Outcome-based self-assessment on a team-teaching subject in the medical school.

We attempted to investigate the reason why the students got a worse grade in gross anatomy and the way how we can improve upon the teaching method since there were gaps between teaching and learning under recently changed integration curriculum. General characteristics of students and exploratory factors to testify the validity were compared between year 2011 and 2012. Students were asked to complete a short survey with a Likert scale.

Sequential accumulation of iron in glial cells during chicken cerebellar development.

Iron is an essential, but potentially harmful, metal in the brain. In normal brain, iron has been reported to accumulate mainly in glial cells and occasionally in neurons in some particular nuclei. However, the majority of investigations have targeted the adult brain.

A rare muscular variation in the superficial region of the popliteal fossa.

We found a rare muscular variation in the superficial region of the popliteal fossa in a 61-year-old Korean male cadaver whose cause of death was laryngeal carcinoma during routine dissection course for medical students. The muscle ran transversely between the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle and the tendon of the long head of biceps femoris muscle, covering the neurovascular structures in the popliteal fossa. The muscle received its nerve supply from the tibial nerve.

Differential expression of αB-crystallin causes maturation-dependent susceptibility of oligodendrocytes to oxidative stress.

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are most susceptible to oxidative stress in the brain. However, the cause of differences in susceptibility to oxidative stress between OPCs and mature oligodendrocytes (mOLs) remains unclear. Recently, we identified in vivo that αB-crystallin (aBC) is expressed in mOLs but not in OPCs.

alpha B-crystallin is expressed in myelinating oligodendrocytes of the developing and adult avian retina.

It is well known that the expression of α B-crystallin (aBC) is increased in neurons and glia under pathologic conditions. However, the expression of aBC during the normal development of the central nervous system has not been reported. This study aimed to clarify the cell type in the chick retina in which aBC is expressed and timing of aBC expression in this cell type during development.

A cadaveric study of needle insertion at PC6 in eight wrists of four subjects and an understanding of the anatomy.

The anatomical structures vulnerable to acupuncture around the PC6 acupuncture point were investigated. Needles were inserted in PC6 of eight wrists from four cadavers to a depth of 2 cm, the forearms were dissected and the adjacent structures around the path of the needles were observed. The needles passed between the tendons of the palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis muscles and then penetrated the flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor digitorum profundus and pronator quadratus muscles.

A case of the inferior mesenteric artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery in a Korean woman.

Anatomical variations of the inferior mesenteric artery are extremely uncommon, since the inferior mesenteric artery is regularly diverged at the level of the third lumbar vertebra. We found a rare case in which the inferior mesenteric artery arose from the superior mesenteric artery. The findings were made during a routine dissection of the cadaver of an 82-yr-old Korean woman.

The expression of transferrin binding protein in the turtle nervous system.

Transferrin binding protein (TfBP) is a cytoplasmic glycoprotein that was originally isolated from the chick oviduct. As we previously demonstrated the constitutive expression of TfBP in the avian nervous system, in this study we examined whether TfBP is expressed in the reptilian nervous system. In accordance with previous findings in the chicken, oligodendrocytes were most prominently labeled by antiserum to TfBP.

Expression of adenomatous polyposis coli protein in reactive astrocytes in hippocampus of kainic acid-induced rat.

The adenomatous polyposis coli gene (APC) was initially identified through its link to colon cancer. It is associated with the regulation of cell cycle progression, survival, and differentiation of normal tissues. Recent studies have demonstrated that APC is also expressed in the adult brain at high levels.

Expression of L-serine biosynthetic enzyme 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (Phgdh) and neutral amino acid transporter ASCT1 following an excitotoxic lesion in the mouse hippocampus.

The nonessential amino acid L-serine functions as a glia-derived trophic factor and strongly promotes the survival and differentiation of cultured neurons. The L-serine biosynthetic enzyme 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (Phgdh) and the small neutral amino acid transporter ASCT1 are preferentially expressed in specific glial cells in the brain. However, their roles in pathological progression remain unclear.

Expression of transferrin binding protein in the capillaries of the brain in the developing chick embryo.

Transferrin-binding protein (TfBP) has been shown to be a novel protein, structurally related to the chicken heat shock protein 108. The physiological function of this protein, however, has not yet been established. Antiserum to TfBP selectively stains transferrin- and iron-rich oligodendrocytes and choroidal epithelium in the adult and embryonic chick brain, suggesting a role for this protein in transferrin and iron storage in these cells.

Spatiotemporal gradient of astrocyte development in the chick optic tectum: evidence for multiple origins and migratory paths of astrocytes.

Astrocytes have been considered to be transformed from radial glial cells that appear at early stage of development and play a scaffold-role for neuronal cell migration. Recent studies indicate that neuroepithelial cells in the spinal cord also give rise to astrocytes. However, the mode of astroglial generation and migration in the ventricular neuroepithelium remains poorly understood.

Glial expression of interleukin-18 and its receptor after excitotoxic damage in the mouse hippocampus.

Interleukin (IL)-18, a member of the IL-1 cytokine family, is an important mediator of peripheral inflammation and host defence responses. However, although IL-1 is a key proinflammatory cytokine in the brain, little is known about IL-18 changes in glial cells under excitotoxic neurodegeneration. In this study, we characterized the expressions of IL-18 and IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) in kainic acid (KA)-induced excitotoxicity in mouse hippocampus by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.

Astrocytic expressions of phosphorylated Akt, GSK3beta and CREB following an excitotoxic lesion in the mouse hippocampus.

Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) is believed to play important roles in the regulation of synaptic plasticity, cell survival and circadian rhythms in the mature CNS. However, although several studies have been focused on the GSK3beta, little is known about GSK3beta changes in glial cells under neuropathological conditions. In this study, we evaluated the expressions of molecules associated with the GSK3beta signaling pathway, following the induction of an excitotoxic lesion in mouse brain by kainic acid (KA) injection, which caused pyramidal cell degeneration in the hippocampal CA3 region.

Developmental expression of transferrin binding protein in oligodendrocyte lineage cells of the embryonic chick spinal cord.

Oligodendrocytes develop from precursor cells in the neuroepithelium of the ventral ventricular zone. Oligodendrocytes in the different stages of development are characterized by expression of a number of different marker molecules such as myelin genes, growth factors, and specific antigens. We have previously identified that transferrin binding protein (TfBP), a member of heat shock protein 90 families, is a novel avian ER-associated membrane protein that is specifically localized in oligodendrocytes in adult chicken CNS.

Induction of transcription factor A-myb expression in reactive astrocytes following an excitotoxic lesion in the mouse hippocampus.

In the present study, we examined patterns of A-myb expression in the kainic acid (KA)-treated mouse hippocampus. Western blot analysis revealed that A-myb expression was dramatically increased in brain 3 days after KA treatment, and was sustained for more than 7 days. A-myb immunoreactivity was restricted to hippocampal neurons in control mice.

The multiple dorsoventral origins and migratory pathway of tectal oligodendrocytes in the developing chick.

Oligodendrocytes have been considered to originate in a restricted ventricular zone of the ventral neural tube and to migrate and mature in their final targets. However, recent studies indicate that oligodendrocytes arise from multiple distinct dorsoventral origins. In this study, we investigate oligodendrocyte lineage cells in the embryonic optic tectum of chick, which develops from the dorsal region of the neural tube and invasion of optic tract.

Activated cyclic AMP-response element binding protein (CREB) is expressed in a myelin-associated protein in chick.

Cyclic AMP response element (CRE) is a specific DNA sequence, which mediates transcriptional activation in the response to the cyclic AMP-activated and protein kinase A dependent signaling pathway. In the present study, phosphorylated CRE binding protein (CREB) immunoreactivity was mainly localized in the white matter of chick central nervous system (CNS). We have further confirmed the specificity of phospho-CREB immunoreaction in myelin using demyelinated optic nerve induced by lysophophatidylcholine (LPC), which is known to produce demyelination with little axonal damage.

Glial fibrillary acidic protein is expressed in the aged rat olfactory epithelium.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the aging process induces changes in the phenotype of olfactory supporting cells in the rat.

Objective: To investigate age-related changes in the expression of astroglial intermediate filament proteins in the olfactory supporting cells of the rat.

Material And Methods: The expression of nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the olfactory epithelium (OE) of young (3 months) and aged (25 months) Sprague-Dawley rats was compared using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.

Enhanced Mn-SOD immunoreactivity in the dopaminergic neurons of long-evans cinnamon rats.

The abundance of cellular superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) was examined immunocytochemically in different regions of the brain of Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats at 4 and 50 weeks of age. When all animals develop chronic hepatitis, the substantia nigra and striatum showed a marked increase in Mn-SOD immunoreactivity versus Long-Evans agouti (LEA) rats of the same age. Mn-SOD was localized predominantly in dopaminergic neurons.

Absence of nigrostriatal degeneration in LEC rats up to 20 weeks of age.

Background: Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rat has a genetic defect of copper metabolism that is similar to human Wilson's disease. We studied the pathological changes in the nigrostriatal system of the LEC rat to examine the feasibility of using the LEC rat as a model of neurological Wilson's disease.

Methods: LEC and Long-Evans Agouti (LEA) rats were killed at 12 and 20 weeks of age.

Ferrous and ferric iron accumulates in the brain of aged Long-Evans Cinnamon rats, an animal model of Wilson's disease.

The Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rat, which accumulates excess copper (Cu) in its liver, is an animal model of Wilson's disease. We evaluated and compared the distributions of Cu, ferrous (Fe2+), and ferric (Fe3+) iron in four-brain regions, namely, in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, substantia nigra (SN), and striatum of LEC and Long-Evans Agouti rats at 30 and 55 weeks. Cu levels were elevated in the striatum of LEC rats, and Fe2+ and Fe3+ were higher in the striatum and SN of LEC rats.

Detailed histopathologic characterization of the retinopathy, globe enlarged (rge) chick phenotype.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize the morphological abnormalities in the retinas of chicks (Gallus gallus) suffering from the autosomal recessive disease, retinopathy, globe enlarged (rge/rge).

Methods: rge/rge affected and age matched control retinas were examined from hatch up to 730 days of age. Thickness of retinal layers at six retinal regions was measured from plastic embedded sections.

Distribution of heat shock protein 108 mRNA during the development of the chicken brain.

The developmental expression of heat shock protein 108 (HSP108) mRNA was mapped in chicken brain using in situ hybridization and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RT-PCR showed that HSP108 mRNA increased from embryonic day 5 (E5) to 13 (E13), significantly decreased from E17 to E21 and then increased again at the adult stage. In situ hybridization showed that while intense HSP108 positive (HSP108+) signals were localized in the cerebellum from E7 to E14, the intensities of these signals were significantly decreased at E17.

Glial expression of the 90-kDa heat shock protein (HSP90) and the 94-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP94) following an excitotoxic lesion in the mouse hippocampus.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are immediately expressed in neuronal and glial cells under various stressful conditions and play a protective role through molecular chaperones. Although several studies have been focused on the expression of HSPs, little is known about HSP90s expression in glial cells under neuropathological conditions. In this study, we evaluated the expression pattern of the glial cell-related HSP90 and GRP94 proteins, following the induction of an excitotoxic lesion in the mouse brain.