维甲酸和联合应用神经营养因子对新生大鼠神经干细胞分化的影响

目的研究全反式维甲酸（ATRA）及联合应用神经营养因子（BDNF，GDNF）对体外培养的神经干细胞（NSCs）分化的影响。方法取新生SD大鼠的前脑室下带（SVZ）区，按NSCs的常规培养方法分离、培养。用免疫细胞化学法鉴定巢蛋白（nestin）、微管相关蛋白-2（MAP-2）、胶质原纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）的表达，以此来观察ATRA、BDNF、GDNF单独或联合应用对次代神经球细胞分化的作用。结果原代及次代神经球均显示nestin阳性，并可分化为MAP-2阳性神经元样细胞及GFAP阳性胶质细胞样细胞。1μmol／LATRA可促进NSCs分化为MAP-2阳性细胞的比例达（29．14±5．00）％，显著高于对照组的（7．19±1．21）％，差异有高度统计学意义（P〈0．001）。ATRA联合应用10ng／ml的BDNF或GDNF，与单独使用ATRA比较，并不显著提高NSCs分化为MAP-2阳性细胞的比例。结论ATRA可促进神经干细胞向神经元方向分化，ATRA联合应用BDNF或GDNF无明显的协同作用。     

Relations between age, metabolic control, disease adjustment and psychological aspects in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

The relations between age, metabolic control, disease adjustment, and psychological factors in boys and girls with recently diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were studied. Older girls had significant higher postremission glycosylated haemoglobin A (Hb A_lc) levels ( p = 0.008). Girls with more hospitalizations had a lower developmental level ( p = 0.05), and had significantly more problems in the behavioural rating ( p = 0.05). Boys with more hospitalizations had a more external locus of control ( p = 0.01), more difficulties with disease adjustment, more emotional problems, and were also clinically assessed as having more behavioural problems. Boys showing more difficulties in psychological adjustment to the disease also had higher postremission Hb A_1clevels ( p = 0.02). Although Swedish children with IDDM of short disease duration do not differ from healthy children in important psychological aspects, older girls and a small group of problematic younger boys are at risk of developing metabolic imbalance after a short disease duration.     

Metabolic effects of growth hormone treatment: an early predictor of growth response?

Fourteen children receiving one year of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment underwent measurement of serial changes in body composition (measured by skinfold thickness, bioelectrical impedance, and H2(18)O dilution), resting energy expenditure (REE, estimated by ventilated hood indirect calorimetry), and total free living daily energy expenditure (TEE, measured by the doubly labelled water technique). Mean height velocity increased from 4.9 to 8.6 cm/year after six months of treatment. Fat free mass (FFM) increased more during the first six weeks (24.4 g/day) than from six to 26 weeks of treatment (6.8 g/day); fat mass decreased by 7.2 g/day and 1.1 g/day respectively. The six week increase in REE (kJ/day) was maintained after six months of treatment, though expressed per kilogram FFM (kJ/kgFFM/day), returned to pretreatment values by three months. Height velocity increases at six months correlated with six week changes in fat mass measured by skinfold thickness and REE, though use of this relationship to predict growth response in individuals is limited by the wide 95% prediction intervals. No significant changes in growth, body composition, or energy expenditure were observed between six and 12 months of treatment, in either patients who had initially responded well to treatment or those who were poor initial responders to treatment and who had their dose of rhGH doubled after six months.     

HIV-1tat induced apoptosis of T-cells is not mediated by TGF-β

Recent reports have demonstrated that the HIV-1 transactivator protein,tat, induces apoptosis in T-lymphocyte cell lines, as well as in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and stimulates a cascade of events resulting in up-regulation of the potent immunosuppressive cytokine, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). In this study we evaluated the ability of TGF-β to mediatetat induced apoptosis in T-lymphocyte cell lines. T-cells treated exogenously with either TGF-β1 or a combination of tat and pan-specific TGF-β neutralizing antibodies showed little change in the amount of apoptosis. When treated with pan-specific TGF-β neutralizing antibodies, Jurkat cells that stably expresstat protein (Jurkat-tat) showed only a modest decrease in apoptosis, while CEM-TART cells (CEM T-cells expressing both HIV-1tat andrev) demonstrated little change in the amount of apoptosis. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that TGF-β does not play a significant role in mediatingtat induced T-cell apoptosis.     

Epilepsy at the movies: possession to presidential assassination

In this review I examine the portrayal of epilepsy, seizures, and non-epileptic attack disorder in 62 movies produced over three-quarters of a century, across four continents, covering nine cinematic genres. While similar reviews of epilepsy in literature have suggested a progression in the understanding of epilepsy over time, this survey of the newer medium found examples of all of the ancient beliefs about epilepsy including demonic or divine possession, genius, lunacy, delinquency, and general "otherness". Nevertheless there has been a progressive trend towards more overt depictions of epilepsy. Male characters with idiopathic epilepsy tend to be mad, bad, and commonly dangerous, whereas characters with post-traumatic epilepsy are usually cast as heroes triumphing against the odds. Epilepsy in female characters tends to signify exotic vulnerability. The dramatic potential of seizures remains highly tempting to film writers and directors alike. Although it is not for the medical profession to dictate or censor cinematic content, a keen eye on these depictions will help us to understand and perhaps combat some of the stereotypes and myths that continue to surround epilepsy in the 21st century.     

血液感染性安全问题的现状与展望

输血和大多数临床治疗技术一样，存在着一定的风险，输血风险主要由免疫性输血风险和输血感染性风险两大类相关的安全问题。20世纪80年代开始，由于艾滋病的发现迫使输血相关的安全问题更进一步成为公众关注的焦点。随着输血用血医学的不断发展，在已经获得很好治疗效果的同时，如何更加科学的安全用血是挑战当今公共卫生事业发展的一项大课题。     

Dynamic holographic imaging of the beating human heart

Background--Currently, the reporting and archiving of echocardiographic data suffer from the difficulty of representing heart motion on printable 2-dimensional (2D) media. Methods and Results--We studied the capability of holography to integrate motion into 2D echocardiographic prints. Images of normal human hearts and of a variety of mitral valve function abnormalities (mitral valve prolapse, systolic anterior motion of the mitral leaflets, and obstruction of the mitral valve by a myxoma) were acquired digitally on standard echocardiographic machines. Images were processed into a data format suitable for holographic printing. Angularly multiplexed holograms were then printed on a prototype holographic "laser" printer, with integration of time in vertical parallax, so that heart motion became visible when the hologram was tilted up and down. The resulting holograms displayed the anatomy with the same resolution as the original acquisition and allowed detailed study of valve motion with side-by-side comparison of normal and abnormal findings. Comparison of standard echocardiographic measurements in original echo frames and corresponding hologram views showed an excellent correlation of both methods (P<0.0001, r2=0.979, mean bias=2.76 mm). In this feasibility study, both 2D and 3D holographic images were produced. The equipment needed to view these holograms consists of only a simple point-light source. Conclusions--Holographic representation of myocardial and valve motion from echocardiographic data is feasible and allows the printing on a 2D medium of the complete heart cycle. Combined with the recent development of online holographic printing, this novel technique has the potential to improve reporting, visualization, and archiving of echocardiographic imaging.