SCA8 CTG repeat: en masse contractions in sperm and intergenerational sequence changes may play a role in reduced penetrance

We recently described an untranslated CTG expansion that causes a previously undescribed form of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA8). The SCA8 CTG repeat is preceded by a polymorphic but stable CTA tract, with the configuration (CTA)(1-21)(CTG)(n). The CTG portion of the repeat is elongated on pathogenic alleles, which nearly always change in size when transmitted from generation to generation. To better understand the reduced penetrance and maternal penetrance bias associated with SCA8 we analyzed the sequence configurations and instability patterns of the CTG repeat in affected and unaffected family members. In contrast to other triplet repeat diseases, expanded alleles found in affected SCA8 individuals can have either a pure uninterrupted CTG repeat tract or an allele with one or more CCG, CTA, CTC, CCA or CTT interruptions. Surprisingly, we found six different sequence configurations of the CTG repeat on expanded alleles in a seven generation family. In two instances duplication of CCG interruptions occurred over a single generation and in other instances duplications that had occurred in different branches of the family could be inferred. We also evaluated SCA8 instability in sperm samples from individuals with expansions ranging in size from 80 to 800 repeats in blood. Surprisingly the SCA8 repeat tract in sperm underwent contractions, with nearly all of the resulting expanded alleles having repeat lengths of <100 CTGs, a size that is not often associated with disease. These en masse repeat contractions in sperm likely underlie the reduced penetrance associated with paternal transmission.     

散发性帕金森病患者γ-synuclein基因的研究

目的 探讨γ-synuclein基因C243G和A377T多态在散发性帕金森病(Parkinson’s disease，PD)的疾病易感性中的意义。方法 采用聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态法，对上海汉族人中145例PD患者和184名正常人进行γ-synuclein基因C243G和A377T多态分型，并作与PD的遗传关联研究。结果 PD患者与正常对照间γ-synuclein基因C243G和A377T多态分布的差异无显著性，两种多态与PD亦无关联(P值均大于0．05)。结论 上海地区汉族人群中γ-synuclein基因C243G和A377T多态与散发性PD无关。     

低氧诱导因子1α诱导卵巢癌细胞周期阻滞的研究

目的：探讨低氧诱导因子1α（HIF-1α）对卵巢癌细胞周期的阻滞作用。方法: 采用化学性低氧诱导剂氯化钴（CoCl2）和物理性低氧培养箱两种方法对体外培养的卵巢癌SW626细胞诱导低氧，用诱骗法（decoy）阻断HIF-1α功能，Western blotting、RT-PCR和流式细胞术分别检测HIF-1α蛋白、mRNA的表达水平和细胞周期比率。结果： B1组(3.75±1.31)和C1组(3.48±1.01) HIF-1α蛋白表达水平明显高于A1组(0.97±0.31)（P<0.05), decoy法对HIF-1α蛋白表达没有明显影响(P>0.05)；A1组（0.65±0.32）和B1组（0.64±0.34）HIF-1α mRNA表达水平明显低于C1组（1.28±0.62）（P<0.05），decoy法对HIF-1α mRNA 表达没有明显影响（P>0.05）；流式细胞术检测发现B1组（81.78±24.33）和C1组（77.62±22.76）G0/G1期细胞比率显著高于A1组（49.49±18.54）（P<0.05）；B2组（61.54±20.84）明显低于B1组（P<0.05），C2组明显低于C1组（56.03±21.42），而A1组和A2组之间无明显差异（P>0.05）。结论：CoCl2或物理性低氧均能明显诱导卵巢癌细胞SW626 G0/G1期细胞周期阻滞和HIF-1α的表达，HIF-1α在低氧引起的卵巢癌细胞SW626的细胞周期阻滞中起重要作用。     

Electrical self-stimulation of single and multiple loci: long term observations

Rats with chronic hypothalamic electrodes were allowed continuous access to self-stimulation, food and water in a 3 lever chamber. A prolonged burst of self-stimulation, with little food and water intake, was followed by bursts of activity on all 3 levers. A 12 hr light-dark cycle imposed a diurnal periodicity on all behaviors except in animals self-stimulating at the highest daily rates where self-stimulation was equal in dark and light. Under constant light conditions there was a 30 min daily shift in the peak periodicity of all behaviors. Increasing the current by 10 μA led to another continuous self-stimulation session for one day, with a subsequent decline and stabilization after three days. Reduction of the current to its original setting abolished self-stimulation for one day, but within 5 days rates returned to control values. Animals with electrodes in the septal, anterior and posterior hypothalamic areas allowed continuous access to self-stimulation on all 3 electrodes displayed similar behavior in that after a long initial self-stimulation session alternating on all 3 electrodes, periodic bursts of activity occurred on all three electrodes. The diurnal periodicity of self-stimulation seemed to be determined by the current intensity. The similarity of self-stimulation to normal drive mechanisms is discussed.     

NF-κB的活性和iNOS基因表达在低氧性肺动脉高压中的变化

目的：探讨NF-κB的活性及iNOS基因表达在低氧性肺动脉高压（HPH）发病过程中的变化。方法：复制低氧性肺动脉高压大鼠模型，用免疫组化、原位杂交、半定量逆转录-聚合酶链式反应（RT-PCR）和Western blot等方法进行检测。结果：iNOS mRNA在腺泡内肺动脉（IAPA）的表达，低氧28 d（H28d）组染色强于正常（N）组、低氧5 d（H5d）组和低氧14 d（H14d）组。半定量RT-PCR证实低氧肺组织iNOS mRNA含量在H28d组分别是N组、H5d组和H14d组的2.1倍、1.9倍和1.8倍。H28d组肺组织NF-κB的核染色增多，I-κBα的含量在N组、H5d组和H14d组分别是H28d组的2.7倍、2.8倍和2.5倍。结论：在HPH中NF-κB的激活可能与低氧肺血管构建及iNOS mRNA的表达有关。     

EEG effects of subcutaneous and intracerebroventricular injections of arginine vasopressin in the rat

Several studies have suggested that arginine vasopressin (AVP) may act centrally as a neurohormone or neuromodulator to produce electrophysiological and behavioral effects. However, there are few reports of EEG effects of AVP in unanesthetized, behaving animals. In the present study the EEG effects of behaviorally relevant subcutaneous (SC) doses of AVP (6 g/kg) known to raise blood pressure were compared to behaviorally relevant intracerebroventricular (ICV) doses (0.1–1.0 ng) and multiple toxic ICV doses (1.0 g) of AVP. Central injections of toxic doses of AVP produced behavioral arrest, bodily barrel rolling, and EEG slowing, but did not induce electrographic signs of seizure activity. Comparison of the spectral characteristics of the EEG revealed some similarities in the distribution of power between SC and the 1.0 ng ICV dose; whereas ICV doses of 0.1 and 0.5 ng produced power distributions that were different from those seen following saline or SC doses of AVP. The similarities in EEG activity between SC injections and the 1.0 ng ICV dose suggest a common brain state may be induced by the two routes of administration in those dose ranges.     

中药肾毒性成分及其毒性机制研究进展

近年来,随着我国医药产业的稳步发展,中药作为补充和替代医学制剂在世界各地赢得了认可和信赖。然而,随着对中药的广泛应用和深入研究,中药的肾脏毒性引发了国内外学者的广泛关注。为保障中药临床应用的安全性,有必要深入研究并整理中药肾毒性成分及其毒性机制。在查阅近30年国内外常见中药肾毒性相关文献的基础上,对中药肾毒性成分及其毒性机制进行了总结与分析,以期为中药肾毒性深入研究提供思路,为中药安全合理应用提供参考。     

Needle biopsy of renal allografts: comparison of two techniques

Two techniques for renal allograft biopsy were retrospectively evaluated to compare relative safety and efficacy. After ultrasound (US) localization of the kidney and biopsy with a hand-held 14-gauge cutting needle, an adequate specimen was obtained in 74 of 77 cases (96%). Major complications occurred in six of these 77 cases (8%). One hundred four biopsies were performed by using a smaller 18-gauge cutting needle with a spring-loaded biopsy "gun" and real-time US guidance. With this newer technique, specimens adequate for diagnosis were obtained in 99 biopsies (95%). There was a single major complication with this technique (1%). The 18-gauge needle with real-time US guidance yields comparably adequate specimens with a lower frequency of complications.     

Pretreatment with the dopamine agonist 7-OH-DPAT shifts the cocaine self-administration dose-effect function to the left under different schedules in the rat

This study tested the hypothesis that administration of the dopamine agonist 7-hydroxy-N,N-di-n-propyl-2-aminotetralin (7-OH-DPAT) shifts the cocaine self-administration dose-effect function to the left, rather than producing nonspecific effects or exclusively enhancing the rate-decreasing effects of high doses of cocaine. Under fixed-ratio or progressive-ratio schedules, rats were allowed to intravenously self-administer cocaine, 7-OH-DPAT, or a combination of cocaine and 7-OH-DPAT. In additional tests under fixed-ratio schedules, cocaine self-administration followed subcutaneous pretreatment with 7-OH-DPAT. Cocaine dose-effect functions were obtained by varying the unit dose of cocaine either between test sessions or within a single session. Intravenous 7-OH-DPAT (1-4μg) decreased self-administration of the training dose of cocaine (0.25mg) under a fixed-ratio schedule, but failed to shift the entire cocaine self-administration dose-effect function to the left under fixed-ratio or progressive-ratio schedules. 7-OH-DPAT alone maintained i.v. self-administration under these schedules, but produced a shallow self-administration dose-effect function, relative to cocaine, under the progressive-ratio schedule. In contrast to intravenous 7-OH-DPAT, s.c. pretreatment with 7-OH-DPAT (0.1-0.4mg/kg) not only decreased self-administration of the training dose of cocaine but also lowered the minimum effective dose of cocaine under fixed-ratio schedules, producing a shift to the left of the cocaine self-administration dose-effect function; these effects were independent of whether the dose of cocaine was varied between sessions or within a single session. Likewise under a multiple schedule, in which responding was maintained by cocaine and food in alternate components, s.c. pretreatment with 7-OH-DPAT increased self-administration of the dose of cocaine on the ascending limb of the dose-effect function and decreased self-administration of doses of cocaine on the descending limb, while uniformly decreasing responding for food. These observations suggest that pretreatment with 7-OH-DPAT enhances the reinforcing properties of cocaine rather than producing nonspecific effects or enhancing exclusively the rate-decreasing effects of high doses of self-administered cocaine.     

Suppression of corticotropin-releasing factor in the amygdala attenuates aversive consequences of morphine withdrawal

The central nucleus of the amygdala is a CRF-containing limbic brain site which mediates both fear-like and avoidance behaviors, and intra-amygdala administration of a CRF antagonist blocks the increase in anxiogenic-like behavior characteristic of ethanol withdrawal. In order to evaluate the role of brain CRF in negative motivational states associated with other classes of abused drugs, the present studies examined the effects of suppression of amygdala CRF systems on the characteristic aversive state of precipitated withdrawal in morphine-dependent subjects. In a place conditioning paradigm, administration of a CRF antagonist, alpha-belical CRF (9-41) [250ng], bilaterally into the central nucleus of amygdala, reversed the withdrawal-induced conditioned place aversion produced by injection of the opiate antagonist, methylnaloxonium [500ng], into the same site. In a conditioned operant suppression paradigm, impairment of CRF neurons by immuno-targeted toxins administered into the central nucleus of amygdala, one month prior to testing, attenuated the decrease in response rate produced by exposure to distinctive sensory cues associated previously with systemic administration of naloxone [25μg/kg s.c.] in morphine-dependent subjects. These results indicate that suppression of intra-amygdala CRF systems weakens the aversive stimulus properties of conditioned opiate withdrawal, and suggest a general role for CRF in coordinating behavioral responses to negative motivational effects of drug withdrawal.