Caudal End (caudal + end)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Life Sciences


Selected Abstracts


The contribution of activated phagocytes and myelin degeneration to axonal retraction/dieback following spinal cord injury

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 8 2004
Lowell T. McPhail
Abstract Myelin-derived molecules inhibit axonal regeneration in the CNS. The Long,Evans Shaker rat is a naturally occurring dysmyelinated mutant, which although able to express the components of myelin lacks functional myelin in adulthood. Given that myelin breakdown exposes axons to molecules that are inhibitory to regeneration, we sought to determine whether injured dorsal column axons in a Shaker rat would exhibit a regenerative response absent in normally myelinated Long,Evans (control) rats. Although Shaker rat axons did not regenerate beyond the lesion, they remained at the caudal end of the crush site. Control rat axons, in contrast, retracted and died back from the edge of the crush. The absence of retraction/dieback in Shaker rats was associated with a reduced phagocytic reaction to dorsal column crush around the caudal edge of the lesion. Systemic injection of minocycline, a tetracycline derivative, in control rats reduced both the macrophage response and axonal retraction/dieback following dorsal column injury. In contrast, increasing macrophage activation by spinal injection of the yeast particulate zymosan had no effect on axonal retraction/dieback in Shaker rats. Schwann cell invasion was reduced in minocycline-treated control rats compared with untreated control rats, and was almost undetectable in Shaker rats, suggesting that like axonal retraction/dieback, spinal Schwann cell infiltration is dependent upon macrophage-mediated myelin degeneration. These results indicate that following spinal cord injury the phagocyte-mediated degeneration of myelin and subsequent exposure of inhibitory molecules to the injured axons contributes to their retraction/dieback. [source]


Increased fear- and stress-related anxiety-like behavior in mice lacking tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues

GENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 8 2008
D. B. Fegley
Tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues (TIP39) is synthesized by two groups of neurons, one in the subparafascicular area at the caudal end of the thalamus and the other in the medial paralemniscal nucleus within the lateral brainstem. The subparafascicular TIP39 neurons project to a number of brain regions involved in emotional responses, and these regions contain a matching distribution of a receptor for TIP39, the parathyroid hormone 2 receptor (PTH2-R). We have now evaluated the involvement of TIP39 in anxiety-related behaviors using mice with targeted null mutation of the TIP39 gene (Tifp39). Tifp39,/, mice (TIP39-KO) did not significantly differ from wild-type (WT) littermates in the open field, light/dark exploration and elevated plus-maze assays under standard test conditions. However, the TIP39-KO engaged in more active defensive burying in the shock-probe test. In addition, when tested under high illumination or after restraint, TIP39-KO displayed significantly greater anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus-maze than WT. In a Pavlovian fear-conditioning paradigm, TIP39-KO froze more than WT during training and during tone and context recall but showed normal fear extinction. Disruption of TIP39 projections to the medial prefrontal cortex, lateral septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, hypothalamus and amygdala likely account for the fear- and anxiety-related phenotype of TIP39-KO. Current data support the hypothesis that TIP39 modulates anxiety-related behaviors following environmental provocation. [source]


Influence for testicular development and histological peculiarity in the testes of flutamide-induced cryptorchid rat model

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 1 2007
Kentaro Mizuno
Objectives: To investigate influence for the testicular development and to assess the usefulness as an animal model, cryptorchid rats were induced by exposure to flutamide during the fetal period and their testes examined histologically. Methods: Flutamide was injected into the abdomen of pregnant rats for 7 days from the 14th to 20th day of gestation. The male offspring in which cryptorchidism was observed at 28 days after birth were defined as the model rats. They were divided into four groups by dosage of flutamide (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 15 mg per day), and their testicular weight, spermatogenesis (modified Johnsen score), and germ cell apoptosis were examined histochemically at 10 weeks after birth. Results: The incidence of cryptorchidism including both unilateral and bilateral in the 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 15-mg flutamide groups was 58.3%, 81.9%, 93.6% and 91.0%, respectively. In the model rats, the undescended testes were located at the caudal end of the abdominal cavity, and these testes weighed less than the contra-descended testes in each group. Histologically, apoptotic cells were markedly increased, the seminiferous tubules were degenerated and disturbance of spermatid differentiation was observed in the undescended testes compared with the normal or contra-lateral descended testes. Conclusions: We found out that the incidence of undescended testes increased in a flutamide dose-dependent manner. The findings of histological examination were independent of the administrated dose of flutamide and it is suggested that exposure of the testes to abdominal temperature causes spermatogenic arrest with germ cell apoptosis. The present animal model indicates high incidence of above 90%, has no surgical stress and dose not require special techniques. We believe that the present model is a useful tool for the understanding of pathogenesis and treatment of cryptorchidism and further biological research into spermatogenesis. [source]


Hyoid apparatus and pharynx in the lion (Panthera leo), jaguar (Panthera onca), tiger (Panthera tigris), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and domestic cat (Felis silvestris f. catus)

JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 3 2002
G. E. Weissengruber
Abstract Structures of the hyoid apparatus, the pharynx and their topographical positions in the lion, tiger, jaguar, cheetah and domestic cat were described in order to determine morphological differences between species or subfamilies of the Felidae. In the lion, tiger and jaguar (species of the subfamily Pantherinae) the Epihyoideum is an elastic ligament lying between the lateral pharyngeal muscles and the Musculus (M.) thyroglossus rather than a bony element like in the cheetah or the domestic cat. The M. thyroglossus was only present in the species of the Pantherinae studied. In the lion and the jaguar the Thyrohyoideum and the thyroid cartilage are connected by an elastic ligament, whereas in the tiger there is a synovial articulation. In adult individuals of the lion, tiger and jaguar the ventral end of the tympanohyal cartilage is rotated and therefore the ventral end of the attached Stylohyoideum lies caudal to the Tympanohyoideum and the cranial base. In newborn jaguars the Apparatus hyoideus shows a similar topographical position as in adult cheetahs or domestic cats. In adult Pantherinae, the Basihyoideum and the attached larynx occupy a descended position: they are situated near the cranial thoracic aperture, the pharyngeal wall and the soft palate are caudally elongated accordingly. In the Pantherinae examined the caudal end of the soft palate lies dorsal to the glottis. Differences in these morphological features between the subfamilies of the Felidae have an influence on specific structural characters of their vocalizations. [source]


The internal cranial anatomy of the Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia): evidence for a functional secondary palate

LETHAIA, Issue 4 2006
Marie-Céline Buchy
In the late 19th Century, the choanae (or internal nares) of the Plesiosauria were identified as a pair of palatal openings located rostral to the external nares, implying a rostrally directed respiratory duct and air path inside the rostrum. Despite obvious functional shortcomings, this idea was firmly established in the scientific literature by the first decade of the 20th Century. The functional consequences of this morphology were only re-examined by the end of the 20th Century, leading to the conclusion that the choanae were not involved in respiration but instead in underwater olfaction, the animals supposedly breathing with the mouth agape. Re-evaluation of the palatal and internal cranial anatomy of the Plesiosauria reveals that the traditional identification of the choanae as a pair of fenestrae situated rostral to the external nares appears erroneous. These openings more likely represent the bony apertures of ducts that lead to internal salt glands situated inside the maxillary rostrum. The ,real' functional choanae (or caudal interpterygoid vacuities), are situated at the caudal end of the bony palate between the sub-temporal fossae, as was suggested in the mid-19th Century. The existence of a functional secondary palate in the Plesiosauria is therefore strongly supported, and the anatomical, physiological, and evolutionary implications of such a structure are discussed. [source]


Change in Morphology of Reentrant Atrial Arrhythmias Without Termination Following Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation

PACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2002
MASAHIKO TAKAGI
TAKAGI, M., et al.: Change in Morphology of Reentrant Atrial Arrhythmias Without Termination Following Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation. A 60-year-old woman who had previously undergone an atrial septal defect repair and had type I atrial flutter underwent electrophysiological study. After radiofrequency (RF) ablation to the isthmus between the inferior vena cava and the tricuspid annulus, type I atrial flutter was changed to atrial tachycardia following atriotomy without termination. This atrial tachycardia was eliminated by single-site RF ablation of a small lesion below the caudal end of the atriotomy scar, where continuous and fragmented potentials were recorded during tachycardia. We experienced a rare case in which RF energy changed tachycardia circuits. [source]


Macroanatomical Investigation of the Aorticorenal Ganglion in 1-Day-Old Infant Sheep

ANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 3 2009
J. Kle, kowska-Nawrot
Summary The aorticorenal gland belongs to the paired splanchnic ganglion, which is the main component of the coeliac plexus. It lies near the renal artery and suprarenal gland. The research was conducted on 13 1-day-old infant sheep , eight males and five females. Based on the conducted studies, it was concluded that the aorticorenal ganglion is characterized by the variable location in relation to the abdominal aorta, renal artery, caudal vena cava and suprarenal gland (holotopy), the thoracic and lumbar segment of the vertebral column (skeletotopy) (between L1 and L3) and also a different shape (elongated, round, triangular, oval) as well as variable length (the aorticorenal ganglion is longer on the left side of the body; 2.72 mm) and distance from the caudal end of the suprarenal gland (longer on the left side of the body; 8.34 mm). With regard to the sex of the animal, the ganglion is the longest on the left side in ewes (3.02 mm), while in rams it is the longest on the right side (2.68 mm). Regarding the division according to sex, the longest segment was observed on the right side in ewes (9.27 mm), and the shortest segment in rams was also on the right side (6.84 mm). [source]


The Guinea Fowl Spleen at Embryonic and Post-Hatch Periods

ANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 3 2006
B. I. Onyeanusi
Summary The spleen of the guinea fowl was bean-shaped but without a dented hilus. It is supplied by three short arteries that came from the ventral surface, two on the cranial end and one at the caudal end of the organ. The whole organ had a thin but tough capsule covering the outer surface except at the point of entry of the blood vessels. By day 18 of incubation, the spleen had a thin but well-defined capsule and internal to this been complete network of sinusoids filled with erythrocytes, lymphocytes and granulocytes. By day 19, dark and light staining zones, which could be termed red and white pulps, had appeared. By day 20, the granulocytes with a lot of granules within their cytoplasm, had become the biggest-sized cells in the spleen. At day 21, arteries and veins were noticed clearly in the spleen and many lymphocytes, few granulocytes and reticular cells surrounded these. Red pulp with its sinusoids was now distinct. A giant cell containing three nuclei was seen within the red pulp. At day 1 post-hatch, the capsule was at its greatest thickness so far and muscle cells were seen at the inner most part of the capsule. Granulocytes that had been a constant feature suddenly disappeared. At day 5, the small lymphocytes had dominated the large and medium-sized ones. By 2 weeks, the red and white pulps were virtually equal in distribution but by 3 weeks, the red pulp was convincingly greater. By 7 weeks, plasma cells had appeared in the peripheral splenic cords. Monocytes were observed in the sinusoids. Two germinal centres were identified for the first time in week 13 post-hatch. [source]