Catalase over-expression protects striatal neurons from transient focal cerebral ischemia

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play key roles in the cascade of brain injury after stroke, and strategies to increase the antioxidant defenses of neurons after stroke hold great promise. In this study we evaluate the neuroprotective potential of using a herpes simplex viral vector to over-express catalase in rats. Vector was microinfused into the striatum either prior to or after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Catalase over-expression was protective (relative to control vector) when the vector was delivered 14-16 h prior to ischemia, but not when delivered after ischemia. Thus, the timing of catalase over-expression relative to ischemia is a critical variable determining its potential therapeutic value.     

Quality of life of community-based chronic schizophrenia patients in Penang, Malaysia

OBJECTIVE: This is a study of the quality of life (QOL) of 174 community-based chronic schizophrenia patients in Penang, Malaysia. METHOD: The study samples were selected from the Out Patient Department, Department of Psychiatry, Penang General Hospital, Malaysia. The data was collected through personal interviews with the respondents. A questionnaire prepared by the research team was used to collect data on background characteristics. Lehman's (1988) Quality of Life Interview was used to collect data on patients' QOL. RESULT: Equal number of males and females participated in the study. The interviews on QOL indicated problems in the areas of life in general, place of living, daily activities, social relations, finance, work and general health. The results also revealed that community-based schizophrenia patients had acute poverty and experienced social isolation, discrimination and exploitation in the workplace. CONCLUSION: Implications of these results on the implementation process of National Mental Health Policy in Malaysia are discussed. The research paper also discusses the negative impacts of limited rehabilitation facilities available in the community and its implications on the QOL of severely mentally ill patients. The need for immediate research attention on QOL of such patients in the South-east Asian region has been highlighted.     

Near-infrared imaging in the small animal brain: optimization of fiber positions

We investigate fiber placement issues associated with a hybrid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) near-infrared (NIR) imaging technique for small animal brain studies. Location of the optical fibers on the cranium is examined, with an emphasis on maximizing the recovered resolution and contrast in the region of interest, which in this case is the murine brain. In a series of simulation studies, singular value decomposition of the Jacobian is used in order to determine the measurement sites that provide the most information about the region of interest. The modeling results indicate that data collected using fibers arranged on one side of the head near the brain contain as much information about optical changes within the brain as those positioned equally spaced around the entire periphery of the head. Practical space limitation considerations favor the one-sided fiber array geometry in the case where the NIR acquisition is expected to occur simultaneously with MRI.     

应用基因芯片技术筛查卵巢癌相关基因

目的 探讨卵巢癌组织中相关基因的差异表达。方法 应用含有512条人类基因的cDNA芯片,检测卵巢癌组织和正常组织中相关差异表达的基因。结果 共筛查与卵巢癌相关的差异表达的基因37条,其中14条基因表达增加(上调),23条基因表达减少(下调)。结论 应用基因芯片技术,可筛查出新的卵巢癌相关基因。     

A urokinase-derived peptide (A6) increases survival of mice bearing orthotopically grown prostate cancer and reduces lymph node metastasis

The high rate of prostate cancer mortality invariably reflects the inability to control the spread of the disease. The urokinase-type plasminogen activator and its receptor (u-PAR) contribute to prostate cancer metastases by promoting extracellular matrix degradation and growth factor activation. The current study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of a urokinase-derived peptide (A6) in reducing the lymph node metastases of prostate cancer using a model in which prostatic tumors established in nude mice from orthotopically implanted PC-3 LN4 prostate cancer cells disseminate to the lymph nodes. As a first step in evaluating the in vivo effectiveness of A6, we determined its effect on in vitro invasiveness. In vitro, A6 reduced the invasiveness of PC-3 LN4 cells through a Matrigel-coated filter without affecting growth rate. A first in vivo survival experiment showed that all A6-treated mice were alive after 57 days, and half of them tumor-free, whereas all control mice receiving vehicle had died. In a second experiment with a larger tumor inoculum and a longer delay until treatment, whereas 71% of control mice and 83% of mice treated with a scrambled peptide developed lymph node metastases, only 22 to 25% of A6-treated mice had positive lymph nodes. Further, lymph node volume, reflective of tumor burden at the secondary site, was diminished 70% in A6-treated mice. In conclusion, we provide definitive evidence that a peptide spanning the connecting region of urokinase suppresses metastases and, as a single modality, prolongs the life span of prostate tumor-bearing mice.     

Cellular and molecular events underlying ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis

Neurons subjected to ischemia undergo necrosis or apoptosis depending on their anatomic distribution and the severity and duration of ischemia. Recent work has shown that apoptosis can occur in some settings, primarily within the ischemic penumbra. It is recognized that both mitochondrial and death-receptor pathways are involved in the transduction of apoptotic signals in the context of cerebral ischemia. Recent data also highlight the pivotal role of caspase 3 in the execution of ischemia-induced apoptosis, although a caspase-independent pathway is gaining increasing attention. In this review, we examine some of these findings and their potential therapeutic implications for ischemic stroke.     

大学公共课多媒体教学存在的问题及对策

针对目前大学公共课课堂教学滥用多媒体教学手段,造成课堂教学效果欠佳的问题进行探讨,并提出解决问题的对策。     

钝性肝损伤33例诊断治疗体会

目的:探讨钝性肝损伤的诊断措施和治疗方案。方法:回顾分析33例钝性肝损伤的临床资料。结果:Ⅰ级~Ⅱ级19例中除4例因合并脾脏破裂中转手术外均非手术治疗;Ⅲ级手术治疗9例,非手术治疗2例中转手术;Ⅳ级以上均手术治疗。结论:循环稳定的Ⅰ级~Ⅱ级单纯肝损伤非手术治疗成功率较高;循环不稳定、有明显腹膜炎体征者、Ⅳ级以上手术治疗较为稳妥。     

气管切开术249例分析

气管切开术是抢救危重患者的常用措施，经过百年发展，适用范围已很广，现收集我科2000年至2005年气管切开术249例报告如下。