Implementation of Unbiased Stereology Method for Organ Volume Estimation using Image Processing

Stereology had been widely used around the globe for estimating the value of the biological structure. It interlinks the connection between the dimensions using a sample that is 2D for a quantification in 3D structure. Volume estimation using stereology method is the most common and basic quantification that shows an example of how stereology works. Stereology method has a drawback when it comes to a lot of samples, so it is common for a researcher to use the computer to help to quantify and to do repetitive work, which is known as computer-assisted stereology quantification. The purpose of this research is to develop software that can assist researchers using stereology method for estimating the volume of a sample object from its 2D digital images with point counting method. The software was built based on the manual procedure of volume estimation using stereology method performed by experienced researchers. The volume estimation using the software were then compared with the results of the manual procedure by the experts on the same samples, i.e., the kidney and trigeminal ganglion of a rat. The experimental results showed that the relative difference of the volume estimations between manual and computer assisted calculations were 0.93% for rat kidney sample and 10.81%. TA1 trigeminal ganglion sample. Based on the results, the software estimation can be used for further analysis

Pengaruh Ekstrak Etanol Pegagan (Centella asiatica ) Terhadap Volume Hippocampus Tikus (Rattus norvegicus) Pasca Stres Kronik

Background. Chronic stress caused by restraint stress induces an increase in corticosterone (glucocorticoid) that result decreased hippocampal vollume. Centella asiatica has long been used for various neurological disturbances in Southeast Asian countries. Aims. The research aims to investigate the effects of ethanol extracts of Centella Asiatica to prevent the decrease of hippocampal vollume after chronic stress. Methods. Thirty male adult rats (Sprague Dawley) with body weight of 250-350 gram was randomly subdivided into six groups of treatments: Nonstress control group was given 2% Pulvis Gummi Arabicum (PGA), Stress control groups( PGA 2 %), groups treated with fluoxetine 10mg/kgbw/day , and Ca150,  Ca300, Ca600 containing ethanol extracts of Centella asiatica with doses 150 mg/kgbw/day, 300 mg/kgbw/day, 600 mg/kgbw/day a, respectively followed by restraint stress.  After 21 days of stress, rats underwent Morris Water Maze test for 6 days, perfused, and hippocampus was collected for histological processing. Toluidine blue staining is used to asses the estimation of hippocampal volume. Results. The estimated hippocampal volume were 3.1512 ± 1.01 (nonstress), 2.4736 ± 0.10 (stress), 2.7018 ± 1.06 (Ca150), 2.7405 ± 1.19 (Ca300), 2.2678 ± 0.82  (Ca600) and 2.5818 ± 0.70 (Fluoxetine). Statistic test showed that there were no significant diferrence between stress control group and groups treated. Conclusion. There is no the significant effects of Ethanol extracts of Centella Asiatica to prevent the decrease of hippocampal vollume after chronic stress

Prefrontal cortex cell proliferation of adult rats after chronic stress treated with ethanolic extract of Centella asiatica (L) Urban.

The decrease of proliferation level of cells in several regions of adult brain is found afterstress exposure. One of such area is prefrontal cortex. Herbal medicine as antistresshas been used widely. Centella asiatica (L) Urban extract was reported to have potentcompounds to increase brain function. The objective of this study is to investigate theeffects of ethanolic extract C. asiatica on cell proliferation of the adult prefrontal cortexin rats (PFC) after chronic stress. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 260-390g were randomly assigned into six experimental groups, with five rats per group, i.e.Group 1 as nomal control without chronic stress, Group 2 as stress control, Group 3 aspositive control given fluoxetine, Group 4-6 as treatment groups given 150; 300 and 600of ethanolic extrac C. asiatica, respectively. Extract were administered orally to the ratsfollowing a period of restraint duration of 6 hours/day for 21 days. Bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU) immunohistochemistry was used to label the proliferated cells. Physical fractionatormethod was used to estimate the total number of proliferated cells. One-way analysis ofvariance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey post hoc test was used to evaluate the differencebetween groups. BrdU-labeled cells on medial prefrontal cortex were as follows:1715.3±1345.1 (Group 1), 2659.2±2250.6 (Group 2), 4077.4±2415.3 (Group 3),1784.1±908.3 (Group 4), 3056.6±4263.3 (Group 5), and 2153.4±2259.4 (Group 6).No significance difference between groups was observed (p>0.05). In conclusion, theadministration of ethanolic extract of C. asiatica does not influence cell proliferation onprefrontal cortex of rats after chronic stress

Moderate-intensity interval exercise but not high-intensity interval exercise improves the spatial memory of ovariectomized rats

Physical exercise exerts beneficial effects on the spatial learning and memory. High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) has been proposed as a time-efficient physical exercise regimen. On the other hand, there were evidences that HIIE increased oxidative stress biomarkers and reduced antioxidant capacity, which resulted in oxidative damage. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of high-intensity interval exercise and moderate-intensity interval exercise on oxidative stress biomarkers and oxidative enzymes activity in the hippocampus and the spatial memory of ovariectomized rats. A total of 16 female Sprague Dawley rats aged 12 weeks were randomly assigned into 4 groups, i.e. the sham-operated (SO), ovariectomized without exercise (O), ovariectomized with high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), and ovariectomized with moderate-intensity interval exercise (MIIE) groups. Rats of the exercise groups (HIIE & MIIE groups) performed 6 sessions of interval exercise per week for 6 weeks. The spatial memory of rats was measured using the Morris water maze procedure. The malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and activity of catalase (Cat) as well as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in hippocampus were determined using spectrophotometry method. The spatial learning and memory retention of the moderate-intensity interval exercise group was significantly better than that of the high-intensity interval exercise group. The GPx activity of MIIE group was higher than any other groups. The SO group had the lowest hippocampal MDA level and highest Cat activity among groups. Moderate-intensity interval exercise reduces the ovariectomy induced-oxidative stress in the hippocampus and improves spatial learning and memory retention of ovariectomized rats

Prenatal hypoxia–ischemia decreases spatial memory and increases aggression during adolescence

Prenatal hypoxia–ischemia (HI) is a major cause of mortality and chronic neurological diseases in newborns. HI contributes to the emergence of several neurological disorders such as cognitive and behavioral deficits due to the atypical brain development. This study aimed at assessing the effects of prenatal HI on the spatial memory and aggression of rats during adolescence. Pregnant rats were divided into treatment and control groups. The rats of the treatment groups underwent unilateral ligation of the uterine artery on pregnancy day 7, 12, or 17. The offspring of these rats were tested for spatial memory and aggression when they reached 33 days of age. It has been found that the percentages of alternations in the Y-maze and the number of crossings in the Morris water maze tests of the HI groups were lower than those of the control groups. The total offense and defense aggression scores of the HI groups were higher than those of the control groups. In conclusion, the longer the duration of HI, the more deficits it causes in the spatial memory and aggression of rats during adolescence

Pengantar Ekonomika

Yogyakartax, 225 hlm.: ilus.; 22 c