Galactosylated PVDF membrane promotes hepatocyte attachment and functional maintenance

One of the major challenges in BLAD design is to develop functional substrates suitable for hepatocyte attachment and functional maintenance. In the present study, we designed a poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) surface coated with galactose-tethered Pluronic polymer. The galactose-derived Pluronic F68 (F68-Gal) was adsorbed on PVDF membrane through hydrophobic-hydrophobic interaction between PVDF and the polypropylene oxide segment in Pluronic. The galactose density on the modified PVDF surface increased with the concentration of the F68-Gal solution, reaching 15.4 nmol galactosyl groups per cm2 when a 1 mg/ml of F68-Gal solution was used. The adsorbed F68-Gal remained relatively stable in culture medium. Rat hepatocytes attachment efficiency on F68-Gal modified PVDF membrane was similar to that on collagen-coated surface. The attached hepatocytes on PVDF/F68-Gal membrane self-assembled into multi-cellular spheroids after 1 day of culture. These attached hepatocytes in spheroids exhibited higher cell functions such as albumin synthesis and P450 1A1 detoxification function compared to unmodified PVDF membrane and collagen-coated surface. These results suggest the potential of this galactose-immobilized PVDF membrane as a suitable substrate for hepatocyte culture.     

Coping strategies,hostility, and depressive symptoms: A path model

Previous studies of coping, hostility, and depressive symptoms have highlighted the significant relations between all possible pairs of these 3 variables. To more completely explore the nature of depressive symptoms, we link them all together in this study by testing a coping→hostility→depressive symptoms path model. One hundred forty participants completed psychological questionnaires measuring coping strategies, hostility, and depressive symptoms. While controlling age and social class as covariates, SPSS stepwise regression analyses were used to examine relations among these 3 constructs. Results suggest that coping has a direct relation with depressive symptoms as well as an indirect relation mediated by hostility. Passive coping may lead to increased hostility, resulting in depressive symptoms. Active coping may have the opposite effect. These findings suggest that the inclusion of measures of both coping strategies and hostility yields a more thorough understanding of concomitants of depressive symptoms. From a clinical perspective, knowing what coping strategies a person uses and how much anger they experience and express may be useful in guiding the management of depressive symptoms.     

Effect of aging on neuroglobin expression in rodent brain

Neuroglobin (Ngb), a recently discovered O2-binding heme protein related to hemoglobin and myoglobin, protects neurons from hypoxic-ischemic injury in vitro and in vivo. In immunostained mouse brain sections, we found widespread expression of Ngb protein in neurons, but not astrocytes, of several brain regions that are prominently involved in age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Western blots from young adult (3 month), middle-aged (12 month), and aged (24 month) rats showed an age-related decline in Ngb expression in cerebral neocortex, hippocampus, caudate-putamen, and cerebellum. Loss of this neuroprotective protein may have a role in increasing susceptibility to age-related neurological disorders.     

Combined use of positive and negative immunomagnetic isolation followed by real-time RT-PCR for detection of the circulating tumor cells in patients with colorectal cancers

To establish a novel molecular diagnostic method of detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) LS174T colon cancer cells were serially diluted with normal blood. Additional peripheral blood samples were collected from 25 patients with colorectal carcinoma. Mononuclear cells (MNCs) were collected, equally divided into four parts, and then cancer cells were enriched by four methods: method A, nonimmunobead method; method B, negative immunobead method: CD45 immunomagnetic beads were used to deplete the leukocytes; method C, positive immunobead method: Ber-EP4 immunomagnetic beads were used to enrich cancer cells; method D, negative-and-positive immunobead method: CD45 immunomagnetic beads were first used to deplete the leukocytes from MNC and then Ber-EP4 immunomagnetic beads were used to enrich cancer cells. Finally, real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to monitor mRNA expression of ₂-mircoglobulin (2M) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The relative CEA mRNA values were corrected with reference to 2M mRNA, to CEA mRNA/2M mRNA ratios according to a CEA mRNA external standards prepared with tenfold serial dilutions (1–10⁴ IS174T cells) of cDNA and 2M mRNA external standards prepared with tenfold serial dilutions (10²–10⁷ leukocytes) of cDNA. In recovery experiments a significant correlation between the number of cancer cells and CEA mRNA expression was found when CD45 or Ber-EP4 immunomagnetic beads were used alone. A highly significant correlation was found when CD45 and Ber-EP4 immunomagnetic beads were used successively. The sensitivity of method D was one cancer cell per milliliter of blood. Circulating cancer cells were detected in 19 of 25 patients with colorectal cancers. The relative CEA mRNA value obtained by method D was the smallest. The positive detection rate of circulating cancer cells in patients at Dukes B, C, and D stages were 25.0% (1/4), 83.3% (10/12), and 88.9% (8/9). Combinative use of immunomagnetic isolation followed by real-time RT-PCR is a useful technique to detect circulating tumor cells in patients with colorectal carcinomas. Applying negative and positive immunomagnetic beads successively yields the highest correlation with amount of tumor cells.     

Electrophysiological neurodifferentiation of subventricular zone-derived precursor cells following stroke

Stroke in rodents is associated with increased neurogenesis and the migration of newborn neurons to sites of brain ischemia, where they may participate in repair and recovery. To determine if neurogenesis following stroke yields functional new neurons, we labeled neuronal precursors in the mouse subventricular zone (SVZ) with a lentivirus-green fluorescent protein vector, produced stroke by occluding the middle cerebral artery, and detected newborn neurons 8 weeks later by fluorescence microscopy. Patch-clamp studies on fluorescent neurons in the cortical region surrounding infarction showed tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na⁺ action potentials and spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic currents, suggesting that ischemia led to functional neurogenesis with synaptic integration. These findings support the hypothesis that enhancing endogenous neurogenesis after stroke might have therapeutic benefit.     

糖皮质激素代谢酶11β-羟基类固醇脱氢酶Ⅰ型在新生大鼠脑内的分布与表达

目的　观察新生大鼠脑发育成熟过程中糖皮质激素代谢酶 11β 羟基类固醇脱氢酶Ⅰ型 (11β HSD1)的变化。　方法　免疫组织化学和Western印迹杂交的方法。　结果　免疫组织化学染色表明 ,11β HSD1分布于新生大鼠大脑皮层的各个层次 ,但以Ⅱ层 (外颗粒层 )含量为最高、Ⅲ (锥体细胞层 )、Ⅳ (内颗粒层 )层 11β HSD1的含量次之。海马的各个区域和齿状回也均有 11β HSD1的分布。Western印迹杂交分析表明 ,新生鼠顶叶皮层、海马和下丘脑 11β HSD1的表达在出生后 2周内表达一直比较高 ,第 15d时其表达开始下降。　结论　提示新生鼠大脑 11β HSD1的表达可能与糖皮质激素促进脑组织的发育和成熟有关。     

人SNCA基因真核表达载体的构建及其在PC12细胞中的表达

目的:构建含人野生型及致病突变A30P、A53TSNCA基因的重组真核表达载体pEGFP-C3-SNCA,并通过稳定转染获得过表达人野生型及致病突变A30P、A53T α-synuclein(SNCA)的单克隆PC12细胞株.方法:通过RT-PCR方法扩增SNCA基因,T-A克隆后测序.在此基础上利用单核苷酸差异引物定点诱变法相继构建含SNCA基因编码区EcoR Ⅰ、BamH Ⅰ两酶切位点的同义突变及其致病突变G88C(Ala30Pro)、G209A(Ala53Thr)的重组真核表达载体pEGFP-C3-SNCA,并以PCR、双酶切、测序鉴定.以重组质粒pEGFP-C3-SNCA通过脂质体转染方法转染PC12细胞;以G418进行筛选;以有限稀释法进行亚克隆获得稳定过表达人野生型及致病突变A30P、A53T α-synuclein的单克隆PC12细胞株,并以稳定转染pEGFP-C3的PC12细胞作为对照组细胞,通过RT-PCR、Western blot及荧光显微镜鉴定各单克隆PC12细胞株.结果:PCR、酶切及测序证明重组真核表达载体pEGFP-C3-SNCA构建成功.RT-PCR、Western blot及荧光显微镜确认目的基因序列在PC12细胞稳定过表达.结论:成功地构建SNCA基因WT及A30P与A53T突变型的重组真核表达载体pEGFP-C3-SNCA;成功获得过表达人野生型及致病突变A30P、A53T α-synuclein的单克隆PC12细胞株.