Attenuation of lipopolysaccharide-induced hyperreactivity of human internal mammary arteries by melatonin

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are thought to be important mediators in ischaemia/reperfusion injury following coronary vasospasm. The most ubiquitous action of melatonin is that of a free radical scavenger. Therefore, we investigated the action of melatonin by monitoring changes in the tone on ring preparations from human internal mammary arteries (IMA). In quiescent IMA rings melatonin (0.1 nm-10 microm) never elicited any change in baseline tension but 1-100 nm melatonin enhanced significantly maximal responses to noradrenaline (NA) in arteries with endothelial function. In NA (1 microm) precontracted arteries inhibition of nitric oxide (NO(*)) formation by N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (l-NMMA, 100 and 400 microm) eliminated 43 +/- 7 and 61 +/- 7% of the acetylcholine (ACH) effect. Melatonin (100 and 400 nm) attenuated maximal endothelium-dependent relaxant responses to ACH slightly by 23 +/- 9 and 17 +/- 9% leaving responses to direct stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase by sodium nitroprusside unchanged. Incubation of IMA for 20 hr at 37 degrees C with 1 microg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) enhanced maximal NA effects to 147 +/- 18% (n = 22, P < 0.01) whereas 50 microg/mL LPS reduced the NA maxima to 68 +/- 9% (n = 10, P < 0.01) of the control effects. The LPS-induced potentiation was completely attenuated by coincubation with melatonin (400 nm) and significantly reduced by coincubation with the thromboxane synthase inhibitor dazoxiben (10 microm). It is suggested that the LPS-induced hyperreactivity of vascular smooth muscle is mediated through enhanced release of ROS and prostanoids and that melatonin inhibits the vascular hyperreactivity through selective scavenging of ROS.     

Respiratory function after repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Respiratory function studies were carried out in 22 infants who had successful repair of diaphragmatic herniae of the Bochdalek type. Thoracic gas volume was initially reduced in only 3 of these, but subsequent studies showed that improvement occurred. There were no consistent abnormalities in either dynamic compliance or mean pulmonary conductance. This is evidence that there is rapid adaptation which compensates for any alteration in the parenchymatous tissue in the lungs or abnormalities in the bronchial tree in infants soon after the repair of congenital diaphragmetic herniae. Further studies are necessary to determine the changes in these lungs with growth.     

The mechanism of cryoinjury: In vitro studies on human internal mammary arteries

The mechanism of cryoinjury was investigated in human internal mammary arteries (IMA) by monitoring contractile responses to ET-1 and KCl. For cryopreservation segments of IMA were equilibrated for 20 min with the cryomedium (RPMI 1640 culture medium containing 1.8 M DMSO and 0.1 M sucrose), frozen at a mean cooling rate of 1.3 degrees C min(-1) to -70 degrees C and stored in liquid nitrogen. Before use, samples were thawed slowly and the cryomedium removed by dilution. Compared to unfrozen controls, ET-1 stimulated frozen/thawed IMA with similar efficacy but at 3 fold lower concentrations (P<0.001). Addition of ET-1 (100 nM) induced maximal contraction of unfrozen IMA within 10 min, declining thereafter to 25% after 90 min. In frozen/thawed IMA the ET-1-induced contraction was sustained but could be reversed if protein kinase C was blocked by staurosporine (100 nM). Responses to ET-1 of cryostored IMA were 5 fold more susceptible to blockade by nifedipine than those of controls. After cryostorage the efficacy of KCl was diminished to 40% (P<0.05) and the KCl curve was shifted to the left (2 fold, P<0. 001). In both unfrozen and cryostored IMA the KCl (60 mM) effect was sustained and equally susceptible to nifedipine. It is suggested that the smooth muscle cell of IMA is receptive to physical forces which occur during cryopreservation. These forces modify transmembrane signal transduction and intracellular pathways, that are common to pharmacological agonists thereby changing vascular responses to several contractile agonists after thawing.     

Percutaneous drainage access: a simplified coaxial technique

We describe an access technique that we have used in 150 nephrostomy and biliary drainage procedures and for access to some abscesses and viscera. The system provides safe coaxial access with a 22-gauge removable hub needle, which then acts as a guide wire and is replaced by an 18-gauge cannula. A major advantage is that only one guide wire is used (0.038-inch) for the entire drainage procedure. No significant complications have occurred to date with this method.     

Platelet adhesion and thrombus formation on subendothelium in platelets deficient in glycoproteins IIb-IIIa, Ib, and storage granules

Patients whose platelets are deficient in glycoprotein (GP) Ib, IIb- IIIa (thrombasthenia), or granule substances (storage pool deficiency, SPD) were studied to define further the properties of platelets that mediate platelet adhesion and thrombus formation on subendothelium. Both nonanticoagulated and citrated blood were exposed to everted, de- endothelialized rabbit vessel segments under controlled flow conditions and shear rates varying from 650 to 3,300 sec-1. Morphometry was used to measure platelet thrombus dimensions and the percentage of the subendothelial surface covered with contact (C) or spread (S) platelets. Adhesion was defined as C + S. The results in SPD demonstrated (1) reduced thrombus dimensions in delta-SPD (pure dense granule deficiency) in proportion to the magnitude of the dense granule defect; (2) an even greater reduction in thrombus dimensions in patients with combined deficiencies of alpha and dense granules (alpha delta-SPD); and (3) impaired platelet adhesion at several conditions in alpha delta-SPD and, in delta-SPD, a hematocrit-dependent impairment of adhesion in citrated blood at 2,600 sec-1. In thrombasthenia, platelets were present as a monolayer on the subendothelial surface in both nonanticoagulated and citrated blood, indicating an absolute requirement for GPIIb-IIIa in promoting platelet-platelet interaction at all shear rates and perfusion times. Two types of abnormalities in platelet-vessel wall interactions were observed. In nonanticoagulated blood, the percentage of platelets in the C phase was consistently increased at all shear rates, but C + S values were normal. These observations indicate that platelets deficient in GPIIb-IIIa do not spread normally on the subendothelial surface exposed to nonanticoagulated blood. With citrated blood, the C + S value in thrombasthenia was reduced at both 800 and 2,600 sec-1, as in von Willebrand's disease, and a similar degree of reduction (about 50%) was observed in normal blood treated with a monoclonal antibody to GPIIb- IIIa. The findings, together with theoretical considerations, are consistent with an hypothesis that GPIIb-IIIa mediates the spreading of platelets on subendothelium following the initial attachment through GPIb and that GPIIb-IIIa may be considered an adhesion site on the platelet membrane. Abnormalities of GPIIb-IIIa may, depending on the conditions of study, result in either increased values of C platelets or decreased values of C + S. The results of the study further suggest that a complex interaction of platelet granule factors and membrane GP mediate platelet adhesion and thrombus formation.     

巫山淫羊藿的化学研究

从小檗科Berberidaceae淫羊藿属Epimedium植物巫山淫羊藿Epimedium wushanense T.S.Ying的地上部分中分得两种黄酮甙单体,经理化性质鉴定及紫外、红外、质谱、氢谱、碳谱等光谱分析,确定甙Ⅰ是新化合物,命名为巫山淫羊藿甙(wushanicariin)。甙Ⅱ是已知化合物淫羊藿甙(icariin),系首次从该种植物中分离。     

6-(4-酰基-1-哌嗪乙酰氨基)-3,4-二氢-2(1H)-喹啉酮类化合物的合成及正肌力活性初探

目的 :寻找具有正性肌力活性的化合物。方法 :根据文献报道的二氢喹啉酮类正性肌力药物的结构特点 ,设计、合成了其类似物。以苯胺为起始原料经多步合成 ,对所得化合物用离体豚鼠心脏与主动脉观察了心肌收缩力、扩血管作用及心率。结果 :合成了 1 0个 6 ( 4 酰基 1 哌嗪乙酰氨基 ) 3 ,4 二氢 2 ( 1H) 喹啉酮类化合物 ( 4a～ 4j) ,均为未见文献报道的化合物。结论 :初步药理试验表明 ,化合物 ( 4h)显示了正性肌力及扩血管活性。