Synapse-to-neuron ratio in the rat cerebellum following length periods of undernutrition and subsequent nutritional rehabilitation: a qualitative and quantitative study

Albino rats undernourished from the 18th day of gestation until 140 days of age, with some of rats being nutritionally rehabilitated between 70 and 140 days of age. Control and experimental rats were anaesthetised and perfused with 2.5% gluteraldehyde at each of 70 and 140 days of age. Pieces of cerebellar tissue from each rat were postfixed in osmium tetroxide and embedded in resin. Stereological procedures at high and electron microscope levels were used to estimate the numerical density [Nv] of granule cell neurons and synapses as well as the synapse-to-neuron ratio. No obvious qualitative differences in the ultrastructural morphology within the granular cell layer were observed between control, undernourished and nutritionally rehabilitated rats. Undernourished rats had significantly lower body and cerebellar weight than control at all ages examined. These deficits persisted even after a period of nutritional rehabilitation. The Nv of granule cells showed no significant difference between the undernourished and control groups at 70 and 140 days of age. However, nutritional rehabilitation caused significant deficit in the Nv of granule cells in rats rehabilitated from 70 to 140 days of age compared with control ones. At 70 days of age, undernourished rats showed non significant deficit in the Nv of synapses compared with control rats. However, by 140 days of age, there was a significant increase in the synaptic density of the undernourished rats compared with control. The synaptic density was not significantly different between the nutritionally rehabilitated animals and control ones. The synapse-to-[granule cell] neuron ratio showed a significant deficit [14%] in the undernourished rats at 70 days of age compared to the control group. This was reversed by the age of 140 days when the undernourished rats had a significant greater [11%] synapse-to- [granule cell] neuron ratio despite continuing the undernutrition. However, 140 days old rats nutritionally rehabilitated from 70 days of age showed significant increase [19%] in this ratio compared with well-fed controls. It was concluded that a lengthy period of undernutrition can cause an initial deficit in the synapse-to-neuron ratio in the rat cerebellum. This deficit was not permanent, but it completely disappeared despite continued undernutrition. Moreover, this deficit was changed to a significant increase in both rats continuously undernourished and also in the nutritionally rehabilitated ones so, the nutritional rehabilitation was not prerequisite to restore the deficit in this ratio induced by a period of undernutrition

Specific effect of maternal ethanol consumption on the retina and optic nerve myelination of mice offspring a. stereological and pathological study

Pregnant mice were injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of a 25% ethanol solution on day 12 of gestation. At the same time, control animals were given a same dose of saline. Retina, optic, tibial and saphenous nerves were prepared for light and transmission electron microscopy from offspring at one, two, three, four and six months of age. The number and cross-sectional areas of the myelinated axons were analyzed using a recent stereological technique. The study suggested that the alcohol administration during pregnancy in critical time of visual system development results in late atrophy of myelinated axons in the optic nerve. This effect which is specific to the central nervous system is stable and non-progressive with no deleterious effect on the peripheral nervous system

Histochemical, ultrastructural and stereological study of the mucosa of ileal neobladder

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of chronic urinary diversion on the morphology of intestine. Biopsies from control ileum and ileal neobladder taken after 6 and 24 months postoperatively were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy with employing the recent stereological methods. The histochemical changes observed were diminution of alkaline phosphatase and succinic dehydrogenase activity in the mucosa of the ileal neobladder compared with control ileum. Moreover, the light microscopical examination of the ileal neobladder showed mucosal atrophy evidenced by shortening of villi and increasing the depth of crypts. Quantitative findings confirmed the previous qualitative atrophic changes where the villous to crypt ratio changed from 3.9 in control ileum to 2.2 and 1.2 in the ileal neobladder after 6 and 24 months, respectively. The ultrastructural changes in the ileal neobladder consisted of a reduction in the number and height of the microvilli, increased lysosomal features and the activity of muciparous cells and a loss of the normal polarized deposition of the cytoplasmic organelles. Both quantitative and qualitative findings confirmed that the older the neobladder, the more severe the changes found

Chronic alcoholism and morphological changes in hypophyseal gonadotropic cells of rat [stereological and ultrastructural study]

Adenohypophysis of male albino rats received 15% solution of ethyl alcohol for five months was examined by light and electron microscopy for the detection of morphological changes in hypophyseal gonadotropic cells as compared with the control group. Light microscopy revealed hyperplasia and hypertrophy of gonadotropic cells with the presence of vacuoles of varying size in large gonadotrophs. The increase of the volume and the numerical density of the gonadotropic cells of alcoholized rats in comparison with the control ones was proved by recent stereological methods. Ultrastructural results showed an increase in the number and size of gonadotrophs with the presence of large vacuole, which was formed by fusion of dilated cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum. The results offered a morphological basis to the adoption of a biphasic effect of alcohol on gonadotropic secretion

Clinicopathological study of ovarian tumours in the second decade of life

A study of 15 adolescents aged 10 - 20 years admitted with ovarian tumors during a 3-year period revealed that 11 of the 15 patients had malignant ovarian tumors, 1 case of borderline malignancy, while 3 patients had benign tumors. Histopathological study of the 11 malignant tumors revealed germ cell tumors in 8 cases, sex cord stromal tumor in 2 cases and epithelial tumor in 1 case. Tumors were found more frequently on the right side

Immunohistochemical localization of carcinoembryonic antigen in endocervical glandular lesions

Ten cases of microgl and ular hyperplasia and seven cases of adenocarcinoma of endocervical origin were studied by peroxidase- antiperoxidase method [PAP] for the presence of carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA]. Nine of the ten cases of benign lesions were negative and one was focally positive. Five of the seven adenocarcinomas were widely positive and two were focally positive. The results suggested that extensive immunohistochemical positivity for CEA in endocervical gl and ular lesions is indicative of malignancy

Surgical and pathological study of hirschsprugn's disease treatment by modified Duhamel operation in one stag versus two stages procedure

This work included 19 patients [17 males, 2 females], whose age ranged from 2 to 6 years, selected from Surgical and Pediatric Outpatient Clinics of El-Menia University Hospital in the period from January 1991 to December 1992. The aim of this work was to appraise the modified Duhammel operation which was used in the study with or without preoperative colostomy in patients complaining of Hirschsprung's disease with mild abdominal distention. The postoperative results were promising. Follow up of the patients ranged from 6 to 24 months. This procedure without colostomy shortened the surgical management of such patients and minimized the postoperative period of illness

Stereological and ultrastructural study of seminiferous tubules in normal testes and in patients with varicocele

Testicular biopsies from fertile men and patients with varicocele were evaluated and examined by using the recent stereological technique and electron microscope. This study quantitated the seminiferous epithelium using the stereological methods. The numerical density of the germ cells was generally reduced in patients with varicocele when compared with that in the normal fertile men. However such reduction was not associated with a similar change in the supporting Sertoli cells. Moreover, the different ratios between various germ cells and Sertoli cells were statistically reduced in varicocele group. The seminiferous tubules were examined by light and electron microscope. The tissue architecture of the tubules in varicocele patients ranged from mild to severely altered. In affected tubules, spermatid nuclear and acrosomal morpology was abnormal. Sloughing of the individual germ cells as well as the vacuolization and degeneration of the Sertoli cell cytoplasm were evindent. Furthermore, Sertoli-spermatid junctional complexes appeared to be structurally abnormal, whereas Sertoli-Sertoli junctional cornplexes appeared to be structurally intact. On the basis of the results in this work, the Sertoli cell is, in fact, the primary intratubular site of alteration in varicocele patients leading secondarily to sloughing and spermatogenic disruption

Effect of indomethacin on some parenchymatous organs in rats

The effect of indomethacin on some parenchymatous organs of rats was microscopically studied. It was shown that many organs were affected following the therapeutic doses of indomethacin after 14 days of administration. The lungs showed congestion and haemorrhagic areas with thickening of the interstitial septa. The liver showed cellular infiltration and congested portal vessels, sinusoids and central veins, together with cloudy swellings of the hepatocytes and focal necrosis. Specimens of the kidney showed areas of interstitial hameorrhage and nephritis with focal areas of necrosis. Examination of lymph nodes revealed marked hyperplasia together with polymorphic cellular infiltration

Umbilical artery flow velocity waveforms, relationship to villus vasculature, cord length and umbilical artery diameter

Twenty nine term pregnant women were subjected to Doppler ultrasound study of the umbilical artery flow velocity waveform and the systolic diastolic ratio [S/D] was calculated. The pregnancy was uncomplicated in 15 women while 14 had preeclampsia. Women were classified into normal [<3] and abnormal >3 S/D ratio. After delivery, infants and placentas were weighed, number of small muscular arteries per tertiary stem villus was counted and cord length as well as the average diameter of the umbilical arteries were measured. In a multiple regression analysis, none of the above variables in addition to maternal age, had significant influence on the S/D ratio. When groups were compared, again none of the variables showed significant difference between the group with normal and the group with abnormal S/D ratio. The S/D ratio and cord length were comparable in the preeclamptic and normal women, while the number of arteries per villus was fewer in preeclamptic cases [P<0.05] who also had wider umbilical artery diameter [P< 0.05]. We conclude that the relation between placental vascular resistance and the umbilical artery S/D ratio is not a simple one as each may be altered independent from the other. This must be considered when measurement of the umbilical S/D ratio is clinically interpreted