Licht- und elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen zur Histopathogenität vonMacracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus (Archiacanthocephala) in experimentell infizierten Hausschweinen

Zusammenfassung Die vonMacracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus verursachten Läsionen im Dünndarm von experimentell infizierten Hausschweinen (7 Tage p.i. und 84 Tage p.i.) wurden licht- und elektronenmikroskopisch untersucht. Die Würmer der 84 Tage alten Infektion waren tiefer in die Darmwand eingedrungen als die 7 Tage alten Würmer. Ihr Präsoma wurde von Entzündungsbzw. Bindegewebe umhüllt, das zahlreiche Plasmazellen enthielt. Bei 7 Tage alten Infektionen wurde noch keine Fibrose nachgewiesen. Eosinophilen-ähnliche Granulozyten, die an den Proboscishaken akkumulierten, herrschten in der Läsion vor. Eine osmiophile Gleitflüssigkeit, die offenbar an der Basis der Proboscishaken ausgeschieden wurde, schien eine stark antigene Wirkung auf die Leukozyten des Schweins auszuüben. In keinem Fall wurden Würmer angetroffen, die die gesamte Darmwand perforiert hatten, wie es in China bei Menschen beschrieben wurde.

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Light and electron microscopical investigation of the histopathogenicity ofMacracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus in experimentally infected swine

One and 12 weeks after infection the lesions in the small intestine of two domestic pigs caused byMacracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus were studied by means of light and electron microscopy. Worms of 7 d.p.i. were found to have penetrated with their presoma into the tunica propria and partly into the tunica muscularis where they had caused local mechanic destructions and heavy eosinophilic-like and hemorrhagic reactions. Most eosinophilic-like granulocytes were attracted to the proboscis hooks, at the base of which an osmiophilic substance apparently was excreted. Worms of 84 d.p.i. had penetrated with their proboscis deeply into the tunica muscularis. The presoma had become encapsulated by a solid capsule of necrotic/inflammatory tissue in its inner part and by filamentous connective tissue in its outer part. The predominant leucocytes in the inflammatory tissue now were plasma cells indicating a progressive immune reaction. No worms were found to have perforated the entire intestinal wall as was described from human patients in China.

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Unterstützt durch ein Stipendium der VR China für Herrn Bin Zhao     

Ultrastructural features of the muscle fibers in congenital hypothyroidism

Summary Muscles of three patients (2 years, 2 years and 7 months, and 11 years of age) affected by congenital hypothyroidism due to dysgenesis of the thyroid gland were studied by electron microscope. The biopsies were performed on the quadriceps muscle. Several alterations were found in the ultrastructure of the muscle fibers. The contractile material underwent atrophy by two recessive processes: by reduction and by degeneration. The former, which affected mainly the white fibers, led to the progressive detachment of myofilaments from the periphery of the myofibrils while they maintainad a normal arrangement in the center. Consequently, their diameter decreased and their interfibrillar spaces enlarged. The latter enlargment, involving the red fibers, caused areas of dedifferentiation involving either the contractile apparatus or the other cell organelles. Modifications of the sarcolemma and basement membrane were seen in the fibers affected by the atrophying processes of the contractile material. Changes of the ultrastructure of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and of the T system were observed with numerous morphological abnormalities of the mitochondria. In addition, accumulation of glycogen and striking changes of the satellite cells were found. The ultrastructural findings are reviewed and discussed in relation to the literature on hypothyroid myopathy.     

结核性脑膜炎的CT诊断(附16例分析)

目的：通过分析16例结核性脑膜炎的CT表现及其产生的病理基础，提高对本病的认识和诊断水平。方法：16例结核性脑膜炎病人采用常规头颅CT扫描，对其影像及临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果：脑基底池、侧裂池变窄12例(75％)，合并密度增高8例(50％)；不同程度的脑积水14例(88％)；脑梗塞8例(50％)；结核瘤1例(6％)。结论：结核性脑膜炎的主要CT征象是脑基底池、侧裂池变窄，同时有不同程度的脑积水。如同时伴有脑结核瘤，可作出诊断。     

Involvement of ERK, p38 and NF-kappaB signal transduction in regulation of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 gene expression induced by lipopolysaccharide in mouse dendritic cells

Toll-like receptors (TLR) are sentinel receptors capable of recognizing pathogen-associated molecule patterns (PAMP) such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and CpG-containing oligonucleotides (CpG ODN). TLR2 and TLR4 are major receptors for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cell wall components, respectively. TLR9 is necessary for CpG signalling. LPS or CpG ODN can activate immature dendritic cells (DC) and induce DC maturation characterized by production of cytokines, up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules, and increased ability to activate T cells. However, little is known regarding the regulation of TLR gene expression in mouse DC. In this study, we investigated the regulation of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 gene expression by LPS in murine immature DC. TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 mRNA were up-regulated following LPS stimulation. The up-regulation of TLR9 expression coincided with significantly increased production of tumour necrosis factor-alpha induced by LPS plus CpG ODN. While inhibition of extracellular signal-related kinase and NF-kappaB activation suppressed the up-regulation of the expression of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 mRNA, inhibition of p38 kinase prevented the up-regulation of TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA expression but enhanced the up-regulation of TLR9 expression. These results demonstrated that TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 gene expression was differently regulated by LPS in mouse immature DC. Up-regulation of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 expression by LPS might promote the overall responses of DC to bacteria and help to explain the synergy between LPS and other bacterial products in the induction of cytokine production.     

IL-12p40-overexpressing immature dendritic cells induce T cell hyporesponsiveness in vitro but accelerate allograft rejection in vivo: role of NK cell activation and interferon-gamma production

Infusion of genetically modified dendritic cells (DC) expressing immunosuppressive molecules is a potential therapy for organ rejection. IL-12p70, a cytokine produced mainly by DC and macrophages, consists of two subunits, p40 and p35. IL-12p70 is an activator of T cells, while the IL-12p40 subunit serves as a natural antagonist for IL-12p70 action. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of IL-12p40 gene-modification on both the T-cell stimulatory activity of immature DC (imDC) and their ability to prolong cardiac allograft survival. IL-12p40 gene-modified imDC (DC-p40) exhibited a phenotype characteristic of imDC and displayed impaired T-cell allostimulatory ability in vitro. However, to our surprise, for murine vascularized heterotopic heart transplantation (HHT), administration of donor-derived DC-p40 7 days prior to transplantation did not prolong allograft survival but instead significantly exacerbated cardiac allograft rejection. Further study showed that DC-p40 augmented NK cell activity both in vitro and in vivo and enhanced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production in vivo, which might be due to the increased IL-23 production by DC-p40. Our data suggested that although IL-12p40 gene-modified immature DC can induce T cell hyporesponsiveness in vitro, their ability to activate NK cells and induce IFN-gamma production counterbalances this, exacerbating cardiac allograft rejection. The unexpected effects of DC-p40 limit their value in promoting allograft survival in vivo and likely reflect the complexity of IL-12p40 biology.     

肢体缺血/再灌注后氧自由基与Bax蛋白、细胞凋亡的关系

目的　阐明氧自由基与Bax蛋白、细胞凋亡在大鼠肢体缺血 /再灌注不同时相中的变化规律及相互关系。方法　采用大鼠股动脉夹闭模型 ,阻断股动脉血流 5h后再灌注 ,设立缺血组、再灌注组 ,再灌注组设立 1,6 ,12 ,2 4h 4个检测时相 ,应用硫代巴比妥酸法测定肌肉组织中脂质过氧化产物丙二醛 (MDA)水平 ,应用免疫组化方法测定Bax蛋白表达的变化 ,应用原位末端标记法及电镜方法观察细胞凋亡现象。结果　随着再灌注时间的延长 ,MDA水平、Bax蛋白表达强度、细胞凋亡指数 (AI)进行性升高 ,且三者呈显著正相关。结论　氧自由基与细胞凋亡同时参与肢体再灌注损伤 ,氧自由基可能通过调节Bax蛋白表达促进细胞凋亡的发生。     

寰枕关节完全骨化2例伴先天脊柱裂1例

笔者在整理100余套散骨标本时,发现有两例寰枕关节完全骨化、愈合,其中1例伴有先天性脊柱裂,此类标本实属罕见,现将观察和测量结果报告如下:     

Pseudosubstrate inhibition of protein kinase PKR by swine pox virus C8L gene product

The interferon-induced protein kinase PKR is activated upon binding double-stranded RNA and phosphorylates the translation initiation factor eIF2alpha on Ser-51 to inhibit protein synthesis in virally infected cells. Swinepox virus C8L and vaccinia virus K3L gene products structurally resemble the amino-terminal third of eIF2alpha. We demonstrate that the C8L protein, like the K3L protein, can reverse the toxic effects caused by high level expression of human PKR in yeast cells. In addition, expression of either the K3L or C8L gene product was found to reverse the inhibition of reporter gene translation caused by PKR expression in mammalian cells. The inhibitory function of the K3L and C8L gene products in these assays was found to be critically dependent on residues near the carboxyl-termini of the proteins including a sequence motif shared among eIF2alpha and the C8L and K3L gene products. Thus, despite significant sequence differences both the C8L and K3L proteins function as pseudosubstrate inhibitors of PKR.     

Brachydactyly type A3 is caused by a novel 13 bp HOXD13 frameshift deletion in a Chinese family

Brachydactyly type A (BDA) is defined as short middle phalanges of the affected digits and is subdivided into four types (BDA1‐4). To date, the molecular cause is unknown. However, there is some evidence that pathogenic variants of HOXD13 could be associated with BDA3 and BDA4. Here, we report a Chinese autosomal dominant BDA3 pedigree with a novel HOXD13 mutation. The affected individuals presented with an obviously shorter fifth middle phalanx. The radial side of the middle phalanx was shorter than the ulnar side, and the terminal phalanx of the fifth finger inclined radially and formed classical clinodactyly. Interestingly, the index finger was normal. The initial diagnosis was BDA3. However, the distal third and fourth middle phalanges were also slightly affected, resulting in mild radial clinodactyly. Both feet showed shortening of the middle phalanges, which were fused to the distal phalanges of the second to the fifth toes, as reported in BDA4. Therefore, this pedigree had combined BDA3 and atypical BDA4. By direct sequencing, a 13 bp deletion within exon 1 of HOXD13 (NM_000523.4: c.708_720del13; NP_000514.2: p.Gly237fs) was identified. The 13 bp deletion resulted in a frameshift and premature termination of HOXD13. This study provides further evidences that variants in HOXD13 cause BDA3‐BDA4 phenotypes.     

Peroxisomal proliferator activated receptor-γ deficiency in a Canadian kindred with familial partial lipodystrophy type 3 (FPLD3)

Background  

Familial partial lipodystrophy (Dunnigan) type 3 (FPLD3, Mendelian Inheritance in Man [MIM] 604367) results from heterozygous mutations in PPARG encoding peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-γ. Both dominant-negative and haploinsufficiency mechanisms have been suggested for this condition.