Thermo‐Reversible Hydrogels Based on Poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide)‐block‐poly(acrylic acid)‐block‐poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide) Double Hydrophilic Triblock Copolymer

Summary: A novel double hydrophilic poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide)‐poly(acrylic acid)‐poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide) (PDEAAm‐PAA‐PDEAAm) triblock copolymer was synthesized by sequential anionic polymerization and modification of the poly(tert‐butyl acrylate) middle block by selective hydrolysis and neutralization to its ionic functions. Due to the pH‐sensitivity of the PAA central block and the thermo‐sensitivity of the PDEAAm end‐blocks, it exhibits responsive behavior in aqueous media. At low temperatures and high pH, it is molecularly dissolved while at temperatures above the LCST of the PDEAAm end‐blocks, a sol–gel transition was observed which should be ascribed to the formation of a three‐dimensional transient network comprising PDEAAm hydrophobic physical crosslinks interconnected by PAA negatively charged elastic chains. The sol–gel transition and the rheological properties of the physical gel are strongly influenced by the presence of salt.

Temperature induced sol–gel transition in PDEAAm‐PAA‐PDEAAm aqueous solutions.     

Double innervation of the anterior belly of the digastric muscle

We came across a very rare case in which the anterior belly of the digastric muscle was innervated by the twigs of the facial nerve in addition to those of the mylohyoid nerve. The anomaly was discovered in the cadaver of an 84-year-old Japanese male bequeathed for a training seminar in gross anatomy at Kumamoto University in 2003. One twig issued from the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve and entered the central region of the anterior belly of the digastric muscle on the lower surface. The other twig issued from the stylohyoid branch of the facial nerve, descended along the lateral margin of the stylohyoid muscle and entered the anterior belly of the digastric muscle on the lower surface near the intermediate tendon. The twig from the marginal mandibular branch was distributed to the shallow (lower) and central region near the medial margin of the anterior belly. The twig from the stylohyoid branch was distributed to the shallow and lateral region of the anterior belly. These two twigs communicated with the mylohyoid nerve at several peripheral parts. Textbooks on general anatomy make mention of only one nerve, the mylohyoid, supplying the anterior belly of the digastric muscle. However, the present case manifests that the anterior belly receiving twigs from the mylohyoid and facial nerves is formed with the second brachial component as well as the first.     

Detection of bacterial strains producing sulbactam- or tazobactam-sensitive beta-lactamases by the use of disks containing the inhibitors alone instead of combining them with antibiotics

The author demonstrated that disks containing beta-lactamase inhibitors sulbactam or tazobactam combined with ampicillin (SAM) and piperacillin (TZP) are not suitable for performing the double-disk synergy test (DDST) with the aim of determining the sensitivity of beta-lactamases to these inhibitors. The presence of antibiotics (especially of piperacillin) is so disturbing that the results of testing are not specific. In contrast, the use of disks containing sulbactam or tazobactam alone yields very specific results. The author suggested to the firms producing sensi-disks that they make these commercially available to laboratory workers.     

七氟醚全麻诱导在心脏瓣膜置换术中的应用

目的比较七氟醚和异丙酚全麻诱导用于心脏瓣膜置换术的效果。方法择期心脏瓣膜置换病人70例,ASAⅠ级至Ⅲ级,年龄22～69岁,行全身麻醉。随机分为七氟醚组和异丙酚组,每组35例,其中七氟醚组（S组）吸入6%七氟醚麻醉诱导;异丙酚组（P组）用异丙酚静脉麻醉诱导,两组均静脉注入10μg/kg芬太尼。病人入室后记录血压（BP）、心率（HR）作为基础值。记录插管前、即刻、插管后1、2、3min的BP和HR以及病人意识消失的时间。结果与基础值比较,插管前即刻两组BP均下降,S组HR减慢（P〈0.01）;插管后1minP组BP下降（P〈0.01）;插管后3min,P组HR较S组快（P〈0.05）。结论七氟醚可安全用于心脏瓣膜置换术全麻诱导。     

Accelerated thymocyte maturation in IL-12Rβ2-deficient mice contributes to increased susceptibility to autoimmune inflammatory demyelination

IL-12Rβ2^−/− mice, which are unresponsive to IL-12, develop severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The mechanisms for enhanced autoimmunity are incompletely understood. We report that in IL-12Rβ2^−/− mice, thymocytes undergo markedly accelerated maturation. This occurs at the transition from a double positive (DP) to a single positive (SP) phenotype, resulting in higher numbers of CD4 and CD8 SP cells, and to a lesser extent at the transition from double negative (DN) to DP cells. Accelerated maturation is observed in mice injected with anti-CD3 to mimic pre-T-cell receptor stimulation, and also in mice immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) peptide to induce EAE.     

Curcumin supplementation protects from genotoxic effects of arsenic and fluoride

The present study was aimed to evaluate curcumin as a potential natural antioxidant to mitigate the genotoxic effects of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The study was divided into nine groups consisting of negative control, positive control treated with ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS; 1.93 mM) and curcumin control with only curcumin (1.7 μM) in blood culture. As (1.4 μM) and F (34 μM) were added alone as well as in combination, to the cultures, with and without curcumin. Cultures were analysed for chromosomal aberrations (both structural and numerical) and primary DNA damage via comet assay as the genotoxic parameters after an exposure duration of 24 h. Results revealed that curcumin efficiently ameliorates the toxic effect of As and F by reducing the frequency of structural aberrations (>60%), hypoploidy (>50%) and primary DNA damage. In conclusion, curcumin mitigates the genotoxic effects of the two well known water contaminants (As and F) effectively and efficiently at the given concentration in vitro.     

The effects of ginseng total saponin,panaxadiol and panaxatriol on ischemia/reperfusion injury in isolated rat heart

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effect of ginseng total saponin, panaxadiol and panaxatriol, which are the major components of Panax ginseng, against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in isolated rat hearts. Rats were orally administered once a day with total saponin (20 mg/kg), panaxadiol (5 mg/kg) and panaxatriol (5 mg/kg) for consecutive 7 days. On day 8, the hearts were isolated and perfused with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer solution using Langendorff apparatus. After 30 min of global ischemia, hearts were reperfused for 30 min. Myocardial function, coronary flow and biochemical parameters, such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were measured. Total saponin and panaxatriol significantly improved I/R-induced myocardial dysfunction by increasing left ventricular development pressure, (−dP/dt)/(+dP/dt) and time to contracture. Moreover, the increases in the levels of LDH, CK and MDA and the decrease in the levels of GSH were attenuated by total saponin and panaxatriol. However, the ATP levels did not affected by total saponin, panaxadiol and panaxatriol pretreatment. Our findings suggest that pretreatment with ginseng total saponin, especially panaxatriol, ameliorates I/R-induced myocardial damage and this protection is caused by reducing oxidative stress.     

气相色谱法检测复方丹参片中樟脑残留量研究

目的：建立樟脑残留量定性定量方法,了解目前复方丹参片中樟脑残留量情况。方法：以气相色谱双柱法定性,以供试品中樟脑冰片峰面积百分比定量。结果：通过对22批复方丹参片的定性检测：均有樟脑残留量存在,对13批定量推测,樟脑占冰片的面积百分含量为0．19％-1．15％。结论：樟脑冰片面积百分比法能有效用于复方丹参片中樟脑残留量判断。     

Maintenance of genomic integrity after DNA double strand breaks in the human prostate and seminal vesicle epithelium: The best and the worst

Prostate cancer is one of the most frequent cancer types in men, and its incidence is steadily increasing. On the other hand, primary seminal vesicle carcinomas are extremely rare with less than 60 cases reported worldwide. Therefore the difference in cancer incidence has been estimated to be more than a 100,000-fold. This is astonishing, as both tissues share similar epithelial structure and hormonal cues. Clearly, the two epithelia differ substantially in the maintenance of genomic integrity, possibly due to inherent differences in their DNA damage burden and DNA damage signaling. The DNA damage response evoked by DNA double strand breaks may be relevant, as their faulty repair has been implicated in the formation of common genomic rearrangements such as TMPRSS2-ERG fusions during prostate carcinogenesis. Here, we review DNA damaging processes of both tissues with an emphasis on inflammation and androgen signaling. We discuss how benign prostate and seminal vesicle epithelia respond to acute DNA damage, focusing on the canonical DNA double strand break-induced ATM-pathway, p53 and DNA damage induced checkpoints. We propose that the prostate might be more prone to the accumulation of genetic aberrations during epithelial regeneration than seminal vesicles due to a weaker ability to enforce DNA damage checkpoints.     

Collision Tumors of Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Mucosa-associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma

A 65-year-old woman with a history of treatment for splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy. A reddish elevated lesion was found in the fundus of the stomach. On image-enhanced endoscopy, several findings, such as glandular structures of varying sizes suggesting well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, pruned blood vessels, and dilated blood vessels in deeper mucosa suggesting MALT lymphoma, were observed. The final pathological diagnosis after surgical resection was collision tumors of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma and MALT lymphoma. The features of both tumors could be observed simultaneously with image-enhanced endoscopy.