Anoxia Effects in Asphyxiated Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) Caught in an Artisanal Fishing Net on the Coast of Brazil.

Among studies of drowning in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), none have associated drowning with injuries of organs other than the lung. We describe the gross and microscopical findings in 23 green sea turtles found dead in a fishing net. Deprived of air, these animals experienced hypoxia and anoxia before dying, which caused congestion, hydropic degeneration and necrosis in several organs. There was no evidence of an alternative cause of death. These findings demonstrate a pattern characteristic of death by asphyxia caused by drowning.

Serum anti-GFAP and anti-S100 autoantibodies in brain aging, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

Autoantibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100 protein were measured in sera of patients suffering from vascular dementia (VD), presenile Alzheimer's disease (AD), senile Alzheimer's disease (SDAT) and aged healthy controls by means of ELISA test. VD and SDAT showed the highest levels of both autoantibodies, AD the lowest. From these results a relationship between autoantibody titers and aging seems possible. Dosage of anti-GFAP and anti-S100 autoantibodies does not appear useful for diagnostic purpose because of the overlap observed among groups. Rather, the presence of these antibodies seems to reflect an alteration of the blood-brain barrier that promotes the access of central nervous system antigens to immunocompetent cells.