Quantitative and qualitative analysis of cadaveric human pinealocytes in various age Groups

To determine age-related quantitative and qualitative changes in human pinealocytes using cadaveric material. Analytical cross-sectional study. The study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, from January to December 2008. Thirty pineal glands from human cadavers ranging from 16-80 years of age were collected from mortuary of King Edward Medical University, Lahore, using purposive non-probability sampling. These were divided into three different age groups: I, II and III each between 16 to 30, 31 to 45 and 46 to 80 years of age respectively. Pinealocytes were counted; their mean diameter and that of their nuclei was calculated from a total of 30 cells per slide, using 4 microm thick H and E stained histological sections. Mean +/- S.E.M. was calculated for quantitative variables. One-way ANOVA was applied to observe group mean differences among three groups. The number of pinealocytes decreased with aging but the difference was statistically insignificant when compared between groups [p=0.234]. There was no change in size of pinealocyte soma and its nucleus [p=0.889 and 0.898 respectively]. The number and size of pinealocytes, and their nuclei remained unaltered with advancing age

Changes in organ-body weight relationship after withdrawal of chroniclithium administration in rabbits

Background: There is widely increasing use of lithium in psychiatric patients. Its chronic use has various side effects on the body. These effects are more severe if drug is withdrawn suddenly, affecting not only body weight but also other organs of the body disturbing hypothalamic- hypophyseal axis

Objective: To document changes in organ-body weight relationship after withdrawal of chronic Lithium administration in rabbits

Material and Methods: Thirty adult male rabbits were divided into two groups, control and experimental. Each group was further divided into three subgroups. Lithium Carbonate powder 34.2 mg per kg body weight was administered daily by oral route in the form of capsule for four weeks to experimental group whereas control group was given empty capsules and normal diet. Animal weight and serum lithium levels were measured at the beginning of the experiment and thereafter checked weekly. After four weeks, one third of the animals in each group were sacrificed and their liver, kidney, thyroid and pituitary were weighed to see the effect of drug. Second and third groups were sacrificed one and two weeks after lithium withdrawal, respectively

Results: The mean serum lithium levels gradually dropped after one week and significant fall was seen after 2 weeks of withdrawal but it did not touch the baseline. After 4 weeks of lithium consumption, hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis showed exaggerated response reflected by statistically significant increase in thyroid weight and statistically significant fall in that of pituitary along with decrease in weight of animal and kidney

Conclusion Abrupt withdrawal of drug set hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis at a new level as reflected by increase in thyroid and pituitary weight. Weight gained by body might be on account of other reasons