Age-related alterations in responses of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis neurons to frontal cortex stimulation in rats

The present study investigated the age-related alterations in responses of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (nbM) neurons to frontal cortex (FCX) stimulation. Single unit extracellular recording from the nbM neurons were obtained with glass micropipettes in urethane-anesthetized rats. A total of 137 units were located within the nbM in the three age groups (young, 3 months; adult, 12 months; old, 24 months). FCX stimulation elicited responses in 91% of the 137 neurons. Most of them were excited. The frequency of occurrence of excitatory responses in the nbM neurons was decreased with aging. The thresholds and latencies of excitatory responses evoked by FCX stimulation were increased in old rats. The mean peak-firing rate of exciting phase was gradually reduced with aging. These findings indicate that there might be some functional changes in the nbM neurons with aging.     

ZNF268, a novel kruppel-like zinc finger protein, is implicated in early human liver development

The advancement in gene knockout and transgenesis have brought about enormous improvement in our understanding of mouse embryogenesis in the past decade or so. On the other hand, relatively little is known about human embryogenesis due largely to the lack of easy access to human embryos and tissues for biomedical studies. We have previously isolated a novel zinc finger gene, ZNF268, from a 3-week-old human embryo cDNA library in an effort to identify genes important for human embryonic development. To investigate the potential involvement of ZNF268 in human embryogenesis, we report here the spatial and temporal regulation of its expression during development. Northern blot and Western blot analyses revealed that ZNF268 is expressed in early embryos, predominantly, if not exclusively, in fetal liver with little detectable expression in other fetal organs. Interestingly, unlike most zinc finger proteins, ZNF268 protein was found to be localized mainly in the cytoplasm of embryonic hepatocytes. This subcellular localization was substantiated by the localization of EGFP-ZNF268 fusion protein overexpressed in the transfected COS7 cells. These results suggest that ZNF268 plays a role in early human liver development most likely by functioning through a cytoplasmic mechanism.     

皮质骨圈在椎弓根钉固定系统中支撑作用的生物力学评价

目的：了解脊椎椎弓根钉固定系统在人体皮质骨圈（allograft fusion cage,AFC)植入椎间隙前后对脊柱稳定性的影响。方法：在8具新鲜成年猪离体腰椎标上，以L2－3，L3－R，L4－5节段为实验对象，测试各节段在正常状态下（正常组）、椎间盘切除并Steffee钢板固定（内固定组）、椎间盘切除AFC植入Steffee钢板固定（AFC组）等三种种状态下的轴向压缩刚度。结果：（1）内固定组节段轴向压缩刚度为正常组的14．0％；（2）AFC组节段的轴向压缩刚度明显增加，达到了正常椎间的轴向压缩刚度；（3）在相同轴向压缩载荷作用下，AFC给椎弓根钉受力移位较内固定组明显减小。结论：脊椎椎弓根钉固定系统在AFC椎间植入后，对脊椎稳定性较无AFC植入显著增强，其受力移位明显减小，即可显著减少临床断钉。钢板折弯的机会。     

卵巢上皮性肿瘤中Skp2、p27kipl、E-cad的表达

目的检测Skp2、p27kipl和E-cad在卵巢上皮性肿瘤中的表达情况及其相互关系。方法采用免疫组化SP法，检测99例卵巢上皮性肿瘤组织中Skp2、p27kipl及E-cad的表达。结果p27kipl在卵巢良性肿瘤、交界性肿瘤的表达率分别为76．5％、70．6％高于卵巢癌29．2％（P〈0．05），在早期癌中的表达高于晚期癌（P〈0．05）。Skp2在卵巢良性肿瘤、交界性肿瘤的表达率分别为0、23．5％，均低于卵巢癌50．8％（P〈0．05），在早期癌的表达低于晚期癌（P〈0．05）。卵巢癌中skp2表达与组织分化有关，在低分化癌的阳性表达率高于高分化癌（P〈0．05），在组织学类型方面，浆液性癌中skp2的阳性表达率高于非浆液性癌（P〈0．05）。E—cad在良性肿瘤、交界性肿瘤和卵巢癌表达率分别为88．2％、82．4％、55．4％，恶性组低于良性组（P〈0．05）。E—cad在早期癌的表达率高于晚期癌（P〈0．05）。Skp2表达与p27kipl表达呈负相关（P〈0．05），E-cad表达与p27kipl表达呈正相关（P〈0．05），而E-cad表达与Skp2表达则呈负相关（P〈0．05）。结论skp2过度表达与p27kipl表达减少可能与卵巢上皮性肿瘤的发生发展密切相关，而E-cad在晚期卵巢癌中表达降低可能反映了卵巢癌分化程度的降低。     

Neuropathological Diagnostic Criteria for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and Other Human Spongiform Encephalopathies (Prion Diseases)

Neuropathological diagnostic criteria for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and other human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (prion diseases) are proposed for the following disease entities: CJD - sporadic, iatrogenic (recognised risk) or familial (same disease in 1st degree relative): spongiform encephalopathy in cerebral and/or cerebellar cortex and/or subcortical grey matter; or encephalopathy with prion protein (PrP) immuno-reactivity (plaque and/or diffuse synaptic and/or patchy/perivacuolar types). Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease (GSS) (in family with dominantly inherited progressive ataxia and/or dementia): encephalo(myelo)pathy with multicentric PrP plaques. Familial fatal insomnia (FFI) (in member of a family with PRNP178 mutation): thalamic degeneration, variable spongiform change in cerebrum. Kuru (in the Fore population). Without PrP data, the crucial feature is the spongiform change accompanied by neuronal loss and gliosis. This spongiform change is characterised by diffuse or focally clustered small round or oval vacuoles in the neuropil of the deep cortical layers, cerebellar cortex or subcortical grey matter, which might become confluent. Spongiform change should not be confused with non-specific spon-giosis. This includes status spongiosus (“spongiform state”), comprising irregular cavities in gliotic neuropil following extensive neuronal loss (including also lesions of “burnt-out” CJD), “spongy” changes in brain oedema and metabolic encephalopathies, and artefacts such as superficial cortical, perineuronal, or perivascular vacuolation; focal changes indistinguishable from spongiform change may occur in some cases of Alzheimer's and diffuse Lewy body diseases. Very rare cases might not be diagnosed by these criteria. Then confirmation must be sought by additional techniques such as PrP immunoblotting, preparations for electron microscopic examination of scrapie associated fibrils (SAF), molecular biologic studies, or experimental transmission.     

小鼠pdx-1基因真核表达载体的构建及其在胚胎干细胞中的表达

目的： 克隆小鼠pdx-1基因，构建其真核表达载体，并在小鼠胚胎干细胞中表达，为糖尿病的细胞移植治疗奠定基础。方法： PCR扩增小鼠胰腺pdx-1基因 cDNA，酶切后和携带绿色荧光蛋白报告基因的真核表达载体pEGFP-N1重组，将pdx-1基因 cDNA片段连接到pEGFP-N1载体的多克隆位点，形成重组载体pEGFP/pdx-1，转化大肠杆菌DH5α菌株，构建成pdx-1基因真核表达载体质粒。扩增DH5α后抽提质粒DNA，Hind Ⅲ 和BamHⅠ酶切，电泳，DNA测序鉴定。鉴定正确的质粒DNA用脂质体包裹后转染小鼠胚胎干细胞MESPU13。结果： 从小鼠胰腺cDNA扩增出876 bp的DNA片段并成功重组到pEGFP-N1载体中。经酶切和DNA测序验证，插入载体的DNA片段为pdx-1基因，插入方向正确。重组质粒经脂质体转染胚胎干细胞MESPU13，24 h 后观察到绿色荧光蛋白报告基因和目的基因的pdx-1表达。结论： 小鼠pdx-1基因的克隆和真核表达载体构建获得成功，为进一步研究其功能奠定了基础。     

Ⅱ期高血压病高胰岛素血症对血液粘度及血脂的影响

以２１例Ⅱ期高血压患者、２１例Ⅱ期高血压病高胰岛素血症患者及２０例正常人为研究对象，以全血比粘度、全血还原比粘度、血浆比粘度、红细胞压积及血浆甘油三酯、总胆固醇、高密度脂蛋白为指标；结果表明Ⅱ期高血压病患者全血比粘度、全血还原比粘度较正常人高，Ⅱ期高血压病高胰岛素血症患者亦较单纯高血压病患者进一步增高，同时其血浆甘油三酯较单纯高血压病患者增高，高密度脂蛋白降低．而血浆比粘度、红细胞压积、总胆固醇三组间无显著性差异。单纯高血压病患者与正常人组比较血脂无差异。因而认为高血压病患者的高胰岛素血症可使高血压病患者增高的血粘度进一步增高，且血粘度的增高主要是红细胞机能、代谢的改变所致。单纯高血压病患者血脂改变不明显，高血压病患者血脂的改变主要是由高胰岛素血症所致。     

心包内处理肺静脉根部或切除部分左房在晚期肺癌手术中的应用

目的:探讨切开心包处理肺静脉或切除部分左心房对提高晚期肺癌患者的外科手术切除率及提高手术疗效的作用.方法:对21例晚期肺癌患者施行肺叶或全肺切除时,在心包内处理肺静脉或切除部分左心房.其中左肺下叶切除6例、左全肺切除4例、右肺中下叶切除6例、右肺下叶切除3例、右全肺切除2例.结果:21例均手术顺利;术后并发心律失常2例,肺炎2例,均治愈.本组1年生存率61.9%(13/21)、3年生存率38.1%(8/21),其中2例生存＞5 a.结论:晚期肺癌累及肺静脉根部或左心房时,通过切开心包处理肺静脉或同时切除部分左心房可提高肿瘤的根治率.     

Norepinephrine reduces heat responses of cutaneous C-fiber nociceptors in Sprague-Dawley rats in vitro

Nociceptors are excited or sensitized by many inflammatory mediators as well as by elevation of tissue temperature. We have shown that there is a facilitatory synergistic interaction between norepinephrine (NE) and bradykinin (BK) on cutaneous C-fiber nociceptors in normal Lewis rats. These interactions may play an important role in the mechanism of sympathetically maintained pain. In the present experiment, using skin-saphenous nerve in vitro preparations, we tested the effect of NE on the activity of nociceptive fibers and their response to heat in normal Sprague-Dawley rats. For comparison with the previous data on Lewis rats, we also examined the effect of NE on BK response. NE (10(-5) or 10(-6) M) did not excite nociceptive fibers before repeated heat stimuli or BK superfusion (10(-5) or 10(-6) M) to the receptive field. In contrast, after a few applications of heat or BK, NE excited 20-43% of nociceptive fibers to similar magnitudes. We also found that NE sensitized subsequent BK responses, but somewhat unexpectedly that it suppressed subsequent heat responses. This occurred regardless of the presence or absence of NE-induced excitation. These results suggest different mechanisms of NE modification to the BK and heat responses of cutaneous C-fiber nociceptors.     

Aciclovir selects for ganciclovir-cross-resistance of human cytomegalovirus in vitro that is only in part explained by known mutations in the UL97 protein

Phenotypically, ganciclovir-resistant human cytomegalovirus strains could be selected by aciclovir as effectively as by ganciclovir in vitro. Three clinical human cytomegalovirus isolates with different sensitivities against ganciclovir, aciclovir, foscarnet, and cidofovir, but without any mutation in the viral UL97 protein known to confer ganciclovir resistance, were propagated each in duplicate in the presence of ganciclovir or aciclovir. After drug selection, all 12 strains were less susceptible to ganciclovir (increase of 50% focus reduction dose between 2.1- and 31.5-fold) but were still sensitive to foscarnet and cidofovir; 7/12 exhibited a ganciclovir-resistant phenotype with a 50% focus reduction dose >30 microM, and in 6 out of these typical mutations in the UL97 coding region could be found by genotyping. All four strains selected from one isolate carried the identical UL97 mutation at amino acid position 460 (methionine to valine). The decreased sensitivity to ganciclovir and aciclovir in the other strains could neither be attributed to known UL97 mutations nor to mutations in the viral polymerase (UL54), which have been reported to induce resistance.