Alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene do not protect marmosets against the dopaminergic neurotoxicity of N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) may possibly be caused by one or more unidentified neurotoxins present in the environment, or formed endogenously, which progressively damage dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons. N-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) is an experimental neurotoxin which produces biochemical and neuropathological changes in humans, lower primates and mice that closely resemble those found in PD. Because the mechanisms of neuronal damage in both idiopathic PD and in the MPTP model of PD may involve free radical formation in the substantia nigra, antioxidants might protect dopaminergic neurons. Previously, we found that both alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene partially protected mice against MPTP. However, in the experiments described in this paper, neither alpha-tocopherol nor beta-carotene, each administered in massive doses, had any demonstrable protective effect for dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons in marmosets injected with low doses of MPTP. Without more knowledge about the identity of the neurotoxin(s) causing idiopathic PD, and their mechanism of action, it is not possible at this time to predict whether these 2 antioxidants might be clinically useful in preventing or ameliorating PD.     

Plasma lyso-phosphatidylcholine concentration is decreased in cancer patients with weight loss and activated inflammatory status

Background  

It has been observed that ras-transformed cell lines in culture have a higher phosphatidylcholine (PC) biosynthesis rate as well as higher PC-degradation rate (increased PC-turnover) than normal cells. In correspondence to these findings, the concentrations of the PC-degradation product lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC) in cancer patients were found to be decreased. Our objective was the systematic investigation of the relationship between LPC and inflammatory and nutritional parameters in cancer patients. Therefore, plasma LPC concentrations were assessed in 59 cancer patients and related to nutritional and inflammatory parameters. To determine LPC in blood plasma we developed and validated a HPTLC method.     

中等职业学校教育教学管理新谈

随着教育制度的改革,中职院校的学生面貌发生了巨大变化。面对新形势,我们应科学借鉴先进的教育理念,合理设置教育目标,为职业教育改革注入新的理念和活力。     

Invasion of the skull base by carcinomas: histopathologically evidenced findings with CT and MRI

The depth and extent of the invasion of the skull base by a tumor are the most critical information for successful en bloc resection of the tumor. The only means available for the evaluation of these factors are CT or MRI images. In order to clarify the ability of these imaging modes to delineate the invasion of the skull base, preoperative images of ten patients who underwent en bloc resection of skull base tumors at Kobe University Hospital were compared with the histopathological findings of the resected specimens. CT proved to be superior to MRI for evaluating bone destruction of the skull base. On the other hand, MRI provided more useful information about intracranial invasion than CT. As a hypertrophic linear shadow on Gd-enhanced MRI represented dural invasion or thickened dura mater adjacent to the tumor, this technique should be taken into consideration to determine the dural resection. We concluded that preoperative evaluation of the depth of skull base invasion by both CT and Gd-enhanced MRI is essential for planning complete tumor resection.