Teratogenic effects of 5-fluorouracil on rat brain.

Nine female pregnant rats were treated with single dose (30mg/kg) of 5-fluorouracil on 12th day of gestation. Gross defects in developing brain of rat fetuses were observed. 5-Fluorouracil is an antineoplastic drug, which has not been adequately studied. 5-FU induced about 5% mortality with significant reduction in body weight and various dimensions of the developing brain (p<0.001). Macroscopic findings of the developing brain revealed microcephaly, regression or absence of olfactory lobe and obliteration of the various fissures on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the brain. Neuroembryopathic effects of 5-FU is more marked when given in late phase of gestation. So, it is advisable that the drug should be avoided during this period of pregnancy.

Neuroembryotoxic effect of 5- Fluorouracil in rat: injecting in late phase of gestation.

Macro and microscopic findings in developing brain of rat fetuses were observed after intraperitoneal injection with a single dose (30mg/kg) of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) in late phase of gestation. 5-FU induced more than 60.0% lethality with significant reduction (p<0.001) in weight and various dimensions of the developing brain. Macroscopic findings of the developing brain revealed microcephaly, regression or absence of the olfactory lobe and obliteration of the various fissures on the dorsal surface. Microscopic examination of the olfactory lobe of treated brain showed the obliteration of the olfactory ventricle, distortion of the cellular arrangement of various layers of the olfactory cortex with clumping of degenerated neurons and glial cells. Cerebral cortex of the treated brain revealed the distortion of normal cytoarchitecture of the various cortical layers. The neurons of the treated brain revealed the degeneration, deeply stained eccentric nucleus with loss of mitotic figures and pyknotic changes. Subcortical zone of the treated cerebrum showed the degenerative changes in the fibrous structure along with paucity of the glial cells. The hippocampus of the treated brain revealed the loss of normal cytoarchitecture and shrinkage of all the layers. Neuroembyopathic effect of 5-FU is severe, when given in late phase of pregnancy, so it is advisable that the drug should be avoid during the late period of pregnancy.

Neuroembryopathic effect of clobazam in rat: a histological study.

Clobazam is a derivative of the benzodiazepines used as an anti-epileptics drug. The pregnant rat had received, orally, 125 mg/kg of clobazam daily from 1st-7th day of gestation and fetuses were collected on 20th day of pregnancy. Brain of the clobazam treated fetuses showed no significant change in weight and size in comparision to that of the controls. Other gross abnormalities were also not found in the brains of treated group. Histological examination revealed the alteration in cytoarchitecture of the cerebral and the cerebellar cortex. Strips of focal coagulate necrosis extended through most of the layers of the cerebral cortex. There were paucity of neurons and neurological elements in the cortex and the central grey area of spinal cord. Many of these neurons showed pyknotic nuclei. The intercellular spaces increased either because of decrease in cell number or due to shrinkage and clumping of degenerated neurons. Subcortical (white matter) zone showed the paucity and derangement of the oligodendrocytes and the astrocytes, which revealed vigorous proliferation in the treated group. These findings showed that the benzodiazepines and their derivatives have teratogenic effect in the developing mammalian central nervous system.

Anatomical variation in origin and course of the thoracoacromial trunk and its branches.

The variations in origin and course of the thoracoacromial trunk (TAT) and its branches were studied in 178 cadavers during the routine dissection from the year 1982 to 2002. The TAT originated from the first part of the axillary artery (AA) in 13.4% cases of the right and 10.6% of the left axilla. The variations in origin of the branches of TAT were divided into three groups. First variation group showed deltoacromial (DA) and clavipectoral (CP) subtrunks of the TAT originating directly from the AA in majority of cases. Second group revealed clavicular branch of the TAT originating from the AA, whereas in the third group all classical branches originated directly from the AA and there was no existence of the TAT. The superior thoracic artery (STA) originated from the TAT in 16.8% (Confidence Interval, CI: 11.12-21.89) cases of the right and 6.1% (CI: 2.59-9.53) of the left axilla and the lateral thoracic artery in 39.8% (CI: 32.01-46.10) cases of the right and 29.3% (CI: 15.01-26.80) of the left axilla. The incidence of variations in origin of the TAT and its branches was found higher on right side. The knowledge of these variations is of anatomical and surgical interest. This information is useful for the surgeons dealing with the axillary region especially in case of reconstructive surgery.

Articular branch of the axillary artery and its clinical implication.

Origin and course of the articular branch of the axillary artery was recorded in 151 (43.9%) out of 344 axilla during the routine dissection. The branch was observed in 60.5% right side and 39.4% left side of male axilla, whereas in 55.5% right and 44.4% left side of female axilla and the difference was found significant (P < 0.001) among the gender. The orientation of the articular branch on right and left side was of similar proportion in both the sexes. The articular branch entered into the shoulder joint either upper, middle or lower part of the capsule of joint. This articular branch originated mostly from the lateral aspect of second part of the axillary artery below to the origin of the lateral thoracic artery. This is a rare observation and is of importance to clinicians dealing with the shoulder joint.

Growth retardation and lethality induced by adriblastina in chick embryo.

The low (1.2 mg/kg) and high (2.4 mg/kg) therapeutic dose of adriblastina, dissolved in 0.04 ml of distilled water was injected into the chick embryo at different duration of the incubation. The control chick embryo received equal volume of distilled water at the same duration. All groups of embryo were collected on day 19 of gestation. The treated embryo showed growth retardation and lethality in a dose dependence response. The lethality and growth retardation in both treated groups were found significantly different (p<0.001) as compared with the control chick embryo. Similarly the groups treated on different days showed a time sequential effect on the developing chick embryo. Our observation had revealed that the drug is teratogenic to the chick embryo.