Synaptic ribbon plasticity, ribbon size and potential regulatory mechanisms in utricular and saccular maculae

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel D. Ross ◽  
Joseph Varelas

The mean number of synaptic ribbons in type II hair cells of the rat utricular macula increased significantly in weightlessness. In contrast, ribbon synapses of saccular type I hair cells displayed a significant decline early inflight and postflight, and a late numerical overshoot. Further study indicated that the saccular macula had less ultrastructural complexly than the utricular. Additionally, synaptic ribbons were statistically larger in type II hair cells of both maculae, apparently a locus-related scaling effect. A major new finding is that mitochondria in calyces and collateral terminals were linked to vesicles, tubules of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and cell membranes by filaments, forming mitochondrial complexes (MCs). MCs predominated basally in the calyx where calyceal/type I hair cell borders were bound by filaments; at calyceal invaginations of type I hair cells; in calyces and collaterals near synaptic ribbon sites; and in collaterals near reciprocal synapses. MCs may participate in feedback mechanisms at these locations to help regulate synaptic ribbon activity and plasticity in altered gravitational environments.

2000 ◽  
Vol 109 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saumil N. Merchant ◽  
Kojiro Tsuji ◽  
Conrad Wall ◽  
Luis Velázquez-Villaseñor ◽  
Robert J. Glynn ◽  
...  

Quantitative studies of the vestibular system with serially sectioned human temporal bones have been limited because of difficulty in distinguishing hair cells from supporting cells and type I from type II hair cells. In addition, there is only a limited amount of normative data available regarding vestibular hair cell counts in humans. In this study, archival temporal bone sections were examined by Nomarski (differential interference contrast) microscopy, which permitted visualization of the cuticular plate and stereociliary bundle so as to allow unambiguous identification of hair cells. The density of type I, type II, and total numbers of vestibular hair cells in each of the 5 sense organs was determined in a set of 67 normal temporal bones that ranged from birth through 100 years of age. The mean total densities at birth were 76 to 79 cells per 0.01 mm2 in the cristae, 68 cells per 0.01 mm2 in the utricle, and 61 cells per 0.01 mm2 in the saccule. The ratio of type I to type II hair cells at birth was 2.4:1 in the cristae and 1.3:1 in the maculae. There was a highly significant age-related decline in all sense organs for total, type I, and type II hair cell densities that was best fit by a linear regression model. The cristae lost type I cells with advancing age at a significantly greater rate than the maculae, whereas age-related losses for type II cells occurred at the same rate for all 5 sense organs. Hair cell densities in the cristae were significantly higher at the periphery than at the center. There were no significant sex or interaural differences for any of the counts. Mathematical models were developed to calculate the mean and 95% prediction intervals for the total, type I, and type II hair cell densities in each sense organ on the basis of age. There was overall good agreement between the hair cell densities determined in this study and those reported by others using surface preparation techniques. Our data and related models will serve as a normative database that will be useful for comparison to counts made from subjects with known vestibular disorders.


1993 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-251
Author(s):  
Muriel D. Ross

Mammalian gravity receptors (maculas) are morphologically organized for weighted, parallel distributed processing of information. There are two basic circuits: 1) highly channeled, type I cell to calyx; and 2) distributed modifying, type II cells to calyces and processes. The latter circuit should be the more adaptable since it modifies final output. To test this hypothesis, rats were flown in microgravity for 9 days aboard a space shuttle and euthanized shortly after landing. Hair cells and ribbon synapses from maculas of 3 flight and 3 ground control rats were studied ultrastructurally in blocks of 50 serial sections. Synapses increased by approximately 41% in type I cells and by approximately 55% in type II cells in flight animals. There was a shift toward the spherular form of ribbon synapse in both types of hair cells in flight animals (P ⩽ 0.0001), a near doubling of pairs in the flight rats (P ⩽ 0.0001), and an increase, by a factor of 12, in groups of synapses in type II cells (P ⩽ 0.0001). Current findings tend to support the stated hypothesis and indicate that mature utricular hair cells retain synaptic plasticity, permitting adaptation to an altered gravitational environment.


2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 718-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Li ◽  
J. Xue ◽  
E. H. Peterson

Hair bundles are critical to mechanotransduction by vestibular hair cells, but quantitative data are lacking on vestibular bundles in mice or other mammals. Here we quantify bundle heights and their variation with macular locus and hair cell type in adult mouse utricular macula. We also determined that macular organization differs from previous reports. The utricle has ∼3,600 hair cells, half on each side of the line of polarity reversal (LPR). A band of low hair cell density corresponds to a band of calretinin-positive calyces, i.e., the striola. The relation between the LPR and the striola differs from previous reports in two ways. First, the LPR lies lateral to the striola instead of bisecting it. Second, the LPR follows the striolar trajectory anteriorly, but posteriorly it veers from the edge of the striola to reach the posterior margin of the macula. Consequently, more utricular bundles are oriented mediolaterally than previously supposed. Three hair cell classes are distinguished in calretinin-stained material: type II hair cells, type ID hair cells contacting calretinin-negative (dimorphic) afferents, and type IC hair cells contacting calretinin-positive (calyceal) afferents. They differ significantly on most bundle measures. Type II bundles have short stereocilia. Type IC bundles have kinocilia and stereocilia of similar heights, i.e., KS ratios (ratio of kinocilium to stereocilia heights) ∼1, unlike other receptor classes. In contrast to these class-specific differences, bundles show little regional variation except that KS ratios are lowest in the striola. These low KS ratios suggest that bundle stiffness is greater in the striola than in the extrastriola.


2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 602-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Zampini ◽  
Paolo Valli ◽  
Giampiero Zucca ◽  
Sergio Masetto

Few data are available concerning single Ca channel properties in inner ear hair cells and particularly none in vestibular type I hair cells. By using the cell-attached configuration of the patch-clamp technique in combination with the semicircular canal crista slice preparation, we determined the elementary properties of voltage-dependent Ca channels in chicken embryo type I and type II hair cells. The pipette solutions included Bay K 8644. With 70 mM Ba2+ in the patch pipette, Ca channel activity appeared as very brief openings at −60 mV. Ca channel properties were found to be similar in type I and type II hair cells; therefore data were pooled. The mean inward current amplitude was −1.3 ± 0.1 (SD) pA at − 30 mV ( n = 16). The average slope conductance was 21 pS ( n = 20). With 5 mM Ba2+ in the patch pipette, very brief openings were already detectable at −80 mV. The mean inward current amplitude was −0.7 ± 0.2 pA at −40 mV ( n = 9). The average slope conductance was 11 pS ( n = 9). The mean open time and the open probability increased significantly with depolarization. Ca channel activity was still present and unaffected when ω-agatoxin IVA (2 μM) and ω-conotoxin GVIA (3.2 μM) were added to the pipette solution. Our results show that types I and II hair cells express L-type Ca channels with similar properties. Moreover, they suggest that in vivo Ca2+ influx might occur at membrane voltages more negative than −60 mV.


2003 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 1660-1677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Si ◽  
Mridha Md. Zakir ◽  
J. David Dickman

Biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) was used to retrogradely label afferents innervating the utricular macula in adult pigeons. The pigeon utriclar macula consists of a large rectangular-shaped neuroepithelium with a dorsally curved anterior edge and an extended medioposterior tail. The macula could be demarcated into several regions based on cytoarchitectural differences. The striola occupied 30% of the macula and contained a large density of type I hair cells with fewer type II hair cells. Medial and lateral extrastriola zones were located outside the striola and contained only type II hair cells. A six- to eight-cell-wide band of type II hair cells existed near the center of the striola. The reversal line marked by the morphological polarization of hair cells coursed throughout the epithelium, near the peripheral margin, and through the center of the type II band. Calyx afferents innervated type I hair cells with calyceal terminals that contained between 2 and 15 receptor cells. Calyx afferents were located only in the striola region, exclusive of the type II band, had small total fiber innervation areas and low innervation densities. Dimorph afferents innervated both type I and type II hair cells with calyceal and bouton terminals and were primarily located in the striola region. Dimorph afferents had smaller calyceal terminals with few type I hair cells, extended fiber branches with bouton terminals and larger innervation areas. Bouton afferents innervated only type II hair cells in the extrastriola and type II band regions. Bouton afferents innervating the type II band had smaller terminal fields with fewer bouton terminals and smaller innervation areas than fibers located in the extrastriolar zones. Bouton afferents had the most bouton terminals on the longest fibers, the largest innervation areas with the highest innervation densities of all afferents. Among all afferents, smaller terminal innervation fields were observed in the striola and large fields were located in the extrastriola. The cellular organization and innervation patterns of the utricular maculae in birds appear to represent an organ in adaptive evolution, different from that observed for amphibians or mammals.


Author(s):  
Rafique Umer Harvitkar ◽  
Abhijit Joshi

Abstract Introduction Laparoscopic fundoplication (LF) has almost completely replaced the open procedure performed for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatus hernia (HH). Several studies have suggested that long-term results with surgery for GERD are better than a medical line of management. In this retrospective study, we outline our experience with LF over 10 years. Also, we analyze the factors that would help us in better patient selection, thereby positively affecting the outcomes of surgery. Patients and Methods In this retrospective study, we identified 27 patients (14 females and 13 males) operated upon by a single surgeon from 2010 to 2020 at our institution. Out of these, 25 patients (12 females and 13 males) had GERD with type I HH and 2 (both females) had type II HH without GERD. The age range was 24 to 75 years. All patients had undergone oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (OGD scopy). A total of 25 patients had various degrees of esophagitis. Two patients had no esophagitis. These patients were analyzed for age, sex, symptoms, preoperative evaluation, exact procedure performed (Nissen’s vs. Toupet’s vs. cruroplasty + gastropexy), morbidity/mortality, and functional outcomes. They were also reviewed to examine the length of stay, length of procedure, complications, and recurrent symptoms on follow-up. Symptoms were assessed objectively with a score for six classical GERD symptoms preoperatively and on follow-up at 1-, 4- and 6-weeks postsurgery. Further evaluation was performed after 6 months and then annually for 2 years. Results 14 females (53%) and 13 males (48%) with a diagnosis of GERD (with type I HH) and type II HH were operated upon. The mean age was 46 years (24–75 years) and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 27 (18–32). The range of duration of the preoperative symptoms was 6 months to 2 years. The average operating time dropped from 130 minutes for the first 12 cases to 90 minutes for the last 15 cases. The mean hospital stay was 3 days (range: 2–4 days). In the immediate postoperative period, 72% (n = 18) of the patients reported improvement in the GERD symptoms, while 2 (8%) patients described heartburn (grade I, mild, daily) and 1 (4%) patient described bloating (grade I, daily). A total of 5 patients (20%) reported mild dysphagia to solids in the first 2 postoperative weeks. These symptoms settled down after 2 to 5 weeks of postoperative proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy and by adjusting consistency of oral feeds. There was no conversion to open, and we observed no perioperative mortality. There were no patients who underwent redo surgeries in the series. Conclusion LF is a safe and highly effective procedure for a patient with symptoms of GERD, and it gives long-term relief from the symptoms. Stringent selection criteria are necessary to optimize the results of surgery. Experience is associated with a significant reduction of operating time.


1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuf Ersşahin ◽  
Saffet Mutluer ◽  
Sevgül Kocaman ◽  
Eren Demirtasş

Object. The authors reviewed and analyzed information on 74 patients with split spinal cord malformations (SSCMs) treated between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1996 at their institution with the aim of defining and classifying the malformations according to the method of Pang, et al. Methods. Computerized tomography myelography was superior to other radiological tools in defining the type of SSCM. There were 46 girls (62%) and 28 boys (38%) ranging in age from less than 1 day to 12 years (mean 33.08 months). The mean age (43.2 months) of the patients who exhibited neurological deficits and orthopedic deformities was significantly older than those (8.2 months) without deficits (p = 0.003). Fifty-two patients had a single Type I and 18 patients a single Type II SSCM; four patients had composite SSCMs. Sixty-two patients had at least one associated spinal lesion that could lead to spinal cord tethering. After surgery, the majority of the patients remained stable and clinical improvement was observed in 18 patients. Conclusions. The classification of SSCMs proposed by Pang, et al., will eliminate the current chaos in terminology. In all SSCMs, either a rigid or a fibrous septum was found to transfix the spinal cord. There was at least one unrelated lesion that caused tethering of the spinal cord in 85% of the patients. The risk of neurological deficits resulting from SSCMs increases with the age of the patient; therefore, all patients should be surgically treated when diagnosed, especially before the development of orthopedic and neurological manifestations.


Author(s):  
Jere Häyrynen ◽  
Maija Kärkkäinen ◽  
Aulikki Kononoff ◽  
Leena Arstila ◽  
Pia Elfving ◽  
...  

AbstractThe aim of the study was to describe automated immunoassays for autoantibodies to homocitrulline or citrulline containing telopeptides of type I and II collagen in various disease categories in an early arthritis series.Serum samples were collected from 142 patients over 16 years of age with newly diagnosed inflammatory joint disease. All samples were analyzed with an automated inhibition chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) using four different peptide pairs, each consisting of a biotinylated antigen and an inhibiting peptide. Assays were performed with an IDS-iSYS analyzer. Autoantibodies binding to homocitrulline and citrulline containing C-telopeptides of type I (HTELO-I, TELO-I) and type II collagens (HTELO-II, TELO-II) were analyzed.The mean ratio of HTELO-I inhibition in seropositive and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was 3.07 (95% CI 1.41–11.60), p=0.003, and in seropositive and seronegative undifferentiated arthritis (UA) 4.90 (1.85–14.49), p<0.001. The respective mean ratios in seropositive and seronegative RA and UA were in TELO-I 8.72 (3.68–58.01), p<0.001 and 3.13 (1.49–6.16), p=0.008, in HTELO-II 7.57 (3.18–56.60), p<0.001 and 2.97 (1.23–6.69), p=0.037, and in TELO-II 3.01 (1.30–9.51), p=0.002 and 3.64 (1.86–7.65), p=0.008. In reactive arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and unspecified spondyloarthritis the inhibition levels were similar to those observed in seronegative RA or UA.Autoantibodies binding to homocitrulline or citrulline containing telopeptides of type I and II collagen did not differ significantly. They were highest among patients with seropositive disease and they differentiated seropositive and seronegative arthritis.


CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S79
Author(s):  
H. Ali Khan ◽  
K. Gushulak ◽  
M. Columbus ◽  
I.G. Stiell ◽  
J.W. Yan

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is an increasingly prevalent chronic condition that is usually managed in an outpatient setting. However, the emergency department (ED) plays a crucial role in the management of diabetic patients, particularly for those who are presenting with newly diagnosed diabetes. Little research has been done to characterize the population of patients presenting to the ED with hyperglycemia with no previous diagnosis of diabetes. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes of patients who were newly diagnosed with diabetes in the ED and to compare those with newly diagnosed type I versus type II diabetes. Methods: A one-year health records review of newly diagnosed diabetes patients ≥18 years presenting to one of four tertiary care EDs was conducted. All patients with a discharge diagnosis of hyperglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome were screened, but only those who did not have a previous history of diabetes were included. Trained research personnel collected data on patient characteristics, management, disposition, and outcome. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data where appropriate. Results: Of 645 patients presenting with hyperglycemia in the study period, 112 (17.4%) were newly diagnosed diabetes patients. Of these patients, 30 (26.8%) were later diagnosed with type I diabetes and 82 (73.2%) were diagnosed with type II diabetes. For the newly diagnosed type I patients the mean (SD) age was 27.6 (9.9) and the mean (SD) age for type II patients was 52.4 (14.1). Of all the new onset patients, 26.8% were diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis. The percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis was higher in type I than type II (63.3% vs 13.4%; P&lt;0.01). A total of 49 (43.8%) patients were admitted to the hospital, and more patients with type I were admitted compared to those with type II (66.7% vs 35.4 %; P&lt;0.01). Conclusion: Limited research has been done to describe patients newly diagnosed with diabetes in the ED. Patients with type I were found to be more likely to present to the ED with serious symptoms requiring admission to hospital. Our findings demonstrate that the ED may have a strong potential role for improving diabetic care, by providing future opportunities for education and follow-up in the ED to reduce complications, particularly in type I.


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