Radiologically guided percutaneous fine-needle aspiration biopsy of pelvic and retroperitoneal masses: a retrospective study of 68 cases

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the pelvis and retroperitoneum (excluding the pancreas, kidney, and adrenal masses) has not achieved its full potential as a diagnostic modality. We reviewed 68 percutaneous, radiologically guided FNAs from these locations to assess the clinical utility and complication rate of this procedure. Satisfactory material was obtained in 66 cases (97.1%), of which 37 were deemed positive (55%), 3 suspicious (4%), 4 atypical (6%), and 22 negative (32%) for malignancy; two cases (3%) were unsatisfactory. Compared to biopsy (36 patients) and clinical information, the sensitivity and specificity of FNA for malignancy were 90.2% and 100%, respectively, yielding a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 86.6%. The four false-negative cases (5.9%) were due to sampling error. One patient had a minor complication (hematoma) from the procedure. We conclude that FNA is the procedure of choice for detecting most malignancies in these two locations.     

Construction of a risk model of steroid-induced necrosis of the femoral head and prediction of potential Chinese medicine treatments北大核心

背景:随着疾病治疗模式的改变,人们已经意识到中医药在激素性股骨头坏死治疗过程中的重要性,因此利用生物信息学从分子水平分析激素性股骨头坏死的发病机制,构建疾病风险模型,并预测具有潜在治疗作用的中药,为后期中医药治疗激素性股骨头坏死提供一定的理论依据。目的:基于生物信息学挖掘激素性股骨头坏死的竞争性内源RNA(ceRNA)调控网络,分析其在激素性股骨头坏死中的分子调控机制,预测相关疾病靶点并构建疾病风险模型,同时预测具有潜在治疗作用的中药。方法:检索GEO数据库,下载激素性股骨头坏死的矩阵文件GSE123568和基因注释文件GPL15207。借助R语言等软件分析得到差异表达的长链非编码RNA与mRNA,并通过公共数据库预测与差异表达长链非编码RNA关联的miRNA-mRNA,再将预测到的mRNA与差异表达mRNA取交集,整合得到ceRNA网络。随后采用STRING数据库和Cytoscape软件筛选关键基因,利用R语言分析关键基因的功能与相关通路,并挖掘关键ceRNA网络。最后根据关键基因构建激素性股骨头坏死的风险模型,并进行中药预测。结果与结论:(1)与健康对照相比,激素性股骨头坏死患者共有7个长链非编码RNA和1763个mRNAs存在差异表达;(2)筛选出STAT3、KAT2B、AGO4、JAK2、JAK1、PTGS2共6个关键基因;(3)关键基因所富集的功能包括对肽激素的反应、白细胞介素6介导的信号通路、细胞对白细胞介素6的反应等生物学过程,涉及JAK-STAT、脂肪细胞因子、催乳素等信号通路;(4)4种mi RNAs(mi R-135a-5p、mi R-137、mi R-17-5p、miR-20b-5p)和2种长链非编码RNA(SNHG11、C20orf197)可能在导致激素性股骨头坏死发生发展过程中发挥关键作用;(5)KAT2B最有可能是激素性股骨头坏死发生发展的风险因子;(6)郁金、淫羊藿、黄芪具备治疗激素性股骨头坏死疾病靶点的可能。通过对激素性股骨头坏死相关长链非编码RNA介导的ceRNA网络进行分析,识别出潜在的疾病靶点、信号通路及潜在治疗中药,为进一步阐明其发病机制,并为后续的实验研究提供参考依据。     

Mutation screening in Rett syndrome patients

Rett syndrome (RTT) was first described in 1966. Its biological and genetic foundations were not clear until recently when Amir et al reported that mutations in the MECP2 gene were detected in around 50% of RTT patients. In this study, we have screened the MECP2 gene for mutations in our RTT material, including nine familial cases (19 Rett girls) and 59 sporadic cases. A total of 27 sporadic RTT patients were found to have mutations in the MECP2 gene, but no mutations were identified in our RTT families. In order to address the possibility of further X chromosomal or autosomal genetic factors in RTT, we evaluated six candidate genes for RTT selected on clinical, pathological, and genetic grounds: UBE1 (human ubiquitin activating enzyme E1, located in chromosome Xp11.23), UBE2I (ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2I, homologous to yeast UBC9, chromosome 16p13.3), GdX (ubiquitin-like protein, chromosome Xq28), SOX3 (SRY related HMG box gene 3, chromosome Xq26-q27), GABRA3 (gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor alpha3 subunit, chromosome Xq28), and CDR2 (cerebellar degeneration related autoantigen 2, chromosome 16p12-p13.1). No mutations were detected in the coding regions of these six genes in 10 affected subjects and, therefore, alterations in the amino acid sequences of the encoded proteins can be excluded as having a causative role in RTT. Furthermore, gene expression of MECP2, GdX, GABRA3, and L1CAM (L1 cell adhesion molecule) was also investigated by in situ hybridisation. No gross differences were observed in neurones of several brain regions between normal controls and Rett patients.     

Potentiation and restitution of heart muscle contraction in rats adapted to exercise

The original amplitude of contraction of strips of myocardium determined the inotropic response to paired stimulation. The higher the initial amplitude, the lower the degree of potentiation and the higher the degree of restitution of contraction. For equal amplitude, the degree of potentiation of myocardial contraction of exercise-adapted rats was greater and the degree of restitution smaller than in the control. These changes probably reflect changes in the ion transport system of the myocardial cells.Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. M. Chernukh.Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 82, No. 7, pp. 780–782, July, 1976.     

Effect of (+)-cyanidanol-3 on receptor activity of lymphocytes and hepatocytes and on hepatocyte-lymphocyte conjugation in alcoholic liver disease

The recirculation of lymphocytes and cell-mediated immunity show profound alterations in alcoholic liver disease. The use of cianidanol corrects a lot of these disturbances, in that: a) it can modify the receptor avidity of hepatocytes, b) it reduces the cell-mediated immune reactivity against liver specific protein antigen, diminishing the auto-immune reactions in alcoholic liver disease, c) it has no effect upon the conjugation process between the hepatocytes as target cells and cytotoxic effector cells, d) it decreases, however, the number of hepatocytes damaged after the conjugation process, and e) as a potent free-radical scavenger, it inhibits the cytotoxic effect of natural killer cells and monocytes, and in the same manner prevents the alteration of the hepatocyte membrane.     

脊髓损伤后神经修复过程中的细胞微环境北大核心

背景:以往的研究显示单一改变脊髓损伤区域某一基因表达或者某一细胞的状态,对脊髓损伤后功能恢复无显著影响,而大量证据表明调控脊髓损伤后紊乱的细胞微环境是神经功能恢复的关键因素。目的:对脊髓损伤前后细胞微环境的生物学特性,包括多种细胞之间的相互调控以及细胞外组分对损伤神经修复的作用和机制进行综述。方法:由第一作者检索PubMed及Web of Science数据库,英文检索词为“spinal cord injury,glial cell,neuron,immune cell,neural stem cell,extracellular matrix,cytokine,extracellular vesicle,regeneration”。文献检索的时间范围为2000年1月至2021年12月,最终筛选出64篇文献进行分析。结果与结论:①脊髓损伤后,在细胞微环境的细胞组分中,占比最高的胶质细胞间的相互作用,以及与神经元的相互调控作用最为关键。②在脊髓损伤后的细胞外组分中,利用生物相容性良好的水凝胶模仿天然细胞外基质,可有效模拟和重建损伤区域内的细胞微环境,促进轴突伸长。③在脊髓损伤后的细胞外调节因子中,促炎因子如肿瘤坏死因子α和白细胞介素1β等加剧了细胞微环境的炎症反应,应用受体抑制剂或阻断相关通路抑制上述促炎因子的表达是一种有效的治疗方法,同时在脊髓微环境中增加白细胞介素10等抗炎因子的表达,抑制损伤区域炎症发展的研究也陆续出现。④最近被重视起来的细胞外囊泡作为传递信息的载体在细胞微环境中也发挥了重要作用。⑤文章揭示了脊髓损伤后细胞微环境中的包括细胞组分和细胞外组分之间的多组相互调控关系,证实了细胞微环境中各组分之间所发挥的神经修复作用并不是孤立的。     

Genesis,ultrastructure and cytochemical study of the cat eosinophil

Eosinophils from cat bone marrow and peripheral blood were studied by electron microscopy and cytochemical procedures. The maturation of eosinophils and formation of typical granules were described. Contrary to the accepted opinion that the core of animal's eosinophilic specific granules have a crystal-like structure, our observations revealed that the core has a myelin-like cylindrical appearance, whose layered formation proceeds from the inside outwards. Electron microscopic observations revealed that localization of reaction product to potassium pyroantimonate and phosphotungstic acid and to acid phosphatase activity was similar to that of eosinophils of man and other animals. Antimonate deposits and acid phosphatase activity were detected between the layers of the myelin-like structure of the core. Eosinophil granules failed to yield a positive reaction for peroxidase activity. The secretory activity of the eosinophil is discussed.     

Effect of lithium on the catecholamine concentration in the rabbit and rat brain

A single injection (200 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) or a course of injections (100 mg/kg subcutaneously, daily for 10 days) of lithium chloride given to rats had no significant effect on the content of catecholamines and dihydroxyphenylalanine in the brain stem 1, and 4 h after the injections. In experiments on rabbits the compound (100 mg/kg, intravenously) increased the noradrenalin concentration in the thalamus, hypothalamus, reticular formation, and caudate nucleus. An increase in the dopamine content in the caudate nucleus was accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in its concentration in the thalamus, hypothalamus, reticular formation, amygdala, and hippocampus.     

Induction of gastric histamine synthesis by H2-receptor antagonists: Potentiation of their antisecretory activity by histidine decarboxylase inhibitors

The activation of histamine (HA) formation in rat stomach was measured after repeated administrations of histamine H₂-receptor antagonists and the potentiation of their antisecretory activity was examined in histidine decarboxylase inhibitor (HDI)-pretreated rats. 40 mg/kg of metiamide, given intraperitoneally (i.p.) 24, 16 and 2 h prior to the examination, produced approximately 50% increase in the amount of¹⁴C-histamine, formed from¹⁴C-histidine in the stomach, and an almost equal enhancement in the gastric histidine decarboxylase (HD) activity. An equal dose of the compound did not influence the endogenous histamine level in the glandular stomach whereas it caused a significant increase in the serum histamine content. By similar treatment, 10 mg/kg of cimetidine enhanced the newly formed histamine in the rat stomach by 57%. The potent HDI, 2-hydroxy-5-carbomethoxy-benzyloxyamine (GYKI-11 121) suppressed the metiamide- and eimetidine-induced increases in histamine synthesis to slightly above or below the control values. In pharmacological studies, the antisecretory activity of histamine H₂-receptor blockers could markedly be potentiated by HDI. In GYKI-11 121 and NSD-1055-pretreated rats, the inhibiting potency of metiamide and cimetidine on pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion, increased to approximately twice that of the original effect. Neither GYKI-11 121 nor NSD-1055 produced significant inhibition on pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion in the applied doses. These findings provided evidence for the feedback stimulation of gastric HA synthesis by H₂-receptor blockers and confirmed the role of HA in the gastric acid secretion. Potentiation of the antisecretory activity of H₂-receptor antagonists by HDI would be useful in the therapeutic application of these compounds.