Focal injection of Ethidium bromide as a simple model to study cognitive deficit and its improvement

Introduction: Memory and cognitive impairments are some of devastating outcomes of Multiple Sclerosis [MS] plaques in hippocampus, the gray matter part of the brain. The present study aimed to evaluate the intrahippocampal injection of Ethidium Bromide [EB] as a simple and focal model to assess cognition and gray matter demyelination

Methods: Thirty Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control group, which received saline, as solvent of EB, into the hippocampus; and two experimental groups, which received 3 microL of EB into the hippocampus, and then, were evaluated 7 and 28 days after EB injection [n=10 in each group], using a 5-day protocol of Morris Water Maze [MWM] task as well as Transmission Electron Microscopy [TEM] assay

Results: Seven days after EB injection, the behavioral study revealed a significance increase in travelled distance for platform finding in the experimental group compared to the control group. In addition, the nucleus of oligodendrocyte showed the typical clumped chromatin, probably attributed to apoptosis, and the myelin sheaths of some axons were unwrapped and disintegrated. Twenty-eight days after EB injection, the traveled distance and the time spent in target quadrant significantly decreased and increased, respectively in experimental groups compared to the control group. Also, TEM micrographs revealed a thin layer of remyelination around the axons in 28 days lesion group

Discussion: While intracerebral or intraventricular injection of EB is disseminated in different parts of the brain and can affect the other motor and sensory systems, this model is confined locally and facilitates behavioral study. Also, this project could show improvement of memory function subsequent to the physiological repair of the gray matter of the hippocampus

case report: variation of the cephalic and external jugular veins

The knowledge of variations in the superficial veins is of clinical importance for the anatomist, radiologists, clinical practitioners and surgeons in order to plan about the operative procedures. Usually cephalic vein drains into the axillary vein. In this case report study the left cephalic vein communicates with the left external jugular vein and made a common trunk at the superior surface of the clavicle, and then opened into the subclavian vein posterosuperior to the clavicle. The aim of this report was to discuss about the presence of an abnormal communication between external jugular and cephalic vein

[Effects of GnRH agonist on follicular granulosa cell apoptosis of rats]

Background: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone [GnRH] has been found to be expressed in ovaries in addition to hypothalamus to modulate cell differentiation and induces atretic follicles. Since the death of granulosa cells during the process of follicular atresia occurs by apoptosis phenomenon, in this study, we investigated the occurrence of apoptosis of granulosa cells of rat ovarian follicles under the influence of Buserelin acetate, a GnRH agonist.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental case-control study, twelve 25-day-old female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups. The study and control groups received 0.2 mg/kg/d Buserelin acetate and normal saline, respectively, for 4 days. 24 hours after the last injection, the rats were anesthetized with a lethal dose of chloroform and ovaries were removed. Specimens were fixed in 10% formalin. After the passage, five-micron sections were prepared using a rotary microtome. Measurement of apoptosis was performed using a calibrated light microscope after TUNEL POD staining. Data were analyzed in GraphPad InStat software using independent t-test. P

Results: These data showed the average percentage of apoptotic cells in the control group 2/14 +/- 0/52, and in the experimental group 3/75 +/- 1/71. This difference was statistically significant [p

Conclusion: These findings suggest that Buserelin acetate increases apoptosis in the granulosa cells of ovarian follicles.

Amiodarone induced morphological changes in rabbit pneumocytes

Amiodarone as an iodinated benzofuran derivative is a potent antiarrhythmic agent currently used for the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias. Pulmonary toxicity is one of the complications of Amiodarone therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the toxicity of Amiodarone for pneumocytes. 14 male white New Zealand rabbits were divided in a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group was subjected to intra peritoneal injection with a single daily dose of 80 mg/kg Amiodarone for two weeks. The control group received only normal saline. At the end of the injection period, the two groups were anesthetized and perfused with Karnovsky fixative. The lung tissue was removed and fixed, then prepared for light and electron microscope studies. Morphometric studies were made on sections to find nucleus profile dimensions. Light microscope observation showed acute changes in the alveolus including congestion of alveolar capillaries and infiltration of red blood cells [RBCs] into the lumen of the alveoli. Electron microscope study of lung tissue revealed abnormal inclusion bodies within type II and I pneumocytes. The micrographs also showed the presence of vacuoles in 5% of the type II pneumocytes. Morphometric studies showed that the nucleus of the cells in the experimental group were smaller than in the control group [p < 0.01]. These results indicate that Amiodarone administration can cause damage to pnuemocytes and the alveolus of rabbit lung, so the effectiveness of Amiodarone in long term treatment of heart failure patients is limited because of the development of lung toxicity