The Mongol: A New Explanation

1929 ◽  
Vol 75 (309) ◽  
pp. 261-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Clark

My view that mongolism is caused by fœtal hyperthyroidism ceasing at birth, is based on the theory that if the known actions of hyperthyroidism on the embryos of animals, as proved by feeding experiments and otherwise, were at work on the human fœtus, the characteristic features of the mongol would be produced. Fœtal hyperthyroidism could not fail to cause abnormal endocrine inter-reaction, and it has been said that in every mongol some endocrine disturbance can be demonstrated. The action hyperthyroidism has on frog embryos, including the cutting out of the later stages of normal development and growth, and the action thyroxin has in retarding cell division and embryonic development, would explain the general arrest of growth and development of the mongol, including that of the skull and the brain. The same actions would also account for the coincident congenital anomalies, e.g., congenital heart lesions, cleft palate, hypospadias, undescended and undeveloped testicles, primitive hands and feet, syndactyly of fingers and toes, atresia of anus, spina bifida, etc.; these are also manifestations of arrested development, and in favour of a common cause for the local and the general defects, are the facts that both are symmetrical, and that there is a parallelism between the amount of general physical defect, the number of anomalies, and the degree of amentia.

Development ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-86
Author(s):  
T. A. Dettlaff

In both the ectodermal and the chordamesodermal regions of Anuran embryos, the outer layer of cells possesses epithelial properties and has the same restricted morphogenetic potencies. It is thus interchangeable between the regions, capable of epiboly and, when underlain by notochord material, of the formation of bottle-shaped cells as at the blastoporal groove, and invagination. When taken from the chordamesoderm region, this outer layer has no inducing effect on the ectoderm of the early gastrula. In normal development the outer layer of the neural plate takes an active part in forming the neural tube cavity. It gives rise to the neuroepithelial roof of the diencephalon and medulla oblongata and, when underlain by neuroblasts that develop from the inner cell layers, to ependymal cells of the brain wall. The outer layer of the notochord material is included in the epithelial layer underlying the roof of the gastrocoel - the hypochordal plate. The inner layers of these regions consist of loosely arranged cells and normally have no epithelial properties although, when taken from the ectoderm region, they may acquire such properties upon long-term contact with the environment. However they have wide morphogenetic potencies; the differences in these potencies between cells taken from the various presumptive regions being less than the differences between outer and inner cell layers in each region. Maps are provided which show the arrangement of presumptive rudiments in the ectoderm and chordamesoderm on sagittal sections through Bombina bombina embryos in early and late gastrulation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (19) ◽  
pp. 6312-6329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rekha C. Balachandran ◽  
Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Danielle McBride ◽  
Jennifer Veevers ◽  
Fiona E. Harrison ◽  
...  

Manganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient required for the normal development of many organs, including the brain. Although its roles as a cofactor in several enzymes and in maintaining optimal physiology are well-known, the overall biological functions of Mn are rather poorly understood. Alterations in body Mn status are associated with altered neuronal physiology and cognition in humans, and either overexposure or (more rarely) insufficiency can cause neurological dysfunction. The resultant balancing act can be viewed as a hormetic U-shaped relationship for biological Mn status and optimal brain health, with changes in the brain leading to physiological effects throughout the body and vice versa. This review discusses Mn homeostasis, biomarkers, molecular mechanisms of cellular transport, and neuropathological changes associated with disruptions of Mn homeostasis, especially in its excess, and identifies gaps in our understanding of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying Mn homeostasis and neurotoxicity.


1902 ◽  
Vol 48 (202) ◽  
pp. 585-586
Author(s):  
W. C. Sullivan

In a series of eighty-seven post-mortem examinations of criminals, the author found that the circle of Willis presented abnormalities of origin, development, or direction in 65.5 per cent. of the cases, the majority (32.18 per cent.) occurring on the left side. In 73.56 per cent. of the cases the weight of the brain was below the average, and the inferiority of weight coincided in 51.72 per cent. of the subjects with the existence of such vascular anomalies. Morbid changes in the vessels, membranes, and brain-substance were unusually abundant The weight of the heart was below the average in 75.86 per cent. of the criminals examined, and in 49.42 per cent. this condition was associated with abnormalities of the circle of Willis. Among the cases with these latter abnormalities heart lesions were particularly frequent.


1962 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Irene Grodums ◽  
George Dempster

The experimental findings show that in mouse-adapted strains of different Coxsackie group B types of virus, distinctly varied patterns of pathogenesis exist. In the particular host population under study, both of the B-3 strains examined are peculiarly cardiotropic for 17-day-old mice and adult mice. In contrast, the B-1 strain, while mildly cardiotropic for sucklings, neither propagates nor produces lesions in the 17-day weanlings. The age factor does not seem to have any effect upon two strains of B-5 viruses which show the same degree of moderate cardiotropism in sucklings and weanlings.It can be seen from observations made upon the brown fat that lesions are produced in adult mice with all but B-2 virus. Interpretation of the heart lesion, however, is complicated by the appearance of heart lesions in control animals of this age. These heart lesions were not observed in the control sucklings or weanlings. In spite of this, there is evidence that the B-3 virus induces specific heart lesions in adult mice.It would appear that the B-2, B-4, and the Kita strain of B-5 provoke a marked inflammatory cell response in the brain which distinguishes them from the other strains.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
AK Khan ◽  
SA Khan ◽  
Na Muhammad ◽  
No Muhammad ◽  
J Ahmad ◽  
...  

AbstractHuman hereditary leukonychia is a rare nail disorder characterized by nail plates whitening on all finger and toe nails. Inheritance pattern is both autosomal dominant and recessive. To date, the only gene, phospholipase C, δ1 (PLCD1), on chromosome 3p22.2 has been reported to be involved in hereditary leukonychia. In the present study, a family of Pakhtun ethnicity, carrying leukonychia phenotype was investigated. The family inherited the phenotype in an autosomal dominant fashion. Affected individuals exhibited characteristic features of hereditary leukonychia with involvement of nails on both the hands and feet. Sequence analysis of DNA detected a p.Cys209Arg mutation, reported for the first time in a Pakistani Pashtun family.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill R. Crittenden ◽  
Efthimios M. C. Skoulakis ◽  
Elliott. S. Goldstein ◽  
Ronald L. Davis

ABSTRACTMEF2 (myocyte enhancer factor 2) transcription factors are found in the brain and muscle of insects and vertebrates and are essential for the differentiation of multiple cell types. We show that in the fruitfly Drosophila, MEF2 is essential for normal development of wing veins, and for mushroom body formation in the brain. In embryos mutant for D-mef2, there was a striking reduction in the number of mushroom body neurons and their axon bundles were not detectable. D-MEF2 expression coincided with the formation of embryonic mushroom bodies and, in larvae, expression onset was confirmed to be in post-mitotic neurons. With a D-mef2 point mutation that disrupts nuclear localization, we find that D-MEF2 is restricted to a subset of Kenyon cells that project to the α/β, and γ axonal lobes of the mushroom bodies, but not to those forming the α’/β’ lobes. Our findings that ancestral mef2 is specifically important in dopamine-receptive neurons has broad implications for its function in mammalian neurocircuits.


1937 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. H. WADDINGTON

1. The heart was removed from chick embryos of seven to twelve somites, and the embryos cultivated in vitro. The operation abolished the normal twisting of the anterior part of the embryo on to its left side and the general bending of the brain region into an arc. These two processes therefore seem to be dependent on the normal development of the heart. 2. The embryos showed a bending of the forebrain relative to the midbrain, which is therefore independent of the development of the heart. 3. The embryonic blood system, including the aortic arches, developed normally in many cases, but the blood vessels became enormously dilated. 4. The lateral evaginations of the foregut and the visceral arch mesenchyme underwent the first stages of differentiation in atypical positions, seemingly independently of each other or of any other structures.


Author(s):  
E. D. Belousova

Febrile seizures are the age-dependent and predictively favorable condition, which is observed in children under 6 years. All febrile seizures are divided into simple (2/3 of all cases), complex and febrile status. Complicated seizuresinclude attacks with focalsymptoms, prolonged and recurring throughout the day. Simple febrile seizures are short, generalized, not repeated. Simple seizures do not harm the child’s neuropsychic development, they do not transform into epilepsy, and do not need chronic prescription of anticonvulsant therapy. A child with normal development and simple febrile seizures does not need an obligatory EEG and MRI of the brain. All the patients of 18 months old or less with the first episode of febrile seizures need to be hospitalized. The risk of recurrence of seizures and their transformation into epilepsy is higher in a child with complex seizures. There is a small group of children with prolonged seizures and / or febrile status, often with neuropsychiatric developmental delay, which needs to be monitored by a neurologist and further examination. Sometimes doctor prescribes long-term anticonvulsant therapy for the children of this group. Febrile seizures can be prevented with special dosage of anticonvulsant drugs quickly reaching a therapeutic concentration in the child’s brain. Febrile seizures are not a contraindication to vaccination and revaccination, attention should be paid in case of DTP vaccination in children with repeated prolonged seizures and / or febrile status.Conflict of interest: The author of this article confirmed the lack of conflict of interest and financial support, which should be reported.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1684
Author(s):  
Banupriya M. ◽  
Jagadeesan M. ◽  
Mariraj I. ◽  
Prasanna Karthik S. ◽  
Padmalatha D. ◽  
...  

Pitutary adenomas are one of the commonest tumors of seller region of which prolactinomas and non- functioning adenomas predominate. The usual presentation are symptoms of endocrine dysfunction and mass effects. We present a case report of 37 year old male presenting with frontal headache and vomiting. Clinical observations revealed frontal bossing with enlarged hands and feet which arose a suspicion of Acromegaly. Investigations revealed elevated IGF 1 (insulin like growth factor) and growth hormone levels. Magnetic resonance image of the brain were done which showed pituitary adenoma. This case highlights the importance of clinical examination and the treating physician must have high clinical index of suspicion to detect endocrine dysfunction and use the modern techniques like stereotactic radio surgery (SRS).


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