Alveolar macrophages and the diagnosis of drowning

In the present study, we examined the number of alveolar macrophages in lung tissue from 17 cases of fresh water drowning, 22 cases of acute death and 6 cases of lung emphysema. When counting only the number of alveolar macrophages per alveolus without consideration of the alveolar size we found no relevant differences between the groups investigated. To exclude any influence of the alveolar size on the results the surface density of the alveolar macrophages and interstitial tissue was estimated and compared in the different groups. In cases of drowning, the lungs showed significantly lower values in both categories. The ratio of ‘alveolar macrophages/interstitial tissue’ was also reduced in cases of drowning in comparison to the other groups, however, without significant differences. These morphometrical results characterizing the ‘emphysema aquosum’ with almost ‘empty’ and dilated alveoli could be explained by a wash-out effect of the drowning fluid leading to a partial removal of the macrophages from the alveoli. This hypothesis was confirmed by the detection of alveolar macrophages in the drowning froth by immunohistochemical analysis. Even though alveolar macrophages were unambiguously identified in advanced putrefied lungs in HE-stained sections as well as by immunohistochemical staining, an estimation of the number of these cells cannot provide further information for the diagnosis of drowning in putrefied corpses due to the autolytic destruction of the lung architecture providing no reliable values

Photoreceptor Transplantation in Late Stage Retinal Degeneration

The recent advances in cell-based therapies for the repair of the pigmented epithelium is providing additional impetus for the translation of photoreceptor transplantation to eventual clinical trials. The prospects for transplantation of photoreceptors as a potential therapy for the treatment of photoreceptor degeneration will depend on successfully addressing many critical issues in preclinical studies. Although most of the studies that have carried out transplants of photoreceptors have primarily used normal mice, there have been recent reports that have also shown some success following transplantation to mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa. However, while these results are promising, there are several key issues that require further investigation in order to better understand the optimum timing for transplantation, given the extensive remodeling of the retina that occurs in late stage disease

Identification of Novel Glial Genes by Single-Cell Transcriptional Profiling of Bergmann Glial Cells from Mouse Cerebellum

Bergmann glial cells play critical roles in the structure and function of the cerebellum. During development, their radial processes serve as guides for migrating granule neurons and their terminal endfeet tile to form the glia limitans. As the cerebellum matures, Bergmann glia perform important roles in synaptic transmission and synapse maintenance, while continuing to serve as essential structural elements. Despite growing evidence of the diverse functions of Bergmann glia, the molecular mechanisms that mediate these functions have remained largely unknown. As a step toward identifying the molecular repertoire underlying Bergmann glial function, here we examine global gene expression in individual Bergmann glia from developing (P6) and mature (P30) mouse cerebellum. When we select for developmentally regulated genes, we find that transcription factors and ribosomal genes are particularly enriched at P6 relative to P30; whereas synapse associated molecules are enriched at P30 relative to P6. We also analyze genes expressed at high levels at both ages. In all these categories, we find genes that were not previously known to be expressed in glial cells, and discuss novel functions some of these genes may potentially play in Bergmann glia. We also show that Bergmann glia, even in the adult, express a large set of genes thought to be specific to stem cells, suggesting that Bergmann glia may retain neural precursor potential as has been proposed. Finally, we highlight several genes that in the cerebellum are expressed in Bergmann glia but not astrocytes, and may therefore serve as new, specific markers for Bergmann glia

Pulmonary giant cells and their significance for the diagnosis of asphyxiation

This study was performed to prove whether the detection of polynuclear giant cells in lungs is useful for the diagnosis of asphyxiation due to throttling or strangulation. Therefore, lung specimens of 54 individuals with different natural and unnatural causes of death were investigated. In most lungs examined numerous alveolar macrophages with 1-2 nuclei were found. Polynuclear giant cells, which were arbitrarily defined as alveolar macrophages containing 3 or more nuclei, were observed in all groups investigated except in the cases of hypoxia due to covering the head with plastic bags. Apparent differences between the other groups in particular an increased number in cases of throttling or strangulation, could not be observed. Immunohistochemical investigations confirmed the hypothesis that the observed polynuclear giant cells were derived from alveolar macrophages. The immunohistochemical analysis of the proliferation marker antigen Ki 67 revealed no positive reaction in the nuclei of polynuclear giant cells indicating that these cells had not developed shortly before death by endomitosis as an adaptative change following reduction in oxygen supply. The results provide evidence that the detection of pulmonary polynuclear giant cells cannot be used as a practical indicator for death by asphyxiation due to throttling or strangulation

Auto-Encoder Learning-Based UAV Communications for Livestock Management

The advancement in computing and telecommunication has broadened the applications of drones beyond military surveillance to other fields, such as agriculture. Livestock farming using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems requires surveillance and monitoring of animals on relatively large farmland. A reliable communication system between UAVs and the ground control station (GCS) is necessary to achieve this. This paper describes learning-based communication strategies and techniques that enable interaction and data exchange between UAVs and a GCS. We propose a deep auto-encoder UAV design framework for end-to-end communications. Simulation results show that the auto-encoder learns joint transmitter (UAV) and receiver (GCS) mapping functions for various communication strategies, such as QPSK, 8PSK, 16PSK and 16QAM, without prior knowledge

Generation, Purification and Transplantation of Photoreceptors Derived from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Background: Inherited and acquired retinal degenerations are frequent causes of visual impairment and photoreceptor cell replacement therapy may restore visual function to these individuals. To provide a source of new retinal neurons for cell based therapies, we developed methods to derive retinal progenitors from human ES cells. Methodology/Physical Findings: In this report we have used a similar method to direct induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) from human fibroblasts to a retinal progenitor fate, competent to generate photoreceptors. We also found we could purify the photoreceptors derived from the iPS cells using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) after labeling photoreceptors with a lentivirus driving GFP from the IRBP cis-regulatory sequences. Moreover, we found that when we transplanted the FACS purified iPSC derived photoreceptors, they were able to integrate into a normal mouse retina and express photoreceptor markers. Conclusions: This report provides evidence that enriched populations of human photoreceptors can be derived from iPS cells