Kinetic immunodominance: functionally competing antibodies against exposed and cryptic epitopes of Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase are produced in time sequence.

The murine antibody response to Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase (GZ) was analyzed in vivo and in vitro by focusing on two families of antibodies that exert distinct conformational/functional activity on the antigen. Activating antibodies--defined by their capacity to increase the enzymatic activity of defective GZ produced by mutant strains of E. coli--are detected early after secondary challenge. Inhibiting antibodies, which interfere with antibody-mediated enzyme activation, appear later and cause the abrupt fall of activating titer, a scenario suggesting either idiotype/anti-idiotype interaction or opposite pulsions exerted on the antigen molecule. Supporting the latter mechanism, the confrontation of mAbs of the two families produced classical competitive inhibition curves when the readout was enzyme activation, although they recognize two different epitopes of the same molecule: the activating mAb a quaternary conformation-dependent site of wild-type GZ, the inhibiting mAb a sequential determinant exposed only in denatured or in defective enzyme. The different timing of generation of these antibodies during the response may depend on a processing step necessary for unfolding of native antigen and consequent display of certain cryptic epitopes before they can trigger specific B cells. A picture emerges where the response to the various epitopes of a complex antigen is sequentially connected and where the uptake by antigen-presenting cells of antigen complexed with antibodies specific for the exposed epitopes may favor revelation of the cryptic ones.     

用结合^131碘和化疗药物的明胶微球作肝动脉...

Nine patients with inoperable hepatoma were treated by using hepatic arterial embolization 131I and chemotherapeutic agent gelatin microsphere (131I-CA-GM). The emission CT after operation detected that the microspheres were concentrated on tumor area. The ratio between the radioactivity in tumor and that in liver was 4.1:1. A case died of ictopic embolization; the others survived 3, 4, 5, 19, 24, 7, 8, and 12 months respectively. Three of them were still alive. 131I-CA-GM has triple anticarcinogenic actions, including the arterial occlusion, targeting chemotherapy and internal radiation. The microspheres can selectively accumulate in the tumor artery and can be easily traced by gamma-camera or emission CT. 131I-CA-GM is a hopeful embolic agent for the treatment of liver cancer, but some problems about ectopic arterial embolization should be further studied.     

Reversal of dexfenfluramine-induced anorexia and c-Fos/c-Jun expression by lesion in the lateral parabrachial nucleus

The external subdivision of the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBE) shows strong Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) following anorectic doses of the indirect serotonin agonist dexfenfluramine (DFEN). In an effort to determine the contribution of the LPBE to DFEN-induced anorexia, bilateral ibotenate lesions were made in the LPBE, and the effects of the lesion on DFEN-induced anorexia and FLI as well as c-June-like immunoreactivity (JLI) were examined. It was found that LPBE lesion significantly attenuated DFEN anorexia: in a 1-h food intake test following 24-h food deprivation, DFEN (2 mg/kg) suppressed food intake by 60% in intact rats but only 34% in rats with LPBE lesions. In addition to this behavioral change, LPBE lesion completely abolished DFEN-induced FLI and JLI in the lateral subdivision of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeL) and laterodorsal subdivision of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BSTLD), both of which showed strong FLI and JLI in intact rats. DFEN-induced FLI and JLI in other brain regions were not affected by LPBE lesion, including the ventromedial and lateral hypothalamus, caudate-putamen, and the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST). The parallel loss of DFEN-induced anorexia and FLI/JLI following LPBE lesion raises the novel possibility that LPBE-CeL/BSTLD pathway may be involved in DFEN anorexia.     

The endometrial biopsy as a predictive factor of pregnancy rate in women with unexplained infertility.

To investigate whether or not there is any relation between endometrial morphology and subsequent pregnancy rate, 47 couples with unexplained infertility were followed up for 3 years after they had had an endometrial biopsy. Each woman had an LH-timed endometrial biopsy performed in the luteal phase of the cycle. The biopsy was dated chronologically according to the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and histologically using morphometric criteria. None of the women received any form of treatment in the endometrial biopsy cycle. Of 47 women with unexplained infertility, 36 (76.6%) (Group I) had 'in phase' endometrial development and 11 (23.4%) (Group II) had retarded endometrium. Women with normal endometrial development had a higher pregnancy rate than women with retarded endometrial development (50% vs. 9%; P less than 0.02). The fecundability during treatment cycles was higher in Group I than in Group II (0.051 vs. 0.008; P less than 0.05). In women with 'in phase' endometrium, treatment increased the monthly probability of conception (0.051 vs. 0.006; P less than 0.001). A precisely timed endometrial biopsy should be considered as part of the investigations for women with unexplained reproductive failure, to help determine prognosis.     

Gene expression of human sperm component related to A4 amyloid precursor protein.

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against a specific human sperm protein and designated as the YWK-II mAb. The partial cDNA encoding the protein was isolated from a rat testis lambda gt11 expression library and the amino acid sequence of the protein was deduced. The cytoplasmic-transmembrane domains of the deduced protein had high homology with the A4 amyloid precursor protein of Alzheimer's disease. To evaluate the stage of spermatogenesis when the gene was expressed, single-stranded 35S-labeled RNA probes were prepared from the cDNA. By an in situ hybridization technique the mRNA for the antigen was detected in germ cells at all stages of spermatogenesis. The finding that the gene is expressed in spermatogonia suggests possible involvement in the initiation of germ cell differentiation or in the detachment of spermatogonia from the basement membrane.     

氟中毒和氟砷中毒对胃粘膜的影响

作者通过内窥镜对新疆奎屯地区氟中毒患者３５名，氟砷中毒患者３２名，对照组２５名的胃粘膜进行观察，旨在了解氟元素和砷元素对胃粘膜的影响，在３个组中慢性胃炎的炎症程度与炎症活动性有显著性差异。２个中毒组间无显著性差异。结果表明在高氟区和高氟砷区患者的胃粘膜层病理改变主要是任性氟中毒引起，单纯性砷中毒并无协同作用。     

dC14可抑制小鼠SRS腹水瘤的发病和生长

作者曾经体外实验证明,均聚寡脱氧胞嘧啶核苷酸片段(dC14)有抗病毒活性,现继续研究其在体内的作用。不给dC14的对照组小鼠,接种腹水瘤细胞后:100％发病和死亡,潜伏期为6d,存活期11d;给每只小鼠dC14 1.3～3.2 mg,发病率和死亡率降低至20％,疾病潜伏期和存活期推迟。在未经dC14处理的种瘤细胞和淋巴组织与经处理的淋巴组织中,多聚酶链反应(PCR)法都检测到病毒核酸,而正常小鼠中则无此种病毒核酸顺序。研究结果提示,dC14对小鼠SRS腹水瘤的发病和生长有抑制作用。此种抑制作用可能是通过抑制病毒基因的表达来实现的。     

胆囊小隆起性病变的诊断及治疗

报告37例胆囊小隆起性病变，其中良性颈变34例，胆囊癌3例。结果：本组23例有临床症状，多表现为反复发作的右上腹疼痛或不适；病灶部位，大小，多少，有无合并胆石及病变性质与临床症状有关；B-us,OCG,CT的诊断符合率例如辚33／37，9／24和5／10（x^2=18.75,P<0.005)。认为对胆囊小隆起性病变的病灶≥10mm，有增大趋势，呈恶性图像，合并胆石或血清CEA升高的病例应及早手术治疗。     

甲型流感病毒治疗S37腹水瘤小鼠的实验研究

甲型流流感病毒鼠肺适庆型７５－３９株治疗Ｓ３７腹水型荷瘤小鼠，存活率达９３．３％。体外实验观察流感病毒感染Ｓ３７肿瘤细胞，到３天时Ｓ３７细胞经胎盘蓝染色，１００％的Ｓ３７细胞死亡，而对照组肿瘤细胞染色率只有１０％左右。