Possible functional properties of the labyrinth in Brachiosaurus brancai]

The dimensions of the semicircular canals and the respective ampullae of a complete labyrinth caste of Brachiosaurus Brancai were determined. Using the equation of motion and the dimensions of the semicircular canals the behaviour of the endolymph displacement of the Brachiosaurus labyrinth was calculated. The time constants of the system were found to be between the values 4 sec and 13 sec for T1 and 0.2 sec and 0.5 sec for T2. From these results it was concluded, that the head movements of the animal occurred in a range between 0.02 and 0.1 cps.     

Ultrastructure of the stria vascularis of the auricular labyrinth of the rabbit]

In the composition of the stria vascularis of the rabbit cochlea there are three types of cells: edging, medial and basal cells. The structure of these cells, their disposition and interrelationships within the stria vascularis are described. The nodes of the basal membrane whose ramification covers long mitichondria concentrating at the basement of edging cells are found in the structure of capillaries of the cochlea stria vascularis. It may be supposed that this powerful mitochondrial apparatus refers to the capillary system of the stria vascularis and represents a hypertrophic mitochondrial apparatus of pericytes. The capillaries of the stria vascularis are distributed mainly in longitudinal direction while the capillaries disposed transversely which are likely to be anastomoses were also found.     

Methods of characterizing histological sections based on the AMBA/R system

There exist 2 characterization levels: karyometry and histometry. The state of the art in karyometry is relatively wide advanced. A wide spectrum of methods exists and there is often a good correlation between measured parameters and diagnosis as well as prognosis. The development of histometry is just in the first phase. This paper gives an introduction to the histometrical methods based on the AMBA/R-software-system.     

Submicroscopic structure of the membranous labyrinth

Summary Investigations were performed by light and electron microscope on the submicroscopic structure of the epithelium of Corti's organ in the white rat.Morphological and structural differences between the inner hair cells and the outer hair cells are revealed.The inner hair cells are closely inter-related with the inner supporting cells and have a polyhedral shape, whereas the outer hair cells look like cylinders and are surrounded by an intraepithelial fluid.The structural peculiarities consist of differences in the dimensions of the hairs, in the arrangement of cytoplasmic organoids and in the aspect of the receptoneural junction. In both sensory hair cells 4 zones of different structure can be distinguished from the surface inwards: apical zone, intermediate zone, perinuclear zone and receptoneuronal junction. The functional value of these different zones is discussed and compared with what has been demonstrated in other receptors.The pillar cells and the Deiters' cells are supporting cells which have a filamentous skeleton, composed of submicroscopic individual filaments. These filaments have a diameter of about 215 Å and present some analogies with the tonofilaments of the stratified squamous epithelium. The filaments are arranged differently in the pillar cells and in the Deiters' cells. Possible functional differences between these patterns are discussed.The reticular membrane is not an extracellular cuticle. It consists of intracellular cementitious material (like the terminal bars of the epithelial cells).The Hensen's and Claudius cells, the Böttcher's cells, the inner supporting cells, the inner and outer spiral sulcus cells are regular prismatic cells with few endoplasmic organoids and without filaments.This work is dedicated to the memory of the late Prof. L. Pietrantoni.     

Submicroscopic structure of the membranous labyrinth

Zusammenfassung Der Verfasser hat eine Methode entwickelt, die es gestattet, die einzelnen Teile der Schnecke (Membrana tectoria, Basilarmembran, Ligamentum spirale, Limbus spiralis, Reissnersche Membran, Cortisches Organ) in ausreichendem Reinheitsgrad und in solchen Mengen zu isolieren, daß mikroskopische Untersuchungen mit polarisiertem Licht sowie mit dem Elektronenmikroskop, diffraktographische sowie chemische Analysen durchgeführt werden können.Chemische und diffraktographische Untersuchungen haben ergeben, daß die Membrana tectoria hauptsächlich aus Proteinen bestellt. Das Vorhandensein von Kollagenprotein ist auszuschließen. Das Protein dürfte zur Gruppe der weichen Kératine mit geringem Cystingehalt gehören. Auf Grund der ausgezeichneten Übereinstimmung der Befunde am Phasenkontrastmikroskop, mit polarisiertem Licht (bei Vorhandensein Eigen- und Form-Doppelbrechung) und am Elektronenmikroskop ergibt sich, daß das in Frage stehende Protein aus Protofäden von etwa 90 Å Durchmesser besteht. Die Protofäden verlaufen leicht wellenförmig radiär, doch wurden (entlang dem exzentrischen Membranrande) auch Bereiche mit longitudinalem Faserverlauf beobachtet. Im ganzen sind sie mit einer gewissen Gleichartigkeit angeordnet, obwohl Bereiche mit dichterer — Longitudinalfasern — oder lockerer Anordnung — dem Limbus spiralis eingefügter Teil — vorhanden sind. Die Membrana tectoria ist somit epithelialer Herkunft mit augenscheinlich fadenförmig ausgerichteter Struktur.Der Verfasser nimmt an, daß die Ausrichtung der Fasern mit dem Spannungszustand der Membran in Zusammenhang steht, die sich zwischen Limbus spiralis und Hensenschen Zellen bildet. Diese entfernen sich ihrerseits während der Bildung des Cortischen Organs voneinander.

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Research financed by C.N.R. grant.

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Acknowledgements. The author expresses his thanks to Dr. S. De Petris of the INAIL Laboratory of Electron Microscopy of the Clinic for Occupational Diseases of the University of Milan for the help and technical assistance given in obtaining X-ray diagrams and electron photograms with the Siemens Elmiskop I. Grateful acknowledgements are also made to Dr. L. Amante for the —SH and —S—S— groups determinations.     

Methods for the separation of lymphocytes]

The paper reviews the currently available methods for lymphocyte separation, with particular reference to their effectiveness. Procedures based on density and size, such as density gradient centrifugation and sedimentation and size filtration on columns, allow accumulation of lymphocytes of different degree of differentiation, but do not permit any quantitative separation of distinct lymphocyte populations, because density and size of cells are properties strongly varying with the degree of development and physiological state of the cells. Differences of the cells' net potential cause differential adhesion of lymphoid cells to glass or other materials, and lead to varying migration speeds in the electric field. Adherence columns afford only partial separation of T and B cells, whereas favourable results have been obtained by preparative cell electrophoresis. Special membrane structures, such as differentiation antigens including membrane-bound immunoglobulins, cell receptors and transplantation antigens make possible a specific separation of lymphocytes. Essentially, the following 5 methods are being used: 1. Cytolytic treatment of the cells with antisera against differentiation antigens in the presence of complement. 2. Rosette separation 2.1 Rosette formation with sheep erythrocytes (SE) or with antigen-coaded SE for the isolation of antigen-binding lymphocytes. 2.2 Rosette formation by antigen-antibody-complement complexes (B rosettes) 2.3 Rosette formation with SE by human T lymphocytes (T rosettes) 2.1--2.3. Separation of the rosettes from the free lymphocytes by centrifugation or sedimentation.     

The bony labyrinth of Neanderthals

This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of the Neanderthal bony labyrinth, a structure located inside the petrous temporal bone. Fifteen Neanderthal specimens are compared with a Holocene human sample, as well as with a small number of European Middle Pleistocene hominins, and early anatomically modern and European Upper Palaeolithic humans. Compared with Holocene humans the bony labyrinth of Neanderthals can be characterized by an anterior semicircular canal arc which is smaller in absolute and relative size, is relatively narrow, and shows more torsion. The posterior semicircular canal arc is smaller in absolute and relative size as well, it is more circular in shape, and is positioned more inferiorly relative to the lateral canal plane. The lateral semicircular canal arc is absolutely and relatively larger. Finally, the Neanderthal ampullar line is more vertically inclined relative to the planar orientation of the lateral canal. The European Upper Palaeolithic and early modern humans are most similar, although not fully identical to Holocene humans in labyrinthine morphology. The European Middle Pleistocene hominins show the typical semicircular canal morphology of Neanderthals, with the exception of the arc shape and inferiorly position of the posterior canal and the strongly inclined ampullar line. The marked difference between the labyrinths of Neanderthals and modern humans can be used to assess the phylogenetic affinities of fragmentary temporal bone fossils. However, this application is limited by a degree of overlap between the morphologies. The typical shape of the Neanderthal labyrinth appears to mirror aspects of the surrounding petrous pyramid, and both may follow from the phylogenetic impact of Neanderthal brain morphology moulding the shape of the posterior cranial fossa. The functionally important arc sizes of the Neanderthal semicircular canals may reflect a pattern of head movements different from that of modern humans, possibly related to aspects of locomotor behaviour and the kinematic properties of their head and neck.     

Statistical analysis of mediator release from the cyto-neural junction of the posterior canal of the labyrinth isolated from the frog]

The transmitter release mechanism was investigated at the cyto-neural junction of the frog labyrinth posterior canal. Low frequency (less than 100/s) non overlapping EPSPs were intracellularly recorded both at rest and during inhibitory mechanical stimulation of the canal (2-8 deg/s2). Recordings were obtained: in control solution; in the presence of increased external Ca2+ (9 mM); in Ca-free EGTA (5 mM) solution and during electrical activation at 50 Hz of the posterior canal inhibitory efferent system. Individual synaptic potentials were digitized and their peak amplitudes, their time integrals as well as the time intervals between them were evaluated. The time intervals proved to be exponentially distributed, suggesting a random EPSP occurrence. The analytical reconstruction of the EPSP waveform indicated that a gamma- function fitted reasonably well both the single and averaged events. As regards the averaged event, despite the scatter in the values of the gamma-function exponential factor (range 1.1-2.2), in the EPSP time-to-peak (0.6-1.2 ms) and peak amplitude (0.9-2.7 mV) displayed by the units, no significant differences were observed in the same fibre between control and test conditions. Moreover, the event peak amplitude distribution represented by cumulative plots or amplitude histograms was fitted by a lognormal function. The distributions obtained for the same unit in control solution proved to be not significantly different from those successively obtained under test conditions. The unimodal and continuous EPSP distributions, together with the unvarying characteristics of the single events, strongly suggest that the observed potentials are true mEPSPs due to the release of single quanta of transmitter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The staining of decalcified histological bone slices with the improved Romanowsky-Giemsa solution]

This article presents a modified Giemsa-staining. The dye Azure B-Eosinate (Serva, Heidelberg) reformed according to Wittekind was applied to paraffin-slices of decalcified bones of rabbits. Besides a contrast staining on the whole significant details in the histological mounting of bone can be exposed.