Increased endostatin/collagen XVIII expression correlates with elevated VEGF level and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liver is the primary source for collagen XVIII, the precursor of angiogenesis inhibitor, endostatin. However, the role of endostatin/collagen XVIII expression during liver carcinogenesis remains elusive. Therefore, we studied its expression in five hepatoma cell lines and 105 hepatocellular carcinoma specimens. The poorly differentiated hepatoma cell lines exhibited increased endostatin/collagen XVIII levels compared with the well-differentiated ones. In hepatoma tissues, endostatin/collagen XVIII expression was detected in various types of liver cells and was significantly stronger in adjacent nontumor tissues than that in tumors (P<0.001). Endostatin/collagen XVIII expression in nontumor tissues correlated with tumor stages (P=0.014) and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (P=0.007), but not the stages of hepatic fibrosis (P>0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with higher endostatin/collagen XVIII expression had significantly shorter overall survival (P=0.011) and disease-free survival (P=0.0034). Moreover, endostatin/collagen XVIII level was an independent prognostic factor for tumor recurrence (P=0.034) by multivariate analysis. In conclusion, increased endostatin/collagen XVIII expression correlated with hepatoma progression and predicted poor prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.     

Lithium suppresses excitotoxicity-induced striatal lesions in a rat model of Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease is a progressive, inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of subsets of neurons primarily in the striatum. In this study, we assessed the neuroprotective effect of lithium against striatal lesion formation in a rat model of Huntington's disease in which quinolinic acid was unilaterally infused into the striatum. For this purpose, we used a dopamine receptor autoradiography and glutamic acid decarboxylase mRNA in situ hybridization analysis, methods previously shown to be adequate for quantitative analysis of the excitotoxin-induced striatal lesion size.Here we demonstrated that subcutaneous injections of LiCl for 16 days prior to quinolinic acid infusion considerably reduced the size of quinolinic acid-induced striatal lesion. Furthermore, these lithium pre-treatments also decreased the number of striatal neurons labeled with the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting demonstrated that lithium-elicited neuroprotection was associated with an increase in Bcl-2 protein levels.Our results raise the possibility that lithium may be considered as a neuroprotective agent in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease.     

A graded dose assessment of the efficacy of beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol for severe chronic asthma.

In a 26-wk double-blind controlled study of 34 patients whose asthma had been poorly controlled despite oral steroids, valuable clinical and pulmonary function improvement was derived by adding beclomethasone aerosol to the prednisone regimen. The amount of improvement correlated linearly with beclomethasone dosage over the range 200 to 1,600 microng/day. These patients required relatively high dosage. Success in achieving asymptomatic status was only 26% with the conventional 400 microng/day and 60% at 1,600 microng/day. Oropharyngeal candidiasis was also dose-related but did not prohibit the use of high-dosage beclomethasone. Respiratory infections, physical signs, blood glucose, and electrolytes were unaffected by the drug. A dose-related suppression of cortisol secretion was demonstrated, but about 1/4 of the group had normal plasma cortisol even at 1,600 microng/day plus the oral prednisone. An individualized risk-benefit assessment seems a better basis for choosing an optimal beclomethasone regimen for each patient than adherence to a conventionalized fixed dosage of 400 microng/day. This requires definition of: (1) a specific goal of treatment in the individual patient and the beclomethasone dosage required to achieve it; (2) the adrenocortical functional response of that particular patient to the desired dose of beclomethasone; and (3) the presence and degree of any dose-limiting constraints such as preexisting complications of steroid use.     

Detection and characterization of beta-adrenergic receptors and adenylate cyclase in coated vesicles isolated from bovine brain

To assess whether internalization of beta-adrenergic receptor occurs in the CNS, we have isolated clathrin-coated vesicles from bovine forebrain and examined them for the presence of beta-adrenergic receptor binding and adenylate cyclase activities. A coated vesicle enriched preparation isolated by successive D2O-Ficoll density gradient centrifugations was applied to a glass bead permeation column to achieve further purification. Two major peaks of protein were eluted from the column and monitored by electron microscopy and SDS-PAGE. Peak II contained almost exclusively coated vesicles (98%), whereas peak I, which appeared in the void volume, contained larger smooth vesicles and few coated vesicles. beta-Adrenergic receptor binding to peaks I and II was measured with 125I-cyanopindolol (CYP) as ligand in Sepharose 4B column assays. 125I-CYP was found to bind specifically and saturably to both peaks I and II with a Bmax of 28 +/- 4 and 32 +/- 3 fmol/mg protein, respectively. 3H-CGP 12177, a hydrophilic beta-adrenergic receptor ligand, did not label receptors present in peak II, but it specifically bound to synaptic plasma membranes (SPM) prepared from bovine hippocampus and, to a lesser extent, to peak I. These results suggest that receptors present in coated vesicles are cryptic in nature. In the displacement of 125I-CYP binding by (-)-isoproterenol, addition of 50 microM GppNHp caused a significant "right shift" with SPM and peak I but not the peak II preparation. Adenylate cyclase activities could also be detected in both peaks I and II (specific activities, 21 +/- 0.6 and 24 +/- 0.5 pmol cAMP/mg protein/min, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

数据期刊科学数据质量评审主要问题研究——以《全球变化数据仓储电子杂志(中英文)》为例

【目的】 分析数据期刊科学数据质量评审中发现的主要问题,为促进科学数据质量提升,建立数据期刊质量评审行业标准和规范提供参考与借鉴。【方法】 以《全球变化数据仓储电子杂志(中英文)》的数据质量评审实践为例,对元数据质量评审、实体数据质量评审、元数据-实体数据-数据论文初稿对照评审3个方面发现的主要数据质量问题进行归纳和总结,并对其原因进行分析。【结果】 数据质量的主要问题有:元数据内容不完整,表达不规范;实体数据和元数据、数据论文中的数据描述不一致;实体数据的研发方法有疏漏,或缺少科学依据;实体数据与实际情况不符;实体数据内容不完整;实体数据内容不一致;引用实体数据不标注出处,或者标注不规范。【结论】 目前数据质量评审发现的问题比较多,这与当前的科研评价机制、部分作者对待数据缺乏严谨态度等有密切关系。     

Beckman EL-ISE电解质分析仪准确性及故障的分析判断

0 引言为了克服离子选择电极（ISE）法的微量电位信号极易受环境温度变化及电子噪声的干扰问题,该仪器采用了参考电极,把参考电极与其测定电极装在同一测量室内,保持其相同的物理环境,使干扰源对所有电极的影响相同. 以内参液作为参考电极的测量对象,测得一个参考电极电位值,再测样品的电极电位值,二者相抵就消除了所叠加的干扰信号.     

尿道压力分布图对α受体阻滞剂治疗良性前列腺增长效果 …

目的：研究尿道压力分布图（ＵＰＰ）对良性前列腺增长（ＢＰＨ）患者α肾上腺素能受体阻滞剂治疗效果的预测。方法：用改良苄胺唑啉ＵＰＰ试验将ＢＰＨ患者分为阳性及阴性组,比较ＵＰＰ图诸参数之差异。结果：１４３例ＢＰＨ患者行改良苄胺唑啉ＵＰＰ试验,阳性６４例,占全部病例（４５７例）的１４．０％。资料完整者阳性组（３８例）及阴性组（２８例）试验前最在尿流率（Ｑｍａｘ,ｍｌ／ｓ）及ＵＰＰ诸参数无显著性差异（ｐ〈     

Differential regulation of EGF production, EGF receptor-binding, and cellular growth by sodium-butyrate in hep3b and plc/prf/5 human hepatoma-cells

Hep3B and PLC/PRF/5 human hepatoma cells express epidermal growth factor (ECF) mRNA and secret this polypeptide growth factor into the culture medium. The production of EGF was inhibited by sodium butyrate in a dose-dependent manner. EGF receptor numbers in both cell lines were increased after treatment with butyrate for 2 days, In addition, the binding affinity of EGF to its receptor was decreased in butyrate-treated PLC/PRF/5 cells while it did not change in Hep3B cells. EGF-stimulated cell growth in PLC/PRF/5 cells was attenuated by sodium butyrate whereas no significant inhibition df cell growth of Hep3B cells was found in the same condition. Our results suggest that EGF acts as an autocrine growth stimulator in human hepatoma cells and sodium butyrate can differentially regulate the responses of hepatoma cells to EGF by modulating the differentiation states of these cells.     

Localized scleroderma: Imaging features

Localized scleroderma is distinct from the diffuse form of scleroderma and does not show Raynaud's phenomenon and visceral involvement. The imaging features in 23 patients ranging from 2 to 17 years of age (mean 11.1 years) were reviewed. Leg length discrepancy and muscle atrophy were the most common findings (five patients), with two patients also showing modelling deformity of the fibula. One patient with lower extremity involvement showed abnormal bone marrow signals on MR. Disabling joint contracture requiring orthopedic intervention was noted in one patient. In two patients with en coup de sabre facial deformity, CT and MR scans revealed intracranial calcifications and white matter abnormality in the ipsilateral frontal lobes, with one also showing migrational abnormality. In a third patient, CT revealed white matter abnormality in the ipsilateral parietal lobe. In one patient with progressive facial hemiatrophy, CT and MR scans showed the underlying hypoplastic left maxillary antrum and cheek. Imaging studies of areas of clinical concern revealed positive findings in half our patients.