人视网膜色素上皮细胞增殖与川芎嗪的影响

目的:观察糖基化终产物(advanced glycation end products,AGEs)对人视网膜色素上皮细胞增殖的影响,以及川芎嗪对AGEs诱导的人视网膜色素上皮细胞增殖的拮抗作用。方法:实验于2003-09/2004-07在中南大学湘雅二医院中心实验室完成。①实验分组:原代培养人视网膜色素上皮细胞,第3￣8代用于实验,设空白对照组,DMEM培养基中不加入任何药物;AGEs对照物组,培养液中含100mg/L的AGEs对照物;AGEs组,培养液中含10,50,100,200,400mg/L的AGEs,分别干预视网膜色素上皮细胞24h及48h。②实验操作:川芎嗪干预实验:也设空白对照组;AGEs对照物组;AGEs组,培养液中含100mg/L的AGEs;AGEs 川芎嗪组,培养液中加入10,20,40,80,160,320,640mg/L川芎嗪30min后加入100mg/L的AGEs,分别干预视网膜色素上皮细胞24h。③实验评估:MTT微量酶比色法检测视网膜色素上皮细胞增殖情况。结果:①视网膜色素上皮细胞增殖情况:不同浓度AGEs组细胞增殖率均高于对照物组(P<0.01),100mg/LAGEs组增殖率(24,48h分别为39.45%,31.97%)高于其他组(P<0.01),48h与24h结果一致。②川芎嗪的抑制效应:与AGEs组比较,10,20,40,80,160mg/L川芎嗪对AGEs诱导的视网膜色素上皮细胞增殖无抑制作用(P>0.05),320及640mg/L川芎嗪有抑制作用,其抑制率为8.96%,15.08%(P<0.01)。结论:①AGEs可诱导人视网膜色素上皮细胞增殖。②低浓度川芎嗪对AGEs诱导的人视网膜色素上皮细胞增殖无抑制作用,高浓度川芎嗪具有抑制作用。     

Molecular basis of intrahepatic cholestasis

Intrahepatic cholestasis, or impairment of bile flow, is an important manifestation of inherited and acquired liver disease. In recent years, human genetic and molecular studies have identified several genes, the disruption of which results in cholestasis. ATP8B1 (FIC1), ABCB11 (BSEP), and ABCB4 (MDR3) are disrupted in forms of progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) and related disorders. Mutations in BAAT, TJP2 (ZO‐2), and EPHX1 have been identified in patients with hypercholanemia. A CLDN1 mutation was recently reported in patients with ichthyosis, leukocyte vacuoles, alopecia and sclerosing cholangitis (ILVASC), and North American Indian childhood cirrhosis (NAIC) is associated with a missense mutation in CIRH1A. Alagille syndrome patients carry mutations in JAG1, and mutations in VPS33B have been identified in patients with arthrogryposis, renal dysfunction and cholestasis syndrome (ARC). Identification of these genes, and characterization of the proteins they encode, is enhancing our understanding of the biology of the enterohepatic circulation in health and disease.     

Microbial Burden of Some Herbal Antimalarials Marketed at Elele, Rivers State

Herbal antimalarials still remain an alternative to our traditional communities who can not afford orthodox antimalarials. This study was aimed at investigating the microbial quality of six herbal antimalarials using standard microbiological methods. Of the six preparations analyzed, “schnapps”, palm wine and water were the media of preparation; the water base preparations recorded higher microbial load. The mean microbial load was 159.5×10⁵ cfu/ml and 217.4×10²cfu/ml in water and alcohol base preparations respectively. The microbial profile of the preparations showed that the schnapps base preparations were predominantly contaminated with Bacillus sp (Aerobic spore bearers) and Mucor spp. The palm wine preparation harboured Bacillus sp, yeasts and Mucor spp while the water base preparations had several isolates such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli 0157H7, Proteus mirabilis, Enterococcus feacalis, Serratia marcensces, Staph. aureus, Bacillus spp and Mucor spp. Conclusively, this study underlines the public health importance of these preparations given the high burden of such human pathogen as Ecoli O157H7, Ps aeruginosa, Stahp aureus, etc. in the preparations.     

Role of the Oligodendroglial Cytoskeleton in Differentiation and Myelination

少突胶质细胞作为中枢神经系统的髓鞘形成细胞,在体外培养时形成一个精细的突起网络,细胞生长并中止于富含髓鞘相关蛋白和脂质的膜层。在体的少突胶质细胞呈螺旋形包裹轴突形成一个紧密的绝缘层。与其它细胞相似,这些突起的维持和稳定以及髓鞘的形成可能依赖于一个由微管和微丝构成的细胞骨架。尽管包裹轴突、形成紧密髓鞘的特定突出尚不明确,但是已有相当的研究考察少突胶质细胞分化和髓鞘形成过程中细胞外和细胞内信号及其他作用因子介导细胞骨架的形成,在此,我们综述了细胞骨架在少突胶质细胞分化的作用,重点探讨了相关信号转导机制,并就其在髓鞘形成中重要意义予以展望。     

Pituitary adenomas in patients with Cushing disease: initial experience with Gd-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging

To assess the role of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of adrenocorticotropic-hormone (ACTH)-producing pituitary adenomas, and the effect of intravenously administered gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) on lesion/pituitary contrast, imaging was performed in 13 patients with clinical and chemical evidence of Cushing disease. Images were obtained at 0.5 T before and after the injection of Gd-DTPA (0.1 mmol/kg). Lesions were identified in eight of 12 precontrast and ten of 12 postcontrast studies. In these 12 patients adenomas were found at transsphenoidal surgery. The other patient, with normal images, was found to have an ectopic source of ACTH. Coronal images corresponded remarkably well with the neurosurgeon's intraoperative findings. Serial T1-weighted images disclosed early enhancement of the pituitary gland and delayed enhancement of the cystic adenomas. The discrepancy in times to peak enhancement accounted for improved lesion/pituitary contrast in some early images and for reversal or diminution of lesion/pituitary contrast in later images.     

Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest,Viet Nam: multicentre prospective cohort study

ObjectiveTo investigate factors associated with survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Viet Nam.MethodsWe did a multicentre prospective observational study of people (> 18 years) presenting with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (not caused by trauma) to three tertiary hospitals in Viet Nam from February 2014 to December 2018. We collected data on characteristics, management and outcomes of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and compared these data by type of transportation to hospital and survival to hospital admission. We assessed factors associated with survival to admission to and discharge from hospital using logistic regression analysis.FindingsOf 590 eligible people with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, 440 (74.6%) were male and the mean age was 56.1 years (standard deviation: 17.2). Only 24.2% (143/590) of these people survived to hospital admission and 14.1% (83/590) survived to hospital discharge. Most cardiac arrests (67.8%; 400/590) occurred at home, 79.4% (444/559) were witnessed by bystanders and 22.3% (124/555) were given cardiopulmonary resuscitation by a bystander. Only 8.6% (51/590) of the people were taken to hospital by the emergency medical services and 32.2% (49/152) received pre-hospital defibrillation. Pre-hospital defibrillation (odds ratio, OR: 3.90; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.54–9.90) and return of spontaneous circulation in the emergency department (OR: 2.89; 95% CI: 1.03–8.12) were associated with survival to hospital admission. Hypothermia therapy during post-resuscitation care was associated with survival to discharge (OR: 5.44; 95% CI: 2.33–12.74).ConclusionImprovements are needed in the emergency medical services in Viet Nam such as increasing bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and public access defibrillation, and improving ambulance and post-resuscitation care.     

Emotional demands at work and risk of hospital-treated depressive disorder in up to 1.6 million Danish employees: a prospective nationwide register-based cohort study

ObjectivePrevious studies on effects of emotional demands on depression have relied on self-reported exposure data and lacked control for potential confounding by pre-employment risk factors for depression. This study used a register-based design to examine the risk of hospital-treated depressive disorder in relation to occupational levels of emotional demands at work, furthermore addressing the role of risk factors for depression before workforce entry.MethodsWe analyzed data from two Danish register-based cohorts – Job Exposure Matrix Analyses of Psychosocial Factors and Healthy Ageing in Denmark (JEMPAD, N= 1 665 798) (17) and Danish Work Life Course Cohort (DaWCo, N=939 411), which link assessments of emotional demands by job exposure matrices to records of hospital-treated depressive disorder among employees aged 15–59 years at baseline (average follow up: 9.7 years in JEMPAD, 7.3 years in DaWCo). Potential confounders comprised sociodemographics, job control, work-related violence and physical demands at work. In DaWCo, we followed individuals from their entry into the workforce, and also included data on risk factors for depression before workforce entry (eg, parental income, education, and psychiatric diagnoses).ResultsEmployees in occupations with high emotional demands had an increased risk of hospital-treated depressive disorder with confounder-adjusted hazard ratios of 1.32 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24‒1.41] and 1.19 (95% CI 1.09‒1.30) in JEMPAD and DaWCO, respectively. This association remained after controlling for risk factors before workforce entry.ConclusionsThis study suggests that employees in occupations with high emotional demands are at increased risk of hospital-treated depressive disorder. This increased risk was neither attributable to reporting bias nor explained by the included risk factors for depression recorded before workforce entry.     

Cushing syndrome: pituitary CT scanning

Proper treatment of patients with Cushing syndrome depends on knowledge of whether the condition derives from a pituitary or adrenal adenoma or an ectopic tumor that secretes adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Fifty-seven patients with Cushing syndrome were prospectively evaluated to determine whether computed tomography (CT) of the pituitary gland is useful in diagnosing or excluding an ACTH-producing adenoma and in predicting the site of the adenoma within the pituitary gland. Findings on CT scans were normal in 35 of 50 patients with surgically confirmed Cushing disease and in seven patients with ectopic ACTH-producing tumors. Of the 15 patients with Cushing disease for whom CT results were abnormal, eight had macroadenomas and seven had microadenomas. This study demonstrates a low sensitivity (30%) and low diagnostic accuracy (39%) of CT in the detection of ACTH-producing pituitary tumors and indicates the need for alternative methods of confirming the pituitary origin of excessive ACTH secretion in most patients.