Prostaglandin E2 catabolism in the spinal nerve roots of the cat

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Bishai ◽  
F. Coceani

Catabolism of prostaglandin (PG) E2 was studied in homogenates of spinal cord and spinal nerve roots of the cat. Spinal roots enzymatically converted PGE2 to a product (metabolite I) with the chromatographic mobility of 15-keto-PGE2. Little metabolic degradation occurred in the spinal cord; however, incubation of PGE2 with combined spinal cord and nerve root tissue yielded a second metabolite (metabolite II) in addition to metabolite I. Metabolite II was identified as 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGE2. These results prove that spinal nerve roots, unlike the spinal cord, contain 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) which is the major and rate-limiting enzyme in the inactivation of prostaglandins. The location and functional significance of 15-PGDH in peripheral nerves remain to be elucidated.

1994 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-237
Author(s):  
Donal O'Toole ◽  
Gerald Wells ◽  
James Ingram ◽  
William Cooley ◽  
Stephan Hawkins

The ultrastructural features of a recently described inherited lower motor neuron disease were studied in 5 affected pigs. Clinical signs comprised progressive ataxia and paresis of variable severity. Affected pigs, 6, 7, 15, 15, and 19 weeks of age, and 2 unrelated healthy pigs, 9 and 15 weeks of age, were anesthetized and their tissues were fixed by whole body perfusion with mixed aldehydes. From 1 or more affected pigs, samples of cervical and lumbar spinal ventral horn, lateral and ventral spinal columns, dorsal and ventral lumbar spinal nerve roots, 2 peripheral nerves (Nn. phrenicus and fibularis communis), and 2 skeletal muscles (Mm. diaphragma and tibialis cranialis) were examined ultrastructurally. There was widespread degeneration of myelinated axons in peripheral nerves and in lateral and ventral columns of lumbar and cervical segments of spinal cord. Axonal degeneration was present in ventral spinal nerve roots and was absent in dorsal spinal nerve roots sampled at the same lumbar levels. Unmyelinated axons in peripheral nerves and spinal nerve roots were unaffected. In 4 of 5 affected pigs, there were atrophic alpha motor neurons in cervical spinal cord that contained dense, round osmiophilic perikaryal inclusions up to 4 μm in diameter and round swollen mitochondria. Axonal regeneration was present in N. phrenicus of the 19-week-old affected pig that had clinical signs of longest duration (10 weeks). There was no morphologic evidence of axonal degeneration or spinal neuronal atrophy in either control pig. The ultrastructural features of this motor neuron disease distinguish it from other reported progressive spinal neuropathies of pigs.


1976 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Vandevelde ◽  
R. J. Higgins ◽  
C. E. Greene

Clinicopathological findings of three different neoplastic conditions involving the spinal cord and nerve roots in three dogs are described. One sarcomatous intramedullary tumor closely associated with the vasculature was classified as a reticulum cell sarcoma of the spinal cord. The second case had massive and widespread neoplastic proliferation of reticulohistiocytic cells around the perineurinal vessels of many spinal nerve roots. The process was classified as a primary neoplastic reticulosis of the spinal roots. Multiple highly malignant tumors, infiltrating the spinal cord were found in one thoracic and several lumbosacral spinal nerve roots in the third case. These were considered to be anaplastic neurofibrosarcomas because of high collagen content, intact nerve fibers, whorl formation, and the tendency to palisade in some areas.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-59
Author(s):  
Maurus Marques de Almeida Holanda ◽  
Daniel De Araujo Paz ◽  
Luiz Márcio De Brito Marinho Segundo ◽  
Christian Diniz Ferreira

Schwannomatosis is a rare tumor syndrome characterized by more than one schwannoma without any evidence of other manifestations of neurofibromatosis (NF). A 32-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of weakness in her lower extremities. Neurological examination revealed paraparesis with hypoesthesia below T8 level. Magnetic ressonanceimaging (MRI) showed well-defined masses with strong contrast enhancement at the dorsal and lumbosacral spinal regions. After removal of six tumors compressing the spinal cord, the patient improved rapidly. The histological diagnosis was schwannomas. A detailed clinical examination and MRI scanning of the central nervous system excluded NF2. Not all patients with multiple schwannomas of cranial nerves, spinal nerve roots or peripheral nerves origin have NF-1 or NF-2. Surgery is indicated for symptomatic lesions, while asymptomatic tumors are followed conservatively.


1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley W. Parke ◽  
Ryo Watanabe

✓ An epispinal system of motor axons virtually covers the ventral and lateral funiculi of the human conus medullaris between the L-2 and S-2 levels. These nerve fibers apparently arise from motor cells of the ventral horn nuclei and join spinal nerve roots caudal to their level of origin. In all observed spinal cords, many of these axons converged at the cord surface and formed an irregular group of ectopic rootlets that could be visually traced to join conventional spinal nerve roots at one to several segments inferior to their original segmental level; occasional rootlets joined a dorsal nerve root. As almost all previous reports of nerve root interconnections involved only the dorsal roots and have been cited to explain a lack of an absolute segmental sensory nerve distribution, it is believed that these intersegmental motor fibers may similarly explain a more diffuse efferent distribution than has previously been suspected.


1980 ◽  
Vol 209 (1176) ◽  
pp. 441-446 ◽  

Previous studies by a number of workers have shown that the axon membrane in normal mature myelinated fibres is highly differentiated, with the nodal axolemma exhibiting characteristics different to those of the internodal axolemma. However, the development of this axolemmal heterogeneity has not been previously explored. In the present study we used cytochemical methods to examine the development of nodal axolemma during the differentiation of myelinated fibres in rat spinal roots. The staining properties characteristic of normal nodal membrane appear in the axon, at gaps between Schwann cells, before the develop­ment of mature compact myelin or well defined paranodal axon-Schwann cell specializations close to the region of nodal axolemmal differentiation. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the axon membrane differentiates into nodal and internodal regions before, or early in the process of, myelination, and suggest that the differentiation of the axon membrane may provide a signal demarcating the region to be covered by the myelin-forming cell.


1892 ◽  
Vol 51 (308-314) ◽  
pp. 67-78 ◽  

At the commencement of some observations on the reflex mechanisms of the spinal cord in Macacus , difficulties were encountered which made it desirable to attempt for that animal a somewhat particular examination of the distribution of the efferent and afferent spinal nerve-roots belonging to the lumbo-sacral plexus. The present communication has reference to the distribution of the efferent fibres of the roots.


The Lancet ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 346 (8986) ◽  
pp. 1323-1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Carlstedt ◽  
P Grane ◽  
R.G Hallin ◽  
G Norén

The following research was carried out in consequence of suggestions made to me by Professor Victor Horsley, to whom I wish to express my thanks for placing the facilities of his laboratory at my disposal, and for his advice and criticisms during the prosecution of the work and in the preparation of the paper. I also wish to return my best thanks to Professor Johannes Gad, in whose laboratory tire first part of the work was carried out, for his ever-ready and constant help and advice. I have further to thank my friend Dr. Risien Russell for his kindness in assisting me in some of my earlier experiments on the monkey. The researches were undertaken with the view of throwing light upon the degree to which certain movements or, speaking more precisely, sensori-motor (kinæsthetic) phenomena are represented in any given segment of the lumbo-sacral region of the mammalian spinal cord, and further what relationship exists between the representation of one movement and that of another. It is clear that at least three methods suggest themselves as means whereby this problem may be attacked, e. g. , (1) the excitation method, (2) the method of exclusion by ablation, and (3) the so-called degeneration method. Of these Nos. (2) and (3) have been already in part employed (No. (2) Sherrington, Risien Russell, No. (3) Grünbaum), but believing that with suitable precautions more exact localisation could be obtained by the excitation method, I have so far adopted that alone.


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