surgery of the upper airway, regardless of the wavelength utilized. Although methods exist that permit laser surgery without an ET, this is frequently not feasible. The current investigation was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of a double-cuffed stainless steel ET, first in the laboratory and subsequently in a clinical setting. Bench testing was performed using CO2 (both standard and milliwatt) and KTP/532 lasers. Only the distal polyvinyl chloride cuffed end of the tube was potentially ignitable, however, the appropriate use of saline to fill the cuffs allowed only for cuff perforation without ignition. Canine testing was performed in 10 animals: 4 dogs were intubated from 3 to 4.5 hours with the laser resistant stainless steel endotracheal tube (LRSS-ET) (Laser-Flex Tracheal Tube; Mallinckrodt Anesthesia Products, St. Louis, MO) and 2 with an aluminum tape wrapped red rubber ET. Visual and histological examination were performed in both groups at 3 and 7 days. Four dogs underwent CO2 laser laryngeal surgery with visual and histological examination performed at 7 days postoperatively. No untoward effects could be demonstrated due to the LRSS-ET. A clinical study was then performed in 24 patients who underwent laser surgery of the upper aerodigestive tract with either a CO2 or KTP/532 laser. In all cases ventilation was adequate, the shaft of the LRSS-ET proved impervious to the laser, and the distal end of the tube protected the tracheobronchial tree safely.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Intrastriatal grafts derived from fetal striatal primordia: II. Reconstitution of cholinergic and dopaminergic systems

Reconstitution of striatal cholinergic and dopaminergic systems was studied in intrastriatal grafts derived from embryonic day 15 rat striatal primordia and implanted into adult host rats in which unilateral ibotenic acid lesions had previously been made in the striatum. Histochemical, immunohistochemical, and ligand binding autoradiographic techniques were applied to analyze different constituents of these two systems and to study their locations relative to each other in grafts allowed to grow for 9-17 months following transplantation. For the cholinergic system, a modular organization was found in the striatal grafts with stains for choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase, respectively the synthetic and degradative enzymes for cholinergic neurons; by autoradiographic [3H]hemicholinium binding, specific for high affinity choline uptake sites associated with cholinergic terminals; and by autoradiographic [3H]pirenzepine binding, selective for M1 receptors. For the dopaminergic system, a comparable modular organization was found in the grafts by immunostaining for tyrosine hydroxylase, the catecholamine synthetic enzyme; by autoradiographic [3H]mazindol binding for dopamine uptake sites; and by [3H]SCH23390 binding for dopamine D1 receptors and [3H]sulpiride binding for dopamine D2 receptors. The results indicate that the distributions of the cholinergic and dopaminergic markers in striatal grafts are in close anatomical register. These markers for intracellular and membrane-associated components of the cholinergic and dopaminergic systems were preferentially localized in the acetylcholesterase-rich patches of the grafts in which cortical and thalamic fibers have also been found in striatal grafts, and in which output neurons projecting to the pallidum are located. This anatomical correlation suggests that the substrates for cholinergic-dopaminergic interactions typical of the normal striatum may be reinstated in the grafts both in relation to efferent neurons establishing connections with the host brain that are typical of normal striatofugal connections, and in relation to major afferent fiber systems from the host brain originating in regions known to project densely to the normal striatum. Accordingly, the cholinergic and dopaminergic systems in such grafts may regulate the functional influence of the grafts on the behavior of host animals.

Intrastriatal grafts derived from fetal striatal primordia. I. Phenotypy and modular organization

Fetal striatal grafts display a striking modularity of composition. With acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemistry, the tissue of such grafts can be divided into regions with strong AChE staining of the neuropil and regions in which AChE staining of the neuropil is weak. In the experiments reported here, we reexamined the nature of this modularity. Striatal grafts were made by injecting dissociated cells of E15 ganglionic eminence into the striatum of adult rats, which 7 days before had recived intrastriatal deposits of ibotenic acid. Some donors had been exposed to 3H-thymidine at E11-E15. After 9-17 month survivals, the anatomical organization of the grafts was studied by histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and autoradiography. In every graft, the AChE-rich regions formed patches (P regions) in a larger AChE-poor surround (NP regions). Neurons labeled with 3H-thymidine appeared in both P and NP regions, suggesting that donor cells were distributed in each type of region and that neither type of tissue, P or NP, was composed exclusively of host tissue. In the AChE-rich P regions, markers characteristic of normal perinatal and mature rat striatum were expressed by medium-sized cells: calcium-binding protein (calbindin D28k) immunostaining, metenkephalin (mENK) immunostaining, and, more rarely, somatostatin (SOM) immunostaining. In the NP regions, however, medium-sized cells expressing calbindin and mENK immunostaining were very rare, and there was an abundance of neuronal types not found in normal mature striatal tissue. These included (1) large, multipolar, calbindin-positive neurons with well-ramified, densely stained dendrites, (2) large, SOM-positive neurons with prominent dendritic trees, and (3) mENK-positive cells smaller than typical striatal, medium-sized, mENK-immunoreactive neurons. In Nissl stains, the AChE-rich P regions resembled the normal striatum of mature animals, whereas the AChE-poor NP regions did not. These findings suggest that the P regions of fetal striatal grafts achieve a phenotypy similar to that of normal striatum at maturity and during much of postnatal development. The dominant expression of perikaryal calbindin-like immunoreactivity in the P regions further suggests that these zones have a high proportion of tissue resembling striatal matrix. By contrast, expression of marker antigens in the NP zones of the grafts suggests that these zones are predominantly composed of nonstriatal tissue or that they have the phenotypy of immature striatum intermixed with some nonstriatal cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Staging in the treatment of maxillary carcinoma revisited

The site of origin of maxillary sinus carcinoma will not infrequently predetermine the varied neurological signs at presentation. Modifying Ohngren's division, the maxillary sinus can be divided into four quadrants based on anatomical nerve correlates, thus facilitating identification of the primary site. An inclusive classification of maxillary sinus carcinoma based on Broder's grading, site of origin, the TNM classification and the patient's general condition, serves as the basis for a correlative therapeutic regimen.

A classification system for maxillary sinus carcinoma

A system of classification that reflects the site of origin within the sinus cavity is proposed for maxillary sinus carcinoma. Careful examination for areas of anesthesia or pain over the distribution of the various branches of the infraorbital nerve may localize the site of origin of the disease within the maxillary sinus. Early treatment can thus be provided, sometimes before the tumor can be identified radiologically.