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Biomedical subjects

K Kani

Publications and source records attributed to K Kani.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Carnosine-like immunoreactivity in the olfactory bulb of the rat: an electron microscopic study.

Carnosine-immunoreactive primary olfactory nerve terminals are demonstrated in the glomerular layer of the rat olfactory bulb by immunoelectron microscopy. Asymmetrical synapses between dendrites of mitral/tufted cells and that of periglomerular cells could be observed. In the accessory olfactory system, carnosine-like immunoreactivity is also detected in the vomeronasal neurons.

Animals↗

Retinal sensitivity and spatial summation in amblyopia.

The retinal sensitivity and the spatial summation function in the foveal and parafoveal regions of unilaterally amblyopic patients with eccentric fixation were studied psychophysically by means of a refined fundus perimeter; the device made possible continuous and simultaneous monitoring of the subject's fundus, fixation behavior and location of the stimulus on the retina, and enabled us to obtain selectively reliable data. In 9 out of 10 amblyopic eyes, the retinal sensitivity was the highest at the subject's eccentric fixation locus, demonstrating central relative scotoma. In the fovea of amblyopic eyes, the spatial summation curve showed an abnormal gradient when tested with small stimuli, suggesting an enlarged spatial summation area at the amblyopic fovea. On the other hand, the spatial summation curve at the eccentric fixation locus was comparable to that at the corresponding eccentric locus of the nonamblyopic fellow eye, suggesting the spatial summation function at the peripheral retina was normal in the amblyopic eye.

Adolescent↗

Cell movements in a living mammalian tissue: long-term observation of individual cells in wounded corneal endothelia of cats.

Although the cells in tissues are known to be motile under special conditions (e.g., during tissue turnover or wound healing), there are not many reports that polygonal cells covering an area without leaving any gaps are also capable of movement. In the present study, cell movements (cell shifting and rearrangement) in a living mammalian eye tissue were documented by identifying and locating individual cells over intervals as long as 100 days. Cat corneal endothelium, a monolayered cell sheet, was wounded by removing a small number (about 180) of endothelial cells from the internal lining of the cornea. Healing of the wounded tissue was observed with a wide-view specular microscope applied to the outer surface of the cornea, enabling us to identify individual cells for as long as two to three months. Cells surrounding the wound underwent areal enlargement, elongated toward the wound, and shifted to cover the wound surface. During days 4-7, cells became rearranged by changing neighbors in such a way that they retained their enlarged size but recovered their non-elongated, original shape. This pattern of cell rearrangement was interpreted by a computer simulation which assumed that cells shorten their boundary length while maintaining contacts with contiguous cells. After day 7, the enlarged cells adjacent to the wounded area gradually contracted and pulled surrounding cells toward the wounded area. These movements were followed by a temporary halt in cell shifting, then by a recovery of shifting and cell elongation. These movements are interpreted as a result of the contractility of endothelial cell microfilaments.

Animals↗

Retinal sensitivity and spatial summation in the foveal and parafoveal regions.

Retinal sensitivity and the critical area of the spatial summation in the foveal and parafoveal regions were investigated by using a fundus-controlled perimeter to monitor accurately a subject's fundus picture and target position on the retina. The first experiment showed that retinal sensitivity and the critical area change continuously from fovea to periphery and that the diameter of the critical area is a linear function of retinal eccentricity. In the second experiment, this linear relationship was verified by another method.

Adult↗

Eye position and electromyographic observation of squint eyes under general anesthesia.

The position of eyes under general anesthesia was measured in different groups of nonparalytic strabismus. Almost all patients with esotropia or hyperactive inferior oblique muscle showed divergent eye positions while patients with exotropia showed no consistent trend. The eye position of patients with lid ptosis without squint, which served as a control group, were divergent in all cases. Electromyographic observation of the medial rectus muscle under the same condition of anesthesia revealed that muscle discharge disappeared almost completely at the stage at which the eyes were in a well-stabilized position.

Adolescent↗

Mercury in human amniotic fluid.

The levels of inorganic and organic mercury in human amniotic fluid were examined in 57 Japanese pregnant women with a gestational age of 4 months to term. Inorganic mercury was detected in all but two samples, while organic mercury was found in only 30 women. The level of inorganic mercury was higher than organic mercury. The highest levels of both inorganic and organic mercury were observed in the seventh month of gestation.

Amniotic Fluid↗