• Applied Microscopy
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.11-26
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• 1993

This experiment was performed to study the morphological responses of the pigment epithelial cell and the Bruch's membrane of the retina of rat following X-ray irradiation. Male rats were divided into normal and experimental groups. The heads of the rats, under sodium thiopental anesthesia, were exposed to 3,000 rads or 6,000 rads of radiation in a single dose, respectively. The source was a Mitsubishi Linear Accelerator ML-4MV. The target to skin distance was 80cm, and the. dose rate was 200 rads/min. The experimental groups were sacrificed on the 6th hour, 2nd and 6th day after X-ray irradiation. Under anesthesia, 1% glutaraldehyde-1% paraformaldehyde solution(0.1M Millonig's phosphate buffer, pH 7.3) was perfused through the left ventricle and ascending aorta. Pieces of the tissue taken from the posterior region of the retina were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde-1.5% paraformaldehyde(0.1M Millonig's phosphate buffer, pH 7.3) and 1% osmium tetroxide(0.1M Millonig's phosphate buffer, pH7.3), and embedded in araldite mixture. The ultrathin sections contrasted with uranyl acetate and lead citrate were observed with JEM 100 CX-II electron microscope. The results were as follow; 1. The morphological changes of the pigment epithelial cells were not pronounced after exposure to 3,000 rads of X-ray. But on the 6th hour after exposure to 6,000 rads of X-ray, bulging nuclear membrane protruding into the cytoplasm and nuclear chromatin clumped into numerous masses along the nuclear membrane were observed. At the 2nd and 6th day post-irradiation, partial cytolysis or necrosis were seen. 2. The thickness of the Bruch's membrane of the experimental groups were increased in the time and dose range covered by this study, and splitting or diffusing basal laminae of the choriocapillary layer were observed frequently in the experimental group. Above results suggest that large amount(6,000 rads) of head irradiation induce direct hazardous effects on the pigment epitherial cells and Bruch's membrane of the retina of the rat, but pigment epithelial cells are more radioresistant than Bruch's membrane.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.345-351
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• 2006

This study investigates the toxic effects of $Cd^{2+}$on frog (Rana dybowskii) by the determination of oocyte maturation and development of embryo exposure to different concentrations of the toxicant. The results show that $Cd^{2+}$ concentration of 0.1ppm suppressed the maturation of the oocytes. To examine the reversibility of the inhibitory effects, the oocytes were exposed to the $Cd^{2+}$ only for 3 hours, and then transferred to plain medium and cultured further for 17 hours. The oocytes were recovered from the toxic effect of the $Cd^{2+}$ when they were exposed to 1ppm, but not to 2.5ppm of the $Cd^{2+}$. The development of 2 cell embryos to 32 cell was completely suppressed at 0.1ppm and the longer the embryos were exposed to the $Cd^{2+}$, the more damage appeared to the embryos and the cytolysis of the 32 cell was induced by $Cd^{2+}$ at 0.1ppm. On the other hand, the embryos of blastula stage were cultured 96 hours in presence of the $Cd^{2+}$ at various concentrations and were examined. The rates of mortality and malformed larvae were investigated by probit analysis. From the results of LC$_{50}$ of 0.1ppm and EC$_{50}$ of 0.08ppm, Tl of 5.0 was derived, which indicates $Cd^{2+}$ is to be considered a teratogenic compound. Such specific malformations occurred in 14.3% as spine deformations at the 0.05ppm, in 75.0% as tail deformations at the 0.1ppm, in 66.7% as abdominal deformations at the 0.01ppm and in 26.0% as profound deformations at the 0.1ppm of $Cd^{2+}$ concentration which living embryos were exposed to. $Cd^{2+}$ suppressed growth to head-tail length at 0.1ppm. In conclusion, The study results reveal that $Cd^{2+}$ must be considered highly toxic effect to oocyte maturation and embryonic development.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.95-106
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• 1988

Specific or non-specific cytolytic processes of free-living amoebae causing meningoencephalitls have been emphasized and the cytolytic ability related to hydrolases in Entantoeba sp. and Naegleria sp. has also been reported since the latter half of 1970's. However, no information on hydrolase activities in Acanthamoeba sp. is available. Hydrolases in Acanthamoeba culbertsoni, a pathogenic species of free-living amoebae, were assayed and compared with those in a non-pathogenic species, A. royreba. Pathogenicity of these two species was confirmed through experimental infection to BALB/c mice. Hydrolase activities and cytotoxic effects between pathogenic and non.pathogenic species were compared in the trophozoites cultured in CGV media and in CHO cell line, respectively. The results are summarized as follows: 1. The mice infected with A. culbertseni were all dead 15 days after nasal inoculation, and the mean survival time was 8.5 days. Also the mice infected with this pathogenic species manifested typical meningoencephalitis, whereas the mice infected with A. royreba did not. 2. Hydrolases detected both in the cell extracts and culture media were acid phosphatase, ${\beta}-N-acetyl$ galactosaminidase, ${\beta}-N-acetyl$ glucosaminidase, ${\alpha}-mannosidase$, neutral proteinase and acid proteinase, all of which were detected with remarkably higher rate in A. culbertsoni than in A. royreba. 3. A. cuzbertsoni revealed strong cytotoxicity for the target CHO cells, whereas A. royreba did not show any specific cytotoxicity. About 80% of the target cells mixed with A. culbertsoni were dead 48 hours after cultivation, and more than 95% of the target cells were dead 72 hours after cultivation. 4. Hydrolase activities in A. culbertsoni cultured with the target cell line were assayed according to the culture time. The activities of acid phosphatase, ${\beta}-N-acetyl$ galactosaminidase, ${\beta}-N-acetyl$ glucosaminidase, ${\alpha}-mannosidase$ and acid proteinase in this pathogenic amoeba were detected higher in amoeba extracts than in culture media up to 120 hours after cultivation, but after 120 hours of cultivation those activities were detected higher in culture media than in the amoeba Iysates. Neutral proteinase activity in A. culbertsoni increased more in EBSS medium than in the Iysate specimens although the activity in the extracts was generally steady according to the cultivation time. Summarizing the above results, it is concluded that there were differences in hydrolase activities between Pathogenic A. culbertsoni and non-pathogenic A. royreba, and that some hydrolase activities were detected remarkably higher in A. culbertsoni which revealed strong cytotoxicity to the target CHO cell line.