Region-specific growth properties and trophic requirements of brain- and spinal cord-derived rat embryonic neural precursor cells

To determine whether neural precursor cells have region-specific growth properties, we compared the proliferation, mitogenicity, and differentiation of these cells isolated from the embryonic day 16 rat forebrain and spinal cord. Neural precursor cells isolated from both regions were cultured in growth medium supplemented with epidermal growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, or epidermal growth factor+basic fibroblast growth factor. Under all three conditions, both neural precursor cell populations proliferated for multiple passages. While spinal cord-derived neural precursor cells proliferated moderately faster in epidermal growth factor-enriched growth medium, brain-derived cells proliferated much faster in basic fibroblast growth factor-enriched growth medium. When exposed to both epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor, the two neural precursor cell populations expanded and proliferated more rapidly than when exposed to a single factor, with brain-derived neural precursor cells expanding significantly faster than spinal cord-derived ones (P<0.0001). Differentiation studies showed that both neural precursor cell populations were multi-potent giving rise to neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. However, neuronal differentiation from brain-derived neural precursor cells was greater than spinal cord-derived ones (11.95+/-5.00% vs 1.92+/-1.13%; passage 2). Further, the two neural precursor cell populations differentiated into a similar percentage of oligodendrocytes (brain: 8.66+/-5.85%; spinal cord: 7.69+/-3.91%; passage 2). Immunofluorescence and Western blot studies showed that neural precursor cells derived from both regions expressed receptors for basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor. However, brain-derived neural precursor cells expressed higher levels of the two receptors than spinal cord-derived ones in growth medium containing epidermal growth factor+basic fibroblast growth factor. Thus, our results showed that neural precursor cells isolated from the two regions of the CNS have distinct properties and growth requirements. Identifying phenotypic differences between these neural precursor cell populations and their growth requirements should provide new insights into the development of cell therapies for region-specific neurological degenerative diseases.     

Thymocyte and peripheral blood T lymphocyte subpopulation changes in piglets following in utero infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Piglets infected in utero with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) are born severely immunocompromised. In this article we more closely examine the effects of in utero PRRSV infection on circulating and thymic T cell populations. Numbers of CD4+, CD8+, and dual-positive lymphocytes were quantitated in circulation and in the thymus during the 2 weeks following birth. At birth we found that the number of circulating lymphocytes was suppressed by 60%. Lymphocyte numbers were also suppressed by 42% at day 7, but by day 14 the number of lymphocytes had rebounded and was actually 47% greater than controls. At birth and day 7, a drop in the number of CD4+ cells could partially explain the suppression we observed, while the rebound in total lymphocyte numbers seen at day 14 was due to a nearly fourfold increase in the number of circulating CD8+ cells. As a result, the normal CD4+:CD8+ ratio of between 1.4 and 2.2 for neonatal pigs was reduced to 0.1-0.5. The thymuses of infected piglets were found to be 50% smaller than those of control pigs and were characterized by cortical involution and severe cortical depletion of thymocytes. Analysis of the population of thymocytes revealed that double-positive thymocytes were suppressed to a greater degree than either single positive subpopulation. In addition, we show that the number of thymocytes undergoing apoptosis was increased twofold in piglets infected with PRRSV. Taken together, these results help explain the dramatic immunosuppression observed in neonatal animals infected in utero with PRRSV.     

金针菇子实体多糖提取物对人肝癌SMMC—7721细胞的抑增殖作用

金针菇子实体经热水提取，乙醇沉淀，胰蛋白酶水解，Ｓｅｖａｇ法去除蛋白质，乙醇分级沉淀等处理得金针菇子实体多糖。研究了该多糖对人肝部ＳＭＭＣ－７７２１细胞生长曲线，有丝分裂指数及线粒体活性的影响。结果表明该多糖对体外培养的人肝癌ＳＭＭＣ－７７２１细胞具一定抑制作用。     

大鼠脑皮质微血管内皮细胞培养和形态学观察

为获取较纯净脑微血管内皮细胞进行血脑屏障的病理生理研究，我们采用脑组织匀浆、过滤和酶消化技术分离大鼠脑微血管，对分离的脑微血管内皮细胞进行了体外培养和形态学观察。倒置显微镜下，细胞具有单层“卵石样”排列的典型特征、电镜观察可见细胞间连接，免疫酶技术显示，95％以上的细胞为第Ⅷ因子相关抗原反应阳性，进一步证实为血管内皮细胞。     

脚压测量用传感器

本文讨论了用于脚压测量的四类压力传感器，电阻式传感器、压电式传感器，光电式传感器，电容式传感器介绍了其结构、原理和特点，并分析了几种典型的测量接口电路。     

Molecular typing of the etiologic agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis

The p44 gene of the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (aoHGE) encodes a 44-kDa major outer surface protein. A technique was developed for the typing of the aoHGE based on the PCR amplification of the p44 gene followed by a multiple restriction digest with HindIII, EcoRV, and AspI to generate restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns. Twenty-four samples of the aoHGE were collected from geographically dispersed sites in the United States and included isolates from humans, equines, canines, small mammals, and ticks. Six granulocytic ehrlichiosis (GE) types were identified. The GE typing method is relatively simple to perform, is reproducible, and is able to differentiate among the various isolates of granulocytic ehrlichiae in the United States. These characteristics suggest that this GE typing method may be an important epizootiological and epidemiological tool.     

Morphometric analysis of the immunohistochemical expression of Clara cell 10-kDa protein and surfactant apoproteins A and B in the developing bronchi and bronchioles of human fetuses and neonates

 Morphometric analyses of the immunohistochemical expression of the Clara cell secretory 10-kDa protein (CC10) and surfactant apoproteins A and B (SP-A and -B) were carried out on the developing bronchi and bronchioles of human fetuses and neonates. We analysed the ratio of the number of CC10-positive cells per subepithelial length of the bronchial or bronchiolar basement membrane and found that both the bronchial and the bronchiolar population of CC10-positive cells was significantly higher than that of either SP-A or SP-B. In addition, CC10 was found to be distributed mainly in the bronchiole. CC10-positive cells began to be recognized in the late pseudoglandular phase (15 weeks of gestation) and thereafter gradually increased in the canalicular and terminal sac phases, which correspond to the active development period of the acini or peripheral airways. The earliest expression of SP-A was also noted at 15 weeks of gestation, but its positive epithelial cells were present mainly in the larger bronchi. Double immunohistochemical staining for CC10 and SP-A revealed that the CC10-positive cells lining both the bronchi and bronchioles were different from the SP-A-positive cells. This finding suggests that CC10-positive cells are functionally and developmentally heterogeneous in both fetal and neonatal lungs in humans Received: 22 May 1997 / Accepted: 21 July 1997     

Involvement of ERK, p38 and NF-kappaB signal transduction in regulation of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 gene expression induced by lipopolysaccharide in mouse dendritic cells

Toll-like receptors (TLR) are sentinel receptors capable of recognizing pathogen-associated molecule patterns (PAMP) such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and CpG-containing oligonucleotides (CpG ODN). TLR2 and TLR4 are major receptors for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cell wall components, respectively. TLR9 is necessary for CpG signalling. LPS or CpG ODN can activate immature dendritic cells (DC) and induce DC maturation characterized by production of cytokines, up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules, and increased ability to activate T cells. However, little is known regarding the regulation of TLR gene expression in mouse DC. In this study, we investigated the regulation of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 gene expression by LPS in murine immature DC. TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 mRNA were up-regulated following LPS stimulation. The up-regulation of TLR9 expression coincided with significantly increased production of tumour necrosis factor-alpha induced by LPS plus CpG ODN. While inhibition of extracellular signal-related kinase and NF-kappaB activation suppressed the up-regulation of the expression of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 mRNA, inhibition of p38 kinase prevented the up-regulation of TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA expression but enhanced the up-regulation of TLR9 expression. These results demonstrated that TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 gene expression was differently regulated by LPS in mouse immature DC. Up-regulation of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 expression by LPS might promote the overall responses of DC to bacteria and help to explain the synergy between LPS and other bacterial products in the induction of cytokine production.     

腰骶部SPR术中脊神经前后根定位的应用解剖

目的：为ＳＰＲ提供可靠的术中脊神经前、后根鉴别的解剖学依据。方法：在２０例成人脊柱标本上,去除后部结构,暴露整个马尾神经,对Ｌ１～Ｓ２节段的前后根进行形态学观察和测量。结果：脊神经后根位于马尾的后半部,前根则位于前半部。脊神经后根较相应的前根粗大,后根从Ｌ１～Ｓ１逐渐增大,以Ｓ１为最粗大;前根则以Ｌ３最粗大。相应前后根出硬脊膜前,有一段相互贴附并紧贴硬脊膜侧壁。结论：在多椎板切除ＳＰＲ术中前、后根的定位及鉴别,暴露时可根据前、后根出硬脊膜前的相互贴附;在限制性椎板切除时则可通过脊髓外侧索和Ｌ１前、后根之间的最下端的齿状韧带加以鉴别     

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in repair of the injured lung

We sought to determine whether an intact bone marrow is essential to lung repair following bleomycin-induced lung injury in mice, and the mechanisms of any protective effects conferred by bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMDMSC) transfer. We found that myelosupression increased susceptibility to bleomycin injury and that BMDMSC transfer was protective. Protection was associated with the differentiation of engrafted BMDMSC into specific and distinct lung cell phenotypes, with an increase in circulating levels of G-CSF and GM-CSF (known for their ability to promote the mobilization of endogenous stem cells) and with a decrease in inflammatory cytokines. In vitro, cells from injured, but not from normal, mouse lung produced soluble factors that caused BMDMSC to proliferate and migrate toward the injured lung. We conclude that bone marrow stem cells are important in the repair of bleomycin-injured lung and that transfer of mesenchymal stem cells protects against the injury. BMDMSC localize to the injured lung and assume lung cell phenotypes, but protection from injury and fibrosis also involves suppression of inflammation and triggering production of reparative growth factors.