Psycho-educational Horseback Riding to Facilitate Communication Ability of Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

In this study, we applied a novel psycho-educational horseback riding (PEHR) program to the treatment of four Japanese children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) in order to facilitate the acquisition of verbal and nonverbal communication skills. The behavioral changes in each child were evaluated using a psychological and behavioral scale. The scale for evaluating the effect of Human-Equips-Interaction on Mental activity (HEIM scale) was designed to assess the behavioral improvement of children based on the following 10 items: Human relationships, Imitation, Emotional expression, Sudden physical movement, Fixative behavior, Adaptation to change, Visual response, Fear or nervousness, and Verbal and nonverbal communication. After taking part in the PEHR program for several months, all subjects showed remarkably improved HEIM scores and marked improvements were observed in eye contact with others (instructors, side walkers, and leaders) in the riding area. A statistical difference was found in items 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9. However, no statistical difference was found in items 4, 5, and 10. As the program progressed, the children showed enhanced verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and became more expressive in their emotional and empathetic interaction with their parents. These observations suggest that the normal functioning of pleasurable emotions and empathy may facilitate further improvements in joint attention, imitation and empathy, and may result in successful verbal expression by PDD children. Therefore, horseback riding can play a very important role in the psycho-educational support required for the communication ability of PDD children.

Expression and identification of a new splice variant of neuroglycan C, a transmembrane chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, in the human brain.

Neuroglycan C (NGC) is a transmembrane chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan with an EGF module. We studied the expression of NGC in the human brain, mainly in the hippocampus, and confirmed some observations by conducting experiments using rat brain. In humans, NGC mRNA was expressed exclusively in the brain, especially in the immature brain. The telencephalon, including the hippocampus and neocortex, showed strong mRNA expression. NGC was immunolocalized to neuropils in the hippocampus and neocortex of the adult rat. RT-PCR experiments showed that four splice variants (NGC-I, -II, -III, and -IV) were expressed in the adult human hippocampus. By Western blotting, the expression as proteins of all splice variants except NGC-II was confirmed in the adult rat hippocampus. NGC-IV, which was first found in the present study, had the shortest cytoplasmic domain among the four variants. NGC-IV mRNA was expressed by neurons, but not by astrocytes, in culture prepared from the fetal rat hippocampus, suggesting that NGC-IV plays a role specific to neurons. In addition, the human NGC gene, which is registered as CSPG5, comprised six exons and was approximately 19 kb in size. In exon 2, a single nucleotide polymorphism resulting in Val188Gly in the NGC ectodomain was observed.

Changes in the amounts of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in rat brain after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia.

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans have been shown to participate in the pathogenesis of neuronal damages in the injured adult central nervous system (CNS). Upregulated expression of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans has been reported around the injured sites and depletion of these chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans brings about increased axonal regeneration in the injured adult CNS. To examine if chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans are also involved in the pathologic process of hypoxia-ischemia in the neonatal brain, expressions of three chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, neurocan, phosphacan, and neuroglycan C, were examined in rat brains after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia. Hypoxic-ischemic rats were produced by ligating the right carotid artery of 7-day-old rats, followed by 8% oxygen exposure. Western blot analysis revealed that in contrast to injured adult CNS, the amount of neurocan was reduced 24 hr after hypoxia in the neonatal hypoxic-ischemic cerebral hemisphere. The amounts of phosphacan and neuroglycan C were also reduced significantly 24 hr after hypoxia at the right injured cortex compared to those at the left cortex. Surprisingly, the immunohistologic staining for phosphacan was conversely intensified both at 24 hr and 8 days after hypoxia at the infarcted area. In addition, the habenula and fascicules retroflexus in the right cerebral hemisphere degenerated and became intensely immunostained with the anti-phosphacan antibody shortly after hypoxia. Hypoxic-ischemic insult may unmask phosphacan epitopes at the injured sites, resulting in intensified immunostaining. Because intensified immunostaining for neurocan and neuroglycan C was not observed, unmasking seems to be specific to phosphacan among these three chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans.

Experimental model of dissecting aneurysms.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The pathogenesis and optimal treatment for arterial dissection are still unclear. We devised an experimental model of arterial dissection and observed the morphologic changes with angiography. METHODS: Sixty-four experimental dissections were created in the common carotid arteries of 34 mongrel dogs. After a small incision was made in the arterial adventitia, it was dissected from the media. Elliptical defects (2, 4, 6, and 8 mm in groups I-A, I-B, I-C, and I-D, respectively; n = 47) or longitudinal incisions (4, 6, and 8 mm in groups II-A, II-B, and II-C, respectively; n = 17) were made in the intima distal to the adventitial incision to serve as an entry zone for dissection. RESULTS: Immediately after the lesions were created, the influx of blood into the dissected cavity produced massive subadventitial hematomas, resulting in stenotic changes in all of the arteries, including seven with occlusion. Follow-up (1-week) angiograms demonstrated complete healing, with normal arterial calibers in 11 (79%) of 14 I-A lesions and aneurysm formation in nine (69%) of 13 I-B lesions. All 10 I-D lesions had complete arterial occlusion. Persistent stenosis was observed in all 10 I-C lesions; six of these developed aneurysms. Pathologic examination of the freshly dissected cavities revealed a clot-filled cleft between the media and adventitia. Mature aneurysms, evaluated 3 mo later, had endothelialization within the aneurysmal dome. CONCLUSION: Morphologic changes after arterial dissection are closely related to the size of the intimal entry zone, which may determine whether a dissecting aneurysm forms.

Microtubules During Blastoderm Formation in the Egg of the Silkworm, Bombyx mori L.: (embryogenesis/blastoderm formation/nuclear migration/microtubules/silkworm egg).

Microtubules in the silkworm egg, Bombyx mori, were observed by electron microscopy, in order to investigate the relationship between cytoskeletal organelles and the migration of energids, the cleavage nuclei accompanied by the associated cytoplasm, near the egg surface or during blastoderm formation. Numerous microtubules were observed in the associated cytoplasm of an energid even in the interphase of mitosis. At about 8.5 hr after oviposition, when many energids had already cleft and distributed near the peripheral yolk granule region, long microtubules distributed radially from the perinuclear region to the periphery in the associated cytoplasm. When an energid was protruding, the microtubules above the nucleus distributed at a more acute angle than those under the nucleus. When a blastoderm cell had just been formed, the microtubules were observed only under the nucleus. Colchicine, an inhibitor of microtubules, stopped the migration of energids and inhibited the formation of blastoderm cells even after many energids had already distributed at the peripheral yolk granule region. The relationship between the microtubules and the migration of energids near the egg surface or during blastoderm formation was discussed.

Immunocytochemical location of vitellin in the egg of the silkworm,Bombyx mori, during early developmental stages.

Vitellin was purified from eggs of the silkworm,Bombyx mori, by a new method in which vitellin was extracted from isolated yolk granules. The purified vitellin had a molecular weight of 540,000. An antibody against purified vitellin was prepared in rabbits. It reacted with the hemolymph vitellogenin as well as with purified vitellin, but not with other proteins in the hemolymph or in the extract from yolk granules. The anti-vitellin IgG was used to immunocytochemically locate vitellin in theBombyx non-diapause egg during early developmental stages. In the egg, just after oviposition, vitellin was located in internal yolk granules and in small yolk granules of the periplasm. During the early developmental stages studied, vitellin was not metabolized uniformly throughout the egg. The vitellin of the internal yolk granules located at the posterior-dorsal part and of the small peripheral yolk granules was utilized in 16 h and 2 days, respectively, after oviposition. A thin, very vitellin-poor layer was located between the periplasm and the vitellin-rich interior in the newly laid egg. it was always in close contact with the periphery where blastoderm and germ-band cells developed.

Scanning Electron microscopic Study on the Early Development of Silkworm Eggs (Bombyx mori L.): (silkworm/early development/microvillus/SEM).

Morphological changes of the surface of eggs of the silkworm Bombyx mori L. were studied during early developmental stages by scanning electron microscopy. The egg surface was covered with numerous microvilli at least until 4 h after oviposition. At 6 h the microvilli were replaced by ruffle-like microprojections. This suggests that developmental changes of the surface structure may occur without direct influence of cleavage nuclei. Immediately before blastoderm cell formation, microvilli reappeared in the presumptive groove area. The ruffles seen on the apical portion of newly-formed blastoderm cells gradually became flattened, while microvilli developed on the lateral side of the cells. The mode of blastoderm cell formation is different from the typical one seen in most species of insects.

SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDY ON THE SURFACE CHANGE OF EGGS OF THE TELEOST, ORYZIAS LATIPES, AT THE TIME OF FERTILIZATION.

The surface change of the egg of the teleost, Oryzias latipes, during fertilization was observed with a scanning electron microscope. The microvilli of the outer surface of the unfertilized egg show a slight difference in density between the animal and vegetal pole areas. In the initial step of the breakdown of cortical alveoli (CA), several small holes or gapes are formed at the apical part of the CA membrane, becoming a large aperture from which the alveolar contents are discharged. The formation of microvilli is observed on the inner surface of the exposed cavity left by the CA, starting from the periphery of the aperture and propagating throughout the whole inner surface in accompaniment with the release of the alveolar contents. After the completion of CA breakdown, the CA membrane cannot be distinguished from the original egg plasma membrane.

Studies on the yolk granules of the silkworm,Bombyx mori L.: The morphology of diapause and non-diapause eggs during early developmental stages.

The morphological features during development of diapause and non-diapause eggs of the silkworm,Bombyx mori, were investigated by means of light and electron microscopy, with special reference to eggs up to 24 h after oviposition.The blastoderm and yolk cells began to be formed about 6 and 24 h after oviposition, respectively, in both the diapause and non-diapause eggs, indicating that the diapause and non-diapause eggs develop at similar rates at least until 24 h after oviposition.Specific changes in the distribution of yolk granules were observed during early development of the diapause egg. Its yolk granules gradually aggregated into clusters from the periphery toward the inside of the egg during the period of blastoderm formation. Aggregation of yolk granules was most noticeable about 12 h after oviposition and then they dispersed again before yolk cell formation. On the other hand, yolk granules of the non-diapause eggs remained dispersed during development.