转化生长因子β2诱导人小梁细胞凋亡的体外研究

目的　观察转化生长因子 β2 (transforminggrowthfactor β2 ,TGF β2 )是否能诱导体外培养人眼小梁细胞 (humantrabecularmeshworkcells,HTMC)发生凋亡。方法　将体外培养的第 3～ 5代人眼小梁细胞分为对照组和实验组 ,实验各组分别经 0 .32、1.0 0、3.2μg·L-1TGF β2 作用 4 8h后 ,分别用透射电镜、TUNEL法和流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡的诱导情况。结果　透射电镜观察发现凋亡细胞典型的形态学变化———核染色质凝集边集 ,凋亡小体形成等。TUNEL法检出发生DNA片段化的HTMC。经流式细胞术定量分析 ,不同浓度TGF β2 处理的HTMC凋亡细胞百分数分别为 ( 2 .79± 0 .4 4 ) %、( 4 .4 3±1.17) %、( 9.6 0± 2 .0 5 ) % ,其中 1、3.2 μg·L-1TGF β2 处理组与对照组 ( 1.4 1± 0 .34) %相比分别有显著差异和极显著差异。结论　TGF β2 能诱导体外培养HTMC发生凋亡 ,推测其可能参与了原发性开角型青光眼患者和正常人衰老过程中HTMC数目的减少。     

三相避孕片的孕激素活性研究

目的　了解三相避孕片的孕激素作用及活性。方法　用雌性幼龄小鼠子宫增重及雌性幼龄家兔子宫内膜转化试验方法观察国产 (卡丽瑞 )和进口 (特定偶 )三相避孕片的孕激素活性 ;用成年雌家兔去卵巢一周后子宫组织细胞液 ,通过放射受体分析测定两药对孕激素受体作用。结果　与阴性对照组比 ,卡丽瑞和特定偶各相均使雌性幼龄小鼠子宫重量增加 (P <0 0 1) ,并使兔子宫内膜增厚。卡丽瑞对子宫增重和促进家兔子宫内膜增厚作用还显示剂量依赖关系。放射受体分析结果表明 ,卡丽瑞和特定偶对孕激素受体均具较强亲和力 ,与孕激素标准品活性十分相似 ;三者之间差异无显著性。结论　说明国产和进口三相避孕片具有明显孕激素作用及活性。     

Cyclooxygenase-2 and p53 expressions in endometrial cancer.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been known to be related with various types of carcinoma, but we have insufficient knowledge about the association between COX-2 and endometrial cancer. Many have reported a close relationship between p53 expression and a poor prognosis in endometrial cancer, but it is unclear whether p53 is an independent prognostic factor. To clarify these uncertainties, we examined the expressions of COX-2 and p53 in endometrial cancer tissues. The study was carried on 152 endometrial cancer patients who had operation at Seoul National University Hospital. Paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were sectioned and immunostained using monoclonal anti-COX-2 and anti-p53 antibodies. Twenty-seven (17.8%) specimens stained as COX-2 positive. COX-2 positivity was more frequently observed in postmenopausal patients than in premenopausal patients (8.8% versus 25.0%; P = 0.009). However, COX-2 positivity did not show a statistically significant association with any other clinicopathologic characteristic (parity, body mass index, histotype, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, grade, lymph node metastasis, deep myometrial invasion, or p53 overexpression). Thirty-one (20.4%) specimens showed p53 overexpression and this was significantly correlated with an advanced stage (P = 0.001), poor differentiation (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.012), and deep myometrial invasion (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that advanced stage was an independent prognostic factor of survival, but p53 overexpression was not. COX-2 may be associated with endometrial cancer carcinogenesis during the postmenopausal period but not with tumor aggressiveness and p53 overexpression. The p53 overexpression was found to be strongly associated with endometrial cancer aggressiveness.     

Staphylococcal septicaemia in burns

This study analyses staphylococcal septicaemia in a series of 1516 burn patients who were admitted to the burn unit of the Al-Babtain Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery, Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait over a period of 6.5 years (1 June 1992-31 December 1998). One hundred and nine patients (7.2%) developed clinically and microbiologically proven septicaemia, of which 80 (73.4%) showed one or the other type of Staphylococcus in their blood. Fifty (62.5%) of them were males and 30 (37.5%) females, with a mean age of 26 years and the mean total body surface area of burns (TBSA) of 45% (range 1-93%). Preschool age children comprised 27.5% of the patients. Flame was the dominant (80%) cause of burn. Of the 80 patients who had 91 episodes of septicaemia, 52 (65%) had MRSA, 8 (10%) MSSA, 11 (13.8%) MRSE and 5 (6.2%) MSSE and 4 (5%) others had mixed organisms. Only the patients with MRSA had multiple episodes. Eight patients (10%) showed septicaemic episodes within only 48 h of admission; however, the majority of the patients (77.5%) had a septicaemic attack within 2 weeks postburn. Of the 52 MRSA septicaemic cases, 39 (75%) survived and 13 (25%) died. Four patients with septicaemia due to mixed infections died. A total of 19 patients were intubated, 14 due to inhalation injury and 5 because of septicaemia; all in the former group died. Glycopeptide therapy (vancomycin/teicoplanin) was instituted immediately following the detection of staphylococci in the blood. No significant difference was noted in relation to mortality amongst the septicaemic patients, whether or not on prophylactic antibiotic. Fifty-six (70%) of the 80 patients had 139 sessions of skin grafting and survived. Of the 52 MRSA patients, 40 had 101 sessions of skin grafting and 33 of them survived. The apparent low mortality was probably due to early detection of the organism, appropriate antibiotic therapy, care for nutrition and early wound cover. This study indicates a high incidence of staphylococcal septicaemia (especially due to MRSA) in the burn unit. A surface wound is the likely source of entry to the blood stream in these immunocompromised patients. The organism could be detected in blood as early as 48 h postburn and in as little TBSA burn as 1% in this MRSA endemic unit. Inhalation injury with major burns and added staphylococcal septicaemia invariably proved to be fatal.     

Vinylene-bridged donor–acceptor type porous organic polymers for enhanced photocatalysis of amine oxidative coupling reactions under visible light

Porous organic polymers (POPs), owing to their abundant porosity, high stability and well-tunable properties, are promising candidates as heterogeneous photocatalysts for organic transformations. Here we report two vinylene-bridged donor–acceptor (D–A) structural POPs (TpTc-POP and TbTc-POP) that are facilely constructed by the electron-rich triarylamine and electron-deficient tricyanomesitylene as key building blocks by the organic base catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation. Both TpTc-POP and TbTc-POP possess hierarchical meso- and micro-pores with a high surface area. Furthermore, the unsubstituted vinylene linkages of D–A moieties in their polymer backbones extend their π-conjugation and render their broad absorption range in the visible-light region. Thus, these DA-POPs exhibited highly effective photocatalytic activities for aerobic oxidative coupling of amines to imines under visible light irradiation. This study shows the great potential of conjugated POPs with a D–A structural feature in designing highly efficient and active heterogeneous photocatalytic systems.

Two vinylene-bridged D–A structural POPs are constructed by the electron-rich triarylamine and electron-deficient tricyanomesitylene, which exhibited highly effective photocatalytic activities for aerobic oxidative coupling of amines to imine.     

Highly sensitive,room temperature operated gold nanowire-based humidity sensor: adoptable for breath sensing

A novel, highly sensitive gold nanowire (AuNW) resistive sensor is reported here for humidity sensing in the relative humidity range of 11% to 92% RH as well as for breath sensing. Both humidity and breath sensors are widely needed. Despite a lot of research on humidity and breath sensors, there is a need for simple, inexpensive, reliable, sensitive and selective sensors, which will operate at room temperature. Here we have synthesized gold nanowires by a simple, wet chemical route. The nanowires synthesized by us are 4–7 nm in diameter and a few micrometers long. The nanowires are amine functionalized. The sensor was prepared by drop casting gold nanowires on an alumina substrate to form a AuNW layer with different thicknesses (10, 20, 30 μm). The AuNW sensor is highly selective towards humidity and shows minimum cross sensitivity towards other gases and organic vapors. At an optimum thickness of 20 μm, the humidity sensing performance of the AuNW sensor over 11% to 92% RH was found to be superior to that of 10 and 30 μm thick layers. The response time of the sensor is found to be 0.2 s and the recovery time is 0.3 s. The response of the AuNW sensor was 3.3 MΩ/% RH. Further, the AuNW sensor was tested for sensing human breathing patterns.

A novel, highly sensitive gold nanowire (AuNW) resistive sensor is reported here for humidity sensing in the relative humidity range of 11% to 92% RH as well as for breath sensing.     

Characterization,isolation,and culture of spermatogonial stem cells in Macaca fascicularis

Spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs)have great applications in both reproductive and regenerative medicine.Primates including monkeys are very similar to humans with...