Detection of Bacteroides fragilis Enterotoxin Gene by PCR

Bacteroides fragilis constitutes about 1% of the bacterial flora in intestines of normal humans. Enterotoxigenic strains of B. fragilis have been associated with diarrheal diseases in humans and animals. The enterotoxin produced by these isolates induces fluid changes in ligated intestinal loops and an in vitro cytotoxic response in HT-29 cells. We developed a nested PCR to detect the enterotoxin gene of B. fragilis in stool specimens. After DNA extraction, a 367-bp fragment was amplified with two outer primers. The amplicon from this reaction was subjected to a second round of amplification with a set of internal primers. With these inner primers, a 290-bp DNA fragment was obtained which was confirmed as part of the B. fragilis enterotoxin gene by Southern blotting with a nonradioactive internal probe and a chemiluminescence system. By this approach, B. fragilis enterotoxin gene sequences were detected in eight known enterotoxigenic human isolates and nine enterotoxigenic horse isolates. No amplification products were obtained from DNA extracted from 28 nonenterotoxigenic B. fragilis isolates or B. distasonis, B. thetaiotaomicron, B. uniformis, B. ovatus, Escherichia coli, or Clostridium difficile. The sensitivity of this assay allowed us to detect as little as 1 pg of enterotoxin DNA sequences or 100 to 1,000 cells of enterotoxigenic B. fragilis/g of stool. Enterotoxin production of all isolates was confirmed in vitro in HT-29 cells. A 100% correlation was obtained between enterotoxin detection by cytotoxin assay and the nested PCR assay. This rapid and sensitive assay can be used to identify enterotoxigenic B. fragilis and may be used clinically to determine the role of B. fragilis in diarrheal diseases.     

谷氨酸诱导体外培养的鸡胚脊髓神经细胞释放NO

用鸡胚脊髓神经细胞的原代培养,测定细胞中亚硝酸盐的含量,研究了谷氨酸(Glu)对原代培养神经细胞中NO的影响。结果表明,谷氨酸作用于原代培养的鸡胚脊髓神经细胞,在诱导神经细胞释放乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)的同时,还可诱导细胞释放一氧化氮(NO)。如先用NO合成酶抑制剂L-NOARG作用细胞,再加入Glu,则发现L-NOARG能降低Glu导致的培养液中LDH活性升高。提示NO可能参与介导Glu的神经毒性作用。     

对一宗入境二级放射货包的监测结果分析

汕头卫生检疫局空港处对汕头航空口岸—宗入境二级货包的监测过程及对有关运输工作人员作了放射知识问卷调查。从中发现。运输单位货物存放设施落后。有关工作人员放射卫生知识欠缺，对放射污染可能造成的危害缺乏正确的认识。为此，笔者提出了自己的看法，以期对放射监测工作的进一步完善提供参考。     

纤维支气管镜胸膜腔检查对原因不明胸腔积液的诊断价值

为评价纤维支所管镜行胸膜检查在诊断原因不明胸腔积液中的价值，用纤维支气管镜对１０例原因不明的胸腔积液患者进行胸腔检查。结果９例２检查后明确了病因，且无并发症，提示该法对于不明胸腔积液的诊断是一种阳性率高、安全、简便的检查方法。     

锗元素与抗肿瘤药物(Ⅱ)(续上期)

综述了有机锗抗肿瘤药物，对β－羧乙基锗倍半氧化物（Ｇｅ－１３２）和螺锗在肿瘤学中的作用以及抗癌效应机制作出评价。自８０年代起至今，又有含硫杂、柠檬酸、氨基酸、苯基的锗化合物，以及锗酵母、含锗中草药等被先后合成出来。在几类具有生物活性的有机锗化合物中，仍首推Ｇｅ－１３２，螺锗及其衍生物为低毒有效抗肿瘤候选药物，然而对于锗导致的毒性及其机理仍需进一步加以探讨。     

Is there a genetic susceptibility locus for Parkinson's disease on chromosome 22q13?

The cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase gene, CYP2D6 on chromosome 22q13 (ch22q13), has been inconsistently associated with Parkinson's disease. Associations with CYP2D6 have either been absent altogether or have involved more than one polymorphism, many of which have the same metabolic effect on gene expression. We examined the association between CYP2D6 polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease in a case-control study and included 10 polymorphic dinucleotide repeat markers linked to CYP2D6 to determine whether the association was present or due to linkage disequilibrium. There was no association between any polymorphism of CYP2D6 and Parkinson's disease, but two of 10 dinucleotide repeat markers linked to CYP2D6 were associated with the disease. These results provide evidence to suggest that there may be an unidentified locus for susceptibility to Parkinson's disease that is in linkage disequilibrium with dinucleotide repeat markers mapping near CYP2D6 on ch22q13.     

Microbiologic and clinical value of primary broth cultures of wound specimens collected with swabs.

In order to assess the microbiologic and clinical value of primary broth culture of wound specimens collected with swabs and submitted to the laboratory in transport medium, we compared the results of primary agar culture with the results of a corresponding primary broth culture for 344 aerobic specimens and 176 anaerobic specimens. While 8.7% (45 of 520) of the specimens yielded organisms from the primary broth culture that were not recovered from the corresponding primary agar culture, only 5.0% (26 of 520) of the specimens yielded organisms from the primary broth culture other than Staphylococcus epidermidis, viridans group streptococci, and Corynebacterium spp. Moreover, the primary broth culture of only 0.6% (3 of 520) of the specimens yielded organisms not recovered from the primary agar culture that caused a change in the therapy of the patient. Our conclusion is that primary broth cultures are unnecessary for the processing of wound specimens properly collected with swabs.     

黄芪对流行性出血热病毒感染的抑制作用

观察了黄芪注射液对流行性出血热病毒(EHF.V)的抑制作用。动物及传代细胞实验结果显示:黄芪注射液对小白鼠乳鼠体内EHF.V的感染过程具有一定的阻断作用;其机制可能主要是通过宿主的免疫调节而发挥作用。     

妊娠期妇女的人体测量及脂肪贮存

本文对30名居住北京城近郊区的健康初产孕妇,于妊娠早期、中期及末期连续进行人体测量,包括身长,体重,皮下脂肪厚度和肢体围,以观察孕期体重增长,身体脂肪含量及肌肉情况。测量结果,受试者从妊娠6周至37周平均体重增长13.0kg。三头肌、二头肌部位皮脂厚度在孕期无明显变化。肩胛下皮脂厚度至孕末期时明显较早期增加。髂骨上皮脂厚度在孕中期及末期均有明显增长,与早期相比差別显著。据皮脂厚度计算身体密度及脂肪含量络果,至孕末期身体脂肪含量占体重的百分比共增加3.7％。肢体围测量结果,仅臀围在妊娠中期后至末期明显较早期增大。大腿上部围略有增加,但与早期差别无显著意义。大腿中部、小腿腓肠肌部及上臂围孕期均无明显变化。     

Lines of Murine Oligodendroglial Precursor Cells Immortalized by an Activated neu Tyrosine Kinase Show Distinct Degrees of Interaction with Axons In Vitro and In Vivo

Replication-defective retroviruses expressing the t- neu oncogene, or a hybrid protein with the neu tyrosine kinase linked to the external region of the human epidermal growth factor receptor ( egfr-neu ), were used to establish lines of murine oligodendroglial precursor cells. Differentiation of the t- neu lines into myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG)-positive oligodendrocytes was induced by dibutyryl cAMP, and the egfr-neu line showed limited differentiation in vitro upon withdrawal of epidermal growth factor. Cerebellar granule cell neurons expressed mitogens for the cell lines. Upon transplantation into demyelinated lesions, t- neu line cells engaged with the demyelinated axons whereas the egfr-neu line cells differentiated further and ensheathed the axons. These cell lines thus interact with neurons in vitro and in vivo and can be used as tools to define the molecules involved in different stages of neuron-glia interaction.