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Lipid profiles of cerebral gray matter and livers of macaque monkeys Macaca fascicularis and Macaca fuscata fuscata: a comparative study during development.

The lipid and fatty acid profiles in cerebral gray matter and livers were studied in macaque monkeys (Macaca fascicularis and M. fuscata fuscata) of different ages. In cerebral gray matter, the phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine (PC/PE) ratio decreased in animals more than 3 years old, while the cholesterol/lipid-phosphorus ratios and the unsaturation indices increased, as compared with those in fetuses and newborns. The level of 22:6n-3 in PE of cerebral gray matter increased up to 3 years old, mainly by replacing 20:4n-6, whereas the level in phosphatidylserine did not change significantly with age. The hepatic lipid-phosphorus levels and PC/PE ratios were lower in newborns than in animals more than 3 years old. The level of 22:6n-3 in liver phospholipid did not change, while that of 20:4n-6 was lower in animals more than 3 years old than in newborns.

Aging↗

Hypertrophy of the cerebral white matter in hemimegalencephaly.

We morphometrically measured the cut surface of the cerebral hemisphere and localized epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like immunoreactivity in 4 patients with hemimegalencephaly. On the affected side, the area of cerebral white matter was more than twice as large as that on the unaffected side, while the area of the cerebral cortex on the affected side was relatively small. EGF-like immunoreactivity was demonstrated in cortical neurons (4 of 4 patients) and glial cells (3 of 4 patients), notably in astrocytes. Significant enlargement of the cerebral white matter compared to the cerebral cortex and the expression of EGF-like molecules in astrocytes suggest excessive proliferation in the white matter with hemimegalencephaly and the possible relevance of EGF to these events.

Brain↗

Estimation of CSF, white and gray matter volumes in hydrocephalic children using fuzzy clustering of MR images.

An algorithm and set of procedures for measuring volumes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), white matter, and gray matter from transaxial magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the brain are described. The algorithm is a variant of the fuzzy c-means clustering method for texture identification. This technique is used mainly to solve the problem of volume averaging of tissue compartments, but also has other advantages. It is fast, accurate, and relatively operator independent. Furthermore, it does not depend on statistical assumptions such as data normality, nor does it require any a priori heuristics. The procedure was tested successfully on imaged phantoms of known volume composition and compared with results achieved using a standard morphometric measurement approach. The procedure was also applied to brain MRIs of three clinically normal children and three age-matched children with hydrocephalus using both proton density and T2-weighted images. The algorithm was able to detect the expected increased amounts of CSF and decreased amounts of white matter characteristic of the hydrocephalic brain.

Algorithms↗

Cortical gray matter volume deficits in schizophrenia: a replication.

We sought to replicate an earlier finding of widespread deficit in cortical gray matter in schizophrenia by testing new samples of 22 schizophrenic patients and 27 controls between the ages of 21-46 years. Brain values for both patients and controls were standardized against age and head size norms derived from a larger control group (n = 73) spanning a wider age range (21-70). Compared to the new age-matched controls, the new schizophrenic sample showed a deficit in gray matter volume affecting the cortex as a whole and enlargement of the lateral and third ventricles. Thus, widespread cortical gray matter deficit is a replicable feature of the brain dysmorphology of schizophrenia in young to middle-aged men.

Adult↗

Comparative study of cerebral white matter in autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder by means of magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are neurodevelopmental disorders whose pathophysiology is mostly unknown. As far as the symptoms are different and, in some aspects, opposed, we hypothesize that there must be biochemical differences in the brain of the afflicted children. The aim of the study is to analyze comparatively the metabolite concentration of the cerebral white matter in autism, in ADHD, and in a control group of healthy children to test the hypothesis that N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) is decreased in autism and increased in ADHD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 21 autistic children according to DSM-IV criteria, 8 children with ADHD meeting the respective criteria of DSM-IV, and 12 healthy controls of similar age. Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed on all of them with an echo time of 30 milliseconds and a repetition time of 2500 milliseconds. The voxel was placed in the left centrum semiovale. Metabolite ratios relative to creatine were reported for NAA, choline, and myoinositol. RESULTS: Although we did not observe differences between autistic children and controls, we found a mean higher concentration of NAA in the left centrum semiovale of ADHD children (2.2; SD, 0.21) than that found in autistic children (1.88; SD, 0.18) and controls (1.91; SD, 0.01), which was significant (P = .01 in parametric and in nonparametric test). CONCLUSION: We conclude that white matter of autistic children does not present alterations on MRS. We hypothesize that the higher concentration of NAA in the white matter of ADHD points to mitochondrial hypermetabolism. This may constitute a new substrate in the pathophysiology and merits further research.

Analysis of Variance↗

Maternal infection-induced white matter injury is reduced by treatment with interleukin-10.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that interleukin-10 can prevent white matter injury in neonatal rats that are born to infected dams. STUDY DESIGN: Timed pregnant rats (day 17) were assigned to the following treatment groups: (1) saline control (n = 5 rats), (2) Escherichia coli- infected (n = 10 rats), and (3) E coli + interleukin-10 (n = 5 rats). E coli was administered at a titer of 1 x 10(7) colony-forming units by intrauterine inoculation just above the cervix at the bifurcation of the uterine horns. Rat interleukin-10 was administered intravenously at a dose of 1 microg/kg of body weight. After delivery, the pups were maintained with dams until day 8, at which time they were placed under general anesthesia and perfused with saline solution followed by 10% paraformaldehyde. The brains were removed, placed in 30% sucrose solution, and then frozen at -20 degrees C until the preparation of the frozen sections. Standard hematoxylin/eosin staining was performed, and the brains were evaluated for matter necrosis, apoptotic cells, and ventricular swelling. RESULTS: In pups that were born to infected dams, 11 of 38 pups (29%) displayed symmetric lesions around the lateral ventricles. These lesions were characterized by marked looseness/edema of the neuropil, foamy-appearing histiocytes, and granular neuropil breakdown. None of the pups (n = 17) that were born to interleukin-10-treated infected dams displayed this pattern of severe white matter injury. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that maternal interleukin-10 therapy could provide neuroprotection for infants who are born to mothers with intrauterine infection.

Animals↗

Influence of water chemistry and natural organic matter on active and passive uptake of inorganic mercury by gills of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

To distinguish physiologically regulated uptake from passive uptake of inorganic Hg in fish, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to inorganic Hg (0.5, 1, or 2 microM total Hg) in ion-poor water with various treatments. Addition of ions to the water (mM concentrations of Ca, K, Cl) did not consistently alter Hg accumulation by trout gills, although there was a trend to higher Hg accumulation at higher ion concentrations. The apical Ca channel blockers Verapamil and lanthanum also did not consistently affect Hg accumulation by trout gills. Pre-treatment of trout with the Na channel blocker Phenamil decreased Hg uptake by about half. These results suggest a combination of physiologically regulated and passive uptake of Hg by trout gills. Strong complexing agents of Hg (EDTA, NTA, ethylenediamine, cysteine) decreased Hg-binding by trout gills in a dose-dependent manner. From these data, a conditional equilibrium binding constant for Hg to the gills was estimated as logK(Hg-gill) = 18.0, representing very strong binding of Hg to the gills. This value is a first step in creating a biotic ligand model (BLM) for inorganic Hg and fish. Natural organic matter (2-10 mg C/L) also decreased Hg-binding by trout gills, although mM concentrations of Na, K, and Cl interfered with this effect. At low concentrations of these ions, natural organic matter samples isolated from various sources bound Hg to similar degrees, as judged by Hg accumulation by trout gills. A conditional binding constant to natural organic matter (NOM) was estimated as logK(Hg-NOM) = 18.0 with about 0.5 micromol binding sites per mg C, representing strong binding of Hg to NOM.

Amiloride↗

Influence of salinity and organic matter on silver accumulation in Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta).

To help extend the freshwater based biotic ligand model for silver (Ag) into brackish and saltwater conditions, 50g Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) were acclimated to 2.5%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 80%, or 100% salt water and exposed for 6d to 1.0microM AgNO(3), with or without 10mg C/L organic matter. Suwannee River natural organic matter collected by reverse osmosis was used. Silver accumulation in toadfish gills and plasma decreased as salinity increased, indicating low bioavailability of AgCl complexes. Complexation of Ag by organic matter, normally important in freshwater conditions, was less important as salinity increased. Although relatively little intestinal Ag uptake was observed, both liver and bile accumulated Ag from water imbibed past the isosmotic salinity point ( approximately 1/3 salt water). Toadfish also produced intestinal carbonate pellets, minerals which did not influence Ag accumulation. Our results further stress the importance of Ag speciation, physiological mechanisms, and intestinal Ag uptake when modelling Ag uptake and toxicity beyond freshwater conditions.

Animals↗

Decreased white-matter density in a left-sided fronto-temporal network in children with developmental language disorder: evidence for anatomical anomalies in a motor-language network.

The neurophysiological and neuroanatomical foundations of developmental language disorder (DLD) are still a matter of dispute. A main argument is that children with DLD show atypical anatomical asymmetries of speech-relevant brain areas, which possibly affect efficient language processing. In contrast to previous anatomical studies in DLD children, this study employed voxel based morphometry (VBM) in order to search for brain anomalies outside the classical language areas. Children with DLD (n=21) and healthy children (n=21) matched for age, sex, hand preference, and education were studied using high-resolution MRI scans. Using a new variant of the voxel-based morphometry technique (augmented VBM), the brains of children with DLD and control children were compared with respect to white matter (WM) and grey matter (GM) differences. In addition, simple hand motor tests were used to uncover possible motor impairments in DLD children. We found decreased WM volumes in a left-hemispheric network comprising the motor cortex, the dorsal premotor cortex, the ventral premotor cortex, and the planum polare on the superior temporal gyrus. In addition, DLD children exhibited motor impairments in most of the applied motor tests. These results provide strong evidence that children with DLD have anomalous anatomy in a left-sided network comprising motor and language areas. Thus, this study supports the suggestion that motor and language functions are equally impaired because the underlying anatomical underpinnings are regionally identical.

Brain↗

White matter structure in autism: preliminary evidence from diffusion tensor imaging.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with autism have severe difficulties in social communication and relationships. Prior studies have suggested that abnormal connections between brain regions important for social cognition may contribute to the social deficits seen in autism. METHODS: In this study, we used diffusion tensor imaging to investigate white matter structure in seven male children and adolescents with autism and nine age-, gender-, and IQ-matched control subjects. RESULTS: Reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) values were observed in white matter adjacent to the ventromedial prefrontal cortices and in the anterior cingulate gyri as well as in the temporoparietal junctions. Additional clusters of reduced FA values were seen adjacent to the superior temporal sulcus bilaterally, in the temporal lobes approaching the amygdala bilaterally, in occipitotemporal tracts, and in the corpus callosum. CONCLUSIONS: Disruption of white matter tracts between regions implicated in social functioning may contribute to impaired social cognition in autism.

Adolescent↗

Regional gray matter volume abnormalities in the at risk mental state.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with an At Risk Mental State (ARMS) have a very high risk of developing a psychotic disorder but the basis of this risk is unclear. We addressed this issue by studying gray matter volume in this group with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Thirty-five individuals with an ARMS, 25 patients with first episode schizophrenia, and 22 healthy volunteers were studied using a 1.5T MRI scanner. Twelve (34%) of the ARMS group developed schizophrenia in the 2 years subsequent to scanning. RESULTS: There were significant volumetric differences between the three groups in the left insula, superior temporal gyrus, cingulate gyrus and precuneus. In these regions, the volume in the ARMS group was smaller than in volunteers but not significantly different from that in the first episode (FE) group. Direct comparison of the ARMS and control groups revealed additional areas of reduced volume in the left medial temporal cortex. Within the ARMS group, those subjects who later developed psychosis had less gray matter than subjects who did not in the right insula, inferior frontal and superior temporal gyrus. CONCLUSIONS: The ARMS was associated with reductions in gray matter volume in areas that are also reduced in schizophrenia, suggesting that these are a correlate of an increased vulnerability to psychosis. Volumetric differences within the ARMS group may be related to the subsequent onset of schizophrenia in a subset of those at high risk.

Adolescent↗

Characterization of natural organic matter (NOM) derived from sewage sludge compost. Part 1: chemical and spectroscopic properties.

In this study changes in the properties of natural organic matter (NOM) were studied during composting of sewage sludge in a laboratory experiment using the pile method. Typical physicochemical parameters were measured during 53 days of composting including humic fractions. The effects of humification on the molecular properties of humic acids (HA) were investigated by 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. On the basis of chemical analyses, 53 days of composting sewage sludge with structural material can be divided into three phases: (i) domination of rapid decomposition of non-humic, easily biodegradable organic matter (two to three weeks), (ii) domination of organic matter humification and formation of polycondensed, humic-like substances (the next two weeks), (iii) stabilization of transformed organic material and weak microbial activity. Spectroscopic characterization (13C NMR) of compost humic acids reveals changes in their structures during maturation. The changes are highly correlated with the processes taking place in bulk compost.

Humic Substances↗

Microbial fuel cell-based biosensor for fast analysis of biodegradable organic matter.

The current study was made to develop a biosensor based on a single-chamber microbial fuel cell in which anaerobes were retained in the anode compartment separated from the cathode compartment by a proton exchange membrane. In the sensor a replaceable anaerobic consortium was used for analyzing biodegradable organic matter. The anaerobes acted as biocatalysts in oxidizing organic matter and transferring electrons to the anode. The biocatalysts were renewed for each sample analysis by replacing the old anaerobic consortium with an equal amount of fresh one. A glucose standard solution was used as the target substrate. To obtain the maximum sensor output, the MFC-based sensor system was optimized using an 800 Omega resistor as the load to the external electric circuit and 25 mM phosphate buffer with 50mM NaCl as catholyte in the aerobic compartment. The temperature of anaerobic compartment was maintained at optimal 37 degrees C. The cell potential across the electrodes increased with increasing loading of glucose. The sensor response was linear against concentration of glucose up to 25 gl(-1). The detection limit was found as 0.025 gl(-1). The microbial fuel cell with replaceable anaerobic consortium could be used as a biosensor for on-line monitoring of organic matter.

Bacteria↗

Transient decrease in cerebral white matter diffusivity on MR imaging in human herpes virus-6 encephalopathy.

We report a 16-month-old boy with human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6) encephalopathy showing transient abnormalities of the cerebral white matter on magnetic resonance imaging. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) demonstrated diffuse high signal intensity in the bilateral cerebral white matter areas. The signal changes on DWI subsequently resolved, and cerebral atrophy resulted. The transient decrease in the cerebral white matter diffusivity seen in the present case may reflect axonal involvement secondary to the glial or neuronal damage in HHV-6 encephalopathy.

Atrophy↗

Neuronal apoptosis and gray matter heterotopia in microcephaly produced by cytosine arabinoside in mice.

Primary microcephaly can be accompanied by numerous migration anomalies. This experiment was undertaken to examine the pathogenesis of gray matter heterotopia and microcephaly that is produced after administering cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) to mice. Pregnant mice were intraperitoneally injected with Ara-C at 30 mg/kg body weight on days 13.5 and 14.5 of gestation, and then their offspring were examined. On embryonic day 15.5, in the ventricular zone of the cingulate cortex, the neuroepithelial cells lacked BrdU immunoreactivity. Nestin-immunoreactive radial glial fibers and calretinin-positive subplate fibers were disrupted. TUNEL reaction was remarkable throughout the cerebral hemisphere. Subcortical heterotopia in the cingulate cortex and subependymal nodular heterotopia in the dorsolateral part of the lateral ventricles became detectable by the first day after birth. Thirty-two days after birth, microcephaly was apparent; subcortical heterotopia was observed to have increased in size while it was still located in the frontal and cingulate cortices. This experiment demonstrated that Ara-C induces neuronal apoptosis throughout the cerebral hemisphere. The immunohistochemical characteristics in the gray matter heterotopia suggest that both the subcortical and the subependymal heterotopias were formed by neurons originally committed to the neocortex. We conclude that the gray matter heterotopia that accompanies the microcephaly was produced by a disturbance of radial, tangential, and interkinetic neuronal migrations due to the toxicity of Ara-C in the immature developing brain.

Animals↗

Interactions between mercury and dissolved organic matter--a review.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) interacts very strongly with mercury, affecting its speciation, solubility, mobility, and toxicity in the aquatic environment. Strong binding of mercury by DOM is attributed to coordination of mercury at reduced sulfur sites within the organic matter, which are present at concentrations much higher than mercury concentrations found in most natural waters. The ability of organic matter to enhance the dissolution and inhibit the precipitation of mercuric sulfide, a highly insoluble solid, suggests that DOM competes with sulfide for mercury binding. This is confirmed by very high conditional stability constants for mercury-organic sulfur (RSHg+) complexes (10(25)-10(32)) recently reported in literature. DOM appears to play a key role in the photochemical reduction of ionic mercury to elemental mercury and subsequent reoxidation of elemental mercury to ionic mercury, thus affecting volatilization loss and bioavailability of mercury to organisms. DOM affects the production and bioaccumulation of methylmercury, the most bioaccumulative mercury species in fish.

Ligands↗

Effect of pH and the role of organic matter in the adsorption of isoproturon on soils.

Equilibrium measurements were carried out with the herbicide isoproturon on natural adsorbents (brown forest-, chernozem-, sandy soils and quartz) in different buffered media (pH 5, 7, 8 phosphate buffer). Adsorption isotherms were fitted by a multi-step adsorption equation providing numerical information used in the environmental propagation models and risk assessment works. In the adsorption of the slightly polar isoproturon the dissolved organic matter of the soil and the pH play an important role. At molecular level, results are interpreted by taking into consideration the hydrophobic interaction and the formation of hydrogen bonds between the surface and the solute. The observed adsorption behavior indicates that the organic matter content of the soils and its soluble fulvic acid, alkaline soluble humic acid and insoluble humin fractions were considerable different. The chernozem soil containing the highest amount of insoluble organic fraction proved to be a very efficient adsorbent. The brown forest and the sandy soils exhibit rather similar adsorbent properties but at pH 7 the latter containing more fulvic acid adsorbs less isoproturon due to the enhanced solubility of the soil organic matter. In alkaline conditions the negatively charged solute and the surface repel each other and the hydrophobic interactions are also weaker than in neutral media.

Adsorption↗

Characterization of surface marine sediments from Ría de Arousa estuary according to extractable humic matter content.

Surface marine sediments from Ría de Arousa estuary were analyzed for humic and fulvic acids by UV-visible spectrometry and have been characterized using elemental analysis (carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen elemental composition) and spectrometric data (A2/A4 ratio, absorbancies at 270 and 407 nm and E4/E6 ratio, absorbancies at 465 and 665 nm). These variables have been used as discriminating factors to distinguish of marine and terrestrial origin of humic and fulvic acids in Ría de Arousa surface marine sediments. Principal component analysis, PCA, and cluster analysis, CA, have been used as unsupervised pattern recognition procedures. The half-range central value transformation was used as data pre-treatment to homogenize data. After a Varimax rotation, PCA applied to humic acid data has reveled that spectrometric A2/A4 and E4/E6 ratios are the main dominating features in the first principal component (48.6% of total variance), the humic acid content is the feature with the highest weight in the second principal component (22.9% of the total variability) and the carbon elemental composition domain in the third principal component (13.3% of total variance). Results from PCA have revealed that surface sediments collected at inner-left part of the estuary and at the mouth of the river Ulla belong to the same group. Similarly, PCA has shown that surface sediments from the right mouth of the estuary form a compact group. Taking in account the water circulation in Ría de Arousa estuary, these findings mean that the organic matter in surface sediments from the inner-left part of the estuary derived mainly from terrestrial organic matter while the organic matter in surface sediments from the right mouth of the estuary is mainly derived from marine sources. Finally, it must be noticed that any classification of surface sediments was assessed when applying of PCA and CA from fulvic acids data.

Carbon↗