A new HLA-A allele, HLA-A*6824, identified in three unrelated individuals

A novel allele, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*6824, has been identified in three unrelated individuals of northwestern European origin in a period of less than 4 months, implying that this allele may be quite common in this population. HLA-A*6824 differs from A*680102 by a single nucleotide change at position 275 in exon 2, which results in a conservative amino acid substitution from lysine to arginine in the peptide-binding groove at codon 68.     

癌组织中p16基因甲基化分析

目的探讨抑癌基因p16在胃癌组织中是否存在甲基化异常及其与胃癌发生发展的关系.方法对20例胃癌组织及相应正常胃粘膜组织应用甲基敏感酶(HpaII)和甲基非敏感酶(MspI)酶切,结合PCR扩增技术,对p16基因外显子1、外显子2的二核苷酸胞嘧啶特定序列5'-CCGG-3'位点甲基化进行检测.结果20例胃癌组织中,p16基因外显子1、2异常甲基化分别为5例(25%)和9例(45%),正常组织未发现甲基化异常;14例高甲基化标本中,中分化胃癌4例,低分化7例,高分化1例;有2例存在外显子1、2同时甲基化异常,二者均为低分化胃癌,进展期胃癌(Ⅲa、Ⅳ期各1例)中1例呈现泳动易位;外显子2甲基化异常多发生于晚期肿瘤患者(P<0.05).结论p16基因甲基化异常可能会造成基因功能丧失,从而失去对细胞增殖的负性调控作用,导致胃癌发生与进展;外显子2高甲基化与临床进展有关,可能为晚期事件.     

不同抗炎药物对缺氧所致大鼠离体肺血管环张力变化的影响

为研究离体大鼠肺血管在缺氧时张力的变化,以及甾体、非甾体类抗炎药物对此变化影响的异同性,采用等长收缩技术,测定加入消炎痛或地塞米松前后张力改变的特点及两药作用的差异。结果发现Wistar大鼠与Sprague-Dawley大鼠肺血管环对缺氧的反应不同,后者仅出现收缩反应,而Wistar大鼠在收缩前出现一内皮依赖的舒张;COX非特异性抑制剂消炎痛对缺氧所致的舒张和收缩均有增强作用;COX-2特异性抑制剂地塞米松则在明显抑制舒张的同时轻度增强收缩反应。结果表明不同种属大鼠的肺血管缺氧反应可能存在差异;缩管性PGs和扩管性PGs分别调节急性肺血管缺氧的舒张和收缩反应,这一过程呈一定的内皮依赖性;非选择性和选择性的COX抑制剂对肺血管缺氧反应的作用不尽相同。     

前列腺素在慢性低氧降低肺血管反应性中的作用

探讨了慢性低压低氧对大鼠肺血管反应性的影响 ,以及前列腺素在其中的作用。结果表明 :1离体肺动脉在急性低氧时先收缩后舒张。大鼠经慢性低氧 15 d、 30 d后离体肺动脉对急性低氧所致收缩反应 ( Δ TIH)较各自对照组均明显降低 [(10 .11± 9.5 6 ) mg、 (14.5 7± 10 .0 2 ) m g Vs (2 7.15± 12 .0 9) mg、 (2 7.86± 13.0 7) mg,P<0 .0 1) ];舒张反应 (-Δ TIH)较各自对照组均明显增强 [(14.18± 5 .14) mg、 (2 6 .35± 11.74) m g Vs (9.39± 7.12 ) mg、 (8.99± 7.32 ) mg]。 2慢性低氧 15 d、 30 d后单位重量肺血管对高钾收缩反应 (ΔTK0 )为 [(10 5 .4± 32 .2 ) m g、 (113.9±2 8.3) m g],分别低于各自对照组 [(132 .7± 30 .3) m g、 (133.1± 34 .2 ) mg]。 3消炎痛可增强低氧性肺血管收缩反应 ,慢性低氧 30 d组增强百分比为 (148.87± 5 7.0 8) % ,明显高于其对照组 (5 9.0 2± 2 4.5 2 ) % ,P<0 .0 1。提示 :慢性低氧降低肺血管反应性可能是由于肺血管平滑肌的收缩性降低以及前列腺素对 HPV的调节作用增强所致。     

CD4+ T cell response to factor VIII in hemophilia A, acquired hemophilia, and healthy subjects

These studies have begun to clarify the complex cellular mechanisms involved in the immune response to factor VIII. Although vigorous sensitization of CD4+ cells occurs in healthy subjects, the absence of clinically significant levels of inhibitor antibodies is likely related to the prompt down-regulation of the immune response. It may also be possible that the specific epitope repertoire recognized by CD4+ cells plays a role in the outcome of the immune response to factor VIII. Further characterization and comparison of the CD4+ repertoire in healthy subjects with that of hemophilia patients with and without inhibitors will help clarify which mechanism explains the absence of productive inhibitor synthesis in certain individuals. Also, it might identify CD4+ epitopes recognized by T helper cells that are essential for inhibitor synthesis. Additional studies to further characterize the role of Th1 and Th2 cells in the immune response to factor VIII may also be needed for the design of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing inhibitor development.     

Bio-imaging of nitric oxide-producing neurones in slices of rat brain using 4,5-diaminofluorescein

4,5-Diaminofluorescein (DAF-2) was used to identify individual nitric oxide (NO)-producing neurones in brain slices in vitro. Coronal slices of midbrain or hippocampus, 300 microm thick from young adult rats, were incubated for 30 min in 1 microM DAF-2 diacetate (DAF-2 DA) and maintained in ACSF at 33 degrees C. Illumination at 450-490 nm revealed punctate fluorescence in neurones in the lateral tegmental nucleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, dorsolateral periaqueductal grey matter, deep collicular layers and cortical areas. Neurones in the hippocampal pyramidal cell layer, molecular layer of the dentate gyrus and the hilus fluoresced also. The fluorescence was abolished by pre-incubation of slices with L-NAME (100 microM-1 mM), the inhibitor of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS), but not by D-NAME (100 microM) or L-NIL (5-50 microM), an inhibitor of inducible NOS. In some superficially located arterioles, there were small regions of bright fluorescence close to the outer smooth muscle wall and diffuse fluorescence within the adjacent smooth muscle cells. A diffuse fluorescence was also seen in some superficially located capillaries. Basal production of NO was not seen within deeper blood vessels. DAF-2 DA offers a sensitive indicator for visualising basal production of NO with high spatial resolution and could provide a means of identifying NOS-containing neurones in brain slices in vitro prior to neurophysiological study.     

Characterization of the procoagulant chain derived from human high molecular weight kininogen (Fitzgerald factor) by human tissue kallikrein

Human high molecular weight kininogen (HMWK), a single-chain protein with mol wt 120,000, is cleaved by human urinary kallikrein (HUK) to release kinin from within a disulfide loop and form a two-chain protein that retains all the procoagulant activity of the native molecule. Cleavage of HMWK by HUK is associated with a reduction in size to mol wt 115,000, as assessed by SDS-PAGE of unreduced protein, whereas the two chains of the reduced protein present together as a single broad band with mol wt 64,000. The 64,000 chain with procoagulant activity was chromatographically separated from the nonfunctional chain of similar size. The homogeneous procoagulant chain had an amino acid composition similar to that of smaller procoagulant ("light") chains isolated by others upon cleavage of HMWK with plasma kallikrein and elicited an antiserum that was monospecific by Ouchterlony analysis and inhibited the procoagulant function of HMWK. Thus, the limited proteolysis of HMWK by HUK has permitted, for the first time, the isolation of a stable procoagulant chain that is equal in size to the nonfunctional chain. The common terminology of "heavy" and "light" chain for kinin-free kininogen obtained with plasma kallikrein reflects the continued degradation of the procoagulant carboxyterminal chain and is not appropriate for the initial two-chain product formed when kinin is released from HMWK. It is proposed that the initial cleavage products of HMWK be designated the A-chain, the B-fragment, and the C- chain, representing the amino-terminal chain, the released vasoactive peptide containing the bradykinin sequence, and the carboxy-terminal procoagulant chain, respectively. Thus, intact HMWK would contain, in sequence, A, B, and C regions.