Joaquin Maria Albarran Y Dominguez: Microbiologist, histologist, and urologist–a lifetime from orphan in Cuba to Nobel nominee

Joaquin Albarran was an extraordinary late 19th century urologist. His early career was in the field of microbiology and histopathology in Paris at a time of great medical developments and innovations. His later contributions to urology included the Albarran lever, Albarrans sign, Albarran-Ormond syndrome and seminal works on testicular and renal tumors. He also wrote treatizes on the pathophysiology of acute urinary retention, nephritis and calculus ureteric obstruction. He died at the young age of 52 from the effects of tuberculosis and in this same year was nominated for the Nobel prize in medicine.     

重楼甾体总皂苷对血小板聚集的直接诱导作用及初步机制研究

目的:确定重楼甾体总皂苷(TSSP)体外直接诱导血小板聚集作用并对其可能的机制进行探索.方法:比浊法测定血小板聚集,透射电镜观察血小板形态学改变.结果:体内外血小板聚集模型研究表明,TSSP体内给药能够增强ADP诱导血小板聚集.体外能够直接诱导血小板聚集,并呈剂量效应关系.电镜观察TSSP能够直接激活血小板引起变形释放等反应.肾上腺素能够增强TSSP诱导的血小板聚集,该增强作用能被酚妥拉明所拮抗.蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酶抑制剂过钒酸钠能够增强TSSP诱导血小板聚集.结论:本研究表明,TSSP中含有参与止血作用的药理活性成分.     

Sister chromatid exchanges in patients with retinoblastoma

Spontaneous and mitomycin C(MMC)-induced sisyer chromatid exchanges were studied in 11 patients with retinoblastoma and 7 normal controls. Spontaneous rates were similar in patients and in controls. The MMC-induced rate was found to be significantly higher in bilaterally affected patients than in controls. It is suggested that this increase may be due to a DNA repair deficiency. However, it is not possible to clarify wether this abnormality is associated with the retinoblastoma gene or with another factor acting on the degree of expressivity of the disease in gene carriers.     

The chromosomes in hematology

Chromosome studies in hematological disorders made rapid and significant advances following the introduction of banding techniques and the most salient features of these studies are succinctly reported in this Review. Considering the consistency of the chromosome anomalies first, it appears that about 50% of the acute leukemias do not present with or develop detectable karyotypic changes, which could lead to the assumption that they may play a role at any level in the development of the malignant process. More recent work, however, seems to indicate that, at least in some cases, the normal metaphases found in the marrow by direct methods and on unstimulated blood may not have originated from leukemic cells. If clonal chromosome anomalies are to be of some significance, they ought to be nonrandom in character and that is what studies of the last few years have shown. Thus, correlations between these chromosomal anomalies and the types of malignant proliferation have been established, i.e., the Philadelphia (Ph¹) chromosome and chronic granulocytic (myelocytic) leukemia (CML) plus some cases of acute myeloid or lymphoid leukemia; translocation t(15;17) and acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), including the typical form as well as its morphological variants; translocation t(8;21) with or without loss of a sex chromosome and acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) with some maturation; structural anomalies of the long arm of chromosome #11 and acute undifferentiated monoblastic leukemia; loss or deletion of chromosomes #5 and #7 in acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL); translocation t(8;14) and its variants, but always including chromosome #8, in Burkitt lymphoma and Burkitt-type acute leukemia; and chromosome 14q+ in lymphoid proliferative disorders, especially of the B-cell type. Other examples of nonrandom anomalies are found in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (deletion of the long arm of chromosome #6; translocation t(4;11)), in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, certain myeloproliferative syndromes, and in preleukemia (the 5q? anomaly). The relationship between constitutional and acquired chromosomal anomalies (trisomy and acute leukemia), as well as between chromosome breakage syndromes and malignant proliferation, is discussed. Modification of the chromosome changes during the course of the disease have also contributed greatly to our better understanding of these conditions: disappearance of the anomalies during remission and reappearance in relapse of acute leukemia and clonal evolution, allowing critical evaluation of the relationship between the presence of consistent nonrandom chromosome anomalies and prognosis of the disease. Finally, the practical indications for chromosome investigations in hematological disease are listed, and certain future developments are mentioned: study of the relationship between chromosome anomalies and possible etiological agents, biochemical and functional consequences of chromosomal anomalies, improvement of present techniques and the application of new ones and reevaluation of chromosome methodologies in relation to the kinetics of the malignant cell proliferation.     

Glomerular matrix proteins in nodular glomerulosclerosis in association with light chain deposition disease and diabetes mellitus

The diagnosis of light chain deposition nephropathy is based on the immunohistochemical demonstration of monoclonal light chain deposits within connective tissue matrix and on the presence at the ultrastructural level of electron-dense granular deposits along glomerular and tubular basement membranes. A nodular glomerulopathy characterized by amorphous periodic acid-Schiff-positive and argyrophilic widened mesangium and nodules is described in three patients with light chain deposition nephropathy. Light microscopic examination did not allow discrimination between the glomerular changes found in these specimens and the nodular glomerulosclerosis described in four patients with well-documented diabetes mellitus. Electron microscopic examination revealed microtubular fibrils 10 to 12 nm thick in mesangial areas in both groups. Such microfibrils could be glycoproteins. Immunofluorescence localization of matrix proteins, by staining with affinity-purified antibodies to types I, III, IV, and V (A, B) collagens, fibronectin, laminin, and heparan sulfate-containing proteoglycans, showed similar distributions in the two conditions. The mechanism of this abnormal accumulation of mesangial and glomerular basement membrane matrix proteins in two different conditions remains unknown.     

Properties of the tobacco mosaic virus intermediate length RNA-2 and its translation

The existence of subgenomic RNAs is well established in the case of plant viruses such as tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). However, except for the subgenomic coat protein mRNA, it is not known whether the other subgenomic RNAs have a function in the life cycle of the virus. In search of more information about one of the major subgenomic RNAs-intermediate length RNA-2 or I2 RNA-of TMV, in vitro and in vivo translational studies were performed. The I2 RNA, which codes in vitro for the synthesis of a 30K (K = kilodalton) protein, appears to be uncapped as judged by the need of different in vitro translation conditions for the synthesis of this protein, compared to the conditions required for the synthesis of the 126K and 183K proteins coded by the capped genomic RNA. In vivo a protein migrating in the same position as the 30K protein synthesized in vitro can be detected in infected tobacco leaves. Since this protein occurs transiently early upon infection, whether it is virus-coded or virus-induced, it could have an early function during infection.     

接种时期对丛枝菌根真菌侵染的滇重楼幼苗生长发育及甾体皂苷含量的影响

目的研究不同接种时期对丛枝菌根(AM)真菌侵染的滇重楼幼苗生长发育及重楼皂苷含量的影响,为栽培驯化出高品质的滇重楼奠定基础。方法采用HPLC测定不同接种时期滇重楼中重楼皂苷I、II、VI、VII的含量;采用曲利苯蓝染色法、紫外分光光度法等方法对不同接种时期及不同AM真菌组合的滇重楼的侵染率、生理指标、根茎生物量等进行分析。结果不同接种时期的AM真菌侵染率较强,保护酶活性、光合色素和可溶性糖含量提高,可溶性蛋白无明显变化,丙二醛含量降低,滇重楼幼苗的抗逆性提高,生长发育良好;栽培种源1年实生苗(2015年8月采收,T7时期)的品质相对较低,栽培种源1年实生苗(2015年6月、7月采收,T5、T6时期)的与栽培种源2年实生苗(2015年8月采收,T8时期)的品质最佳;不同的AM真菌混合组中,S2、S3和S6处理组的效果更佳。结论接种时期对AMF侵染的滇重楼幼苗生长发育及重楼皂苷含量存在一定的影响。     

重楼提取物抗骨肉瘤作用及机制研究

目的探讨重楼提取物(PPEE)抗骨肉瘤作用及其机制。方法不同质量浓度的PPEE处理骨肉瘤细胞,采用MTT法、Hoechst 33342染色、流式细胞术、Matrigel培养、免疫印迹法分别检测细胞增殖抑制率、细胞凋亡、细胞周期、血管生成拟态(VM)形成及相关蛋白表达情况。裸鼠移植瘤模型观察PPEE的体内抑瘤效果。结果 PPEE对骨肉瘤细胞半数抑制浓度(IC50)为10～60μg/m L,对成骨细胞增殖影响较小。PPEE可浓度依赖性地将骨肉瘤143B细胞阻滞在G2/M期,上调细胞周期相关蛋白p-CDK1、p-Cdc25C、p-Chk2表达,下调cyclinB1表达;促进细胞凋亡,上调cleavedCaspase-3、8、9和PARP表达,上调Bax/Bcl-2;抑制细胞体外VM形成,下调FAK、Mig-7、MMP-2和MMP-9表达。体内实验显示PPEE能明显抑制骨肉瘤生长和体内VM形成,延长荷瘤裸鼠生存期。结论 PPEE在体内外均具有良好的抗骨肉瘤活性,其作用机制可能与诱导骨肉瘤细胞凋亡、阻滞细胞周期及破坏骨肉瘤VM形成有关。     

Immediate and long-term results of superior mesenteric vein-inferior vena cava shunt for portal hypertension in children.

Experience with 46 superior mesenteric vein-inferior vena cava shunts in children is reported, with postoperative follow-up of from 2 to 15 yr. The first procedure used as an end-to-side implantation of the vena cava into the right side of the superior mesenteric vein or portal vein after ligating the cava above the iliac vessels (16 cases). In the next 30 children, the vena cava was lengthened using the left or right common iliac vein, thus obtaining better anastomosis and reversed portal flow. Patency may be definitely assumed when the esophageal varices have disappeared within 3 mo; this was observed in 33 children. Results are nearly the same with superior mesenteric vein-inferior vena cava shunt, splenorenal shunt and portacaval shunt when the respective veins of the portal system are more than 1 cm in diameter. When it is less, the superior mesenteric vein-inferior vena cava shunt is more successful than others; this is the case in children under 7 yr of age. No serious trouble was observed after the interruption of the venous circulation of the limbs and pelvis when a superior mesenteric vein-inferior vena cava shunt was performed when the patients were less than 15 yr of age.