Ovine forestomach matrix biomaterial is a broad spectrum inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases and neutrophil elastase

Proteases play a critical role in the ordered remodelling of extracellular matrix (ECM) components during wound healing and tissue regeneration. However, the usually ordered proteolysis is compromised in chronic wounds due to over‐expression and high concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase's (MMPs) and neutrophil elastase (NE). Ovine forestomach matrix (OFM) is a decellularised extracellular matrix‐based biomaterial developed for tissue regeneration applications, including the treatment of chronic wounds, and is a heterogeneous mixture of ECM proteins and proteoglycans that retains the native structural and functional characteristics of tissue ECM. Given the diverse molecular species present in OFM, we hypothesised that OFM may contain components or fragments that inhibit MMP and NE activity. An extract of OFM was shown to be a potent inhibitor of a range of tissue MMPs (IC₅₀s = 23 ± 5 to 115 ± 14 µg/ml) and NE (IC₅₀ = 157 ± 37 µg/ml), and was more potent than extracts prepared from a known protease modulating wound dressing. The broad spectrum activity of OFM against different classes of MMPs (i.e. collagenases, gelatinases and stromelysins) may provide a clinical advantage by more effectively addressing the protease imbalance seen in chronic wounds.     

Capillary transit time heterogeneity and flow-metabolism coupling after traumatic brain injury

Most patients who die after traumatic brain injury (TBI) show evidence of ischemic brain damage. Nevertheless, it has proven difficult to demonstrate cerebral ischemia in TBI patients. After TBI, both global and localized changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) are observed, depending on the extent of diffuse brain swelling and the size and location of contusions and hematoma. These changes vary considerably over time, with most TBI patients showing reduced CBF during the first 12 hours after injury, then hyperperfusion, and in some patients vasospasms before CBF eventually normalizes. This apparent neurovascular uncoupling has been ascribed to mitochondrial dysfunction, hindered oxygen diffusion into tissue, or microthrombosis. Capillary compression by astrocytic endfeet swelling is observed in biopsies acquired from TBI patients. In animal models, elevated intracranial pressure compresses capillaries, causing redistribution of capillary flows into patterns argued to cause functional shunting of oxygenated blood through the capillary bed. We used a biophysical model of oxygen transport in tissue to examine how capillary flow disturbances may contribute to the profound changes in CBF after TBI. The analysis suggests that elevated capillary transit time heterogeneity can cause critical reductions in oxygen availability in the absence of ‘classic'' ischemia. We discuss diagnostic and therapeutic consequences of these predictions.     

PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CO-EXPRESSION OF p53 AND c-erbB-2 PROTEINS IN BREAST CANCER

The immunohistochemical expression of p53 and c-erbB-2 gene proteins was examined in a series of 130 breast adenocarcinomas. This study intended to investigate whether the frequency of the altered expression of the tumour suppressor gene p53 and the overexpression of the oncogene c-erbB-2 in breast cancer tissue cells correlated with other variables known to affect the biological behaviour of these tumours and the overall survival of the patients (median follow-up time: 6 years). The expression of p53 protein and c-erbB-2 gene product was evaluated immunohistochemically. Expression of p53 protein was detected in 30 (23 per cent) of the neoplasms examined, while 26 (20 per cent) out of the 130 cases demonstrated positive c-erbB-2 immunoreactivity. There was a statistically significant association between p53 protein expression and primary tumour size, lymph node involvement, and oestrogen receptor positivity. The incidence of c-erbB-2 positivity was significantly correlated with high tumour grade, axillary node invasion, large tumour size, and the absence of steroid receptors. p53 immuno-expression was clearly associated with c-erbB-2 protein overexpression. Concomitant p53 and c-erbB-2 positive immunolabelling, which emerged in 14 out of the 130 cases (10·7 per cent), was clearly associated with high grade, large size, positive nodal status, ductal infiltrating (NOS) histological type, and low values of progesterone receptors. Overall survival of patients was not significantly related to the immunoreactivity of either p53 or c-erbB-2 considered separately, whereas there was a clearly significant trend to worse overall prognosis in cancers with double p53/c-erbB-2 positive phenotype. The simultaneous immunodetection of p53/c-erbB-2 appears to have greater negative prognostic relevance than their separate expression.     

Age effects on basic symptoms in the community: A route to gain new insight into the neurodevelopment of psychosis?

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience - Reports of limited clinical significance of attenuated psychotic symptoms before age 15/16 indicate an important role of neurodevelopment...     

Conditioned avoidance acquisition and extinction following repeated electroconvulsive shock: strain effect and response to vasopressin

Male albino rats (Sabra strain) were exposed to electroconvulsive shock (ECS) once daily for periods ranging from 1 to 13 days, and proactive effects on conditioned avoidance response (CAR) acquisition and extinction were studied. CAR acquisition was intact following both single and repeated ECS, but extinction was accelerated by multiple ECS administration. These findings resembled the effect of repeated ECS on anterograde memory function in humans and confirmed previous observations based on a passive avoidance paradigm. However, extinction was not accelerated in a different rat strain (LC2). Parallel open field activity measures suggested that these findings were not related to ECS-induced alterations in locomotor activity. Administration of arginine vasopressin prior to each ECS, or following acquisition sessions, as well as 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin administration following acquisition sessions, did not ameliorate ECS-induced deficits in the Sabra rats. Differences between the present paradigm of ECS administration and those in which positive effects of vasopressin and other neuropeptides have been reported are discussed. The potential research applications of a rodent model of ECS-induced memory impairment that parallels deficits encountered in the clinical context are considered.     

不同分离方法与培养条件下大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞生长增殖情况比较

目的:应用贴壁分离法和密度梯度离心法以不同培养条件观察纯化过程中对获得的骨髓间充质干细胞的影响,试图寻找获得高质量、高活性的骨髓间充质干细胞的培养条件。方法:实验于2005-09/2006-01在解放军第四军医大学实验动物中心实验部进行。①SPF级雄性Wistar大鼠18只,贴壁分离培养取12只,根据血清和培养基的不同分为4组:进口血清 DMEM组、进口血清 F12-DMEM组、国产血清 DMEM组、国产血清 F12-DMEM组,3只/组。密度梯度离心培养实验取剩余6只,以分离液的不同分为Ficoll分离液组、Percoll分离液组,3只/组。②骨髓取材:各组大鼠断颈处死后,无菌取双下肢,剔除股骨、胫骨周围肌肉组织,剪去骨干的两端,暴露骨髓腔,穿刺两侧骨端取出骨髓。③贴壁分离法:进口血清 DMEM组、进口血清 F12-DMEM组、国产血清 DMEM组、国产血清 F12-DMEM组大鼠分别采用相应的血清和培养基冲洗骨髓,制备单细胞悬液,接种于培养瓶中,5d后首次更换培养液,弃去未贴壁细胞,此后每3～4d换液1次。④密度梯度离心法:Ficoll分离液组选用的Ficoll分离液密度为1.077;Percoll分离液组将Percoll分离液与0.1mol/L磷酸盐缓冲液按9∶1比例混匀,密度为1.073。将两组大鼠骨髓置入离心管,离心弃上清,轻轻叠加到相同体积的各自对应分离液上,再次离心收集界面层白色混浊液,采用F12-DMEM培养液重悬细胞,按1×109L-1的密度接种于培养瓶中,培养条件与贴壁分离法相同。⑤指标检测:倒置显微镜下,每天观察贴壁分离、密度梯度离心不同培养条件下细胞的生长情况和活体形态特征。进行锥虫蓝排斥试验,蓝染细胞为死亡细胞,在3min内用计数板分别计数活细胞和死细胞,未被蓝染细胞所占细胞总数的百分比即为初步得到细胞活性的数据。两种分离方法均取生长良好的第3代细胞,以时间为横坐标,细胞数为纵坐标,绘制生长曲线。结果:18只大鼠均进入结果分析。①细胞形态观察结果:贴壁分离法:采用进口血清培养的两组细胞形态学上都表现为长梭形,细胞活性较高,且给予F12-DMEM培养基的细胞增殖较快,集落融合较早,传代所需时间短;采用国产血清培养的两组细胞中,给予F12-DMEM培养基可以获得梭形细胞,而给予DMEM培养基后则多为类圆形骨髓样细胞,仅见极少梭形细胞。密度梯度离心法:Ficoll分离液组和Percoll分离液组均可培养出梭形骨髓间充质干细胞,细胞活性均高,但集落融合、传代所需的时间均较贴壁分离法长。②细胞活性检测结果:贴壁分离法:进口血清 DMEM组、进口血清 F12-DMEM组、国产血清 DMEM组、国产血清 F12-DMEM组的活细胞率分别为98.3%,98.7%,97.1%,97.7%,组间比较差异无显著性意义(χ2=0.054～0.620,P均>0.05)。密度梯度离心法:Ficoll分离液组活细胞率与Percoll分离液组相似(96.9%,97.1%,t=1.066,P>0.05)。③第3代细胞生长曲线测定结果:不同培养条件下各组第3代细胞生长曲线基本相似,在培养1d时,细胞量稍有减少;4d后细胞数均迅速增长;8d进入平台期,细胞增殖减慢。结论:采用全骨髓贴壁分离法和密度梯度离心法,只要选择合适的培养条件均可获得骨髓间充质干细胞,但选用进口胎牛血清、F12-DMEM培养基效果较好。     

The efficacy of superactivated charcoal in treating rats exposed to a lethal oral dose of potassium cyanide

Due to the apparent low binding capacity of activated charcoal for potassium cyanide (KCN) in vitro, the use of oral activated charcoal therapy for oral exposure to cyanide compounds is controversial. In our study, rats were given a lethal oral dose of ground granular KCN (35 or 40 mg/kg) in a gelatin capsule followed immediately by either 4 g/kg of superactivated charcoal in a 20% suspension or a similar volume of deionized water. Signs of cyanide toxicosis occurred rapidly, with a mean time to signs of 3.3 and 2.7 minutes in control animals receiving 35 or 40 mg/kg KCN, respectively. All 26 of the control rats showed signs, and all but one in the 35 mg/kg group died within 19 minutes. Only 12 of 26 rats treated with superactivated charcoal showed signs of KCN toxicosis and eight of those animals died. Oral exposure of rats to lethal doses of KCN can be treated effectively by immediate administration of superactivated charcoal.     

Developing a portable field unit to improve well-child care

BACKGROUND:Pediatric growth tracking has been identified as a top priority by international health agencies to assess the severity of malnutrition and stunting. However, remote low-resource settings often lack the necessary infrastructure for longitudinal analysis of growth for the purposes of early identification and immediate intervention of stunting.METHODS:To address this gap, we developed a portable field unit (PFU) capable of identifying a child over the course of multiple visits, each time adding new anthropomorphic measurements. We conducted a preliminary field evaluation of the PFU by using the unit on two distinct visits to three schools in the area surrounding a medical clinic in rural San Jose, Honduras. The unit was used to assess children at each school as part of the community outreach.RESULTS:Community outreaches to three schools were conducted by two distinct teams, where they used the device to assess 210 children. Of the 180 children registered during the first visit, 112 were re-identified and assessed on the subsequent visit. Twenty-four instances of moderate-to-severe malnutrition were identified and referred for further evaluation to the central clinic.CONCLUSION:This initial assessment suggests that the PFU could be an effective means of identifying at-risk children.