Age-related features of the state of plasma lipoproteins in rats with hereditary retinal degeneration

The content of lipids and lipoproteins was determined in the blood plasma of Campbell rats with inherited retina degeneration and Wistar rats used as control. It was shown that in the 30-day old Campbell rats the content of cholesterol in high density lipoproteins sufficiently exceeded that of control. When the distribution of lipoproteins particles in the density gradient was studied after ultracentrifugation, some "anomalous" particles were revealed in the 30-45 day old rats with inherited retina degeneration, which with respect to the flotation rate occupy intermediate position between the low and high density lipoproteins. The obtained data show that the development of inherited retina degeneration in rats involves a disturbance, of the lipoprotein spectrum of blood plasma.     

Epidural pharmacotherapy in patients with dystrophic diseases of the lumbosacral spine

The results of treatment were analyzed in 70 patients with dystrophic diseases of the lumbosacral spine complicated by the displacement of intervertebral disks. All the examinees had a long history and a protracted exacerbation resistant to conservative therapy. Long-term local epidural pharmacotherapy (LTLEP) was used for their treatment. The essence of the method was to employ selective catheterization under X-ray guidance of the epidural space, to bring a catheter directly to a pathological area. Further it was irrigated with drugs many times. The results of treatment were analyzed from changes in the pain syndrome in the early and periods and from the data of repeated studies (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT)). LTLEP was highly effective, i.e. 84.3% of positive results. Follow-up MRI or CT findings show that the pathological substrate disappears or significantly decreases in sizes in 83.4% of cases. LTLEP is safe: in the study group, there were no complications due to the manipulation itself and after treatment the patients' health status did not deteriorate owing to a therapeutic process. If conservative therapy is inefficient, it may be used as an alternative to conventional and low-invasive neurosurgical operations.     

Age-related features of cataractogenesis in salmon fry. 3. Age-related dynamics of liver lipid composition during cataractogenesis

When studying the cataract pathogenesis in salmon fry, we found changes in the content of individual; phospholipid fractions and fatty acid composition in the liver of diseased and healthy fish. The age-related changes correlated with the increased antioxidant activity and decreased liver content of malondialdehyde.     

A complex x-ray study of patients with enterocutaneous fistulas

The paper is concerned with analysis of the results of x-ray examination of 78 patients with enterocutaneous fistulas of various etiology and site. The authors have shown the characteristic features of x-ray examination of patients in whom the fistulas were at the acute phase of their development. They have also defined the diagnostic value of the employed methods and their efficacy for the diagnosis not only of fistulas but also of related complications (inflammatory infiltrates and abscesses of the abdominal cavity, fatty phlegmon, purulent "fillings", complicated fistulas, etc.). During combined x-ray investigation accurate diagnosis of fistulas was established in 97.4% of the patients, purulent complications were revealed in 94.6%.     

Age-related features of the organization of motor activity in 6- to 16-year-old children

The use of the KID-3 diagnostic set for a large-scale examination of 6- to 16-year-old children helped reveal substantial age-related differences in the mechanisms of the regulation of motor activity on the basis of correlation of the specified parameters: velocity, precision, smoothness, velocity of readjustment of motor tasks, etc. The study confirmed the leading role of visual control in the realization of the motor function in 6- to 9-year olds. The mechanisms of movement regulation, i.e., a transition from a primarily monitoring mechanism of control to one based on a preliminarily formed motor program, is changed substantially by nine–ten years. These changes are possible only at this age, since it is in this period that substantial shifts take place in the morphofunctional development of the frontal cortical areas, and they become more important in the control of the activation processes, which determine and regulate motor activity. The age of nine-ten years is transitional in the formation of the mechanisms of central commands. This efficient movement control mechanism only begins to form at this age, and its formation is completed at age 14.     

Age-related features of protein synthesis rhythm. Effects of extracellular medium

Cell interactions have been studied in cultures pf hepatocytes from young and old rats. The rhythm of protein synthesis is an index of cell interaction and synchronization in culture, while the amplitude of oscillations characterized cell cooperation in an aggregate rhythm. The mean rhythm amplitude in the culture of hepatocytes from old rats is twice lower than that from young rats. Gangliosides (mixture, bovine brain gangliosides) and ₁-adrenomimetic phenylephrine enhanced synchronization of cultures of the cells from old rats and increased the amplitude of oscillations to the level of young animals. Addition of rat blood serum (10%) to the medium revealed the rhythm of protein synthesis in the culture, asynchronous in the control, i.e., led to their synchronization. In media with young and old rat blood sera, oscillations were intense, with high amplitudes, and low, respectively. Addition of bovine brain gangliosides to a medium with old rat blood serum increased the amplitudes of oscillations to a level of the rhythm stimulated by the young rat serum. Thus, the cells of old animals can fully perceive synchronizing factors and, in the case of their increased concentration, the rhythm of protein synthesis in old animals did not differ from that in young rats. Current data on biochemical mechanisms underlying intercellular cooperation in the formation of population rhythm of protein synthesis have been discussed.Translated from Ontogenez, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2005, pp. 9–17.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Brodsky, Nechaeva, Zvezdina, Novikova, Gvazava, Fateeva, Malchenko.     

Age-related features of protein synthesis rhythm in hepatocytes. Effects of extracellular medium

Cell interactions have been studied in cultures pf hepatocytes from young and old rats. The rhythm of protein synthesis is an index of cell interaction and synchronization in culture, while the amplitude of oscillations characterized cell cooperation in an aggregate rhythm. The mean rhythm amplitude in the culture of hepatocytes from old rats is twice lower than that from young rats. Gangliosides (mixture, bovine brain gangliosides) and alpha1-adrenomimetic phenylephrine enhanced synchronization of cultures of the cells from old rats and increased the amplitude of oscillations to the level of young animals. Addition of rat blood serum (10%) to the medium revealed the rhythm of protein synthesis in the culture, asynchronous in the control, i.e., led to their synchronization. In media with young and old rat blood sera, oscillations were intense, with high amplitudes, and low, respectively. Addition of bovine brain gangliosides to a medium with old rat blood serum increased the amplitudes of oscillations to a level of the rhythm stimulated by the young rat serum. Thus, the cells of old animals can fully perceive synchronizing factors and, in the case of their increased concentration, the rhythm of protein synthesis in old animals did not differ from that in young rats. Current data on biochemical mechanisms underlying intercellular cooperation in the formation of population rhythm of protein synthesis have been discussed.     

Synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction reveals intrinsic structural features of amyloid deposits in situ

Amyloidoses are increasingly recognized as a major public health concern in Western countries. All amyloidoses share common morphological, structural, and tinctorial properties. These consist of staining by specific dyes, a fibrillar aspect in electron microscopy and a typical cross-β folding in x-ray diffraction patterns. Most studies that aim at deciphering the amyloid structure rely on fibers generated in vitro or extracted from tissues using protocols that may modify their intrinsic structure. Therefore, the fine details of the in situ architecture of the deposits remain unknown. Here, we present to our knowledge the first data obtained on ex vivo human renal tissue sections using x-ray microdiffraction. The typical cross-β features from fixed paraffin-embedded samples are similar to those formed in vitro or extracted from tissues. Moreover, the fiber orientation maps obtained across glomerular sections reveal an intrinsic texture that is correlated with the glomerulus morphology. These results are of the highest importance to understanding the formation of amyloid deposits and are thus expected to trigger new incentives for tissue investigation. Moreover, the access to intrinsic structural parameters such as fiber size and orientation using synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction, could provide valuable information concerning in situ mechanisms and deposit formation with potential benefits for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.     

Age-related accumulation of lysosomes and other cytological features in active thyroid follicles of the CBA mouse

Summary This study attempts to elucidate the mechanism through which lysosomal accumulation occurs with age in the epithelial cells of the thyroid gland and especially in the active follicles of the aging mouse thyroid. Thyroid morphology and function in old CBA (at least 24 months of age) male mice were compared with those in young (2 months of age) animals. The effects of different intake of iodine were tested and compared in both cohorts, each of which was divided into three groups: (i) low iodine group, (ii) moderate iodine group, and (iii) high iodine group. As expected, the present work confirmed the well-known accumulation with age of cold follicles coexisting with active follicles in the old mouse thyroid. Attention has been focused on the active follicles whose follicular cells contained in their cytoplasm a large number of pleomorphic dense bodies. The lysosomal nature of these bodies, referred to as secondary lysosomes, was confirmed by histochemistry; however, they displayed variability in acid phosphatase staining. In old animals, regardless of the type of iodine regimen, the ratio between relative follicular volume and relative colloid volume as determined by morphometry remained unchanged. Ultrastructurally, the relative volume occupied by secondary lysosomes in active follicles was always higher than in the young groups. Autoradiographic studies with ¹²⁵I revealed that a large part of the radioactivity was located in secondary lysosomes of thyroid cells in active follicels of old mice when radioiodine was injected 3 weeks before death. Two different types of vacuoles were present in a non-negligible number of thyrocytes of the active follicles in aged cohorts. The first type was made up of grossly dilated rough endoplasmic cisternae, the second corresponded to intracytoplasmic microfollicular vacuoles. Both aspects have been described in conditions of chronic stimulation. It is concluded (1) that different intake of iodine for 6 weeks does not modulate the thyroid morphology in old mice; (2) that in the thyrocytes of the active follicles in old mice accumulation of secondary lysosomes occurs due to a slowdown of turnover; and (3) that the follicular cells of active follicles feature morphological aspects suggesting a hyperactive state compensating the lack of hormone production in the cold follicles.     

Molecular basis for the treatment of achondroplasia

Achondroplasia (ACH), the most common form of short-limbed dwarfism, and its related disorders are caused by constitutively activated point-mutated fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3). Recent studies have provided a large body of evidence to prove chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation in these disorders. However, little is known about the possible effects of the FGFR3 mutants on apoptosis of chondrocytes. In the present study, we analyzed apoptosis using a chondrogenic cell line, ATDC5, expressing the FGFR3 mutants causing ACH and thanatophoric dysplasia, which is a more severe neonatal lethal form comprising type I and type II. We found that the introduction of these mutated FGFR3s into ATDC5 cells decreased mRNA expression of parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) and induced apoptosis. Importantly, replacement of PTHrP prevented the apoptotic changes in ATDC5 cells expressing ACH mutant. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, which is an important mediator of growth hormone (GH), also reduced apoptosis in ATDC5 cells expressing ACH mutant. IGF-I prevented apoptosis through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, indicating the mechanisms by which GH treatment improves disturbed bone growth in ACH.