The effect of environmental colour on the growth, metabolism, physiology and skin pigmentation of the carnivorous freshwater catfish Lophiosilurus alexandri.

The growth, physiology and skin pigmentation of pacamã Lophiosilurus alexandri juveniles were evaluated in an experiment using different tank colours (white, yellow, green, blue, brown and black) over an 80 day period. The tank colours did not cause significant differences to final body mass, total length, survival rate, carcass composition (moisture, crude protein, ash, ether extract, calcium, phosphorus, energy), or to plasma protein, triglyceride and cholesterol values. Haematocrit values, however, were highest for fish kept in white tanks (ANOVA P < 0·05), while the greatest haemoglobin levels were recorded for fish kept in blue and brown tanks (P < 0·01). The concentrations of cortisol (P < 0·001) and glucose (P < 0·01) were the most in fish in the black tanks. Tank colour affected skin pigmentation significantly, with fish in white tanks having the highest values of L* (brightness) and the lowest values in blue and black tanks. L*, however, decreased in all treatments throughout the experiment. C*ab increased significantly over the course of the experiment in fish kept in white tanks. Similar increases of C*ab were recorded in the other treatments but to a lesser extent. The use of black tanks during the cultivation of L. alexandri caused stress and should be avoided. Cultivation in white and yellow tanks produced individuals with a pale skin colour, while cultivation in blue and black tanks resulted in juveniles with a darker and more pigmented skin.

Effects of supplemental dietary vitamin C on quality of semen from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) breeders.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin C on growth and quality of semen from Oreochromis niloticus breeders. One hundred and sixty males were fed with different levels of vitamin C (0, 261, 599 and 942 mg/kg diet). The higher weight values were recorded for 599 (166 g) and 942 (175 g) mg of vitamin C/kg diet. Sperm motility, vigour and concentration were higher with 599 and 942 mg of vitamin C/kg diet. The semen volume, gonadosomatic index and plasma protein data from the last week showed a direct relationship with increasing levels of vitamin C. No changes were observed in the hepatosomatic index and blood glucose. The haematocrit and erythrocyte showed higher values estimated by equations derived at 850 and 638 mg vitamin C/kg diet, respectively. The leucocytes were inversely proportional to the increasing levels of vitamin C. After 100 days of feeding, animals fed the diet containing 942 mg vitamin C/kg diet had higher sperm motility, linearity, curvilinear velocity, straight line velocity and average path velocity (p < .05). Higher values of beat cross-frequency were observed in broodfish fed diets containing 942 and 599 mg vitamin C/kg. The different vitamin C levels did not cause differences in straightness, lateral head displacement and sperm morphology. For Nile tilapia males on intensive rearing and handling conditions, vitamin C levels between 599 and 942 mg/kg may be used for a better performance and quality of semen.

Neuroprotection of locomotor networks after experimental injury to the neonatal rat spinal cord in vitro.

Treatment to block the pathophysiological processes triggered by acute spinal injury remains unsatisfactory as the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Using as a model the in vitro spinal cord of the neonatal rat, we investigated the feasibility of neuroprotection of lumbar locomotor networks by the glutamate antagonists 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2, 3-dione (CNQX) and aminophosphonovalerate (APV) against acute lesions induced by either a toxic solution (pathological medium (PM) to mimic the spinal injury hypoxic-dysmetabolic perturbation) or excitotoxicity with kainate. The study outcome was presence of fictive locomotion 24 h after the insult and its correlation with network histology. Inhibition of fictive locomotion by PM was contrasted by simultaneous and even delayed (1 h later) co-application of CNQX and APV with increased survival of ventral horn premotoneurons and lateral column white matter. Neither CNQX nor APV alone provided neuroprotection. Kainate-mediated excitotoxicity always led to loss of fictive locomotion and extensive neuronal damage. CNQX and APV co-applied with kainate protected one-third of preparations with improved motoneuron and dorsal horn neuronal counts, although they failed with delayed application. Our data suggest that locomotor network neuroprotection was possible when introduced very early during the pathological process of spinal injury, but also showed how the borderline between presence or loss of locomotor activity was a very narrow one that depended on the survival of a certain number of neurons or white matter elements. The present report provides a model not only for preclinical testing of novel neuroprotective agents, but also for estimating the minimal network membership compatible with functional locomotor output.

Extracellular magnesium enhances the damage to locomotor networks produced by metabolic perturbation mimicking spinal injury in the neonatal rat spinal cord in vitro.

An acute injury to brain or spinal cord produces profound metabolic perturbation that extends and exacerbates tissue damage. Recent clinical interventions to treat this condition with i.v. Mg(2+) to stabilize its extracellular concentration provided disappointing results. The present study used an in vitro spinal cord model from the neonatal rat to investigate the role of extracellular Mg(2+) in the lesion evoked by a pathological medium mimicking the metabolic perturbation (hypoxia, aglycemia, oxidative stress, and acid pH) occurring in vivo. Damage was measured by taking as outcome locomotor network activity for up to 24 h after the primary insult. Pathological medium in 1 mM Mg(2+) solution (1 h) largely depressed spinal reflexes and suppressed fictive locomotion on the same and the following day. Conversely, pathological medium in either Mg(2+)-free or 5 mM Mg(2+) solution evoked temporary network depression and enabled fictive locomotion the day after. While global cell death was similar regardless of extracellular Mg(2+) solution, white matter was particularly affected. In ventral horn the number of surviving neurons was the highest in Mg(2+) free solution and the lowest in 1 mM Mg(2+), while motoneurons were unaffected. Although the excitotoxic damage elicited by kainate was insensitive to extracellular Mg(2+), 1 mM Mg(2+) potentiated the effect of combining pathological medium with kainate at low concentrations. These results indicate that preserving Mg(2+) homeostasis rendered experimental spinal injury more severe. Furthermore, analyzing ventral horn neuron numbers in relation to fictive locomotion expression might provide a first estimate of the minimal size of the functional locomotor network.

Allelic frequencies of 3' Ig heavy chain locus enhancer HS1,2-A associated with Ig levels in patients with schizophrenia.

Infectious and autoimmune pathogenic hypotheses of schizophrenia have been proposed, prompting searches for antibodies against viruses or brain structures, and for altered levels of immunoglobulins. Previous experiments have shown that allele frequencies of the Ig heavy chain 3' enhancer HS1,2*A are associated with several autoimmune diseases, suggesting a possible correlation between HS1,2 alleles and Ig production. To test this, we analyzed levels of serum Igs and HS1,2*A genotypes in two independent cohorts, one of 88 schizophrenic inpatients (24 women) and a second of 133 healthy subjects (59 women). Both groups were similar in the frequency of individuals with altered serum concentration of Ig classes and IgG subclasses (schizophrenia panel-80 percent; controls-68 percent). With the possible exception of a stabilizing effect of olanzapine, no psychopharmacological drug consumed during the month prior to serum sampling in the schizophrenia group significantly affected Ig levels. In both patient and control cohorts, an increased frequency of the HS1,2*2A allele corresponded to increased Ig plasma levels, while an increased frequency of the HS1,2*1A allele corresponded to decreased Ig plasma levels. EMSA analysis with nuclear extracts from human B cells showed that the transcription factor SP1 bound to the polymorphic region of both HS1,2*1A and HS1,2*2A while NF-kB bound only to the HS1,2*2A. We predict that differences in transcription factor binding sites in the two allelic variants of the 3' IgH enhancer HS1,2 may provide a mechanism by which differences in Ig expression are affected.

Allele *2 of the HS1,2A enhancer of the Ig regulatory region associates with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of the HS1,2 enhancer polymorphisms as a new candidate marker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to define the possible association with autoantibody positivity and clinical outcome. METHODS: Genomic DNA was obtained from two cohorts of patients with RA (100 with early RA (ERA) and 114 with longstanding RA (LSRA)) and from 248 gender-matched controls from the same geographical area. Clinical and immunological characteristics were recorded for all the patients. RESULTS: The percentage of the 2/2 genotype was higher in patients with ERA (27.0%), and in patients with LSRA (34.2%), than in controls (14.9%) (ERA: OR = 2.11 (95% CI 1.20 to 3.70) vs controls; LSRA: OR = 2.96 (95% CI 1.76 to 5.00) vs controls). A lower representation of allele *3 was present in patients with ERA (2.0%) than in controls (6.0%; OR = 0.32 (95% CI 0.11 to 0.91)). No significant associations were found between polymorphisms and autoantibodies positivity. CONCLUSION: The HS1,2A allele *2 associates with early and longstanding RA.

Intracranial hypertension in head injury: management and results.

OBJECTIVE: (1) To describe the pattern of intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) in a group of severe head-injured patients, (2) to quantify complications of ICP monitoring, and (3) to describe a management protocol and its results. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: General intensive care unit in a teaching hospital. PATIENTS: 138 comatose patients, selected according to the following criteria: age > 16 years, coma [Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) < or = 8] with at least one pupil reactive after resuscitation, digital recording of intracranial and arterial pressure, and jugular saturation measurements. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Median GCS was 5, and 62 patients had significant extracranial injuries; 71 had intracranial hematomas, which were urgently evacuated. Mean ICP was 20.5 mmHg (SD 8.34), mean CPP was 71.86 mmHg (SD 11.22); cerebral extraction of oxygen averaged 29 %. Medical therapy was used to control ICP in 130 cases; 93 patients required hyperventilation. Vasopressors were infused in 16 cases; in 14 cases a barbiturate infusion was started. In 6 patients all pharmacological treatments failed and surgical decompression was done. The only complication of ICP monitoring was meningitis in 3 patients. Outcome at 6 months was a good recovery and moderate disability for 82 patients (59.4%), severe disability and vegetative status for 37 (26.8%), and 19 patients died (13.7%). The severity of intracranial hypertension was related to poorer results at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial hypertension is very frequent in severe head injury but can be reasonably well controlled by combined surgical and medical therapy.

Complications of internal jugular vein retrograde catheterization.

We report on the incidence of complications of 172 internal jugular vein retrograde catheterizations (IJVRCs) performed on 126 patients. Standard cannulation and X-ray control of the catheter tip placement were performed. Difficulties encountered during the manouvre were registered. Patients with a jugular catheter in place for more than one day had neck echography on catheter removal and one week later. Carotid artery puncture occurred in 20 (12%) cases and lymphatic vessel puncture in one. In 13 (8%) cases IJVRC failed due to difficulties in advancing the guide. X-ray films documented catheter misplacement in 39 (23%) cases: loop into the internal jugular vein in 11 (6%); paravertebral venous plexus cannulated in one; other extracranial jugular afferent cannulated in 4 (2%); catheter tip into the jugular lumen in 10 (6%); catheter tip beyond the jugular bulb in 13 (8%). First neck echography documented: one perivascular hematoma (absent one week later); 3 (4%) jugular vein thrombosis (2 asymptomatic and absent one week later; one symptomatic and still evident one week later). Positive neck echography was not associated with difficulties, length of catheterization, diameter of the catheter. IJVRC is a simple and safe procedure with a low incidence of serious complications.

Galactosaminoglucuronoglycan sulphate in the treatment of osteoarthritis: clinical efficacy and tolerance of oral and intra-articular administrations.

The clinical efficacy and the tolerance of galactosaminoglucuronoglycan sulphate (GGGS), administered both orally and intra-articularly were evaluated for the treatment of generalized and localized osteoarthritis (OA). The study included 154 patients: 52 treated orally with GGGS, observed during three periods of three consecutive months of therapy followed by eight weeks of withdrawal, 52 treated only with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and 50 patients treated two times in a year with a total of twelve (6 x 2) knee intra-articular weekly injections. The tolerance to GGGS was excellent, and the monitoring of the clinical measurements revealed a significant improvement of the articular data with a decreasing of NSAID's consumption.

Relationships of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 to anthropometry, serum insulin, triglycerides and adipose tissue fatty acids in healthy men.

Increased plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), responsible for reduced fibrinolytic activity, have been shown to be an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. PAI-1 plasma levels are influenced by several factors which have not yet been fully clarified, including dietary fat intake. The relationships of PAI-1 with other cardiovascular risk factors are still not well known. In a random sample of 38-year-old healthy men (n = 94), the association of PAI-1 plasma levels (measured as activity and antigen) with anthropometric parameters, serum lipids, fasting and 2 h insulin and glucose concentration after oral glucose-load was analysed. Furthermore, the fatty acid composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue, as an objective and reliable index of dietary fat intake, was measured. The univariate analysis showed that plasma levels of PAI-1 were significantly associated with body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.37, P < 0.001), waist/hip ratio (WHR) (r = 0.26, P < 0.01), serum triglycerides (r = 0.47, P < 0.0001), HDL/total cholesterol ratio (r = -0.35, P < 0.001), fasting and 2-h insulin (r = 0.27, P < 0.01 and r = 0.34, P < 0.001) and glucose concentrations (r = 0.25, P < 0.05 and r = 0.28, P < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Clinical use of cerebral elastance and intracranial dynamics measurements]. / Impiego clinico delle misure di elastanza cerebrale e di dinamica intracranica.

The treatment of Intracranial Pressure (ICP) requires not only the determination of the pressure but also some kind of estimate of the relationship between intracranial volume and actual pressure. The measurement of the Pressure Volume Index (PVI) offers a quantitative assessment of such a relationship, provided that the measurement is safe and accurate. In 98 comatose patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for the treatment of head injury or subarachnoid hemorrhage the ICP was continuously recorded using ventricular or subdural catheters. In 68 patients the PVI was measured using the bolus technique every 12 hours; the intracranial dynamics was assessed according to Marmarou's equations. The preliminary part of the work reviewed the methodology: the interobserver variability was studied and the differences between the PVI data obtained through addition or withdrawal of fluid were determined. The data obtained by different observers did not differ substantially, due to the clear establishment of rules for the measurement. The PVI data obtained withdrawing fluid were lower than the data produced adding volume but the mean PVI calculated after 6 bolus changes of the intraventricular volume reached a good correlation coefficient (> 0.8) with all the measurements. After that the clinical use of the PVI was tested. The patients with a PVI lower than 15 ml showed an increased risk of developing intracranial hypertension in the first 72 hours after trauma of SAH. The group of patients with an intracranial compliance lower than 0.5 had a mortality rate of 27.3%, compared with the rate of 14.3% showed by the patients with a greater Compliance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Renal amyloidosis characterized by abnormally thick fibrils.

A renal biopsy of a 57-year-old man with nephrotic syndrome revealed marked glomerular deposition of Congo red-positive, bire-fringent material characteristic for amyloid. Ultrastructurally, however, this material is composed of nonbranching, haphazardly arranged fibrils of approximately three times the thickness of typical amyloid fibrils. To our knowledge, there has been no report of such a finding, and this unique case enlarges the morphologic spectrum of renal fibrillosis.

Membranous glomerulonephritis in diabetic patients: a study of 15 cases and review of the literature.

Glomerular diseases other than diabetic glomerulosclerosis (DGS) occurring in diabetic patients may pose a diagnostic challenge to both clinicians and pathologists. We studied 15 cases of membranous glomerulonephritis (MG) in patients with diabetes mellitus focusing on the morphologic changes of the kidney. Light microscopic observation revealed nodular and/or diffuse DGS in 12 cases and no DGS in three. Periodic acid-silver methenamine stain showed spikes or chain-like structures in the glomerular capillary wall in 13 cases, indicating the presence of MG. Ultrastructurally, MG was classified into Stage I (N = 2), II (N = 8), III (N = 4), or IV (N = 1). Six out of nine cases with Stages I and II MG showed a thickened lamina densa of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), suggesting diabetic influence on the GBM. Moreover, MG in some of the cases suggested atypical ultrastructural features including (a) the presence of large immune type deposits separated by tall spikes (N = 4), (b) high electron density of deposits in spite of their intramembranous location (N = 4), and (c) the presence of immune type deposits of mesangial (N = 3) and subendothelial (N = 2) locations. It is postulated that these atypical features are caused by altered turnover of the GBM, impaired glomerular clearance of immune complexes, changes of the glomerular capillary wall as the result of hemodynamic alterations, and/or nonenzymatic glycosylation in diabetic milieu.

Cytoplasmic crystals in multiple myeloma-associated Fanconi's syndrome. A morphological study including immunoelectron microscopy.

We report a case of Fanconi's syndrome associated with multiple myeloma, which displayed some unusual features. Although serum immunoelectrophoresis showed no spike, urine electrophoresis revealed monoclonal kappa light chain. The myeloma cells in multiple organs including bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, and kidneys were distended with characteristic intracytoplasmic crystals. In the kidneys, identical intracytoplasmic crystals were found in some proximal tubules, distal tubules, collecting ducts, glomerular cells (mostly parietal epithelial and endocapillary cells), and renal interstitial cells. Only monoclonal kappa light-chain protein was demonstrated in these crystals by immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques, a finding confirmed for the first time (to our knowledge) by immunoelectron microscopic study of the renal biopsy specimens.

Effect of triglyceride levels on methyl and methylene envelope line widths in proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of human plasma.

Recent studies have described a relation between the line widths of the methyl and methylene resonance envelopes in the proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of human plasma and the occurrence of cancer. An average line width of less than 33 Hz has been reported to correlate with the presence of cancer, whereas greater line widths have not. In 26 normal volunteers, we found a significant inverse correlation between fasting triglyceride level and plasma spectral line width. We also observed that dietary lipids have measurable effects on spectral line widths. In another sample of seven normal persons (three of whom had elevated plasma triglyceride levels), the line widths of whole plasma varied widely (mean, 35.6 +/- 8.8 Hz); however, the mean line widths of the lipoprotein fractions isolated from those samples differed greatly, but the variance within each fraction was small (very-low-density lipoprotein, 22.0 +/- 1.9 Hz; low-density lipoprotein, 35.0 +/- 2.8; high-density lipoprotein, 28.8 +/- 1.9). The results of this study indicate that the plasma triglyceride level has a profound effect on the average spectral line width of plasma. This effect can be explained by the relative amounts of lipoprotein fractions in whole plasma. Plasma triglyceride concentrations of more than 1.24 mmol per liter (greater than 110 mg per deciliter), whatever the source, produce average plasma methyl and methylene line widths of less than 33 Hz.

Tissue distribution of atrial natriuretic factor in normal and pathologic human hearts.

The tissue distribution and possible neuroendocrine nature of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) were studied, using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase technique and antibodies to ANF, chromogranin (Ch), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE). Tissues examined included: Group 1, formalin-fixed and fresh frozen atrial tissue from adjacent areas of the hearts from two heart-lung-transplant patients; Group 2, the entire atria and sampling of other areas from formalin-fixed hearts of five gunshot wound or automobile accident victims; and Group 3, formalin-fixed right auricular tissue from 19 open-heart-surgery patients. In each case of Group 3, the ANF score, expressed as the product of the percentage of stained areas by the staining intensity, was correlated with age, weight, height, blood pressure, ejection fraction, and degree of coronary arterial stenosis. It was found that: (a) ANF was limited to atrial myocytes; the staining was significantly stronger in the right atrium, diffuse and most intense in auricles and pectinate muscles, diffuse and strong in subendocardium, focal and weak in other areas; (b) although ANF has been reported to be a peptide hormone stored in dense-core granules, it does not seem to belong to the diffuse neuroendocrine system because Ch and NSE were consistently absent in cardiac myocytes; and (c) although the limited numbers of evaluable clinical parameters do not significantly correlate with ANF scores, a change in the pattern and intensity of ANF staining was noted in some cases of Group 3.

Immunohistochemical diagnosis of pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma on lung biopsy.

S-100 protein immunostaining has been advocated to identify the characteristic Langerhans' cells in the histologic diagnosis of PEG. Reliable demonstration of an increased number of Langerhans' cells is essential in difficult biopsy cases, since occasional Langerhans' cells can be found in other pulmonary lesions. We examined the S-100 protein labeling pattern in three cases of PEG and in a variety of controls. Non-Langerhans' histiocytes were labeled for lysozyme antigen on the same histologic sections using a combined ABC and PAP technique. This verified that the S-100 protein-negative histiocytes were indeed a separate population from the S-100 protein-positive histiocytes and did not represent Langerhans' cells which failed to label with antiserum to S-100 protein. This technique confirms the usefulness of S-100 protein staining in the diagnosis of PEG and offers a means to verify the reliability of the S-100 protein labeling in questionable cases.

Acquired cystic kidney disease: occurrence in patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis.

Acquired cystic kidney disease (ACKD) is a well-known complication of long-term hemodialysis. To the best of our knowledge, only six patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis have been reported to develop this disease. We herein report two such cases, and concluded that the morphology of ACKD seems to be independent of the type of dialysis and that hemodialysis is not necessary for the development of ACKD.