A study has been made of the formation and regression of synapses with respect to Schwann cells at the ends of motor nerve terminal branches in mature toad (Bufo marinus) muscle. Synapse formation and regression, as inferred from the appearance and loss of N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(4-(dibutylamino)styryl) pyridinium dibromide (FM1-43)-stained vesicle clusters, occurred at the ends of terminal branches over a 16 hr period. Multiple microelectrodes placed in an array about FM1-43 blobs at the ends of terminal branches detected the electrical signs of neurotransmitter being released onto receptors. Injection of a calcium indicator (Oregon Green 488 BAPTA-1) into the motor nerve with subsequent imaging of the calcium transients, in response to stimulation, often showed a reduced calcium influx in the ends of terminal branches. Injection of a fluorescent dye into motor nerves revealed the full extent of their terminal branches and growing processes. Injection of the terminal Schwann cells (TSCs) often revealed pseudopodial TSC processes up to 10-microm-long. Imaging of these TSC processes over minutes or hours showed that they were highly labile and capable of extending several micrometers in a few minutes. Injection of motor nerve terminals with a different dye to that injected into their TSCs revealed that terminal processes sometimes followed the TSC processes over a few hours. It is suggested that the ends of motor nerve terminals in vivo are in a constant state of remodeling through the formation and regression of processes, that TSC processes guide the remodeling, and that it can occur over a relatively short period of time.

Resonances and/or singularities during measurement and calibration often limit the precision of acoustic impedance spectra. This paper reviews and compares several established techniques, and describes a technique that incorporates three features that considerably improve precision. The first feature is to minimize problems due to resonances by calibrating the instrument using up to three different acoustic reference impedances that do not themselves exhibit resonances. The second involves using multiple pressure transducers to reduce the effects of measurement singularities. The third involves iteratively tailoring the spectrum of the stimulus signal to control the distribution of errors across the particular measured impedance spectrum. Examples are given of the performance of the technique on simple cylindrical waveguides.

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Introduction ‐ Inflammatory processes are suspected in the pathomechanism of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) but the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of inflammatory cytokines are not yet determined in the different forms of the disorder. Subjects and methods ‐ Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) levels were examined in the sera and CSF of patients with mild‐moderate and severe stage of late onset sporadic type of AD and in the sera of demented Down syndrome (DS) probands with similar stages of AD and compared with data of age‐matched healthy controls.Results ‐ Normal serum IL‐6 levels were found in the mild‐moderate stage, but significantly increased levels were found in the severe stage of both dementia groups. The CSF concentrations remained within the normal range in all groups. Positive correlations between the serum IL‐6 levels and age and the severity of the disease were present. Conclusion ‐ These findings suggest a disease stage dependent general activation of the immune system both in sporadic AD and in DS with AD.

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