Comparison of the biomechanical effect of posterior condylar offset and kinematics between posterior cruciate-retaining and posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty

Background

The effect of the changes in the femoral posterior condylar offset (PCO) on anterior–posterior (AP) translation and internal–external (IE) rotation in cruciate-retaining (CR) and posterior-stabilized (PS) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare the kinematics in CR and PS TKA with respect to the difference in prosthetic design and PCO change through a computational simulation.

门静脉的体表定位及其临床意义

目的：为超声波检查门静脉或经皮经肝门静脉穿刺提供解剖学基础。方法：在４０例成人尸体标本上观测了门静脉的行程及其分叉位置的体表投影。结果：门静脉肝外段与身体的垂线呈约４０°角；门静脉分叉位置在经右半胸宽中点的垂线与右锁骨中线上肝高中点的水平线的交点附近；门静脉右支分为前、后支的位置在剑突尖平面下方约２ｃｍ，右锁骨中线上肝高的中点附近；门静脉左支分出第１外侧支的位置在剑突尖稍下方的右侧约２ｃｍ。结论：在右腋中线剑突尖平面下方约２ｃｍ经皮经肝穿刺至锁骨中线，导管即可进入门静脉右支内     

An azurocidin-like protein is induced in Trichoplusia ni larval gut cells after bacterial challenge

Trichoplusia ni immune genes up-regulated in response to bacterial infection have been isolated using differential display polymerase chain reaction. Here we report the cloning and characterisation of a gut-specific immune gene encoding an azurocidin-like protein. The deduced protein is 317 amino acid residues long with a hydrophobic C-terminus and a predicted 17-residue signal peptide. The mature T. ni protein shows 30% identity to human azurocidin, an antibacterial protein. Like azurocidin, the T. ni protein contains two amino acid substitutions in the active site triad normally present in serine proteases. The T. ni protein was synthesised with a six-histidine C-terminal extension using the baculovirus expression system. Sequencing of the recombinant azurocidin-like protein confirmed the predicted cleavage of the signal peptide. Northern blots show that T. ni azurocidin-like protein is expressed solely in the larval gut and that expression is up-regulated by injecting or feeding bacteria. Expression reaches its highest level at 10 h after bacteria injection.     

Loss of claudin-1 expression induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition through nuclear factor-κB activation in colorectal cancer

Objective

The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinicopathological significance and prognostic role of loss of claudin-1 in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Immunity to type IX collagen in rodents: a study of type IX collagen for autoimmune and arthritogenic activities

Type IX collagen (CIX), a cartilage-specific glycoprotein, constitutes ≤ 10% of cartilage collagen. To ascertain whether CIX can induce arthritis as shown for type II and XI collagen (CII and CXI), outbred rats were sensitized with bovine, chick and human CIX; inbred rats, mice, and guinea pigs were sensitized with bovine CIX. Mice and guinea pigs proved resistant to arthritis, as did rats sensitized with CIX/Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA). Arthritis was seen in rats when 100 μg of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) were added to FIA, but seldom with smaller doses of Mtb, suggesting the arthritis was adjuvant-induced. High levels of antibodies to rat CIX, containing complement-fixing subclasses, were detected in rat sera in addition to DTH and lymphocyte proliferation responses to rat CIX. Given the potential for CIX-induced disease, CIX-sensitized rats were injected intraperitoneally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to stimulate proinflammatory cytokine release, and intra-articularly with rat CIX to stimulate arthritis. LPS stimulation was ineffective; however, intra-articularly injected CIX produced transient synovitis. When rats with stable adjuvant arthritis were sensitized with CIX/FIA, significant increases in paw volume were measured compared with controls given CI/FIA. Immunohistochemical studies of actively and passively sensitized rats revealed deposits of CIX antibody, but not C3, at the joint margins where proteoglycan staining was weak. Together, these findings suggest that autoimmunity to CIX, in contrast to CII and CXI, is not directly pathogenic but may contribute to joint injury provided arthritis is initiated by an independent disease process.     

Preventive and therapeutic effects of oral tolerance in a murine model of asthma

Allergic asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways, and Th2 cells secreting IL-4 and IL-5 play a pivotal role in its pathogenesis. We have previously demonstrated that oral tolerance can be induced and maintained more profoundly in a Th2-related immune response, and that an ongoing immune response can be suppressed by the oral administration of antigen combined with an appropriate feeding regimen. In the present study, we examined the preventive and therapeutic effects of the oral administration of allergen on a Th2-mediated immune disorder using a murine model of asthma. Our results show that the development of asthma can be blocked completely by orally administering allergen. Airway hyperreactivity, allergen-specific IgE production, Th2-derived cytokines, allergen-induced T cell proliferation and the infiltration of inflammatory effector cells into the lung were prevented by such oral administration. To assess the therapeutic effects of oral administration on the progression of asthma, we tested the effects of oral tolerance in an established asthma model, and found that a multiple high dose-feeding regimen was effective at suppressing the progression of mild asthma. In the high dose-feeding group, the number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was reduced and airway reactivity also decreased. However, this was insufficient to reduce airway reactivity and eosinophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in cases of severe asthma. These results demonstrate that allergic asthma may be ameliorated by feeding allergen; there is hope that these results will provide a new immunotherapeutic strategy for allergic asthma.     

Cell physiology of cAMP sensor Epac

Many animal studies and human epidemiological findings have shown that impaired growth in utero is associated with physiological abnormalities in later life and have linked this to tissue programming during suboptimal intrauterine conditions at critical periods of development. However, few of these studies have considered the contribution of the placenta to the ensuing adult phenotype. In mammals, the major determinant of intrauterine growth is the placental nutrient supply, which, in turn, depends on the size, morphology, blood supply and transporter abundance of the placenta and on synthesis and metabolism of nutrients and hormones by the uteroplacental tissues. This review examines the regulation of placental nutrient transfer capacity and the potential programming effects of nutrition and glucocorticoid over-exposure on placental phenotype with particular emphasis on the role of the Igf2 gene in these processes.     

Modification of Si(100) surface by the grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) for reduction in protein adsorption and platelet adhesion

The modification of argon plasma-pretreated single-crystal Si(100) wafer surfaces via the UV-induced graft polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) macromonomer (molecular weight approximately 340) for biomaterials applications was explored. The modified Si(100) surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Surface peroxide concentrations resulting from the argon plasma treatment and subsequent atmospheric exposure were determined by a coupling reaction with diphenylpicrylhydrazyl. The results suggested that a short plasma treatment time of 10 s and brief air exposure were sufficient for generating an optimum amount of peroxides and hydroperoxides for the subsequent UV-induced graft polymerization. The graft concentration of the PEGMA polymer increased with increasing PEGMA macromonomer concentration for the graft polymerization and with increasing UV graft polymerization time. The PEGMA graft-polymerized silicon surface with a high poly(ethylene glycol) graft concentration was very effective in preventing protein adsorption and platelet adhesion. The grafted PEGMA polymer layer on the Si(100) surface exhibited fairly good stability during storage in a buffer solution.