A case of Klinefelter syndrome with retroperitoneal teratoma

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is often associated with various neoplasms, especially germ cell tumors. Mediastinum is the most favored site of extragonadal germ cell tumors with KS, which is somewhat different from those without KS. The retroperitoneal germ cell tumor in KS is very rare. A five-month-old boy with an abdominal mass was found to have a retroperitoneal tumor. After surgical removal, he was diagnosed to have mature cystic teratoma. Cytogenetic study of his peripheral lymphocytes revealed that his karyotype was consistent with KS. This case suggests that patients with KS might be at risk of having germ cell tumors in sites other than mediastinum. It also suggests that all cases with these tumors should be screened for the presence of karyotypic abnormalities, and it might help to assess the exact correlation between germ cell tumors and KS, and to treat them accordingly.     

Optimizing beam weights and wedge filters with the concept of the super-omni wedge

This study introduces a new concept, the super-omni wedge, and proposes an algorithm for optimizing beam weights, wedge angles, and wedge orientations on the basis of this new concept. The super-omni wedge is a generalization of the omni wedge. Instead of combining one open beam and two orthogonal wedged beams, it uses two orthogonal pairs of nominal wedged beams to generate a wedged dose distribution with an arbitrary wedge angle and an arbitrary wedge orientation. The orientations of a pair of nominal wedges are opposite each other. In this way, the effective wedge orientation can vary from 0 degrees to 360 degrees rather than being restricted to one quadrant. When the concept of the super-omni wedge is used, the optimization of beam weights, wedge angles, and wedge orientations for J beams is transformed into the optimization of beam weights for 4J beams. A quadratic dose-based objective function is defined, and the method of sequential quadratic programming is used to find the 4J beam weights that minimize it. After the weights of the nominal wedged beams have been determined, the beams can be delivered in one of four methods: Directly, by using the omni wedge technique, by using the universal wedge technique, and by using the virtual wedge technique. When tested with two clinical cases, the algorithm achieved homogeneous dose distributions in target volumes while meeting the constraints to the organs at risk. A prominent feature of the algorithm is that there is no need to manually preselect the orientations of nominal wedges.     

Activation of the parapyramidal region in the ventral medulla stimulates gastric acid secretion through vagal pathways in rats

Neurons synthesizing thyrotropin-releasing hormone, substance P and serotonin in the medullary caudal raphe nuclei project to the dorsal vagal complex and play a role in the central vagal regulation of gastric function. Neurons in the parapyramidal region in the ventral medulla share similar biochemical coding and projections as those in the caudal raphe nuclei. The role of the parapyramidal region in the autonomic regulation of gastric acid secretion was investigated in urethane-anesthetized rats. Unilateral microinjection of kainate into the parapyramidal region at 10, 15 and 20 ng induced a dose-related stimulation of gastric acid secretion (net increases: 22.2+/-11.2, 40.5+/-8.5 and 89.8+/-19.4 micromol/60 min, respectively), while injection of vehicle had no effect (net change: -0.1+/-1.4 micromol/60 min). Time-course studies showed a nine-fold peak increase over basal at 30 min after parapyramidal injection of kainate (20 ng) and acid secretion returned to basal level at 70 min. Microinjections of kainate (15-20 ng) outside the parapyramidal region or into the parapyramidal region in vagotomized rats had no effect. Exposure to cold (4 degrees C) for 2 h, which is known to induce vagally mediated gastric secretory and motor responses through medullary thyrotropin-releasing hormone pathways, increased the number of Fos-positive cells in the caudal, middle and rostral parts of the parapyramidal region to 4.3+/-0.4, 9.4+/-0.9 and 18.4+/-1.6/section, respectively, compared with 0.1+/-0. 1, 0.1+/-0.0 and 0.7+/-0.6/section, respectively, in rats maintained at room temperature. Most of the Fos-labeled cells co-expressed pro-thyrotropin-releasing hormone messenger RNA signal and/or were serotonin immunoreactive. These data show that chemical activation of neurons in the parapyramidal region results in a vagal-dependent stimulation of gastric acid secretion and that acute cold exposure activates parapyramidal neurons containing pro-thyrotropin-releasing hormone and/or serotonin, suggesting a potential role of the parapyramidal region, in addition to the caudal raphe nuclei, as medullary sites involved in the vagal regulation of gastric function.     

小白鼠腹腔渗出细胞吞噬功能的研究

本实验比较糖元、鸡红细胞及两者复合使用对小鼠腹腔渗出细胞的影响,结果表明鸡红细胞和糖元一样能激活巨噬系和组织嗜碱系细胞,影响巨噬系细胞分化,鸡红细胞较糖元快;而影响组织嗜碱系细胞分化,糖元较鸡红细胞快。由于腹腔渗出细胞中存在原、幼巨噬细胞,按照血细胞发育是不可逆回的理论,推测腹腔巨噬细胞不是来源于血液循环中的单核细胞,而是来自血循环中的定向干细胞。本实验在腹腔渗出细胞中,首次发现组织嗜碱系细胞并描写其形态特征。     

The effect of noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine injected into a lateral cerebral ventricle, on thermoregulation in the new-born lamb.

1. Respiratory frequency, shivering, ear skin temperatures and rectal temperatures were observed following intraventricular injections of noradrenaline (NA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and saline (NaCl) into new-born lambs exposed to ambient temperatures of 4, 21, or 30 degrees C. 2. Intraventricular NA caused respiratory rate to decrease and body temperature to increase in the 30 degrees C environment. At 21 degrees C, it increased ear skin temperature but did not significantly affect rectal temperature. At 4 degrees C, NA decreased shivering and rectal temperature fell. 3. 5-HT elevated respiratory rate in the 30 degrees C environment and increased ear skin temperature in the 21 and 4 degrees C environments. In the 4 degrees C environment rectal temperature decreased. 4. In general, the change in rectal temperature was related to the dosage of drug administered. Control injections of NaCl had no significant effect on any of the variables measured. 5. The monoaminergic pathways involved in thermoregulation in the new-born lamb appear to be organized in a manner similar to that of the adult sheep and are functional at birth.     

Partial androgen insensitivity with phenotypic variation caused by androgen receptor mutations that disrupt activation function 2 and the NH(2)- and carboxyl-terminal interaction

Partial androgen insensitivity with sex phenotype variation in two unrelated families was associated with missense mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene that disrupted the AR NH(2)-terminal/carboxy terminal interaction. Each mutation caused a single amino acid change within the region of the ligand-binding domain that forms activation function 2 (AF2). In one family, the mutation I737T was in alpha helix 4 and in the other F725L was between helices 3 and 4. Neither mutation altered androgen binding as determined by assays of mutant AR in the patient's cultured genital skin fibroblasts or of recombinant mutant receptors transfected into COS cells. In transient cotransfection assays in CV1 cells, transactivation with the AR mutants at low concentrations of DHT was reduced several fold compared with wild-type AR but increased at higher concentrations. Defects in NH(2)-terminal/carboxy terminal interactions were identified in mammalian two hybrid assays. In similar assays, there was reduced binding of the p160 coactivators TIF2/SRC2 and SRC1 to the mutant AR ligand binding domains (LBD). In the family with AR I737T, sex phenotype varied from severely defective masculinization in the proband to a maternal great uncle whose only manifestation of AIS was severe gynecomastia. He was fertile and passed the mutation to two daughters. The proband of the F725L family was also incompletely masculinized but was raised as a male while his half-sibling by a different father was affected more severely and reared as a female. These studies indicate that the function of an AR AF2 mutant in male development can vary greatly depending on the genetic background.     

An animal model of SARS produced by infection of Macaca mulatta with SARS coronavirus

A new SARS animal model was established by inoculating SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) into rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) through the nasal cavity. Pathological pulmonary changes were successively detected on days 5-60 after virus inoculation. All eight animals showed a transient fever 2-3 days after inoculation. Immunological, molecular biological, and pathological studies support the establishment of this SARS animal model. Firstly, SARS-CoV-specific IgGs were detected in the sera of macaques from 11 to 60 days after inoculation. Secondly, SARS-CoV RNA could be detected in pharyngeal swab samples using nested RT-PCR in all infected animals from 5 days after virus inoculation. Finally, histopathological changes of interstitial pneumonia were found in the lungs during the 60 days after viral inoculation: these changes were less marked at later time points, indicating that an active healing process together with resolution of an acute inflammatory response was taking place in these animals. This animal model should provide insight into the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-related pulmonary disease and greatly facilitate the development of vaccines and therapeutics against SARS.     

Nuclear DNA measurements of metastatic melanoma by a computerized digital imaging system

To determine the extent of nuclear DNA abnormalities and their relationship with prognosis of stage II malignant melanoma, metastatic melanomas in lymphadenectomy specimens of 22 patients were studied by a computerized digital imaging system. The DNA ploidy pattern was aneuploid in 86% of the cases and tetraploid in the remaining 14%. In metastatic melanomas, there was a single clone in one third of patients and multiple clones in the remaining two thirds. Poor survival rate was associated with multiple clones and greater than 30% of mean coefficient of variation of DNA content. With tumor progression stem-cell lines often became heterogeneous with the development of multiple clones and widespread DNA values. These abnormalities, determined by nuclear DNA ploidy analysis, provide useful prognostic information.     

Integrins and adhesion molecules: Tumour necrosis factor-{alpha}-mediated dyscohesion of epithelial cells is associated with disordered expression of cadherin/{beta}-catenin and disassembly of actin filaments

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)- induced, in a time- and dose-dependentfashion, dyscohesion (cell-cell dissociation) of the endometrialepithelial cells. TNF- impaired the ability of cells to aggregateand to attain compaction. The cell-cell adherent junction isa specialized region of the plasma membrane where cadherin moleculesact as adhesion molecules and actin filaments are densely associatedwith the plasma membrane through a well-developed plasmalemmalundercoat. Dyscohesion induced by TNF- was associated with thedisordered expression of cadherin\-catenin at the sites of cell-cellcontact. In addition, within the time-frame that dyscohesionwas induced, TNF- down-regulated the expression of actin mRNAonly at 100 ng/ml without modulating the overall amount of actinprotein, its -isoform or the amount of ribosylated actin. However,TNF--mediated dyscohesion of epithelial cells was associatedwith loss of plasmalemmal undercoat as well as intracytoplasmicaggregates of F-actin and a simultaneous increase in G-actin.The effect of cytochalasin-B, which disrupts actin filamentson cell-cell binding, was less pronounced than the effect ofTNF-, suggesting that the effect of this cytokine on dyscohesionis not solely dependent on the disassembly of actin filaments.These findings show that the induction of disordered expressionof adhesion molecules, as well as disassembly of actin filaments,are implicated in the dyscohesion induced by TNF-.     

Purification of a baculovirus-expressed hepatitis E virus structural protein and utility in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

We report on the purification of the full-length structural protein encoded by open reading frame 2 (ORF-2) of hepatitis E virus. The ORF-2 protein, expressed in Sf9 cells by using a recombinant baculovirus vector system, was successfully purified to homogeneity. Gel electrophoresis of the purified ORF-2 protein showed a single polypeptide of 75 kDa by Coomassie blue staining and by Western blot (immunoblot) analysis. We demonstrated that the partially purified ORF-2 protein could be used successfully in a sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of antibodies to hepatitis E virus.