人胚胎肺内神经内分泌细胞电镜观察

用透射电镜对不同胎龄的人胚胎肺内神经内分泌细胞进行了发生和超微结构观察。肺内支气管上皮内未分化细胞，第八周开始向神经内分泌细胞转化，提示神经内分泌细胞对早期胚胎肺的发生、发育有特殊意义。神经内分泌细胞内致密核心小泡（ＤＣＶ）及其它与内分泌活动有关的各种细胞器发达。能见到Ｐ０细胞、Ｐ１细胞、Ｐ２细胞及Ｐ３细胞等四种类型的神经内分泌细胞。Ｐ０细胞的发生及分化程度表明它可能是一种前细胞，它可以进一步转化     

Life expectancy in British Marfan syndrome populations

A total of 206 patients with Marfan syndrome were ascertained throughout genetic clinics in Wales and Scotland during the period 1970–1990. There were 45 deaths representing 22% of the cohort. Mean age at death was 45.3 ± 16.5 years. 50% median cumulative survival in the total cohort (n = 206) was 53 years for males and 72 years for females. Multivariate analysis confirmed severity as the best independent indicator of survival. These findings and survival curves will assist in the counselling of British families and individuals with Marfan syndrome.     

Evaluation of RGS4 as a candidate gene for schizophrenia.

Several studies have suggested that the regulator of G-protein signaling 4 (RGS4) may be a positional and functional candidate gene for schizophrenia. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) located at the promoter region (SNP4 and SNP7) and the intron 1 (SNP18) of RGS4 have been verified in different ethnic groups. Positive results have been reported in these SNPs with different numbers of SNP combinatory haplotypes. In this study, these three SNP markers were genotyped in 218 schizophrenia pedigrees of Taiwan (864 individuals) for association analysis. Among these three SNPs, neither SNP4, SNP7, SNP18 has shown significant association with schizophrenia in single locus association analysis, nor any compositions of the three SNP haplotypes has shown significantly associations with the DSM-IV diagnosed schizophrenia. Our results fail to support the RGS4 as a candidate gene for schizophrenia when evaluated from these three SNP markers.     

钙拮抗剂对出血性休克犬重要器官组织中黄嘌呤氧化酶活性的影响

在休克过程中，体内活性氧代谢与细胞内钙超负荷存在着相互影响。为了研究林克和复苏过程中钙拮抗剂对脂质过氧化的影响，用１７只杂种犬快速放血使平均动脉压为５．３２ｋｐｄ，并维持９０ｍｉｎ。然后回输全部失血。在休克３０ｍｉｎ时，各组别静脉注射（１５ｍｉｎ内）硫氮酮（４０ｇ／ｋｇ·ｍｉｎ￣（－１）），异搏定（１０μｇ／ｋｇ·ｍｉｎ￣（－１）），或等量生理盐水。复苏后１５０ｍｉｎ处死动物，取心、肝、肺、肾、胰和小肠组织备检。结果显示，用硫氮酮和异搏定治疗组，各主要脏器组织中黄嘌呤氧化酶活性和丙二醛含量均显著低于休克对照组。而各检测组织中超氧化物歧化酶活性变化不一。这些资料显示钙拮抗剂抗休克的机制与其阻滞Ｃａ２＋内流，降低组织中黄嘌呤氧化酶活性，抑制脂质过氧化有密切关系。     

Human MSH2 binds to trinucleotide repeat DNA structures associated with neurodegenerative diseases

The expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences is associated with several neurodegenerative diseases. The mechanism of this expansion is unknown but may involve slipped-strand structures where adjacent rather than perfect complementary sequences of a trinucleotide repeat become paired. Here, we have studied the interaction of the human mismatch repair protein MSH2 with slipped-strand structures formed from a triplet repeat sequence in order to address the possible role of MSH2 in trinucleotide expansion. Genomic clones of the myotonic dystrophy locus containing disease-relevant lengths of (CTG)n x (CAG)n triplet repeats were examined. We have constructed two types of slipped-strand structures by annealing complementary strands of DNA containing: (i) equal numbers of trinucleotide repeats (homoduplex slipped structures or S-DNA) or (ii) different numbers of repeats (heteroduplex slipped intermediates or SI-DNA). SI-DNAs having an excess of either CTG or CAG repeats were structurally distinct and could be separated electrophoretically and studied individually. Using a band-shift assay, the MSH2 was shown to bind to both S-DNA and SI-DNA in a structure- specific manner. The affinity of MSH2 increased with the length of the repeat sequence. Furthermore, MSH2 bound preferentially to looped-out CAG repeat sequences, implicating a strand asymmetry in MSH2 recognition. Our results are consistent with the idea that MSH2 may participate in trinucleotide repeat expansion via its role in repair and/or recombination.      

Enhanced activity of GABA receptors inhibits glutamate release induced by focal cerebral ischemia in rat striatum

Cerebral ischemia causes an excess release of glutamate, which can injure neurons. The striatum is one of the important regions vulnerable to hypoxia and ischemia. Using push–pull perfusion technique, we investigated the regulatory role of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and its receptors in modifying the amount of glutamate in rat striatum with ischemia. Perfusion with exogenous GABA (1 mM) inhibited cerebral ischemia-induced glutamate release by as much as 47%. We further characterized relative roles of subtype receptors of GABA on glutamate release by using pharmacological tools. While baclofen (500 μM), a GABA_B receptor agonist, suppressed ischemia-induced glutamate release by 52%, GABA_B receptor antagonist saclofen (500 μM) failed to produce a significant increase of glutamate release. The GABA_A receptor agonist muscimol (500 μM) also reduced by 38% the release of glutamate induced by cerebral ischemia but the GABA_A receptor antagonist bicuculline (500 μM) had very little effect. The present study demonstrates that the excessive release of glutamate or the overly activated glutamate receptor, triggered by cerebral ischemia, can be down-regulated by exogenous GABA or by increased activity of GABA receptors, especially the presynaptic GABA_B receptors, which might be one of the important mechanisms to protect against striatum neuronal damage from over stimulation by excessive glutamate during ischemia.     

IL-10 has a protective role in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis

The role of IL-10 in the regulation of ocular autoimmune disease was studied in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) elicited in mice by immunization with the retinal antigen interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein. IL-10-deficient mice were susceptible to EAU, indicating that pathogenesis can occur without presence of IL-10. Treatment of normal mice with IL-10 for 5 days after uveitogenic immunization ameliorated subsequent EAU scores, and down-regulated antigen-specific production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and IFN- gamma. A concomitant treatment with IL-4 further reduced disease, and resulted in emergence of antigen-specific IL-4 and IL-10 production, as well as in enhancement of the IgG1 antibody isotype. IL-4 by itself was not protective. Only IL-10, but not IL-4, was able to inhibit the function of differentiated uveitogenic T cells in culture. Expression of mRNA for Th1 and Th2 cytokines in the eye during the course of EAU showed that while a Th1 pattern predominated early, IL-10 mRNA expression coincided with down-regulation of the Th1 response and resolution of EAU. Systemic neutralization of IL-10 during the expression phase of EAU resulted in elevated disease scores. Our results suggest that endogenous IL-10 limits expression of EAU and may play a role in the natural resolution of disease. The data further suggest that exogenous IL-10 may be useful in therapeutic control of autoimmune uveitis. While IL-10 by itself is sufficient to suppress Th1 effector development and function, a concomitant administration of IL-4 is required to shift the autoimmune response towards a non-pathogenic Th2 pathway.      

新疆南疆地区嗜人T淋巴细胞病毒I型血清流行病学调查

通过血清流行病学调查，了解人嗜Ｔ淋巴细胞病毒Ｉ型（ＨＴＬＶ－１）在新疆南部（南疆）少数民族地区的流行情况，自南疆喀什，和田，阿图什地区采集正常人群中不同年龄组，不同民族的血清标本２６４２份，其中维吾尔族（维族）１０８２份，汉族１０８９份，柯尔克孜族（柯族）４７１份。用免疫荧光法（ＩＦＡ）检测上述血清中ＨＴＬＶ－１ＩｇＧ抗体，结果维族抗体阳性者为０．７４％（８／１０８２）汉族为０（０／１０８９）柯族