妊娠高血压患者血浆中降钙素基因相关肽的测定及其临床意义

本文测定了３０例正常育龄妇女，２８例正常妊娠以及３６例妊娠征患者血浆中降钙素基因相关肽的水平，结果发现，轻度妊高生与正常妊娠相比，血浆中ＣＧＲＰＫ是有下降但不显著（Ｐ〉０．０５）。中重度妊高征与正常妊娠相比，差异有非常显著性，因此推测，妊娠状态下血浆中降钙素基因相关肽的减少可能是妊娠高血压症产生的重要原因之一。     

胎儿消化器官发育中的肥大细胞超微结构特点

实验对１０例不同胎龄肥儿消化器官的胎大细胞进行了超微结构观察，发现胎儿发育接近成熟时，其肥大细胞根据颗粒的超微结构可分ＴＣ肥大细胞和Ｔ肥大细胞两型；胎儿发育后期以大细胞有分泌活动呈活化状态；胎儿肥大细胞与成纤维细胞，上皮细胞，血管，神经等密切接触。     

Heat shock up-regulates TLR9 expression in human B cells through activation of ERK and NF-kappaB signal pathways

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a critical role in innate immunity and TLR9 is essential for CpG ODN signaling. As "dangerous signal", heat shock may regulate immune response. However, little is known about TLRs expression and signaling after heat shock. In this study, we investigated regulation of TLR9 expression and function in human B cell line RPMI8226 by heat shock. We demonstrated that TLR9 expression was up-regulated remarkably following heat shock. Coincidently, CpG ODN stimulation significantly increased IL-6 production and up-regulated expressions of MHC I, MHC II and CD86 by heat-shocked B cells. Heat shock activated ERK and NF-kappaB signal pathways, and pretreatment of B cells with specific inhibitors of ERK or NF-kappaB signal pathways inhibited heat shock-induced up-regulation of TLR9 expression. These results demonstrated that heat shock promotes TLR9 expression and signaling through activation of ERK and NF-kappaB signal pathways in B cells, suggesting that heat shock might modulate host immune response by regulating TLR expression.     

Association of ambient air‐pollution levels with acute asthma exacerbation among children in Singapore

BACKGROUND: Air-pollution levels have been shown to be associated with increased morbidity of respiratory diseases. METHODS: Data for ambient air-pollutant levels, meteorologic factors, and hospitalization or emergency room (ER) visits for acute asthma in Singapore children over a 5-year period (1990-4) were obtained and analyzed for associations by time-series methods. RESULTS: Throughout this period, the annual mean and 24-h mean levels for sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and total suspended particles (TSP) and maximum 1-h daily average for ozone were generally within the air-quality guidelines established by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, positive correlation between levels of each of these pollutants and daily ER visits for asthma was observed in children aged 3-12 years, but not among adolescents and young adults (13-21 years old). The association with SO2 and TSP persisted after standardization for meteorologic and temporal variables. An adjusted increase in 2.9 ER visits for every 20 microg/m3 increase in atmospheric SO2 levels, lagged by 1 day, was observed on days when levels were above 68 microg/m3. With TSP, an adjusted increase of 5.80 ER visits for every 20 microg/m3 increase in its daily atmospheric levels, lagged by 1 day, was observed on days with levels above 73 microg/m3. Similar results were also obtained after controlling for autocorrelation by time-series analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These associations were observed even though the overall levels of all pollutants were generally within the air-quality guidelines established by the WHO. These findings suggest that asthmatic children are susceptible to increased levels of air pollutants, particularly SO2 and TSP, although the ambient levels are generally within "acceptable" ranges.     

Differential involvement of GABA system in mediating behavioral and neurochemical effect of acupuncture in ethanol-withdrawn rats

In our previous study we demonstrated that acupuncture at Shenmen (HT7) points suppressed a decrease of accumbal dopamine (DA) release in ethanol-withdrawn rats. Furthermore, here we found that it inhibited behavioral withdrawal signs of ethanol. In an effort to better understand the mechanisms underlying this inhibition, the potential role of GABA receptor system in acupuncture was investigated. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with 3 g/kg/day of ethanol (20%, w/v) or saline by intraperitoneal injection for 21 days. Following 48 or 72 h of ethanol withdrawal, acupuncture was applied at bilateral HT7 for 1 min. The selective GABA_A antagonist bicuculline and the selective GABA_B antagonist SCH 50911 were injected intraperitoneally 20 min before acupuncture, respectively. Importantly, suppressive effects of acupuncture on DA deficiency were completely abolished by SCH 50911, but not by bicuculline, whereas ameliorating effects of acupuncture on ethanol withdrawal syndrome were completely blocked either by SCH 50911 or bicuculline. These results suggest that acupuncture at specific acupoint HT7 may normalize the DA release in the mesolimbic system and attenuate withdrawal syndrome through the GABA_B receptor system in ethanol-withdrawn rats.     

Altered GABAB receptor immunoreactivity in the gerbil hippocampus induced by baclofen and phaclofen, not seizure activity

The present study was performed to determine whether the effects induced by GABA(B) receptor-acting drugs would be related with the alteration in GABA(B) receptor expression in the hippocampus using Mongolian gerbil, a genetic epilepsy model. The distribution patterns of both GABA(B) receptor 1A/B and GABA(B)receptor 2 immunoreactivities were similarly detected in the hippocampi of normal and seizure-prone gerbils. Following baclofen (GABA(B) receptor agonist) or phaclofen (GABA(B) receptor antagonist) treatment, GABA(B) receptor immunoreactivities were decreased or increased by dose-dependent manners, respectively. Vigabatrin (GABA transaminase inhibitor) or 3-mercaptopropionic acid (GAD inhibitor) treatment did not affect GABA(B) receptor expressions. These findings suggest that GABA(B) receptor expression in the gerbil hippocampus may be altered by baclofen or phaclofen treatment.     

Ly49E expression points toward overlapping,but distinct,natural killer (NK) cell differentiation kinetics and potential of fetal versus adult lymphoid progenitors

Using a new antibody, we found previously that contrary to adult natural killer (NK) cells, fetal NK cells have a unique phenotype, as they exclusively express Ly49E. This can be explained by an intrinsic different NK differentiation potential of fetal versus adult lymphoid progenitors, by immaturity of fetal NK cells or by instability of Ly49E expression. Here, we show that adult progenitor cells were still capable of differentiating into Ly49E-expressing NK cells but at a much lower frequency. Surprisingly, Ly49E expression in vitro did not require stromal cells. Kinetic analysis in vivo showed that Ly49E was expressed early, together with CD94/NKG2 and Ly49G2, followed by Ly49C, and finally Ly49D. Transfer of sorted Ly49E-positive fetal NK cells showed stable Ly49E expression, and later, part of these cells up-regulated other Ly49 members. These data indicate that although there are intrinsic differences, there is no strict fetal and adult wave of NK cell differentiation.