Cerebrospinal fluid amino acid levels in newborn infants with intracranial hemorrhage

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amino acid levels including excitatory amino acids (i.e. glutamate and aspartate) in 25 preterm and 18 full-term newborn infants with no serious disease except intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) were measured. ICH was detected in 13 preterm and six full-term infants on the basis of the clinical, lumbar puncture (LP) and cranial ultrasonography (CraUSG) findings. Twelve preterm and 12 full-term infants who were neurologically healthy comprised the control group. The mean concentration of CSF amino acids did not differ between preterm and full-term infants. The CSF concentrations of taurine, threonine, glycine, alanine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine and phenylalanine in preterm infants, and threonine, aspartic acid and alanine in full-term infants were significantly elevated in infants with ICH. These abnormalities, especially in preterm infants, are probably related to cerebral hypoxia in CSF amino acid concentrations in newborn infants with ICH.     

Do eating habits differ according to alcohol consumption? Results of a study of the French cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (E3N-EPIC)

BACKGROUND: The potential of dietary habits to confound the association between alcohol consumption and health needs further study. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether eating habits differed according to alcohol consumption in a large cohort of French women. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of the French cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (E3N-EPIC). The cohort was established in 1990 and includes 100000 women born between 1925 and 1950. Dietary data were obtained between 1993 and 1995 by using self-administered food-frequency questionnaires. About 73000 questionnaires were analyzed, and women were placed into 7 categories of alcohol consumption. RESULTS: After adjustment for energy derived from alcohol, increasing alcohol consumption was associated with a higher total energy intake, a higher percentage of energy intake as protein and lipids, and higher intakes of cholesterol, fatty acids, retinol, iron, and vitamin E. Conversely, energy provided by carbohydrates decreased with increasing alcohol consumption, as did beta-carotene intake. Increasing alcohol consumption was associated with higher consumption of animal products, cheese, potatoes, oil, bread, and breakfast cereals and with lower consumption of vegetables and dairy products. CONCLUSION: In this population of middle-aged, highly educated French women, marked differences in dietary patterns and nutrient intakes were found according to alcohol consumption. Part of the detrimental effect of alcohol on health may be due to the less healthy dietary habits of drinkers. This points to a confounding role of eating habits and nutrient intakes in the relation between alcohol and health.     

Gender Differences in the Clinical Characteristics and Atrioventricular Nodal Conduction Properties in Patients With Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia

Gender Differences in Patients With AVNRT. Introduction: The detailed electrophysiological characteristics of the gender differences associated with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) have not been clarified. This study investigated the gender‐related electrophysiological differences in a large series of patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation. Methods and Results: A total of 2,088 consecutive AVNRT patients (men/women 869/1,219) who underwent catheter ablation were enrolled in this study. We evaluated the gender differences in their electrophysiological characteristics. Women had a significantly younger age of onset, higher incidence of multiple jumps, shorter AH interval, atrial effective refractory period (ERP), anterograde fast pathway ERP, anterograde slow pathway ERP, and retrograde slow pathway ERP, and longer ventricular ERP than men. The incidence of baseline ventriculoatrial dissociation was lower in women than in men. Women needed less isoproterenol/atropine to induce AVNRT. No gender differences in the radiation exposure time, procedure time, complication rate, acute success rate, or second procedure rate were noted. Both typical and atypical AVNRT were more predominant in women. In the patients with atypical AVNRT, there was no significant gender difference in incidence of baseline ventriculoatrial dissociation; however, the retrograde slow pathway ERP was significantly shorter in women than in men. Women of premenopausal age (≤50 years old) had a significantly higher incidence of anterograde multiple jumps and a retrograde jump phenomenon, and a shorter anterograde slow pathway ERP and retrograde slow pathway ERP than those of women over 50 years old. Conclusion: Gender differences in the anterograde and retrograde AV nodal electrophysiology were noted in the patients with AVNRT. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 1114‐1119)     

内毒素耐受THP-1细胞中糖皮质激素受体-α在炎症反应中的作用

目的:应用脂多糖(Lipopolysaccharide,LPS)刺激人单核细胞白血病细胞系THP-1细胞,模拟体外脓毒症模型,了解单核细胞系统在产生内毒素耐受时,糖皮质激素受体-α(Glucocorticoid receptor-α,GR-α)在转录水平上的表达。方法:用无血清培养基培养人THP-1细胞,将细胞随机分为4组(A、B、C、D),分别用不同浓度LPS刺激THP-1细胞24 h后,再改变LPS浓度刺激上述各组细胞24 h,分别提取RNA和蛋白质,以逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)检测GR-α的mRNA表达,用西部印迹法(Western Blotting)检测NF-κB蛋白质表达,以酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测培养液中肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α),白细胞介素1β(IL-1β),白细胞介素10(IL-10)水平。结果:A、B、C、D组GR-αmRNA与-βactin比值,NF-κB蛋白与GAPDH比值差异有统计学意义(P<0.01),在受到LPS刺激时,GR-αmRNA与NF-κB蛋白的表达负相关(r=0.816,P<0.01)。结论:内毒素耐受的THP-1细胞GR-α表达上调,这可能在THP-1细胞的内毒素耐受时炎症反应的发生起到重要作用。     

Acquired immune hemolytic anemia associated with IgA erythrocyte coating: investigation of hemolytic mechanisms

We have investigated the hemolytic mechanisms in a patient with acquired immune hemolytic anemia whose red cells appeared to be coated with IgA alone. The clinical course was similar to that of patients with hemolytic anemia mediated by warm-reacting IgG antibody. Splenic sequestration of red cells was demonstrated, and marked reduction of hemolysis occurred after corticosteroid therapy. Antibody was eluted from the patient's red cells and used to sensitize normal red cells in vitro. These sensitized red cells were not lysed by fresh autologous serum, nor did they fix detectable amounts of C3. However, red cells sensitized by eluted antibody were lysed by normal human peripheral blood monocytes in a system designed to demonstrate antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Monocyte-mediated hemolysis of sensitized red cells was inhibited by the addition of low concentrations of normal serum IgA to the system, but not by IgG. The ability of the eluate to induce monocyte-mediated hemolysis was abolished by its adsorption on Sepharose-bound anti-IgA, but not by preincubation with Sepharose-bound anti-IgG. In addition, normal human monocytes were demonstrated to ingest eluate-sensitized red cells. These data demonstrate an in vitro interaction of IgA-sensitized red cells with leukocytes and suggest a possible mechanism for the patient's hemolysis.     

万古霉素与利奈唑胺治疗脓毒症对C反应蛋白和降钙素原的影响

目的 探讨万古霉素与利奈唑胺治疗脓毒症对C反应蛋白和降钙素原的影响。方法 选择2016年1月~2020年12月我院收治的268例脓毒症患者为研究对象,均采用万古霉素或利奈唑胺治疗,运用倾向性评分匹配法矫正组间混杂因素,通过重复测量方差分析法对用药前、用药3 d时的CRP和PCT水平变化情况。结果 268例患者中,120例行万古霉素治疗,148例行利奈唑胺治疗;在利奈唑胺组中,用药3 d时的CRP和PCT水平均低于用药前（P<0.05）;而在万古霉素组中,用药前后的CRP和PCT水平比较无差异（P>0.05）;同时,经倾向性评分匹配对混杂因素进行矫正后,两组患者的治疗有效率和生存率比较差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论 临床上在治疗脓毒症患者时,使用利奈唑胺治疗后,能够使CRP和PCT水平降低,起效时间短,但是万古霉素和利奈唑胺在治疗结局方面无明显差异。     

Gi-mediated muscarinic adenylyl cyclase inhibition in timolol-treated stunned porcine myocardium

The Gi-mediated muscarinic receptor-adenylyl cyclase system was examined in stunned myocardium induced by either three or five brief ischaemic periods after β-adrenoceptor blockade by timolol (0.1 mg kg^-1). The mid-left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 2, 10 and 2 min in four pigs, and for 2, 2, 5, 10 and 2 min in four other pigs. All the ischaemic periods were separated by 30 min of reperfusion and the biopsies were obtained 60 min after the last ischaemic period. Segment length function was measured in the ischaemic region and in the control region supplied by the left circumflex artery. In the two groups, the percentage systolic shortening was reduced equally, to 59±9 and 58±10% of control in the region subjected to ischaemia and only minimally in the control region. The biopsies from the stunned region from both groups showed: (1) no change in either the affinity for carbachol or the number of binding sites of the muscarinic receptors; (2) no alterations in messenger RNA encoding for the α subunit-2 of the inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein, as demonstrated by northern blot and solution hybridization; (3) no change in membrane-bound inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein, as shown by enzyme immunoassay utilizing a specific anti-peptide antibody, and (4) unchanged inhibition of stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity. These results suggest that there is an intact inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein-mediated muscarinic receptor adenylyl cyclase system in the stunned porcine myocardium.