Neurosecretion of the mediodorsal cells of the central nervous system of the snail Helisoma duryi

Summary The neurosecretory mediodorsal cells that produce a putative growth hormone of the snail Helisoma duryi were studied in fast-growing virgin snails and in slow-growing reproducing snails. There are about 60 mediodorsal cells in clusters on each side of the cerebral commissure of the central nervous system, and they contain dense-cored granules which are 100–200 nm in diameter. The cells of virgin snails have dense Golgi bodies, scattered ER cisternae, and few granules, while those of reproducing snails have pale Golgi bodies, stacked ER cisternae, and numerous granules. Thus the mediodorsal cells of the virgin snails appear to be more active synthetically than those of the reproducing snails. The cells near the endocrine dorsal bodies contain many dorsal body precesses in their membrane interdigitations. There are junction-like interactions between some of the interdigitations. Gap junction-like contacts are seen between mediodorsal cells and glial cells. The axon endings of the mediodorsal cells at the neurohemal area in the labial nerve show more release profiles in virgin snails than in reproducing snails. A daily pattern of release has been observed in reproducing snails, and rates of release are higher in the evening than in the morning.     

突变体——侏儒小鼠(dw~t)与津白3(TA3)不同日龄骨骼、体重及体长的比较

侏儒小鼠与津白3体重的比值为1:2.5。它们的骨骼、休重、休长及尾长的测量均具非常显著或显著意义。经均衡性检验,不同日龄、不同性别间TA3/dw~t小鼠的不同骨骼、体重、体长及尾长的比值变化是均匀一致的。证明侏儒小鼠骨骼、体重、体长及尾长均系均匀缩小,是身体各部分匀称的侏儒小鼠。     

中华真地鳖低龄若虫消化道结构及取食习性

解剖喂食不同饲料中华真地鳖EupolyphagasinensisWalker的低龄若虫 ,结果表明 ,低龄若虫消化道与成虫消化道结构相同 ,具有胃盲囊和马氏管 ;嗉囊、中肠和后肠分别占消化道总长的比率与中龄若虫相同 ,具有消化食物的能力。观察消化道各部分的滞留物变化情况 ,发现 1龄若虫取食了饲养土中的腐殖质和配合饲料 ,表明孵化后的若虫需要喂食以满足营养需要。     

Effects of double ligation of Stensen's duct on the rabbit parotid gland

Salivary gland duct ligation is an alternative to gland excision for treating sialorrhea or reducing salivary gland size prior to tumor excision. Duct ligation also is used as an approach to study salivary gland aging, regeneration, radiotherapy, sialolithiasis and sialadenitis. Reports conflict about the contribution of each salivary cell population to gland size reduction after ductal ligation. Certain cell populations, especially acini, reportedly undergo atrophy, apoptosis and proliferation during reduction of gland size. Acini also have been reported to de-differentiate into ducts. These contradictory results have been attributed to different animal or salivary gland models, or to methods of ligation. We report here a bilateral double ligature technique for rabbit parotid glands with histologic observations at 1, 7, 14, 30, 60 days after ligation. A large battery of special stains and immunohistochemical procedures was employed to define the cell populations. Four stages with overlapping features were observed that led to progressive shutdown of gland activities: 1) marked atrophy of the acinar cells occurred by 14 days, 2) response to and removal of the secretory material trapped in the acinar and ductal lumens mainly between 30 and 60 days, 3) reduction in the number of parenchymal (mostly acinar) cells by apoptosis that occurred mainly between 14–30 days, and 4) maintenance of steady-state at 60 days with a low rate of fluid, protein, and glycoprotein secretion, which greatly decreased the number of leukocytes engaged in the removal of the luminal contents. The main post- ligation characteristics were dilation of ductal and acinar lumens, massive transient infiltration of mostly heterophils (rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes), acinar atrophy, and apoptosis of both acinar and ductal cells. Proliferation was uncommon except in the larger ducts. By 30 days, the distribution of myoepithelial cells had spread from exclusively investing the intercalated ducts pre-ligation to surrounding a majority of the residual duct-like structures, many of which clearly were atrophic acini. Thus, both atrophy and apoptosis made major contributions to the post-ligation reduction in gland size. Structures also occurred with both ductal and acinar markers that suggested acini differentiating into ducts. Overall, the reaction to duct ligation proceeded at a considerably slower pace in the rabbit parotid glands than has been reported for the salivary glands of the rat.     

胃底腺息肉与胃增生性息肉的临床、内镜特征分析

目的:分析胃底腺息肉与胃增生性息肉的临床、内镜下等特点。方法:回顾性搜集胃镜检出的经病理证实的胃底腺息肉和胃增生性息肉393例纳入分析,按年龄、性别、发生部位、大小、幽门螺杆菌(helicobacter pylori)感染状态、是否使用质子泵抑制剂(proton pump inhibitor)等因素进行分析比较。结果:393例增生性息肉与胃底腺息肉中,男178例,女215例,男女比例为1:1.2,年龄28~89岁。随着年龄的增高,胃息肉发生率越高,但各年龄段分布差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。不同部位的增生性息肉与胃底腺性息肉大小相比差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。两种胃息肉的性别分布差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。增生性息肉H.pylori感染率较胃底腺性息肉高(P<0.05),而胃底腺息肉质子泵抑制剂使用率较胃增生性息肉高(P<0.05)。结论:增生性息肉与幽门螺旋杆菌感染有关,胃底腺息肉与质子泵抑制剂使用有关。对胃底腺息肉与胃增生性息肉的临床、内镜特点的分析有助于胃镜检查对胃息肉性质的初步判断,提高诊断的准确性。     

Mannosomes: a molluscan intracellular tubular membrane system related to heavy metal stress?

Amongst animals, several hydrogen peroxide-generating oxidases are apparently restricted to molluscs. One of these, D-mannitol oxidase, is concentrated in the alimentary system, where it is associated with its own subcellular membrane system of unique tubular morphology, most likely representing a structural modification of the ER. These structures can be purified by subcellular fractionation and have been termed 'mannosomes'. Little is known about the functions of mannitol oxidase or of mannosomes, but the previously reported molluscicide-induced increase in mannosomes implies their involvement in a general stress reaction. In this study, we examined the effects of heavy metal stress in the terrestrial gastropod Arion lusitanicus. The activity of mannitol oxidase and mannosome abundance were monitored, together with metal effects on heat-shock protein level, and these parameters were compared to heavy metal accumulation in the digestive gland. We found that mannitol oxidase is inhibited by heavy metals more than other oxidases. On the other hand, hsp70 levels and mannosomal protein were increased with enhanced heavy metal stress, the latter indicating a probable increase in the number of mannosome organelles. Thus, stress protein (hsp70) and mannosomal protein were positively correlated with heavy metal accumulation, whereas the enzyme activity showed a negative correlation with increasing heavy metal content of the slugs.     

A Novel Nectin-mediated Cell Adhesion Apparatus That Is Implicated in Prolactin Receptor Signaling for Mammary Gland Development

Mammary gland development is induced by the actions of various hormones to form a structure consisting of collecting ducts and milk-secreting alveoli, which comprise two types of epithelial cells known as luminal and basal cells. These cells adhere to each other by cell adhesion apparatuses whose roles in hormone-dependent mammary gland development remain largely unknown. Here we identified a novel cell adhesion apparatus at the boundary between the luminal and basal cells in addition to desmosomes. This apparatus was formed by the trans-interaction between the cell adhesion molecules nectin-4 and nectin-1, which were expressed in the luminal and basal cells, respectively. Nectin-4 of this apparatus further cis-interacted with the prolactin receptor in the luminal cells to enhance the prolactin-induced prolactin receptor signaling for alveolar development with lactogenic differentiation. Thus, a novel nectin-mediated cell adhesion apparatus regulates the prolactin receptor signaling for mammary gland development.     

The contribution of adhesion signaling to lactogenesis

The mammary gland undergoes hormonally controlled cycles of pubertal maturation, pregnancy, lactation, and involution, and these processes rely on complex signaling mechanisms, many of which are controlled by cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesion. The adhesion of epithelial cells to the extracellular matrix initiates signaling mechanisms that have an impact on cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation throughout lactation. The control of integrin expression on the mammary epithelial cells, the composition of the extracellular matrix and the presence of secreted matricellular proteins all contribute to essential adhesion signaling during lactogenesis. In vitro and in vivo studies, including the results from genetically engineered mice, have shed light on the regulation of these processes at the cell and tissue level and have led to increased understanding of the essential signaling components that are regulated in temporal and cell specific manner during lactogenesis. Recent studies suggest that a secreted matricellular protein, CTGF/CCN2, may play a role in lactogenic differentiation through binding to β1 integrin complexes, enhancing the production of extracellular matrix components and contributions to cell adhesion signaling.     

Chemiluminescent immunoassay of thyroxine enhanced by microchip electrophoresis

A homogeneous chemiluminescent immunoassay of thyroxine (T4) enhanced by microchip electrophoresis separation has been developed. The method deployed the competitive immunoreaction of T4 and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled T4 (HRP-T4) with anti-T4 mouse monoclonal antibody (Ab). HRP-T4 and the HRP-T4-Ab complex were separated and quantified by using microchip electrophoresis (MCE) with chemiluminescence (CL) detection. Highly sensitive CL detection was achieved by means of HPR-catalyzed luminol-H₂O₂ reaction. Due to the effective MCE separation, the CL analytical signal was less prone to sample matrix interference. Under the selected assay conditions, the MCE separation was accomplished within 60 s. The linear range for T4 was 5-250 nM with a detection limit of 2.2 nM (signal/noise ratio = 3). The current method was successfully applied for the quantification of T4 in human serum samples. It was demonstrated that the current MCE-CL-enhanced competitive immunoassay was quick, sensitive, and highly selective. It may serve as a tool for clinical analysis of T4 to assist in the diagnosis of thyroid gland functions.