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Biomedical subjects

E M Glaser

Publications and source records attributed to E M Glaser.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The changing architecture of the neonatal rat ovary during histogenesis.

The purpose of this study was to describe the changing histological organization of the rat ovary during postpartum days one through three (p1-p3). A PC-based image-combining microscope system was used to reconstruct the ovary in three dimensions. On p1, cyclindrical pocket-like structures radiated from the core of the ovary that were open toward the surface epithelium. The walls of the pockets contained connective tissue cells and capillaries (stroma). By p2, these pockets had completely closed; each pocket enclosed a small nest of oocytes and a few presumptive granulosa cells. By p3, the pocket-like organization had disappeared. On p1, only one or two primordial follicle-like structures were observed in the core and toward the periphery of the ovary; most oocytes were not enclosed in follicles. By p3, very few naked oocytes remained; primordial follicles predominated in all the regions of the ovary and some of the follicles had multiple layers of granulosa cells. There were changes in location, area, and volume of the rete tubules during these postnatal days. The extraovarian rete was visible on all 3 days but changed its orientation relative to the ovary. The connecting rete was found beneath the epithelial layer of the ovary on all 3 days and showed dramatic increase in area on p2. The wide lumen of the intraovarian rete was in direct contact with some of the oocytes near by on all 3 days, but these "communication points" were most abundant on p2. Based on our observations of different cell-cell associations during this time period, we hypothesize (1) that the mesenchymal-presumptive granulosa cell association is essential for the completion of folliculogenesis, and (2) the rete ovarii may have an inductive role in follicle assembly. These observations suggest that the first 3 days postpartum are critically important for studying the heterogeneous cell interactions that lead to the assembly of primordial follicles. The regional differences in tissue organization during this formative period may have significant implications on later aspects of follicular development.

Animals

Postnatal development of lamina III/IV nonpyramidal neurons in rabbit auditory cortex: quantitative and spatial analyses of Golgi-impregnated material.

We have studied the postnatal development of lamina III/IV spine-free nonpyramidal neurons in the auditory cortex of the New Zealand white rabbit. The morphology and dendritic branching pattern of single cells impregnated with a Golgi-Cox variant were analyzed with the aid of camera lucida drawings and three-dimensional reconstructions obtained with a computer microscope. Sample sizes of 20 neurons were obtained at birth (day 0), postnatal day (PD) 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 21, and 30 days of age. Normative data were also available from PD-60 and young adult rabbits studied previously. At birth, lamina II-IV have not yet emerged from the cortical plate; immature nonpyramidal neurons at the bottom of the cortical plate (presumptive layer IV) are characterized by short, vertically oriented dendrites. Growth-cone-like structures are present along the shafts and at the tips of the dendrites. At birth, soma area and total dendritic length are, respectively, 34 and 10% of adult values. The cortical plate acquires a trilaminar appearance at PD-3. The six-layered cortex is present by PD-6. During the first postnatal week dendritic length increases fourfold and is accompanied by a significant increase in both terminal and preterminal dendritic growth cones. At the onset of hearing at PD-6, there is a significant proliferation of dendrites and branches to 144 and 200% of adult levels, respectively. These supernumerary dendrites are rapidly lost during the second postnatal week, at which time the somata and dendrites become covered with spines. The loss of higher-order dendrites occurs more gradually; the number of dendritic branches is still 116% of adult values at PD-30. Spine density peaks between days PD-12 and PD-15, and then gradually diminishes until the cells are sparsely spined or spine free by PD-30. Total dendritic length increases in a linear fashion up to PD-15, at which time it is 80% of adult values. An analysis of terminal and intermediate branches demonstrated that the increase in total dendritic length after PD-6 is due entirely to the growth of terminal dendrites. Total dendritic length attains adult levels by PD-30. Spatial analyses revealed that a vertical orientation of dendrites is present at birth. Associated with the onset of hearing at PD-6, there is an explosive elaboration of dendrites toward the pial surface.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aging

Neonatal deafening alters nonpyramidal dendrite orientation in auditory cortex: a computer microscope study in the rabbit.

In order to examine the influence of afferent input on nonpyramidal dendrite development in the auditory cortex, unilateral deafening was carried out in neonatal rabbits at birth, approximately 6 days prior to the onset of hearing. Deafening was produced by surgical removal of the incus and stapes ossicles, aspiration of the cochlear perilymph, and kanamycin injection into the oval window. At 60 days of age, acoustic stimulation of the deafened ear was unable to evoke auditory brainstem responses. The brains of experimental and littermate control rabbits were processed according to the Golgi-Cox Nissl method. The dendritic systems of lamina III/IV spine-free nonpyramidal cells in the auditory cortex contralateral to the deafened ear were digitized from 340-micron-thick coronal sections with the aid of a computer microscope. Three-dimensional spatial and statistical analyses revealed that nonpyramidal dendrite length in neonatally deafened rabbits increased 27% relative to littermate controls. A fan-in projection analysis revealed that the increased dendrite length in the deafened animals was maximum in the tangential direction and toward the white matter. Computer rotation of digitized neurons from neonatally deafened rabbits also revealed evidence of abnormal dendritic growth in the form of recurved dendrites. We interpret our results to indicate that unilateral cochlear destruction early in development causes a reorganization of the ascending auditory pathway which extends to the contralateral cerebral cortex. Because the auditory cortex contralateral to the deafened ear still receives acoustic input from the undamaged ipsilateral ear, normal nonpyramidal dendritic growth in the auditory cortex is, in part, dependent upon afferent activity arising from both ears.

Animals

Auditory cortical responses to neonatal deafening: pyramidal neuron spine loss without changes in growth or orientation.

Neonatal rabbits were unilaterally deafened at birth by surgical removal of the stapes, aspiration of the cochlear lymph, and kanamycin injection into the oval window. At 60 days of age, all rabbits were screened with brain stem evoked response tests in order to establish the efficacy of the deafening procedure. The auditory cortex contralateral to the destroyed cochlea was processed according to Golgi-Cox/Nissl procedures. Temporal bone histology revealed nearly complete outer hair cell loss in the damaged cochlea. The dendritic system of lamina III/IV pyramidal neurons contralateral to the deafened ear was digitized from frontal sections using a computer microscope system. Spine counts were also made along the basal dendrites. Spine counts revealed that neonatally deafened rabbits and 38.7% fewer spines along their basal dendrites. No differences between experimental and control rabbits were found in terms of soma cross-sectional area, total number of basal dendrites, total number of dendritic branches and total basal dendritic length. A fan-in projection of the dendritic system revealed no changes in the radial growth of basal dendrites resulting from the early acoustic trauma. In a prior study, spine-free nonpyramidal neurons in the same sections revealed altered dendritic growth and abnormally recurved dendrites. The separate response of pyramidal and nonpyramidal cell types to early cochlear damage is evidence for the different role of epigenetic determinants of dendritic form and orientation in sensory neocortical neurons.

Acoustic Stimulation

Semiautomatic microscopy as a tool for cytologists.

Despite impressive advances in the application of computer image analysis to cytology, many of the identification tasks that cytologists are called on to perform remain refractory to automated image analysis. The major reason is that a large fraction of these images, though simple for a human to deal with, are too complex to yield to current image analysis methodologies. It may be years before automated computer image analysis is reduced to clinical practicality. Even then, it is not clear that all cytologic image analyses will prove amenable to automation. In the meantime, semiautomatic image analysis (computer-aided microscopy) can provide a viable alternative, especially to persistently difficult image analysis problems. In semiautomatic image analysis, the onerous tasks of data acquisition--e.g., stage movement, data entry and storage--are left to the computer, while the decision-making tasks-e.g., identifying a cell's morphologic class--are left to the observer. Such a system proves to be easy and flexible to use as well as economical to build. It can also provide a reliable data base for the later evaluation of fully automated systems as they are developed. One such semiautomatic system, the Image Combining Computer Microscope (ICCM), is described, and the range of its application is illustrated. Some of the examples of ICCM applications discussed are: neuronal cell plots, three-dimensional dendrite tracking, serial section reconstruction of axons and mapping of plaques and tangles in Alzheimer's disease. They illustrate how powerful a semiautomated system can be in handling complex image analysis problems. It is suggested that semiautomated image analysis provides a viable long-range alternative to many cytologic image analysis problems.

Alzheimer Disease

Analysis of thick brain sections by obverse-reverse computer microscopy: application of a new, high clarity Golgi-Nissl stain.

Exceptionally clear Golgi-Nissl sections of 300 micron thickness have been morphometrically studied by light microscopy using oil immersion objectives. The clarity results from a new variation of a staining procedure that combines Golgi and Nissl images in one section. A viewing technique has been developed that permits a histologic preparation to be examined from its obverse (or normally viewed) side and its reverse (or under) side. The technique was designed for use with a computer microscope but can be employed with any light microscope whose stage position can be measured within 100 micron. Sections thicker than 300 micron can be studied dependent on the working distance of the objective lens, provided that the clarity of the material permits it.

Animals

Tangential orientation and spatial order in dendrites of cat auditory cortex: a computer microscope study of Golgi-impregnated material.

In the tangential plane (parallel to the pial surface) dendrites in the primary auditory cortex (A1) of cat were found to exhibit preferentially oriented growth. This was shown by means of a computer microscope study of Golgi-Cox stained neurons as seen in 100 micrometers and 300 micrometers thick tangential sections. Two techniques were used to represent the 3-dimensional structure of dendrites: the "dendritic stick" and the "dendritic trumpet". The former dismembers a dendrite into its individual segments; the latter considers a dendrite as an entity and represents it by its centroid, its moments and the spatial dispersionof its branches. Both statistical and Fourier analyses of the data show that within the tangential plane there is a significant and consistent orientation of the dendritic sticks in a dorso-ventral direction which seems correlated with the cortical isofrequency contours observed in electrophysiological maps of the A1 region. The dendritic trumpet analyses also show a distinctly non-random vertical distribution of pyramidal cell basal dendrites but not of stellate cell dendrites.

Animals

Morphine self-administration and EEG power spectra in the rat.

Power spectral analyses were used to study changes in cortical EEG during morphine self-administration in freely-moving dependent rats prepared with chronic cortical and muscle electrodes and with permanent indwelling IV cannulae. As time progressed from a morphine self-injection toward another injection, a significant spectral shift of the EEG to lower frequencies occurred during successive REM sleep episodes. Each morphine self-injection reinstated the predominance of higher frequencies in the EEG spectra. These EEG changes which preceded lever pressing may reflect changes in morphine plasma levels and in the state of the CNS that precede drug-seeking behavior.

Animals

The human frequency-following response: its behavior during continuous tone and tone burst stimulation.

The frequency following response (FFR) in humans has been elicited by continuous tones as well as tone bursts. The responses were observable over a range of frequencies extending from 70 c/sec to greater than 1.5 kc/sec. The threshold for the continuous response has a mean of about 40 dB SL and is perhaps several dB lower for the burst response. The response threshold as a function of sound pressure level (SPL) increases rapidly at frequencies below 125 c/sec and above 1 kc/sec. These thresholds are particularly sharp at the lower frequencies. Narrow-band noise that just produces subjective tone masking also masks the FFR. The latency of the FFR is about 6 msec when the tone burst intensity is 30 dB over FFR threshold. Comparison with click response latencies indicates that the onset of the FFR corresponds with early waves IV and V.

Acoustic Stimulation

Chronic obstructive airway diseases. Current concepts in diagnosis and comprehensive care.

Physicians and paramedical personnel often find the early diagnosis and differentiation of obstructive airway diseases to be a challenging problem. The history and physical examination are often not enough to allow the physician to detect either the presence of, or determine the type of, disease present. Patterns of pulmonary function abnormality to determine the presence of obstructive or restrictive defects are discussed. Guidelines useful in the differentiation of obstructive airway diseases are presented. Once a patient with COAD is assessed, the physician needs to outline a therapeutic program after establishing goals with the patient. These goals include (1) improved ability for the patient to achieve relief from symptoms and (2) improved capacity to carry out the activities of daily living. The therapeutic modalities available for the comprehensive care of patients with COAD are discussed. These include general factors such as patient and family education, avoidance of smoking and other inhaled irritants, avoidance of infection, a minimum stress environment, high fluid intake, and proper nutrition. The appropriate use of the medications most commonly employed in the teatment of these patients, eg, bronchodilators, expectorants, antimicrobials, corticosteroids, cromolyn, digitalis, and diuretics, are individually discussed. The use of such respiratory therapy techniques as aerosol therapy, intermittent positive pressure breathing, and oxygen therapy are considered. Application of the specialty of rehabilitation medicine to patients with obstructive airway disease is described. This includes physical therapy with breathing retraining, clapping and postural drainage, and exercise reconditioning, occupational therapy with attention to energy conservation in activities of daily living, psychological considerations, and vocational rehabilitation. Definite benefits that can be demonstrated if the physician employs this type of systematic respiratory care program include a decrease in the frequency and duration of hospital admissions, socioeconomic gains from reduced hospitalizations, a reduction in anxiety, depression and somatic concern, the return of patients to positions of employment and the establishment of a better quality of life. Persistence in making sure the patient continues in a systematic program, including both pharmacological and nonpharmacological modalities, may be the means of assuring maintenance or even improvement in his health. The day-to-day treatment for the majority of patients should remain in the hands of the primary physician. However, community resources must be established to allow the primary physician to provide these patients with adequate comprehensive respiratory care. Development of three levels of care (the primary physician, community respiratory rehabilitation units, and the regional respiratory center) should make superior respiratory care available to every patient with obstructive airway disease.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones