二氧化硅活化巨噬细胞中早期生长反应因子-1及其信号转导通路的研究

目的 探讨早期生长反应因子(Egr-1)及其信号转导在矽肺发生发展中的作用。方法用细胞免疫荧光、原位杂交方法检测二氧化硅(SiO2)刺激后Egr-1的表达定位,用报道质粒及EMSA检测其活性改变;用激酶活性分析法检测si0：刺激巨噬细胞后ERK1／2活性改变,进一步用激酶抑制剂初步探讨SiO2活化Egr-1的信号转导通路。结果SiO2刺激RAW264．7细胞短时间Egr-1核蛋白表达及转录因子明显增加;且在处理后30～60min,Egr-1核蛋白结合活性明显升高(为未处理组的20倍);在刺激后15min ERK1／2活性开始升高,30min达高峰(活性为对照组的29倍)而后渐降至基础水平;进一步用激酶阻断发现,Egr-1 mRNA及蛋白表达均减少。结论SiO2能激活巨噬细胞中Egr-1,且此过程可能由ERK1／2、p38介导,提示SiO2-ERK1／2、p38-Egr-1通路可能在矽肺发生发展过程中起重要作用。     

Quantitative evaluation of recall and precision of CAT Crawler,a search engine specialized on retrieval of Critically Appraised Topics

Background

Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) are a useful tool that helps physicians to make clinical decisions as the healthcare moves towards the practice of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM). The fast growing World Wide Web has provided a place for physicians to share their appraised topics online, but an increasing amount of time is needed to find a particular topic within such a rich repository.

Methods

A web-based application, namely the CAT Crawler, was developed by Singapore's Bioinformatics Institute to allow physicians to adequately access available appraised topics on the Internet. A meta-search engine, as the core component of the application, finds relevant topics following keyword input. The primary objective of the work presented here is to evaluate the quantity and quality of search results obtained from the meta-search engine of the CAT Crawler by comparing them with those obtained from two individual CAT search engines. From the CAT libraries at these two sites, all possible keywords were extracted using a keyword extractor. Of those common to both libraries, ten were randomly chosen for evaluation. All ten were submitted to the two search engines individually, and through the meta-search engine of the CAT Crawler. Search results were evaluated for relevance both by medical amateurs and professionals, and the respective recall and precision were calculated.

Results

While achieving an identical recall, the meta-search engine showed a precision of 77.26% (±14.45) compared to the individual search engines' 52.65% (±12.0) (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The results demonstrate the validity of the CAT Crawler meta-search engine approach. The improved precision due to inherent filters underlines the practical usefulness of this tool for clinicians.

     

Cerebellar Golgi cells in the rat receive multimodal convergent peripheral inputs via the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord

We recently showed that the activity of cerebellar Golgi cells can be powerfully modulated by stimulation of peripheral afferents, in a pattern different to local Purkinje cells. Here we have examined the pathways underlying these responses. Graded electrical stimulation of muscle and cutaneous nerves revealed that long-lasting depressions and short-lasting excitations of Golgi cells were evoked by stimulation of cutaneous nerves at stimulus intensities that activated large mechanoreceptive afferents, and grew as additional afferents were recruited. In contrast, none of the neurones responded to stimulation of muscle nerves at intensities that activated group I afferents, although about half responded with long-lasting depressions, but not excitations, to stimuli that recruited group II and III afferents. Selective lesions of the spinal dorsal columns did not affect either of these types of response. After lesions of one lateral funiculus in the lumbar cord the responses evoked by stimulation of the hindlimb contralateral to the lesion were reduced or abolished, leaving responses evoked by ipsilateral hindlimb afferents unaltered. Since both ipsi- and contralateral afferents generate responses in Golgi cells, the convergence from the two sides must occur supraspinally. It is difficult to reconcile these properties with any of the direct spinocerebellar pathways or spinoreticulocerebellar pathways that have been described. Instead, it is likely that the responses are evoked via the multimodal 'wide dynamic range' neurones of the anterolateral system. Golgi cell activity may thus be powerfully enhanced or depressed during arousal via the anterolateral system.     

Molecular genetic characterization of XRCC4 function

XRCC4 is a generally expressed protein of 334 amino acids that is involved in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks and in V(D)J recombination, but its function is unknown. In this study, we have used a mutational approach and the yeast two-hybrid method to perform an initial characterization of this protein. We show that the XRCC4 protein is located in the nucleus. We also demonstrate that several potential phosphorylation sites are not required for XRCC4 function in a transient V(D)J recombination assay. In addition, we show that XRCC4 forms a homodimer in vivo with the homodimerization domain being located within amino acids 115-204. Finally, we define a core domain of XRCC4 that functions in V(D)J recombination and comprises amino acids 18-204. Potential functions of XRCC4 are discussed.      

扫描电镜图像处理系统及其在细胞超微结构定量计算中的应用

本文介绍一种具有较高性能价格比的生物医学电镜图像处理系统,该系统以IBM PC/XT,AT或386计算机为主机,图像接口板直接插入机内扩展槽。应用软件可对生物医学图像作图像处理和定量计算。作者通过对人膈腹膜超微结构进行定量分析,为腹水的治疗和腹膜透析(CAPD)等临床医学研究,提供了形态学定量资料。     

Variants of lymphoid lines produced with ricin A-chain monoclonal antibody conjugates

Conjugates of ricin A-chain with monoclonal anti-light chain antibodies specifically killed cells hearing kappa or lambda immunoglobulin (Ig) light chains. Exposure of cells from B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL) to conjugate for less than 30 h had only a slight effect on cell growth, but on 48 h exposure a marked killing effect was achieved. After recovery of growth, cells were re-exposed to conjugate for 9-14 days. Treatment of cells from the EB4 line (sIgG lambda) in this way yielded 4 variants which showed a marked reduction in levels of surface Ig lambda and secreted Ig lambda with slight, or no, reduction in MHC class II expression and similar growth rates to the parent line. Variant lines retained their phenotype over long periods of culture.     

脚压测量用传感器

本文讨论了用于脚压测量的四类压力传感器，电阻式传感器、压电式传感器，光电式传感器，电容式传感器介绍了其结构、原理和特点，并分析了几种典型的测量接口电路。     

An analysis of myeloma plasma cell phenotype using antibodies defined at the IIIrd International Workshop on Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigens.

Fresh bone marrow from 43 cases of myeloma and three cases of plasma cell leukaemia has been phenotyped both by indirect immune-rosetting and, on fixed cytospin preparations, by indirect immunofluorescence. Both clustered and unclustered B cell associated antibodies from the IIIrd International Workshop on Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigens were used. The results confirm the lack of many pan-B antigens on the surface of myeloma plasma cells, i.e. CD19-23, 37, 39, w40. Strong surface reactivity is seen with CD38 antibodies and with one CD24 antibody (HB8). Weak reactions are sometimes obtained with CD9, 10 and 45R. On cytospin preparations CD37, 39 and w40 are sometimes weakly positive, and anti-rough endoplasmic reticulum antibodies are always strongly positive. Specific and surface-reacting antiplasma cell antibodies are still lacking.     

The interaction of normal lymphocytes and cells from lymphoid cell lines: II. Variations relating to cell line source and lymphocyte donor

Irradiated LCL cells from several sources activated the blood lymphocytes of a panel of donors. Individual differences were present but were small. Stimulated blood lymphocytes were more potent activators (after X-irradiation) than small lymphocytes in a one-way mixed lymphocyte reaction, indicating that the state of metabolic activity of the `stimulating' lymphocyte affects the level of activation achieved. However, LCL cells incubated for several days after irradiation had not lost stimulatory capacity. Lymphocytes of pigs, rabbits, rats and mice were much less responsive than human lymphocytes. The response of animal lymphocytes generally varied with the species of origin of the serum used in the cultures.