Increased expression of peripheral benzodiazepine receptors in the facial nucleus following motor neuron axotomy

Peripheral benzodiazepine receptors (PBRs) are expressed in a variety of tissues but are normally found at low levels in the brain. Following various types of nerve injury, a reactive gliosis results that exhibits a high expression of this receptor. To further characterize the expression of PBRs following neuronal injury, we evaluated PBR expression in the facial nucleus following facial nerve axotomy (FNA). Injury to a peripheral nerve results in a complex series of metabolic and morphological changes around the injured neuron. Transections of the facial nerve results in a rapid activation of both astrocytes and microglia around axotomized motor neurons. FNA resulted in an increase in the staining for both astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein) and activated microglia (OX42). There was also a reduction in synaptic contacts with the motor nucleus as evidenced by reduced staining for the synaptic marker, synaptophysin. In sections labeled with [3H]-PK11195, the subsequent autoradiograms displayed marked increases in the labeling for PBRs. This increase was observed at 5, 7 and 10 days after nerve transection. The increase was primarily in the level of expression (Bmax), with no change in the affinity of the ligand (Kd). The increase in PBR expression after FNA supports the hypothesis that PBRs can be used as a sensitive marker for CNS injury.     

Labelled-replica techniques: post-shadow labelling of intramembrane particles in freeze-fracture replicas

Three methods are described for direct post-fracture, post-shadow labelling of individual classes of intramembrane particles (IMPs) in freeze-fracture replicas of biological membranes. The P-face IMPs corresponding to the acetylcholine receptor complexes (AChRs) of vertebrate neuroeffector junctions are identified by post-replication labelling with ferritin-antibody complexes and with neurotoxin-biotin-avidin-colloidal gold affinity ligands. (The freeze-etch nomenclature of Branton et al., 1975, is used in this report.) These post-shadow labelling techniques resemble conventional en bloc labelling techniques except that the labelling reagents must penetrate a thin but discontinuous layer of platinum superimposed on the molecules of interest. In the ‘sectioned labelled-replica technique’, the replicated and labelled tissues are stained, embedded in plastic and sectioned parallel to the replica-tissue interfaces. In the direct ‘labelled-replica techniques’, the replicated and labelled samples are freeze-dried or critical point dried, the labelled surfaces are stabilized by carbon coating, and the underlying tissues are dissolved, allowing the labelled-replicas to be examined as conventional freeze-fracture replicas. The unshadowed side of each AChR IMP is shown to retain sufficient biochemical information to permit both immunospecific and neurotoxin specific labelling despite formaldehyde fixation, freezing, fracturing, platinum shadowing, and thawing in aqueous media. A new mixed ferricyanide-osmium staining method reveals electron opaque structures spanning the membrane bilayer in the same size, number and distribution as the labelled IMPs. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of identifying individual IMPs in freeze-fracture replicas and may allow the identification of specific membrane lesions in human disease.     

Thermo-elastic/plastic semi-analytical solution of incompressible functionally graded spherical pressure vessel under thermo-mechanical loading

In this paper, numerical solutions to assess partially plastic and fully plastic deformation behavior of a functionally graded spherical pressure vessel are presented. The modulus of elasticity of the material is assumed to vary nonlinearly in the radial direction and axisymmetric displacements and stresses in the functionally graded spherical vessel subjected to thermal loading and uniform internal pressure are determined using plasticity theory. Tresca??s yield criterion and its associated flow rule are used to formulate different plastic regions for an ideal FG material. In this way, the material property varies by Young??s modulus that may be an arbitrary function of the radial coordinate. Therefore, the material is assumed to be functionally graded in the radial direction. Hence, the general analytical solutions of such equations are not available, the numerical method (semi-analytical) is applied and a new collection of equilibrium equations with small deflections is presented. Accordingly, the radial domain is divided into some virtual sub-domains in which the power-law distribution is used for the thermomechanical properties of the elemental components. By considering the necessary continuity conditions between adjacent sub-domains, jointly with the global boundary conditions, a set of linear differential equations is obtained. Solution of the linear differential equations yields the thermoelastic responses for each sub-domain as exponential functions of the radial coordinate. Subsequently, attributed to centrifugal force, results for the stress, strain, and displacement components along the radius in elastic and plastic area are presented.     

The initiation and sequence of digital joint motion. A three-dimensional motion analysis

We report the first case of a child with mild dystrophinopathy associated with Klinefelter's syndrome (karyotype 47, XXY). This 3.5-year-old boy was affected by some symptoms suggestive of Becker's muscular dystrophy. Dystrophin immunostaining and immunoblotting procedures confirmed the diagnosis, but polymerase chain reaction-directed gene analysis failed to reveal any macrodeletion. Methylation-based assay did not show preferential X-inactivation. This confirmed the coexistence of the two active X-chromosomes (one of which was of paternal origin), thus accounting for the mild form of dystrophinopathy in this child affected by Klinefelter's syndrome.