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Nitric oxide controls excitatory/inhibitory balance in the hypoglossal nucleus during early postnatal development. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:2871-2884. [PMID: 33130922 PMCID: PMC7674331 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02165-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Synaptic remodeling during early postnatal development lies behind neuronal networks refinement and nervous system maturation. In particular, the respiratory system is immature at birth and is subjected to significant postnatal development. In this context, the excitatory/inhibitory balance dramatically changes in the respiratory-related hypoglossal nucleus (HN) during the 3 perinatal weeks. Since, development abnormalities of hypoglossal motor neurons (HMNs) are associated with sudden infant death syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea, deciphering molecular partners behind synaptic remodeling in the HN is of basic and clinical relevance. Interestingly, a transient expression of the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) occurs in HMNs at neonatal stage that disappears before postnatal day 21 (P21). NO, in turn, is a determining factor for synaptic refinement in several physiopathological conditions. Here, intracerebroventricular chronic administration (P7–P21) of the broad spectrum NOS inhibitor l-NAME (N(ω)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester) differentially affected excitatory and inhibitory rearrangement during this neonatal interval in the rat. Whilst l-NAME led to a reduction in the number of excitatory structures, inhibitory synaptic puncta were increased at P21 in comparison to administration of the inactive stereoisomer d-NAME. Finally, l-NAME decreased levels of the phosphorylated form of myosin light chain in the nucleus, which is known to regulate the actomyosin contraction apparatus. These outcomes indicate that physiologically synthesized NO modulates excitatory/inhibitory balance during early postnatal development by acting as an anti-synaptotrophic and/or synaptotoxic factor for inhibitory synapses, and as a synaptotrophin for excitatory ones. The mechanism of action could rely on the modulation of the actomyosin contraction apparatus.
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Ottaviani G, Buja LM. Pathology of unexpected sudden cardiac death: Obstructive sleep apnea is part of the challenge. Cardiovasc Pathol 2020; 47:107221. [PMID: 32371340 DOI: 10.1016/j.carpath.2020.107221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Unexpected sudden cardiac death (SCD), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden intrauterine unexplained death (SIUD) are major unsolved, devastating forms of death that occur frequently. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality, including sudden cardiac death (SCD). This editorial will review the pathology of SCD, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden intrauterine unexplained death (SIUD); OSA with its cardiovascular consequences; the possible link between SCD and OSA, discussing the potential mechanisms underlying these two frequent, but yet overlooked pathologies. Finally, the possible preventive benefits of treating OSA and identifying patients at common risk for OSA and SCD and SIDS-SIUD to prevent unexpected deaths will be discussed. Post-mortem examination is of great importance in every case of SCD sine materia, with examination of the brainstem and cardiac conduction system on serial sections, when general autopsy fails, but it should be stressed that also the investigations of patients suffering from OSA should focus on the possibility of pathological findings in common with cases of SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Ottaviani
- Lino Rossi Research Center, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Via della Commenda, 19, 20122 Milan, Italy; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - L Maximilian Buja
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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Developmental Nicotine Exposure Alters Synaptic Input to Hypoglossal Motoneurons and Is Associated with Altered Function of Upper Airway Muscles. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0299-19.2019. [PMID: 31712219 PMCID: PMC6860987 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0299-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotine exposure during the fetal and neonatal periods [developmental nicotine exposure (DNE)] is associated with ineffective upper airway protective reflexes in infants. This could be explained by desensitized chemoreceptors and/or mechanoreceptors, diminished neuromuscular transmission or altered synaptic transmission among central neurons, as each of these systems depend in part on cholinergic signaling through nicotinic AChRs (nAChRs). Here, we showed that DNE blunts the response of the genioglossus (GG) muscle to nasal airway occlusion in lightly anesthetized rat pups. The GG muscle helps keep the upper airway open and is innervated by hypoglossal motoneurons (XIIMNs). Experiments using the phrenic nerve-diaphragm preparation showed that DNE does not alter transmission across the neuromuscular junction. Accordingly, we used whole cell recordings from XIIMNs in brainstem slices to examine the influence of DNE on glutamatergic synaptic transmission under baseline conditions and in response to an acute nicotine challenge. DNE did not alter excitatory transmission under baseline conditions. Analysis of cumulative probability distributions revealed that acute nicotine challenge of P1–P2 preparations resulted in an increase in the frequency of nicotine-induced glutamatergic inputs to XIIMNs in both control and DNE. By contrast, P3–P5 DNE pups showed a decrease, rather than an increase in frequency. We suggest that this, together with previous studies showing that DNE is associated with a compensatory increase in inhibitory synaptic input to XIIMNs, leads to an excitatory-inhibitory imbalance. This imbalance may contribute to the blunting of airway protective reflexes observed in nicotine exposed animals and human infants.
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Yan X, Lei F, Hu Y, Nie L, Jia Q, Zhou H, Zhao F, Zheng Y. Hydrogen sulfide protects neonatal rat medulla oblongata against prenatal cigarette smoke exposure via anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2018; 57:151-158. [PMID: 29274628 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2017.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We previously demonstrated that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) protected neonatal rat medulla oblongata from prenatal cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) via anti-apoptotic effect. The present work further investigated the involvement of anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of H2S in the protection. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into NaCl, CSE, CSE + NaHS (a donor of H2S) and NaHS groups. All the tests were performed with corresponding neonatal rats. Nissl staining revealed that NaHS treatment ameliorated neuronal chromatolysis in the hypoglossal nucleus and nucleus ambiguus resulted from prenatal CSE. Moreover, NaHS eliminated decrease of glutathione level, increase of malondialdehyde content and inhibition of superoxide dismutase activity within neonatal rat medulla oblongata caused by prenatal CSE. NaHS also relieved the up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 in the medulla oblongata of the neonatal CSE rats. These results suggest that H2S can alleviate prenatal CSE-induced injuries of neonatal rat medulla oblongata through anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Yan
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China
| | - Fang Lei
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China
| | - Yajie Hu
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China
| | - Lihong Nie
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004 Ningxia, PR China
| | - Qingyi Jia
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China
| | - Hua Zhou
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China
| | - Fusheng Zhao
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China.
| | - Yu Zheng
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China.
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Ottaviani G, Buja LM. Update on congenital heart disease and sudden infant/perinatal death: from history to future trends. J Clin Pathol 2017; 70:555-562. [DOI: 10.1136/jclinpath-2017-204326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
During the 20th century, expert pathologists contributed an in-depth characterisation of the anatomical pathology and associated pathophysiology of congenital heart disease (CHD). Starting in the 1970s, the reported CHD birth prevalence has been increasing, owing to advances in diagnostic methods. Over the years, surgical treatments have been associated with an enormous reduction of CHD mortality. Advances also have been made in understanding the developmental biology and molecular pathogenesis of CHD. In developed countries, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the most frequent form of death during the first year of life, with a death rate of 0.42 every 1000 births. Unexpected stillbirth has a six- to eightfold greater incidence than that of SIDS and remains unexplained in 40–80% of cases even after autopsy. Specific environmental risk factors, such as maternal smoking, air and water pollution, food contamination, pesticides, etc, can interact with the genetic constitution in complex ways, which may lead to polymorphisms and/or mutations of specific genes, such as polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter gene 5-HTT, the regulator of the synaptic serotonin concentration. Current directions of research in this area are reviewed.
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Singh GP, Chowdhury T, Bindu B, Schaller B. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - Role of Trigeminocardiac Reflex: A Review. Front Neurol 2016; 7:221. [PMID: 27994573 PMCID: PMC5136573 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2016.00221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is an unexplained death in infants, which usually occurs during sleep. The cause of SIDS remains unknown and multifactorial. In this regard, the diving reflex (DR), a peripheral subtype of trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR), is also hypothesized as one of the possible mechanisms for this condition. The TCR is a well-established neurogenic reflex that manifests as bradycardia, hypotension, apnea, and gastric hypermotility. The TCR shares many similarities with the DR, which is a significant physiological adaptation to withstand hypoxia during apnea in many animal species including humans in clinical manifestation and mechanism of action. The DR is characterized by breath holding (apnea), bradycardia, and vasoconstriction, leading to increase in blood pressure. Several studies have described congenital anomalies of autonomic nervous system in the pathogenesis of SIDS such as hypoplasia, delayed neuronal maturation, or decreased neuronal density of arcuate nucleus, hypoplasia, and neuronal immaturity of the hypoglossal nucleus. The abnormalities of autonomic nervous system in SIDS may explain the role of TCR in this syndrome involving sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. We reviewed the available literature to identify the role of TCR in the etiopathogenesis of SIDS and the pathways and cellular mechanism involved in it. This synthesis will help to update our knowledge and improve our understanding about this mysterious, yet common condition and will open the door for further research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gyaninder Pal Singh
- Department of Neuro-Anesthesiology and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences , New Delhi , India
| | - Tumul Chowdhury
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Manitoba , Winnipeg, MB , Canada
| | - Barkha Bindu
- Department of Neuro-Anesthesiology and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences , New Delhi , India
| | - Bernhard Schaller
- Department of Research, University of Southampton , Southampton , UK
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Ottaviani G, Buja LM. Anatomopathological changes of the cardiac conduction system in sudden cardiac death, particularly in infants: advances over the last 25 years. Cardiovasc Pathol 2016; 25:489-499. [PMID: 27616614 DOI: 10.1016/j.carpath.2016.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is defined as the unexpected death without an obvious noncardiac cause that occurs within 1 h of witnessed symptom onset (established SCD) or within 24 h of unwitnessed symptom onset (probable SCD). In the United States, its incidence is 69/100,000 per year. Dysfunctions of the cardiac conduction and autonomic nervous systems are known to contribute to SCD pathogenesis, even if most clinicians and cardiovascular pathologists lack experience with detailed examination of the cardiac conduction system and fail to recognize lesions that are crucial to explain the SCD itself. In this review, we sought to describe the advances over the last 25 years in the study of the anatomopathological changes of the conducting tissue, in SCD, in mature hearts and particularly in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden intrauterine unexpected death syndrome (SIUDS), through the articles published in our journal Cardiovascular Pathology (CVP). We carried out an extensive Medline search to retrieve and review all articles published in CVP in which the sudden unexpected death of one or more subjects believed healthy was reported, especially if associated with lesions of the conducting tissue in settings that revealed no other explained causes of death, particularly in infants and fetuses. The cardiac conduction findings of resorptive degeneration, His bundle dispersion, Mahaim fibers, cartilaginous meta-hyperplasia, persistent fetal dispersion, left-sided His bundle, septation of the bifurcation, atrioventricular node dispersion, sinus node hypoplasia, Zahn node, His bundle hypoplasia, atrioventricular node, and His bundle dualism were similarly detected in SIDS and SIUDS victims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Ottaviani
- "Lino Rossi" Research Center for the Study and Prevention of Unexpected Perinatal Death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Department of Biomedical, Surgical, and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - L Maximilian Buja
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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Ottaviani G. Defining Sudden Infant Death and Sudden Intrauterine Unexpected Death Syndromes with Regard to Anatomo-Pathological Examination. Front Pediatr 2016; 4:103. [PMID: 27709109 PMCID: PMC5030471 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2016.00103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Crib death, or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), is the most frequent form of death in the first year of life, striking one baby in every 1,700-2,000. Yet, despite advances in maternal-infant care, sudden intrauterine unexplained/unexpected death syndrome (SIUDS) has a sixfold to eightfold greater incidence than that of SIDS. Frequent congenital abnormalities, likely morphological substrates for SIDS-SIUDS, were detected, mainly represented by alterations of the cardiac conduction system, such as accessory pathways and abnormal resorptive degeneration, and hypoplasia/agenesis of the vital brainstem structures. On the basis of these considerations, the new common definition of the SIDS-SIUDS complex is "The sudden death of a fetus after the 25th gestational week or infant under one year of age which is unexpected by history and remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including examination of the death scene, performance of a general autopsy and examination of the fetal adnexa". Therefore, given that the general autopsy does not disclose any cause of death, a more in-depth histopathological analysis of the cardiac conduction system and autonomic nervous system by specialized pathologists is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Ottaviani
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, "Lino Rossi" Research Center for the Study and Prevention of Unexpected Perinatal Death and SIDS, University of Milan , Milan , Italy
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Jaster JH. Medicine in the future - with subspecialists in medullary neurology and brain dentistry. World J Neurol 2015; 5:107-112. [DOI: 10.5316/wjn.v5.i4.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Revised: 10/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The solitary tract nucleus of the medulla with its limited watershed vascular capacity may occasionally be the focus of transient ischemia caused by the increased metabolic demands associated with frequent and intense neuronal stimulation from other organs and other parts of the brain. Case reports have suggested that these ischemic changes may sometimes result in the initiation of intense autonomic discharges, which can occasionally be fatal. Therapeutic interventions for the medulla oblongata are hampered by its limited accessibility. Systemically administered pharmaceuticals may have some usefulness in future years. Previous experience with vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of epilepsy suggests that it may have some usefulness in stabilizing medullary autonomic discharges. Computerized electronic stimulation of other cranial nerves may be helpful as well, especially the chorda tympani nerve, and may be most easily accomplished from implanted dental appliances, especially molar modules, transmitting signals via secondary transmitters procedurally placed on cranial nerves. Future technology may enable wireless signaling from the implanted dental appliance to the secondary transmitter placed at the nerve site. By the year 2050 subspecialists in medullary neurology and brain dentistry may use computerized electronic stimulation of cranial nerves to prevent sudden unexpected death and treat “chest pain from the brain”.
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Lemaitre F, Chowdhury T, Schaller B. The trigeminocardiac reflex - a comparison with the diving reflex in humans. Arch Med Sci 2015; 11:419-26. [PMID: 25995761 PMCID: PMC4424259 DOI: 10.5114/aoms.2015.50974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Revised: 05/03/2013] [Accepted: 06/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) has previously been described in the literature as a reflexive response of bradycardia, hypotension, and gastric hypermotility seen upon mechanical stimulation in the distribution of the trigeminal nerve. The diving reflex (DR) in humans is characterized by breath-holding, slowing of the heart rate, reduction of limb blood flow and a gradual rise in the mean arterial blood pressure. Although the two reflexes share many similarities, their relationship and especially their functional purpose in humans have yet to be fully elucidated. In the present review, we have tried to integrate and elaborate these two phenomena into a unified physiological concept. Assuming that the TCR and the DR are closely linked functionally and phylogenetically, we have also highlighted the significance of these reflexes in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic Lemaitre
- Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Rouen, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Tumul Chowdhury
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Bernhard Schaller
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Paris, Paris, France
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Paine SML, Jacques TS, Sebire NJ. Review: Neuropathological features of unexplained sudden unexpected death in infancy: current evidence and controversies. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2014; 40:364-84. [DOI: 10.1111/nan.12095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 10/10/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon ML Paine
- Birth Defects Research Centre; UCL Institute of Child Health; London UK
- Department of Histopathology; Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust; London UK
| | - Thomas S Jacques
- Birth Defects Research Centre; UCL Institute of Child Health; London UK
- Department of Histopathology; Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust; London UK
| | - Neil J Sebire
- Department of Histopathology; Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust; London UK
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Stettner GM, Kubin L, Volgin DV. Loss of motoneurons in the ventral compartment of the rat hypoglossal nucleus following early postnatal exposure to alcohol. J Chem Neuroanat 2013; 52:87-94. [PMID: 23932955 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2013.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2013] [Revised: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 07/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Perinatal alcohol exposure (AE) has multiple detrimental effects on cognitive and various behavioral outcomes, but little is known about its impact on the autonomic functions. In a rat model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), we investigated neurochemical and neuroanatomical alterations in two brainstem nuclei, the hypoglossal nucleus (XIIn) and the dorsal nucleus of the vagus nerve (Xdn). One group of male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=6) received 2.625 g/kg ethanol intragastrically twice daily on postnatal days (PD) 4-9, a period equivalent to the third trimester of human pregnancy, and another group (n=6) was sham-intubated. On PD 18-19, the rats were perfused and medullary sections were immunohistochemically processed for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) or two aminergic receptors that mediate excitatory drive to motoneurons, α₁-adrenergic (α₁-R) and serotonin 2A (5-HT(2A)-R), and c-Fos. Based on ChAT labeling, AE rats had reduced numbers of motoneurons in the ventral XIIn (XIIn-v; 35.4±1.3 motoneurons per side and section vs. 40.0±1.2, p=0.022), but not in the dorsal XIIn or Xdn. Consistent with ChAT data, both the numbers of α₁-R-labeled motoneurons in the XIIn-v and the area of the XIIn-v measured using 5-HT(2A)-R staining were significantly smaller in AE rats (19.7±1.5 vs. 25.0±1.4, p=0.031 and 0.063 mm² ±0.002 vs. 0.074±0.002, p=0.002, respectively). Concurrently, both 5-HT(2A)-R and c-Fos staining tended to be higher in AE rats, suggesting an increased activation. Thus, postnatal AE causes motoneuronal loss in the XIIn-v. This may compromise upper airway control and contribute to increased risk of upper airway obstructions and sudden infant death in FASD victims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg M Stettner
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Mecchia D, Lavezzi AM, Matturri L. Primary Cardiac Fibroma and Cardiac Conduction System Alterations in a Case of Sudden Death of a 4-month-old Infant. Open Cardiovasc Med J 2013; 7:47-9. [PMID: 23847693 PMCID: PMC3706798 DOI: 10.2174/1874192401307010047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Revised: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A 4-month-old female infant considered to be in good health died suddenly and unexpectedly. Post- mortem examination was requested, with clinical diagnosis of sudden infant death syndrome. At autopsy the infant was described in good health. Histo- logical examination of the heart found a cardiac fibroma compressing the atrio-ventricular node and the examination of the cardiac conduction system showed an accessory fiber of Mahaim (nodo-ventricular) and cartilaginous metaplasia of the cardiac fibrous body. Probably the concomitant presence of cardiac conduction system abnormalities and a septal fibroma, compressing the atrio-ventricular node, could have an important role in causing the sudden death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatella Mecchia
- "Lino Rossi" Research Center for the study and prevention of the unexpected perinatal death and the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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15
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Baizer JS, Weinstock N, Witelson SF, Sherwood CC, Hof PR. The nucleus pararaphales in the human, chimpanzee, and macaque monkey. Brain Struct Funct 2012; 218:389-403. [PMID: 22426796 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-012-0403-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2011] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The human cerebral cortex and cerebellum are greatly expanded compared to those of other mammals, including the great apes. This expansion is reflected in differences in the size and organization of precerebellar brainstem structures, such as the inferior olive. In addition, there are cell groups unique to the human brainstem. One such group may be the nucleus pararaphales (PRa); however, there is disagreement among authors about the size and location of this nucleus in the human brainstem. The name "pararaphales" has also been used for neurons in the medulla shown to project to the flocculus in the macaque monkey. We have re-examined the existence and status of the PRa in eight humans, three chimpanzees, and four macaque monkeys using Nissl-stained sections as well as immunohistochemistry. In the human we found a cell group along the midline of the medulla in all cases; it had the form of interrupted cell columns and was variable among cases in rostrocaudal and dorsoventral extent. Cells and processes were highly immunoreactive for non-phosphorylated neurofilament protein (NPNFP); somata were immunoreactive to the synthetic enzyme for nitric oxide, nitric oxide synthase, and for calretinin. In macaque monkey, there was a much smaller oval cell group with NPNFP immunoreactivity. In the chimpanzee, we found a region of NPNFP-immunoreactive cells and fibers similar to what was observed in macaques. These results suggest that the "PRa" in the human may not be the same structure as the flocculus-projecting cell group described in the macaque. The PRa, like the arcuate nucleus, therefore may be unique to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan S Baizer
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 123 Sherman Hall, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
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Ottaviani G. Sudden infant and perinatal unexplained death: are we moving forward yet? Cardiovasc Pathol 2011; 20:302-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.carpath.2010.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2008] [Revised: 01/23/2010] [Accepted: 08/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Ackermann J, Ashton G, Lyons S, James D, Hornung JP, Jones N, Breitwieser W. Loss of ATF2 function leads to cranial motoneuron degeneration during embryonic mouse development. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19090. [PMID: 21533046 PMCID: PMC3080913 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2010] [Accepted: 03/28/2011] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The AP-1 family transcription factor ATF2 is essential for development and tissue maintenance in mammals. In particular, ATF2 is highly expressed and activated in the brain and previous studies using mouse knockouts have confirmed its requirement in the cerebellum as well as in vestibular sense organs. Here we present the analysis of the requirement for ATF2 in CNS development in mouse embryos, specifically in the brainstem. We discovered that neuron-specific inactivation of ATF2 leads to significant loss of motoneurons of the hypoglossal, abducens and facial nuclei. While the generation of ATF2 mutant motoneurons appears normal during early development, they undergo caspase-dependent and independent cell death during later embryonic and foetal stages. The loss of these motoneurons correlates with increased levels of stress activated MAP kinases, JNK and p38, as well as aberrant accumulation of phosphorylated neurofilament proteins, NF-H and NF-M, known substrates for these kinases. This, together with other neuropathological phenotypes, including aberrant vacuolisation and lipid accumulation, indicates that deficiency in ATF2 leads to neurodegeneration of subsets of somatic and visceral motoneurons of the brainstem. It also confirms that ATF2 has a critical role in limiting the activities of stress kinases JNK and p38 which are potent inducers of cell death in the CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Ackermann
- Cell Regulation Department, Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Institut de Biologie Cellulaire et de Morphologie, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Garry Ashton
- Cell Regulation Department, Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Steve Lyons
- Cell Regulation Department, Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Dominic James
- Cell Regulation Department, Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nic Jones
- Cell Regulation Department, Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Wolfgang Breitwieser
- Cell Regulation Department, Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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Weber MA, Sebire NJ. Post-mortem Investigation of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy: Role of Autopsy in Classification of Death. FORENSIC PATHOLOGY REVIEWS 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-61779-249-6_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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19
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Kanda S, Saito M, Hayashi M, Atsumi S, Komine S, Tanuma N. Hypoglossal hypoplasia and hyperplasia of the area postrema following perinatal hypoxic brain damage. Brain Dev 2010; 32:285-8. [PMID: 20005652 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2009.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2009] [Revised: 10/22/2009] [Accepted: 10/23/2009] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
We report here an autopsy case of perinatal hypoxic brain damage showing hypoglossal hypoplasia and hyperplasia of the area postrema (AP) in the medulla oblongata. A 16-year-old girl who suffered from severe psychomotor developmental delay, epilepsy and tongue fasciculation, was shown by pathology to have a medullary change, as well as tongue atrophy and severe sclerotic changes in the cerebrum and cerebellum. Moderate to severe neuronal loss and gliosis were found in the brainstem. But neurons were preserved in the trigeminal nuclei, abducens nucleus and dorsal vagal nucleus. We performed a preliminary immunohistochemical analysis of sections of the medulla oblongata in our case, normal controls and disease controls with perinatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The normal and disease controls showed neither hypoglossal hypoplasia nor AP hyperplasia. The combination of hypoglossal hypoplasia and AP hyperplasia is unique and intriguing, and further analysis of the AP is required to understand developmental brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachiko Kanda
- Department of Pediatrics, Tokyo Metropolitan Fuchu Medical Center for the Disabled, Tokyo, Japan.
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20
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Postmortem investigation of sudden unexpected death in infancy: current issues and autopsy protocol. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mpdhp.2009.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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21
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Ottaviani G, Lavezzi AM, Matturri L. Fibromuscular hyperplasia of the pulmonary artery in sudden infant and perinatal unexpected death. Cardiovasc Pathol 2009; 18:223-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.carpath.2008.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2008] [Revised: 04/18/2008] [Accepted: 06/17/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Abstract
The sudden unexpected death of a person believed healthy has occasionally been followed by a detailed postmortem examination that revealed no cause of death except for the unexpected presence of a medullary brain lesion. Our review of all available cases of sudden unexpected death related to medullary brain lesions (SUD-MBL) revealed the absence of any specific constellation of ante-mortem disease characteristics, together with the finding that major motor and sensory pathways were grossly preserved in most cases. The wide variety in ages of the victims, and in specific types of tissue pathology affecting the medulla, makes this illness extremely difficult to anticipate when the medullary lesions are not otherwise known to exist during life. SUD-MBL may be a specific clinico-neuropathologic disease entity, having significant importance for forensic investigators trying to establish the cause of sudden unexpected death in a victim of any age. Because victims often harbor their medullary lesions for days or weeks before SUD-MBL, clinical physicians as well need to consider the possibility of medullary brain involvement by any disease process, neurologic or systemic, while managing their patients.
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23
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Gasping Generation in Developing Swiss–Webster Mice In Vitro and In Vivo. Neurochem Res 2008; 33:1492-500. [DOI: 10.1007/s11064-008-9616-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2007] [Accepted: 01/30/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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24
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Krous HF, Masoumi H, Haas EA, Chadwick AE, Stanley C, Thach BT. Aspiration of gastric contents in sudden infant death syndrome without cardiopulmonary resuscitation. J Pediatr 2007; 150:241-6. [PMID: 17307537 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2006.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2006] [Revised: 10/31/2006] [Accepted: 12/07/2006] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES (1) To compare demographic profiles among sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) infants with or without gastric aspiration, for whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) had not been attempted; (2) to review the severity and potential significance of aspiration in those SIDS cases; and (3) to assess the risk of supine sleep position with regard to gastric aspiration. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of records and microscopic slides for all postneonatal SIDS cases (29 to 365 days of age) accessioned by the San Diego County Medical Examiner from 1991 to 2004. RESULTS Ten (14%) of 69 cases of SIDS infants who had not undergone CPR before autopsy revealed microscopic evidence of gastric aspiration into the distal lung; this group was not otherwise clinically or pathologically different from cases of SIDS infants without aspiration. Similar proportions of infants were found supine or prone, regardless of gastric aspiration. CONCLUSIONS Gastric aspiration is not uncommon in infants dying of SIDS, and supine sleep position does not increase its risk. Gastric aspiration may be a terminal event that some infants, representing a subset of SIDS cases, cannot overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry F Krous
- Department of Pathology, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, California 92123, USA.
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25
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Lavezzi AM, Ottaviani G, Matturri L. Ontogenesis of human cerebellar cortex and biopathological characterization in sudden unexplained fetal and infant death. Virchows Arch 2006; 450:31-40. [PMID: 17334803 DOI: 10.1007/s00428-006-0311-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2006] [Accepted: 09/06/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The aims of this study were to investigate in the human cerebellar cortex the structural and biological ontogenetic features, the possible presence of alterations in cases of sudden unexplained fetal and infant death, and the involvement of the maternal cigarette smoking in developmental abnormalities. We analyzed 52 brains of fetal and infant death victims, aged from the second gestational trimester to 12th postnatal month. In the cerebellar cortex we evaluated, besides the morphological aspects, the expression of several biomarkers implicated in proliferative processes (c-fos, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and apoptosis) as well as the presence of the neurotransmitter somatostatin, which is strongly implicated in central nervous system differentiation, and of EN2 gene. The observed features of the cerebellar cortex, mainly confined to the transient external granular layer, were high proliferative activity and high expression of both somatostatin and EN2 gene in prenatal life and high apoptotic index after birth. In 41% of the sudden unexplained death victims, in the greater part with smoking mothers, we observed different biopathological alterations of the cerebellar cortex. Maternal smoking is increasingly being demonstrated to be one of the main contributors to developmental neurological alterations in the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Lavezzi
- Institute of Pathology, Lino Rossi Research Center, University of Milan, Via della Commenda, 19, Milan, 20122, Italy.
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26
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Matturri L, Ottaviani G, Lavezzi AM. Maternal smoking and sudden infant death syndrome: epidemiological study related to pathology. Virchows Arch 2006; 449:697-706. [PMID: 17091255 DOI: 10.1007/s00428-006-0308-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2006] [Accepted: 08/30/2006] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Various risk factors have been postulated to be related to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Despite its reduction, thanks to the "Back to Sleep" campaign, SIDS is still a major cause of infant mortality in the first year of life. The purpose of this study was to correlate the different risk factors with the autopsy results and thus to determine if one or more of these variables is really specific for SIDS. We collected 128 sudden infant death victims with clinical diagnosis of SIDS and performed a complete autopsy with in-depth histology on serial sections, particularly of the brainstem, in accordance with our necropsy protocol. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical examination of the central autonomic nervous system revealed, in 78 cases of the SIDS group, the following anomalies: hypodevelopment of the arcuate nucleus, somatostatin positive hypoglossus nucleus, tyrosine hydroxylase negativity in the locus coeruleus, gliosis, and hypoplasia of the hypoglossus nucleus. A significant relation was found between maternal smoke and brainstem alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Matturri
- Institute of Pathology, University of Milan, Via della Commenda, 19, 20122 Milan, Italy.
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