Ⅰ、Ⅲ型前胶原基因第2外显子核酶对靶RNA的体外切割活性的研究

目的 体外研究锤头型α1Ⅰ型及Ⅲ型前胶原基因第2外显子片段核酶对各自靶RNA分子的切割活性及反应条件。同时观察两反义核酶对瘢痕中成纤维细胞胶原合成的影响。方法 将含α1Ⅰ型及Ⅲ型前胶原基因第2外显子片段的重组质粒(pT-Ⅰ、pT-Ⅲ)，经体外^32P标记转录后形成产物靶RNA。同时将含特异性核酶基因的重组质粒(pT-gⅠ、pT-gⅢ)进行非标记的体外转录，产物(核酶)与各自的^32P-靶RNA按不同的条件混和反应，电泳后放射自显影观察结果。将构建好的核酶以脂质体包裹后导入培养的成纤维细胞内，采用图像分析法观察核酶对成纤维细胞Ⅰ型、Ⅲ型胶原蛋白mRNA合成的影响。结果 两种核酶在37℃、42℃均能有效切割各自的靶RNA，对Mg^2 浓度的要求范围较宽(10～20mmol／L)；反应温度从65℃逐渐降至并维持在37℃的条件下核酶切割活性显提高。Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原蛋白mRNA的表达明显降低，胶原蛋白生成降低，胶原生成明显受抑制。结论 针对α1Ⅰ型及Ⅲ型前胶原基因第2外显子片段的核酶能有效地在体外对靶RNA进行切割并能有效地抑制瘢痕中成纤维细胞胶原的合成。     

Health-related quality of life in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is primarily an assessment of how domains of life are affected by health. This study investigated the factors influencing HRQOL of Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the factors influencing HRQOL. The sample consisted of 242 outpatients with bronchial asthma. The Chinese language version of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire was used to measure HRQOL. Data were analyzed using simple regression and multiple regression. RESULTS: Age, marital status, level of education, asthma severity, peak expiratory flow, and previous hospital admissions were found to be predictors of HRQOL. Gender, duration of disease, and history of emergency visits were not correlated with HRQOL. The variables entered in the HRQOL model accounted for 17.4% of the total variance (adjusted R(2)). The regression coefficients indicated that the mean scores increased 7.68 in patients with moderate to severe disease severity, and increased 7.34 in patients with a history of hospital admissions. The mean scores decreased 7.60 in married patients. CONCLUSION: This study found that marital status, asthma severity, and history of hospital admissions were major predictors of HRQOL in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.     

萘普生对大鼠着床期宫内PGF_(2α)含量及宫内节育器抗生育作用的影响

本文测定了对照组及两个萘普生(前列腺素合成酶抑制剂)处理组大鼠着床期宫内PGF2α的含量。结果表明,对照组、萘普生低剂量组(2mg/kg体重)和高剂量组(20mg/kg体重)的PGF2α含量分别为6.71±0.93、2.19±0.34和1.01±0.18ng/100g组织(三组间P<0.01)。同时,还观察到在本实验条件下,萘普生无明显干扰节育器抗生育作用,药物本身亦未呈现显著抗生育活性。     

Neural network forecasts of the tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures.

A nonlinear forecast system for the sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the whole tropical Pacific has been developed using a multi-layer perceptron neural network approach, where sea level pressure and SST anomalies were used as predictors to predict the five leading SST principal components at lead times from 3 to 15 months. Relative to the linear regression (LR) models, the nonlinear (NL) models showed higher correlation skills and lower root mean square errors over most areas of the domain, especially over the far western Pacific (west of 155 degrees E) and the eastern equatorial Pacific off Peru at lead times longer than 3 months, with correlation skills enhanced by 0.10-0.14. Seasonal and decadal changes in the prediction skills in the NL and LR models were also studied.     

A quantitative analysis of valgus torque on the ACL: a human cadaveric study.

The loads needed to elicit a positive pivot shift test in a knee with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture have not been quantified. The coupled anterior tibial translation (ATT), coupled internal tibial rotation (ITR), and the in situ force in the ACL in response to a valgus torque, an inherent component of the pivot shift test, were measured in 10 human cadaveric knee specimens. Using a robotic/universal force-moment sensor testing system, valgus torques ranging from 0.0 to 10.0 Nm were applied in nine increments on the intact and ACL-deficient knee in flexion ranging from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. At 15 degrees of knee flexion, the coupled ATT and ITR were significantly increased in the ACL-deficient knee when compared to the intact knee. Coupled ATT increased a maximum of 291% (6.7 mm, p<0.05), while coupled ITR increased a maximum of 85% (5.1 degrees, p<0.05). At 30 degrees, the increases in coupled ATT and ITR were significant at valgus loads of 3.3 Nm and greater with a maximum increase in coupled ATT of 137% (6.3 mm, p<0.05) and a maximum increase in coupled ITR of 38% (3.6 degrees, p<0.05). At 45 degrees, coupled ATT increased significantly (maximum of 69%, 4.4 mm, p<0.05), but only at torques > or =6.7 Nm. The in situ force in the ACL was less than 20 N for all flexion angles when a torque between 3.3 and 5.0 Nm was applied. Low valgus torque elicited tibial subluxation in the ACL-deficient knee with low in situ ACL forces, similar to a positive pivot shift test. Thus, application of a valgus torque may be suitable to evaluate ACL-deficient and ACL-reconstructed knees, since subluxation can be achieved with minimal harm to the ACL graft. This work is important in understanding one load component needed for the pivot shift examination; further studies quantifying other load components are essential for better comprehension of the in vivo pivot shift examination.     

Effect of link protein concentration on articular cartilage proteoglycan aggregation

Previous work has shown that alterations in proteoglycan aggregates are among the first changes detected with aging, disuse, and degeneration of articular cartilage, yet the cause or causes of these alterations remain unknown. To determine if differences in link protein concentration can explain alterations in the assembly, size, and stability of articular cartilage proteoglycan aggregates, we isolated proteoglycan monomer (aggrecan) and link protein from adult bovine articular cartilage and then assembled proteoglycan aggregates from aggrecan and 0.8% hyaluronan relative to aggrecan weight, in the presence of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 15, and 20% concentrations of link protein relative to aggrecan weight. We determined the amount, sedimentation coefficient, and stability of the aggregates by analytical ultracentrifugation and measured their dimensions by electron microscopy with use of the monolayer technique. Increased aggregate size, as determined by ultracentrifugation, was directly correlated with an increased number of aggrecans per aggregate and with increased hyaluronan length, as determined by electron microscopy. The concentration of link protein significantly influenced aggregation: concentrations of 6–8% produced maximum aggregation, aggregate stability, and uniformity of aggrecan spacing; concentrations greater than 10% led to the formation of superaggregates (aggregates with sedimentation velocities greater than 100 S that may result from linking two or more hyaluronan filaments) but decreased aggregate stability; and concentrations of less than 4% link protein significantly decreased aggregation, the size and stability of aggregates, and the regularity of aggrecan spacing. The latter observations suggest that a decline in the concentration of link protein could decrease the organization and stability of the articular cartilage matrix.     

安徽省农村居民哮喘病现况调查

本文通过对安徽省农村居民哮喘病的现况调查发现，哮喘病患病率为１．３３％，男性为１．４８％，女性为１．１９％；成人患病率为１．３４％，儿童为１．３２％。儿童哮喘患病率随年龄增长而下降，而成人哮喘病患病率随年龄增长而增加；儿童大部分婴幼儿起病，各年龄组中男性起病较女性晚，成人女性５０％起病２０岁前，而男性５０％起病３０岁前。农村哮喘以感染型为主，发病以冬季多见，发作主要诱因是感冒，哮喘病具有明显家族聚集性。     

颈椎骨折类型与脊髓损伤关系之临床观察

通过对９２例颈椎骨折病例的分析，发现屈曲型损伤最多见（５３％），其次为过伸型（２６％），压缩型（２１％）。屈曲型和压缩型多见于年轻人，而屈曲损伤导致的脱位及过伸型则多见于年龄较大者。爆裂骨折引起的神经损害最重，其次为屈曲型、过伸型及压缩（非爆裂）骨折。神经功能改善率以爆裂型骨折最差，死亡率亦最高，以压缩（非爆裂型）骨折最好，其次为过伸型及屈曲型。文内对各型的特点进行了详细讨论。