Swordfish bill injury involving abdomen and vertebral column: case report and review

Background  

Penetrating injuries of the abdomen and spinal canal that involve organic material of animal origin are extremely rare and derive from domestic and wild animal attacks or fish attacks.     

Kinetic Analysis of the Toxicity of Pharmaceutical Excipients Cremophor EL and RH40 on Endothelial and Epithelial Cells

Cremophor EL and RH40 are widely used excipients in oral and intravenous drug formulations such as Taxol infusion to improve drug dissolution and absorption. Studies indicate that Cremophors, especially EL, have toxic side effects, but few data are available on endothelial and epithelial cells, which form biological barriers and are directly exposed to these molecules. Human hCMEC/D3 brain endothelial and Caco-2 epithelial cells were treated with Cremophor EL and RH40 in the 0.1–50 mg/mL concentration range. Cell toxicity was monitored by real-time cell microelectronic sensing and verified by lactate dehydrogenase release and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays, and morphological methods. Cremophors caused dose- and time-dependent damage in both cell types. In endothelial cells, 0.1 mg/mL and higher concentrations, in epithelial cells, concentrations of 5 mg/mL and above were toxic, especially at longer incubations. Cell death was also proven by double fluorescent staining of cell nuclei. Immunostaining for tight junction proteins claudin-4 and -5 showed barrier disruption in cells treated by surfactants at 24 h. In conclusion, Cremophor EL and RH40 in concentrations corresponding to clinical doses caused endothelial and epithelial toxicity. Endothelial cells were more sensitive to surfactant treatment than epithelial cells, and Cremophor EL was more toxic than RH40 in both cell types.     

自杀未遂患者的心理因素分析及心理干预研究

目的探讨自杀未遂患者的心理因素,给予随访及心理护理干预,提高他们的生活质量。方法 96例自杀未遂患者随机分为研究组和对照组。研究组在住院时给予常规护理并随访1年及心理干预,对照组在住院时仅给予常规护理及1年后随访。两组在入组及结束时都做心理健康问卷、生活事件量表、应付方式问卷、生活质量综合问卷评定。结果结束时研究组自杀未遂者心理健康问卷各方面均有明显的改观,对照组自杀未遂者心理健康问卷各方面均无明显改观,经统计学分析,两组间各单项改善差异有显著意义,P0.01。结束时研究组的生活事件、应付方式、生活质量有明显改善。结论自杀未遂行为多由与家庭有关的生活事件及不成熟的应付方式引起。通过心理护理干预可明显改善自杀未遂者心理健康状况、减少生活事件频度和再自杀危险、改善其对生活事件的应付方式,提高了自杀未遂者的生活质量。     

Activated microglia enhance neurogenesis via trypsinogen secretion

White matter neurons in multiple sclerosis brains are destroyed during demyelination and then replaced in some chronic multiple sclerosis lesions that exhibit a morphologically distinct population of activated microglia [Chang A, et al. (2008) Brain 131(Pt 9):2366–2375]. Here we investigated whether activated microglia secrete factors that promote the generation of neurons from white matter cells. Adult rat brain microglia (resting or activated with lipopolysaccharide) were isolated by flow cytometry and cocultured with neonatal rat optic nerve cells in separate but media-connected chambers. Optic nerve cells cocultured with activated microglia showed a significant increase in the number of cells of neuronal phenotype, identified by neuron-specific class III beta-tubulin (TUJ-1) labeling, compared with cultures with resting microglia. To investigate the possible source of the TUJ-1–positive cells, A2B5-positive oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and A2B5-negative cells were isolated and cocultured with resting and activated microglia. Significantly more TUJ-1–positive cells were generated from A2B5-negative cells (∼70%) than from A2B5-positive cells (∼30%). Mass spectrometry analysis of microglia culture media identified protease serine 2 (PRSS2) as a factor secreted by activated, but not resting, microglia. When added to optic nerve cultures, PRSS2 significantly increased neurogenesis, whereas the serine protease inhibitor, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor, decreased activated microglia-induced neurogenesis. Collectively our data provide evidence that activated microglia increase neurogenesis through secretion of PRSS2.     

Antioxidant Activity of Newly Synthesized 2,7‐Diazaphenothiazines

A series of 19 derivatives of 2,7‐diazaphenothiazine was synthesized and evaluated for their antioxidant activity bearing in mind the structural similarity with “classical” phenothiazines several of which are considered powerful antioxidants. Among the new derivatives that inhibited in vitro Fe²⁺/ascorbate‐induced lipid peroxidation of rat liver microsomal membranes, several exhibited significant antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ values in the range of 64–125 μM. Although N‐substitution led to a variable degree of antioxidant activity, the latter appears to correlate with the lipophilicity (expressed as clogP values) of the substituted derivatives. Reduced lipophilicity may also explain the relatively lower protection offered by these derivatives against lipid peroxidation when compared to their “classical” phenothiazine counterparts. Thus, modification of the phenothiazine structure by a substitution of two benzene rings with pyridine rings to form this new type of azaphenothiazines does not enhance antioxidant activity, although it retains it.     

Developmentally regulated and evolutionarily conserved expression of SLITRK1 in brain circuits implicated in Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is an inherited developmental neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by vocal and motor tics. Multiple lines of neurophysiological evidence implicate dysfunction in the corticostriatal‐thalamocortical circuits in the etiology of TS. We recently identified rare sequence variants in the Slit and Trk‐like family member 1 (SLITRK1) gene associated with TS. SLITRK1, a single‐pass transmembrane protein, displays similarities to the SLIT family of secreted ligands, which have roles in axonal repulsion and dendritic patterning, but its function and developmental expression remain largely unknown. Here we provide evidence that SLITRK1 has a developmentally regulated expression pattern in projection neurons of the corticostriatal‐thalamocortical circuits. SLITRK1 is further enriched in the somatodendritic compartment and cytoplasmic vesicles of cortical pyramidal neurons in mouse, monkey, and human brain, observations suggestive of an evolutionarily conserved function in mammals. SLITRK1 is transiently expressed in the striosomal/patch compartment of the mammalian striatum and moreover is associated with the direct output pathway; adult striatal expression is confined to cholinergic interneurons. These analyses demonstrate that the expression of SLITRK1 is dynamic and specifically associated with the circuits most commonly implicated in TS and related disorders, suggesting that SLITRK1 contributes to the development of corticostriatal‐thalamocortical circuits. J. Comp. Neurol. 513:21–37, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Breast milk tocopherol content during the first six months in exclusively breastfeeding Greek women

Purpose  

To determine tocopherol and fat content of Greek mother’s milk during the first 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and correlate with maternal diet characteristics.     

Elucidation of structure–activity relationships of 2‐amino‐3‐benzoylthiophenes: Study of their allosteric enhancing vs. antagonistic activity on adenosine A1 receptors

Novel 2‐amino‐3‐benzoylthiophene derivatives, with variable substitution on the thiophene as well as benzoyl ring, were synthesized and evaluated both as allosteric enhancers of agonist binding to the rat adenosine A₁ receptor, and as antagonists on this receptor. Structural features were identified on the novel derivatives that favored allosteric enhancing activity, such as benzoyl lipophilic substitution and thiophene 4‐alkyl substitution. In contrast, antagonistic properties were favored by thiophene 5‐bulky substitution. Upon further analysis, a significant correlation was found between antagonistic activity and hydrophobic fragment constants (π values) of substituent R⁵, in contrast to a negative correlation with those of R⁴. Comparison of low energy conformations of some of the 2‐amino‐3‐benzoylthiophene derivatives (PD81,723 and 4f) with known adenosine A₁ antagonists (theophylline and 8‐cyclohexyltheophylline) indicated that thiophene 5‐substituents may interact with the same lipophilic domain of the adenosine A₁ receptor accommodating 8‐substituents of xanthine antagonists. Drug Dev. Res. 49:227–237, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

远隔缺血预处理在多脏器损伤保护中的临床应用及进展

远隔缺血预处理（remote ischemic preconditioning,RIPC）指在远隔器官如肢体实施短暂的缺血预刺激,提高其他重要靶器官对随后的致死性缺血损伤的耐受能力,同时产生保护重要器官的作用。动物研究已证实RIPC可减轻多种器官缺血再灌注损伤,越来越多的临床研究关注RIPC在保护远端器官损伤中的应用,并证实其在复杂心脏手术、腹主动脉瘤切除术、肾移植手术等发挥一定程度的重要脏器保护作用,减轻高危手术患者的神经元、肠和肺的损伤等。RIPC有望成为未来改善重要靶器官缺血再灌注损伤的重要治疗策略。