Giuseppe Levi: mentor of three Nobel laureates.

Giuseppe Levi (1872-1965), Professor of Anatomy at the University of Turin, had broad research interests and was a pioneer of in vitro studies on cultured cells. He provided a number of contributions on the nervous system, especially on the plasticity of sensory ganglion cells. An influential and magnetic teacher and mentor, he gathered around him a large group of brilliant students.

Postnatal histogenesis in the peripheral nervous system.

The issue of postnatal neurogenesis has gained great importance over the last few years and the recent amazing scientific advancements, changing our viewpoint on the long-lasting "no new neurons" dogma, have opened promising new perspectives on the treatment of the damaged nervous system. While most of the researchers have focused on the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system has received little attention so far with respect to postnatal histogenesis. To attract scientific attention on this issue, the present article was written with the aim of reviewing the body of literature on postnatal histogenesis in the various districts of the peripheral nervous system, from the historical roots to the most recent reports.

Increase in the number of NADPH-diaphorase-positive neurons in the lumbar dorsal root ganglia following lipopolysaccharide exposure of the sciatic nerve.

In the spinal cord, nitric oxide pathways are involved in hyperalgesia, and nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme responsible for its synthesis, is upregulated following several noxious and lesion stimuli. Since the histochemical reaction for NADPH-diaphorase colocalizes with NOS, we decided to study the effects of infusion of bacterial lipopolysaccharides close to the sciatic nerve on the expression of NADPH-d in the dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord of the rat. The percentage of NADPH-d-positive neurons in the L4 dorsal root ganglia increased 7-10 times on the treated side of LPS-treated rats (12.

In vitro expression of n-cadherin adhesion molecule during early cardiac morphogenesis.

The aim of the present study was to investigate, "in vitro", the degree of organogenetic potentiality of the cells of the cardiogenic area during the early developmental stages of the chick embryo. Embryos from between the end of the presomitic stage to the 8 somite stage were studied. The subcephalic fold was cultured in liquid medium for up to 7 days.