Small sensory neurons in the rat dorsal root ganglia express functional NK-1 tachykinin receptor.

The tachykinins substance P (SP) and neurokinin A, released by the C-type primary afferent fibre terminals of the small dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, play important roles in spinal nociception. By means of non-radioactive in situ hybridization and whole-cell recording, we showed that the small rat DRG neurons also express the NK-1 tachykinin receptor. In situ hybridization demonstrated that the positive neurons in rat DRG sections were mainly small cells (85.

Identification of the subunits of the nicotinic cholinergic receptors in the rat cochlea using RT-PCR and in situ hybridization.

There are two tissues in the adult mammalian cochlea that are post-synaptic to cholinergic efferent fibers: The outer hair cells (OHCs) and the dendrites of the afferent fibers of the type I spiral ganglion cells. The unusual nicotinic-like pharmacology of cochlear cholinergic responses and the unique embryonic development of cochlear tissues suggest that the inner-ear nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAChR) may be different from nAChRs described previously at synapses in the mammalian brain, autonomic ganglia, or skeletal muscle. In this study, we determined the mRNA expression of the alpha2-7, alpha9, and beta2-4 subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) family in the rat cochlea.

Supraspinal inhibition of nociceptive dorsal horn neurones in the anaesthetized rat: tonic or dynamic?

1. Tonic inhibition of sensory spinal neurones is well known to descend from the rostroventral medulla. It is not clear if this inhibition is dynamically activated by peripheral noxious stimuli.

Coassembly of TRP and TRPL produces a distinct store-operated conductance.

The Drosophila retinal-specific protein, TRP (transient receptor potential), is the founding member of a family of store-operated channels (SOCs) conserved from C. elegans to humans. In vitro studies indicate that TRP is a SOC, but that the related retinal protein, TRPL, is constitutively active.

Pax-6, Prox 1, and Chx10 homeobox gene expression correlates with phenotypic fate of retinal precursor cells.

Purpose: To study the expression patterns of the homeobox genes Pax-6, Prox 1, and Chx10 during chick retinal development in vivo and in vitro.

Methods: Sections of paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded eyes were obtained at a range of developmental stages. In situ hybridization was carried out on tissue sections using digoxigenin-labeled sense and antisense RNA probes that recognize chicken Pax-6 and Prox 1 (whose sequences were already available), and chicken Chx10 (which was cloned and sequenced as part of this study).

[Variability of the parameters of oscillatory potentials of the human electroretinogram].

Oscillatory potentials (OP) of the electroretinogram (ERG) of 20 subjects providing 30 normal eyes were recorded by means of Ganzfeld stimulation at 11 stimulus intensities. It was found that intensity-implicit time functions of the OP components are exponential, while the intensity-response curves are highly variable. The amplitudes of the four wavelets showed relatively large coefficients of variation and intersubject variation, while those of the implicit time are small.

Degeneration patterns of actin distribution in the organ of corti in two genotypes of mice.

Alterations of the auditory system during ageing and after noise damage have been studied earlier in two genotypes of mice, CBA/Ca and C57BL/6J, the former of which shows a late-onset hearing loss and the latter a high susceptibility to ageing and acoustic trauma early in life. The two strains display similarities to the different types of human age-related hearing loss. In the present study, the different patterns of hair cell degeneration were visualized by phalloidin-labelled actin in the two strains of mice with increasing age.

[Studies on gelatin microspheres-in-oil emulsion of pingyangmycin].

As a drug for lymphosarcoma, pingyangmycin (A5) is not widely used because of its toxicities, short half-life and low affinity to lymph. For the purpose of delivering A5 to the lymph system to strengthen and sustain its effects and to lower its toxicities, its gelatin microspheres-in-oil emulsion (S/O) was studied in vitro and in vivo. By ultrasonication, gelatin microspheres with diameters of 1.

Identification of a glutamate/aspartate transporter in the rat cochlea.

The neurotransmitter at the synapses between hair cells and spiral ganglion cells in the cochlea is probably L-glutamate or a similar excitatory amino acid. Glutamate uptake by nerve terminals and glial cells is an important component of neurotransmission at glutamatergic synapses of the central nervous system, for providing a reservoir of transmitter or transmitter precursors and the termination of the released glutamate. Hair cell synapses are not surrounded by glial cells, therefore, the uptake mechanism for glutamate in the cochlea may be unique.

Age-related degeneration of the organ of Corti in two genotypes of mice.

Degenerative changes in the organ of Corti were investigated in two genotypes of mice, CBA/Ca (moderate age-related late-onset hearing loss) and C57BL/6J (spontaneous early-onset auditory deterioration), ranging in age from 1 to 21 months (C57BL) and from 1 to 33 months (CBA). Light, transmission and scanning electron microscopies were used for qualitative and quantitative analyses. Alterations of deterioration in the CBA-mouse cochlea showed a late-onset loss of hair cells, lipofuscin in the outer hair cells (OHCs), giant stereocilia on the inner hair cells and elevated pillar heads.

Pax-6 is first expressed in a region of ectoderm anterior to the early neural plate: implications for stepwise determination of the lens.

The Pax-6 gene encodes a DNA-binding transcription factor essential to normal development of the mammalian eye. We have found that in the chick embryo, the Pax-6 gene is first expressed in a crescent-shaped region of future head ectoderm that adjoins the anterior margin of the early neural plate. As development proceeds, this region of Pax-6-positive ectoderm becomes divided into two bilateral domains.

Auditory degeneration after acoustic trauma in two genotypes of mice.

Two strains of mice, CBA/Ca and C57BL/6J, were exposed to a steady noise (2-7 kHz) of 120 dB SPL for 5 min at 1, 3, 6, or 12 months of age. Threshold shifts were determined by recording auditory brainstem response 1 month after exposure and thereafter up to the age of 16 months (C57BL) or 23-27 months (CBA). With increasing age of exposure, susceptibility to acoustic trauma at middle frequencies (6.

Influence of age on noise-induced permanent threshold shifts in CBA/Ca and C57BL/6J mice.

Two inbred strains of mice, CBA/Ca (showing a moderate hearing loss with onset late in life) and C57BL/6J (undergoing spontaneous auditory degeneration with onset during young adulthood), were exposed to a broad-band noise of 120 dB SPL (2-7 kHz) for 5 min at 1,2,3,6 or 12 (only for CBA) months of age. Permanent threshold shifts (PTS) were determined by recording auditory brainstem response (ABR) 1 month after exposure. C57 mice were more severely affected by acoustic trauma than age-matched CBA mice.

Inner ear morphology in CBA/Ca and C57BL/6J mice in relationship to noise, age and phenotype.

CBA/Ca mice showing moderate hearing losses with onset late in life and C57BL/6J mice with progressive hearing losses starting when animals were young adults were exposed to a 2-7 kHz, 120 dB SPL noise band for 5 min in order to investigate morphological consequences to noise as a function of age and genotype. Permanent threshold shifts were determined by auditory brainstem responses 1 month after noise exposure at 1, 3 and 6 months of age. CBA mice had a decreasing susceptibility to noise with increasing age, while C57 mice remained equally susceptible throughout all ages tested.

[Epidemiological studies on human cryptosporidiosis in rural and urban areas of Jiangsu].

A survey of cryptosporidiosis in outpatients and inhabitants in Xuzhou city and 6 rural areas of Jiangsu Province was carried out from 1989 to 1991. Cryptosporidium oocysts (CSO) were found in 97 (1.6%) of 6,221 individuals as a whole, and were detected in 39 (3.

Influence of genotype and age on acute acoustic trauma and recovery in CBA/Ca and C57BL/6J mice.

Two inbred strains of mice, CBA/Ca (with a moderate auditory impairment starting late in life) and C57BL/6J (with a progressive auditory degeneration starting during young adulthood), were exposed to a 120 dB SPL broadband noise (2-7 kHz) for 5 min at the age of 1, 3, or 6 months. Compound and permanent threshold shifts (CTS and PTS) were determined by auditory brainstem response during the first day (CTS) and 1 month (PTS) after exposure. With increasing age, susceptibility to CTS at middle frequencies (8 and 12.

Cryptosporidium infection and diarrhea in rural and urban areas of Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.

Screening of infants and children under age 15 years for Cryptosporidium oocysts in their stools was carried out in the suburb of Xuzhou City and six rural areas of Jiangsu Province. The infection rate varied from 0.7 to 5.

Genetic influences on susceptibility of the auditory system to aging and environmental factors.

Auditory susceptibility to aging and environmental factors (noise and toluene) was investigated in two genotypes of mice, CBA/Ca (showing a moderate hearing loss with onset late in life) and C57BL/6J (undergoing spontaneous auditory degeneration with onset during young adulthood). Both strains of mice were often used together as a model of human age-related hearing loss, with a primary decline in auditory high-frequency sensitivity. Auditory function was analysed by recording auditory brainstem response (ABR).

Auditory degeneration after exposure to toluene in two genotypes of mice.

Two inbred strains of mice, CBA/Ca (with a moderate hearing loss starting late in life) and C57BL/6J (with an early onset of spontaneous auditory degeneration), were exposed to toluene by inhalation (1000 ppm, 12 h/day, 7 days) at either 1 or 6 months of age. Thresholds of auditory brainstem response (ABR) were measured 3-5 days after exposure and assessed repeatedly up to the age of 16 months (C57) or 23 months (CBA). Both strains of mice exposed to toluene at 1 month of age showed a mild loss of sensitivity at a high frequency (31.

[Effects of AMG-1 on energy metabolism and neuronal damage of ischemic brain in mice and rats].

The effect of AMG-1 [6(5-hydroxy-2-methylpyridylamino)-9 ribofranosylpurine] on mouse brain energy metabolism in complete brain ischemia induced by decapitation and on neurological deficit and histopathological changes after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) in rats were studied. The results indicate that AMG-1 has an effect of improving the status of energy metabolism in complete brain ischemia in mice. Lactate concentration was greatly reduced and the ATP and phosphocreatine levels were significantly elevated.