基于Internet的生物信息资源快速查找与利用

生物信息学是现代生命科学与信息科学、计算机科学、数学、统计学、物理学、化学等学科相互渗透而高度交叉形成的一门新兴前沿学科.生命科学的所有信息均可由计算机和因特网来进行储存、分析和传输.因特网为我们提供了大量的有关生物信息相关的数据、工具、文献、软件等资源.本文根据笔者的实践经验,对因特网上生物信息资源进行了整理和分类,总结了因特网上获取生物信息资源的途径及其利用,介绍了一些快速查找方法与技巧,以便读者更迅速更准确利用因特网上生物信息资源.     

MRI and conservative treatment of locally advanced breast cancer

AIMS: The objectives of this study were to compare the efficacy of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in assessing the response of primary breast carcinoma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy compared to conventional imaging modalities, and to see how surgical outcome was influenced as a result of these findings. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with locally advanced primary breast cancer underwent conventional imaging and DCE-MRI following six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to surgery. Changes in surgical management based on the post-chemotherapy DCE-MRI findings were recorded. RESULTS: Prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 22 of the 34 patients were assessed as requiring mastectomy and the remaining 12 were considered inoperable. Following chemotherapy two patients were still considered inoperable. In 11 of the 34 patients, the final decision to proceed to either mastectomy or non-surgical management was based primarily on pre-treatment disease status or patient choice. DCE-MRI findings, therefore, contributed to the operative decision in 21 of 34 patients. Two of these 21 patients were spared surgery as DCE-MRI demonstrated complete response to chemotherapy and one declined surgery. The remaining 18 were able to undergo wide local excision, with only two patients subsequently requiring mastectomy for involved margins. CONCLUSIONS: DCE-MRI is able to accurately predict those patients suitable for breast conserving surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and should be the imaging modality of choice in assessing the response of patients with primary breast carcinoma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.     

HSP70在经热应激预处理后减少大鼠肝脏缺血再灌注损伤过程中的作用

目的　探讨热应激预处理能够减少肝脏缺血再灌注损伤的机制,以期寻找减轻肝脏缺血再灌注损伤的有效措施。方法　建立大鼠肝脏缺血再灌注损伤模型。将42只大鼠随机分为6组:①正常对照组(N);②槲皮素组(Q):腹腔注射槲皮素(quercetin, 7mg·kg-1 );③肝脏缺血再灌注(ischemi areperfusion,I/R)组(I);④热应激预处理组(H+I):缺血再灌注前16h给予热应激预处理;⑤槲皮素+热应激预处理组(Q+H+I):缺血再灌注前16h先给予槲皮素腹腔注射(7mg·kg-1 )再给予热应激处理;⑥槲皮素+缺血组(Q+I):缺血再灌注前16h给予槲皮素腹腔注射(7mg·kg-1 )。观察以上各组大鼠在肝脏缺血再灌注6h后热休克蛋白70(Heatshockprotein70, HSP70 )的表达,血清谷丙转氨酶(ALT)、谷草转氨酶(AST)的活性及肝脏组织形态学改变。结果　大鼠肝脏HSP70表达由高到低依次为:H+I组、I组、Q+H+I组、I+Q组、Q组、N组;而检测血清ALT、AST含量由高到低依次为:Q+I组、I组、Q+H+I组、H+I组、Q组、N组;肝脏组织形态学的改变显示与上述血中ALT、AST含量变化相对应。结论　HSP70在经热应激预处理后减少肝脏缺血再灌注损伤的过程中起重要的作用。     

硝苯地平凝胶治疗肛裂

目的 :观察硝苯地平凝胶局部外涂治疗肛裂的疗效。方法 :2 0 5例病人参加该项试验 ,全部经临床检查 ,填表登记 ,记录有关症状及体征。治疗组10 4例局部涂布 0 .2 %硝苯地平凝胶 ,对照组 10 1例局部涂布 1%达克罗宁油膏。均为 q 12h ,共使用 3wk。结果 :3wk后 ,治疗组肛裂愈合率6 3.5 % ,总有效率 89.4 % ;对照组肛裂愈合率 31.7% ,总有效率 5 8.4 % (P <0 .0 1)。治疗组病人均未发现任何全身及局部不良反应。结论 :硝苯地平凝胶在临床上可以作为一个安全、有效的肛裂局部治疗药     

Both memory and attention systems contribute to visual search for targets cued by implicitly learned context

Environmental context learned without awareness can facilitate visual processing of goal-relevant information. According to one view, the benefit of implicitly learned context relies on the neural systems involved in spatial attention and hippocampus-mediated memory. While this view has received empirical support, it contradicts traditional models of hippocampal function. The purpose of the present work was to clarify the influence of spatial context on visual search performance and on brain structures involved memory and attention. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that activity in the hippocampus as well as in visual and parietal cortex was modulated by learned visual context even though participants’ subjective reports and performance on a post-experiment recognition task indicated no explicit knowledge of the learned context. Moreover, the magnitude of the initial selective hippocampus response predicted the magnitude of the behavioral benefit due to context observed at the end of the experiment. The results suggest that implicit contextual learning is mediated by attention and memory and that these systems interact to support search of our environment.     

A Point Mutation at F1737 of the Human Nav1.7 Sodium Channel Decreases Inhibition by Local Anesthetics

Abstract: Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC) contribute to the initiation and propagation of action potentials within the nervous system. These channels are important targets for inhibition by several classes of drugs, including antiarrhythmics and local anesthetics. Structural and pharmacological studies have localized the binding of these drugs to a common site near the channel's intracellular pore region. Point mutations within this region disrupt local anesthetic inhibition of cardiac, CNS, and skeletal muscle VGSC subtypes. This study was designed to test whether a similar structural requirement for drug binding exists on the peripheral neuronal VGSC subtype; Na_v1.7. In support of this hypothesis, an alanine substitution for phenylalanine at position 1737 (F1737A) in the pore lining S6 segment of domain IV in human Na_v1.7 reduced both use- and state- dependent inhibition of the local anesthetics, lidocaine and tetracaine, by 8–21-fold. We also saw a 2–3-fold reduction in tonic inhibition with the F1737A mutant. The voltage dependence of both activation and inactivation were unaffected by the F1737A mutation, however, fast inactivation kinetics were impaired, such that a significant portion of inward current remained at the end of a 20-ms depolarization. These data suggest that F1737 forms a part of the high affinity binding of local anesthetics as well as mediating inactivation processes of neuronal Na_v1.7 channels.     

Internet Information on Heart Disease in Men

Summary

Finding information on heart disease in men might seem as easy as logging on to a favorite search engine, finding the right category, and perusing the available links. However, in trying several prominent search engines, this turned out not to be the case. One important reason for the lack of information is that heart disease has declined 60% since 1950. Nevertheless, heart disease is still the leading killer among men. An advanced search on a search engine (heart disease as a phrase and man or men) still yields an unwieldy number of pages, about 90,000. In an effort to bridge this gap, the author examines a number of governmental, organizational, and consumer Web sites containing high-quality information on heart disease.     

Metastatic disease of the breast and local recurrence

Multimodality primary therapies for breast cancer combined with earlier detection have led to a sharp decline in the death rate from breast cancer in the UK over the last 40 years in the face of a rising incidence. The latest UK statistics from Cancer Research UK report 50,285 new cases of breast cancer in 2011 with 11,716 deaths from breast cancer recorded in 2012. Crudely, this equates to a cure rate in excess of 75% for all comers. Despite this good news, there are still significant numbers of women (and men) who suffer from either a local recurrence or metastatic disease following apparently successful treatment for early breast cancer (Stage I–III). Only a minority of individuals, 6.6% with the stage recorded at diagnosis, present with stage IV disease. This review considers the treatment options available to individuals with locally recurrent and advanced breast cancer (ABC).