Changes in the structure of the cilia of the ciliated epithelium of the bronchi in Kartagener's syndrome in children

Biopsies of bronchial mucous membrane taken from 4 children with Kartagener's syndrome and 10 children with chronic pneumonia were examined electron microscopically. Structural changes in cilia and apical parts of cells are detected in all patients with Kartagener's syndrome. Cilial changes provoked by chronic inflammatory process are shown. The importance of ultrastructural investigations of bronchial mucous membrane cilia in the understanding of pathogenesis of chronic lung conditions in children is underlined.     

Role of the hormonal status of the father in involution of the thymus in the progeny

This study was aimed at assessing the consequences of the influence of exogenous androgens on the epididymal sperm of fathers for their progeny. A single injection of testosterone or dihydrotestosterone to adult rats caused a transient increase of the level of the corresponding androgen, later leading to augmentation of the androgen-dependent organs and loss of thymus weight. Hyperandrogeny and earlier age-associated involution of the thymus were observed in the male progeny of androgenized males of reproductive age. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, No. 5, pp. 562–564, May, 1996     

Role of the time interval in the effect of neurochemical signals in the changes in the ultrastructure of cortical synapses

Translated from Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatel'nosti imeni I. P. Pavlova, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 836–838, July–August, 1991.     

On the role of the lymphoid follicle-associated areas in the organization of the bursal follicle in the cloacal bursa in birds

The present paper contains data on the morphological modifications present in chicks which, after treatment with testosterone lasting 10 days (from the seventh to the seventeenth days after hatching), were killed on the 30th, 35th, 40th, 50th and 70th day of life; this interval of time might theoretically have allowed a gradual re-establishment of the bursal architecture. Examination of the bursae of Fabricus of the animals treated showed greatly varying pictures. The 2 main types of behaviour were the following: the histological pattern of certain bursae had been completely restored to normal. Others did not act in the same way but wide areas of their plicae proved to be devoid of lymphoid tissue and well-formed lymphoid follicles were observed only in certain places. These 2 kinds of behaviour, and particularly what we observed in the second case, might suggest that, since the lymphoid follicle-associated epithelial cells are the last to disappear after treatment with testosterone propionate and the follicles are restored only where these cells remain, the lymphoid follicle-associated epithelial cells may be considered to be responsible for the re-establishment of the bursal follicle.     

Role of noradrenalin in the dorsal hippocampus in the mechanism of the self-stimulation response in rats

Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Reinforcement, A. I. Karaev Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR, Baku. Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 109, No. 1, pp. 5–6, January, 1990.     

The Beauty of the Network in the Brain and the Origin of the Mind in the Control of Behavior

Behavior is not adequately described as a stimulus-response process. It is initiated by the animal and is generated because of its expected outcome in the future. The outcome can be good or bad for the animal. The brain is in charge of the selection process. This is the basic function of the brain. Taking Drosophila as a study case, this paper discusses initiating activity, several examples of outcome expectations, trying out (the internal search for a suitable behavior), chaining of actions, and the functional roles of chance in action selection. It takes mental processes and states such as goals, intentions, feelings, memories, cognition, and attention as higher levels of behavioral control that have their origin in biological evolution.     

The dynamics of the changes in the ultrastructural organization of the podocytes in the primary nephrotic syndrome in children

Combined clinico-morphological (including electronmicroscopy) study of kidney biopsies from 68 children has been performed. A group of 15 children, aged from 3 to 12 years suffering from nephrotic syndrome with minimal glomerular changes was separated. The biopsies were taken at the beginning of the disease, in the period of the most pronounced symptoms of nephrotic syndrome and during the clinical remission after the disappearance of proteinuria at the end of hormonotherapy (prednisolone). The reactive changes of the podocyte ultrastructural organization under functional stress are described as well as disturbance of membranous and non-membranous organellas of these cells in the course of the degenerative changes and necrosis development that corresponded to the breakdown of the compensatory-adaptive mechanisms in the high proteinuria of a long duration. The signs of the podocyte repair in the period of clinical remission resulting from the prednisolone therapy are described.     

Challenges in the Management of Asthma in the Elderly

Recent literature has emphasized the clinical and socio-epidemiological significance of asthma in the elderly. However, why the disease burden remains high in this group is unclear. Elderly subjects usually have multiple chronic illnesses, and the role played by comorbidities in the context of asthma has been underappreciated. This review aims to summarize the literature associations between comorbidities and asthma in elderly patients. In addition, we discuss patient management issues.