新型骨组织工程支架材料β-磷酸三钙/聚磷酸钙纤维/聚左旋乳酸的细胞生物相容性

目的:在体外细胞培养条件下,从细胞形态和细胞增殖方面观察新型骨组织工程支架材料β-磷酸三钙/聚磷酸钙纤维/聚左旋乳酸的细胞生物相容性。方法:实验于2002-01/2004-01在西安交通大学医学院实验中心及西安交通大学地方病研究所实验室进行。①材料:β-磷酸三钙为兰州交通大学复合材料研究室制备;磷酸纤维平均直径(15.0±1.2)μm,平均体外生物降解率(3.0±0.46)%,拉伸强度(1.0±0.2)GPa,弹性模量(48.0±7.6)GPa;聚左旋乳酸平均分子质量为27.6×104。支架复合物质量比为β-磷酸三钙∶聚磷酸钙纤维∶聚左旋乳酸=2∶3∶5。②实验方法:按复合材料1g∶浸提介质10mL的比例,用含体积分数为0.1的胎牛血清的DMEM37℃条件下浸提24～72h,制备复合支架材料的浸提液,过滤24h内进行试验。将骨髓基质细胞分为3组,分别用支架材料浸提液(实验组)、DMEM培养液(阴性对照组)和6.4g/L苯酚溶液(阳性对照组)培养,同时实验组将浸提液按100%,75%,50%,25%的浓度稀释分别培养。③观察指标:每日使用倒置相差显微镜观察骨髓基质细胞形态变化;用MTT法检测细胞生长及增殖情况,测定A值,计算细胞增殖率。结果:①细胞形态变化:在细胞培养1,2,3d,阳性对照组细胞数量明显减少,细胞固缩甚至崩解,实验组与阴性对照组细胞数量明显增加,细胞形态正常。②细胞生长及增殖情况:在培养各时间点除阳性对照组毒性为4级(细胞增殖率为0～20%)外,其余均为0级(细胞增殖率>80%);除阳性对照组外,各实验组及阴性对照组A值均随培养天数的增加而升高,培养1,2,3天时阳性对照组的A值明显低于其他组(P<0.01),阴性对照组与实验组间无显著差异(P>0.05)。结论:β-磷酸三钙/聚磷酸钙纤维/聚左旋乳酸复合材料对骨髓基质细胞的增殖分化无明显影响,无细胞毒性,有良好细胞生物相容性。     

Environmental-Enrichment�CRelated Variations in Behavioral, Biochemical, and Physiologic Responses of Sprague�CDawley and Long Evans Rats

The behavioral, biochemical, and physiologic consequences of 6 wk of environmental enrichment were evaluated in male Long Evans and Sprague–Dawley rats and compared with those of rats in standard single-housing conditions. Standard housing provided little or no social or physical stimulation whereas environmental enrichment comprised group housing for 8 h daily in a 3-story cage equipped with novel stimuli. Dependent measures included performance in the forced swim test, thresholds for brain-stimulation reward, sucrose intake and preference, determination of corticosterone levels before and after brief restraint stress, and rate of weight gain. In forced swimming tests, active behaviors (diving, swimming with struggling, and climbing) tended to dominate over passive behaviors (sinking, floating) in both groups and outbred rat stocks (especially in enriched groups) on the first day. These behaviors were replaced with maintenance behaviors such as grooming and swimming without struggling on the second exposure, with enriched Long Evans rats showing the largest decline in activity. Baseline plasma corticosterone levels were elevated in both rat stocks after 6 wk of enrichment. After restraint stress, hormone levels in enriched animals tended to peak earlier and approach or exceed baseline values more quickly than was observed in the comparable control groups. Rate of body weight gain was greater in enriched Long Evans rats than Sprague–Dawley or control rats. Our observations indicate that stock- and group-associated differences in several indices occur in association with enrichment. The data support the claim that environmental enrichment may render animals more resilient to challenges.Abbreviation: BSR, brain-stimulation reward; EE, environmental enrichment; FST, forced swim testEnvironmental enrichment (EE) paradigms are designed to enhance laboratory animals’ surroundings to encourage natural behaviors. Some enrichment paradigms also include a social component, based on the social interactions typical of the genus and species. For example, wild mice and rats generally live in colonies, whereas hamsters are known to be social with unfamiliar animals only during mating.²¹Adverse environmental conditions have been shown to affect the susceptibility of animals exposed to diverse stress regimes, reflected in their behavioral,^7,34 physiologic,^{8,25,29,36,56} and biochemical^6,8,16 responses in a strain-dependent manner.^7,8,16 Therefore, a diverse environment might be expected to alter their response to such stressors. A review of the literature reveals few behavioral investigations of the effects of EE on response to a stressor, and the results of biochemical studies in this context have generally been inconsistent. For example, some laboratories have reported no difference in corticosterone levels between EE- and standard-housed animals after exposure to a stressor,^22,33,46 whereas others have observed a reduction in the corticosterone levels of Sprague–Dawley rats⁴ or even elevated levels of plasma corticosterone in enriched Wistar rats.³² These differences may be due to length of EE exposure or in-strain responsivity to stress. Therefore, the first aim of the present set of experiments was to investigate whether rat strain influences the behavioral and physiologic measures typically used to assess stress responses.Behaviors observed during the forced swim test (FST) and sucrose intake values are known to be affected by environmental conditions.^7,15,28,37 Historically, the FST has been used to assess behavioral despair, as indexed by the degree of immobility in an inescapable environment. After antidepressant administration, immobility typically is replaced by more active behaviors.^41-44 EE attenuated behavioral despair in male Sprague–Dawley rats during the FST.⁹ In our hands, exposure to 5 min of FST generally results in more active or escape behaviors (mostly frantic swimming with struggling and climbing) and in the second 5-min test, less vigorous swimming (without struggling). This pattern is not as prominent in stressed male rats.⁷ In the present study, we evaluated the effects of EE on behaviors exhibited in the FST, hypothesizing that animals with experience in an enriched environment would demonstrate less swimming with struggling in the second test compared with rats living in standard housing conditions.In the context of stress research, the presence of an anhedonic state typically is evaluated by using behavioral measures such as thresholds for brain-stimulation reward^2,7,34 and sucrose intake and preference.^28,37,55 The recent finding that EE also alters the behavioral profile of animals with respect to sucrose intake⁹ prompted us to include this measure in our study to determine the general hedonic status of animals in an enriched environment. We also evaluated rate of weight gain and corticosterone levels after 6 wk of EE, because these 2 measures are used frequently as indices of environmental challenges.^3,10,58 In chronic mild stress studies, 3 to 6 wk of administration is a fairly standard regime.^{7,8,19,26,28,50}In summary, we conducted 2 studies using male Sprague–Dawley and Long Evans rats. In the first, we assessed weight gain and plasma corticosterone levels after 6 wk of EE. In addition to these physiologic measures, we administered weekly sucrose intake and preference tests. In the second study, thresholds for brain-stimulation reward were collected biweekly, and exposure to the FST was evaluated after 6 wk of EE.     

Trisomy 3 in low-grade B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue

Characteristic chromosomal aberrations have been associated with subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with distinct clinicopathologic features. Low-grade B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) form such a group and might be expected to be characterized by a specific cytogenetic abnormality. Metaphase analyses of MALT lymphoma are rare due to problems with fresh tissue collection and poor in vitro proliferation. However, the small number of published series suggests that chromosome trisomies, particularly trisomy 3, might be characteristic of these tumors. The application of interphase cytogenetic techniques to routinely processed material allows the examination of a large series of archival cases and is particularly useful for the demonstration of chromosome trisomies. We have used this technique to analyze 70 cases of low-grade MALT lymphoma from various sites and found trisomy 3 in 60%. This finding compares with 16% in low- grade nodal B-cell lymphoma and 27% in primary splenic lymphoma of marginal zone type (splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes). These results provide further evidence that low-grade MALT lymphomas from all sites form a single pathologic entity distinct from nodal B-cell lymphomas. Although MALT lymphoma and primary splenic lymphoma may arise from marginal zone B cells, they are genetically distinct.     

Movements and home range of a common species of tree–shrew,Tupaia glis,surrounding houses of otoacariasis cases in Kuantan,Pahang, Malaysia

ObjectiveTo document movement patterns, home range, nesting behaviour and social organization of 5 individuals (3 males and 2 females) of a common species of tree-shrew, Tupaia glis (T. glis) surrounding houses of otoacariasis cases.MethodsEach shrew was fitted with a transmitter chip radio-collar which operates between the frequencies of 154.13 MHz to 154.21 MHz. Each transmitter was then tracked with a Portable Telemetry Receiver (Sirtrack, New Zealand) fitted with a 3-element Yagi antenna. Collared shrews were located using standard methods of ground-based triangulation. Each location was taken from at least 2 directional fixes and a minimum of 3 compass bearings. Fixes were taken hourly for each collared individual from the time of emergence from nest (beginning of activity) till time of entry into the nest (end of activity) every day for 5 to 7 continuous days. Three series of radio telemetry observations were carried out. The bearings, time and positions of an observer were recorded and later plotted on a graph paper in order to derive coordinates of the collared animal. [These coordinates then analyzed using Ecological Software Solutions (Biotas Version 1.03)].ResultsNests were found in a jack fruit tree, long bushes, and 2 houses. Daily telemetry detections demonstrated 2 individuals of different sex having nests (or a nest) in the same house. All shrews emerged from and returned to their nests between 0601 to 0659 hours and 1901 to 1959 hours, respectively. Both the time of exit from and entry into nest were the same between sexes (P>0.05). Their average total active period was 4.90 to 7.00 hours with a total daily travel distant of 270 m to 382 m. A male and a female shrew can move as far as 3 285 m and 4 591 m, respectively. Active movements of T. glis were during daytime. They regularly entered some houses in the area during day and night except for one individual which visited during daytime only. The sizes of home range and core area for the shrews were 2.00–3.40 ha and 0.05–0.42 ha, respectively. Generally, the mean home range size of females was 20.8% larger than that of males. Females covered a 15.4% slightly higher daily movement range compared to males.ConclusionsThis is the first radio telemetry study in Malaysia to monitor movements and home range of shrews carrying ticks on their body. It demonstrates that shrews are potential carriers of ticks from wild into the houses and their compounds based on their total active periods spent moving around from fruit orchards, secondary forest, plantations and other vegetations to trees in compound of 4 to 7 houses and vice versa. There are also evidences showing shrews have close contact with humans.     

All‐trans retinoic acid for treatment of chronic hepatitis C

Background/Aims: In vitro studies in the subgenomic hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicon system have identified all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA) as a potential therapeutic against hepatitis C. Thus, the antiviral potential of this drug should be assessed in vivo. Methods: Twenty highly treatment experienced serotype 1 patients with non‐response to conventional or pegylated interferon‐α (Peg‐/IFN‐α) and ribavirin were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of monotherapy with ATRA (group A) or a combination of ATRA and PegIFN‐α2a (group B). HCV RNA was assessed by bDNA assay and if negative by highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction. Results: During treatment, five of 10 patients in group A had a drop of viraemia >1log, while in group B after 8 weeks five of 10 dropped >2log, and three of 10 cleared HCV RNA from serum. Viraemia relapsed after treatment cessation. ATRA was rather well tolerated, with transient headache, dry skin and mucosa representing the most common side effects. Conclusions: The viral load reduction under ATRA monotherapy, although limited and transient, supports the antiviral activity of ATRA. However, the rapid loss of HCV RNA in three of 10 previous non‐responders under ATRA and PegIFN‐α2a treatment demonstrates a strong additive or synergistic ATRA effect and calls for a controlled trial to assess the therapeutic potential of this drug.     

大鼠海马神经细胞体外缺糖缺氧模型制备方法的改进

目的:改进培养大鼠海马神经细胞体外缺糖缺氧模型制备方法,并通过兴奋性氨基酸N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体拮抗剂进行验证。方法:实验于2004-09/2005-06在南方医科大学基础医学院神经生物学教研室进行。实验材料:出生1d内清洁级SD大鼠,由南方医科大学实验动物中心提供(合格证号为粤证监字2004B023号)。N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体拮抗剂5-甲基二氢丙环庚烯亚胺马来酸(MK-801)和D-2-氨基-5-磷酰基戊酸(d-APV)购自Sigma公司。实验方法:取新生1dSD大鼠海马组织作神经细胞分散细胞原代培养,培养到13d时进行氧/葡萄糖剥夺模型的制备:将neurobasal培养基更换为不含葡萄糖的BSSo培养基,连续充以50mL/LCO2 950mL/LN2(体积比)混合气体。缺氧30,45,60,90min后取出细胞,更换为正常neurobasal培养基,恢复正常条件继续培养。将神经细胞随机分为正常对照组、单纯缺氧组、无糖缺氧组、MK-801组和d-APV组。将10μmol/LMK-801和500μmol/Ld-APV在通50mL/LCO2 950mL/LN2混合气前加入到BSSo培养基,缺氧结束后随BSSo培养基一起去掉。复氧24h后采用MTT比色法测神经细胞成活率及Hoechst荧光染料法测神经细胞凋亡率。结果:①随着氧/葡萄糖剥夺时间延长,神经细胞存活率下降。氧/葡萄糖剥夺30,45,60,90min再复氧24h,神经细胞存活率分别为(81.48±3.84)%、(63.14±3.14)%、(41.73±2.97)%和(16.78±2.12)%。②N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体拮抗剂MK-801(10μmol/L)和d-APV(500μmol/L)均能明显增加神经细胞存活率(P<0.05),并且两组细胞存活率与正常对照组比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:实验制备的海马神经细胞短时间氧/葡萄糖剥夺模型可对神经细胞造成迟发性死亡,兴奋性氨基酸N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体拮抗剂可保护氧/葡萄糖剥夺诱导的神经细胞损伤,说明本实验建立的缺氧模型有效并简便可靠,并且缩短了缺氧时间。     

Establishment and characterization of a human myeloid cell line from Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloblastic leukemia arising in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome

A new hematopoietic cell line derived from a patient with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1)-negative myeloblastic leukemia arising from a form of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is described. This cell line, designated TMM, consists of immature cells with the morphological characteristics of young myeloblasts and grows in suspension culture with a doubling time of about 30 hours. By cytochemical analysis the cultured cells were positive for acid phosphatase. They were free of the Epstein-Barr virus-associated nuclear antigen as well as terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase. Further phenotypic analysis revealed the expression of the myelomonocytic-specific antigen Leu-M1 and receptors for the Fc portion of IgG. Partial differentiation of these cells could be induced by dimethyl sulfoxide, tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate, or hypoxanthine and resulted in cells of the myeloid series expressing lysozyme and receptors for the C3b complement protein. The karyotype was 46,XY, lacked the Ph1 chromosome, and displayed no abnormalities at the light microscopic level. No rearrangement of the bcr-c-abl gene complex was found. This cell line should be useful for studying an important type of the heterogeneous population constituting Ph1-negative myeloblastic leukemia, arising in this instance from MDS, as well as for studying differentiation and proliferation of human pluripotent stem cells.     

A K-ras oncogene increases resistance to sulindac-induced apoptosis in rat enterocytes

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Mutations of c-K-ras occur commonly in colonic neoplasms. The aim of this study was to determine how c-K-ras mutations alter the responses to the chemopreventive agent sulindac. METHODS: The parental rat intestinal cell line IEC-18 and c-K-ras-transformed derivatives were treated with sulindac sulfide. Cell cycle distribution was determined by flow-cytometric analysis (fluorescence-activated cell sorter), apoptosis by DNA fragmentation (laddering), flow cytometry, and microscopy, and changes in gene expression by immunoblotting. RESULTS: Sulindac sulfide inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner more rapidly in and at lower concentrations in parental cells than ras-transformed cells. Expression of the sulindac sulfide arrested cells in G0/G1, but cells entered apoptosis throughout the cell cycle. Proapoptotic protein Bak was relatively high in untreated parental cells and increased markedly after sulindac sulfide but was low in untreated ras-transformed cells and did not increase after sulindac sulfide. Expression of other Bcl-2 family members was unchanged after sulindac sulfide. However, sulindac sulfide reduced levels of cyclin D1 protein and cyclin E- and cyclin D1- associated kinase activity. CONCLUSIONS: c-K-ras-transformed enterocytes are relatively resistant to sulindac sulfide-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis, which may result from specific reduction of bak expression. (Gastroenterology 1997 Dec;113(6):1892-900)     

Southern blot patterns, frequencies, and junctional diversity of T-cell receptor-delta gene rearrangements in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Southern blot analysis of T-cell receptor (TCR)-delta gene rearrangements is useful for diagnostic studies on the clonality of lymphoproliferative diseases. We have developed 18 new TCR-delta gene probes by use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Application of these probes for detailed analysis of the TCR-delta genes in normal control samples, 138 T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (T-ALL), and 91 precursor B-ALL allowed us to determine the TCR-delta gene restriction map for five restriction enzymes, as well as the Southern blot restriction enzyme patterns of all theoretically possible TCR-delta gene rearrangements. Based on this information, it appeared that 97% of all 213 detected TCR-delta gene rearrangements in our series of ALL could be detected by use of the TCRDJ1 probe and that the majority (76%) of the 213 rearrangements could be identified precisely. In T-ALL, we found a strong preference for the complete rearrangements V delta 1-J delta 1 (33%), V delta 2-J delta 1 (10%), and V delta 3-J delta 1 (7%) and the incomplete rearrangement D delta 2- J delta 1 (11%). In precursor B-ALL, the majority of rearrangements consisted of V delta 2-D delta 3 (72%) and D delta 2-D delta 3 (10%). The junctional diversity of these 6 preferential TCR-delta rearrangements was analyzed and showed an extensive junctional insertion (approximately 30 nucleotides) for complete V delta-J delta rearrangements, whereas incomplete rearrangements had correspondingly smaller junctional regions. The detailed TCR-delta gene restriction map and probes presented here, in combination with the Southern blot patterns of TCR-delta gene rearrangements, are important for TCR-delta gene studies in ALL; all TCR-delta gene rearrangements can be detected and the majority can be identified precisely. Identification of rearrangements is a prerequisite for subsequent PCR analysis of TCR- delta gene junctional regions, eg, for detection of minimal residual disease during follow-up of ALL patients.     

Overexpression of the major vault transporter protein lung-resistance protein predicts treatment outcome in acute myeloid leukemia

The monoclonal antibody LRP56 recognizes a 110-kD major vault protein (lung-resistance protein [LRP]) overexpressed in several P-glycoprotein- negative (Pgp-), multidrug resistant tumor cell lines. To determine the frequency of LRP overexpression, its prognostic significance, and its relation to Pgp, we analyzed bone marrow specimens from 87 consecutive patients with acute leukemia. Diagnoses included de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML; 21 patients), leukemia arising from an antecedent hematologic disorder or prior cytotoxic therapy (secondary AML; 27 patients), AML in relapse (29 patients), and blast phase of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-BP; 10 patients). A granular cytoplasmic staining pattern was detected by immunocytochemistry in 32 (37%) cases, including 7 (33%) de novo AML, 13 (48%) secondary AML, 11 (38%) relapsed AML, and 1 of 10 CML-BP. Among 66 evaluable patients with AML, LRP overexpression was associated with an inferior response to induction chemotherapy (P = .0017). Remissions were achieved in 35% of LRP+ patients as compared with 68% of LRP- patients. Although Pgp adversely affected response in univariate analysis (P = .0414), only LRP had independent prognostic significance when compared in a logistic regression model (P = .0046). Differences in remission duration (P = .075) and overall survival (P = .058) approached significance only for LRP. Sequential specimens from remitting patients receiving treatment with the Pgp modulator cyclosporin-A showed emergence of the LRP phenotype despite a decrease or loss of Pgp at the time of treatment failure (P =.0304). Significant associations were observed between LRP and age greater than 55 years (P = .017), Pgp (P = .040), and prior treatment with mitoxantrone (P = .020) but not with CD34. These findings indicate that overexpression of the novel transporter protein LRP is an important predictor of treatment outcome in AML.