Adoptive transfer of immunity by spleen cells from LSA-lymphoma mice cured by BCNU

BCNU treatment of advanced LSA lymphoma, a poorly antigenic tumor of syngeneic C57BL/ym mice, produced large numbers of cured mice which were highly immune against further LSA tumor challenges. Spleen cells from cured mice were transferred into normal naive mice in close temporal relationship to the injection of 10³ LSA cells and showed that during a period of two days before to one day after tumor injection, the MST and per cent tumor takes could be greatly modified. Activity was only weakly present in bone marrow or thymus cells but mixtures of these cells with or without added spleen cells were effective. In 400 rad sublethally irradiated mice it was also found that transferred spleen cells prevented progression of tumor, and resistance was permanent. This indicates that all elements of tumor recognition, affector and effector limbs of immune response were present in the adoptively transferred spleen cell population.     

A report of 3 cases of simultaneous Colles' and scaphoid fractures.

Three cases of simultaneous Colles' and scaphoid fractures, one bilateral, occurring in a series of 422 Colles' fractures are presented. The factors necessary for the occurrence of such injuries are discussed.     

Cigarette smoking during anxiety-provoking and monotonous tasks

Cigarette smokers were exposed to three conditions within a single session: stagefright anxiety, monotonous concentration, and a relaxation control. One cigarette was lit during the second 10-minute half of each condition, and smoking topography (number of puffs and cumulative volume smoked) was continuously recorded. Subjects smoked significantly more in the two task conditions than during relaxation, supporting the hypothesis that anxiety-provoking and attention-demanding situations elicit smoking. Younger subjects increased their smoking more than older subjects during stagefright , and females responded more than males to the concentration task.     

The role of thymectomy in red cell aplasia.

Red cell aplasia is an unusual cause of anemia. Fifty percent of all patients with red cell aplasia will have a thymoma. Twenty-five to 30% of those who undergo thymectomy will be cured. Data are presented that suggest that any patient with red cell aplasia should have thymectomy through a median sternotomy. One of 3 such patients who underwent the operation has had complete remission for two years.     

Cystatin C expression is increased in the hippocampus following photothrombotic stroke in rat

Stroke is a major cause of epilepsy, but the molecular mechanisms underlying post-stroke epileptogenesis are unknown. The expression of cystatin C, a cysteine protease inhibitor, is increased in the hippocampus during status epilepticus (SE)-induced epileptogenesis, and regulates both cell death and birth. To test the hypothesis that increased cystatin C expression represents a common molecular alteration induced by epileptogenic brain insults, we investigated the time course, cellular localization, and association of cystatin C expression with neuronal damage during post-stroke epileptogenesis. Stroke was induced with photothrombosis, which leads to epilepsy in approximately 20-30% of rats. Cystatin C expression was increased in the CA1 area of the hippocampus 4 days after photothrombosis, when the diameter of the lesion was the largest. Double-labeling and confocal analysis indicated that cystatin C was expressed in astrocytes and microglia. Unlike after SE, cystatin C expression did not change in the dentate gyrus. Also, increased cystatin C expression was not associated with neurodegeneration, which was demonstrated as an absence of Fluoro Jade B-positive cells in adjacent sections. The present study provides evidence that cystatin C may be involved in cellular alterations that occur after an epileptogenic insult, not only after SE but also after photothrombotic stroke.     

Rose Hip and Lactobacillus plantarum DSM 9843 Reduce Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in the Mouse Colon

Ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) of the colon is an inflammatory condition that leads to tissue injury where reactive oxygen species play a central role. Rose hip is rich in biologically active polyphenols with antioxidative properties, which may be important in prevention of lipid peroxidation. L. plantarum DSM 9843 possesses enzymatic activity towards polyphenols. The objective of this study was to define the effect of oral administration of L. plantarum and rose hip in I/R injury. Administration of rose hip and L. plantarum significantly decreased MDA levels in caecum tissue and Enterobacteriaceae counts in caecum stool. A positive correlation between MDA levels and Enterobacteriaceae counts was found. The results support a synergistic/additive role of rose hip and L. plantarum in reducing lipid peroxidation. Therefore rose hip and L. plantarum may be used as a pretreatment to tissue injuries, e.g. colonic surgery, organ transplantation and vascular surgery.     

金樱子对阿霉素诱导心肌细胞凋亡的保护作用

目的探讨金樱子对大鼠阿霉素诱导心肌细胞凋亡的保护作用。方法SD大鼠随机分为空白对照组、阿霉素组模型组和金樱子干预组。模型组采用阿霉素（15mg／kg）分6次隔日腹腔注射,金樱子组按1～5g／kg体重给予金樱子灌胃,空白对照组仅给予等体积生理盐水。采用缺口末端标记法检N,b肌凋亡细胞,比色法检测Caspase-3的活性改变,荧光探针法检测活性氧（Reactiveoxygenspecies,ROS）的产生。Westernblot检测bcl-2和bax蛋白的表达。结果与模型组相比,金樱子能有效降低心肌细胞凋亡和Caspase-3的活性,并能降低细胞内ROS的产生。bcl-2和bax在正常心肌细胞中均有表达,阿霉素模型组bcl-2表达显著降低,bax表达上调,bcl-2／bax比率下降;金樱子可明显增加bcl-2／bax比率。结论金樱子能在一定程度上抑制阿霉素诱导的心肌细胞凋亡,其机制可能与抑制ROS产生,降低Caspase-3活性,上调bcl-2／bax比率有关。     

Performance of automated measurement of antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide in the routine clinical laboratory

Objective. To evaluate the performing technical and clinical characteristics of an automated system for routine measurement of anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (aCCP), a new marker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Material and methods. Reproducibility, repeatability and linearity of aCCP, as measured by an automated fluorescent enzyme immunoassay (FEIA/Phadia), were evaluated and compared with the performance of a manual ELISA technique (Axis Shield Diagnostics). Clinical verification of both methods included estimation of sensitivity in RA patients (n = 42) and specificity in well‐characterized non‐RA autoimmune disease controls (n = 49) and healthy subjects (n = 39). Results. Precision studies showed a coefficient of variation between 4.9?% and 10?% for the FEIA technique and between 6.35?% and 19?% for the ELISA technique. Both systems showed good linear response. Sensitivity of aCCP for RA was 74?% for FEIA and 79?% for ELISA. Specificity was 100?% for both methods, as calculated for healthy subjects. For non‐RA‐diseased controls, specificities of 98?% and 94?% were obtained for FEIA and ELISA, respectively. Both methods were concordant in 97?% of cases. Increasing the cut‐off for the ELISA system from >5?U/mL to >11?U/mL resulted in lower sensitivity (71.4?%) but higher specificity (98.0?%), i.e. improved discriminating power between RA and non‐RA and 100?% agreement between both methods. Conclusion. Automated FEIA measurement of aCCP in the routine clinical laboratory improves imprecision compared to the manual ELISA. Our preliminary results suggest that an increase in cut‐off for the ELISA can improve specificity to RA from 94?% to 98?%.