Reduced tocopherol content of B cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The tocopherol content of lymphocytes, erythrocytes, and plasma from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), hairy cell leukemia (HCL), and normal subjects was measured by a sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic method. Lymphocytes from patients with CLL had lower values of tocopherol (1.7 +/- 1.0 micrograms/10(9) cells) than lymphocytes from normal subjects (3.8 +/- 0.7 micrograms/10(9) cells). Mononuclear cells from patients with HCL had an increased tocopherol content of 6.2 +/- 1.0 micrograms/10(9) cells. Subfractionation of the lymphocytes from patients with CLL into T- and B-cell subgroups showed that the tocopherol content of T cells was the same as in normal subjects (4.1 +/- 0.5 micrograms/10(9) cells versus 3.5 +/- 1.2), but that the tocopherol content of the B cells was markedly reduced compared to normals (2.6 +/- 1.0 versus 6.0 +/- 1.3).     

The opposing roles of NOTCH signalling in head and neck cancer: a mini review

NOTCH signalling can exert oncogenic or tumour suppressive effects in both solid and haematological malignancies. Similar to T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T‐ALL), early studies suggested a pro‐tumorigenic role of NOTCH in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), mainly based on the increased expression levels of the genes within the pathway. Recently, data from exome sequencing analyses unexpectedly pointed to a tumour suppressor role for NOTCH in HNSCC by identifying loss‐of‐function mutations in the NOTCH1 gene in a significant proportion of patients. These data have questioned the accepted role of NOTCH in HNSCC and the possible rationale of targeting NOTCH in this disease. This review summarises the current information on NOTCH signalling in HNSCC and discusses how this pathway can apparently exert opposing effects within the same disease.     

Demographic and clinical predictors of depressive symptoms among incarcerated women

Background  

Imprisonment may lead to the development of mental illness, especially depression. This study examines the clinical and sociodemographic profiles of imprisoned women, identifies indicative signs of depression, and relates these indicators to other variables.     

Cystatin C and carotid intima-media thickness in asymptomatic adults: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

BACKGROUND: Persons with early kidney disease have an increased risk of cardiovascular events and mortality, but the importance of accelerated atherosclerosis in promoting these outcomes is unclear. We therefore explored whether serum cystatin C level is associated with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in ambulatory adults without clinical heart disease. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: We evaluated 6,557 ethnically diverse persons free of clinical cardiovascular disease aged 45 to 84 years at the baseline visit of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. PREDICTORS: Kidney function was estimated by using 2 methods: serum cystatin C level and estimated glomerular filtration rate, based on creatinine and cystatin C levels. OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS: Study outcomes were internal and common carotid IMT, measured by using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound. Multivariate linear and logistic regressions were used to evaluate the independent association of kidney function with carotid IMT. RESULTS: In unadjusted linear analysis, each SD (0.23 mg/L) greater cystatin C level was associated with 0.091-mm greater internal carotid IMT (P < 0.001), but this association was diminished by 70% after adjustment for age, sex, and race/ethnicity (0.027 mm; P < 0.001) and was no longer significant after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (0.005 mm; P = 0.5). Similarly, the strong unadjusted associations of cystatin C level with common carotid IMT disappeared after adjustment. Chronic kidney disease, defined by using either creatinine level or cystatin C-based estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2), had no independent association with internal and common carotid IMT. LIMITATIONS: There were few participants with severe kidney disease. CONCLUSIONS: Cystatin C level had no independent association with carotid IMT in a population free of clinical heart disease. This observation suggests that accelerated atherosclerosis is unlikely to be the primary mechanism explaining the independent association of cystatin C level with cardiovascular risk.     

生物玻璃和生物胶原膜联合应用于即刻义齿种植

目的：建立即刻种植动物模型,观察生物玻璃和生物胶原膜在即刻种植中引导骨组织再生、促进骨愈合效果. 方法：实验方法：取成年家犬12只,随机编号后分为4个组,在全麻下分别拔除双侧下颌第一双尖牙,制备近中拔牙窝并即刻植入种植体.前3个组分别应用生物玻璃填塞种植体与拔牙窝骨壁之间的间隙,或在种植床上方覆盖生物胶原膜,并尝试两种方法的联合应用,空白组不采用特殊处理.②观察指标：术后观察记录种植床愈合情况.术后4,8,12周分批处死动物并取其下颌骨标本,采用大体观察、X射线、普通光镜组织学方法和扫描电镜方法观察其在种植床中引起的骨组织再生变化过程和骨结合率,统计比较各种方法的成功率. 结果：①即刻种植成功率：总体成功率为95.8%,其中应用生物玻璃填塞种植体周围间隙可以诱导骨组织再生,其成功率均为100%,在种植床上方覆盖生物胶原膜者成功率为91.7%.②诱导骨组织再生作用：单用生物玻璃或两种方法联合应用诱导骨再生效果均较快,8周时表现骨质沉积量明显较多,其成骨呈多中心性,12周时可以诱导再生成熟的骨组织,并使种植体达到骨结合;应用生物胶原膜成骨呈向心性,成骨速度稍慢,12周时可以引导再生成熟的骨组织,并使种植体达到骨结合;空白组12周时在种植体的上部仍有较大部分软组织存在. 结论：在即刻种植中应用生物玻璃和生物胶原膜均可以诱导骨组织再生,促进骨愈合,获得较高的种植成功率;两者联合应用的成骨效果较单独应用生物胶原膜好.     

Inhibition of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline-DNA adducts by indole-3-carbinol: dose-response studies in the rat colon

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) inhibits the formation of colonic aberrant crypt foci and DNA adducts in rats given heterocyclic amine colon carcinogens, such as 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ). Mechanism studies indicate that I3C induces cytochromes P4501A1 and 1A2 (CYP1A1 and CYP1A2), isozymes that respectively metabolize IQ via ring hydroxylation or activate the carcinogen by N-hydroxylation. The present study examined the dose-response for induction of CYP1A1 versus CYP1A2 by I3C, and compared the profiles of induction with the dose- response for inhibition of IQ-DNA adducts in the colon of the F344 rat. Dietary equivalent doses of I3C in the range 100-1000 p.p.m. increased in a dose-related manner both ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and methoxyresorufin O-demethylase (MROD) activities in the liver and colonic mucosa, and Western blots showed a corresponding induction of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 proteins. However, dietary equivalent doses of I3C in the range 10-25 p.p.m. (i) reduced hepatic EROD and MROD activities and CYP1A protein levels compared with controls, (ii) increased the ratio of CYP1A2 versus CYP1A1, and (iii) activated IQ to a more potent mutagen when liver microsomes from rats given I3C were used for metabolic activation in the Salmonella assay. Rats given a single oral dose of I3C shortly before administering IQ (5 mg/kg body wt, p.o.) exhibited dose-related inhibition of colonic IQ-DNA adducts in the range 25-100 p.p.m. I3C, reaching 95% inhibition at doses > or = 100 p.p.m. I3C, but IQ-DNA adducts were elevated slightly at the lowest I3C dose as compared with the controls. The possible significance of the low versus high dose effects of I3C are discussed in the context of human dietary exposures to I3C and the reported chemopreventive mechanisms of I3C in vivo.      

Deletion/insertion mutation that causes biotinidase deficiency may result from the formation of a quasipalindromic structure

Biotinidase is responsible for recycling the vitamin biotin from biocytin that is formed after the proteolytic degradation of the biotin- dependent carboxylases. We have identified a deletion/insertion mutation within exon D of the human biotinidase gene in a child with biotinidase deficiency. The mutation causes a frame shift and premature termination which are predicted to result in a truncated protein. We propose that the mutation occurred during DNA replication by either of two mechanisms. Both mechanisms involve formation of a quasipalindromic hairpin loop in the template and dissociation of DNA polymerase alpha. This mutation supports the formation of palindromic structures as a possible cause of deletions in eukaryotes, and supports the proposal, derived from in vitro studies, that polymerase alpha may preferentially arrest or dissociate at specific template sequences.      

去氢表雄酮硫酸酯钠盐对妊娠大鼠子宫颈张力的影响及作用机理

去氢表雄酮硫酸酯为正常人体肾上腺所分泌,是合成雄激素和雌激素的前体。1970年日本钟仿制药厂正式生产该产品作为宫颈成熟剂,用于治疗宫颈成熟不全和产程延长等。Mochizuki给妊娠末期的妇女ⅳ去氢表雄酮硫酸酯钠盐(OHA-S)100 mg,共2次,发现DHA-S能促进子     

二苯乙烯类化合物对蛋白激酶C的抑制作用

报道15种二苯乙烯类化合物对蛋白激酶C(PKC)活性的影响。其中从中药金雀根中分得的3种二苯乙烯类低聚体α-viniferin,kobophenol A 和 miyabenolC,它们抑制PKC的IC₅₀分别为62.5,52.0和27.5μmol·L^-1。另外6种含酚羟基的二苯乙烯化合物对PKC也显示不同程度的抑制作用,但当酚羟基全甲基化或全乙酰化后其抑制作用大大降低甚至消失。酶动力学研究证明miyabenolC对PKC的抑制作用属于非竞争性抑制。