The intra-axonal horseradish peroxidase technique was used to examine the central terminals of 7 A beta primary afferent fibers from rapidly adapting (RA) mechanoreceptors in the glabrous skin of the cat's hindpaw. At the light microscopic level, labelled collaterals were seen to bear occasional boutonlike swellings, mostly (75-82%) of the en passant type. These swellings were distributed more or less uniformly from lamina III to a dorsal part of lamina VI in the dorsal horn, over a maximum longitudinal extent of about 4 mm. At the electron microscopic level, we observed that labelled boutons of RA afferent fibers were 1.0 to 3.3 micrometers in longest sectional dimension, and contained clear, round synaptic vesicles. They frequently formed asymmetric axospinous and axodendritic synapses and commonly appeared to receive contacts from unlabelled structures containing flattened or pleomorphic vesicles plus occasional large dense-cored vesicles. The examination of synaptic connectivity over the entire surface of individual boutons indicated that RA afferent boutons each made contacts with an average of one spine and one dendrite and, in addition, appeared to be postsynaptic to an average of two unlabelled vesicle-containing structures. This synaptic organization was, in general, more complex than that we had seen previously in Pacinian corpuscle (PC) and slowly adapting (SA) type I mechanoreceptive afferent fibers. Our findings indicate that RA, SA, and PC afferent terminals, while displaying some differential synaptic organizations, have many morphological and synaptological characteristics in common. These afferent terminals, in turn, seem to be generally distinguishable from the terminals of muscle spindle Ia afferents or unmyelinated primary afferents.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Comparative effects of an antiviral drug, inosiplex, and diphosphonates in Paget's disease of bone.

The effects of the antiviral agent, inosiplex, were assessed in four patients with Paget's disease of bone. Treatment for 6 months did not suppress disease activity as judged by serum alkaline phosphatase and hydroxyprolinuria, and viral inclusions persisted in the one patient from whom a bone biopsy was taken. These results contrasted markedly with the suppressive effects of diphosphonate treatment in these same patients.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed1985

Generalised increase in bone resorption in carcinoma of the prostate.

Several indirect biochemical indices of bone resorption are increased in patients with carcinoma of the prostate and skeletal metastases. We have examined histological indices of bone resorption in biopsies from affected patients. Bone-forming surfaces and active osteoblast numbers were increased in skeletal sites adjacent to tumour tissue and indices of bone resorption were significantly increased at sites adjacent to tumour. Contrary to expectation, indices of bone resorption were also increased in bone distant from skeletal metastases. These findings suggest that prostatic cancer induces generalised loss of trabecular bone which may minimise disturbances in plasma calcium homeostasis but could contribute to morbidity.

Bone Neoplasms↗

PubMed1985