Oxidant-scavenging activities of ampicillin and sulbactam and their effects on neutrophil functions.

Luminol-enhanced luminescence is a method used to measure formation of reactive oxygen intermediates important in the ability of neutrophils to kill microbes. Several studies have demonstrated that under some conditions of incubation, ampicillin can inhibit neutrophil-derived luminol-enhanced luminescence. We evaluated the mechanism(s) by which ampicillin inhibited the luminescent response of stimulated neutrophils. We also investigated sulbactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor which has been given in combination with ampicillin and other beta-lactam antibiotics to increase their spectra, for possible similar effects. Both ampicillin and sulbactam attenuated luminol-enhanced luminescence by approximately 40%. Superoxide production was not prevented by added ampicillin, nor was superoxide scavenged by it. Myeloperoxidase reacts with H2O2 and Cl- to generate OCl-, which is believed to be the oxidizer of luminol that is primarily responsible for enhancement of neutrophil-derived luminescence. Hydroxyl radicals (HO.), which may also oxidize luminol, resulting in luminescence, can be formed from O2- and H2O2 via either myeloperoxidase-dependent (involving intermediate OCl-) or myeloperoxidase-independent (through a metal ion catalyst) reactions. Ampicillin scavenged H2O2 and OCl- and prevented 95% of Fenton reaction-generated HO. from reacting with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide. Sulbactam was found to scavenge OCl- and HO., but less avidly than ampicillin did. Neither ampicillin nor sulbactam inhibited myeloperoxidase activity. Sublethal concentrations of sulbactam had no significant effect on neutrophil killing of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Our results demonstrate a mechanism(s) by which ampicillin inhibits luminol-enhanced luminescence from stimulated neutrophils, namely, through scavenging of the oxidant(s) primarily responsible for the generation of luminescence.     

Ultrastructural changes in hepatocytes of precision-cut rat liver slices after incubation for 24 and 48 hours

Hepatocytes of precision-cut rat liver slices were studied by means of transmission electron microscopy after long-term incubation (24–48 h) in comparison with freshly prepared slices, indicating reversible and irreversible intracellular alterations of the cells. After 24 h incubation the morphological image in transversal sections of slices is characterised by a central zone of damaged and necrotic cells flanked by two to several superficial layers of viable cells. This is typical of a diffusion gradient of oxygen tension and nutrient content from the surface to the centre of the slices. In adapted cells on the surface of the slices we observed an organelle-free layer of fine granular material in the apical cytoplasm followed by parallel oriented stacks of rough endoplasmic reticulum near by. Mitochondria of essentially normal appearance in adapted cells did not contain flocculent densities, which were observed in damaged cells only. The cytoplasm of parenchymal cells consisted of defined areas of clear cytoplasmic material containing numerous branching tubular profiles of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, presumably in the regions with depleted glycogen aggregates. Subcellular signs of necrosis are destroyed mitochondria, dilated endoplasmic reticulum free of ribosomes and clumping of chromatin in the nucleus of hepatocytes. No appreciable differences of the cell organelles were observed between 24 and 48 h of incubation, but the incidence and intensity of signs of necrosis increased with the duration of incubation and the thickness of the slices. The process of these changes may reflect the phenomenon of cellular adaptation and of hypoxic cellular injury in the periphery and the centre of the slices, respectively.     

Frequent spontaneous deletions at a shuttle vector locus in transgenic mice

Transgenic mice carrying multiple copies of a recoverable lambdaphage shuttle vector (     

吡格列酮对脂质灌注大鼠糖代谢和PPAR-γ表达的影响

目的：探讨吡格列酮 (Pio) 对游离脂肪酸诱导的胰岛素抵抗大鼠糖代谢和PPAR-γ表达的影响。方法:采用扩展正糖钳夹实验和［3-3H］标记葡萄糖示踪技术，观察了4 h脂质灌注导致大鼠血浆游离脂肪酸（FFA）升高引起糖代谢和脂肪组织PPAR-γ表达变化及Pio处理后的影响。 结果:在钳夹稳态期，对照组（N组）血浆FFA水平明显降低，而脂质灌注组（L组）和吡格列酮+脂质组（P/L组）FFA水平明显升高。 P/L组葡萄糖输注率(GIR)较N组明显降低（P<0.01）, 而L组又明显低于P/L组（P<0.01）；N组和P/L组肝糖输出 (HGP) 与基础值相比被明显抑制达85%（均P<0.01），在L组，胰岛素对HGP的抑制作用受到明显障碍（仅抑制8.7%）。L组和P/L组葡萄糖清除率（GRd）明显低于N组（P<0.01）。P/L组脂肪组织PPAR-γ表达明显增加。 结论:脂质灌注诱导了大鼠胰岛素抵抗。吡格列酮干预使大鼠脂肪组织PPAR-γ表达明显增加，并抑制了内源性肝糖产生，从而部分逆转了脂质诱导的胰岛素抵抗。     

Series dead space volume assessed as the mean value of a distribution function

Series dead space (VdS) is assumed to be represented by that volume exhaled until alveolar gas is observed. Phase II of the single breath CO₂-diagram contains the (flow, concentration and sequence weighted) distribution off all stationary interfaces (SI) expired before phase III. We describe a new method to estimate the mean value of VdS based on the differentiation of phase II. This approximation of VdS is called the Pre Interface Expirate (PIE) and is compared in this study with the integrative approach of Langley. Tidal volume (Vt) and PEEP were varied from 71 to 123% and from 0 to 6 cmH₂O respectively.The estimation of VdS by differentiation of phase II (PIE) shows excellent reproducibility and depends only on phase II — not on phase III and IV as does VdS-Langley. PIE does not depend on Vt and PEEP per se but reflects the distension of convective airways due to elevated end-inspiratory airway pressure.Our results confirm the predictions of Paiva's model calculations in that the size of VdS is determined by the distension of airways rather than by the altered position of the SI.     

Ifosfamide combination chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer

The objective of our clinical studies was to develop an effective combination chemotherapy regimen (CHT) with acceptable side effects, consisting of the two most potent drugs used as single agents in breast cancer. We tested the combination of an anthracycline, epirubicin (A) at 70 mg/m² i.v. on day 1 or (B) at 120 mg/m² i.v. on day 1 with an alkylating drug ifosfamide (IFO), (C) at 2.5 g/m² in an i.v. infusion given over 4 h on days 1–3 or (D) at 5 g/m² in a 24-h i.v. infusion given on day 1. Courses were repeated every 4 weeks. The combinations were given as first-line therapy as follows: CHT (A, C) in six cases and CHT (B, C) in five cases of advanced breast carcinoma, and CHT (B, D) in seven patients with primary inflammatory breast cancer. Due to side effects (e.g., stomatitis, mental disturbances) and applicability, CHT regimen (B, D) was preferred. Responses (12/18) occurred 1–3 cycles earlier than those previously achieved using the conventional epirubicin/cyclophosphamide CHT. We conclude that 5 g/m² IFO given i.v. over 24 h with uroprotection (mesna) in a two-drug regimen is an effective dose with tolerable toxicity. Alopecia was seen in all cases. However, according to our experience, myelotoxicity is the dose-limiting factor for both of these drugs.Presented at the Satellite Symposium Ifosfamide in Gynecological Tumors of the 5th European Conference on Clinical Oncology and Cancer Nursing, London, September 3–7, 1989     

颈髓段下行传导束诱发电位动物模型研究

目的 :建立 SD鼠脊髓下行传导束诱发电位 ( MEP)模型。 方法 :刺激颈髓段下行传导束 ,于双侧坐骨神经记录电位变化。采用 8个不同刺激强度区间 ,并结合脊髓部分损伤状态 ,评价其潜伏期和波幅的变化。结果 :诱发电位主要由 3个正负波峰组成。 N1的潜伏期 :右侧 ( 2 .89± 0 .2 2 ) ms,左侧 ( 2 .89± 0 .2 4) ms。传导速度 47.9m/s。 N1的波幅 :右侧 ( 3 .61± 2 .10 )μV,左侧 ( 3 .83± 2 .3 2 )μV。不同刺激强度组间潜伏期相差不显著 ,但组间波幅有显著性差异 (右侧 F =2 .2 2 ,df =72 0 1,P=0 .0 3 ;左侧 F =2 .11,df=72 0 6,P=0 .0 4)。 T9平面脊髓部分损伤后 ,潜伏期延长 ,右侧 14 % ,左侧 12 % ;波幅下降 ,右侧5 9 % ,左侧 3 1%。结论 :建立的颈髓段下行传导束诱发电位动物模型有效、可靠 ,重复性好。用此模型可准确地检测脊髓传导束的功能状态     

Enolase 1 of Candida albicans binds human CD4+ T cells and modulates naïve and memory responses

To obtain a better understanding of the biology behind life-threatening fungal infections caused by Candida albicans, we recently conducted an in silico screening for fungal and host protein interaction partners. We report here that the extracellular domain of human CD4 binds to the moonlighting protein enolase 1 (Eno1) of C. albicans as predicted bioinformatically. By using different anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies, we determined that C. albicans Eno1 (CaEno1) primarily binds to the extracellular domain 3 of CD4. Functionally, we observed that CaEno1 binding to CD4 activated lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (LCK), which was also the case for anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies tested in parallel. CaEno1 binding to naïve human CD4⁺ T cells skewed cytokine secretion toward a Th2 profile indicative of poor fungal control. Moreover, CaEno1 inhibited human memory CD4⁺ T-cell recall responses. Therapeutically, CD4⁺ T cells transduced with a p41/Crf1-specific T-cell receptor developed for adoptive T-cell therapy were not inhibited by CaEno1 in vitro. Together, the interaction of human CD4⁺ T cells with CaEno1 modulated host CD4⁺ T-cell responses in favor of the fungus. Thus, CaEno1 mediates not only immune evasion through its interference with complement regulators but also through the direct modulation of CD4⁺ T-cell responses.