Radiation protects adriamycin-induced apoptosis

Combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy have represented major advance in the therapeutic management of cancer therapy. Anthracycline antineoplastic agents are limited by a high incidence of severe and usually irreversible cardiac toxicity, the cause of which remains controversial. When the primary cardiomyocytes isolated from neonatal rats were preirradiated by γ-ray, the cells were highly resistant to adriamycin-induced apoptosis. This study shows that irradiation inhibited apoptosis by enhancing Bcl-2, attenuating Bax induction, and preventing collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ), cytochrome c release into cytoplasm and caspase-3, -6 and -9 activations.

In addition, the preirradiation stimulated the activity of manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and the expression of Mn-SOD mRNA and protein. Adriamycin decreased Mn-SOD activity but did not change the activity of copper/zinc (Cu/Zn)-SOD under either pre- or nonirradiated condition. Phosphothioate-linked antisense against Mn-SOD, which specifically knocked down the activity of Mn-SOD but not that of Cu/Zn-SOD, reversed irradiation-induced protective effect in adriamycin-exposed cardiomyocytes. These data suggest that the irradiation-induced expression of Mn-SOD plays an important role in irradiation-mediated protection in adriamycin-exposed rat ventricular cardiomyocytes.     

Clonally restricted insulin autoantibodies in a cohort of 2200 healthy blood donors

Summary Serum samples of 2200 blood donors were screened for anti-insulin IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Specificity of detected antibodies was verified by competition with an excess of insulin and observation that saturated anti-insulin IgG were no longer measurable. The upper limit of measured signal in the population was defined as the mean plus three SD. In the direct assay, 32 sera were positive. Among these, 22 (1%) contained saturable insulin antibodies (true positive) and 10 were non-saturable and considered as non-insulin-specific. The positive blood donors were requested to answer a questionnaire and according to their answers, none had ever received insulin, was a first degree relative of a Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patient or had experienced a hypoglycaemic episode. None of the 22 true positive sera detected by enzyme-immunosorbent assay bound ¹²⁵-I-insulin to any significant extent. The nine sera yielding the highest signal were further characterized with regard to heavy and light chains as well as species specificity of ligand. Anti-insulin IgG from healthy blood donors contained only one heavy (1 2/9; 3 7/9) and one light ( 8/9; 1/9) chain. Three sera were human insulin specific; two were non-species-specific; the other four bound insulin in the order human = porcine > bovine. These results indicate that low affinity clonally restricted antibodies against insulin are present in unselected blood donors with a prevalence of 1%.     

NADPH氧化酶家族在心血管疾病中作用的研究进展

烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸磷酸氧化酶是心血管系统中活性氧(reactive oxygen species,ROS)的主要来源,它包 括7种亚型并分别表达在不同的心血管细胞及其细胞器中,参与调节细胞增殖、迁移、分化、凋亡、衰老和炎症反应 等多种活动,其衍生的ROS参与高血压、动脉粥样硬化、糖尿病血管病变、心肌梗死后心室重构等多种心血管疾病 的病理过程。     

当药水提物对大鼠中性白细胞活性氧生成和兔血小板聚集的影响

目的 研究当药水提物对大鼠中性白细胞性细胞内内Ca^2 浓度增加、活性氧生成及兔血小板聚集的影响。方法 用酵母多糖、FMLP和A23 187活化大鼠中性白细胞,用化学发光法测定活性氧,用荧光光度法测细胞内Ca^2 浓度,用比浊法测血小板聚集。结果 当药水提物浓度依赖性地抑制酵母多精、FMLP和A23 187诱导的大鼠中性白细胞内Ca^2 浓度增加及活性氧生成;也抑制花生四稀酸、胶原及ADP诱导的兔血小板聚集。和吲哚美辛比较,当药水提物抑制活性氧生成的作用较强而抑制血小板聚集的作用较弱,其作用远强于swertiamarin。结论 当药水提物是极强的中性白细胞活性氧生成抑制剂,其作用强于swertiamarin。     

Infective endocarditis in paediatrics

Infective endocarditis is a result of infection of the endocardium, particularly of the heart valves (native or prosthetic valves). The most common causative organisms in the paediatric population are: Streptococci, Staphylococci and Enterococci. The classical signs of infective endocarditis like Roth spots, Janeway lesions, splinter haemorrhages and Osler's nodes are relatively rare in children. A high index of suspicion in a febrile child with a new murmur, detailed history, meticulous examination, repeated blood cultures, and echocardiography are essential in establishing the diagnosis. Management of infective endocarditis involves a prolonged course of antibiotics, at least for 4–6 weeks depending upon the causative organism and underlying heart condition. Complications of infective endocarditis include congestive heart failure resulting from valvular damage/regurgitation, infective emboli leading to abscesses in other organs and abnormal host immunological responses. Prophylactic antibiotics for dental and other medical procedures like genitourinary tract procedures are no longer recommended in the UK. The emphasis should be on educating children and their parents in early recognition of infective endocarditis. Children at high risk of developing endocarditis should be assessed urgently after clinical suspicion.     

进行期银屑病患者活性氧代谢变化探讨

目的：探讨进行期银屑病患者活性氧代谢变化。方法：采用细胞化学发光分析技术测定患者及健康对照组外周血淋巴细胞化学发光强度（ Ｌｙｃｌ）及多形核白细胞化学发光强度（ Ｐ Ｍ Ｎｃｌ）,同时测定血浆超氧化物歧化酶（ Ｓ Ｏ Ｄ）、全血谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（ Ｇ Ｓ Ｈ Ｐｘ）以及血浆丙二醛（ Ｍ Ｄ Ａ）含量。结果：银屑病患者 Ｌｙｃｌ及 Ｐ Ｍ Ｎｃｌ较对照组显著增强（ Ｐ＜ ０．０５）,血浆 Ｓ Ｏ Ｄ活力明显增强（ Ｐ＜ ０．０５）, Ｍ Ｄ Ａ 浓度较对照组明显增高（ Ｐ＜ ００５）。全血 Ｇ Ｓ Ｈ Ｐｘ 活力较对照组显著下降（ Ｐ＜ ０．０５）。结论：进行期银屑病患者细胞功能改变,机体活性氧代谢增强,抗氧化功能下降,组织细胞损伤加快。活性氧损伤可能是该病患者皮损炎症的重要原因。     

436例临床感染的厌氧细菌学分析

为探讨厌氧菌与临床感染的关系,了解临床厌氧菌感染率、厌氧菌感染的特点及优势厌氧感染菌,采用需氧和厌氧培养方法,对４３６例临床感染患者标本进行了厌氧细菌学分析,结果：４３６例临床感染患者的厌氧菌感染率为８８．３％（３８５／４３６）。优势菌是革兰氏阴性无芽胞的厌氧杆菌（拟杆菌、普氏菌、叶啉单胞菌）和消化链球菌。由人体的厌氧菌作为主要病原菌引起的内源性感染和混合菌感染是临床厌氧菌感染的特点     

Reactive oxygen species in NMDA receptor-mediated glutamate neurotoxicity

In search of endogenous protective substances that inhibit neurotoxic action of glutamate and nitric oxide (NO), we found that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), acting on TrkB receptor tyrosine kinase, inhibited neurotoxicity induced by glutamate and NO donors in cultured cortical neurons. In co-cultures of the mesencephalon and striatum, projection of mesencephalic dopamine neurons to the striatum attenuated N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-induced cytotoxicity in dopamine neurons themselves. Growth factors such as neurotrophins, which the target cells in the striatum would synthesize and secrete, may offer the protection of dopamine neurons against glutamate neurotoxicity.     

Reactive oxidant species in piriform cortex extracellular fluid during seizures induced by systemic kainic acid in rats

Kainic acid (KA) administered systemically to rats produces seizures and brain damage. We measured an increase in reactive oxidant species (ROS) during KA-induced seizures in the extracellular fluid (ECF) of the piriform cortex, a brain region known to be subsequently damaged. Intracerebral microdialysis samples were collected and assayed for isoluminol-dependent chemiluminescence before and after injection of KA (16 mg/kg, ip). Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) concentrations were calculated from catalase-sensitive chemiluminescence, the difference between total and catalase-resistant chemiluminescence. During generalized tonic-clonic seizures, both total and catalase-resistant chemiluminescence increased significantly in samples from brain ECF. Catalase-resistant chemiluminescence, most likely produced by ascorbic acid, increased for a full hour during sustained seizure activity. H₂O₂ concentrations showed a trend towards elevation during seizures. Increased ROS suggest that oxidative stress occurs in brain ECF during sustained seizure activity.