Toxicology is an incredibly complex and diverse area of biomedical science that includes numerous areas of specialization [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mammalian brain is formed from billions of cells that include a wide array of neuronal and glial subtypes. Neural progenitor cells give rise to the vast majority of these cells during embryonic, fetal, and early postnatal developmental periods. The process of embryonic neurogenesis includes proliferation, differentiation, migration, the programmed death of some newly formed cells, and the final integration of differentiated neurons into neural networks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEarlier observations in neuroscience suggested that no new neurons form in the mature central nervous system. Evidence now indicates that new neurons do form in the adult mammalian brain. Two regions of the mature mammalian brain generate new neurons: (a) the border of the lateral ventricles of the brain (subventricular zone) and (b) the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFeral cats are considered as strays and are more likely to hunt in the street. We investigated the effect of environmental adaptations on the structures of lingual papillae in feral cats, which could be used as forensic evidence for their identification. There are no reported studies about the structural comparison of lingual papillae between suckling and adult feral cats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProgesterone receptors (PR) are necessary to mediate the biological effects of progesterone and are integral to the regulation of a number of different aspects of reproduction in mammals including ovulation of the oocyte, implantation of the conceptus and maintenance of pregnancy. This study investigated the expression and localization of progesterone receptors in the uterine wall of both pregnant and cyclic (nonpregnant) camels. Uterine tissue samples were collected from healthy animals and processed for routine histological and immunohistochemical staining techniques to reveal nuclear PR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh-throughput imaging techniques, such as Knife-Edge Scanning Microscopy (KESM),are capable of acquiring three-dimensional whole-organ images at sub-micrometer resolution. These images are challenging to segment since they can exceed several terabytes (TB) in size, requiring extremely fast and fully automated algorithms. Staining techniques are limited to contrast agents that can be applied to large samples and imaged in a single pass.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnnu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc
August 2016
Advances in high-resolution 3D microscopy have enabled the investigation of subcellular microstructures in biological specimen. For a full understanding of the organism's structure and function, it is mandatory to obtain data from the whole animal, not just parts of it. In this paper, we present our work with the Knife-Edge Scanning Microscope (KESM) for imaging a Nissl-stained whole zebrafish larva.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur work aimed to elucidate the ultrastructural changes associated with brain neurons in wild-type zebrafish embryos exposed to different concentrations of methylmercury. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to one of five concentrations of methylmercury (0 [negative control], 5, 10, 50, and 80 parts per billion) starting at six hours post fertilization (hpf). At 96 hpf, cells in the zebrafish embryo brains were examined using transmission electron microscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Appl Toxicol
January 2017
Methyl mercury is an environmental contaminant of worldwide concern. Since the discovery of methyl mercury exposure due to eating contaminated fish as the underlying cause of the Minamata disaster, the scientific community has known about the sensitivity of the developing central nervous system to mercury toxicity. Warnings are given to pregnant women and young children to limit consumption of foods containing methyl mercury to protect the embryonic, fetal and postnatally developing central nervous system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTottering mutant mice carry a mutation in the pore-forming subunit (α1A) of Ca2.1 (P/Q-type) voltage-gated calcium ion (Ca) channels resulting in reduced neuronal Ca current density. We assessed male tottering mice for spatial learning using the Morris water maze.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCompositional analysis of genetically modified (GM) crops continues to be an important part of the overall evaluation in the safety assessment for these materials. The present study was designed to detect the genetic modifications and investigate the compositional analysis of GM corn containing traits of multiple genes (NK603, MON88017×MON810 and MON89034×MON88017) compared with non-GM corn. Values for most biochemical components assessed for the GM corn samples were similar to those of the non-GM control or were within the literature range.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReprogramming of somatic cells has great potential to provide therapeutic treatments for a number of diseases as well as provide insight into mechanisms underlying early embryonic development. Improvement of induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) generation through mRNA-based methods is currently an area of intense research. This approach provides a number of advantages over previously used methods such as DNA integration and insertional mutagenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuropeptides are small protein-like signaling molecules with diverse roles in regulating neural functions such as sleep/wake cycles, pain modulation, synaptic plasticity, and learning and memory. Numerous drugs designed to target neuropeptides, their receptors, or relevant pathways have been developed in the past few decades. Hence, the discovery and characterization of new neuropeptides and their functions have received considerable attention from scientific research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpidemiology studies have clearly documented that the central nervous system is highly susceptible to methylmercury toxicity, and exposure to this neurotoxicant in humans primarily results from consumption of contaminated fish. While the effects of methylmercury exposure have been studied in great detail, comparatively little is known about the effects of moderate to low dose methylmercury toxicity in the aging central nervous system. We examined the toxic effects of a moderate dose of methylmercury on the aging mouse cerebellum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIron is crucial to many processes in the brain yet the percentages of the major iron-containing species contained therein, and how these percentages change during development, have not been reliably determined. To do this, C57BL/6 mice were enriched in (57)Fe and their brains were examined by Mössbauer, EPR, and electronic absorption spectroscopy; Fe concentrations were evaluated using ICP-MS. Excluding the contribution of residual blood hemoglobin, the three major categories of brain Fe included ferritin (an iron storage protein), mitochondrial iron (consisting primarily of Fe/S clusters and hemes), and mononuclear nonheme high-spin (NHHS) Fe(II) and Fe(III) species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe LPHN3 gene has been associated with both attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and addiction, suggesting that it may play a role in the etiology of these disorders. Unfortunately, almost nothing is known about the normal functions of this gene, which has hampered understanding of its potential pathogenic role. To begin to characterize such normal functions, we utilized a gene-trap embryonic stem cell line to generate mice mutant for the Lphn3 gene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNumerous epidemiological studies in the human population clearly indicate that smoking while pregnant has deleterious effects on fetal development as well as long-term adverse consequences on postnatal development and maturation of several organ systems. Low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), behavioral disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems and conduct disorders in children have all been linked to prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke. The major pharmacologically active chemical found in tobacco smoke is nicotine, and prenatal exposure to nicotine has been shown to have significant effect on the development of multiple organ systems, including the nervous, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConnectomics is the study of the full connection matrix of the brain. Recent advances in high-throughput, high-resolution 3D microscopy methods have enabled the imaging of whole small animal brains at a sub-micrometer resolution, potentially opening the road to full-blown connectomics research. One of the first such instruments to achieve whole-brain-scale imaging at sub-micrometer resolution is the Knife-Edge Scanning Microscope (KESM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMajor advances in high-throughput, high-resolution, 3D microscopy techniques have enabled the acquisition of large volumes of neuroanatomical data at submicrometer resolution. One of the first such instruments producing whole-brain-scale data is the Knife-Edge Scanning Microscope (KESM), developed and hosted in the authors' lab. KESM has been used to section and image whole mouse brains at submicrometer resolution, revealing the intricate details of the neuronal networks (Golgi), vascular networks (India ink), and cell body distribution (Nissl).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomed Opt Express
October 2011
Accurate microvascular morphometric information has significant implications in several fields, including the quantification of angiogenesis in cancer research, understanding the immune response for neural prosthetics, and predicting the nature of blood flow as it relates to stroke. We report imaging of the whole mouse brain microvascular system at resolutions sufficient to perform accurate morphometry. Imaging was performed using Knife-Edge Scanning Microscopy (KESM) and is the first example of this technique that can be directly applied to clinical research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTottering (tg) mice carry a missense mutation in the gene coding for P/Q-type voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels (VDCCs). Aberrant functioning of P/Q-type VDCCs results in molecular alterations in Ca(2+) currents and in glutamate and dopamine systems. As a consequence, tottering mice exhibit mild ataxia, spontaneous epilepsy, and paroxysmal dyskinesia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaintaining calcium ion (Ca²+) homeostasis is crucial for normal neuronal function. Altered Ca²+ homeostasis interferes with Ca²+ signaling processes and affects neuronal survival. In this study, we used homozygous leaner and tottering mutant mice, which carry autosomal recessive mutations in the gene coding for the α(1A) pore forming subunit of Ca(V)2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol
October 2009
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) upregulates the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and adhesion molecules in type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that TNF-alpha and MCP-1 may interact to contribute to the evolution of vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in coronary arterioles in type 2 diabetes. To test this hypothesis, we administered anti-MCP-1 to block MCP-1 signaling in genetically modified mice with type 2 diabetes (Lepr(db)) and in heterozygote (m Lepr(db)) lean control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph
December 2008
Understanding the structure of microvasculature structures and their relationship to cells in biological tissue is an important and complex problem. Brain microvasculature in particular is known to play an important role in chronic diseases. However, these networks are only visible at the microscopic level and can span large volumes of tissue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough much attention has focused on environmental contamination by heavy metals, pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls, potential deleterious effects of naturally occurring organic compounds have received much less consideration. Saponins, which are glycosides found in many plants, are important, environmentally ubiquitous organic compounds. Saponins have both beneficial and deleterious effects in adults, but little is known about how saponins effect early vertebrate embryonic development.
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