Introduction: A number of maternally inherited mitochondrial diseases with distinct clinical phenotypes have been associated with point mutations in mtDNA, all of which result in neurologic or neuromuscular disorders. Several studies showed that mutations in the tRNA genes of mtDNA could cause mitochondrial disease due to the decreased synthesis of mitochondrial DNA coded proteins. Materials and methods: A patient having clinical, biochemical, and histochemical abnormalities compatible with mitochondrial disease but without rearrangements in her mtDNA, was subjected to study for point mutations in the mitochondrial tRNA genes. Using molecular biology techniques such as PCR, RFLP and sequencing analysis. Results: A new mutation in mtDNA involving tRNASer(UCN) was identified in this patinet with muscle weekness and cardiomyopathy. This heteroplasmic T to C transition at position 7480 affects the anticodon loop at a highly conserved site and was not detected in control individuals. Analysis of mtDNA from blood cells and muscle showed that the mutation was present in both tissues. Levels of the mutant mtDNA in muscle and white blood cells were quantified and showed 73% and 30% heteroplasmy in the investigated tissues, respectively. The mutation was not present in the blood cells taken from the patient's relatives. Study of cross sectioned of the muscle fibres revealed the difference in the mutant content of the COX deficient and normal fibres in this patient. COX deficient fibres harboured more than 90% mutant mtDNA while the level of mutation in the COX normal fibres ranged from 9% to 68%. Conclusion: These data suggest that this mutation could well be the cause of clinical presentation of mitochondrial disease in this patient.

Introduction: The septal region is part of the telencephalon and is a component of the limbic system. The lateral septal area (LS); largest nuclear mass in this region, plays a pivotal role in various physiological processes, such as aggression, emotion, thermoregulation, water and food intake and sexual behaviour. To support the functional analysis of this brain area in the rat, the sources of its afferents were determined using HRP retrograde tract tracing technique. Materials and Methods: One microliter of HRP (25%, sigma) injected by stereotaxic surgery and through hamilton syringe septum (LS) 48 hours after surgery. Perfusion fixation and sectioning on animal brain, were performed. TMB histochemistry reaction using HRP was used for this purpose. Results: Retrogradely labeled perikarya was observed ipsilaterally in diagonal band of Broca and hippocampus in telencephalon, paraventricular, parataenial, reuniens, lateroposterior, interanterodorsal and mediodorsal nuclei of the thalamus, lateral preoptic area, anterior and dorsal hypothalamus, lateral hypothalamus/tuber cinereum, perifornical area, posterior hypothalamus, submammillothalamic, supramammillary and lateral mammillary nuclei in diencephalon, ventral tegmental area, interfascicularis nucleus, interpeduncular nucleus, raphe nuclei, tegmental nuclei, central gray area and locus coeruleus in brain stem. Conclusion: These results indicate that according to its connections, the LS is an integrative center that receives cognitive, behavioural and autonomic informations and probably is a center for modulating these informations.

In this research 10 rabbits were used in two groups of control and treatment. Chronic treatment of isoprenaline with dosage of 8.5mg/kg for 22 days revealed remarkable changes in rabbit parotid gland. Such as causing of increasing the weight of parotid gland. In the histological studies hyperplasia and hypertrophy of secretion units with the increasing of mucopolysacharide materials were also reasonable. In the special staining the parotid gland was respond to the periodic acid shiff staining but not to alcian blue. At electron microscope level the presence of light secretion granules after treatment instead of dark granules before treatment in acinar secretory cells were determined.

Introduction: This investigation was undertaken to examine chemical nature of glycoconjugate components on the surface of developing rat intestinal cells during gut histogenesis. Materials and Methods: Rat embryos at days 10-12 of gestation was fixed in B4G and processed for lectinhistochemistry. 5m paraffin sections were incubated with 10-15 µg/ml solution of HRP/lecti ns from arachis hypogaea (PNA) and dolichos biflorus (DBA), in 0.1 M PBS, pH 7.2. All sections were developed in substrate medium containing 0.03% DAB and 0.006% H2O2 in tris buffer pH 7.6. Results: Until day 15 of gestation none of two the tested lectin had any reaction with developing intestine. PNA had strong reaction with the submucosal layer of intestine at days 15 and 16. With the exeption and goblet cell the epithelial cells of intestine had strong reaction from day 17 to the time of birth. DBA reacted only with epithelial cells of large intestine two days before birth. Conclusion: The marked changes in the appearance and distribution of the intestinal glycoconjugates during gut morphogenesis support the concept that rapid changes occur in the structure of complex carbohydrates during embryonic and fetal development. The findings also suggest that GalNac and Gal.-GalNac.- containing glycoconjugate may be of functional importance in the regulation of the embryonic intestinal cells during the course of their development.

Mesenchymal- epithelial interactions during embryogenesis have been shown to be important in the fetal development of many organs. Identification of molecules that modulate these interactions is key to our understanding of the pathological conditions. The major groups of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules characterized are glycosaminoglycans that candidate for morphogenesis and differentiation of cells and tissues. In this study the molecules of ECM were considered in tooth development, pregnant female mice of balb-c were stained (vaginal plug=Oday) and embryos (E12-E19) and newborns (PNl- PN9) were collected. Tissues were fixed, processed embedded and sectioned. Sections were stained with the following methods: Alcian Blue (pH=1), PAS- Alcian Blue (pH=2.5), Alcian Blue (pH=5.8) prepared with for MgCL2 concentrations (CECl- CEC4) and toluidin Blue. Non- parametric statistical test (Kruskall- Wallis) showed significant difference between groups from the point of hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, carboxylated and sulfated glycosaminoglycan in pulp. It seems that the synthesis and secretion of components of ECM is important in morphogenic events and followed by a  spatiotemporal pattern and developmentally regulated.

The medical septal area (MSA) provides the major cholinergic projection to the hippocampus which is critical for function of the memory. Different brain areas through the MSA modulate septohippocampal functions. This study was designed to determin origins of inputs to this area. For this purpose, stereotaxic injections of one microliter HRP (25 percent, Sigma) by Hamilton syringe to the medical septal area were performed in 8 rats. Following brain tissue fixation, sectioning and enzyme histochemical reaction, the labeled neurons were detected microscopically. Retrogradely labeled perikarya observed ipsilaterally in diagonal band of Broca, lateral septum, hippocampus, subfornical area and ventral pallidum in the telencephalon, lateral preoptic area, lateral hipothalamicarea/tuber cinereum, posterior hypothalamus, submammillothalamic, supramammillary and lateral mammillary nuclei in the diencephalons, ventral tegmental area, interpeduncular nucleus, central grey area and locus coerruleus and also bilaterally in raphe nuclei of the brain stem regions. Based on this results, in addition to learning processes, MSA through its connections with subfornical and lateral hypothalamic area can also support the physiological mechanisms for dipsogenic, electrolytic, and pressor responses in living animals.