Expression of apoptosis regulatory proteins p53 and Bcl-2 in skin of patients with chronic renal failure on maintenance haemodialysis

BACKGROUND: Chronic renal failure results in multi-organ system derangement including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological, endocrinal, blood and dermatological abnormalities. Maintenance of skin homeostasis requires a delicate balance between proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. p53 and Bcl-2 proteins play a central role in the regulation of apoptosis. OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the expression of apoptosis regulatory proteins p53 and Bcl-2 in apparently normal skin of patients, with chronic renal failure on maintenance haemodialysis, with respect to their role in the apoptotic process. METHODS: Biopsy specimens were obtained from 10 patients with chronic renal failure on maintenance haemodialysis, as well as seven age-matched control subjects. Computer-assisted image analysis was employed to measure epidermal thickness in H&E-stained sections. Immunoperoxidase technique was also used to demonstrate p53 and Bcl-2 proteins and the TUNEL technique for detection of apoptotic cells in these specimens. RESULTS: The mean epidermal thickness was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in patients than controls. Meanwhile, no apoptotic cells were detected in the epidermis of patients. On the other hand, a statistically significant difference was observed in both p53 (P = 0.0001) and Bcl-2 expression (P = 0.0003) when comparing patients and controls. Expression of p53 (2.74 +/- 0.84) and Bcl-2 (3.45 +/- 1.35) proteins was higher in skin samples obtained from patients with chronic renal failure and on maintenance haemodialysis than those from control cases (0.5 +/- 0.96 and 0.8 +/- 0.6, respectively). Moreover, Bcl-2 expression in patients was observed in basal as well as squamous cell layers of skin, whereas in control subjects it was confined to the basal cell layer only. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that an alteration in the proliferation/apoptosis balance may be present in the skin of such patients.     

Patient controlled analgesia (PCA) in paediatric surgery: a prospective study following laparoscopic and open appendicectomy

Patient controlled analgesia (PCA) has not yet gained universal acceptance for the management of postoperative pain in paediatric surgery. In a prospective study we evaluated feasibility and complications of PCA following 90 cases of laparoscopic or open appendicectomy. PCA proved to be a safe and feasible method with few complications (2% of medical complications, no abort of application, 17 technical checks in a total running time of 4125 h). Acceptance by patients was high and children of all age groups worked the system properly. Assessment of application protocols showed, that the consumption of analgesics was significantly reduced following laparoscopic appendicectomy (P < 0.05). PCA is a safe and feasible method for the management of postoperative pain in children and PCA recording provides an excellent insight into the consumptional behaviour of patients, enabling staff to evaluate postoperative pain for various procedures.     

The kinocilium of auditory hair cells and evidence for its morphogenetic role during the regeneration of stereocilia and cuticular plates

Summary Auditory hair cells that survive mechanical injury in culture begin their recovery by reforming the kinocilium. This study is based on cultures of the organ of Corti of newborn mice and two control animals. The axonemal patterns were examined in 165 kinocilia in cross-section. In the immature and regenerating kinocilium, one of the normally peripheral doublets is frequently located inward, forming the modified 8 + 1 (double) form; the distribution of the remainingmicrotubules is irregular. As the cell matures, the 9 + 0 form predominates. Overall, 34–61% of auditory kinocilia consist of 9 + 0 microtubules. The 9+2 (single) form, previously thought to characterize the organelle, occurs only in about 3–14%, whereas the remaining population comprises the modified 8 + 1 (double) form. Normally, the kinocilium lasts only about 10 postnatal days; however, post-traumatic hair cells reform their kinocilia regardless of age. Concomitant with the regrowth of the kinocilium, the basal body and its cilium take a central location in the cuticular plate, stereocilia regrow, and the cytoplasmic area adjacent to the basal body displays pericentriolar fibrous densities, growth vesicles, and microtubules, all surrounded by actin filaments. Pericentriolar bodies nucleate microtubules. Involvement of microtubules is seen in the alignment of actin filaments and in the formation of the filamentous matrix of the cuticular plate. We propose that reformation of the kinocilium in recovering post-traumatic hair cells indicates the possible role of its basal body in the morphogenesis and differentiation of cuticular plates and stereocilia.     

The neuroendocrine challenge paradigm in headache research

The neuroendocrine challenge paradigm provides a "window" on central neurotransmitter function in vivo. This strategy is based on the premise that the sensitivity of certain central receptors can be inferred from the magnitude of the hormonal response to specific pharmacologic probes. For example, the serotonin (5HT) receptor agonist m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP) stimulates the release of cortisol and prolactin and induces migraine-like headaches. We have previously reported that the headache and cortisol responses to m-CPP are highly correlated, which may implicate a disturbance in central serotonergic neurotransmission in the pathogenesis of migraine. As pharmacologic probes with greater specificity for 5HT receptor subtypes become available, we may be able to elucidate these mechanisms with greater precision. The neuroendocrine challenge methodology is also applicable to the study of other neurotransmitter systems and other headache disorders.     

低分子肝素在麻醉大鼠胃肠道的吸收

以血浆抗Ｘａ活性及体内抗静脉血栓形成为指标，考察了低分子肝素溶液及乳剂在麻醉大鼠胃肠道的吸收情况。