Three Dimensional Brain Parameters of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patients

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

MS is not only a demyelinating disease of central nervous system, but it also affects cortical and deep gray matter (GM). Furthermore, it causes axonal damage in the brain and spinal cord through inflammation and axonal degeneration. It is mostly seen between the ages of 20 and 40 and prevalence of the disease is higher among females than males. In the present study, we measured different parameters in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls in both genders to determine the amount of brain atrophy quantitatively in MS patients.

METHODS

We used T2-weighted MRI scans of 40 MS patients (25 females + 15 males) with clinically definite relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis that was determined according to Poser criteria in multiple parts of the brain, and we compared these data with those of sex-matched healthy controls in the same numbers.

RESULTS

Wideness of the lateral and third ventricles and the volumes of cerebral sulci in MS patients were significantly increased compared to both male and female controls. Brain width, corpus callosum area and the total brain/cerebellum + brain stem volumes of MS patients were decreased considerably.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS

The present measurements indicated that MS caused parenchymal destruction in the cortex, axonal degeneration and myelin loss in the white matter of the brain. Consequently, the current observations correlate well with worsening disability in MS patients.

Changes of Cerebellar Cortex in a Valproic Acid-Induced Rat Model of Autism

In this study, 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats (8 for each group) were used in total to examine the effects of valproic acid on rat cerebellum. It was determined that the experimental group received valproic acid (600mg/kg) on embryonic day 15 and postnatal day 11, whereas the control group was treated with saline on the same days. Moreover, on the postnatal 30^th day, the cerebellums of all pups were removed and prepared for light and electron microscopy. The numerical density of granule cells in the cerebellum of experimental groups of rats increased whereas the numerical density of Purkinje cells decreased. Furthermore, the granule cells had a smaller mean nuclear diameter in one of the experimental groups while the Purkinje cells had in both experimental groups than those in the comparison group. Thus, the numerical density of synaptic discs and their mean diameter in the cerebellar granular layer of experimental groups were significantly decreased compared to the corresponding controls; also, the synapse-to-neurons ratio, a parameter indicating interneural connectivity, was the same. Consequently, it was seen that valproic acid administration to pups in prenatal or early postnatal days causes changes in number of neurons and synapses in the cerebellum of rats.

Effect of chronic alcohol consumption on myocardial apoptosis in the rat model of isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury and investigation on the cardioprotective role of calpain inhibitor 1

We investigated the presence of myocardial apoptosis on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial injury (MI) after long-term high dose alcohol consumption and examined the antiapoptotic role of calpain inhibitor 1. Male Wistar Albino rats (n = 108) were divided into six groups: Control, alcohol (ethanol was given during 30 days for chronic alcohol consumption), MI (150 mg/kg ISO injection at last two days of alcohol consumption), alcohol + MI, alcohol + MI + calpain inhibitor 1 (10 mg/kg inhibitor was injected at 15 min before ISO injections) and Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) groups. Biochemical, histological, and morphometric methods determined apoptosis levels in the heart tissue of rats. Cytochrome c, caspase 3, and calpain levels were significantly high in alcohol, MI, and alcohol + MI groups. In contrast, mitochondrial cardiolipin content was found to be low in alcohol, MI, and alcohol + MI groups. These parameters were close to the control group in the therapy group. Histological and morphometric data have supported biochemical results. As a result of our biochemical data, myocardial apoptosis was seen in the alcohol, MI, and especially alcohol after MI groups. Calpain inhibitor 1 reduced apoptotic cell death and prevented myocardial tissue injury in these groups. The efficiency of calpain inhibitor was very marked in MI after long-term high dose alcohol consumption.

Low dosages of vitamin A may cause a decrease in the total neuron number of fetal hippocampal rat cells

OBJECTIVES

We investigated the effect of low, medium and high doses of oral vitamin A, on the number of fetal hippocampal neurons.

BACKGROUND

High doses of vitamin A during pregnancy may cause embryonic malformations. There are reports about dosages that don't cause macroscopic malformations, but may cause mental and behavioral disorders. Still, quantitative morphological studies explaining this topic are lacking.

METHODS

We administered oral vitamin A to pregnant rats on the 10th-12th days of pregnancy at doses of 10000, 20000, 30000, 40000, 50000, 100000 and 200000 IU/kg. We collected the fetuses on the 19th day and removed their brains. After staining with cresyl violet and immunolabeling with Tunel and Ki67 antibody, we examined the hippocampi with stereological methods.

RESULTS

Vitamin A decreased hippocampal neuron numbers beginning from 20000 IU/kg. While the number of Ki67 positive cells increased with the dosage, the increase of apoptotic cells begun at the dose of 50000 IU/kg.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrates that vitamin A, beginning from the dosage of 20000 IU/kg, is decreasing the total hippocampal neuron numbers during the critical period of embryonic brain development and that apoptosis may not be the only factor in this outcome (Tab. 1, Fig. 3, Ref. 27).

Effect of consuming high-fat diet on the morphological parameters of adrenal gland

OBJECTIVES

The incidence of obesity and obesity-assosiated pathologies continues to increase with profound adverse effects on health status in the developed countries.

BACKGROUND

We aimed to investigate the effect of high fat diet on the adrenal gland morphology.

METHODS

We fed the mice with either high-fat diet (60 % kcal from fat) or low-fat diet (10 % kcal from fat) for nine weeks. Unbiased stereological methods were used to evaluate the adrenal gland morphology. The sections were evaluated using Cavalieri's method and volume fraction approach. We calculated mean volume of adrenal gland, mean volume of adrenal medulla, VVadrenal medulla/adrenal gland, mean diameter of cromaffin cells, number of chromaffin cells in per unit volume (NVcc mm‒3), total number of cromaffin cells, VVzona glomerulosa/adrenal cortex, VVzona fasciculata/adrenal cortex , VVzona reticulosa/adrenal cortex.

RESULTS

The weight of adrenal gland, body weight intraperitoneal adipose tissue and adrenal gland weight in the obese mice significantly increased when compared with the control group. No changes were observed in the mean volume of adrenal gland, mean volume of adrenal medulla, VVzona glomerulosa/adrenal cortex, VVzona fasciculata/adrenal cortex, total number of cromaffin cells and diameter of cromaffin cells. However, NVcc mm-3 and VVzona reticulosa/adrenal cortex in the obese mice considerably increased compared with the control group.

CONCLUSION

The present results suggest that high fat diet adversely affects the adrenal gland morphology (Tab. 2, Fig. 6, Ref. 28).

Prenatal alcohol-induced neuroapoptosis in rat brain cerebral cortex: protective effect of folic acid and betaine

PURPOSE

Alcohol consumption in pregnancy may cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in the infant. This study aims to investigate prenatal alcohol exposure related neuroapoptosis on the cerebral cortex tissues of newborn rats and possible neuroprotective effects of betaine, folic acid, and combined therapy.

METHODS

Pregnant rats were divided into five experimental groups: control, ethanol, ethanol + betaine, ethanol + folic acid, and ethanol + betaine + folic acid combined therapy groups. We measured cytochrome c release, caspase-3, calpain and cathepsin B and L. enzyme activities. In order to observe apoptotic cells in the early stages, TUNEL method was chosen together with histologic methods such as assessing the diameters of the apoptotic cells, their distribution in unit volume and volume proportion of cortical intact neuron nuclei.

RESULTS

Calpain, caspase-3 activities, and cytochrome c levels were significantly increased in alcohol group while cathepsin B and L. activities were also found to be elevated albeit not statistically significant. These increases were significantly reversed by folic acid and betaine + folic acid treatments. While ethanol increased the number of apoptotic cells, this increase was prevented in ethanol + betaine and ethanol + betaine + folic acid groups. Morphometric examination showed that the mean diameter of apoptotic cells was increased with ethanol administration while this increase was reduced by betaine and betaine + folic acid treatments.

CONCLUSION

We observed that ethanol is capable of triggering apoptotic cell death in the newborn rat brains. Furthermore, folic acid, betaine, and combined therapy of these supplements may reduce neuroapoptosis related to prenatal alcohol consumption, and might be effective on preventing fetal alcohol syndrome in infants.

Rearing conditions differently affect the motor performance and cerebellar morphology of prenatally stressed juvenile rats

The cerebellum is one of the most vulnerable parts of the brain to environmental changes. In this study, the effect of diverse environmental rearing conditions on the motor performances of prenatally stressed juvenile rats and its reflection to the cerebellar morphology were investigated. Prenatally stressed Wistar rats were grouped according to different rearing conditions (Enriched=EC, Standard=SC and Isolated=IC) after weaning. Six weeks later, male and female offspring from different litters were tested behaviorally. In rotarod and string suspension tests, females gained better scores than males. Significant gender and housing effects were observed especially on the motor functions requiring fine skills with the best performance by enriched females, but the worst by enriched males. The susceptibility of cerebellar macro- and micro-neurons to environmental conditions was compared using stereological methods. In female groups, no differences were observed in the volume proportions of cerebellar layers, soma sizes and the numerical densities of granule or Purkinje cells. However, a significant interaction between housing and gender was observed in the granule to Purkinje cell ratio of males, due to the increased numerical densities of the granule cells in enriched males. These data imply that proper functioning of the cerebellum relies on its well organized and evolutionarily conserved structure and circuitry. Although early life stress leads to long term behavioral and neurobiological consequences in the offspring, diverse rearing conditions can alter the motor skills of animals and synaptic connectivity between Purkinje and granular cells in a gender dependent manner.

Lesion-induced synaptic plasticity in the somatosensory cortex of prenatally stressed rats

Prenatal stress exposure causes long-lasting impairments of the behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to later stressors of the offspring. Although mechanisms underlying these effects remain largely unknown, abnormalities in the neuronal plasticity might be responsible for neurobiological alterations. This study used the whisker-to-barrel pathway as a model system to investigate the effects of prenatal stress on lesion-induced plasticity of neurons. Pregnant rats were subjected to immobilization stress during the trigeminal neurogenesis period, corresponding to gestational days 12 to 17, for three hours a day. After birth, the middle row (C) whisker follicles of pups from the control and stressed groups were electrocauterized. Ten days later, tangentially sectioned cortical hemispheres were stained with cytochrome oxidase histochemistry to calculate the volumes of each barrel row (A-E) in both lesioned and intact sides of the cortex, using stereological methods. The adrenal to body weight ratios were significantly increased in stressed animals, when compared to the controls. The pattern and total volume of the barrel subfield remained unaltered, but the lesion-induced map plasticity index, calculated as the D/C ratio, decreased in stressed animals. In addition, the BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor), NT-3 (neurotrophin-3) and the cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation levels in tissue homogenates of the barrel cortices were measured using the ELISA method. In prenatally stressed animals, the BDNF and NT-3 levels were reduced on the lesioned side, but significant CREB activation was observed on the intact side of the barrel cortex. Taken together, the results show that prenatal stress exposure negatively affects critical period plasticity by reducing the expansion of active barrels following peripheral whisker lesion. These changes arise independent of CREB phosphorylation and appear to be mediated by reduced levels of neurotrophins.

Sniffing position combined with mouth opening improves facemask ventilation in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy

BACKGROUND

This study evaluates the influence of sniffing position combined with mouth opening on the effectiveness of facemask ventilation in paralyzed pediatric patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy during sevoflurane-N(2)O anesthesia.

METHODS

After Institutional Ethics Committee approval, 40 children 5-11 years of age who were scheduled for an elective adenotonsillectomy operation were enrolled in this prospective randomized study. After routine monitoring and pre-oxygenation, anesthesia was induced with sevoflurane 8% in a mixture of 50% N(2)O-O(2). Three minutes after the administration of vecuronium, the sequence of the positions was randomized. Three positions were applied during facemask ventilation: Position CN (closed mouth - neutral head and neck position), position CS (closed mouth-sniffing position) and position OS (opened mouth-sniffing position). Volume-controlled ventilation was started. Peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), tidal volume (V(T)), expired tidal volume (V(Texp)) and end-tidal CO(2) pressure were recorded. The percent of leakage was calculated. The primary endpoint of this study was the expired tidal volume (V(Texp)).

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference among the three positions for V(Texp) and PIP values. The OS resulted in higher V(Texp) values when compared with CN (P=0.022). The OS was significantly better than the other two positions, resulting in lower PIP values (P<0.001 and P=0.004, for CN and CS, respectively). The OS also resulted in less leakage during facemask ventilation when compared with CN and CS.

CONCLUSIONS

Sniffing position combined with mouth opening improves V(Texp) and PIP values during facemask ventilation during sevoflurane-N(2)O anesthesia in paralyzed pediatric patients with adenotonsillar hypertrophy.

Anatomical variations of medial umbilical ligament: clinical significance in laparoscopic exploration of children

BACKGROUND

The anatomy and clinical significance of obliterated umbilical artery called as medial umbilical ligament (MUL) have not been documented well in literature. In this study, we investigated anatomical variations of MUL determined by laparoscopic exploration of abdomen in children and anatomy dissection on cadaver.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The anatomy of MUL was investigated in a total of 126 patients including 41 retrospective cases. All 126 patients had laparoscopic exploration for a lower abdominal pathology. In retrospective group, videos demonstrating clearly both MULs and the region during laparoscopic exploration were selected. A dissection on an adult male cadaver was also performed. A preliminary grading scale of anatomical appearance of MUL was obtained.

RESULTS

In grade 0, patients had no visible ligament (n = 14); in grade 1, MUL was a fibrous cord without a web formation (n = 63); in grade 2, MUL was a fibrous cord with a web (n = 49). MULs on both sides of the lower abdominal wall were symmetrical in all cases except one having a cloacal anomaly. This case had a solitary MUL on the right side.

CONCLUSIONS

A MUL with a fibrous cord and significant web may cause technical difficulties and narrow the working space in laparoscopic exploration of children. It may also affect the surgeon's preference on trocar locations. In all grades of anatomical variation of MUL, formation of the ligament on both sides of the lower abdominal wall is similar. If there is a single umbilical artery, it becomes a solitary MUL after birth, and the possibility of associated malformations, especially urogenital abnormalities increases in such cases.

The effects of prenatal stress on the Purkinje cell neurogenesis

In the developing cerebellum, generation times of macroneurons and microneurons occur during pre- and postnatal period, respectively. In this study, to investigate the effects of prenatal stress exposure on cerebellar neuronal development, the granule-to-Purkinje cell ratio of stressed animals was compared with their age-matched controls. In the experimental group, pregnant dams were immobilized on their gestational day 7 and 14, for 6 h. The cerebella of the offspring were removed at postnatal day (P) 30, and granule-to-Purkinje cell ratios, obtained by dividing the numerical density of granule cells (NVg) by that of Purkinje cells (NVP), were found significantly reduced (24%) in the stressed animals. Since volume fraction of granular to molecular layer or white matter to whole cortex was not affected from stress exposure, the deficit seen in this ratio reflects an existent increase in the numerical density of Purkinje cells, rather than a decrease in the number of granule cells. In parallel, the linear density of Purkinje cells (NBP) and the percentage of proliferating cells, immunolabeled with BrdU, were also found significantly higher in stressed animals. Taken together, our results demonstrate that intrauterine stress changes the morphology and numerical density of cerebellar neurons by primarily affecting the actively dividing cells during the selected stress period.

Prenatal stress reduces interneuronal connectivity in the rat cerebellar granular layer

The development and functioning of the central nervous system have been shown to be affected by maternal stress. To investigate the effects of prenatal stress on the cerebellar interneuronal connectivity, rat embryos are exposed to stress on their embryonic day (E) 7 and 14, by keeping the dam in close-fitting wire mesh cylinders, for 6 h. After completion of the cerebellar development at postnatal day (P) 30, stereological procedures were used at the light and electron microscopic level to analyze growth parameters of the granule cells and synapse-to-neuron ratios. Neither the volume fraction (V(V)) of the granular layer to whole cortex, nor the numerical density of granule cells (N(Vg)) per unit volume of granular layer was affected by exposure to stress. However, the mean granule cell nuclear diameter was significantly decreased in stressed animals. Within the neuropil region, the number and mean diameter of synaptic disc profiles were used to estimate the numerical density of synapses (N(Vs)). Synapse-to-neuron ratio was obtained by dividing N(Vs) with N(Vg), and found significantly lower in the stressed group than the control group. In addition, synaptophysin immunoreactivity showed a significant decrease (41%) in the granular layer of the cerebellum. Collectively, these results demonstrate that intrauterine stress alters the morphology of granule cells and causes a profound and fairly long-lasting deficit in their interneuronal connectivity.

Cross-reaction of anti-simian immunodeficiency virus envelope protein antibodies with human immunoglobulins

It has been recently established that retroviral envelope proteins (REPs) have structural features similar to those of immunoglobulins (Igs). In this study, we asked whether anti-REP antibodies cross-react with human Igs (hIgs). To this end, murine monoclonal antibodies (mMoAbs) that had been raised against a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) envelope protein, SIVMac251gp120, were screened for their ability to react with human monoclonal Igs (HMIgs). We show that two HMIgs, RFSJ2 (a rheumatoid factor) and PAMLN6 (a human anti-hIg V region antibody), but not a number of other HMIgs, could be weakly, but consistently, bound by anti-SIVMac251gp120 mMoAbs KK17 and KK46, as judged by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a liquid-phase inhibition immunoassay. Both mMoAbs are specific to amino acid residues in the V3 loop of the SIVMac251gp120. The RFSJ2 Ig heavy-chain V region (VH) is coded in part by a human VH gene, VH3-30.3 and includes the idiotope 7B4 (NKYY), which was previously shown to be present in the gp120 protein of a number of HIV-2 and SIV strains. However, an entirely different VH gene codes the PAMLN6 VH region, opening the possibility that epitope(s) shared between SIVMac251gp120 and hIgs may not be limited to the 7B4 idiotope.

The effects of undernutrition on connectivity in the cerebellar cortex of adult rats

The effects of a 30 d period of undernutrition, followed in some animals by nutritional rehabilitation, on neuronal connectivity in adult rat cerebellum were investigated using the disector method. There was no significant difference between well fed (719 +/- 74, mean +/- S.E.) and undernourished (709 +/- 53) synapse-to-neuron ratios in 134-d-old rat cerebellar cortex, nor was there a significant difference in synapse-to-neuron ratios between control animals (941 +/- 71) and previously undernourished rats (813 +/- 42) at 175 d of age. However, the age-related changes were significant (P < 0.05) in the controls, but not in the experimental group. It may be that the period of undernutrition caused subtle changes in the rehabilitating group which reduced the capacity for growth seen in well fed, matched control animals.