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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

[Age-related dynamics of blood supply and vascular-tissue interrelations in the human pineal body].

Thirty-seven pineal bodies have been studied. They have been obtained from persons of both sex at the age of 18 up to 88 years, perished from accidental causes. Specific volumes of the epiphyseal tissues and vascular constructions of all types have been determined in histological preparations. In young age (up to 40-45 years) the volume of the intraorganic epiphyseal vascular bed is greater, and its blood supply is better than in persons of elderly and old age, when the sclerosing process in the organ occurs at the expense of outgrowth of fibrous elements of the connective tissue carcass. During the pineal body involution, the volume of its intraorganic vascular bed decreases essentially. This results in certain disturbances of blood supply and affects functional activity of the organ.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Physiopathologic mechanisms behind eye symptoms in primary tumors of the pineal body].

Primary tumors of the pineal body can produce dyscoordinative movements of the eye, pupillary dilatation, paralysis of adduction during convergence and nystagmus. Obstruction of the aqueduct can cause hydrocephalus, increased intracranial pressure and papilledema. Diabetes insipidus may be a presenting symptom. Pinealocytes and the photoreceptors of the eye contain several autoantigens. In man, the best known is the S-antigen. This antigen can be detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with primary tumors of the pineal body. The S-antigen, and possibly other related autoantigens, can elicit an autoimmune mediated reaction causing inflammatory eye symptoms. This recently described paraneoplastic neurologic syndrome shares properties in common with other known cancer-associated ophthalmologic syndromes characterised by rapid development of eye symptoms, rapid loss of sight and by eye manifestations prior to evident appearance of symptoms related to primary tumor growth. A primary tumor of the pineal body should be considered in patients where a monosymptomatic uveoretinitis presents without associated provoking factors. Furthermore, analyses of S-antigen in the spinal fluid can be useful in the clinical diagnosis of the same primary tumors.

Autoimmunity↗
PubMed2002

Immunohistochemical characterization of pineal parenchymal tumors using novel monoclonal antibodies to the pineal body.

To characterize the immunohistochemical nature of pineal parenchymal tumors (PPT), we examined nine cases of normal pineal bodies and 23 cases of PPT using several neuronal and glial antibodies and 10 novel monoclonal antibodies raised against human pineal tissue. The PPT were classified into four pineocytoma, five pineal parenchymal tumor of intermediate differentiation (Int-PPT), and 14 pineoblastoma. The pinealocytes, parenchymal cells of the pineal body, were labeled with five, neuronal and seven pineal monoclonal (from PP1 to PP7) antibodies in the normal pineal bodies. The subjects ranged from 3 to 85 years old, 12 female and eight male subjects were studied. Antibodies to glial cells PI1, PI2 and PX1, stained interstitial cells of the pineal body. Many of the PPT showed positive immunostaining for pinealocyte-associated antigens and neuronal markers. The intensity of immunostaining showed some association with the degree of differentiation of the tumor, but there was a considerable variety of staining from case to case. The pineocytomas are more immunopositive than are the Int-PPT or pineoblastoma for neuronal and pinealocyte-associated antibodies. In particular the neurofilament protein (NFP)68 kDa, PP1 and PP6 showed significant differences of reactivity between pineocytoma, Int-PPT and pineoblastoma, when compared in groups showing extensive positive staining (positive staining in almost all areas of the tumor). By using three representative antibodies, anti-NFP68kDa, PP1 and PP6, we were able to make a clear distinction between pineoblastoma, Int-PPT and pineocytoma. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), PI1 and PI2 antibodies only occasionally showed a small number of positive cells in the tumor, and thus we considered these cells to be non-neoplastic interstitial cells or reactive astrocytes entrapped in the tumor. Our data suggest that the glial differentiation of PPT may occur, but that it seems to be a very rare event.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The embryonic pineal body as a multipotent organ.

The repertoire of differentiating potency of mammalian and avian pineal cells has been examined utilizing cell culture technique. Skeletal muscle fibers are differentiated from pineal cells of the rat under the usual culture condition and from those of quail under hypertonic conditions. Myogenesis of pineal cells may be explained from the ontogeny of the pineal body. Anlagen of a pineal body are situated in bilateral cephalic neural folds, which also supply multipotent neural crest cells. In some conditions, almost all quail pineal cells are able to differentiate into pigmented epithelial cells and/or lens cells. Opsin containing cells found in culture of rat pineal cells may be in a similar category reflecting the "third eye": the phylogenetic ancestor of the pineal body of avian and mammalian species. Neuron-like cells have also been reported and neuronal morphology has been intensified under the effect of testicular hyaluronidase. The cytodifferentiation described above is suggested to be different expressions of a single type of progenitor cells in the pineal body. In relation to multipotentiality of pineal cells, the original differentiating state of pineal cells is interesting; it has been found that tyrosinase is expressed from the beginning of pineal formation and that its expression is stage-specific (during embryonic period) and site-specific (predominance in the dorsal half of the pineal body and in the apical cytoplasm of the pineal cell). In the 8 day quail embryo used for culture studies, three differentiating states as to tyrosinase are noticed. However, the distinction may be apparent, as even the cells negative in tyrosinase in this stage are still ready to express tyrosinase in the suitable culture condition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Differential labeling of the pinealocytes and pineal interstitial cells by a series of monoclonal antibodies to human pineal body.

Ten hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies against pineal antigens were established by hybridizing mouse myeloma cells with spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with human pineal body homogenate. Seven antibodies immunohistochemically reacted with the pinealocytes and three reacted with the pineal interstitial cells. According to the antibodies applied, the pinealocytes were immunostained in a variable manner; granularly with PP1, PP4 and PP6 antibodies, diffusely with PP2 and PP5, membraneously with PP3, and apically with PP7. The PI1 and P12 antibodies immunolabeled most of the interstitial cells, but PX1 immunolabeled only a small population of these cells. An immunoblotting study indicated that single or multiple polypeptides of the pineal homogenate constituted the antigen epitopes for these antibodies. Most antibodies also immunoreacted with several cell types of the extra-pineal tissues, thus these antibodies are not specific to the human pineal body. This series of monoclonal antibodies should be available for immunohistochemical studies involving the normal and pathological human pineal body.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Melatonin rhythms in the eyes, pineal bodies, and blood of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

Melatonin levels in the eyes, pineal bodies, and blood of Japanese quail exposed to 12L:12D show robust daily rhythms with high levels occurring in the night and low levels occurring during the day. Since melatonin is synthesized in both the eyes and pineal bodies of birds, the relative contribution of these structures to the blood melatonin levels was determined. A rhythm of blood melatonin persisted in 12L:12D in birds blinded by complete orbital enucleation and in pinealectomized birds but the nighttime levels were reduced by 33 and 54%, respectively, as compared to melatonin levels in control quail. Only a small melatonin rhythm (13% of control levels) was detected in the blood of pinealectomized, blinded quail. This "residual" rhythm could indicate either the contribution of extrapineal, extraocular sources of melatonin or melatonin secretion from remnants (if any) of pineal body tissue remaining after pinealectomy. Blinding did not obviously affect pineal melatonin levels nor did pinealectomy affect ocular melatonin levels. It was concluded that (1) daily rhythms in melatonin content occur in the pineal bodies, the eyes, and the blood of quail; (2) the blood rhythm is the result of melatonin secretion from both the pineal body and the eyes; (3) extraretinal photoreceptors can mediate entrainment of the pineal melatonin rhythm; and (4) obvious compensatory changes in melatonin levels do not occur in the eye following pinealectomy or in the pineal body following blinding.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Trace element concentration in the human pineal body. Activation analysis of cobalt, iron, rubidium, selenium, zinc, antimony and cesium.

100 human pineal bodies (56 male and 44 females) were analyzed by means of instrumental neutron activation analysis for trace concentrations of cobalt, iron, rubidium, selenium, zinc, antimony and cesium. The results indicated that the measured element concentrations are not related to body-surface, age and fresh weight. Moreover, the mean absolute cobalt value from 97 pineal bodies is increased by a factor of 1.43 over the mean absolute concentration value of 257 other areas of the brain. The mean zinc content is found to be 3.7 fold higher than the mean zinc value from 269 other samples of brain. The iron values from various brain areas do not differ from those of the pineal body. Compared to other brain regions pineal selenium is increased and rubidium is decreased. Correlating the different element concentrations to each other, a positive correlation is found for selenium and ribidium, a negative correlation for cobalt and zinc. The present data suggest that the measured trace elements are somehow related to specific roles in the physiology and biochemistry of the pineal body. This is supported by the constancy of element concentration over a wide range of increasing fresh weights of the organ. It is considered that zinc, cobalt and iron are involved as constituents of enzymes in the metabolism of amino acids, peptides and proteins of the pineal body. Moreover the conspicuous high zinc content of this organ may be related to a so far undetected neurotransmitter.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Morphological changes of thymus and the thyroid gland after postnatal extirpation of pineal body.

Extirpation of the pineal body of newborn rats was followed by the disorganization of thymic structure, follicular transformation and proliferation, viz. malignant transformation of its epithelial and connective tissue elements. Increase of connective tissue was also observed in the thyroid gland. The follicular cells contained crystal-like bodies and vesicles, whereas in the parafollicular cells the endoplasmic reticulum was increased and light granules appeared.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

[An autopsy case of multiple myeloma with pineal body and spinal cord dura mater infiltration].

An autopsy case of multiple myeloma (IgD lambda type) with pineal body and spinal cord dura mater infiltration is reported. The 63-year-old man was diagnosed as multiple myeloma (IgD lambda type). He was treated with melphalan and prednisolone. Extra bone marrow masses developed 1 year after the onset. He died with renal failure. At autopsy there were many extra bone marrow masses including pineal body and dura mater of the thoracic cord. Microscopic examination revealed that those mass lesions consisted of neoplastic plasma cells. Myeloma cells also infiltrated perivascular space near the pineal body, subdural space of the cerebrum and brain stem. The cells were labeled VS 38 c immunohistochemically. We discussed routes of the metastasis to the central nervous system of the multiple myeloma. This case suggests that the way of myeloma cells infiltration to the pineal body is hematogenous metastasis, because pineal body have no blood brain barrier.

Dura Mater↗
PubMed1994

[The effect of ocular and/or pineal body removal in mice with spontaneously developing uveoretinitis].

Autoimmune uveoretinitis and pinealitis have been shown to develop spontaneously in BALB/c nude mice after their T cell function has been reconstituted by embryonic F344 rat thymus grafting (TG nude mice). Because anti-IRBP antibodies were detected in these mice, it was concluded that IRBP was the target antigen. In this study, we removed the eyes and/or the pineal body from TG nude mice, and examined anti-IRBP antibodies in their sera. It appeared that IRBP originating from the eyes and the pineal body were the immunogenic antigens in the TG nude mice, but the IRBP from the eyes was found to be more immunogenic and pathogenic than that from the pineal body. We also found that the incidence of uveoretinitis increases with pinealectomy in TG nude mice, even though the immune system is not affected.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Involvement of the pineal body in the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test.

As an interesting exception to the general clinical application of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT), the test could not be performed successfully in diagnosing a patient who suffered from cancer of the pineal body. The following examinations were attempted using the BDORT: 1) The thymus representation area, 2) the distal forearm during compression of the upper arm, 3) surface representations of diseased areas that had previously been identified by the indirect method with slide preparations of pineal body or lung cancer tissue, 4) holding of oncogene c-fos Ab2 and integrin alpha 5 beta 1. Results suggest that the failure of the BDORT might be due to the absence of pineal body function. It is suggested that the sensor for the BDORT might exist in the pineal body since 1) BDORT cannot be successfully performed when the eyes are closed, and the pineal body is sensitive to light; 2) electromagnetic resonance might stimulate this sensor; and 3) N-acetyltransferase, the enzyme that converts serotonin to methylserotonin in the pineal body, might be inhibited by activation of this sensor. As a result, serotonin levels might be increased by activation of this sensor, which might then inhibit finger flexor muscle contraction needed to maintain an O-ring in BDORT.

Adenocarcinoma↗