Survivin反义RNA真核表达载体的构建及鉴定

目的 为了特异封闭白血病细胞survivin的表达，抑制其功能，本实验构建了survivin反义核酸载体并导入白血病细胞系中。方法 应用RT—PCR获得survivin的cDNA片段，反向插入pcDNA3质粒载体中；经限制性酶切和测序鉴定所构建的反义核酸是否正确；采用电转染方法将重组体导入HL—60细胞中；RT—PCR技术检测转染细胞survivin表达的变化。结果 经限制性酶切和测序鉴定证明survivin反义核酸已成功构建；RT—PCR产物电泳结果显示，与转染前细胞、空质粒转染细胞相比，转染survivin反义核酸的细胞survivin mRNA水平明显降低。结论 本实验已成功建立了survivin反义核酸真核表达载体，而且在白血病细胞系中发挥了特异封闭作用，为进一步研究survivin反义核酸在白血病治疗中的作用提供了实验基础。     

Psychosocial Support for Women with Advanced Breast Cancer

Women with advanced breast cancer frequently experience psychologic distress as a result of their illness and its treatment. This distress may be manifest as depression, anxiety, symptoms of the stress-response syndrome, difficulty coping and social isolation. Six randomized trials of psychosocial interventions have been conducted in metastatic breast cancer. Five of these evaluated group psychosocial support – supportive-expressive therapy in three studies, cognitive-behavioral in one, and a combination of cognitive-behavioral and supportive therapy in another. All of these studies identified psychological benefits, notably improvement in mood, pain control and coping, although benefits were small in one study that provided the control group with a home cognitive-behavioral study program. One study identified an unexpected survival benefit associated with a group intervention – three subsequent studies have failed to replicate this result. Survival results of one additional ongoing study are pending.Studies in early breast cancer, and in patients with a spectrum of other cancers, have demonstrated benefits of individual psychological interventions, educational interventions and relaxation/self-hypnosis/imagery interventions, however, these have not been adequately evaluated in metastatic breast cancer.Based on these results, it is recommended that psychosocial support be offered to women with advanced breast cancer. Current research does not provide sufficient information to determine the optimal type of intervention to be used, or the optimal timing and duration of such interventions. Furthermore, it is not clear which patients benefit the most from psychosocial intervention and whether there are some patients who do not require psychosocial intervention. Research to address these issues is recommended.     

A lethal osteochondrodysplasia with mesomelic brachymelia, round pelvis, and congenital hepatic fibrosis: two siblings born to consanguineous parents

We report a hitherto unknown, lethal osteochondrodysplasia in two Japanese siblings born to consanguineous parents. The skeletal abnormalities are characterised by mesomelic brachymelia with bowed forearms, a round pelvis with shortened greater sciatic notches, an ossification defect of the pubic bones, and absence of ossification centers in the cervical vertebral bodies. The associated visceral anomalies comprised periportal fibrosis and cystic dysplasia of the intrahepatic bile ducts, pancreatic ductal ectasia, a simple renal cyst, microcephaly with multifocal laminar necrosis and ectopic gray matter, dysplastic tracheobronchial cartilage, abnormal lobulation of the lung, diaphragmatic hernia, and stenotic pulmonary valve. Thrombocytopenia was present but megakaryocytes were slightly increased in the bone marrow. The patients showed various dysmorphic features including aniridia, a long palpebral fissure, prominent nasal bridge, beaked nose, flat philtrum, low-set fleshy ears, micrognathia with submucosal cleft palate, and multiple joint contractures. Received: 23 May 1997 Accepted: 27 June 1997     

Ischial hypoplasia, tibial hypoplasia and facial abnormalities: a new syndrome?

A child with facial abnormalities, short stature and a variety of skeletal alterations is reported. The facial abnormalities comprised low-set ears, short nose with a long philtrum, micrognathia and cleft palate. The skeletal alterations included ischial hypoplasia, malformations of the cervical spine, hypoplasia of the lesser trochanters, tibial hypoplasia with bowing of the lower legs, tibio-fibular diastasis with malformed distal tibial epiphyses, clubfeet and brachymesophalangy. The constellation of clinical and radiological findings in the present patient do not fit any known malformation syndrome. Received: 14 February 1998 Accepted: 15 June 1998