四肢关节专用低场强MRI评估对膝关节损伤的诊断价值

目的：分析四肢关节专用低场强MRI诊断膝关节损伤的临床应用价值。 方法：于2004-12/2005-10解放军总医院全军骨科研究所收治经手术、关节镜检查或临床证实的膝关节损伤患者40例（43个膝关节）。应用Atorscan0.2T永磁型四肢关节专用低场强磁共振机,对膝关节损伤的MRI表现进行分析。 结果：四肢关节专用低场强MRI对半月板、前交叉韧带、骨挫伤等均可作出正确诊断。 结论：四肢关节专用低场强MRI对膝关节损伤的综合诊断具有重要意义,是膝关节损伤较理想的一种非创伤性检查方法。     

肌腱玻璃化法冷冻保存的体外实验

目的:目前临床上常用低温冷冻法来保存同种异体肌腱,但操作较复杂费时,并且所保存的肌腱活性较低而限制其应用。采用已筛选的玻璃化法冷冻保存鸡屈趾深肌腱,并将复温后的玻璃化肌腱进行体外检测,探索其作为肌腱移植材料的可行性。方法:实验于2003-11/2005-02在解放军总医院骨科研究所完成。①实验材料及分组:来亨鸡16只,雄性,体质量2.5kg左右,随机分为2组,玻璃化组为玻璃化肌腱,新鲜肌腱组为新鲜肌腱,每组8只。②实验过程:切取来亨鸡屈趾深肌腱,置入玻璃化液内快速投入液氮保存2周制备玻璃化肌腱。③实验评估:将2组肌腱在体外进行大体、组织学及超微结构观察,羟脯氨酸含量测定,生物力学性能检测,并对两组肌腱进行细胞培养与鉴定。结果:①玻璃化组肌腱的大体、组织学及超微结构与新鲜肌腱组相似,其细胞及细胞外结构得以良好保存。②应用碱解法测定玻璃化肌腱内的羟脯氨酸含量为69.27mg/g,与新鲜肌腱组间差异无统计学意义。③玻璃化组肌腱破裂强度为165.58MPa,弹性模量1.41GPa,与新鲜肌腱组的力学性能差异无统计学意义。④将玻璃化组肌腱进行细胞培养,细胞第8天自组织块长出,第21天后传代,培养3代后出现明显的退化现象,其生物学特性与新鲜肌腱组相似。⑤将两组肌腱培养的细胞分别进行免疫组织化学染色,经鉴定均为肌腱细胞。结论:玻璃化法保存的肌腱具有良好的细胞活性、细胞外结构及力学性能,其生物学及生物力学特性无明显变异。     

D1/NMDA Receptors and Concurrent Methamphetamine+HIV-1 Tat Neurotoxicity

The interactive effects of HIV-1 infection and methamphetamine (METH) abuse in producing cognitive dysfunction represent a serious medical problem; however, the neural mechanisms underlying this interactive neurotoxicity remain elusive. In this study, we report that a combination of low, sub-toxic doses of METH + HIV-1 Tat 1-86 B, but not METH + HIV-1 gp120, directly induces death of rodent midbrain neurons in vitro. The effects of D1- and NMDA-receptor specific antagonists (SCH23390 and MK-801, respectively) on the neurotoxicity of different doses of METH or HIV-1 Tat alone and on the METH + HIV-1Tat interaction in midbrain neuronal cultures suggest that the induction of the cell death cascade by METH and Tat requires both dopaminergic (D1) and N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated signaling. This interactive METH+Tat neurotoxicity does not occur in cultures of hippocampal neurons, which are predominately glutamatergic, express very low levels of dopamine receptors, and have no functional dopamine transporter (DAT). Thus, the presence of a subpopulation of neurons capable of dopamine release/uptake is essential for METH+Tat induction of the cell death cascade. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that METH and HIV-1 Tat disrupt the normal conjunction of signaling between D1 and NMDA receptors, resulting in neural dysfunction and death.     

Correlation of somatic hypermutation specificity and A-T base pair substitution errors by DNA polymerase eta during copying of a mouse immunoglobulin kappa light chain transgene

To test the hypothesis that inaccurate DNA synthesis by mammalian DNA polymerase eta (pol eta) contributes to somatic hypermutation (SHM) of Ig genes, we measured the error specificity of mouse pol eta during synthesis of each strand of a mouse Ig kappa light chain transgene. We then compared the results to the base substitution specificity of SHM of this same gene in the mouse. The in vitro and in vivo base substitution spectra shared a number of common features. A highly significant correlation was observed for overall substitutions at A-T pairs but not for substitutions at G-C pairs. Sixteen mutational hotspots at A-T pairs observed in vivo were also found in spectra generated by mouse pol eta in vitro. The correlation was strongest for errors made by pol eta during synthesis of the non-transcribed strand, but it was also observed for synthesis of the transcribed strand. These facts, and the distribution of substitutions generated in vivo, support the hypothesis that pol eta contributes to SHM of Ig genes at A-T pairs via short patches of low fidelity DNA synthesis of both strands, but with a preference for the non-transcribed strand.     

Childhood Pityriasis Rosea

Abstract: Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an acute, self‐limiting papulosquamous disorder of unknown etiology. Published studies of childhood PR are scarce and most are reviews. The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and clinical features of childhood PR.