Vol 154, No 5 (2018)

Objective: immunohistochemical study of the distribution of neurofilament (NF) light chain proteins in the cingulate cortex and adjacent areas of rat forebrain. Material and methods. Distribution of NF light chain proteins in rat cingulate cortex and adjacent areas of the forebrain was studied immunohistochemically on adult male Wistar rats (7 animals) using monoclonal antibodies specific for 70 kDa NF (2F11 clone). Results. NF light chain proteins were found to have irregular distribution in the brain with the maximal expression in the singular neural pathways and the white matter of motor, somatosensory, and insular cortex. Intense 2F11-immunoreactivity was observed in the dorsal (but not ventral) part of the corpus callosum, thus, indicating the difference between the axons of the ventral part of the corpus callosum and nerve fibers of other pathways in their content of NF light chain proteins. Among the brain grey matter areas, most pronounced 2F11-immunoreactivity was found in the cingulate and retrosplenial cortex, where a distinct laminar pattern of immunoreactivity was observed with two layers of intensive expression of NF proteins alternating with much weaker stained layers. Laminar pattern of NF distribution was not found in the neighboring secondary motor cortex, which was immunostained as intensively as the cingulate and retrosplenial ones, but homogeneously. More lateral neocortical areas exhibited very low NF immunoreactivity. Conclusions. The present study demonstrated a laminar pattern of NF-containing nerve fiber distribution in the cingulate and retrosplenial cortex as well as their irregular distribution in the corpus callosum and the effectiveness of antibodies to light chain proteins of neurofilaments (2F11 clone) for labeling the nerve fibers in neuroanatomical studies and analysis of brain myeloarchitectonics.

Objective - to study the localization and morphogenesis of Pacinian corpuscles (PC) during human pancreatic development, as well in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods. Autopsy material was obtained from 42 fetuses and neonates aged from 10th to 40th weeks of gestation and of 65 adults, 18 of whom suffered from type 2 diabetes mellitus. Sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and using Mallory method. Immunohistochemical reactions were also performed with markers commonly used to identify PC: antibodies against vimentin, neuron specific enolase (NSE) and S100 protein. A total of more than 1000 sections were examined. Results. PC were shown to be rare finding in the human pancreas: we have detected PC only in one pancreatic section of a newborn with diagnosed diabetic fetopathy. Conclusions. PC cannot play a significant role in the sensory innervation of human pancreas.

Objective - to study the distribution of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and their tissue inhibitors (TIMP-2 and TIMP-1) in the capillaries of rat brain in renovascular hypertension (RVHT). Materials and methods. The research was conducted on 35 Wistar rats with RVHT modelled by a surgical method (ligature on the left renal artery and vein). The immunohystochemical study of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-2 and TIMP-1 in brain capillaries was conducted 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks after surgery (5 animals in each group). Level of an expression of each enzyme was estimated on the basis of concentration of the corresponding immunopositive capillaries. Then a ratio of MMP-2/TIMP-2 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 was calculated in cerebral cortex and white matter. Results. MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were found in the capillaries of the cortex and white matter, both in control animals, and during RVHT development, while MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were detected only in rats with RVHT. The number of MMP-2-positive capillaries considerably increased in the 2nd week, that of MMP-9-positive capillaries - in the 12th week of RVHT development, while the content of TIMP-2 and TIMP-1-positive capillaries was reduced to the minimal level during the specified periods, leading to significant changes of MMPs/TIMPs ratio. Conclusion. The balance between MMPs and TIMPs was disturbed during RVHT development. which is indicated by the changes of MMPs/TIMPs ratio in capillaries of the cortex and white matter. These processes may result in the destructive alterations of the blood-brain barrier, thus increasing the risk of complications in arterial hypertension.

Objective - study of the age and regional variability of the minor glands of the vaginal vestibule. Materials and methods. The glands of the vaginal vestibule vestibule were studied in 72 girls and women of different ages (from newborn to 75 years) without the pathology of the urogenital organs. On the total preparations of the the vaginal vestibule, the glands were stained using Sinelnikov’s method. Histological sections 5-7 μm thick were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and van Gieson’s method. Results. Minor glands of the vaginal vestibule were completely formed by the time of infant’s birth. In comparison with the newborn girls, at the age of 22-35 years the total number of glands, their length, width and the secretory portion area increased. Beginning with the second period of the mature age up to the senile age, inclusively, the involutive changes of the glands occurred. The presence of a gradient of parameters of the glands of the vaginal vestibule was detected: their numbers and sizes increased in the anterior-posterior direction. The level of variability rised during postnatal ontogenesis up to the reproductive age. Conclusions. The glandular apparatus of the vaginal vestibule was found to reach the maximal development in the first period of adulthood. Later on, the morphometric parameters of the glandular structures gradually decrease. Gland numbers, sizes and shapes are individually variable.

Objective - to examine cephalometric parameters and gender differences of their growth in male and female individuals aged 17-24 years, living in the Republic of Belarus. Materials and methods: The cephalometric study of 800 men and women aged 17-24 years was conducted with the analysis of 21 parameters and 24 indexes. Results. Information on the regularities of the structure of cranial and facial part of the skull in humans aged 17-24 was obtained. In women the longitudinal and transverse diameters of the cerebral part of the skull, morphological and maxillary width of the face were stabilized by 18 years, while in males the increase of all skull parts was observed up to the age of 23 years. Conclusions. The growth of the various parts of the skull is completed at different ages in men and women

The purpose of this review is to analyze the literature data on the development of histaminergic system of the brain in ontogenesis of animals and humans. On Days 13-17 of rat embryogenesis, a temporary transitional histaminergic system exists in the midbrain, pons and medulla, in which the histamine is colocalized in neurons with the serotonin. The first histaminergic neurons in the posterior hypothalamus by Day 16 of embryogenesis. By the time of birth, they form there 5 clusters of nuclei (E1- E5), characteristic for the adult vertebrates and reaching definitive characteristics by postnatal Day 20. The development of the histaminergic system in rats has a specific character, while in the ontogenesis of fish Danio rerio and tat one of humans, a transitional histaminergic system is not detected.