De-novo expression of vascular ecto-5′-nucleotidase and down-regulation of glomerular ecto-ATPase in experimental chronic renal transplant failure

Ischemic injury plays an important role in chronic renal transplant failure (CRTF). Down-regulation of ecto-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) in combination with up-regulation of ecto-5'-nucleotidase is a hallmark of ischemic injury. We studied the expression of renal ecto-5'-nucleotidase and ecto-ATPase in experimental renal transplantation. Fisher 344-to-Lewis allografted rats were either treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) or left untreated. Lewis-to-Lewis syngrafted rats served as controls. Untreated allografted rats developed proteinuria, glomerulosclerosis, and mild intimal hyperplasia. ACEi completely prevented focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FGS) and proteinuria, but significantly enhanced intimal hyperplasia. Untreated allografted rats revealed marked vascular ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity, which increased with ACEi. Vascular ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity was absent in syngrafted animals. Ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity correlated well with intimal hyperplasia. Glomerular ecto-ATPase expression was significantly reduced in untreated allografted rats compared to syngrafted rats and correlated well with the extent of FGS. ACEi prevented reduction in glomerular ecto-ATPase. We found de-novo expression of ecto-5'-nucleotidase at sites of renal intimal hyperplasia. Glomerular ecto-ATPase expression was markedly reduced in allografted rats and was prevented by ACEi. These enzyme expression patterns suggest local ischemic damage in experimental CRTF.     

Human osteoblasts' proliferative responses to strain and 17beta-estradiol are mediated by the estrogen receptor and the receptor for insulin-like growth factor I.

The mechanism by which mechanical strain and estrogen stimulate bone cell proliferation was investigated using monolayer cultures of human osteoblastic TE85 cells and female human primary (first-passage) osteoblasts (fHOBs). Both cell types showed small but statistically significant dose-dependent increases in [3H]thymidine incorporation in response to 17beta-estradiol and to a single 10-minute period of uniaxial cyclic strain (1 Hz). In both cell types, the peak response to 17beta-estradiol occurred at 10(-8) - 10(-7) M and the peak response to strain occurred at 3500 microstrain ((mu)epsilon). Both strain-related and 17beta-estradiol-related increases in [3H]thymidine incorporation were abolished by the estrogen receptor (ER) modulator ICI 182,780 (10-8 M). Tamoxifen (10(-9) - 10(-8) M) increased [3H]thymidine incorporation in both cell types but had no effect on their response to strain. In TE85 cells, tamoxifen reduced the increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation associated with 17beta-estradiol to that of tamoxifen alone but had no such effect in fHOBs. In TE85 cells, strain increased medium concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) II but not IGF-I, whereas 17beta-estradiol increased medium concentrations of IGF-I but not IGF-II. Neutralizing monoclonal antibody (MNAb) to IGF-I (3 microg/ml) blocked the effects of 17beta-estradiol and exogenous truncated IGF-I (tIGF-I; 50 ng/ml) but not those of strain or tIGF-II (50 ng/ml). Neutralizing antibody to IGF-II (3 microg/ml) blocked the effects of strain and tIGF-II but not those of 17beta-estradiol or tIGF-I. MAb aIR-3 (100 ng/ml) to the IGF-I receptor blocked the effects on [3H]thymidine incorporation of strain, tIGF-II, 17beta-estradiol, and tIGF-I. HOBs and TE85 cells, act similarly to rat primary osteoblasts and ROS 17/2.8 cells in their dose-related proliferative responses to strain and 17beta-estradiol, both of which can be blocked by the ER modulator ICI 182,780. In TE85 cells (as in rat primaries and ROS 17/2.8 cells), the response to 17beta-estradiol is mediated by IGF-I, and the response to strain is mediated by IGF-II. Human cells differ from rat cells in that tamoxifen does not block their response to strain and reduces the response to 17beta-estradiol in TE85s but not primaries. In both human cell types (unlike rat cells) the effects of strain and IGF-II as well as estradiol and IGF-I can be blocked at the IGF-I receptor.     

The concept of culture: A core issue in health disparities

Contemporary discourse contains numerous examples of use of the concept of culture by social and behavioral scientists. Simple reification, where the speaker makes culture into a thing capable of action exemplifies one usage in public discourse. Some quantitative social scientists attempt to characterize people’s cultural identities by means of a single categorical variable, which often “lumps” people into categories such as “Hispanic” or “Black” that in fact have numerous culturally bounded subcategories. Approaches that emphasize cultural process are preferable to those who attempt to categorize; more complex measures of acculturation help investigators to make convincing analyses of circumstances in which health disparities occur. Examples in which investigators make appropriate use of cultural characterizations demonstrate their utility in investigating health disparities in Haitian American women, injecting and noninjecting drug users, Hispanic youth, and adult Hispanics at risk of HIV infection. Focus on culture in the study of health disparities can identify entanglements between structural factors such as poverty and lack of education and cultural factors such as beliefs about health. Qualitative methods coupled with quantitative methods have great potential to improve investigators’ grasp of cultural nuance while capturing the distribution of qualitatively derived behaviors.     

Serum transforming growth factor-β1 level reflects disease status in patients with esophageal carcinoma after radiotherapy

AIM: To evaluate the relationship between changes in serum transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) level and curative effect of radiotherapy (RT) in patients with esophageal carcinoma.METHODS: Ninety patients with histologically confirmed esophageal carcinoma were enrolled. Serum samples for TGFβ1 analysis were obtained before and at the end of RT. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure serum TGFβ1 level. Multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between disease status and changes in serum TGFβ1 level.RESULTS: Serum TGFβ1 level in patients with esophageal carcinoma before RT was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (P ＜ 0.001). At the end of RT, serum TGFβ1 level was decreased in 67.82% (59/87) of the patients. The overall survival rate at 1,3 and 5 years was 48.28% (42/87), 19.54% (17/87)and 12.64% (11/87), respectively. Main causes of death were local failure and regional lymph node metastasis.In patients whose serum TGFβ1 level decreased after RT,the survival rate at 1, 3 and 5 years was 61.02% (36/59),28.81% (17/59) and 18.64% (11/59), respectively. The survival rate at 1 year was 17.86% (5/28) in patients whose serum TGFβ1 level increased after RT, and all died within 18 mo (P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION: Serum TGFβ1 level may be a useful marker for monitoring disease status after RT in patients with esophageal carcinoma.     

Discussing options between patients and health care professionals in genetic diagnosis: ethical and legal criteria

The specific characteristics of genetic data lead to ethical-legal conflicts in the framework of genetic diagnosis. Several international organisations, including UNESCO and the Council of Europe, have enacted rules referring to the use of genetic information. This paper discusses possible legal and ethical criteria that could be used in genetic testing.     

间接免疫荧光法检测特异性IgG抗体对流行性出血热诊断意义

本文报告用间接免疫荧光法检测特异性IgG抗体对流行性出血热的诊断意义。53例不同病期的出血热患者的血清,其间接荧光抗体的阳性率为49/53(占92.45％)。有77.36％的患者血清,检出IgG抗体的时间是在发病后的1～2周。血清中IgG的滴度与疾病的严重性无密切相关。另25例非EHF患者,其血清特异性IgG抗体均为阴性。可见检测特异性IgG抗体对EHF的诊断颇为有用。     

早年父亲去世的心理创伤研究——1例男大学生的深入访谈分析

目的 探讨男孩8岁时父亲去世对其带来的创伤影响。方法 运用质的研究方法，对一名在8岁时经历父亲去世的男大学生进行深入访谈，采用主要概念或主题突出分类的方法进行编码分析。结果 父亲去世使个体产生了强烈的不安全感，严重的自卑感和神经症性的防御机制。结论 父亲去世后，家庭氛围是影响孩子心理健康的重要因素。