Pathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in girls - a double neuro-osseous theory involving disharmony between two nervous systems, somatic and autonomic expressed in the spine and trunk: possible dependency on sympathetic nervous system and hormones with implications for medical therapy

Anthropometric data from three groups of adolescent girls - preoperative adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), screened for scoliosis and normals were analysed by comparing skeletal data between higher and lower body mass index subsets. Unexpected findings for each of skeletal maturation, asymmetries and overgrowth are not explained by prevailing theories of AIS pathogenesis. A speculative pathogenetic theory for girls is formulated after surveying evidence including: (1) the thoracospinal concept for right thoracic AIS in girls; (2) the new neuroskeletal biology relating the sympathetic nervous system to bone formation/resorption and bone growth; (3) white adipose tissue storing triglycerides and the adiposity hormone leptin which functions as satiety hormone and sentinel of energy balance to the hypothalamus for long-term adiposity; and (4) central leptin resistance in obesity and possibly in healthy females. The new theory states that AIS in girls results from developmental disharmony expressed in spine and trunk between autonomic and somatic nervous systems. The autonomic component of this double neuro-osseous theory for AIS pathogenesis in girls involves selectively increased sensitivity of the hypothalamus to circulating leptin (genetically-determined up-regulation possibly involving inhibitory or sensitizing intracellular molecules, such as SOC3, PTP-1B and SH2B1 respectively), with asymmetry as an adverse response (hormesis); this asymmetry is routed bilaterally via the sympathetic nervous system to the growing axial skeleton where it may initiate the scoliosis deformity (leptin-hypothalamic-sympathetic nervous system concept = LHS concept). In some younger preoperative AIS girls, the hypothalamic up-regulation to circulating leptin also involves the somatotropic (growth hormone/IGF) axis which exaggerates the sympathetically-induced asymmetric skeletal effects and contributes to curve progression, a concept with therapeutic implications. In the somatic nervous system, dysfunction of a postural mechanism involving the CNS body schema fails to control, or may induce, the spinal deformity of AIS in girls (escalator concept). Biomechanical factors affecting ribs and/or vertebrae and spinal cord during growth may localize AIS to the thoracic spine and contribute to sagittal spinal shape alterations. The developmental disharmony in spine and trunk is compounded by any osteopenia, biomechanical spinal growth modulation, disc degeneration and platelet calmodulin dysfunction. Methods for testing the theory are outlined. Implications are discussed for neuroendocrine dysfunctions, osteopontin, sympathoactivation, medical therapy, Rett and Prader-Willi syndromes, infantile idiopathic scoliosis, and human evolution. AIS pathogenesis in girls is predicated on two putative normal mechanisms involved in trunk growth, each acquired in evolution and unique to humans

Influence of detergents on development of domesticated plants

W artykule przedstawiamy pracę badawczą, której powstanie było określone wymogami stawianymi przez Komitet Organizacyjny Olimpiady Biologicznej. Pokazujemy, w jaki sposób zrealizować projekt, by uczeń liceum poznał metodykę i wymagania pracy naukowej. Wierzymy, że najlepsi uczniowie chętniej podejmą wyzwania, które dają realne odpowiedzi na nurtujące ich pytania, mimo ich stopnia trudności i poziomu skomplikowania. Chcieliśmy przede wszystkim zademonstrować, że rozwiązanie wielu problemów badawczych leży w zasięgu możliwości licealistów. Pokazujemy przykład pracy zaproponowany przez ucznia - projekt zakładał zbadanie wpływu detergentów (wybrano popularny proszek do prania) na rozwój roślin hodowlanych na przykładzie kapusty białej (Brassica oleracea) i rzodkiewki zwyczajnej (Raphanus satlvus var. satiwtś). W tym celu wykorzystano spektroskopię UV-Vis (do określenia ilości chlorofilu), wysokosprawną chromatografię cieczową faz odwróconych RP HPLC (by sprawdzić, czy jeden, wytypowany związek - Lilial, akumuluje się w liściach kapusty białej) oraz miareczkowanie kompleksometryczne (określenie stężenia niektórych kationów w soku komórkowym).In this paper we present the concerning scientific report, which was prepared as First requirement of the Organizing Committee of the Biology Contest for the high school students. We show how to encourage the best of high school students to follow the methodology and regime of academic research. We believe that they would take the risk to answer important question irrespective of effort required to fulfill the objectives. Our main aim was to ensure, that such project could be conducted by high school student. However it is often, that the easier project is realized instead of interesting one. We demonstrate the intransigent work. The subject proposed focus on influence of detergents (washing powder) on development of plants: white cabbage (Brassica oleracea) and radish (Raphanus sativus var. sativus). UV-Vis spectroscopy (determination of chlorophylls amounts), high pressure liquid chromatography (RP HPLC; investigation of Lilial accumulation in leaves) and titration (determination of magnesium ions concentration) were used

Morphometric studies on the development of the human thyroid gland. II. The late fetal life

Histological and morphometric studies were performed on 27 thyroid glands obtained from normal fetuses ranging between 23 to 40 weeks of intra-uterine life. In the thyroids the volume of gland, colloid, and stroma were calculated by means of differential pointcounting method and the height of the thyroid follicular cells was measured. Moreover, the epithelium/colloid ratio in the thyroid gland, a very sensitive parameter of stimulation of the glands by TSH, was calculated. Regarding the values of this ratio in human fetal thyroid gland, the intra-uterine development of the gland may be divided into three distinct stages. The first one, between weeks 10- 18 is characterized by massive folliculogenesis and gradual accumulation of the colloid. The second stage, between weeks 19-29 of fetal life is characterized by rather unchanged values of epithelium/colloid ratio and the size of follicles. The third stage, after the 29th week of development is characterized by a gradual increase in the epithelium/colloid ratio and a decrease in the size of follicles

Comparative stereological study on zonation and cellular composition of adrenal glands of normal and anencephalic human fetuses. l. Zonation of the gland

Comparative stereological studies were performed on zonation of adrenal glands in 10 anencephalic and 11 normal fetuses, aged between 24 and 39 postovulatory weeks. The development of adrenal fetal zone (FZ) is the main factor responsible for normal adrenal gland growth during the intra-uterine life. At the end of fetal '3e riod volume of this zone attains over 8200 mm and constitutes 69-70% of the total gland volume, while respective values for zona glomerulosa (ZG), zona fasciculata (ZF) and medulla IM' are 1665 mm3 (14%) 833 mm3 (7%) and 1071 mm (9%). These data were in striking contrast with those found in adrenals of anencephalic fetuses, in which volume of the gland attained only ca 35% of that in normal fetuses. In the oldest anencephalic fetus studied (39 weeks) the volume of the fetal zone was 962 mm3 (ca 8-folds lower than in normal fetus) comprising only 25% of the total gland volume. For the remaining zones the values were: ZG - 1501 mm3 (ca 90% of the normal value and 39% of the total gland volume); ZF - 770 mm3 (ca 92% and 20% respectively), and M - 539 mm3 (ca 50% and 14%, respective1 y). This stereological study provides the first systemic description of the development of adrenal gland of anencephalic fetuses in comparison with the normally developing gland. Moreover, evidence is given that the growth of adrenal medulla is also retarded in anencephaly while the growth of the zona glomerulosa remains rather unaffected

Comparative stereological studies on zonation and cellular composition of adrenal glands of normal and anencephalic human fetuses. II. Cellular composition of the gland

In our previous paper (Bocian-Sobkowska et al., 1997) we demonstrated a striking difference in development of zonation in adrenals of normal and anencephalic human fetuses. The purpose of the present study was to characterize, by means of stereology, the cellular composition of developing adrenals in the same case. Studies were performed on 11 pairs of adrenal glands from normal fetuses and 10 from anencephalic fetuses. In the studied period of development (24 to 39 weeks of intra-uterine life) the average volume of cells in normal glands increased as follows: zona glomerulosa (ZG) from 355 to 870 pm3; zona fasciculata (ZF) from 779 to 1200 pm3; fetal zone (FZ) from 2004 to 2380 pm3; and medulla (M) from 600 to 970 ym3. In anencephalic fetuses, the appropriate values were: ZG - 380-680 pn3; ZF - 460-680 pm3; FZ - 1820-1680 pm3; and M - 870-1400 pm3. At the end of the studied period the number of ZG cells in normal fetuses was two fold higher than in anencephalics, ZF cells - 6-fold and in FZ - 5-fold higher, while in the M the number of cells was nearly equal in both groups. During the whole investigated period of intra-uterine development the total number of adrenocortical cells in normal glands increased ca 2.5-fold, while in anencephalic glands only ca 0.5-fold, reaching at the end ca 40% of normal value. In both normal and anencephalic adrenals the number of ZG and M cells was highly correlated with ZG/M cell ratio, being slightly higher in normal glands. No such relation was demonstrated for cells of the remaining adrenocortical zones

Morphometric studies on the development of human thyroid gland in early fetal life

Histological and morphometric studies were performed on 30 thyroid glands obtained from normal human fetuses. Their crown-rump length (CRL) ranged from 57 to 190 mm, corresponding to the gestational age of 10 - 20 weeks. The weight of the thyroid gland increased proportionally in relation to CRL, foot length and fetus weight. The first follicles containing PAS-positive colloid were observed in the peripheral part of the thyroid gland of 57 mm CRL fetus. The number of follicles per 1 mm2 of thyroid surface section increased up to 85 mm CRL and thereafter gradually declined for the end of studied period of fetal life. The volumes (in mm3) of thyroid epithelium, colloid and stroma, beginning from 85 mm increased proportionally to the CRL while the height of epithelial cells did not change. The epithelium/colloid ratio decreased notably to 165 mm CRL and thereafter remained constant. Results of the present study suggest that the thyroid gland of human fetus approaches structural maturity in 17.5 week of gestation

Stereology of human fetal adrenal medulla

Stereological studies were performed on 27 pairs of adrenal glands of human fetuses (9-38 weeks of intra-uterine development). Medullary chrornaffin cells were identified by irnrnunostaining for chromogranin-A. The volume of adrenal rnedulla, average cell volurne, and the number of chrornaffin cells were calculated. The volume of adrenal medulla increased slowly up to the 20th week and afterwards it enlarged rapidly to the 3 1 st week of the fetal period. A gradual, linear increase in the number of chromaffin cells of developing adrenal rnedulla was observed during the studied period. On the contrary, the average volurne of the adrenal medullary cells rernained quite constant until the 17th week of the development. Afterwards, a gradual, linear increase in the cell volume was observed until the 31 st week, reaching a plateau by the end of intra-uterine developrnent