Bibliothek

Notizen: Abstract: Arachidonic acid is transiently accumulated in the brain as a result of a variety of pathological conditions. The synthesis and release of some of its metabolites, namely, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α) from cortical slices of mice were studied following exposure to 6 min of hypoxia (7% O2), 45 s of anoxia, and 5 min-4 h of reoxygenation following anoxia. Hypoxia induced a slight increase in the rate of TXB2 release and a slight decrease in the rate of PGE2 release, whereas 6-keto-PGF1α was unaffected. Anoxia (45 s) followed by reoxygenation induced a transient increase in the release of PGE2 and of 6-keto-PGF1α with a return to the normal rate at 30 min and 2 h of recovery, respectively. However, the rate of TXB2 synthesis and release reached its peak (twofold increase) after I h and remained significantly higher than the control rate even after 4 h of normal air breathing. Our results demonstrate that hypoxia and anoxia, even of short duration, selectively trigger the activity of thromboxane synthetase and that this elevated rate of synthesis and release persists long after normal oxygen supply is restored. We suggest that enhanced thromboxane synthesis, with normal prostacyclin levels, might have a role in the pathophysiology of ischemic cell damage.

Notizen: Abstract: This study attempts to determine if projections ascending from the guinea pig cochlear nucleus (CN) could be glutamatergic and/or aspartatergic. Multiple radio frequency lesions were made to ablate the right CN. The ablation was verified histologically. To identify the principal targets of CN efferents, silver impregnation methods were used to localize the preterminal degeneration of fibers in transverse sections of the brainstem 5 and 7 days after CN ablation. CN efferents projected heavily to the lateral superior olive (LSO) ipsilaterally, the medial superior olive (MSO) bilaterally, and contralaterally to the medial (MNTB) and ventral (VNTB) nuclei of the trapezoid body, the ventral (VNLL) and intermediate nuclei of the lateral lemniscus and the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICc). There were smaller projections to the lateral nucleus of the trapezoid body ipsilaterally, the dorsal and dorsomedial periolivary nuclei bilaterally, and the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus contralaterally. There were sparse projections to the VNLL and ICc ipsilaterally and the CN contralaterally, and a very sparse projection to the contralateral LSO. To determine if CN efferents were glutamatergic and/or aspartatergic, the fresh brainstem was sectioned transversely and samples of the LSO, MSO, MNTB, VNLL, and ICc were taken to measure the electrically evoked release and the uptake of d-[3H]Asp and [14C]Gly or [14C]GABA 3–5 days after the CN ablation. The release studies suggest that only certain of the histologically identified projections ascending from the CN may be glutamatergic and/or aspartatergic. CN ablation depressed d-[3H]Asp release in the MSO bilaterally and in the contralateral MNTB and VNLL, suggesting that the CN efferents to these nuclei may use glutamate or aspartate as a transmitter. It was unclear whether a marginal depression of d-[3H]Asp release in the ipsilateral LSO reflected the presence of glutamatergic CN projections to this nucleus. d-[3H]Asp release in the ICc was unaffected, suggesting that CN efferents to this nucleus may not be glutamatergic. There were no deficits in d-[3H]Asp uptake. [14C]Gly release from the LSO and MSO was unchanged. [14C]Gly uptake was unchanged in the MSO and depressed only in the contralateral LSO, possibly reflecting subnormal uptake activity in endings contributed by contralateral MNTB cells that had lost their CN efferents. [14C]GABA uptake in the MNTB, VNLL, and ICc was unchanged. [14C]GABA release was unchanged in the VNLL and ICc. [14C]GABA release was depressed only in the contralateral MNTB, possibly reflecting the loss of a small complement of GABAergic CN efferents and the reaction of GABAergic projections from the contralateral VNTB to their loss of CN efferents.

Notizen: Abstract: This study attempts to determine if the medial (MSO) and lateral superior olive (LSO), medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB), ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (VNLL), and central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICc) contain glutamatergic synaptic endings. Micropunch and microdissection procedures provided fresh samples of these auditory nuclei for the measurement of the high-affinity uptake and electrically evoked release of exogenous d-[3H]ASP. The study also determined if the LSO and MSO contain glycinergic synaptic endings by measuring uptake and release of [14C]-Gly in these nuclei, and whether the MNTB, VNLL, and ICc contain GABAergic endings by assessing the uptake and release of [14C]GABA in these structures. Several strategies optimized the evoked Ca2+-dependent release of the labeled amino acids. These included the enhancement of high-affinity uptake during loading of the markers into the tissues, inhibition of uptake during the subsequent measurement of release, and use of an electrical stimulus current that evoked maximal Ca2+-dependent release. Each of these nuclei manifested the high-affinity uptake and the evoked Ca2+-dependent release of d-[3H]Asp, suggesting the presence of synaptic endings that may use Glu or Asp as a transmitter. Similar findings suggest the presence of glycinergic synaptic endings in the LSO and MSO, and of GABAergic synaptic endings in the MNTB, VNLL, and ICc.

Notizen: Abstract: Hypoxia induces alterations of central mono-aminergic transmission and of behavior. We studied the effect of hypoxia on adult and newborn rats to obtain more information about long-lasting changes of dopamine (DA) transmission caused by neonatal hypoxia. One single exposure of adult rats to hypoxia leads to short-term alterations of DA uptake: decreased affinity of the uptake carrier to DA (Km, 269.5% versus control) and a sharp increase of Vmax up to 301.4% resulting in an increase of total uptake of DA into the striatum synaptosomes. The K+-evoked DA release decreased to 69.5%. After 1 week of recovery all parameters are normalized. Chronic postnatal hypoxia (postnatal day 2–11) caused long-lasting changes of DA release and uptake opposite to those observed in adult rats. Three months after hypoxia, the K+-stimulated DA release was enhanced (132% of control), and the uptake was reduced due to decreased affinity of the uptake carrier system for the substrate (Km, 187% of control value). In conclusion, the alterations observed after chronic postnatal hypoxia reflect special adaptive processes that are related to the high plasticity of the immature neonatal brain and contribute to an increased DA function in the nigrostriatal system.

Notizen: We report the results obtained by x-ray, dc magnetization, ac magnetic susceptibility, microwave magnetic absorption, and electron paramagnetic resonance of the magnetic and superconductive properties of a large series of compounds of the form A2−x−yBxCeyCuO4 with A,B≡La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, and Y. For y=0 antiferromagnetic ordering of the copper moments is present at TN≈280 K for all the compounds formed in the tetragonal T' phase. Weak ferromagnetism (WF) associated with the canting of the copper moments is observed in all the compounds with a lattice parameter, a〈a0, a0≈3.91 A(ring), regardless of the rare-earth (R) ions present in the system. Superconductivity is observed only in the Ce-doped compounds with a(approximately-greater-than)a1, a1≈3.92 A(ring). The maximum onset temperature Tc is found for a≈3.95 A(ring). A phase diagram was obtained by varying the lattice parameter size as a function of A, B, and x. The correlation between the appearance of WF in the undoped compounds and the disappearance of superconductivity in the Ce-doped systems is discussed.

Notizen: We describe new solid-state NMR methods for measuring the magnitude of the chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) and/or the heteronuclear dipolar coupling in the presence of homonuclear dipolar coupled spin networks under magic-angle spinning (MAS). The techniques employ 2π/5 phase shifts of a frequency switched Lee–Goldburg irradiation scheme which recouples the CSA and/or the heteronuclear dipolar coupling while simultaneously decoupling the homonuclear dipolar interactions. The induced spin dynamics are sensitive to the magnitude of the CSA and its asymmetry and may be implemented under conditions where the MAS rate exceeds the size of the anisotropic interactions. These approaches could find use in measurements of the magnitudes and relative orientations of CSA and/or heteronuclear dipolar couplings to extract torsion angles in uniformly labeled systems. © 1998 American Institute of Physics.