Biomedical subjects

S D Comis

Publications and source records attributed to S D Comis.

59 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of potassium on the activity of auditory nerve fibres of the guinea pig cochlea.

Scala tympani of the guinea pig cochlea was perfused with solutions having an increased potassium concentration. The response characteristics of single auditory nerve fibres in both normal and kanamycin-damaged cochleas were studied using computer controlled routines. The results indicate that these perfusions caused a marked increase in the spontaneous firing rate of auditory nerve fibres, without loss of threshold sensitivity. Current theories of cochlear transduction support the view that the potassium concentration difference across the reticular plate is fundamental to the sensitivity of the cochlea. The results presented here do not support this view.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Post-mortem changes in hair bundles of the guinea pig and human cochlea studied by high-resolution scanning microscopy.

High-resolution scanning electron microscopic studies have been made on the guinea pig cochlea on material fixed from 15 min to 4 h post-mortem. Changes in the surface texture and cross-links of stereocilia were detected after only 15 min. Such changes included an increase in granularity of the surface membrane, thickening, stretching and fracturing of all types of cross-links accompanied by splaying apart and loss of rigidity of stereocilia. These changes were more pronounced in the basal turns of the cochlea and in general increased in severity and spread more apically with increasing times post-mortem. By 4 h, many hair bundles consisted of a fused amorphous mass in which individual stereocilia were not discernible. Remarkably at this time, some hair bundles appeared to have suffered little damage. These results will facilitate better discrimination between effects solely due to post-mortem necrotic changes and those due to specific actions of ototoxic drugs and other insults.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of furosemide upon morphology of hair bundles in guinea pig cochlear hair cells.

Furosemide was administered by intraperitoneal injection and intracochlear perfusion. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the cochlear microphonic at high sound intensities was reduced however the drug was administered. After a period of time ranging from 1-4 h following drug application, cochleae were fixed and prepared for scanning electron microscopy to examine the hair cells. Changes in the hair bundles from basal turns tended to be more extensive than those of more apical turns. Initially there was an increase in the granularity of the surface of the stereociliary membrane and a tendency for cross-links to swell, stretch and break. Later, the surface texture of stereocilia became smoother than normal, and hair cells in the basal turns showed extensive erosion and fracture of cross-links. Tip links could survive even when extensively stretched. It is possible that the morphological changes in stereocilia reported here do not arise from direct actions of furosemide, but indirectly, from perturbations of the ionic composition of cochlear fluids induced by effects of the drug upon the stria vascularis.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Action of elastase, collagenase and other enzymes upon linkages between stereocilia in the guinea-pig cochlea.

Enzymes, which degrade elements of the extracellular environment, were studied for their actions upon stereocilia and their cross-linkages by scanning electron microscopy. Chondroitinase, hyaluronidase and keratanase, which attack carbohydrate moieties of the extracellular matrix, had little effect upon hair bundles. Collagenase and plasmin (fibrinolysin) also had only marginal effects. Elastase produced dramatic effects upon hair bundles. Both lateral and tip links were degraded resulting in separation and splaying of stereocilia. Many stereocilia showed no marked loss of rigidity, although some were bent or kinked. In general, inner hair cells were the most susceptible to elastase followed by row 3, row 2, row 1 of the outer hair cells. The proteolytic enzyme trypsin did not noticeably disrupt the hair bundles. Protease caused loss of rigidity and fracture of stereocilia resulting in considerable collapse of hair bundles. Crosslinkages between stereocilia were less noticeably degraded. These results indicate that both lateral and tip links of stereocilia comprise a proteinaceous moiety which could be elastin or some chemically related structure.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The importance of early fixation in preservation of human cochlear and vestibular sensory hair bundles.

Human labyrinths were fixed with glutaraldehyde as soon as possible and certainly within 15 min of clinically confirmed death. By following this protocol, we have obtained excellent preservation of human material comparable to the best that we were able to obtain with animal tissues. Structural features that are indicative of good fixation in animal hair bundles, namely well-defined lateral cross-links, upward pointing tip links and the 'granular' appearance of the surface membrane of stereocilia are confirmed for human hair cells. Our results show that excellent preservation of human hair bundles is critically dependent upon early fixation.

Aldehydes↗