A Morphological and Behavioral Study of Demyelination and Remyelination in the Cuprizone Model: Insights into APLNR and NG2+ Cell Dynamics.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder involving demyelination. The cuprizone model is commonly used to study MS by inducing oligodendrocyte stress and demyelination. The subventricular zone (SVZ) plays a key role in neurogenesis, while the neuronal/glial antigen 2 (NG2) is a marker for immature glial cells, involved in oligodendrocyte differentiation.

Renal structural changes and apelin receptor expression in spontaneously hypertensive rats: implications for hypertension-induced kidney injury.

Background: Arterial hypertension is a primary risk factor for kidney disease. Recent advances have implied a potential link between the apelin system and renal homeostasis.

Materials And Methods: We used 6- and 12-month-old spontaneously hypertensive rats and age-matched normotensive controls to assess the changes in the renal expression of the apelin receptor by immunohistochemical method.

Unraveling the Complex Molecular Interplay and Vascular Adaptive Changes in Hypertension-Induced Kidney Disease.

Angiogenesis, the natural mechanism by which fresh blood vessels develop from preexisting ones, is altered in arterial hypertension (AH), impacting renal function. Studies have shown that hypertension-induced renal damage involves changes in capillary density (CD), indicating alterations in vascularization. We aimed to elucidate the role of the apelin receptor (APLNR), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in hypertension-induced renal damage.

New Biomarkers for Systemic Necrotizing Vasculitides.

Systemic necrotising vasculitides (SNVs) pose significant challenges due to their diverse clinical manifestations and variable outcomes. Therefore, identifying reliable biomarkers holds promise for improving precision medicine in SNVs. This review explores emerging biomarkers aiming to enhance diagnostic accuracy, prognostic assessment, and disease monitoring.

The vascular footprint in cardiac homeostasis and hypertensive heart disease-A link between apelin receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and neuronal nitric oxide synthase.

Recent studies have suggested a connection between disturbances of the apelin system and various cardiac pathologies, including hypertension, heart failure, and atherosclerosis. Vascular endothelial growth factor is crucial for cardiac homeostasis as a critical molecule in cardiac angiogenesis. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase is an essential enzyme producing nitric oxide, a key regulator of vascular tone.

Pathogenic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Approaches in Obesity-Related Knee Osteoarthritis.

The knee is the joint most frequently involved in osteoarthritis, a common joint disorder in the adult population that is associated with significant chronic joint pain, reduced mobility and quality of life. Recent studies have established an association between obesity and the development of knee osteoarthritis that goes beyond the increased mechanical load on the knees as weight-bearing joints. This link is based on the maintenance of a chronic low-grade inflammation, altered secretion of adipokines by the adipose tissue and development of sarcopenia.

Obesity-Related Knee Osteoarthritis-Current Concepts.

The knee is the joint most frequently involved in osteoarthritis and represents a significant contributor to patient morbidity and impaired functional status. Major risk factors include genetics, age, sex, mechanical load and obesity/metabolic syndrome. Recent studies highlighted the role of obesity and metabolic syndrome in the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis not simply through increased mechanical loading but the systemic effects of obesity-induced inflammation.

New insight into the morphological characteristics of patella cubiti.

Accessory bones in the elbow region are rare anatomical variations with important clinical significance as they can be misdiagnosed as pathological lesions. Usually, they are asymptomatic and found incidentally during X-ray examination in the context of trauma. Although these bones have been previously described, their development is not fully understood.

Depletion of vascular adaptive mechanisms in hypertension-induced injury of the heart and kidney.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a signalling protein of critical importance for angiogenesis. In an effort to better understand its significance in hypertension-induced injury of the heart and kidney we aimed at studying the changes in its expression in an experimental model and correlated it with capillary density in the myocardium and the renal parenchyma.

Methods: We used two age groups of spontaneously hypertensive rats (6- and 12-month-old), indicative of early and advanced hypertension.

Analysis of treatment outcomes in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis on rituximab therapy.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze a group of patients with severe and refractory antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) managed with rituximab and to report on treatment outcomes.

Patients And Methods: A total of 78 patients (41 females, 37 males; mean age: 50.1±13.

Mast cells and basic fibroblast growth factor in physiological aging of rat heart and kidney.

Age-related morphological and physiological changes occur in cells, tissues and organs with high metabolic or mitotic activity; these changes decrease their regenerative capacity. One such change is interstitial fibrosis. Mast cells contain basic fibroblast growth factor and have been related to pro-fibrotic activity.

The potential role of mast cells and fibroblast growth factor-2 in the development of hypertension-induced renal damage.

Hypertension-induced renal injury is a multifactorial process which plays a crucial role in the development of chronic kidney disease. Multiple studies have demonstrated that interstitial rather than glomerular changes correlate better with renal functional capacity. Recent evidence indicates that mast cells and cell signaling proteins such as fibroblast growth factor-2 may contribute to the progression of interstitial changes under hypertensive conditions.

Changes in the number of mast cells, expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 and extent of interstitial fibrosis in established and advanced hypertensive heart disease.

Introduction: An increasing number of studies have shed light on the role of cardiac mast cells in the pathogenesis of hypertension-induced myocardial remodeling. Mast cells promote fibroblast activation, myofibroblast differentiation and subsequent collagen accumulation through the action of tryptase, chymase, histamine and fibroblast growth factor-2. The aim of the present study was to report on the changes in the number of mast cells as evaluated through toluidine blue, tryptase and c-kit staining, to assess the extent of interstitial fibrosis and correlate it with the changes in the number of mast cells and to analyze the immunohistochemical expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 in two groups of spontaneously hypertensive rats indicative of established and advanced hypertensive heart disease.

Cytoarchitecture of the dorsal claustrum of the cat: a quantitative Golgi study.

The claustrum is a subcortical nucleus, found in the telencephalon of all placental mammals. Earlier Golgi studies have mostly focused on a qualitative description of the types of neurons. The aim of the present study was to describe the types of neurons found in the dorsal claustrum of the cat using the Golgi impregnation method and to perform a quantitative analysis of the following morphometric parameters: number of terminals (ends), total dendritic length, dendritic complexity, spine density (in spiny projection neurons), varicosity density (in aspiny interneurons).

A Rare Case of Left Main Coronary Artery Aneurysm.

Coronary artery aneurysms are uncommon and are usually described as dilatations larger than 1.5 times the diameter of the adjacent coronary arteries. The aneurysms vary between 0.

A comparative study of the epiligament of the medial collateral and the anterior cruciate ligament in the human knee. Immunohistochemical analysis of collagen type I and V and procollagen type III.

Background: Recent reports in rat models have shown that fibroblasts in the epiligament, an enveloping tissue of the ligament, are not static cells and play an important role during the early ligament healing of isolated grade III injury of the collateral ligaments of the knee. Fibroblasts produce collagen types I, III and V and infiltrate within the ligament body via the endoligament. In addition, similarities have been reported between the structure of the epiligament of the medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament of the knee in rat and in human.

Comparison between Operative and Non-Operative Treatment of the Medial Collateral Ligament: Histological and Ultrastructural Findings during Early Healing in the Epiligament Tissue in a Rat Knee Model.

The medial collateral ligament of the knee joint is one of the most commonly injured ligaments of the knee. Recent data have shown that the thin layer of connective tissue covering the ligament, known as the epiligament, is essential for its nutrition and normal function, as well as its healing after injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the changes in the epiligament of the medial collateral ligament which occurred during operative and non-operative treatment throughout the first month after injury.

Correction: Epiligament Tissue of the Medial Collateral Ligament in Rat Knee Joint: Ultrastructural Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.3812.

Epiligament Tissue of the Medial Collateral Ligament in Rat Knee Joint: Ultrastructural Study.

Introduction Recent studies stressed the importance of the epiligament in ligament nutrition and healing. While ligaments of the knee joint have been the subject of extensive research, the epiligament of the medial collateral ligament has received only limited attention. The aim of our study was to present the ultrastructural morphological features of the epiligament of the medial collateral ligament in a rat knee joint.

Ultrastructure of the dorsal claustrum in cat. II. Synaptic organization.

The claustrum is a bilateral subcortical nucleus situated between the insular cortex and the striatum in the brain of all mammals. It consists of two embryologically distinct subdivisions - dorsal and ventral claustrum. The claustrum has high connectivity with various areas of the cortex, subcortical and allocortical structures.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and -9 Expression in the Epiligament of the Medial Collateral and Anterior Cruciate Ligament in Human Knees: A Comparative Study.

Aim Ninety percent of knee ligament injuries involve the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee joint. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a large group of calcium- and zinc-dependent endopeptidases responsible for cleaving and rebuilding various connective tissue components. Previous studies showed that MMP-2 and 9 have a significant effect on the healing process of injured ligaments.

Medical Ultrasound in the Evaluation of the Carpal Tunnel: A Critical Review.

The use of medical ultrasound as an imaging modality in the evaluation of the carpal tunnel syndrome has been growing. Technical progress and the introduction of new, high-quality devices and ultra-high frequency transducers with smaller dimensions have led to a better quality of acquired images and the development of new examination methodologies. The sonographic method has a number of advantages: available, non-invasive, cheaper, and allows an easier and faster evaluation and diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, along with the possibility to assess various parameters of the median nerve, including its size, blood flow, and mobility.

A Comparative Quantitative Analysis of the Postnatal Changes in the Myocardium of the Left and Right Ventricles in Rats.

Background: The growth of the heart during the foetal and early postnatal development takes places mainly due to hyperplasia. The late postnatal development is characterised by cardiomyocytic hypertrophy in response to normal physiological mechanisms and increased load. To study the cell size most authors measure the diameter either directly or indirectly.

Hypertension-induced changes in the rat myocardium during the development of cardiac hypertrophy - a comparison between the left and the right ventricle.

The hypertrophy of the cardiac muscle is one of the most significant maladaptive mechanisms activated in response to increased workload. It is associated with histological and ultrastructural alterations, changes in the quantitative parameters and the expression of different enzymes. While the structural and functional consequences of systemic hypertension on the left ventricle have been well evaluated, the right ventricle has received less attention.