Increased occurrence of free immunoglobulin light chains in cerebrospinal fluid and serum in human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection

The presence of free immunoglobulin light chains (FLCs) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and sera of patients with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection, multiple sclerosis (MS), and neurologically healthy control individuals was investigated by paying special attention to ensure that only truly free light chains would be detected. The FLCs were extracted by specifically binding them to Sepharose-coupled anti-FLC monoclonal antibodies, and thereafter they were electrophoresed and immunoblotted with monoclonal antibodies to both light chain (LC) isotypes. A frequent occurrence of kappa and lambda FLCs was found in both CSF and sera of HIV-1 infected patients. In HIV-1 infection and in MS, the frequency of FLCs of the CSF was equal. In healthy controls, only occasional weak FLCs were observed in either CSF or serum. FLC bands of the CSF from patients with HIV-1 infection tended to be more intensive than those of the appropriately diluted sera. Both intrathecal synthesis of FLCs and their transudation from sera through the impaired blood-brain barrier (BBB) may contribute to this. Increasing severity of general HIV-1 infection was accompanied by an increase of FLC intensity in sera. A qualitative demonstration of FLC in the CSF may be meaningful only in the absence of altered BBB function.     

Differentiation of Helicobacter pylori isolates by polymerase chain reaction—restriction fragment length polymorphism

Objective: To investigate the association between the diversity of urease gene and urease activity of clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Methods: Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) of urease gene and rapid urease activity test were used to study the urease activity of different clinical isolates of H. pylori. Results: H. pylori clinical isolates were divided into 4 types according to their PCR-RFLP results of urease gene and urease activity. Type Ⅰ , possessing strong urease activity (0. 11) and presented 1 fragment of 1. 7 kb by PCR-RFLP, had close relations with gastric ulcer; type Ⅱ , with the weakest urease activity (0. 07) and 2 fragments (1. 3 and 0. 4 kb respectively) , was associated with duodenal bulb ulcer; type Ⅲ , with the strongest urease activity (0. 12) and 2 fragments (0. 4 and 0. 17 kb) with or without 1 fragment (0. 23 or 0. 37 kb) , was responsible for gastritis; type Ⅳ , with weak urease activity (0. 09) and 2 fragments     

微卫星改变与肺癌发生发展的关系

目的 :研究肺癌组织中第 3号染色体短臂 (3P)和第 9号染色体短臂 (9P)上微卫星标志物的改变与肺癌发生发展的关系。方法 :应用聚合酶链反应 (PCR)结合微卫星银染法检测 5 6例肺癌和 2 3例良性肺部病变 3P和 9P上的微卫星标志物的改变。结果 :5 6例肺癌组织标本中 3P上有微卫星改变 2 6例 ,检出率 46% ,9P上有微卫星改变的 2 3例 ,检出率为 41% ,5 6例肺癌组织中 ,3P和 9P上有微卫星改变的 3 9例 ,检出率 69 6% ,2 3例肺部良性疾病组织中均未出现微卫星标志物改变。肺癌组织标本中 3P上的微卫星改变与肺癌的分化程度有关 ,低分化肺癌的微卫星改变较高、中分化肺癌的微卫星改变明显增多 (P <0 .0 1)。而 9P上的微卫星改变与淋巴结转移有关 ,有淋巴结转移的肺癌组织标本上微卫星改变较不伴淋巴结转移的微卫星改变检出率明显增多 ,(P <0 .0 5 )。结论 :3P和 9P上的微卫星改变与肺癌发生、发展和转移密切相关 ,检测肺癌组织 3P和 9P上的微卫星改变对肺癌的早期诊断和判断有无淋巴结转移有一定的价值     

Study on the Mechanism of the Annexin I -Mediated Co-Assembly of t-PA and Plasminogen

In order to further investigate the effect of annexin Ⅱ (Ann- Ⅱ ) on tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA)-dependent plasminogen (PLG) activation and its interactive mechanism, recombinant native Ann- Ⅱ bound t-PA, PLG and plasmin with high affinity was examined. The flow cytometric assay showed that the ann- Ⅱ expression rate was higher in the human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) (87. 65 %) than in the HL-60 cells as controls (35. 79 %). Two irrelevant proteins,bovine serum albumin (BSA) and equine IgG (EIG) had no effect on the production of plasmin.Ann- Ⅱ -mediated enhancement of t-PA-dependent PLG activation was inhibited by ε-aminocaproic acid or by pretreatment of Ann- Ⅱ with carboxypeptidase B with the inhibitive rate being 77.8 % and 77. 0 %, respectively. It was revealed that the effect of Ann- Ⅱ on PLG activation was specific for tPA. Urokinase didn‘t bind to Ann- Ⅱ , demonstrating the role of receptor-related lysine residues on activation of PLG, showing that the Ann- Ⅱ -PLG interaction was dependent upon carboxyl-terminal lysine residues. These findings suggest that annexin Ⅱ -mediated co-assembly of t-PA and PLG may promote plasmin generation and play a key role in modulating fibrinolysis on the endothelial surface.     

Prediction of steady-state bioequivalence relationships using single dose data I-linear kinetics

Simulated data using a linear one- and two-compartment body model with different absorption characteristics were used to evaluate the ability of single dose bioavailability data to predict the relationships that exist at steady state. This was done by comparing the confidence intervals obtained from single and multiple dose data sets for the parameters of Tmax, Cmax, and area under the curve from time zero to infinity (AUC0-infinity). As a consequence of Tmax and Cmax decreasing and increasing from single to multiple dosing regimens, the confidence intervals for these parameters reflected these changes. The 90 per cent confidence interval expressed as a percentage of the reference mean increased or decreased for Tmax dependent upon the ratio of Ka test/Ka reference, and decreased for Cmax while the interval for AUC0-infinity exhibited no predictable pattern and appeared to be influenced by the amount of error in the data set. Alteration of either the dosing interval or the fraction absorbed did not affect the pattern of change in the confidence intervals for Tmax and Cmax, but the latter did result in a decrease in the interval for AUC0-infinity. Analysis of the confidence intervals for Tmax, Cmax and AUC0-infinity in bioequivalency studies for quinidine gluconate and procainamide hydrochloride following administration of single and multiple doses to different subjects appeared to be consistent with the patterns observed for the simulated data sets.     

单能量X线测定骨密度的初步分析

目的：了解温州地区人群不同年龄组骨质疏松患病率及同年龄组男女骨质疏松患病的差异，强调早期预防治疗老年人及绝经期妇女骨质疏松的重要性，方法：应用单能量X线（SXA）骨密度仪测量246例正常人的右跟骨骨密度，结果：男性大于60岁组较小于60岁组骨密度（BMD）降低明显（P＜0．05）；女性50岁以上组与小于50岁组相比，BMD下降差异有极显性（P＜0．01）；各年龄组男女相比，男性BMD明显高于女性（P＜0．05）。结论：女性骨质疏松症的发病大多以绝经后为主，雌激素在维持骨量方面具有重要的作用。SXA检测的跟骨含95％小梁骨，能较好地确定骨质疏松的风险水平，且其具有价廉、简便，快捷，较准确等特点，故不失为一种较好的临床筛查手段。     

Presence of beta human papillomaviruses in nonmelanoma skin cancer from organ transplant recipients and immunocompetent patients in the West of Scotland

Background  Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has been linked to cutaneous human papillomaviruses of the genus beta (betaPV).
Objectives  We sought to assess the presence of betaPV in NMSC biopsies from a group of Scottish skin cancer patients, both immunocompetent (IC) patients and immunosuppressed (IS) organ transplant recipients.
Methods  One hundred and twenty-one paraffin-embedded skin tumours (27 actinic keratosis, 41 intraepidermal carcinoma, 53 squamous cell carcinoma) and 11 normal skin samples were analysed for the presence of betaPV by a polymerase chain reaction–reverse hybridization assay designed to detect the presence of the 25 known betaPV genotypes.
Results  In IC patients, betaPV was detected in 30 of 59 (51%) tumours and two of 11 (18%) normal skin samples ( P  =   0·046). In IS patients, betaPV was found in 27 of 62 (44%) tumours; no normal skin samples were available for comparison. The most frequently found genotypes were HPV-24, HPV-15 and HPV-38. Of those tumours infected with betaPV, 28 of 57 (49%) were infected with more than one genotype (range 2–8). Tumours from IS patients were from a younger age group (mean age 57·4 years) than IC patients (mean age 73·8 years). Multiple infections were more common in tumours from IC patients (21 of 30; 70%) compared with those from IS patients (seven of 27; 26%) ( P  <   0·001). In the IC group, age did not appear to influence the distribution of single and multiple infections whereas in IS patients the proportion of multiple infections to single infections increased with age. There were no multiple infections in normal skin.
Conclusions  A wide spectrum of betaPV types was detected in our samples. Further characterization of betaPV in vivo is needed in order to determine the mechanisms by which the virus contributes to cutaneous carcinogenesis.     

聚合酶链反应检测患儿尿标本中的巨细胞病毒DNA

本文建立了聚合酶链反应(PCR)检测人巨细胞病毒(HCMV)方法,探讨了该方法的某些实验条件。用PCR检测24例临床患儿尿标本。证明PCR方法特异、敏感、简便而快速。同科不同属病毒如HSV、EBV等以及人源正常细胞均无假阳性结果:最小检出量可达0.1fg DNA,相当于6个基因拷贝;用水浴箱手控时间即可进行PCR循环,30次循环仅需97min30s;PCR和DNA杂交检测尿标本中HCMV阳性例数分别为20和14例。该结果证明HCMV感染儿童的广泛性和严重性,初步表明儿童肾病综合症与HCMV有关。     

Discriminative conditioning-related slow potential and single-unit responses in the frontal cortex of urethane-anesthetized rats

A model is described for obtaining long-term and stable discriminative conditioning-related slow-potential and single-unit responses from the frontal cortex of urethane-anesthetized rats. Responses were recorded and analyzed to reinforced (rewarding medial forebrain bundle stimulation) and non-reinforced tone cues. In the present study, cortical event-related slow potentials provided an adequate index of the level of discriminative conditioning. Single-unit response patterns are described for 57 neurons which demonstrated a discriminative response to either the reinforced or non-reinforced tone cue.