Golgi method without osmium tetroxide for the study of the central nervous system.

A variant Golgi technique was developed that consisted of substituting osmium tetroxide with formaldehyde as the initial fixative in intracardiac perfusion, along with the addition of glacial acetic acid to the chromating fluid. This procedure avoids disposal of dangerous waste substances into the environment. Other advantages include 1) reduction of cost, danger to lab workers, and risk of disruption of the tissue slices during their handling by eliminating the osmium tetroxide, 2) clear tissue background, 3) greater quantity of impregnated neurons than in the classical procedure, with distinct morphological details easily identified even in gross sections and 4) reduction in processing time.

Effect of 3-acetylpyridine on serotonin uptake and release from rat cerebellar slices.

The cerebellum receives indolaminergic fibers influencing Purkinje cell discharges. Data from our laboratories have demonstrated an endogenous release of serotonin (5-HT) and a Na(+)-dependent uptake and Ca(2+)-dependent release of [3H]5-HT from slices, homogenates and synaptosomal fractions of the rat cerebellar molecular layer. While the neurotransmitter produced by climbing fibers has been sought for in several studies and some of the classical transmitters have been ruled out, as yet this neurotransmitter is unknown.

Effects of diet composition on the reactivity pattern to the zinc-iodide/osmium-tetroxide mixture of the rat pancreatic acinar tissue.

When adult rat pancreatic exocrine tissue is incubated in zinc-iodide/osmium-tetroxide (ZIO) mixture, 3 cell types are recognized depending their degree of impregnation: intensely impregnated (I-PAC), moderately impregnated (M-PAC), and non-impregnated (N-PAC) cells. Their distribution in pancreatic head was 8%, 46% and 46% respectively; whereas in the tail, it was 7%, 35% and 58% respectively. With the purpose to know whether those variations in ZIO-impregnation had some relation with the diet components, 7 groups of 30-day old male rats (n = 5 each) were maintained for 40 days with the following diets: control (C), high-protein (HP), low-protein (hP), high-lipid (HL), low-lipid (hL), high-dextrin (HD) and low-dextrin (hD) diets.

Effects of ruthenium red intraperitoneally injected to adult rats, on the uptake and release of neurotransmitters from brain synaptosomes.

Effect of intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of ruthenium red (RuR) to adults rats on catecholamine (CA) uptake and dopamine (DA) release was evaluated in brain synaptosomal fractions.

Qualitative X-ray spectrometric study to demonstrate ruthenium in central nervous system structures, after intraperitoneal injection of ruthenium red to adult rats.

A qualitative X-ray spectrometric study oriented to demonstrate ruthenium (Ru) in central nervous system was made after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of ruthenium red (RuR) to adult rats.