Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D Crespo.
Neurosecretory neurons (NSNs) of the supraoptic nucleus of 2-year-old rats presented significantly greater nuclear volumes and nuclear perimeters than those of 3-month-old animals. In aged NSNs, membranous bodies (MBs) were observed in the cytoplasm and the cell nucleus. The possible origin and function of these MBs are discussed.
We report the occurrence of neuronal degeneration in the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus of prepubertal female rats as a consequence of ovariectomy followed by estrogen deprivation (OVX-EB). In contrast, no degenerating neurons were observed in ovariectomized rats treated with estrogens (OVX + EB) or sham-operated animals. The altered neurons in the OVX-EB group presented a cytoplasm with dilation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum lumen. The nuclear envelope also appeared dilated. There was mitochondrial swelling with disintegrated cristae, while lysosomes appeared intact. The cell nucleus showed a pattern of chromatin condensation and a nucleolus hardly distinguishable from the nucleoplasm. The neuronal alterations reported here may be due to altered gene expression in the cell nucleus resulting from induced hormonal loss during early postnatal development.
Several quantitative and morphometric parameters were analysed in the pars principalis of the supraoptic nucleus (SON) of the hypothalamus in control and hypophysectomised rats at several postnatal ages. The cell number in the control group remained approximately constant from Day 1, when it was 5034 +/- 348 (mean +/- S.D.M.), until Day 90 when the number of cells was 5234 +/- 110. In the group that was hypophysectomised on Day 60, the number of neurons on Day 90 was 1366 +/- 131, which represents a loss of 74% of the neurons. Morphometric parameters on Day 90 indicated a significant difference in nuclear size, 52.1 +/- 6.7 microns 2 in controls and 57.3 +/- 6.8 microns 2 in the hypophysectomised group. Based on these results, it is concluded that there is no postnatal loss of neurons in the pars principalis of the SON in normal rats. As a consequence of the stress induced by hypophysectomy, the remaining cell population undergoes adaptive changes in the nuclear RNA synthesis machinery of neurohypophyseal hormone precursors in order to compensate for the reduction in the number of neurosecretory neurons.
The microvascular system of the optic nerve of the rat was examined morphometrically to determine the effect of enucleation of one eye at birth on the microvascular development in the contralateral optic nerve. For this purpose, two groups of rats were used: three were unilaterally enucleated on the day of birth and studied on postnatal Day 28; three littermates were used as controls. Using plastic embedded semithin sections, we analyzed various parameters and compared the results statistically. The average diameter of microvessels up to 7.5 microns was found to be 4.7 +/- 0.2 micron in controls and 5.3 +/- 0.5 micron in experimental rats. The density of microvessels expressed as the mean number of sectioned capillaries per tissue area was 137 +/- 25/mm2 in the control group and 169 +/- 32/mm2 in the experimental group. The intravascular volume fraction percentage (Vv), which represents the volume fraction of the capillary network per unit of optic nerve volume (mm3/mm3%), was 0.06% in the controls and 0.10% in the enucleated rats. Total length of capillaries per unit of volume (Lv) averaged 1050 +/- 112 and 2235 +/- 195 mm/mm3 in control and experimental groups, respectively. The internal capillary surface area available for metabolic exchange expressed per volume unit (Sv) was 15.5 +/- 2.1 and 37.2 +/- 2.8 mm2/mm3 in control and experimental groups, respectively. These results, together with the lack of ultrastructural modifications in the vascular walls of microvessels, suggest that these rearrangements of the capillary system in the enucleated group could be triggered by an increase in the optic nerve metabolism resulting from monocular vision.
We present a quantitative study of the variations in the number of nucleoli in supraoptic nucleus neurons during the postnatal period, as well as a morphometric and stereological analysis of the nuclear and cytoplasmic volume changes of these maturing neurons. The mean number of nucleoli per cell was 1.59 +/- 0.28 (mean +/- S.D.) at P1; it then began to decrease until P14 (1.32 +/- 0.67) at which age the adult pattern in the number of nucleoli was attained. The mean nuclear volume increased steadily from 214.56 +/- 6.48 microns 3 (mean +/- S.E.) at P1 to 326.1 +/- 10.93 microns 3 at P14 where it remained constant. The average cytoplasmic volume underwent a remarkable increase during postnatal period from 256.38 +/- 12.66 microns 3 at P1 to 3791.18 +/- 204.88 microns 3 at P90. It is noteworthy that the stabilization of the number of nucleoli coincides with the termination of the nuclear growth phase of supraoptic neurons. We suggest that these nuclear and nucleolar changes reflect the attainment of the fully-differentiated state of the protein synthesis machinery in these neurosecretory neurons.
Ten-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with 3H-thymidine (3H-TdR) and allowed to survive until postnatal day (P) 40, P120, P200, P300 or P450. Following the preparation of the tissue for autoradiography, the location of the labeled neurons within the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus was determined at two different septo-temporal levels. At P40 the labeled cells in the suprapyramidal blade of the dentate gyrus were found only in the deep part of the granule cell layer, where it borders on the hilus, and more than four cell diameters from the molecular layer. The latter relationship remained constant at each of the five ages studied, but between P40 and P120 the average distance from the labeled granule cells to the hilus almost doubled. At the middle of the temporal portion of the dentate gyrus this trend continues with age, so that by P450 the labeled neurons, though no nearer to the molecular layer than at earlier stages, were found, on average, in the middle of the granule cell layer, more-or-less halfway between the hilus and the molecular layer. Near the middle of the septal half of the dentate gyrus a similar pattern was seen at P40 and P120 but thereafter the labeled cells within the granule cell layer remained at about the same distance from the hilus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
We have examined the effects of blocking retinal ganglion cell activity with the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX) on the postnatal reduction in the number of optic nerve axons (and, by interference, the degree of ganglion cell loss in the retina). TTX was injected every other day into the left eyes of a series of albino rats beginning on the day of birth, continuing through the 3rd, 7th, 12th or 14th days when the animals were killed and the optic nerves from both eyes were prepared for electron microscopy. The numbers of axons in the TTX treated and untreated optic nerves from the opposite side were determined from electron micrographs, and compared to the number seen in normal rats at the same ages. Both the magnitude and the time course of the reduction in the number of axons in the TTX-treated and untreated nerves were found to be similar to those seen in normal animals. However, there was a slight reduction in the loss of optic axons in the untreated nerves on the side opposite the TTX injections; this attenuation in axon loss could be mimicked by large systemic injections of TTX, and is probably attributable to a general systemic effect following repeated intraocular injections. These findings indicate that blocking ganglion cell activity with intraocular injections of TTX has little effect on the normal rate of axon loss from the optic nerve and on the numbers of ganglion cells that die during the first two weeks of postnatal life.
The changes in the volume and nucleolar ultrastructure of neurons of the supraoptic nucleus were examined during the postnatal period of the rat. This morphological maturation involved the gradual transformation from relatively compact nucleoli to reticulate ones which exhibited a typical nucleolonemal configuration with numerous nucleolar interstices and fibrillar centers. A progressive augmentation of the nucleolar volume was also observed during postnatal life; the average value on the first postnatal day was 2.94 +/- 0.42 micron3 while by the 40th day the mean had increased to 15.01 +/- 0.45 micron3. We suggest that this cytodifferentiation process is the morphological expression of the activation of nucleolar ribosomal RNA synthesis, which is required for the growth and maturation of the neurosecretory cells.
We have estimated from electron micrographs the numbers of axons in the optic nerves of a series of albino rats at 8 different ages ranging from embryonic day (E)18 through postnatal day 28. The number of axons was found to reach a maximum of about 325,000 (324,790 +/- 38,589) on E20, and to decline to about 275,000 (273,744 +/- 20,973) by the day of birth. By the middle of the second postnatal week, the number was further reduced to a stable figure of just over 100,000 (105,809 +/- 7,610). This represents a loss of two-thirds of the axons from the peak value at E20, and suggests that there is a comparable degree of cell death among the retinal ganglion cells. The reduction in the number of optic nerve fibers is not affected significantly by the removal of the opposite eye at birth.
Ultrastructural study of the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus during the postnatal period showed the presence of nuclear inclusions in immature glial cells. These inclusions, identified as "coiled bodies", consist of round-to-oval formations of coiled electron-dense strands embedded in a less dense fibrillar matrix. Coiled bodies are located free within the nucleoplasm, showing no specific relationships with the nucleolus or the nuclear membrane. The cells containing coiled bodies were typified as oligodendrocyte precursors, mainly oligodendroblasts. The coiled bodies were not found in mature glial cells nor in other types of immature glial elements. The nature and possible functional role of coiled bodies are suggested in the light of recent morphological and biochemical data.
The present light and electron microscopic study deals with the morphology and staining properties of two intranuclear inclusions - the "accessory body" of Cajal and the "coiled body"--in the supraoptic nuclei of adult rat hypothalamus, and supports the assumption that these structures represent the same intrinsic component of the neuronal nucleus. Consequently, we propose to term it "accessory body". The structure of this body was visualized by several different staining procedures: conventional electron microscopic techniques, a silver reaction, and the regressive EDTA staining for ribonucleoproteins. The silver-impregnation method employed here, which consists of a silver development sequence on hypothalamic tissue blocks prior to plastic embedding, permitted the study of supraoptic neurons at both light and electron microscopic levels. The nature and origin of "accessory bodies" are suggested and their possible functional role is briefly discussed.
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The present paper describes a simple, efficient method for silver impregnation of supraoptic nuclei of the rat hypothalamus using a modification of the ammoniacal silver technique of Cajal (1903). This procedure, involving a silver-developer sequence in tissue blocks prior to plastic embedding, permits the simultaneous study of Ag-impregnated supraoptic neurons at both light and electron microscopic levels. Visualization of secretory magnocellular neurons impregnated by this technique using the electron microscope reveals a good preservation of nuclear structures. A selective accumulation of silver grains was observed over heterochromatin clumps and nucleoli, which allows the identification of the nucleolar fibrillar centers and also the dense fibrillar component as the main areas involved in the silver reaction. The meaning of such a silver-distribution pattern is discussed in the light of recent ultrastructural and biochemical data.
In electron microscopic studies of the supraoptic nuclei of the rat hypothalamus, structures identified as "coiled bodies" were found in magnocellular neurons. Although they could be seen elsewhere in mature neurosecretory cells, coiled bodies were commonly encountered in developing neurons during the postnatal period in both sexes. They appeared as distinctive nuclear inclusions consisting of round-to-oval networks of short electron-dense strands embedded in a less dense, fibrillar matrix, and lacking a limiting membrane. In fine structure and stain-affinity, they bore a resemblance to the fibrillar component of the nucleolus. Coiled bodies were located either in close association with the nucleolus or free within the nucleoplasm, showing no specific relationships with the perinucleolar chromatin or with the nuclear envelope. Their origin and functional meaning is discussed in the light of recent ultrastructural and biochemical data on cellular differentiation and nucleolar behavior.
Cilia 9+0 have been found in differentiating neurosecretory neurons of the hypothalamic supraoptic nuclei of Wistar rats. These ciliated neurosecretory cells were always observed during the neonatal period of the rat and no more than one cilium per cell has been encountered. Single cilia arising from typical basal bodies were usually located in deep invaginations of the neuronal perikaryon, but can also be seen in superficial positions. Their basal bodies were commonly found in the vicinity of Golgi complexes, and associated structures such as striated rootlets and alar sheets were also present. In addition, single centrioles frequently appeared in these neurons, occurring close to basal bodies but also in centrosomatic areas. The respective roles of these morphological features are suggested and their possible ontogenetic significance is briefly discussed.
INTRODUCTION: Depressive disorders are more frequently seen in medically ill patients, especially in those who are hospitalized, than in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of this problem in Spanish hospitals, determining the prevalence of depressive disorders in hospitalized patients with medical illnesses, as well as the sociodemographic and medical-psychiatric characteristics related with the development of depression in these patients. METHODOLOGY: A transversal study was performed in 13 Spanish public hospitals with a sample of 1.003 patients selected from the list of patients registered in medical services at each hospital on November 6, 1995. Each patient was evaluated on psycho-social stress level as well as quality of life (Karnofsky scale). Following that, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was applied and all patients with a score >= 11 were evaluated by a psychiatrist. Data on psychiatric consultation of these patients were also recorded when conducted. RESULTS: 18.9% of patients hospitalized for medical illnesses showed depressive symptoms. The presence of depressive disorders was more often seen in women, patients unable to work, patients with psychiatric history, patients with previous psychopharmacological treatments, patients with high level of psychosocial stress and patients with a low quality of life. Psychiatric consultations were requested in just 13.7% of these patients. CONCLUSION: A very high number of hospitalized patients require a psychiatric evaluation for depression, but this is not requested.
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This epidemiological study gives special attention to the population with the age group of 65 and over. The focus is on 33 persons (15%) of the total population of the "Isla La Graciosa", Canary Islands (Spain), who where interviewed by Psychiatrist. The sociodemographic characteristics, every day life style, the consumption of drugs and alcohol, their mental and physical health and cognitive state of these persons was made according to standardized tests. The results showed that 48% have a somatic illness, in this 48%, 37.5% are suffering from rheumatic illness, 6% suffer from hypertension, 36% are smokers and 39% consume alcohol with 21% of them possible alcoholics. In 21% depressive symptoms were detected and in 55% cognitive disorders. These results have been compared with the population of other islands in which the same age groups have similar characteristics. According to these comparisons the study group from la "Isla La Graciosa" seems to have a higher state of physical health but they have a greater tendency towards cognitive disorders.