不同状态人体牙槽骨的弹性性质

人体下颌牙槽骨皮质骨是各向异性复合生物材料,组织结构上类似于胶原羟磷灰石纤维增强的单向纤维增强复合材料。本文应用电测法测试了不同状态人体下颌牙槽骨皮质骨在平面应力状态下的各向异性弹性常数。     

新生鼠和成年鼠脑7种微量元素含量的比较

利用高频电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法（ICP－AES）测定Sprunge－Dawley大鼠新生期大脑皮层、海马、小脑、间脑和脑桥等部位的锌、铁、铜、锰、铬、锶、钼等7种微量元素的含量，并与成年动物做了比较。结果表明：（1）新生期大鼠全脑7种微量元素含量的多寡依次为：锌、铁、铬、锶、锰、铜、钼；成年期时钢跃居第四位，总含量低于新生期。（2）脑内不同部位微量元素的含量不同。新生大鼠海马和小脑内多数元素含量高于其他脑区，钼在间脑和海马中含量较高。成年鼠皮层、海马微量元素含量较高，皮层内铜、锶、钼含量最低。     

自制“茎突分离保护器”及茎突过长症的治疗应用

本文介绍了自制“茎突分离保护器”的质地、规格、性能。茎突截短术应用代用器械手术18例,每侧截除长度平均为1.75cm;应用自制器械30例,每侧平均截除长度为2.52cm,且比代用器械每侧可缩短手术时间30～40分钟。文章还评价了包括颈外切开的6例,共54例手术的疗效。     

壬苯醇醚避孕药膜的临床研究

894对健康、已育的育龄夫妇,随机分两组:447对使用壬苯醇醚方型膜,447对使用帽型膜,经两年连续观察。按生命表统计法处理数据。总使用妇女月,方型组9601,帽型组9382,随访率100%。累计停用率、妊娠率和续用率,方型组分别为16.8%、15.3%和83.2%,帽型组为18.4%、15.6%和81.6%,两组无显著差异(p>0.05)。临床和实验室资料表明壬苯醇醚药膜是安全、有效、简便、易于推广的避孕药具之一。     

Gaucher disease: in vivo evidence for allele dose leading to neuronopathic and nonneuronopathic phenotypes

Gaucher disease, a common lysosomal storage disorder, is associated with mutations at the acid beta-glucosidase (GCase) locus. Two affected individuals are described to share a common mutant allele, but manifest different clinical categorical phenotypes. A 57-year-old female, with Gaucher disease type 1 and Cherokee ancestry, was homozygous for a rare mutant allele encoding Lys79Asn (K79N). A 2-year-old Caucasian male, with Gaucher disease type 3 and Cherokee ancestry, was a heteroallelic homozygote for this same allele (K79N) and a novel complex mutation (null allele). The shared alleles were identical as determined by complete gene sequencing, suggesting a founder effect. The discrepant phenotypes (types 1 and 3) in these two patients provide support for a threshold of residual activity necessary to "protect" the central nervous system (CNS) from the pathogenic effects of Gaucher disease, indicating an allele dose-effect. Designation of genotype associations with specific phenotypes must be assessed with this perspective.     

Short-term enzyme replacement in the murine model of Sanfilippo syndrome type B

The Sanfilippo syndrome type B (MPS III B) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by deficiency of alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase (EC 3. 2.1.50), one of the lysosomal enzymes required for the degradation of heparan sulfate. The disease is characterized by profound neurodegeneration but relatively mild somatic manifestations, and is usually fatal in the second decade. A mouse model had been generated by disruption of the Naglu gene in order to facilitate the study of pathogenesis and the development of therapy for this currently untreatable disease. Recombinant human alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase (rhNAGLU) was prepared from secretions of Lec1 mutant Chinese hamster ovary cells. The enzyme, which has only unphosphorylated high-mannose carbohydrate chains, was endocytosed by mouse peritoneal macrophages via mannose receptors, with half-maximal uptake at ca. 10(-7) M. When administered intravenously to 3 month-old mice, rhNAGLU was taken up avidly by liver and spleen but marginally if at all by thymus, lung, kidney, heart, and brain (in order of diminishing uptake). The half-life of the enzyme was 2.5 days in liver and spleen. Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy showed that only macrophages were involved in enzyme uptake and correction in these two organs, yet the storage of glycosaminoglycan was reduced to almost normal levels. The results show that the macrophage-targeted rhNAGLU can substantially reduce the body burden of glycosaminoglycan storage in the mouse model of Sanfilippo syndrome III B.     

Effects of x-ray and CT image enhancements on the robustness and accuracy of a rigid 3D/2D image registration

A rigid body three-dimensional/two-dimensional (3D/2D) registration method has been implemented using mutual information, gradient ascent, and 3D texturemap-based digitally reconstructed radiographs. Nine combinations of commonly used x-ray and computed tomography (CT) image enhancement methods, including window leveling, histogram equalization, and adaptive histogram equalization, were examined to assess their effects on accuracy and robustness of the registration method. From a set of experiments using an anthropomorphic chest phantom, we were able to draw several conclusions. First, the CT and x-ray preprocessing combination with the widest attraction range was the one that linearly stretched the histograms onto the entire display range on both CT and x-ray images. The average attraction ranges of this combination were 71.3 mm and 61.3 deg in the translation and rotation dimensions, respectively, and the average errors were 0.12 deg and 0.47 mm. Second, the combination of the CT image with tissue and bone information and the x-ray images with adaptive histogram equalization also showed subvoxel accuracy, especially the best in the translation dimensions. However, its attraction ranges were the smallest among the examined combinations (on average 36 mm and 19 deg). Last the bone-only information on the CT image did not show convergency property to the correct registration.     

Contributions of ion conductances to the onset responses of octopus cells in the ventral cochlear nucleus: simulation results

The onset response pattern displayed by octopus cells has been attributed to intrinsic membrane properties, low membrane impedance, and/or synaptic inputs. Although the importance of a low membrane impedance generally is acknowledged as an essential component, views differ on the role that ion channels play in producing the onset response. In this study, we use a computer model to investigate the contributions of ion channels to the responses of octopus cells. Simulations using current ramps indicate that, during the "ramp-up" stage, the membrane depolarizes, activating a low-threshold K(+) channel, K(LT), which increases membrane conductance and dynamically increases the current required to evoke an action potential. As a result, the model is sensitive to the rate that membrane potential changes when initiating an action potential. Results obtained when experimentally recorded spike trains of auditory-nerve fibers served as model inputs (simulating acoustic stimulation) demonstrate that a model with K(LT) conductance as the dominant conductance produces realistic onset response patterns. Systematically replacing the K(LT) conductance by a h-type conductance (which corresponds to a hyperpolarization-activated inward rectifier current, I(h)) or by a leakage conductance reduces the model's sensitivity to rate of change in membrane potential, and the model's response to "acoustic stimulation" becomes more chopper-like. Increasing the h-type conductance while maintaining a large K(LT) conductance causes an increase in threshold to both current steps and acoustic stimulation but does not significantly affect the model's sensitivity to rate of change in membrane potential and the onset response pattern under acoustic stimulation. These findings support the idea that K(LT), which is activated during depolarization, is the primary membrane conductance determining the response properties of octopus cells, and its dynamic role cannot be provided by a static membrane conductance. On the other hand, I(h), which is activated during hyperpolarization, does not play a large role in the basic onset response pattern but may regulate response threshold through its contribution to the membrane conductance.     

Detection of T cells responsive to a vascular growth factor in rheumatoid arthritis

The primary lesion in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a destructive synovitis characterized by proliferation of endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and vascular smooth muscle cells, and with perivascular lymphocyte aggregates. A nonhematopoietic growth factor, acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF), may induce many of the biological features found in rheumatoid synovium, including T cell activation. To determine if aFGF-responsive T cells are increased in RA, we developed an assay to measure the frequency of peripheral blood T cells that are costimulated by aFGF. The data indicate that the frequency of aFGF-responsive T cells is increased in RA and may change with disease activity and treatment.     

Effects of CD8 depletion on retinal soluble antigen induced experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis.

During the later stages of soluble-antigen (sAg)-induced experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU), an increase in the relative number of CD8+ lymphocytes has been observed at the site of inflammation in the retina. It has been suggested that these late-appearing CD8+ cells might down-regulate this acute disease process. To determine the role of the CD8+ cells in EAU, Lewis rats were depleted of CD8+ cells prior to and during disease and the enucleated eyes examined histologically. The spleen cells from CD8-depleted rats were also examined for their ability to respond to concanavalin A (Con A) and to allogeneic targets as determined by mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and cytotoxicity assays. The results suggest that depleting CD8+ cells had no effect on the course of disease and that CD8+ cells do not play a crucial role in the immunoregulation of EAU.