Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi in human blood and urine using the polymerase chain reaction.

We investigated the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect Borrelia burgdorferi strain B-31 in human blood and urine experimentally inoculated with 5 and 1 borreliae/cm3, respectively, and to biotinylate a DNA probe specific for B. burgdorferi in the dot blot and Southern blot assays. When the blood and urine samples were subjected to PCR, a 370-bp amplified product was consistently visible on agarose gel electrophoresis after 30 and 45 cycles, respectively. The total human genomic DNA extracted from a 1-cm3 sample of inoculated blood was approximately 6.25 micrograms, and the total amount of B. burgdorferi DNA was estimated to be 0.01 pg/6.25 micrograms of the human DNA. For PCR, 2.5 micrograms of human DNA which contained the equivalent of 0.004 pg of borrelia DNA (approximately two borreliae) were used for enzymatic amplification. When 1/20 or 1/10 of the PCR-amplified products were used either for dot blot or Southern blot hybridization, the accessible copies of amplified B. burgdorferi DNA were sufficient for detectable hybridization to occur. PCR amplification of B. burgdorferi DNA in clinical specimens followed by dot blot hybridization may be a valuable adjunct or alternative to current but inadequate laboratory methods for the diagnosis of Lyme disease.     

Influence of bradykinin B1 and B2 receptors in the immune response triggered by renal ischemia–reperfusion injury

Bradykinin B1 receptors are exclusively expressed in inflamed tissues. For this reason, they have been related with the outcomes of several pathologies. Ischemia–reperfusion injury is caused by the activation of inflammatory and cytoprotective genes, such as macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 and heme oxygenase-1, respectively. This study was aimed to analyze the involvement of bradykinin B1 and B2 receptors (B1R and B2R) in tissue response after renal ischemia–reperfusion injury. For that, B1R (B1−/−), B2R (B2−/−) knockout animals and its control (wild-type mice, B1B2+/+) were subjected to renal bilateral ischemia, followed by 24, 48 and 120 h of reperfusion. At these time points, blood serum samples were collected for creatinine and urea dosages. Kidneys were harvested for histology and molecular analyses by real-time PCR. At 24 and 48 h of reperfusion, B1−/− group resulted in the lowest serum creatinine and urea levels, indicating less renal damage, which was proved by renal histology. Renal protection associated with B1−/− mice was also related with higher expression of HO-1 and lower expression of MCP-1. In conclusion, the absence of B1R had a protective role against inflammatory responses developed after renal ischemia–reperfusion injury.     

白花前胡中白花前胡甙和Pd-C-I的分离和鉴定

从白花前胡(Peucedanum,praeruptorum)根中分得7个化合物,经化学方法和光谱分析分别鉴定为Pd-C-I(I),白花前胡甙(II),香草酸(III),没食子酸(IV),nodakenin(V),rutarin(VI)和isorutarin(VII)。II为新化合物,其化学结构为4-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖基-3-甲氧基苯丙酮,命名为白花前胡甙。I为首次从白花前胡中分得的线型二氢吡喃香豆素类化合物,这对前胡属植物化学分类学有一定意义。还利用2DNMR纠正了文献中关于化合物I和VII的个别碳信号归属的错误。     

烟酰胺类和吡啶丙烯酰胺类衍生物的合成及扩血管活性

烟酰胺类和吡啶丙烯酰胺类衍生物的合成及扩血管活性傅焕建，朱莉亚，林紫云（中国医学科学院，中国协和医科大学药物研究所，北京１０００５０）高血压流行病学的调查表明［１］，我国每年至少有９５万以上高血压病人，所以高血压病是一类常见病，多发病。目前临床应用的...     

Contraction of guinea pig lung by synthetic oligopeptides related to human C3a

Complement-derived human C3a is a 77 residue protein whose biological activities include the contraction of guinea pig ileum and parenchymal lung strips. The C3a molecule is active at submicromolar concentrations and the spasmogenic activities are absolutely dependent on a carboxy-terminal arginyl residue. Studies with synthetic peptide analogues of C3a have localized the active site for all spasmogenic functions at the carboxy-terminal portion of the native molecule. Studies reported here demonstrate that the spasmogenic action of C3a on guinea pig parenchymal lung tissue is mimicked by synthetic peptides based on the carboxy-terminal sequence of C3a. Synthetic peptides with sequences corresponding to the 5, 8, 13 and 21 carboxy-terminal residues of C3a all possess spasmogenic activity on lung tissue. Molar activities of the synthetic peptides relative to that of C3a increase as the length of the peptide increases. The activity of the pentapeptide C3a 73-77 is only 0.5% that of C3a, while those of C3a 70-77 and C3a 65-77 are 3.8 and 7.8%, respectively. A 21 residue peptide, C3a 57-77, exhibits activity equivalent to native C3a. The synthetic peptides, unlike C3a, fail to produce tachyphylaxis. We compared C3a reactivity of guinea pig parenchymal lung strips with those of the synthetic C3a peptides in the presence of various inhibitor combinations. Responses of lung strips to C3a or the C3a peptides were not significantly inhibited by the antihistamine pyrilamine. However, lung responses to synthetic C3a peptides, like those to C3a, were inhibited by indomethacin. Complete inhibition of responses to C3a or the synthetic C3a peptides was produced in the presence of indomethacin, FPL55712 and pyrilamine.     

大戟根化学成分的研究

从中药大戟(Euphorbia pekinensis)根中分得9个化合物,经理化常数和波谱数据分析,分别鉴定为羊毛甾醇(I),3-甲氧基-4-羟基反式苯丙烯酸正十八醇酯(II),β-谷甾醇(III),伞形花内酯(IV),2,2′-二甲氧基-3,3′二羟基-5,5′-氧-6,6′-联苯二甲酸酐(V),d-松脂素(VI),槲皮素(VII),3,4-二甲氧基苯甲酸(VII)和3,4-二羟基苯甲酸(IX)。其中II和V为两个未见文献报道的新化合物,其余化合物均为首次从该植物中分离得到,VI为首次从该属植物中分得的木脂素类化合物。