中药芦笋促T细胞有丝分裂活性的观察

低浓度芦笋原汁(0.1～1.0％)可明显促进正常小鼠胸腺细胞的增殖,也可刺激正常小鼠脾脏细胞的增殖,但对裸鼠脾脏细胞没有任何作用。由此提示,芦笋具有促T淋巴细胞有丝分裂的活性,而对B淋巴细胞没有作用。与常用的T细胞促有丝分裂素植物血凝素(PHA)及刀豆蛋白A(ConA)不同,芦笋原汁对人、绵羊、豚鼠和鸡的红细胞均无凝集作用。     

Thoughts on mast cells, histamine release and immunoglobulin E

It is well known that the polysaccharide, dextran, stimulates rat mast cells to undergo histamine secretion, probably by interaction with cell-fixed IgE. Passive sensitisation with antigens greatly enhances histamine release induced in vitro by dextran, and removal of IgE from the cells by acid pH abolishes this release. The importance of IgE antibodies for histamine release from mast cells by agents other than dextran is also well recorded. For example, acetylcholine induces a non-immunological release which is potentiated by the presence of IgE. A link may also exist between cholinergic agents and substance P, a polypeptide which releases histamine by acting on specific receptors and not through interaction with cell-bound IgE. Attempts are made here to gather together some of the physiological and pathological processes involved.     

Life expectancy in British Marfan syndrome populations

A total of 206 patients with Marfan syndrome were ascertained throughout genetic clinics in Wales and Scotland during the period 1970–1990. There were 45 deaths representing 22% of the cohort. Mean age at death was 45.3 ± 16.5 years. 50% median cumulative survival in the total cohort (n = 206) was 53 years for males and 72 years for females. Multivariate analysis confirmed severity as the best independent indicator of survival. These findings and survival curves will assist in the counselling of British families and individuals with Marfan syndrome.     

An immunocytochemical marker for hamster retinal ganglion cells

Summary We examined the specificity and developmental time course of the labelling of retinal ganglion cells in Syrian hamsters by a monoclonal antibody AB5. In adult hamsters, AB5 selectively labelled somata in the ganglion cell layer, dendrites in the inner plexiform layer and axons in the nerve fibre layer. When retinal ganglion cells were retrogradely labelled with Dil prior to AB5 immunocytochemistry, all of the retrogradely labelled retinal ganglion cells in the ganglion cell layer were AB5 immunoreactive, indicating that AB5 labels all classes of ganglion cell in that layer. In retinae depleted of retinal ganglion cells by neonatal optic nerve transections, AB5 did not label any somata or processes, indicating that AB5 specifically labels retinal ganglion cells. During development, AB5 labelling first appeared as a weak staining of cell bodies in the ganglion cell layer on postnatal day 12 (P12; PO=first 24 h following birth) and acquired the staining pattern seen in the adult by postnatal day 14. From the onset of AB5 immunoreactivity, AB5-labelled somata of varying sizes were present across the entire retinal surface. Although AB5 labelled retinal ganglion cell axons in the nerve fibre layer of the retina it did not label the optic nerve or retinal ganglion cell axons in the brain at any age examined. AB5 labelling was also found to be compatible with bromodeoxyuridine immunocytochemistry and, therefore, useful for determining the time of generation of hamster retinal ganglion cells.     

Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy analysis of collagenase-induced cartilage degradation

Collagenase treatment of cartilage serves as an in vitro model of the pathological collagen degradation that occurs in the disease osteoarthritis (OA). Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopic (FT-IRIS) analysis of collagenase-treated cartilage is performed to elucidate the molecular origin of the spectral changes previously found at the articular surface of human OA cartilage. Bovine cartilage explants are treated with 0.1% collagenase for 0, 15, or 30 min. In situ collagen cleavage is assessed using immunofluorescent staining with an antibody specific for broken type II collagen. The FT-IRIS analysis of the control and treated specimens mirrors the differences previously found between normal and OA cartilage using an infrared fiber optic probe (IFOP). With collagenase treatment, the amide II/1338 cm(-1) area ratio increases while the 1238 cm(-1)/1227 cm(-1) peak ratio decreases. In addition, polarized FT-IRIS demonstrates a more random orientation of the collagen fibrils that correlate spatially with the immunofluorescent-determined regions of broken type II collagen. We can therefore conclude that the spectral changes observed in the collagenase-treated cartilage, and similarly in OA cartilage, arise from changes in collagen structure. These findings support the use of mid-infrared spectral analysis, in particular the minimally invasive IFOP, as potential techniques for the diagnosis and management of degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis.     

Morphological and functional plasticity of olfactory ensheathing cells

In the primary olfactory pathway, olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) extend processes to envelop bundles of olfactory axons as they course towards their termination in the olfactory bulb. The expression of growth-promoting adhesion and extracellular matrix molecules by OECs, and their spatially close association with olfactory axons are consistent with OECs being involved in promoting and guiding olfactory axon growth. Because of this, OECs have been employed as a possible tool for inducing axonal regeneration in the injured adult CNS, resulting in significant functional recovery in some animal models and promising outcomes from early clinical applications. However, fundamental aspects of OEC biology remain unclear. This brief review discusses some of the experimental data that have resulted in conflicting views with regard to the identity of OECs. We present here recent findings which support the notion of OECs as a single but malleable phenotype which demonstrate extensive morphological and functional plasticity depending on the environmental stimuli. The review includes a discussion of the normal functional role of OECs in the developing primary olfactory pathway as well as their interaction with regenerating axons and reactive astrocytes in the novel environment of the injured CNS. The use of OECs to induce repair in the injured nervous system reflects the functional plasticity of these cells. Finally, we will explore the possibility that recent microarray data could point to OECs assuming an innate immune function or playing a role in modulating neuroinflammation.     

Wound healing: the effect of macrophage and tumour derived angiogenesis factors on skin graft vascularization.

Angiogenic factors prepared from rat Walker 256 mammary carcinoma, (TAF) and activated mouse peritoneal macrophages (MAF), were tested for their ability to stimulate vascularization during healing. They were applied to one of a pair of bilaterally symmetrical, autologous, isotopic, full thickness skin grafts in mice. Blood flow to treated and untreated graft pairs was compared by their uptake of injected 86Rb Cl, at 3 and 7 days after grafting. No difference was detected after treatment with either agent. We conclude that while angiogenic factors are important in vascularization during healing, this normally occurs at a near maximal rate and cannot be further enhanced.