• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 1999

Diagnosing Hirschprung's disease is one of the clinical challenges of this disorder. In the stomach and the intestines, Cathepsin D was readily detected in cytoplasm of the rat gastric and in intestinal ganglion cells of the autonomic nervous system. The objectives of the present study were to examine cathepsin D expression in ganglion cells of the submucosal and myenteric plexuses of the intestine of children and to determine the utility of immunohistochemical staining of cathepsin D for detection of immature ganglion cells. Paraffin blocks of 35 intestinal segments were reviewed for immunohistochemical staining with polyclonal antibody to cathepsin D and hematoxylineosin stainings from the compatible specimens. There were 9 aganglionic segments and 9 ganglionic segments of neonates with Hirschsprung's disease, 8 intestinal segments with non-Hirschsprung's disease in neonates and 9 intestinal segments with non-Hirschsprung's disease infants over the age of 10 months. All ganglion cells showed intense granular cytoplasmic reactivity for cathepsin D regardless of maturity and all aganglionic segments had no expression for cathepsin D in the submucosal and myenteric plexuses of the intestine. However, histiocytes within the laminar propria and submucosa stained positively for cathepsin D. In conclusion, intestinal ganglion cells in children have reactivity for cathepsin D, threrfore immunohistochemical staining for cathepsin D can be used for identification of ganglion cells in neonates.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.194-202
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• 1992

This study has been performed to investigate normal synaptic organizations in the subesophageal ganglion and terminaiion of antennal receptor cells in the ipsilateral subesophageal gan91ion of Pieris rapae. The various normal synaptic organizations in subesophageal ganglion could be differentiated into the five types. The proximal removal of a left antenna resulted in the weakly-dark, semidark and dark degenerations in the type I bostons of the ipsilateral subesophageal ganglion. Therefore, it was concluded that the axon terminals of the receptor cells projecting from the antenna into the brain form the type 1 synapses together with the dendrites in the ipsilateral subesophageal ganglion.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.215-219
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• 2007

In mammals light input resets the central clock of the suprachiasmatic nucleus by inducing secretion of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) from retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). We previously showed that thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1), a homeodomain-containing transcription factor, specifically regulates PACAP gene expression in the rat hypothalamus. In the present study we examined the expression of TTF-1 in PACAP-synthesizing retinal cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) showed that it is abundantly expressed in RGCs of the superior region of the retina, but in only a small subset of RGCs in the inferior region. Double FISH experiments revealed that TTF-1 is exclusively expressed in PACAP-producing RGCs. These results suggest that TTF-1 plays a regulatory role in PACAP-expressing retinal ganglion cells.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.228-236
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• 2004

Retinal ganglion cells transmit visual scene as an action potential to visual cortex through optic nerve. Conventional recording method using single intra- or extra-cellular electrode enables us to understand the response of specific neuron on specific time. Therefore, it is not possible to determine how the nerve impulses in the population of retinal ganglion cells collectively encode the visual stimulus with conventional recording. This requires recording the simultaneous electrical signals of many neurons. Recent advances in multi-electrode recording have brought us closer to understanding how visual information is encoded by population of retinal ganglion cells. We examined how ganglion cells act together to encode a visual scene with multi-electrode array (MEA). With light stimulation (on duration: 2 sec, off duration: 5 sec) generated on a color monitor driven by custom-made software, we isolated three functional types of ganglion cell activities; ON (35.0$\pm$4.4%), OFF (31.4$\pm$1.9%), and ON/OFF cells (34.6$\pm$5.3%) (Total number of retinal pieces = 8). We observed that nearby neurons often fire action potential near synchrony (< 1 ms). And this narrow correlation is seen among cells within a cluster which is made of 6～8 cells. As there are many more synchronized firing patterns than ganglion cells, such a distributed code might allow the retina to compress a large number of distinct visual messages into a small number of ganglion cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.8 s.88
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• pp.1068-1074
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• 2007

Parvalbumin occurs in various types of cells in the retina. We previously reported parvalbumin distribution in the inner nuclear layer of bat retina. In the present study, we identified the parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons in the ganglion cell layer of the retina of a bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, and investigated the distribution pattern of the labeled neurons. Parvalbumin immunoreactivity was found in numerous cell bodies in the ganglion cell layer. Quantitative analysis showed that these cells had medium to large-sized somas. The soma diameter of the parvalbumin-immunoreactive cells in the ganglion cell layer ranged from 12.35 to 19.12 ${\mu}m$ (n=166). As the fibers in the nerve fiber layer were also stained, the majority of parvalbumin-immunoreactive cells in the ganglion cell layer should be medium to large-sized retinal ganglion cells. The mean nearest neighbor distance of the parvalbumin-immunoreactive cells in the ganglion cell layer of the bat retina ranged from 59.57 to 62.45 ${\mu}m$ and the average regularity index was 2.95 ${\pm}$ 0.3 (n=4). The present results demonstrate that parvalbu-min is expressed in medium to large-sized retinal ganglion cells in bat retina, and they have a well-or-ganized distributional pattern with regular mosaics. These results should be important as they are applicable to a better understanding of the unsolved issue of a bat vision. This data will help to provide fundamental knowledge for the better understanding of the unique behavioral aspects of bat flight maneuverability.

• Rapid Communication in Photoscience
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.48-49
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• 2014

For in vitro myelination system, Schwann cells and neuronal cells of rat were cocultured. Schwann cells and neuronal cells, respectively, were obtained from dorsal root ganglion of rat embryos (E15). This method includes four steps: first step of suspension of the embryonic dorsal root ganglion cells, second step of addition of anti-mitotic cocktail, third step of purification of dorsal root cells, and fourth step of addition of Schwann cells to dorsal root ganglion cells. We made a highly purified population of myelination in a short period through this procedure and identified myelination basic protein using antibody of myelination basic protein.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.162-169
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• 1994

Blockade of cervicothoracic sympathetic ganglion (stellate ganglion controls pain on face, head, neck, shoulder, upper limbs, and upper chest, including their viscera and sympathetically maintained pain. This procedure also increases blood flow to the above areas and relieves hyperreactivity of sympathetic nervous system. Clinically, repeated stellate ganglion blocks with local anesthetic agent may become difficult with complications such as accidental intravascular or subdural injection, recurrent laryngeal nerve or bracheal plexus paralysis, pneumothorax and edema on injection site. Therefore, at times long-term cervicothoracic ganglion block with neurolytics is necessitated but its applications are prohibited by the critical structures surrounding ganglion. There are also few reports of neurolytic stellate ganglion block. This study was performed to observe the complications, gross changes of surrounding structures, and microscopic findings of ganglion cells after neurolytic block and to certify the possibility of clinical use of neruolytic stellate ganglion block. The unilateral superior cervical sympathetic ganglion of rabbit was blocked with absolute ethyl alcohol 0.4 ml at the level of cricoid cartilage. Normal ganglion was used as a control and 5 animals were sacrificed at each intervals of 7, 15 and 50 days after block. The results were as follows; 1) All experimental animals showed no specific changes of behavior, motor function. No necrotic tissues were present in the block area during the observation period. There were some gross scar tissues along the fascia of muscles surrounding the needle injection site, but gross atrophy of muscles or injured major vessels were not found. 2) Microscopically, structures of normal ganglion of rabbit were very similar to those of humans. Seven days after absolute ethyl achohol injection there were marked edema of ganglion cells and nuclei with irregular nuclear membrane. Some of the ganglion cells lost their nuclei and showed degenerative changes. Fifteen days after block, cell edema were decreased and loss of the Nissl's body was prominant. The ganglion cell structures looked close to normal but the cytoplasm and nucleus were generally contracted 50 days after block. These results suggest absolute ethyl alcohol injection on cervical sympathetic ganglion with above method mainly blocks pre- and post-synaptic fibers and the long-term neurolytic blockade of this ganglion may be possible in rabbits.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.16 no.1_2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2000

The visceral ganglion and the right parietal ganglion of the African giant snail, Achatina fulica, consists of two hemispheres, each in left and right side, respectively, like a butterfly. The surface of cortex and medulla in the two ganglions are crowded with nerve cells, but nerve fibers form a network at the middle portion. The nerve cells in the cortex and medulla of the visceral ganglion and the right parietal ganglion are classified into the following four classes according to their sizes: giant (above 200 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, in diameter), large (60-70 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, in diameter), middle (30-40 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, in diameter) and small (10-15 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, in diameter) nerve cells, respectively. The giant and large nerve cells are rarely found(20-22 eas. in total) while the middle and small nerve cells are found in large quantities (middle: 400-500 eas., small: 700-800 eas.). In the AB/AY double staining, the giant nerve cell is identified as light yellow cells (LYC), while large and middle none cells as dark green cells (DGC) or yellow green cells (YGC), and small nerve cells as yellow cells (YC) or blue cells (BC), The DGC, which reacts positively to somatostatin immunostain reaction, inhibits the secretion of the growth control hormone. The giant and large nerve cells are identified to do the functions of phagocytosis as well as neurosecretion.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1981

The study on the nerve cells in the subesophageal ganglion of 5-day-old cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae L., was performed to observe their ultrastructures and classify them on the basis of the differences in size, shape and relative distribution of cell organelles. 1. Type I neurons: These cells are neurosecretory granules ranging 100 to 300 nm in size. 2. Type II neurons: As giant neurons averaging 25 to $30{\mu}m$ in size, such as mitochondria and Golgi apparatus. 3. Type III neurons: These spindle-shaped cells range 9 to $15{\mu}m$ in width. 4. Type IV neurons: These cells have a range of diameter from 12 to $16 {\mu}m$. The cells are abundantly observed in the subesophageal ganglion. 5. Type V neurons: These cells are very small nerve cells with 4.5 to $8.0{\mu}m$ in size and have a prominent nucleus.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.261-266
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• 2009

This study aim to disclose a possible mechanism for the neuronal cell death induced by peripheral nerve injury following a spinal nerve ligation (SNL) as a neuropathic pain model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (270~290 g) were used for this study. Pain threshold was evaluated for their response to mechanical (von Frey hairs) stimuli 1, 3, and 7 days after a tight ligation of L5 ventral ramus. In control group, the small ganglion cells were strongly stained with routine toluidine blue (TB), whereas the large ganglion cells showed a little bit weak stainity. Each large ganglion cell is surrounded by perineuronal satellite cells. In experimental groups, small ganglion cells showing apparent degenerative changes increased on 1 day, and showed a peak in degenerative cell number at 3 days group, and decreased gradually at 7 days group. We also found a small number of large-sized ganglion cells showing mild degenerative changes. However their satellite cells ware relatively intact with no typical findings throughout this experiment. Under the electron microscope, small ganglion cells showed various stage and typical features of the dark degeneration including mitochondrial swelling.