[The structure of the stellate sympathetic ganglia under long-term hypoxia].

Changes of mitochondrial ultrastructure indicating not only degenerative processes but also the presence of organelle adaptive reactions were demonstrated in sympathetic neurons. Appearance of osmiophilic inclusions in mitochondrial matrix relates to most typical organelle alterations in ageing. Number of smooth endoplasmic reticulum vesicles equal in size to synaptic vesicles of nerve cells processes grows higher.

Increase of survival time in experimental hypoxia by cytidine diphosphate choline.

36 Wistar rats were kept in chronic hypoxic hypoxia of 7 vol % of oxygen in 2 experiments over a period of 6 months, other 36 served as controls. Half of the animals of each group received cytidine diphosphate choline (CDP-choline, citicoline, Somazina; CAS 987-78-0) at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight in the liquid food. Animals in chronic hypoxia without application of CDP-choline developed pathological symptoms and began to die after 19 to 23 weeks in hypoxia.

Irradiation neurotoxicity assessed in organotypic cultures of rat hippocampus.

The neurotoxic effects of irradiation on the developing nervous system were studied in organotypic cultures of hippocampus prepared from newborn Sprague-Dawley rats. Hippocampus slices of 7-day-old rats were irradiated at the day of explantation at doses of 1, 2 and 4 Gy, and cultured in a roller drum for a fortnight. Light and electron microscopy showed remarkable damage to neuronal cells following irradiation, oligodendrocytes and myelogenesis being also affected.

Therapeutic effect of orally applied cytidine diphosphate choline in mild and severe degrees of normobaric and normocapnic degrees of hypoxia of rats.

Eighty Wistar rats were maintained under conditions of chronic hypoxic for a period of 5 months. After gradual adaptation to the reduced oxygen content of the inhaled air, animals were kept on the levels of 15, 12, 10 and 7 vol% O2 and their behaviour in an open field was observed. One group of 40 animals received CDP-choline (cytidine diphosphate choline, Somazina; CAS 1477-47-0) at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight in their food.

Brain changes in experimental chronic hypoxia.

A model of normobaric hypoxia was developed in which adult female cats were exposed to decreasing amounts of oxygen (21, 15, 10, 8, 7, and 5 vol.%) over a period of 320 days. Blood flow as well as the blood flow responses to changes of pCO2 were depressed in both cerebrum and cerebellum.

Selective adherence of neurons and glial cells from dissociated cerebral and spinal cord microcarrier cultures.

In stationary cultures of dissociated brain and spinal cord grown on microcarriers (MCs), the neuronal and ependymal cells attached to the MCs forming floating aggregates in which they grow in a three-dimensional pattern. The glial and meningeal elements on the contrary, tend to dissociate from the aggregates and adhere to the plastic dish where they divide to form a monolayer. This different behavior of CNS components is not observed in rotating cultures in which all CNS cells remain attached to the MCs and develop into mature floating structures.

Morphological changes in cultures of hippocampus following prenatal irradiation in the rat.

The effect of prenatal irradiation was studied in organotypic cultures of hippocampus, prepared from newborn rats that had been exposed to whole-body irradiation of 1 Gy from a 60Co-source at day 13 of pregnancy. Light and electron microscopic observations showed remarkable damage to neuronal mitochondria accompanied by extensive swelling, vacuolation of the Golgi complex, and formation of multilamellar bodies and vesicles of the lysosomal type. In contrast to neuronal alterations, no delay in synaptogenesis or onset of myelination was observed based upon the absence of significant morphological changes in synapses and myelin sheaths.

Study of the effects of oral administration of CDP-choline on open-field behaviour under conditions of chronic hypoxia.

48 Wistar rats were maintained over a period of 103 days while the oxygen content of the air was continuously reduced. Their behaviour in an open-field was observed at each step of oxygen deficiency (15, 12, 10, 8 and 7% O2 inspiratory). One group (24 animals) was given CDP-choline (cytidine diphosphate choline, Somazina) at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight administered by addition to the food.