Religion in Russia: Its impact on university student medical cannabis attitudes and beliefs.

Despite significant research, the benefits and risks of cannabis for medical purposes remain elusive. However, there is one factor about the substance that is clear - there is a dearth of knowledge about attitudes and beliefs toward its use in Russia where the substance in any form is strictly prohibited. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of affiliation with religion on university student attitudes and beliefs toward cannabis for medical conditions.

Nitroxidergic modulation of behavioural, cardiovascular and immune responses, and brain NADPH diaphorase activity upon morphine tolerance/dependence in rats.

Opioid and non-opioid effects of acute and chronic morphine administration on behaviour, cardiovascular responses, cell proliferation and apoptosis and nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) activity were studied in rats. A novel score-point scale was introduced to quantify the signs of opioid withdrawal syndrome. NOS inhibitor L-NAME (N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) was applied to reveal the role of NOS/NO pathway in the modulation of morphine-induced and responses.

Recovery of whisking function promoted by manual stimulation of the vibrissal muscles after facial nerve injury requires insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).

Recently, we showed that manual stimulation (MS) of denervated vibrissal muscles enhanced functional recovery following facial nerve cut and suture (FFA) by reducing poly-innervation at the neuro-muscular junctions (NMJ). Although the cellular correlates of poly-innervation are established, with terminal Schwann cells (TSC) processes attracting axon sprouts to "bridge" adjacent NMJ, molecular correlates are poorly understood. Since quantitative RT-PCR revealed a rapid increase of IGF-1 mRNA in denervated muscles, we examined the effect of daily MS for 2 months after FFA in IGF-1(+/-) heterozygous mice; controls were wild-type (WT) littermates including intact animals.

Aged human thymus hassall's corpuscles are immunoreactive for IGF-I and IGF-I receptor.

Although Hassall's corpuscles have been proposed to act in both maturation of developing thymocytes and removal of apoptotic cells, their function remains an enigma. The involvement of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in the local autocrine and paracrine control of T-cell development in human thymus is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the structure and distribution of IGF-I and IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR)-immunopositive Hassall's corpuscles in aged human thymus using bright-field immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy.

Differential expression of LAMPs and ubiquitin in human thymus.

Lysosome-associated membrane proteins 1 and 2 (LAMP-1 and LAMP-2) are implicated in a variety of normal and pathological processes. LAMP-2 is proposed to participate in chaperone-mediated autophagy.Autophagy regulates T-lymphocyte homeostasis by promoting both survival and proliferation.

Thymic epithelial cells of human patients affected by myasthenia gravis overexpress IGF-I immunoreactivity.

Accumulating evidence shows that several kinds of thymic cells express insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), which is known to play an important role in T cell ontogeny under both physiological and pathological conditions. Still, little is known about the mechanisms of IGF-I involvement in the pathological transformation of the thymocyte microenvironment. The present study focuses on a comparative analysis of the IGF-I immunoreactivity of thymic epithelial cells (EC) from human patients with hyperplasia-associated myasthenia gravis (MG) versus physiological thymic tissue from healthy controls using immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy.

Nerve growth factor immunoreactivity of mast cells in acute involuted human thymus.

The acute involution of the thymus is induced by either exogenous or endogenous factors, including some infections (infection type involution). The present study was focused on both detection and immunocytochemical analysis of NGF immunopositive mast cells in child thymus with acute infection-induced involution. Autopsy thymus specimens from children with infection diseases (Sepsis, Encephalomyelitis, Varicella) were examined at light and electron microscopic level and compared to normal infantile thymuses.

Lysosomal membrane-associated glycoproteins are differentially expressed in acute and chronic human thymic involution.

The lysosomal membrane-associated glycoproteins LAMP-1 and LAMP-2 are the major constituents of lysosomal membranes with still undefined biological functions. As autophagy is an alternative model of programmed cell death in which lysosomes play a crucial role, we hypothesize that LAMPs might participate in this phenomenon in the involuting thymus. Thymic glands from cases with acute (infection induced) and chronic (senile) involution were examined immunohistochemically for the expression of LAMPs.

Modulation of ABH histo-blood group antigen expression in normal and myasthenic human thymus.

The role of ABH histo-blood group antigens (HBGA) in intercellular communication during normal and pathological processes is still uncertain. The present work investigates the expression of ABH HBGA in epithelial cells and lymphocytes in normal thymus, and characterizes the modulation of their immunoreactivity during myasthenic transformation. Immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy were applied on normal young thymus and on myasthenia gravis-associated thymomas and thymic hyperplasias.

ABH histo-blood group antigens in human thymus involution.

Background: Human histo-blood group antigens (HBGA) are genetically determined glycoproteins supposed to participate in cell differentiation, adhesion, cancer metastasis and angiogenesis. In tissues, HBGA are mostly expressed in epithelial cells (EC). The EC comprising the thymocyte microenvironment play an important role in the ontogeny of the thymus.

NGF overexpression and distribution in cortical thymic epithelial cells of mice with experimentally-induced leukemia.

Background: Thymic epithelial cells often form lymphoid-epithelial cell (LEC) complexes, thought to contribute both to normal T-cell differentiation and to leukemogenesis. The distribution of the nerve growth factor (NGF) and NGF immunoreactivity modulation of complex-forming thymus epithelial cells were studied in mice with experimental acute L1210 leukemia.

Materials And Methods: Light and electron microscopic methods and cell separation techniques were applied.

Epithelial framework reorganization during human thymus involution.

Background: The thymus undergoes age-related (physiological) involution in the course of normal ontogenetic development. In addition to this chronic involution, the thymus can also undergo an acute (age-independent) regression, defined as spontaneous, transient involution. This process is induced by either exogenous or endogenous factors, including some infections (infection-type involution).

Altered levels of nerve growth factor in the thymus of subjects with myasthenia gravis.

We have previously reported that nerve growth factor (NGF), a polypeptide known for its neurotrophic activities, is also involved in the differentiation and survival of immune cells, and that NGF and its high-affinity receptor are present in the thymus. We here demonstrate that the thymus of humans affected by myasthenia gravis (MG) contains significant concentrations of NGF. These observations support our hypothesis of a role for NGF in the thymus and suggest that the changes observed in the thymus of subject with MG may have functional significance.

Cellular localization of NGF and NGF receptors in aged human thymus.

Recent evidence indicates that some thymic cells of developing and adult laboratory animals express the neurotrophin NGF and its low-affinity p75NTR and high-affinity TrkA receptor. Less is known as to whether the thymus of adult and aged humans express these markers. We hypothesize that the presence and distribution of immunopositive cells for NGF and NGF receptors undergo some alterations during the involution of human thymus.

Asymmetric vimentin distribution in human spermatozoa.

The subject of the study was vimentin distribution in spermatozoa from human ejaculates by immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy. In accordance with earlier reports, vimentin was found in the sperm head and was localized mainly in the equatorial segment region. However, electron microscopic observations revealed an additional intriguing detail: vimentin-associated gold granules showed asymmetric distribution.

Presence of HLA-DR immunopositive cells in human fetal thymus.

Several kinds of thymic cells express MHC class II antigens, including human-leukocyte-associated antigen-DR (HLA-DR) during postnatal development. The present study was focused on the detection and analysis of HLA-DR immunoreactivity in human fetal thymuses (6-7th month of gestation). Using monoclonal antibodies, indirect immunoperoxidase staining (IIP), immunogold electron microscopy (IGEM), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry, HLA-DR immunopositive (IP) thymic cells were found in samples studied.

EGF receptor-like determinants on human spermatozoa and their possible cytoskeletal association.

The study was focused on the localization of human sperm epidermal growth factor receptor and its resistance to Triton X-100 extraction, indicating possible cytoskeletal association. Human spermatozoa were subjected to immunofluorescence and pre-embedding immunoelectron microscopy using anti-EGF receptor monoclonal antibody as a probe. In detergent-untreated cells, the entire head was stained with intensity declining towards the acrosomal tip.

[The electron microscopic pathology of human spermatozoa].

About 8% of our patients reveal predominantly single abnormality-state, known like monomorphic teratozoospermy, which concerns round headed spermatozoa, amorphous heads, small heads, tapering heads, decapitated spermatozoa, middlepieces and tail defects. In the light of electron-microscopy study the quality and information exactness increases significantly in comparison to conventional semen analysis. Such kind of study, however is not acquitted in normal fertile men, although the finding some of the above mentioned defects, but with less frequency.

Heterogeneity in the presence of CD4-like molecules on human spermatozoa.

The object of the present study was to study if there are differences in the presence of CD4-like molecules on human ejaculated spermatozoa in fertile donors and infertile patients (with globozoospermia). Indirect and absorption enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect immunofluorescence were applied. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay data showed that monoclonal anti-human CD4-antibody recognizes an epitope common to the human spermatozoa with normal morphology and round-headed spermatozoa.

Distribution of vimentin in abnormal human spermatozoa.

Vimentin was immunocytochemically detected using a monoclonal anti-vimentin antibody and indirect immunogold electron microscopy. In abnormal human spermatozoa, vimentin was visualized at the level of whole acrosome, post-acrosomal region, neck and initial segment of the mid piece. The distribution of vimentin immunoreactivity was related to a spectrum of structural defects such as large cytoplasmic droplets, binucleated spermatozoa and mitochondrial disassembly in the mid piece.

Binding and internalization of gold-labeled insulin complex by thymic cells.

Colloidal gold-labeled insulin complex was used for the ultrastructural visualization of insulin binding sites on the cell surface and to study the intracellular pathway of insulin. Thymic epithelial cells and thymic lymphoid cells from mammalian fetuses (mouse, rat, man) were investigated. The results show that all epithelial cells and some lymphoid ones bind insulin during fetal life.

[Role of pain component in the organization of chemosensory taste reaction].

The investigation of algoinductor (histaminergic) and peptidergic relations in peripheral pain reaction of taste was performed by using of different histamine liberators (applied on tongue). By fluorescence-histochemical methods it was shown that histamine in the apical portion of papilla is derived from cells of taste buds and in the basal zone--from connective tissue cells (including mast cells). It was established in behavior trials on peptidergic system that consumption of taste solutions became changed.

The ontogeny of human thymic epithelium specific antigens as defined by monoclonal antibodies.

The ontogeny of human thymic epithelial antigens was studied by the use of monoclonal antibodies and immunohistological techniques. The results show that the T2/30 antigen, specific for cortical epithelial cells appears later than the BH11, BC3 and AG3 antigens. This is the first demonstration of the developmentally regulated appearance of a thymic epithelium specific antigen (not present in other epithelial cells e.