Comparison of the radiosensitivity of interleukin-2 production between species, between tissues, and between young and old individuals

The radiosensitivity of interleukin-2 (IL-2) production was assessed of (a) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of young humans, dogs, and mice (C57BL/6); (b) PBMC and splenic cells of young mice; and (c) PBMC of young and old humans and the splenic cells of young and old mice. The results indicate that (a) large differences in radiosensitivity exist between the PBMC of humans, dogs, and mice (e.g., the radiation doses which resulted in 37% remaining IL-2 activity (D37) of human, dog, and mouse PBMC were 3771, greater than 10,000, and 1398 rads, respectively); (b) only a small difference exists between the PBMC and splenic cells of mice; and (c) no difference exists between the PBMC of young and old humans and between splenic cells of young and old mice. Topological abnormalities, as judged by scanning electron microscopic analysis, could not be detected in dog PBMC after their exposure to 1800 rads, but could be detected in mouse PBMC after their exposure to 400 rads.     

Cross-Reactions between Mycobacteria

Crossed immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) has been used to characterize the soluble antigens of Mycobacterium lepraemurium (Douglas strain) (MLM). The antigen was prepared by sonification of intact bacilli, purified as described. A pool of immunoglobulin isolated from hyperimmune rabbit antisera was used as antibody. By this procedure 42 antigens from MLM could be defined in a highly reproducible manner. An analysis of crossed line immunoelectrophoresis (CLIE) and CIE with intermediate gel as methods for studying antigenic cross-reactivity are presented. Based on this analysis both BCG antigen and BCG antibody were added separately to the intermediate gel of the MLM reference system to study the cross-reactivity between this mycobacterium and MLM. It was concluded that 23 out of the 42 MLM antigens defined in our reference system showed various degrees of cross-reactivity. However, most of these cross-reactions were weak. The method appears to be well suited for studying cross-reactions between mycobacteria, but similar studies using other mycobacteria are needed before it can be decided how closely MLM is related to BCG.     

Cross-reactivity between quinolones

Cross-reactivity between quinolones in uncertain. Recently, we studied three patients who had developed suspected allergic reaction to a quinolone. For all of them we performed skin test, histamine release test, RAST, and oral provocation with the suspected quinolone and also with another quinolone of the opposite generation. Five atopic and five nonatopic subjects were used as controls. Neither skin test, histamine release test, nor RAST was useful in the diagnosis. By mean of oral controlled provocation, the reactions were reproduced, and all the patients also reacted to another quinolone. We conclude that cross-reactivity between quinolone seems to be very important, and avoidance of any quinolone should be recommended to any patients who has suffered an allergic reaction to one of these drugs.     

Cross-reactions between Mycobacteria

Cross-reactions between Mycobacterium bovis BCG and various other mycobacteria, Nocardia asteroides, Corynebacterium pyogenes and Listeria monocytogenes were studied by incorporating antibodies against these bacteria in the intermediate gel of a crossed immunoelectrophoretic system with BCG antigen and anti-BCG antibodies. In the BCG reference system forty-four distinct antigenic components were recorded, of which thiryt-three cross-reacted with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, twenty-five with M. avium, twenty-one with M. suvalii, eighteen with M. smegmatis, Fifteen with M. nonchromogenicum, twelve with M. phlei, eight with N. anteroides and two with C. pyogenes, whereas no cross-reaction was detected with L. monocytogenes. The value of the method for characterization of mycobacterial antigens is discussed. A taxonomic system based on this method appears particularly valuable for studies of non-cultivativable mycobacteria such as M. leprae. A majority of twenty-one patients with lepromatous leprosy had anti-BCG antibodies of restricted specificity, affecting only four or five BCG antigens, although one patient had twelve anti-BCG specificities. Most of these antibodies reacted with those BCG antigens that cross-react extensively with other mycobacteria.     

老年人与成年子女间社会支持与老年人自尊的关系

本文采取方便取样的方法 ,从北京、沈阳、山西、湖北四省市选取 2 88名老年被试 ,其中城市人口 12 4例 ,城镇人口 74例 ,农村人口 90例 ;平均年龄 65岁 ( 5 3～87岁 ) ,5 3～ 5 9岁 45例 ,60～ 64岁 91例 ,65～ 69岁 94例 ,70岁以上 5 8例 ;男 15 9例 ,女 12 9例 ;平均受教育年限 7年 ,文盲3 6例 ,小学水平 98例 ,中学水平 68例 ,中专水平 3 3例 ,大学以上水平 5 3例 ;婚姻状况为单身 2例 ,已婚 (配偶还健在 )2 3 4例 ,离婚 2例 ,丧偶 5 0例。方法　采用自编老年人与成年子女间的社会支持问卷。该问卷由两个分问卷组成 ,分别是老年人接受成…     

张家口-北京两地SARS一线医护人员SCL-90对比分析

目的 了解不同地区SARS一线医护人员的心理健康状况。方法 对张家口市SARS一线医护人员进行SCL-90量表评定,与北京同期SARS一线医护人员SCL-90量表评分进行对照分析。结果 张家口市SARS一线医护人员SCL-90量表评分中,除恐怖因子没有显著性差异外,总分、阳性项目数、阳性症状痛苦水平及其它8个因子都极显著高于北京同市SARS一线医护人员。结论 SARS应激强度不是一线医护人员心理健康状况的决定性因素,积极的心理一社会干预可有效地改善一线医护人员心理健康状况。     

4～6岁幼儿行为问题与子女教育心理控制源的相关研究

目的探讨4～6岁幼儿的行为问题与子女教育心理控制源之间的关系,以便能够更有效的对幼儿的问题行为进行干预和影响。方法对92名4～6岁幼儿及其家长运用子女教育心理控制源量表和R utter儿童行为问卷父母问卷进行调查,采用Spearm an相关、多个独立样本t检验及单因变量多因素方差分析的方法来分析各因子对幼儿行为的影响。结果幼儿的行为问题与子女教育心理控制源因子存在显著相关:①父母对子女行为的控制因子与儿童的非社会行为呈显著的负相关(θ=-0.394,P<0.01);②父母的责任因子与儿童的非社会行为也呈显著的负相关(θ=-0.227,P<0.05);③儿童的神经症行为与父母对子女行为的控制因子呈显著的负相关(θ=-0.312,P<0.01);④父母对子女行为的控制因子对幼儿行为方式的影响存在显著性差异(K=8.121,P<0.05)。结论子女教育心理控制源对4～6岁儿童的行为问题有一定的预测力。     

Sharing of Ia Antigens between Species

Certain mouse alloantisera have been found to detect immunologic cross-reactions between human and murine Ia antigens. Almost every anti-Iaa, -Iak and -Iad serum tested exhibited such cross-reactions. Sera prepared against the products of limited segments of the mouse I region and tested on human B cells revealed that anti-I-E/Ck cross-reactions were more readily detectable than anti-I-A, B, Jk cross-reactions. Most of the mouse alloantisera were cytotoxic to bells from almost every individual tested, although a few sera exhibited more restricted patterns of lysis, permitting limited segregation analyses. The cytotoxicity of these mouse alloantisera in family studies was consistent with HLA linkage of the genes responsible for the cross-reacting Ia determinants. Immunochemical analysis on radiolabelled detergent lysates of human lymphocytes indicated that the sera reacted with molecules of 34,000 and 28,000 daltons. Thus, by cellular distribution, HLA association, and immunochemical criteria, these mouse alloantisera detect human Ia antigens. These cross-reactive sera should be of practical value for the detection of human Ia antigens and may also have theoretical implications for the evolution of genes coding for Ia antigens.     

Transplantation of organs between species.

The shortage of organs from human donors for transplantation has stimulated a renewed interest in the use of organs from animals or xenografting. Such grafts can be transplanted between closely related species--concordant, or distantly related species--discordant. In this mini review the immune processes which cause rejection for each of these categories is described. Data demonstrating methods by which this rejection can be controlled are summarised and a possible approach to clinical application is described.     

Coordination between posture and movement: interaction between postural and accuracy constraints

We examined the interaction between the control of posture and an aiming movement. Balance control was varied by having subjects aim at a target from a seated or a standing position. The aiming difficulty was varied using a Fitts’-like paradigm (movement amplitude=30 cm; target widths=0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5 cm). For both postural conditions, all targets were within the reaching space in front of the subjects and kept at a fixed relative position with respect to the subjects’ body. Hence, for a given target size, the aiming was differentiated only by the postural context (seated vs. upright standing). For both postural conditions, movement time (MT) followed the well-known Fitts’ law, that is, it increased with a decreasing target size. For the smallest target width, however, the increased MT was greater when subjects were standing than when they were seated suggesting that the difficulty of the aiming task could not be determined solely by the target size. When standing, a coordination between the trunk and the arm was observed. Also, as the target size decreased, the center of pressure (CP) displacement increased without any increase in CP speed suggesting that the subjects were regulating their CP to provide a controlled referential to assist the hand movement. When seated, the CP kinematics was scaled with the hand movement kinematics. Increasing the index of difficulty led to a strong correlation between the hand speed and CP displacement and speed. The complex organization between posture and movement was revealed only by examining the specific interactions between speed–accuracy and postural constraints.     

Links between repeated sequences

L1 and Alu elements are long and short interspersed retrotransposable elements (LINEs and SINEs) in humans, respectively. Proteins encoded in the autonomous L1 mediate retrotransposition of the nonautonomous Alu and cellular mRNAs. Alu is the only active SINE in the human genome and is derived from 7SL RNA of signal recognition particle. In the other eukaryotic genomes, various tRNA- and 5S rRNA-derived SINEs are found. Some of the tRNA- and 5S rRNA-derived SINEs have partner LINEs of which 3' sequences are similar to those of the SINEs. One of the tRNA-derived SINEs is shown to be mobilized by its partner LINE. Many copies of tRNA and 5S rRNA pseudogenes are present in the human genome. These pseudogenes may have been generated via the retrotransposition process using L1 proteins. Although there are no sequence similarities between L1 and Alu, L1 functionally links with Alu and even cellular genes, impacting on our genome shaping.     

Heterologous immunity between viruses

Summary: Immune memory responses to previously encountered pathogens can sometimes alter the immune response to and the course of infection of an unrelated pathogen by a process known as heterologous immunity. This response can lead to enhanced or diminished protective immunity and altered immunopathology. Here, we discuss the nature of T-cell cross-reactivity and describe matrices of epitopes from different viruses eliciting cross-reactive CD8⁺ T-cell responses. We examine the parameters of heterologous immunity mediated by these cross-reactive T cells during viral infections in mice and humans. We show that heterologous immunity can disrupt T-cell memory pools, alter the complexity of the T-cell repertoire, change patterns of T-cell immunodominance, lead to the selection of viral epitope-escape variants, alter the pathogenesis of viral infections, and, by virtue of the private specificity of T-cell repertoires within individuals, contribute to dramatic variations in viral disease. We propose that heterologous immunity is an important factor in resistance to and variations of human viral infections and that issues of heterologous immunity should be considered in the design of vaccines.     

Recombination between VH pseudogenes

The peculiar pattern of nucleotide differences between germline VH genes V104A/VAR104 and 122B could be the result of an exchange of genetic information through gene conversion. A palindromic sequence in one of the genes seems to have been the target site for the break that initiated recombination.     

Genomic relationship between capripoxviruses

Capripoxvirus DNAs from field isolates and vaccine samples were analysed by digestion with the restriction enzyme Hind III. The patterns of fragments generated by digestion with Hind III are sufficiently similar to show that all capripoxviruses are closely related, although patterns of different isolates can be grouped in a way which correlates with the animal of origin. The close relatedness was also demonstrated by the high level of sequence homology detected using the Southern Cross hybridization system. Despite the sequence homology, the molecular weights of the genomes of different isolates varied from 73 to 91 MDa. The presence of two rapidly reannealing restriction fragments in the Hind III digests of capripoxvirus DNA indicated the presence of terminal cross-links.