Clinical experiences of bacteremia caused by metallo-beta-lactamase-producing gram-negative organisms.

The emergence of acquired metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) in gram-negative bacilli is regarded as a therapeutic challenge since such enzymes are capable of hydrolyzing all beta-lactams in vitro except the monobactams. The clinical characteristics and outcome of 8 episodes of gram-negative bacteremia caused by MBL-producing isolates from January 1997 through December 2000 (Klebsiella pneumoniae, 6 isolates; Pseudomonas stutzeri, 4; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 1; and Pseudomonas putida, 1) were analyzed. The median age of the patients was 61 years (range, 2-95 years). Most patients (n = 6, 75%) had more than 1 comorbid illness or condition and 6 patients acquired bacteremia in the intensive care unit. The median time from admission to the first positive culture was 34.5 days (range, 1-99 days). Pneumonia was the most common site of infection. Five patients (62.5%) received a carbapenem to treat bacteremia. The median time to defervescence was 6 days (range, 2-12 days). No bacteriologic failure was noted during or after antimicrobial therapy. The overall mortality rate from bacteremia caused by gram-negative, MBL-producing organisms was nil at 14 or 28 days.     

盲人智能探路手杖的研究

本文介绍了盲人智能探路手杖的研究.该系统由单片机控制,采用两只超声波传感器的探测模式,对盲人行进路上的路况进行探测和分析,并针对不同的路况发出相应的提示信息,以达到辅助盲人安全行走的目的.     

Cloning and spatial and temporal expression of the zebrafish dopamine D1 receptor.

Dopamine plays important roles in the regulation of central nervous system (CNS) development and functions. In vertebrates, two families of dopamine receptors, collectively known as dopamine D1 and D2 receptors, have been identified. Recently, dopamine receptors have been targeted by pharmacological and therapeutic studies of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. Here, we report a study on the molecular characterization of dopamine D1 receptor in zebrafish (Danio rerio). We cloned the full-length cDNA of a zebrafish dopamine D1 receptor, designated as drd1. The sequence of drd1 shares high homology to the sequences of dopamine D1 receptors in mammalian, amphibian, and other fish species. drd1 is expressed in the CNS. The first drd1 expression was observed at approximately 30 hours postfertilization, at which time the expression was seen in the developing diencephalon and hindbrain. In developing retinas, the expression of drd1 was detected in the inner nuclear layer with the exception of the marginal zones. In adult retinas, drd1 expression was detected in most cell types in the inner and outer nuclear layers as well as ganglion cell layer. Differential expression of drd1 in developing and adult retinas may play various roles in regulating visual system functions.     

钙池操纵的钙通道的调控机制

钙池操纵的钙通道(store-operated calciumchannel,SOC)系存在于细胞膜表面的一种新发现的钙通道,它是非兴奋性细胞Ca2 内流的主要通道。SOC的开启是由钙库耗竭所激发,然而,钙库耗竭如何开启SOC仍不十分清楚。文章综述了SOC开启调控机制的有关研究进展。     

磷酸组织胺诱导的Ⅰ型超敏反应对肝损伤作用的研究

目的:通过观察与Ⅰ型超敏反应相关的生物活性介质--组织胺对家兔肝脏有无直接损伤作用,进一步论证Ⅰ型超敏反应对肝脏的损伤作用.方法:选择34只家兔随机分为对照组、实验Ⅰ组和实验Ⅱ组3组;对照组只进行正常饲料喂养,实验Ⅰ组在正常饲料喂养的同时每天给予0.4μg/kg耳静脉注射磷酸组胺注射液,实验Ⅱ组在正常饲料喂养的同时每天给予0.08 μg/kg耳静脉注射磷酸组胺注射液;动态观察以上3个组的血清谷丙转氨酶(ALT)及血清谷草转氨酶(AST)变化;利用光学显微镜观察以上3个组肝组织的病理变化.结果:无论是实验Ⅰ组或实验Ⅱ组,经过一段时间的观察,发现血清内ALT和AST含量均显着高于对照组(P＜0.01),但Ⅰ、Ⅱ组之间无显着性差异(P＞0.05);实验Ⅰ组和实验Ⅱ组在显微镜下观察,其肝脏均有不同程的损伤和病理改变,且实验Ⅱ组的损伤和变化大于实验Ⅰ组,而对照组的肝脏则无明显的病理变化.结论:组织胺对家兔肝脏确实有一定的损伤作用,而且随着投予剂量和时间的增加,肝脏的损伤和病理变化也越显著;通过本研究,可以得出Ⅰ型超敏反应导致肝脏病理变化及损伤的见解.     

Plasmids encoding foot-and-mouth disease virus VP1 epitopes elicited immune responses in mice and swine and protected swine against viral infection

VP1 is a capsid protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and contains epitopes of the virus. Plasmids encoding two VP1 epitopes (amino acid residues 141-160 and 200-213) and a host-self immunoglobulin molecule were constructed to produce a new type of FMD DNA vaccine. Two plasmids, namely, pCEIM and pCEIS, containing mouse immunoglobulin (IgG) or swine IgG were subjected to immunogenicity testing in mice and swine, respectively. In mice administrated pCEIM in the abdomen using a genegun, both FMDV-specific T-cell proliferation and neutralizing antibodies were detected. In swine immunized with pCEIS at the back of the ear, immune responses were achieved after the second administration. Swine showed a T-cell proliferative response with a stimulation index (SI) of up to 8.1 and a neutralizing antibody response that was able to protect suckling mice from 10(2) LD(50) (lethal dose 50) FMDV challenge. To compare the immunogenicity of the DNA-based vaccine candidate, versus the protein-based vaccine candidates, a second group of swine was immunized with the protein F1-scIgG, which was encoded by the plasmid pCEIS. Injection with F1-scIgG elicited a T-cell proliferative response of SI < 1.7 and a neutralizing antibody response that protected suckling mice from up to 10(5) LD(50) FMDV challenge. In the challenge test, three of three swine immunized with pCEIS were fully protected from FMDV challenge.     

IL-18在体外培养系统中诱导肿瘤快速杀伤效应及肿瘤特异性CTL

目的应用rhlL-18在体外培养系统(Coculture system in vitro，CCs)中诱导快速肿瘤杀伤效应及诱导肿瘤特异性细胞毒性T淋巴细胞(Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte，CTL)。方法 采用StemSep^TM免疫磁性细胞分离法分离人外周血NK细胞、T细胞及树突细胞(DCs)，流式细胞仪分析细胞表型，125I-UdR标记的细胞毒实验检测杀伤活性，ELISA方法检测IFN-7的产生量。结果 在CCs中，rhIL-18诱导出快速肿瘤杀伤效应，这种杀伤效应无抗原特异性、不受MHC限制，DCs和T细胞的存在与否对其无明显影响。在同一培养系统中，肿瘤抗原存在的条件下，96h后，rhIL-18能够诱导并促进CTL介导的肿瘤特异性杀伤效应。结论 rhIL-18能够在体外培养系统中相继诱导肿瘤快速杀伤效应及肿瘤特异性CTL。     

血糖感应型胰岛素给药智能载体的研究进展

胰岛素控制释放高分子载体系统一直是国内外科技工作者的研究热点 ,迄今已经研究报道了多种具有不同工作原理的血糖感应型胰岛素给药智能载体。本文基于国内外大量研究文献 ,综述了血糖感应型胰岛素控制释放智能化高分子载体的研究进展。     

Identification and isolation of a common tumor-associated molecule using monoclonal antibody

A monoclonal antibody, 16B-13, derived from the immunization of BALB/c mice with a lung tumor line, immunoprecipitates a common tumor-associated molecule with an apparent mol. wt of 37,000 from lactoperoxidase-ionated lung carcinoma, colon carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, brest carcinoma, melanoma and lymphona cells, but not from normal fibroblasts. Analysis by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of the cell surface-labeled 16B-13 antigen from a colorectal and a melanoma cell line reveals four components with similar mol. wts but with different isoelectric points. The antigen purified froma a colorectal carcinoma cell line by immunoaffinity chromatography was shown to be a 37,000 mol. wt polypeptide similar to that obtained by the lactoperoxidase-labeling procedure. However, the purified antigen from the melanoma cell line shows the presence of a 65,000 mol. wt polypeptide and the loss of the 37,000 mol. wt component as detected by Comassie blue staining and immunoprecipitation.     

Corticofugal amplification of facilitative auditory responses of subcortical combination-sensitive neurons in the mustached bat

Recent studies on the bat's auditory system indicate that the corticofugal system mediates a highly focused positive feedback to physiologically "matched" subcortical neurons, and widespread lateral inhibition to physiologically "unmatched" subcortical neurons, to adjust and improve information processing. These findings have solved the controversy in physiological data, accumulated since 1962, of corticofugal effects on subcortical auditory neurons: inhibitory, excitatory, or both (an inhibitory effect is much more frequent than an excitatory effect). In the mustached bat, Pteronotus parnellii parnellii, the inferior colliculus, medial geniculate body, and auditory cortex each have "FM-FM" neurons, which are "combination-sensitive" and are tuned to specific time delays (echo delays) of echo FM components from the FM components of an emitted biosonar pulse. FM-FM neurons are more complex in response properties than cortical neurons which primarily respond to single tones. In the present study, we found that inactivation of the entire FM-FM area in the cortex, including neurons both physiologically matched and unmatched with subcortical FM-FM neurons, on the average reduced the facilitative responses to paired FM sounds by 82% for thalamic FM-FM neurons and by 66% for collicular FM-FM neurons. The corticofugal influence on the facilitative responses of subcortical combination-sensitive neurons is much larger than that on the excitatory responses of subcortical neurons primarily responding to single tones. Therefore we propose the hypothesis that, in general, the processing of complex sounds by combination-sensitive neurons more heavily depends on the corticofugal system than that by single-tone sensitive neurons.