The primate median eminence II

Summary The ultrastructure of the normal median eminence of the male rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) is described using high-voltage electron microscopy. Surface specializations of ependymal cells lining the infundibular recess included cilia, apical extrusions, and microvilli. Supraependymal cells were predominantly macrophage-like, but examples of lymphocytic types were also seen. Tanycytes had long, branching, basal processes filled with numerous microtubules, some lipid droplets, and granules. The zona interna was composed of large unmyelinated neurosecretory fibers. A few myelinated fibers were also seen, but their character as neurosecretory fibers could not be established. The zona externa was composed of densely-packed profiles of neurosecretory fibers of small diameter, was well-vascularized and contained the terminations of tanycytes. Perivascular glial cells, vesiculated elements, pituicytes, and cellular elements common to connective tissue were observed. The intricate relationships between both the cellular and fibrous elements of the median eminence can be appreciated with the capability of high-voltage electron microscopy to discern ultrastructure in sections 10 times thicker than those used for low-voltage electron microscopy. The median eminence of this primate species has an ultrastructural organization similar to that described for most other species.Supported by USPHS Program Project Grant NS-11642 and USPHS HD-08867. The authors appreciate the excellent technical advice and assistance of Mr. George Wray in operation of the HVEMCareer Development Awardee K04-GM-70001     

腰硬联合蛛网膜下腔注射芬太尼用于分娩镇痛的半数有效剂量的临床研究

目的:确定腰硬联合蛛网膜下腔注射芬太尼用于分娩镇痛的半数有效剂量(ED50),观察蛛网膜下腔注射半数有效剂量芬太尼的效果和副作用,并与蛛网膜下腔注射半数有效剂量的布比卡因进行对比。方法:首先,确定芬太尼用于分娩镇痛的半数有效剂量,筛选50例符合的产妇行腰硬联合分娩镇痛,蛛网膜下腔注射芬太尼的剂量始于25μg,如果镇痛有效,下一病例减少2.5μg芬太尼;如果无效则下一病例增加2.5μg芬太尼。用Probit回归分析计算芬太尼蛛网膜下腔注射行分娩镇痛的半数有效剂量和95%可信区间(95%CI)。第二步,筛选100例需要进行分娩镇痛的产妇,随机分入ED50芬太尼组(F组)和ED50布比卡因组(B组),比较两组药物镇痛效果及起效时间、产妇下肢运动阻滞程度及血压心率变化、胎心变化和镇痛全程药物追加次数。结果:芬太尼蛛网膜下腔注射分娩镇痛的ED50为11.5μg,95%CI为3.5-15.4μg。F组镇痛的平均起效时间为(12.0±3.8)min,两组镇痛的成功率没有统计学差异(P=0.218),F组需要追加PCA的病例百分率明显少于B组(P=0.018)。F组下肢运动阻滞程度轻于B组(P=0.018)。两组镇痛方法对产妇的血压、心率均无明显影响。两组胎心下降的发生率没有明显差异(P0.05)。F组皮肤瘙痒的发生率明显增加(P=0.000)。结论:腰硬联合分娩镇痛蛛网膜下腔注射芬太尼的ED50为11.5μg,95%CI为3.5-15.4μg。蛛网膜下腔注射半数有效剂量的芬太尼可以提供简便、持久、满意和安全的镇痛效果,并且对下肢运动阻滞程度较小,但其所致皮肤瘙痒的发生率升高。     

Topographical relationships between catecholamine-and neuropeptide-containing fibers in the median eminence of the newt,Triturus alpestris

Summary Dopaminergic and peptidergic nerve fibers were simultaneously demonstrated with a double-labeling technique at the ultrastructural level. The first antibody, raised against tyrosine hydroxylase, was applied during the preembedding phase and visualized with the peroxidase method. The second antibody, raised against one of the peptides met-enkephalin, somatostatin or gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), was applied to the ultrathin sections and visualized with gold-labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG. The fibers of both categories were present in the zona externa of the median eminence, frequently contacting the basal lamina of the portal vessels. In addition, topographical relationships between different types of nerve fibers were observed in the perivascular areas, although there were no morphological signs of synaptic specializations. Using serial sections, it could be established that one GnRH-fiber contacted both a dopaminergic fiber and a fiber immunoreactive for met-enkephalin. The observations support earlier physiological data concerning the regulation of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis, with special emphasis on the release of neurohormones in the median eminence of the newt.     

Sauvagine-like and corticotropin-releasing factor-like immunoreactivity in the brain of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Summary Immunocytochemical methods were used to investigate the occurrence and distribution of sauvagine, corticotropin-releasing factor-, or urotensin I-like immunoreactivities (SVG-ir, CRF-ir, UI-ir, respectively) in the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) brain, using specific antisera raised against non-conjugated SVG, ovine CRF, rat/human CRF, and UI. In the hypothalamus, SVG-ir was found in the magnocellular perikarya, in the dorsal and ventral regions of the preoptic nucleus, and in the hypothalamo-hypophyseal projections to the external zone as well as the internal zone of the median eminence, to pars nervosa, and in fibres running from the pars nervosa to the pars intermedia of the pituitary. In contrast, CRF-ir was found only in parvocellular perikarya, mainly localized in the rostro-ventral part of the preoptic nucleus, with fine processes protruding through the ependyma of the third ventricle, fibre projections terminating in the anterior preoptic area and in the neuropil of the periventricular gray, and a caudal projection to the external zone of the median eminence. No CRF-ir staining was seen in the pars nervosa and pars intermedia. The use of UI-specific antisera failed to give a positive response in the frog brain. It is concluded that, in the frog brain, two anatomically different CRF-like (or SVG-like) systems co-exist, comparable to the reported co-existence of UI-ir and CRF-ir neuronal systems in fish brain.     

食物中多氯联苯PCB 126对南方鲇的致死效应及代谢胁迫的研究

于2007年10－12月,为探讨食物中多氯联苯126（3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl, PCB 126）对南方鲇（Silurus meridionalis Chen）的致死效应及代谢胁迫作用,将72尾南方鲇幼鱼分为6个实验组,配制PCB 126含量分别为0、50、100、200、400和800 μg/kg的6组饲料,采用室内养殖系统,在（27.5±0.2）℃水温条件下以3％BW/d的日粮水平单尾喂养8 周。观测结果表明：PCB 126含量为0、50和100 μg/kg的饲料组在实验期间无实验鱼死亡,至实验结束时的PCB 126总摄入量分别为0、30.56和66.66 μg/kg;而200、400和800 μg/kg的饲料组有实验鱼死亡,半致死时间（Median lethal time, LT50）分别为34d、16d和11d,与饲料中PCB 126水平呈负相关,至半致死时PCB 126总摄入量分别为90.18、92.05和94.11 μg/kg,三者间无显著差异,但均显著高于无实验鱼死亡饲料组的PCB 126总摄入量（p<0.05）;肝指数（Hepatosomatic index , HSI）及静止代谢率随饲料中PCB 126水平的增加而升高;在无实验鱼死亡的饲料组,肝线粒体代谢耗氧率和细胞色素c氧化酶（Cytochrome c oxidase , CCO）活性随饲料中PCB 126水平的增加而升高,而在有实验鱼死亡的饲料组,肝线粒体代谢耗氧率和CCO活性则随饲料中PCB 126水平的增加而呈下降趋势。本研究提出,PCB 126对南方鲇的致死临界累计摄入量在92 μg/kg左右;PCB 126对南方鲇在整体水平表现为使静止代谢增强的胁迫效应,但在肝线粒体水平表现为低浓度使其代谢耗氧率增强,这应当是该种鱼应对多氯联苯类污染物的一种生理调节结果,而高浓度的PCB 126则使肝脏功能受到不可耐受的损害,不能对胁迫做出进一步的代谢调节。     

L'innervation monoaminergique de l'Eminence Médiane — Etude radioautographique et pharmacologique chez le CanardAnas platyrhynchos

Résumé Dans l'Eminence Médiane du Canard, la Noradrénaline et la Dopamine tritiées sont captées et retenues auniveau de la zone interne et en périphérie des vaisseaux portes hypophysaires. Cette rétention, observée par radioautographie après incubation in-vitro ou injection intraventriculaire des médiateurs, est considérablement diminuée par la réserpine. Une ou deux injections intraventriculaires de 6-Hydroxy-Dopamine laissent subsister quelques fibres capables de capter la Noradrénaline-³H. Après trois injections de 6-Hydroxy-Dopamine, on n'observe plus aucune incorporation du médiateur.Ces données radioautographiques et pharmacologiques attestent que les fibres de la zone interne de l'Eminence Médiane, qui captent la Noradrénaline et ses précurseurs et qui sont détruites par la 6-Hydroxy-Dopamine, sont de nature catécholaminergique.En microscopie électronique, on constate que les fibres marquées contiennent des vésicules de types divers avec fréquemment un coeur dense excentré. Ces fibres présentent des contacts synaptiques avec des dendrites ou péricaryons neuronaux qui ne retiennent pas le traceur et qui reçoivent également d'autres afférences synaptiques non marquées. Ce fait permet d'établir que les neurones infundibulaires présents dans l'Eminence Médiane sont susceptibles d'une régulation mettant en jeu des catécholamines et d'autres types de neurotransmetteurs.

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Monoaminergic innervation of the median eminence—Radioautographic and pharmacological study in the duck,Anas platyrhynchos I. Catecholaminergic innervation

Summary When³H-norepinephrine or³H-dopamine are given to the median eminence of the Duck after an injection into the IIIrd ventricle or afterin vitro incubation, an intense and preferential accumulation of the tracer is observed in the internal zone and in the vicinity of the primary portal vessels.The amount of labeled catecholamines in the median eminence is greatly diminished by reserpine. After one or two injections of 6-hydroxy-dopamine into the third ventricle followed by application of³H-norepinephrine, only a few fibers are labeled; after three injections of this drug, nearly no uptake of³H-norepinephrine is seen.This radioautographic and pharmacological approach indicates that the axons of the internal zone of the median eminence, which are able to take up and store labeled norepinephrine and its precursors and which are destroyed by 6-hydroxy-dopamine, are catecholaminergic.The ultrastructural examination of the internal zone shows that the label is confined to axonal varicosities containing various types of vesicles possessing frequently an eccentric core. The labeled axonal varicosities were found in synaptic contact with unlabeled dendrites and also with unlabeled perikarya. The postsynaptic structures which receive labeled presynaptic axons display also synaptic contacts with other unlabeled axons. This fact suggests that neurons of the median eminence are probably modulated by catecholamines and other neurotransmitters either on their dendrites and even on their soma.

Avec la collaboration de Melle. S. Bosc.     

Effect of L-carnitine against acute mitoxantrone toxicity in mice

Various experiments were performed in our laboratory to define a possible role for carnitine derivatives in mitoxantrone (MX) therapy. We report here the results of the effect of L-carnitine (LCAR) on the lethal toxicity of MX in mice. MX was administered intravenously at doses of 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 or 17 mg kg⁻¹ either alone or in combination with LCAR at a single intravenous dose of 200 mg kg⁻¹. The dependence of the probability of death on various doses was evaluated for the MX-LCAR combination compared to MX alone. From these experiments, the following lethal dose fifty (LD₅₀) values were calculated: LD₅₀ for MX alone was 15.2 mg kg⁻¹, whereas in combination with LCAR it increases to 21.8 mg kg⁻¹. The relative toxicity given as the ratio of the LD50 of both MX alone and the combination of MX-LCAR was 69.7%. The results of our experiments unequivocally show the effect of LCAR on acute toxic doses of MX.     

Immunocytochemical demonstration of somatostatin-containing neurons in the hypothalamus of the domestic mallard

Summary In the hypothalamus of the adult domestic mallard, small to medium-sized perikarya are stained specifically with rabbit antiserum against cyclic somatostatin (PAP technique of Sternberger). The somatostatin-immunoreactive material is located in neurons different from those containing immunoreactive LHRH, vasotocin or mesotocin. Somatostatin-containing perikarya are observed 1) in a chain-like arrangement extending from the area of the median division of the supraoptic nucleus to the caudal end of the paraventricular nucleus; 2) as single cells in the preoptic region; and 3) as a conspicuous formation in the optic tract division of the supraoptic nucleus. In the rostral portion of the median eminence, somatostatin-immunoreactive axons penetrate into the external zone. Fine accessory fiber bundles project to the neural lobe.     

Correlative ontogenetic development of catecholamine- and LHRH-containing nerve endings in the median eminence of the rat

Summary The ontogenetic development of catecholamine (CA)-and LHRH-containing nerve endings in the median eminence of the rat was investigated by combining fluorescence histochemistry and immunohistochemistry in the same tissue section. LHRH-terminals appeared earlier than CA-terminals and were already detectable in the lateral part of the external layer of the central ME on the first day after birth. CA-nerve endings were first seen in a corresponding region of the ME on the seventh postnatal day. At this stage both types of terminals showed the earliest manifestation of a correlative pattern of their distribution. Subsequently the development of both types of nerve endings proceeded rapidly, and at 14 days their distribution pattern corresponded to that in adult animals. The authors conclude that at this stage the CA-neurons play a constant and significant role in the release of LHRH into the portal capillaries. The correlation between both types of nerve endings and the ontogenetic development of the capillary plexuses of the hypophysial portal system is discussed.This work was supported in part by a grant (No. 248093, 321426) from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan     

Relationship of the central ACTH-immunoreactive opiocortin system to the median eminence and the pituitary gland of the rat

Summary By immunocytochemical methods, the present study describes ACTH-immunoreactive fibers in the pituitary stalk and neural lobe. This opiocortin-hypothalamo-neural lobe projection arises in a bed nucleus of perikarya in the basal hypothalamus, follows supraoptico-hypophyseal fibers in the zona interna of the median eminence, and distributes throughout the neural lobe. No ACTH-immunoreactive fibers project to the zona externa; some are present in the subependymal layer and at the lateral margins of the median eminence. Further studies must identify the role of these fibers in posterior lobe function. It remains also to be determined whether this system terminates upon primary pituitary portal capillaries and delivers opiocortin neuropeptides to the adenohypophysis.Supported by NIH Grants HD-07962, NS-15345 and AM-22029The skillful technical assistance of Donna Wilson, Nancy Dembs and Jay Hocton is thankfully acknowledged