Biomedical subjects

T Bruhn

Publications and source records attributed to T Bruhn.

41 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1979

A method for recording single unit activity from the brains of foetal pigs in utero.

A technique is described for recording single unit activity from foetal miniature pigs in utero. The method involved anaesthetizing the sows with halothane and exteriorizing a sufficient length of the uterus to contain a single foetus. Both foetus and uterus were placed in a stereotaxic frame which was held independent of the mothers' support. Preliminary analysis of recordings obtained from spontaneously firing single nerve cells in the post-central cerebral cortex indicate that the patterns of spike activity in prenatal pigs are very similar to those observed in prepubertal animals.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A simple biochemical method in the search for bioactive polypeptides in a sea anemone (Anemonia sulcata).

The sea anemone Anemonia sulcata is a well-known natural source of supply of biologically active polypeptides. So far, five toxins, ATX I, II, III, IV and AS V, several polyvalent protease inhibitors, an elastase inhibitor, two blood pressure-depressive polypeptides and very recently peptides that inhibit competitively the binding of 125I-dendrotoxin to rat brain membranes and block the voltage-sensitive K+ channels, have been isolated from it. The sea anemone toxins (especially toxin II of A. sulcata, ATX II) are very important tools in neurophysiological and pharmacological research, and their structure-function relationship has been investigated. Because of the great scientific value of the sea anemone toxins a simplification of their purification procedure was elaborated.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ischemia induced changes in expression of the astrocyte glutamate transporter GLT1 in hippocampus of the rat.

Changes in cellular uptake of glutamate following transient cerebral ischemia is of possible importance to ischemia induced cell death. In the present study, we employed in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry to investigate the influence of cerebral ischemia on expression of mRNA and protein of the astrocyte glutamate transporter GLT1, and of glial fibrillary acidic protein. Different subfields of CA1 and CA3 of the rat hippocampus were studied at various time-points after ischemia (days 1, 2, 4, and 21). In CA1, GLT1-mRNA was decreased at all time-points after ischemia except from day 2, whereas in CA3, decreases were seen only on day 1. Expression of GLT1-protein in CA1 was unchanged during the initial days after ischemia, but decreased markedly from day 2 to 4. In CA3, GLT1-protein increased progressively throughout the observation period after ischemia. Following the degeneration of CA1 pyramidal cells, a positive correlation between the number of CA1 pyramidal cells and expression of either GLT1-mRNA or -protein was evident selectively in CA1. Increases in expression of mRNA and protein of glial fibrillary acidic protein were present from day 2, most notable in CA1. The present data provide evidence that expression of GLT1 in CA1 of the hippocampus is not decreased persistently before the degeneration of CA1 pyramidal cells, but is downregulated in response to loss of these neurons. Since the reduction in GLT1 expression evolved concomitantly with the degeneration of CA1 pyramidal cells, it may contribute to the severity of CA1 pyramidal cell loss. A progressive postischemic increase in GLT1 expression in CA3 may be linked to the resistance of CA3 neurons to ischemic cell damage.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Differential effect of NMDA and AMPA receptor blockade on protein synthesis in the rat infarct borderzone.

We investigated whether the known neuroprotective effects of two selective glutamate receptor antagonists, the NMDA antagonist MK-801 and the AMPA antagonist NBQX, are reflected in the regional cerebral protein synthesis rates (CPSR) in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Rats treated with either saline, MK-801 (5 mg/kg i.p.) or NBQX (30 mg/kg i.p. x 3) were subjected to permanent MCAO. Regional CPSR and volumes of gray matter structures displaying normal CPSR were measured in coronal cryosections of the brain by quantitative autoradiography following an i.v. bolus injection of 35S-labelled L-methionine 2 h after occlusion. MCAO completely inhibited protein synthesis in the lateral part of striatum and part of the adjacent frontoparietal cortex corresponding to the ischemic focus. Surrounding this, a metabolic penumbra with approximately 50% reductions in CPSR was present. Treatment with MK-801 significantly increased the volume of tissue with normal CPSR in the ischemic hemisphere compared to controls, whereas this was not seen with NBQX treatment. The results suggest that MK-801 and NBQX have different effects on peri-infarct protein synthesis after MCAO. Since both compounds reduce infarct size, it is questionable that acute inhibition of protein synthesis in focal ischemia is of significant importance to the final outcome of a stroke lesion.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

High rate of p53 overexpression in head and neck carcinomas detected with a refined ELISA.

p53 mutations are amongst the most prevalent alterations in human cancer. Overexpression of p53 is usually caused by mutation and is observed in a high percentage of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN). Fifty two fresh samples of SCCHN were examined for p53 overexpression and 23 tumor-free tonsils served as controls. Using the monoclonal antibody Pab 1801 a refined ELISA technique was employed. In contrast to established ELISA procedures tumor tissue was pulverized at -80 degrees C prior to the actual ELISA (ELISA I). Comparative p53 detection was carried out by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and a commercially available ELISA kit (ELISA II). The modified ELISA I revealed p53 overexpression in 48 tumor samples (92%). p53 detection was obtained in 26 cases (50%) with ELISA II and with IHC 39 stained positive for p53 (75%). All of the controls were negative for p53 with ELISA and IHC. The p53 staining in IHC showed a significant correlation with the grading of the tumor. The ELISA results of the p53 overexpression did not show any correlation with tumor size or stage and rate of metastasis or other clinical parameters. This ELISA represents a more sensitive detection method of p53 than any other technique so far. It improves on former ELISA and IHC results on p53 overexpression in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and underlines the involvement and the importance of the p53 tumor suppressor protein in carcinogenesis of head and neck cancer.

Adult↗