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Biomedical subjects

J Meek

Publications and source records attributed to J Meek.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Myelin impregnation: an improved Golgi-Cox modification.

Optic tecta of goldfish were coated with egg yolk and immersed for only one week in one of the following impregnation fluids: a) Solution A + B; A = 1 g K2Cr2O7 and 1 g HgCl2 boiled for 15 min in 85 ml distilled water and allowed to cool; B = 0.8 g K2Cr2O4 and 0.5 g KWO4 dissolved in 20 ml distilled water. b) Solution A + B two volumes diluted with boiled distilled water. c) Solution A + B four volumes diluted with boiled distilled water. Each tectum was immersed 6 hr in 100 ml distilled water containing 0.5 g LiOH and 15 g KNO3, washed 18 hr in 500 ml 0.2% acetic acid, dehydrated with ethanol, and embedded in low viscosity nitro cellulose. Sections were cut at 100 micron with a rotary microtome after clearing with cedarwood oil. Methods b) and c) have two advantages compared with method a), the original Golgi-Cox method. First, more cells are impregnated, especially in the layers extending 200-400 micron below the surface, and dendrites as well as unmyelinated axons are well impregnated. Second, myelin sheaths are impregnated and can be recognized by their peculiar chain-like appearance. The described Golgi-Cox modification offers an appropriate method to study the morphology of superficially located nervous tissue.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An intriguing pitfall in chemical neuroanatomy: specific populations of unspecifically immunoreactive neurons in the brain of the mormyrid fish Gnathonemus petersii.

The present paper describes the location, morphology, ultrastructure and immunocytochemical properties of neurons in the brain of the mormyrid fish Gnathonemus petersii, that appear to be unspecifically immunoreactive to a number of secondary or tertiary antibodies used in immunohistochemical procedures, including rabbit-anti-mouse immunoglobulins (IGGs), rabbit peroxidase-anti-peroxidase IGGs, and rabbit-anti-sheep or sheep peroxidase-anti-peroxidase IGGs. Unspecifically immunoreactive (UI) cells have typically neuronal morphological and ultrastructural characteristics, and occur at four specific locations in the mormyrid brain. A small rhombencephalic group is located rostrolateral to the efferent octaval nucleus, between the fasciculus longitudinalis medialis and the decussation of the lateral lemniscus. A mesencephalic cluster of cells is located in the dorsal midbrain tegmentum against the tractus telencephalo-mesencephalicus. In addition, dispersed UI neurons were observed in the nucleus lateralis of the torus semicircularis and in the preoptic region above the optic chiasm. Remarkably, UI cells are clearly present in a substantial number of brains investigated, but not detectable in others. The present findings point to a curious pitfall in chemical neuroanatomy, the functional significance of which is unknown at present. In several previous studies using the brain of G. petersii, UI cells were abusively included in the description of monoaminergic cell groups. Similar cells have until now not been reported in other vertebrate brains.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive cell groups in the brain of the teleost fish Gnathonemus petersii.

Different antibodies against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were used to obtain detailed information about the distribution, morphology and chemical differentiation of catecholaminergic neurons in the highly differentiated brain of the electric mormyrid fish Gnathonemus petersii. The results show that the distribution of catecholaminergic neurons is much more widespread than was previously thought on the basis of dopamine and noradrenaline immunohistochemistry. Tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons were observed not only in clearly dopaminergic regions (the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the magnocellular hypothalamic nucleus and the area postrema) and noradrenergic cell groups (the locus coeruleus and inferior reticular cell group), but also in regions that do not, or only fragmentarily, display dopamine or noradrenaline immunoreactivity, including the ventral and intermediate telencephalon, the anterior and posterior preoptic cell group, the ventromedial thalamus, the pretectal region and the nucleus of the solitary tract, suggesting that they either represent depleted dopaminergic cell groups or L-dihydroxy phenylalanine-producing nuclei. Most TH-immunoreactive neurons are rather small (< 10 microns) and have only a few slender processes, but neurons in the magnocellular hypothalamic nucleus and the inferior reticular formation are multipolar and larger (10-20 microns), while those of the locus coeruleus are even more than 20 microns in diameter. The hypothalamic paraventricular organ, which is strongly dopamine and noradrenaline immunoreactive, displays minimal TH immunoreactivity, suggesting that its cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons do not synthesize catecholamines, but acquire them from external sources. Comparison with other teleosts shows that the catecholaminergic system in the brain of Gnathonemus is similarly organized as in Carassius, Gasterosteus, Anguilla and Aperonotus, with some variations that may partly be due to technical reasons, and partly reflect true species differences. However, TH-immunoreactive neurons in the midbrain tegmentum were not observed, confirming previous conclusions that a major difference between teleosts and mammals concerns the absence of dopaminergic midbrain groups and correlated mesencephalo-telencephalic projections in teleosts.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An analysis of comprehensive health promotion programs' consistency with the systems model of health.

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to report a review and analysis of the concordance between current comprehensive corporate health promotion programs as described in the published literature and the systems model of health and to explore emerging trends in the field of health promotion. Search Methods. MEDLINE, BIOSIS, and PsycINFO searches were conducted from 1985 to 1991, and the bibliographies of articles thus obtained were back searched for additional descriptions of corporate health promotion programs. Inclusive criteria included "comprehensive" corporate programs, published in peer-reviewed journals or books, and descriptions adequate enough to permit coding in the majority of analysis matrix categories. Out of 63 identified programs, 16 met the inclusion criteria; 47 were excluded. A common reason for rejection was the limitation imposed by inadequate program descriptions in the published literature. Major Findings. On average, the comprehensive corporate programs reviewed were initiated between 1984 and 1987 and set in the context of a manufacturing firm with over 10,000 employees. A minority of programs (12.5%) consistently satisfied systems model criteria. The most common category of programs were those which were inconsistent (44%), meeting some of the criteria of a systems model of health promotion, but not all. The mechanistic medical and public health models predominated strongly (63%) with the preeminent goal being individual risk factor modification. Conclusions. The limitations of the published literature do not permit strong conclusions about the number or degree to which current corporate comprehensive programs are concordant with the systems model of health. Although mechanistic models of health predominated, there is evidence that a number of comprehensive programs were inconsistent with the mechanistic model, meeting some of the criteria, but also meeting some systems model criteria. To continue the advancement of health promotion with clarity and focus, further research is needed to clarify outcomes across different "world view" models of health promotion. Health promotion specialists need to carefully scrutinize programs emanating from different "world view" models as they design, develop, implement, and evaluate corporate programs.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quality assurance in a nursing home.

The private nursing home sector must be accountable to its consumers and staff. This article describes an initiative to canvas the views of residents' next of kin and care staff as a basis for quality assurance mechanisms. The authors describe the process, its results and the changes in care provision which have been brought about.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗