APRIL and TALL-I and receptors BCMA and TACI: system for regulating humoral immunity

We report that the tumor neurosis factor homolog APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand) stimulates in vitro proliferation of primary B and T cells and increases spleen weight due to accumulation of B cells in vivo. APRIL functions via binding to BCMA (B cell maturation antigen) and TACI (transmembrane activator and CAML-interactor) and competes with TALL-I (also called BLyS or BAFF) for receptor binding. Soluble BCMA and TACI specifically prevent binding of APRIL and block APRIL-stimulated proliferation of primary B cells. BCMA-Fc also inhibits production of antibodies against keyhole limpet hemocyanin and Pneumovax in mice, indicating that APRIL and/or TALL-I signaling via BCMA and/or TACI are required for generation of humoral immunity. Thus, APRIL-TALL-I and BCMA-TACI form a two ligands-two receptors pathway involved in stimulation of B and T cell function.     

脐血ANF、CG和β2-m检测与高危新生儿心、肝、肾功能关系的研究

应用放射免疫法对112例、170例和113例新生儿脐血分作ANF、CG和β_2测定。结果:(1)早产儿和地期产儿ANF、CG和β_2-m的含量显著高于正常足月儿,与正常儿比较P值分别为:P<0.001、P<0.01、P<0.05。(2)高危新生儿出生1分钟Apgar评分越低,脐血ANF、CG和β_2m的含量越高。Apgar评分0′～3′和4′～7′组脐血ANF、CG和β_2-m含量高于8′～10′组。(3)高危儿的转归不同,脐血ANF、CG和β_2-m含量差异也极为显著。抢救成活组、死亡组脐血ANF、CG和β_2-m含量明显高于正常成活组(P值均<0.01)。(4)本文经抢救和死亡高危儿共27例同时检测了上述三项指标ANF、CG、β_2-m的含量呈高度正相关。 研究结果表明,高危新生儿ANF、CG和β_2-m的含量越高,心、肝、肾功能受损程度越严重。因此,脐血ANF、CG和β_2-m可客观而可靠地反映高危新生儿心、肝、肾功能,具有较高的临床应用价值。     

Hormones increase mRNA of cyclic-nucleotide-gated cation channels in airway epithelia

Previous studies have shown that the mRNA of cyclic-nucleotide-gated nonselective cation (CNG) channels is expressed in rat airway epithelia and that these channels contribute to sodium-mediated short-circuit currents in cultured rat tracheal epithelia. Patch-clamp studies from human A549 cells indicate that these channels contribute to cGMP-stimulated L-cis-diltiazem- and dichlorobenzamil-inhibited whole-cell sodium currents. This study demonstrates that mRNA for primary and secondary subunits of CNG channels, halphaCNG1 and hbetaCNG1 respectively, are expressed in several human airway cell lines, including normal and cystic fibrosis bronchial airway cells, in normal and cystic fibrosis tracheal airway cell lines and nasal polyp tissue from a cystic fibrosis patient. The mRNA of ralphaCNG1 in rat lung increased in response to increased circulating glucocorticoids and decreased in animals with lowered circulating glucocorticoids after aminoglutethimide treatment. Likewise the mRNA of halphaCNG1 increased in the presence of glucocorticoids in cultured alveolar airway cells. The mRNA of alphaCNG1 in rat lung was also increased in response to a low-salt diet and lowered in animals fed a high-salt diet. Likewise the mRNA of alphaCNG1 was increased in response to increased aldosterone and decreased in animals given spironolactone. These results suggest that mRNA for alphaCNG1 increases in response to elevated glucocorticoids or mineralocorticoids. Because alphaCNG1 is a functional sodium entry channel in both rat and human airway epithelial cells, if channel protein is also elevated this channel could mediate an increase in sodium absorption across lung epithelia in response to circulating hormones.     

Effects of sleep on pain-related somatosensory evoked potentials in humans

We investigated effects of sleep on pain-related somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) following painful electrical stimulation of the left index finger. The biggest advantage of this method is that signals ascending through both A-beta fibers relating to touch and A-delta fibers relating to pain can be recorded simultaneously. While the subject was awake, non-painful stimulation evoked early- and middle latency components, N20, P30 and N60, at the C4 electrode, and painful stimulation evoked not only early- and middle latency components at the C4 but also later pain-specific components, N130 and P240, at the Cz electrode. During sleep, N20 and P30 did not show a significant change in amplitude, N60 showed a slight but significant amplitude reduction, and N130 and P240 significantly decreased in amplitude or disappeared, as compared with those while awake. Therefore, we speculate on the mechanisms generating each component as follows; (1) N20 and P30 are the primary components generated in SI ascending through A-beta fibers. (2) N60 is the secondary component generated in SI involving cognitive function to some degree. (3) N130-P240 are the pain-specific components ascending through A-delta fibers, and closely related to cognitive function, because they were much affected by consciousness, different from the components ascending through A-beta fibers.     

河南省幼师学生心理健康状况调查分析

目的 了解河南省幼师学生的心理健康状况，为提高幼师的心理素质提供依据。方法 对来自河南南阳一师，洛阳一师，郑州幼师3所学校的580名幼师女生进行症状自评量表（SCL-90）测定。数据经t检验，q检验和卡方检验。结果 幼师在校生中有63.81%学生存在心理健康问题。11.43%学生有明显心理障碍，突出表现为强迫，人际敏感，偏执，敌对，抑郁，不同年级学生心理健康状况存在明显差异。结论 提示幼师学生存在不同程度心理健康问题。学校心理卫生和教育工作者必须予以重视，进行干预。     

Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic and microphase-separated graft copolymers, 1. Synthesis and bulk characterization of polystyrene-graft-ω-stearyl-poly(ethylene oxide)

Using the rigid and hydrophobic polystyrene (PS) chain as backbone, onto which flexible and hydrophilic stearyl-poly(ethylene oxide) (SPEO) chains are grafted, a new kind of amphiphilic, microphase-separated graft copolymer was synthesized using the macromonomer technique. Stearyl-poly(ethylene oxide) macromonomers with acryloyl end-group (SPEO-A) were prepared through an end-group exchange reaction of α-stearyl-ω-hydroxypoly(ethylene oxide) (SPEO-OH) and acryloyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine. The radical copolymerization of styrene with SPEO-A was carried out under various experimental conditions. Following a careful examination of their purity, the structure of the prepared copolymers was characterized by means of IR, ¹H NMR and GPC analyses. A new feasible method using first derivative UV spectrometry was developed for quantitative determination of the bulk composition of the graft copolymers. Copolymers with a wide range of bulk composition and satisfactory grafting degree were obtained.     

Significance of cytogenetic and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis in evaluating antichronic myeloid leukemia efficacy of different immune effector cells

We report on the antileukemia effect of interleukin 2 (IL2) on different immune cells from 22 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Bone marrow cells from these patients were first cultured in modified long-term bone marrow culture medium for several days, then separately cultured with lymphokine activated killer cells (LAK), cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK), and dendritic cell cocultured CIK (DC-CIK) for another 1-2 days. They were then detected for presence of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) by cytogenetic analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The percentage of Ph-chromosome-positive cells in the bone marrow mononuclear cells after culturing with CIK and DC-CIK was significantly lower than that after culturing with IL2 or LAK. Our results demonstrate that cytogenetics and FISH are useful techniques for the evaluation of the anti-CML effect of immune cells and that CIK or DC-CIK can be appropriate candidates for adoptive immune cell therapy in vivo or for leukemia cell purging ex vivo.     

2型糖尿病患者垂体-肾上腺轴的变化与胰岛素抵抗

目的探讨2型糖尿病患者早期垂体-肾上腺轴的改变与胰岛素抵抗(IR)的关系。方法采用化学发光等方法测定67例新诊断的2型糖尿病患者和33名志愿者(对照组)的血皮质醇(F)和促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH)(8Am、4Pm和地米抑制后次8Am)以及血清胰岛素(INS)、C肽(C-P)和血糖水平;按HOMA模型计算胰岛素抵抗指数HOM-IR=FINS×FBG/22.5,以此反映2型糖尿病患者IR的情况。结果①2型糖尿病患者8Am血浆F和ACTH、4Pm和地米抑制后次8Am血浆F、血糖、INS、C-P水平以及HOMA-IR均明显高于对照组(P<0.01);②4Pm和地米抑制后次8Am血浆ACTH水平显著低于对照组;③直线相关统计分析显示,皮质醇浓度的升高与空腹血糖升高呈正相关(r=0.48,P<0.01)。与HOMA-IR的升高无直线相关性。结论2型糖尿病患者早期呈现ACTH、皮质醇过度分泌和慢性垂体-肾上腺轴功能紊乱,诱发并加重了糖代谢紊乱和胰岛素抵抗。