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Biomedical subjects

J Szczech

Publications and source records attributed to J Szczech.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Immunofluorescent analysis of antibodies against neurons in the case of paraneoplastic syndrome.

The authors report clinical and neuropathological findings especially immunofluorescent detection of antineuronal antibodies in the case of paraneoplastic syndrome in course of the small-cell lung carcinoma. The clinical symptoms, observed in 48-year-old woman, covered bilateral pyramidal syndrome, cerebellar syndrome, myasthenic syndrome and impairment of the cranial nerves. Neuropathological investigation revealed paraneoplastic encephalopathy in the form of encephalitis. Immunofluorescent analysis showed brightly fluorescent neurons standing out against a dull background.

Antibodies, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1998

Atypical case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in a young adult.

The great concern exists that new variant of CJD (nvCJD) developed as a result of exposure to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-infected meat products. Therefore, all cases of CJD in the young, as the one of ours are the matter of interest. The 21-year-old female developed a rapid progression of pyramidal, extrapyramidal and cerebellar signs, visual loss and psychiatric symptoms, leading to death in 16 weeks. The microscopic features were: a neuronal loss accentuated in cerebral cortex with extensive astroglia proliferation and spongiform changes. Immunohistochemical staining, revealed the presence of "synaptic" deposits of PrP in the cerebral cortex and in the cerebellum. No florid amyloid plaques were present. The case was diagnosed as a sporadic CJD, with some features of Heidenhein variant (visual symptoms) and corticostriatocerebellar category. The pathological findings excluded a nv CJD which is linked with BSE.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Free sterols in the rat white matter following experimental global ischemia.

The pattern of free sterols occurring in the cerebral white matter was studied in an experimental model of global ischemia that was induced in rats by means of the method described by KORPACHEV et al. (1982). Sterol isolation, separation and identification was accomplished by suitable extraction procedures followed by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry of the purified sterol extracts. It has been shown that the percentage of lanosterol happened to decrease sharply following the ischemic state and other sterols, typically occurring in maturating brains and absent in the control brain specimens from adult rats, such as 4,4-dimethylcholesterol, 4,4-dimethylcholest-5,8,24-triene-3 beta-ol and 4,4,14-trimethylcholest-5,8-diene-3 beta-ol happened to appear. The appearance of these forms of free sterols in the postischemic brain is interpreted as a biochemical exponent of regeneration processes occurring in the white matter membranes following the injury suffered during the experimental heart arrest.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Myelin-oligodendroglia complex in rats subjected to experimental cardiac arrest.

In an experimental model of clinical death induced in rats using the method of Korpachev et al. (1982) the myelinoligodendroglia complex was evaluated using the morphometric method of investigation. The results documented acute oedema of oligodendroglia nuclei in the early period, and degenerative changes later on. The studies of myelinated fibers seem to testify some differences in sensitivity according to the axon and myelin diameter on the influence of ischemia. The later changes of myelinated nervous fibers in the postresuscitation syndrome seem to be the secondary effect of autoimmune dependent neuronal destruction, whereas the alterations of oligodendroglia only partially contribute to the myelin lesion.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Free sterols in senile human brain.

Autopsy material of 18 patients, who died between 66-86 years of age and of 4 ones, who died between 20 and 38 years of age was investigated. The white matter of frontal lobe, corpus callosum and cerebellum was studied using histological and biochemical methods. According to the results of neuropathological studies, the material of aged patients was divided into two subgroups: patients with vascular changes only and brains with senile atrophy of Alzheimer type. Chemical changes in all aging brain regions studied included higher proportion of desmosterol and differences in the pattern of cholesterol isomers. These findings are interpreted as suggesting some chemical transformations of cellular membranes in the cerebral white matter of the aging. The above mentioned changes were almost identical despite presence of the signs of Alzheimer's type senile atrophy, therefore it is not possible to explain their significance in developing of dementia process.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Myelin lipids and proteins in experimental global ischemia.

The experiments were performed on white rats, in which clinical death was induced according to the method described by Korpatchev et al. (1982). After cardiac arrest and cessation of respiratory function lasting 5 minutes resuscitatory action was performed. The lipids and proteins of the cerebral myelin fraction were studied in animals sacrificed 1, 9 and 14 days after global ischemia. The obtained results lead to the following conclusions: 1. Myelin lipids in postreanimation syndrome are characterized by a marked increase in cholesteryl esters and a mild one of lysophosphatidylcholine content. 2. Myelin lipids in the predemyelinating period demonstrate a general pattern of reaction, notwithstanding to the character of the primary noxious agent. 3. After global ischemia a great fall of small basic protein in the myelin fraction and subsequently of SBP to LBP ratio occurred. 4. Various noxious agents affect different proteins of the myelin membranes and the resulting changes seem to be characteristic for various pathological processes.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Analysis of heavy metals content in the brain with the use of electron paramagnetic resonance in a clinically unusual case of hepato-lenticular degeneration.

An analysis of heavy metals content in the brain of a clinically unusual case of hepatolenticular degeneration was performed with the use of paramagnetic resonance. The studies established a manyfold increase of copper content in the brain in the form of free ions, and, less significant, also in the form of copper multi-ion clusters. The content of iron in the studied brain was lower than in controls. These results confirmed significantly the neuropathological diagnosis of hepato-lenticular degeneration.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Electron paramagnetic resonance analysis of heavy metals in the aging human brain.

Electron paramagnetic studies of heavy metals were performed with the use of a Radiopan spectrometer on autopsy material of 5 aged patients (mean age 80.2 years) and 15 control patients (mean age 29 years). The obtained results lead to the following conclusions: 1. The aging brain is characterized by a tendency to decrease in concentration of isolated Cu2+ ions, and a marked decrease in concentration of Fe3+ ions as well as of free radicals, whereas the concentration of Cu2+ clusters is significantly increased. 2. The cases showing both arteriosclerotic and senile degenerative changes are characterized by higher concentrations of Cu2+ clusters than the brains with dominance of the arteriosclerotic process, whereas the concentrations of isolated Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions as well as that of free radicals do not differ between the two subgroups. 3. The diminished concentrations of Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions and free radicals observed in brains of old persons and concomitant with increased concentration of multi-ion aggregates (clusters), more marked in cases of senile atrophy of Alzheimer type, seem to result from some slow-down of metabolic processes in the aging brain.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Myelin lipids in ischemic stroke.

Slices of ischemic focus (infarct area) and of the contralateral frontal lobe were submitted to histological and biochemical studies. The obtained results indicate that in stroke cases the necrotic focus as well as contralateral brain hemisphere are characterized by a marked decrease of cholesterol and cerebrosides content and an increase of lysophosphatidylcholine and cholesterol esters in the myelin fraction. We conclude that ischemia as well as the degenerative aging process are both responsible for the abnormal lipid pattern in the myelin of the white matter in stroke cases. The long lasting hypoxia resulting from cerebral vessel atheromatosis contributes to biochemical changes in the myelin of the apparently healthy white matter of the contralateral hemisphere in brain infarction.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

Blood vessel endothelia of the cerebral white matter of rats exposed to hypoxia. Karyometric and cytophotometric evaluation.

Hypoxic hypoxia is used as one of the models for examining the unfavourable effect of oxygen deficit on the nervous system. Since some morphological studies concerning the effect of hypoxia on the central nervous system have given consideration to perivascular lesion zones and glia alterations in the white matter, the present evaluation of the effect of hypoxia has been directed to vascular endothelia of the white matter. Examinations were conducted on adult rats of the Wistar strain which were exposed to acute hypoxia by being placed in a gas mixture containing 2% O2 or to moderate hypoxia - in a gas mixture containing 7% O2. Experimental animals were sacrificed 4 and 24 h after hypoxia and 14 and 60 d after hypoxia. The behaviour of vascular endothelia after hypoxia was evaluated by karyometric and cytophotometric methods. The measurements show an edema of endothelial nuclei in capillaries of the cerebral white matter of the rat in the first 24 h after hypoxia accompanied by nuclear chromatin index alterations proportional to the intensity of hypoxia. The measurements of endothelial nuclei 14 and 60 d after hypoxia show a development of a degenerative process in these nuclei, manifested by their decreasing size and by nuclear chromatin concentration in their central parts. The morphometric and cytophotometric examinations point to long-term alterations induced by hypoxic hypoxia.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Myelin lipids in aging human brain.

The studies were performed on autopsy material of 18 patients who died between the ages of 70-89 y, and of 5 patients who died between 23-44 ys of age. White matter of the frontal lobe and of oerebellum was submitted for histological and biochemical analysis. The neuropathological data provided a rationale for dividing the material into two subgroups: one including patients mainly with vascular changes in the brain, and the other consisting of patients with senile atrophy of the Alzheimer type. Chemical alterations noted both in frontal lobe and in cerebellum were an increase in lysophosphatidylcholine content and a marked decrease in myelin yield. Additionally, in cerebellum a decrease in sulphatide content was observed. The chemical results were almost identical in the two subgroups of patients, although they differ in neuropathological patterns of lesions. It is emphasized that the general decrease in myelin yield as well as some minor changes in myelin lipid pattern seem to be a sign of aging and are not connected with atrophy of the Alzheimer type.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Karyometric and cytophotometric studies of the oligodendroglia in the corpus callosum of the rat after hypoxia.

Karyometric and cytophotometric investigations were conducted using an automatic analyser "Morphoquant" on oligodendroglial nuclei of corpus callosum following acute or moderate hypoxia in Wistar rats. Results of our studies demonstrated karyometric changes in nuclei of oligodendroglia cells after hypoxia, with deviations distinct in the early and late period after exposure to hypoxia. Cytophotometric analysis of a relative DNA content in cell nuclei of oligodendroglia demonstrated an increased extinction of DNA in the early period and a decreased extinction in the late period after acute or moderate hypoxia. The changes in oligodendroglia may be primarily responsible for the molecular structure lesion in myelin, observed as a result of hypoxia.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The changes of enzymatic activity in blood vessel walls of rat brain during extrauterine development. Histophotometric studies.

The investigations of acylohydrolase acylocholine (cholinesterase) enzymatic activity in the brain vessels walls were performed during extrauterine ontogenic development on 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, 40th and 60th days of life and in the 18 months old rats using Koelle method. Objective evaluation of histoenzymatic reaction intensity is rather difficult because of subjective factors and technical problems. Therefore, our estimations were performed by the use of microscopic unit "Morphoquant" produced by CARL ZEISS Jena factory and coupled with a KSR 4100 ROBOTRON computer. The measurements on 50 fields from parietal cortex or callosal corpus were executed using white light. The area of a single measuring field was 4,200 micron2. The results of measurements were expressed as the percentage of the measured field area occupated by blood vessels with positive ChE reaction in their walls. The results indicate that the amount of blood vessels with positive ChE reaction during the whole postnatal development is increasing. In particular, a very intense increase in the amount of vessels with ChE reaction take place between 7th to 14th days of extrauterine life. In the white matter of callosal corpus a very strong increase in the blood vessels amount with positive ChE reaction is visible between 21st and 28th days of life. In the brains of 18 months old rats a decrease in the positive blood vessels amount was noted. When compared to the parietal cortex, this decrease was higher in corpus callosum. From 40th day of life the amount of blood vessels with positive histoenzymatic reaction for ChE was higher in the grey matter than in the white matter.

Animals↗