Expression of chemokine receptor CXCR4 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: pattern of expression and correlation with clinical outcome

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a tumor derived from epithelial cells and Epstein-Barr virus infection has been reported to be a cause of this disease. Chemokine receptor CXCR4 was found to be involved in HIV infection and was highly expressed in human malignant breast tumors and the ligand for CXCR4, CXCL12 (SDF-1), exhibited high expression in organs in which breast cancer metastases are often found. The metastatic pattern of NPC is quite similar to that of malignant breast tumors. In this study, we investigated the expression of CXCR4 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues by immunohistostaining. We found different staining patterns, which included localization in the nucleus, membrane, cytoplasm or a combination of them. The staining intensity was also variable among samples. The metastatic rates in patients with high compared to low or absent expression was 38.6% versus 19.8%, respectively (P = 0.004). High expression of CXCR4 was associated with poor overall survival (OS = 67.05% versus 82.08%, P = 0.0225). These results suggest that CXCR4 may be involved in the progression of NPC and that a high level of CXCR4 expression could be used as a prognostic factor.     

缺氧性肺动脉高压时一氧化氮合酶、左旋精氨酸及亚硝基左旋精氨酸甲酯的研究

目的研究一氧化氮（ＮＯ）在缺氧性肺动脉高压（ＨＰＨ）发病中的作用。方法用烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸磷酸—黄递酶（ＮｉｃｏｔｉｎａｍｉｄｅＡｄｅｎｉｎｅＤｉｎｕｃｌｅｏｔｉｄｅＰｈｏｓｐｈａｔｅＤｉａｐｈｏｒａｓｅ，ＮＡＤＰＨｄ）和免疫组化ＡＢＣ方法检测原生型和诱生型一氧化氮合酶（ｃＮＯＳ、ｉＮＯＳ）在正常和缺氧大鼠肺内的表达和分布，同时观察左旋精氨酸（Ｌａｒｇ）和亚硝基左旋精氨甲酯（ＬＮＡＭＥ）对正常和缺氧大鼠肺循环的影响。结果ＨＰＨ组，ＮＡＤＰＨｄ阳性反应见于大血管内皮、平滑肌、支气管粘膜上皮及小血管内皮和平滑肌中，而后者在正常时未见阳性反应；ｃＮＯＳ在肺血管内皮和支气管粘膜上皮中的表达明显减弱，甚至消失，而正常时不表达ｉＮＯＳ的肺血管内皮和血管、支气管平滑肌在ＨＰＨ组出现了阳性表达；缺氧时补充Ｌａｒｇ和ＬＮＡＭＥ，与单纯缺氧相比，对右心室肥大和肺血管重建无影响。结论缺氧时ｃＮＯＳ被抑制，可能对ＨＰＨ的形成具有一定的作用；而ｉＮＯＳ的诱导表达，则可能对ＨＰＨ的形成具有阻止作用。     

Morphology and Thermal Properties of MCPA6/ABS by in situ Polymerization of ε‐Caprolactam

Summary: In this work, blends of monomer casting polyamide 6 (MCPA6) and acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) were successfully prepared by in situ polymerization via the application of ε‐caprolactam as a reactive solvent. The morphology and thermal properties of MCPA6/ABS were investigated by means of wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The domain sizes of the ABS phase in MCPA6/ABS blends were much finer than those in corresponding polyamide 6 (PA6)/ABS blends prepared by simple melt blending. With an increased amount of ABS in MCPA6, the melt enthalpy (ΔH_f), the rate of crystallization (T_c) and the degree of crystallinity (X_c(DSC)) of MCPA6 in MCPA6/ABS blends were all decreased. The degree of supercooling (ΔT_d) showed a contrary trend. However, the melting temperatures of these blends were almost unchanged. All the results could be attributed to in situ polymerization and the hydrolysis reaction of ABS that occurred during the polymerization process. Furthermore, WAXD results showed that only α‐form crystals existed in the MCPA6/ABS blends, despite the ABS content and heat treatment.

SEM micrograph of the fractured surface of an MCPA6/ABS blend with an ABS content of 20 wt.‐% (×10 000).     

p21WAF1／CIPI基因导入对p53突变人肺癌细胞系生长特性的影响

目的 探讨含突变ｐ５３基因癌细胞系ｐ２１基因的抗肿瘤作用。方法 构建人ｐ２１表达重组子,导入ｐ５３基因突变的人肺癌ＰＧ细胞每当增产同表达ｐ２１的细胞系;然后观察其形态太生长特性的改变;ＣＤＫ４,ＰＣＮＡ水平;对基因毒性物的反应性。结果 在含ｐ５３基因突变的ＰＧ细胞内导入的性ｐ２１基因,其高表达ｐ２１约是ＰＧ细胞的６倍,转谬为薄等异型性降低;生长速度下降（５０％）,叠落生长不明显;在０．５％血甭条件     

Immunoregulatory effects of morphine on human lymphocytes.

It is now well established that parenteral drug abuse is a significant risk factor for contracting human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and subsequently developing AIDS. Earlier studies have shown that morphine can modulate various immune responses and therefore support the premise that morphine is a cofactor in susceptibility to and progression of HIV infection. Dysregulation of interferon (IFN) production, nonspecific apoptosis of T cells, and the immune response to soluble HIV gene products have been associated with potential mechanisms of pathogenesis in HIV disease. The present study was undertaken to examine the immunomodulatory role of morphine on HIV protein-induced lymphocyte proliferative responses, Sendai and Newcastle disease virus-induced alpha IFN (IFN-alpha) and IFN-beta production by lymphocytes and fibroblast cells, respectively, and induction of apoptosis of normal lymphocytes in vitro. Our results demonstrate that HIV protein-induced human lymphocyte proliferative responses were significantly inhibited by morphine in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, morphine significantly inhibited both IFN-alpha and IFN-beta production by normal lymphocytes and fibroblasts but induced apoptosis of normal lymphocytes. Inhibition of IFN-alpha production by morphine could be reversed by the opiate receptor antagonist naloxone. This suggests that the immunomodulatory effects of morphine are mediated through the opioid receptor. These studies support a role of morphine as a cofactor in the pathogenesis of HIV infection and describe some of the possible pathologic mechanisms which underlie the immunoregulatory effects of morphine.     

肝素酶和碱性成纤维细胞生长因子与非小细胞肺癌转移和预后的关系

目的 探讨肝素酶(heparanase)和碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(bFGF)在人非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)组织中表达的临床意义及其与肺癌转移和预后的关系。方法 采用免疫组织化学、原位杂交和Western blot方法,检测115例人NSCLC石蜡切片和45例新鲜肺癌及对应癌旁正常组织中肝素酶和bFGF的表达情况。采用χ^2检验、t检验、生存曲线和Cox比例风险回归等方法分析肝素酶和bFGF分别表达及共表达的意义。结果 免疫组织化学染色证实肝素酶(91／115)和bFGF(89／115)主要表达在癌细胞质和(或)细胞膜中,在正常肺泡上皮和支气管上皮中则呈阴性表达。Western blot也证实肝素酶在肺癌中的表达明显增高(P=0．041)。统计分析结果显示：肝素酶和bFGF的表达具有明显的一致性(P：0．0001),二者单独表达和共表达均与肺癌的分期、血管侵袭、淋巴结转移、微血管密度和预后有关,其中,二者共表达时与分期和微血管密度的相关性更显著;另外,bFGF还与肺癌的分化程度有关。多因素分析结果显示,肺癌的分化程度、血管浸润、淋巴结转移和bFGF的表达可以作为判断肺癌预后的危险因素,但肝素酶不是影响预后的独立因素。结论 肝素酶和bFGF均与肺癌的转移、血管生成和预后密切相关。     

对Bem性别角色量表的考察与修订

目的：对在性别角色研究中使用得最为广泛的工具-Bem量表进行介绍，考察它在中国文化下的信、效度并进行修订。方法：选取两个城市三所大学中的340名本科生为被试。经过项目分析、因素分析等统计方法，对构成量表的条目进行删除和保留。结果：最后由14项男性化条目和12项女性化条目构成新的Bem量表简本。结论：修订后的Bem量表在信、效度上有了明显的提高，可以成为进一步研究的工具。     

Lesions in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis disrupt corticosterone and freezing responses elicited by a contextual but not by a specific cue-conditioned fear stimulus

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is believed to be a critical relay between the central nucleus of the amygdala (CE) and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in the control of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) responses elicited by conditioned fear stimuli. If correct, lesions of CE or BNST should block expression of HPA responses elicited by either a specific conditioned fear cue or a conditioned context. To test this, rats were subjected to cued (tone) or contextual classical fear conditioning. Two days later, electrolytic or sham lesions were placed in CE or BNST. After 5 days, the rats were tested for both behavioral (freezing) and neuroendocrine (corticosterone) responses to tone or contextual cues. CE lesions attenuated conditioned freezing and corticosterone responses to both tone and context. In contrast, BNST lesions attenuated these responses to contextual but not tone stimuli. These results suggest CE is indeed an essential output of the amygdala for the expression of conditioned fear responses, including HPA responses, regardless of the nature of the conditioned stimulus. However, because lesions of BNST only affected behavioral and endocrine responses to contextual stimuli, the results do not support the notion that BNST is critical for HPA responses elicited by conditioned fear stimuli in general. Instead, the BNST may be essential specifically for contextual conditioned fear responses, including both behavioral and HPA responses, by virtue of its connections with the hippocampus, a structure essential to contextual conditioning. The results are also not consistent with the hypothesis that BNST is only involved in unconditioned aspects of fear and anxiety.     

Antibody dynamics to SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic COVID-19 infections

Background

The missing asymptomatic COVID-19 infections have been overlooked because of the imperfect sensitivity of the nucleic acid testing (NAT). Globally understanding the humoral immunity in asymptomatic carriers will provide scientific knowledge for developing serological tests, improving early identification, and implementing more rational control strategies against the pandemic.

Measure

Utilizing both NAT and commercial kits for serum IgM and IgG antibodies, we extensively screened 11 766 epidemiologically suspected individuals on enrollment and 63 asymptomatic individuals were detected and recruited. Sixty-three healthy individuals and 51 mild patients without any preexisting conditions were set as controls. Serum IgM and IgG profiles were further probed using a SARS-CoV-2 proteome microarray, and neutralizing antibody was detected by a pseudotyped virus neutralization assay system. The dynamics of antibodies were analyzed with exposure time or symptoms onset.

Results

A combination test of NAT and serological testing for IgM antibody discovered 55.5% of the total of 63 asymptomatic infections, which significantly raises the detection sensitivity when compared with the NAT alone (19%). Serum proteome microarray analysis demonstrated that asymptomatics mainly produced IgM and IgG antibodies against S1 and N proteins out of 20 proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Different from strong and persistent N-specific antibodies, S1-specific IgM responses, which evolved in asymptomatic individuals as early as the seventh day after exposure, peaked on days from 17 days to 25 days, and then disappeared in two months, might be used as an early diagnostic biomarker. 11.8% (6/51) mild patients and 38.1% (24/63) asymptomatic individuals did not produce neutralizing antibody. In particular, neutralizing antibody in asymptomatics gradually vanished in two months.

Conclusion

Our findings might have important implications for the definition of asymptomatic COVID-19 infections, diagnosis, serological survey, public health, and immunization strategies.