To study the polyclonal B-lymphocyte stimulation or activation (PBA) phenomenon in human malaria, the numbers of immunoglobulin (G, A, and M)-secreting cells in the peripheral blood, serum levels of immunoglobulins, and the presence of antibodies directed against the DNA-autoantigen were evaluated in Plasmodium falciparum- and P. vivax-infected individuals. Individuals chronically exposed to the risk of infection or non-immune subjects who contracted malaria during first visits to endemic areas were studied. Numbers of immunoglobulin-secreting cells (IgSC) were increased dependent upon ongoing parasitemia. Levels of IgG and the anti-DNA activity were also augmented in malarious individuals from the endemic area. Study of the kinetics of PBA done in treated patients showed that PBA decreased during treatment and disappeared 5-15 days after the start of chemotherapy. 相似文献
The effect of the degree of illiteracy (complete or incomplete) on phonological skills, verbal and visual memory and visuospatial skills is examined in 97 normal Brazilian adults who considered themselves illiterate, and 41 Brazilian school children aged 7 to 8 years, either nonreaders or beginning readers. Similar literacy effects were observed in children and in adults. Tasks involving phonological awareness and visual recognition memory of nonsense figures distinguish the best nonreaders and beginning readers. Children performed better than adults at oral repetition of short items and figure recall, and adults better than children at semantic verbal fluency, digit span, and word list recall. A principal component analysis of the correlations between tasks showed that phonological awareness/reading, phonological memory/oral repetition, and semantic verbal memory/fluency tasks, generated different components. The respective role of culturally based preschool activities and literacy on the cognitive functions that are explored in this study is discussed. 相似文献
From the experiments described, it can be seen that there are different
research approaches that can be taken and these are summarized in Table 1.
Whereas much scientific research is principally hypothesis led, there
remains, nevertheless, an important place for exploratory research. High
resolution NMR can measure, directly and simultaneously, a wide range of
endogenous metabolites in biological fluids and has the unique capability
of providing structural information on the metabolites detected. It has
proved to be a powerful research tool with which to study inherited
metabolic diseases, renal disease, drug metabolism, and toxicity, and can
be used to monitor the effects of drug therapy. For instance, by using a
library of experimental toxins one can map the metabolic profile of
site-specific nephron injury. With this approach in man one could
eventually take an unknown disease such as Balkan nephropathy and predict
the initial site of tubular injury, the mode of injury and therefore the
kind of toxin capable of producing that injury. NMR spectroscopic
techniques are still advancing rapidly, with ever increasing sensitivity
and sophistication of NMR pulse sequences to enhance structural elucidation
in complex mixtures. Given the advances in directly coupled HPLC-NMR and
even HPLC-NMR-mass spectroscopy it is likely that these technologies in
conjunction with pattern recognition will make major contribution to our
understanding of renal processes and provide new diagnostic insights in the
21st century.
相似文献
Two hundred and eighty five patients presenting with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss from 1987 to 1989, were
subjected to a detailed history, pure tone audiogram, aided audiogram, Brain Stem Evoked Response Audiometry, Electrocochleography,
Cochlear Nerve Test, and Tomograms of the temporal bones. All the data collected was subsequently analysed. 相似文献
Background. A major concern in evaluating dynamic cardiomyoplasty has been whether the synchronous stimulation of latissimus dorsi muscle is essential for benefit or not. We studied 10 patients to determine the efficacy of the systolic augmentation generated by the synchronous electrical stimulation of the latissimus dorsi muscle.
Methods. Left ventricular ejection fraction, end-systolic and end-diastolic volume indexes, and stroke volume index obtained during resting, peak exercise, and recovery periods (“on” values) were compared with those obtained 1 week after cessation of electrical stimulus (“off” values). Double product and estimated total body oxygen consumption at peak exercise were also calculated and compared.
Results. Higher ejection fractions (0.36 ± 0.07 versus 0.33 ± 0.06 at rest, 0.40 ± 0.07 versus 0.33 ± 0.07 peak exercise, and 0.37 ± 0.06 versus 0.31 ± 0.06 at recovery) and lower end-systolic volume indexes with relatively constant end-diastolic volume indexes were observed with the cardiomyostimulator on. Further, exercise response was better with the cardiomyostimulator on. Double product indirectly reflected better myocardial oxygen supply/demand ratio when on at peak exercise (17 ± 2.2 mm Hg × beats/min × 10−3 for on versus 19 ± 2.6 mm Hg × beats/min × 10−3 for off). Estimated total body oxygen consumption was improved at peak exercise when the cardiomyostimulator was functional (12 ± 2.7 mL · kg−1 · min−1 versus 11 ± 2.6 mL · kg−1 · min−1).
Conclusions. Current data suggest a true systolic assist during synchronous contractions of the latissimus dorsi muscle. It is thought, therefore, that synchronous electrical stimulation is essential for maximum benefit and all the beneficial effect of cardiomyoplasty certainly cannot be attributed to simple wrapping itself. 相似文献
In one scenario of gene evolution, exon shuffling has a fundamental role in increasing gene diversity. As DNA sequences accumulate in the databases, the picture of the intron/exon structures of genes becomes more and more clear. We discuss in this review some features of this picture that suggest that introns have been present since the early stages of evolution, and that exon shuffling was a fundamental process in the construction of ancient as well as modern genes. 相似文献
The excitotoxicity of the neurotransmitter glutamate has been shown to be connected with many acute and chronic diseases of the CNS. High affinity sodium-dependent glutamate transporters play a key role in maintaining adequate levels of extracellular glutamate. In the present study, we used slices of striatum, hippocampus and cortex from rat brain to describe the in vitro profile of glutamate uptake during development and ageing, and its sensitivity to guanosine. In all structures, glutamate uptake was higher in immature animals. There was a maximum decrease in glutamate uptake in striatum and hippocampus in 15-month-old rats, which later increased, while in cortex there was a significant decrease in rats aged 60 days old. The effect of guanosine seems to be age and structure dependent since the increase in basal glutamate uptake was only seen in slices of cortex from 10-day-old animals. 相似文献
The effect on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthesis of focal ischaemia in the right cortex of the mouse was investigated by performing a right middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Synthesis of GABA was determined by measurement of the rate of GABA accumulation in tissue following injection of amino oxyacetic acid (AOAA; 30 mg/kg, i.p.). Five min following the MCA occlusion, the rate of GABA synthesis in the right (ischaemic) cortex was decreased by approximately 70% compared to either the left cortex or the right cortex of untreated controls. The basal GABA concentration was however unaffected. Four hours after the occlusion the rate of GABA synthesis was similar in the right and left cortex. The rate of GABA accumulation in the cerebellum was unchanged at both times after the right MCA occlusion compared with untreated control mice. The data suggest that there is a rapid but short lasting decrease in GABA synthesis following an ischaemic insult and it is suggested that this might be associated with the EEG spiking activity that occurs at this time. 相似文献
The variability of thoracic impedance cardiogram signals was studied in a normal population with the objective of determining
the effect of different respiratory manoeuvres and the optimal criteria for acquisition of this type of physiological signal.
The variability of the first derivative of the thoracic impedance signal (dZ/dt) was determined at each 5ms intervals along
the signal as the ensemble confidence limits of 3% and 97% around the coherent average. The results obtained indicate that:
(a) signal variability is minimum during respiratory apnea (p<0.05) as compared with apneusis or normal respiration, (b) signal
patterns are different during apnea and apneusis, and (c) during normal respiration the cardiac component of the thoracic
impedance signal can be extracted from the respiratory noise by coherent average yielding a signal with the same pattern obtained
during apnea. 相似文献
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were obtained from eight patients in two hospitals in Curitiba, Brazil. The isolates were multiresistant, belonged to a single strain, and produced the OXA-23 carbapenemase. Treatment options were limited, although the isolates were susceptible to polymyxin B in vitro. The strain contributed to the deaths of five patients. 相似文献