侧脑室注射东莨菪碱和酚妥拉明对幼兔分辨学习的影响

目的 探讨东莨菪碱和酚妥拉明对幼兔分辨学习的影响。方法 将30只比利时纯种幼兔从生后13日龄随机分为三组：东莨菪碱组、酚妥拉明组和生理盐水对照组，观察不同日龄各组幼兔的分辨学习能力。结果 幼兔分辨学习的正确反应一般始于生后15日龄。侧脑室注射东莨菪碱对16日龄以前幼兔分辨学习无明显影响，对17日龄以后幼兔分辨学习产生明显抑制作用。侧脑室注射酚妥拉明对13—23日龄幼兔分辨学习均有明显抑制作用。结论 幼兔生后发育过程中学习能力的发展具明显的阶段性，其原因可能与神经递质系统的发育成熟有关。     

前列腺素E1对大鼠肝脏缺血再灌注损伤的保护作用

目的 探讨前列腺素E1（PGE1）对肝脏 因再灌注损伤的保护作用。方法 制作常温下大鼠部分肝叶缺血再灌注模型，于缺血前经门静脉给予PGE1，45min后恢复血流灌注，并于1h后取门静脉血测定血清谷草转氨酶（GOT）、谷丙转氨酶（GPT）、乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）、肿瘤坏死因子－α（TNF－α）及内皮素1（ET－1），同时取缺血肝叶行病理组织学检查。结果 缺血再灌注组GOT、GPT、LDH及TNF－α和ET－1均明显高于正常对照组，PGE1组则明显低于缺血再灌注组。PGE1组的肝脏病理组织学改变明显轻于缺血再灌注组，并接近正常对照组。结论 PGE1对肝缺血再灌注具有保护作用。     

Involvement of IL-1beta in acute stress-induced worsening of cerebral ischaemia in rats.

Stress is known to be one of the risk factors of stroke. Most of the knowledge on the effects of stress on cerebrovascular disease in humans is restricted to catecholamines and glucocorticoids effects on blood pressure and/or development of atherosclerosis. However, few experimental studies have examined the possible mechanisms by which stress may affect stroke outcome. We have used an acute stress protocol consisting of the exposure of male Fischer rats to an acute, single exposure immobilisation protocol (6 h) prior to permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and we have found that stress worsens behavioural and neurological outcomes and increased infarct size after MCAO. The possible regulatory role of the TNFalpha and IL-1beta was studied by looking at the release of these cytokines in brain. The results of the present study showed an increase in IL-1beta release in cerebral cortex after exposure to acute stress. Brain levels of IL-1beta are also higher in previously stressed MCAO rats than in MCAO animals without stress. Pharmacological blockade of IL-1beta with an antibody anti-IL-1beta led to a decrease in the infarct size as well as in neurological and behavioural deficits after MCAO. In summary, our results indicate that IL-1beta, but not TNFalpha, accounts at least partly for the worsening of MCAO consequences in brain of rats exposed to acute stress.     

A Case of Hypopigmented Mycosis Fungoides in a Young Caucasian Boy

Abstract: Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides is a variant of mycosis fungoides characterized by the presence of hypopigmented patches as the sole manifestation of the disease. It has been described aimost always in young black or dark-skinned patients. The only white patient described was a 64-year-oid woman who not oniy had hypopigmented lesions, but also nodular lesions with lymphadenopathy. We describe hypopigmented lesions arising in a white boy 12 years of age, born in northern Italy, without any foreign ancestors. The microscopic alterations, with epidermotropism, the immunoiogic markers, the negativity of T-cell receptor gene rearrangement, and the good response to PUVA therapy correspond to the main findings in black patients with this disease. Long-term follow-up of these patients is important to obtain better knowledge of the natural history of the disorder, Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides must now be included in the differential diagnosis of hypopigmented macular lesions not only in black or dark-skinned patients but also in white patients.     

Phenotypic and functional characteristics of tumor-associated lymphocytes in patients with malignant ascites receiving intraperitoneal infusions of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2)

In the course of a phase I trial, in which recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2) was infused intraperitoneally (i.p.) in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis, we evaluated the effect on "tumor-associated lymphocytes" (TAL) isolated from the ascitic fluid. No major changes in the percentages of cells expressing the CD3, CD4, CD8, Leu-7, OKM1 and WT-31 antigens were detected either in TAL or in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) after 7 days of rIL-2 infusion. In contrast the percentages of TAL (but not PBL) expressing surface IL-2 receptor (Tac), or LAK-1 antigen were sharply increased. Analysis of cytolytic functions showed a potentiation of the lytic activity against natural-killer (NK) sensitive K562 target cells and the de novo appearance of lytic activity against fresh melanoma cells. In one patient IFN-gamma was detected in the ascitic fluid following rIL-2 infusion. T-cell clones derived from the patient were analyzed for the IFN-gamma production. While only approximately 40% of PB-derived control clones produced medium to low amounts of IFN-gamma, all of the TAL-derived clones produced medium to high amounts of the lymphokine.     

The molecular basis of Natural Killer (NK) cell recognition and function

Natural Killer cells are likely to play an important role in the host defenses because they kill virally infected or tumor cells but spare normal self-cells. The molecular mechanism that explains why NK cells do not kill indiscriminately has recently been elucidated. It is due to several specialized receptors that recognize major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules expressed on normal cells. The lack of expression of one or more HLA class I alleles leads to NK-mediated target cell lysis. Different types of receptors specific for groups of HLA-C, HLA-B, and, very recently, HLA-A alleles have been identified. While in most instances, they function as inhibitory receptors, an activatory form of the HLA-C-specific receptors has been identified in some donors. Molecular cloning of HLA-C-, HLA-B- or HLA-A-specific receptors has revealed new members of the immunoglobulin superfamily with two or three Ig-like domains, respectively, in their extracellular portion. While the inhibitory form is characterized by a long cytoplasmic tail associated with a non-polar transmembrane portion, the activatory one has a short tail asociated with a Lys-containing transmembrane portion. Thus, these human NK receptors are different from the murine Ly49, that is a type II transmembrane protein characterized by a C-type lectin domain. A subset of activated T lymphocytes expresses NK-type class I-specific receptors. These receptors exert an inhibiting activity on T cell receptor-mediated functions and may provide an important mechanism of downregulation of T cell responses.