No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases*

No abstract available.
Commerce*

In order to understand the pathogenesis and progression of some synaptic loss related neuropsychiatric diseases. We attempted to develop a computer model in this study. We made a simple autoassociative memory network remembering numbers, transformed it into a disease model by pruning synapses, and measured its memory performance as a function of synaptic deletion. Decline in performance was measured as amount of synaptic loss increases and its mode of declines is sudden or gradual according to the mode of synaptic pruning. The developed computer model demonstrated how synaptic loss could cause memory impairment through a series of computer simulations, and suggested a new way of research in neuropsychiatry.
Computer Simulation* ; Dementia ; Memory ; Neuropsychiatry ; Schizophrenia ; Synapses

No abstract available.
Brain* ; Neuroblastoma*

Normal embryonic development of human heart is studied with special emphasis to the formation of atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial connections and their significance in congenital heart disease. Twenty nine human embryos and 8 chick embryos are used in this study. Human embryos are analyzed by reconstruction of serial section slides and chick embryos are microdissected and examined by scanning electron microscopy. In the early cardiac development (Streeter horizon 12), bulbo-ventricular fold divided two ventricles first. The atrioventricular canal is incompletely divided and the canal was in contact neither with septum primum nor with ventricular septal crest. Infundibular and truncal septa were not seen. The division of A-V canal was observed during the stages 14-15. Septation of truncus arteriosus (Streeter horizon 15-17) was followed by septation of bulbus cordis (Streeter horizon 16-17). The shortening of mitral-aortic distance and downward left shift of aortic valve occured after the trunco-infundibular septation and finally the secondary interventricular formen closed at the end of seventh week (Streeter horizon 20-21).
Humans ; Chick Embryo ; Animals

The pathogenetic role of intrauterine infection to the neonatal pulmonary injury and bronchopulmonary dysplasia was assessed by studying the interleukin-6 (IL-6) level in the umbilical cord blood and the early morphologic changes of the neonatal lung. Patients were grouped into bronchopulmonary dysplasia (4 cases), chorioamnionitis without chronic lung injury (4 cases), and 6 cases without morphologic evidence of chronic lung injury or placental inflammation. IL-6 level of umbilical cord blood was higher in babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (17.7 pg/ml) compared to those with chorioamnionitis (4.7 pg/ml) or those with morphologically normal lung and placenta (6.2 pg/ml). Morphologic parameters of neonatal pulmonary injury were hyaline membrane, terminal bronchiole inflammation, terminal bronchiole regeneration, alveolar collapse and fibroblastic proliferation. Bronchiolar regeneration was the most peculiar feature seen in the lung with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Alveolar collapse and interstitial fibroblastic reaction were commonly seen in bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The postnatal age at death was higher in those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, although the occurrence of the morphologic changes was related with the chronicity of those lesions. These findings suggest that intrauterine infection is an aggravating factor for the neonatal pulmonary injury and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, although the early stage of the lung injury is not a definitive indicator for the progressive pulmonary damage leading to the bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Bronchioles ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia* ; Chorioamnionitis ; Cytokines ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Hyaline Membrane Disease ; Infant, Newborn ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Lung ; Lung Injury* ; Membranes ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Regeneration

Decubitus ulcer is often seen in the skin and underlying tissue of debilitated or immobilized patients as the result of prolonged pressure and impaired circulation. It manifests chiefly as an ulcer over bony prominences, but tumefaction is an extremely unusual presentation. A 53-year old male, a paralytic of the lower extremity for 18 years, developed a recurrent decubital ulcer despite repeated surgical repair, from which a rapidly growing, large fungating mass grew within a month. The last resected mass was bosselated and measured 15x9x3 cm with a major area of cicatrix-like induration, interdigitated with skeletal muscle bundles at the central area. Microscopically, the mass was composed of an upper half of active granulation tissue layer and a deeper half of dense, poorly cellular, fibrocollagenous bundles admixed with florid proliferation of atypical fibroblasts, but the absence of mitosis and the multifocal admixture of active inflammatory process-granulation tissue formation seemed to help exclude genuine fibromatosis, nodular fasciitis or proliferative myositis. We assume that this rapidly growing pseudofibromatosis is an additional manifestation of a prolonged decubitus ulcer, possibly related to the modified reparative process of decubitus ulcer following repeated excisions, for which we propose a term of decubitoma.

No abstract available.
Child* ; Drug Therapy* ; Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Receptors, Thyrotropin* ; Thyroid Function Tests* ; Thyroid Gland*

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated the early time course of expression of the major histocompatibility (MHC) antigens, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), interleukin-6 and the histopathological changes in the coronary arteries of cardiac allografts exchanged between inbred mice strains that differ in one loci of class I major histocompatibility antigen (B10.BR to B10.A). MATERIAL AND METHOD: No immunosuppressive therapy was used. Both allografts and the hearts of the recipients were harvested at 7 (group 1, n=6), 15 (group 2, n=6), 21 (group 3, n=6), and 30 (group 4, n=6) days after transplantation. They were examined by immunohistochemistry, microscopy and morphometry. All allografts had contractions at the time of harvest. RESULT: A strong MHC class I antigen expression was present on the endothelial and medial cells of the coronary arteries in group 1 and remained unchanged in the rest of the groups. However, MHC class II reactivity was none or very little at any time. Mild to moderate ICAM-1 expression was observed on the endothelial cells, but not on the medial cells at any time by 30 days. VCAM-1 expression was strong both on the endothelial and medial cells at any time. Moderate degree expression of interleukin-6 was observed from 7 to 30 day specimens. Histopathologically, percentage of affected vessels (vessels with intimal thickening) was less than 10 % in 7 day group and increased up to 50 % at 30 days. Mean percent narrowing of the lumen of the affected vessels revealed less than 20 % at 7 days and 40 % at 30 days. The area occupied by tropomyosin positive cells in the intimal lesion, graded from 0 to 3, showed gradual increase but remained between grade 0 to 1 by 30 days. Medial integrity was also well preserved at any time. Moderate perivascular mononuclear cell infiltration was observed at 7 days and it was progressively increased upto 30 days. Recipients' heart revealed no positive immunopathologic findings. CONCLUSION: In this study, the early time course of progression of the transplantation vasculopathy was demonstrated in the murine heterotopic heart transplant model.
Allergy and Immunology ; Allografts ; Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; Coronary Vessels* ; Endothelial Cells ; Heart* ; Histocompatibility ; Histocompatibility Antigens ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Interleukin-6 ; Mice* ; Microscopy ; Transplantation ; Tropomyosin ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

The coronary arteries of young individuals are histologically studied. Fourteen cases in pediatric age group and three adult hearts were used. No case had clinical and pathological evidences of heart disease. Inner circumference, thickness of tunicae intima, media and adventitia were measured at eight different sites of coronary arteries. The thickness of tunica media was used as a standard scale of cardiac growth, and the heart weight, body weight, height and age were compared with the medial thickness. The morphological changes were assessed in five groups by the heart weights. Group I ( less than 10 gm) showed single endothelial lining with cytoplasmic vacuolization or endothelial denudation. Group II (more than 10 but less than 20 gm) consisted of full term babies and showed first stigma of focal intimal thickening and intimal collagen fibers. Diffuse intimal thickening more than 1/1 of medial thickness was first seen in a case with 46 gm of heart weight. Elastic fiber was not seen in internal elastic laminae of groups I and II. Fragmentation of internal elastic lamina and smooth muscle proliferation as a form of musculoelastic layer were the major findings of intimal thickening in childhood and no case showed complicated atherosclerotic lesions.
Child ; Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans