CFTR gene and male fertility

Secretion of electrolytes and water by the epididymal epithelium is important in the formation an optimal fluid environment for sperm maturation and transport. This process is disrupted in the genetic disease cystic fibrosis caused by mutation of the cystic fibrosis transmemebrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Recent findings of CFTR gene mutations in healthy men with congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens or poor sperm quality may indicate that CFTR gene mutations have a far-reaching effect on human reproduction.      

Management of the pregnant inflammatory bowel disease patient on antitumour necrosis factor therapy: State of the art and future directions

Antitumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy has been a major advance in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by improving rates of mucosal healing, steroid-free remission, and decreasing rates of hospitalization and surgery. Because IBD affects women in their reproductive years, clinicians have and will continue to be asked in the future about the safety profile of these agents and their potential impact on pregnancy, the developing fetus and newborn. Immunoglobulin G transfer from the mother to fetus begins in the second trimester, with an elevation starting at 22 weeks of gestation and the largest amount transferred in the third trimester. Although research investigating the long-term outcomes of children exposed to anti-TNF therapy in utero is limited, there is no known adverse effect on either pregnancy or newborn outcomes including infectious complications with this class of drugs. The World Congress of Gastroenterology consensus statement on biological therapy for IBD considered infliximab and adalimumab to be low risk and compatible with use during conception and during pregnancy in at least the first two trimesters. Based on a clinical algorithm used at the University of Calgary Pregnancy and IBD clinic (Calgary, Alberta), recommendations have been provided on the management of pregnant patients on anti-TNF therapy, particularly with regard to third-trimester dosing, taking into account disease characteristics of individual patients. When educated about the safety of anti-TNF therapy during pregnancy, patients often choose to continue on therapy during the third trimester.     

Non-supervised spatio-temporal analysis of interictal magnetic spikes: comparison with intracerebral recordings.

OBJECTIVE: Our main goal was to evaluate the accuracy of an original non-supervised spatio-temporal magnetoencephalography (MEG) localization method used to characterize interictal spikes generators. METHODS: MEG and stereotactic intracerebral recordings (stereo-electro-encephalographic exploration, SEEG) data were analyzed independently in 4 patients. MEG localizations were performed with and without anatomical constraints. RESULTS: We analyzed 1326 interictal spikes recorded using MEG. For each patient, 2-3 typical source patterns were described. These source configurations were compared with SEEG. SEEG findings and MEG spatio-temporal localization results were remarkably coherent in our 4 patients. Most of the MEG patterns were similar to interictal SEEG patterns from a spatio-temporal point of view. CONCLUSIONS: We were able to evaluate the usefulness of our non-invasive localization method. This approach described correctly the part of the epileptogenic network involved in the generation of interictal events. Our results demonstrate the potential of MEG in the non-invasive spatio-temporal characterization of generators of interictal spikes.     

生物人工肝支持系统中细胞材料的选择

学术背景:以培养肝细胞为基础的生物人工肝支持系统是治疗肝衰竭和重型肝炎的重要方法之一,装有细胞材料的生物反应器则是其重要组成部分,而理想的生物人工肝细胞材料应具备成熟肝细胞的所有功能。目的:了解近年来国内外有关生物人工肝细胞材料的研究情况和最新进展。检索策略:主要检索1994-01/2007-06美国国立图书馆网站(PUBMED)、国内全文网站康健西文生物医学期刊文献数据库和中文CHKD网站有关生物人工肝细胞材料的文献,主要为英文检索,辅以中文。关键词为人工肝(liver,artificial)和/或肝细胞(Hepatocytes),干细胞(stemcell),肝细胞系(Livercellline)和永生化肝细胞(immortalization hepatocytes)。检索到685篇文献,不采用未发表的文章。经初步筛查,排除研究目的不同及内容重复的文献,详细阅读27篇。文献评价:所选文献主要来源于Hepatology,Journal of Artificial Organs,Gastroen terology,Annals of Surgery,Tissue Engineering,Journalof Hepatology,Biomaterials等著名杂志,主要为论著。资料综合:目前国内外用于生物人工肝的细胞主要有以下几种:①成人肝实质细胞:主要体现在安全性好,细胞生物学功能相同,最大障碍是来源匮乏,活力难以长时间维持。②猪肝细胞:是生物人工肝支持装置中应用最多的细胞材料,目前已进入Ⅱ/Ⅲ期临床研究,但在使用过程中需密切注意免疫反应和内源性反转录病毒感染的问题。③肝细胞株:是重要的生物人工肝细胞材料之一,来源容易。依靠其获得方法不同,可分为肝肿瘤源性、经传代建立以及病毒转染后的细胞株。④肝干细胞:是非常有潜力的细胞材料,可分为肝源性肝干细胞和非肝源性肝干细胞。结论:目前应用于生物人工肝临床研究的肝细胞主要有猪肝细胞和肝肿瘤细胞株,各有优缺点,永生化人肝细胞、肝干细胞等能否应用于临床,仍需深入探究。     

DNA ligation in relation to DNA strand breaks in phytohemagglutinin- stimulated blast cells from acute lymphoblastic and nonlymphoblastic leukemia

DNA ligase activity was determined in the WBCs from 306 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). In T-ALL cells this activity was either low or absent. DNA analysis by nucleoid, alkaline elution, and alkaline sucrose centrifugation after cells were embedded in agarose inserts has shown more DNA breaks in T- ALL than in ANLL blasts. Phytohemagglutinin stimulation of T-ALL blasts resulted in the apparent joining of the DNA breaks. Apparent identical results can be obtained by the incubation of DNA with exogenous DNA ligase. The authors suggest that this enzyme is a crucially regulated step of replication and subsequent proliferation in this type of leukemia.     

川藏香茶菜中双聚对映贝壳杉烯的结构鉴定

从川藏香茶菜的干叶和嫩枝中,分离得到了一个对映贝壳杉烯的双聚体,命名为川藏香茶菜戊素,经光谱解析和化学证明确定了其结构为川藏香茶菜甲素的Diels-Alder双聚体。     

Prospective analysis of the association between estrogen receptor gene variants and the risk of cognitive decline in elderly women

A plethora of data suggests a role for estrogen in cognitive function and genetic variants in the estrogen receptors ESR1 and ESR2 have been implicated in a range of hormone-sensitive diseases. It remains unknown however, whether ESR polymorphisms are associated with the risk of decline in specific domains of cognitive function. Data came from 3799 non-demented, community-dwelling elderly women recruited in France to the 3C Study. A short cognitive test battery was administered at baseline and 2, 4 and 7 years follow-up to assess global function, verbal fluency, visual memory, psychomotor speed and executive function. Detailed socio-demographic, behavioral, physical and mental health information was also gathered and genotyping of five common ESR1 and ESR2 polymorphisms was also performed. In multivariable-adjusted Cox analysis, ESR1 rs2234693 and rs9340799 were not significantly associated with the risk of decline on any of the cognitive tasks. However, significant associations with ESR2 polymorphisms were identified. The A allele of rs1256049 was associated with an increased risk of substantial decline in visual memory (HR:1.64, 95% CI: 1.23–2.18, p=0.0007), psychomotor speed (HR:1.43, 95% CI: 1.12–1.83, p=0.004), and on the incidence of Mild Cognitive Impairment (HR:1.31, 95% CI: 1.05–1.64, p=0.02). There was also a weaker association between the A allele of rs4986938 and a decreased risk of decline in psychomotor speed. Our large multicentre prospective study provides preliminary evidence that ESR2 genetic variants may be associated with specific cognitive domains and suggests that further examination of the role of this gene in cognitive function is warranted.     

Absence of plasma prostacyclin stimulating activity deficiency in hemolytic uremic syndrome

We compared the effect of plasma from 19 children with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) on prostacyclin (PGI2) production by fresh rat aortic rings to the effect of plasma from 17 age- and sex-matched normal children, taking into account the PGI2 baseline aortic production (PGI2 release in presence of buffer, 21 determinations). After 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 minutes incubation of rat aortic tissue with either plasma or buffer, the presence of PGI2 was studied by measuring by radioimmunoassay (RIA) the concentration of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha). 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production increased with time in the two groups of plasma samples and in the presence of buffer, but 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production (ng/mg dried tissue) after 30 minutes incubation and mean 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production (slope of regression line, ng/mg/min) were significantly (P less than 0.01) lower in the presence of normal plasma compared with buffer, and significantly (P less than 0.01) higher in the presence of HUS plasma compared with normal plasma. There was no significant difference between buffer and HUS plasma. We conclude that, under our experimental conditions, normal plasma had an inhibitory activity on 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production by rat aorta. This inhibitory activity was absent in HUS plasma.