Lipid extract from completely sporoderm‐broken germinating Ganoderma sinensis spores elicits potent antitumor immune responses in human macrophages

Ganoderma sinensis has been used widely in Oriental countries for the prevention and treatment of various diseases including cancer. Previous studies have shown that the lipid extract from Ganoderma exhibits direct cytotoxicity against tumor cells. Here, it is reported that the lipid extract from germinating G. sinensis spores, at lower concentrations that have no direct tumoricidal activity, induce potent antitumor immune responses in human monocytes/macrophages. Upon stimulation with the lipid extract, monocytes/macrophages exhibited markedly increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and surface expression of costimulatory molecules. Conditioned medium from stimulated cells effectively suppressed the growth of tumor cells. Apparently, the lipid extract triggered macrophage activation via a mechanism different from that associated with LPS. Moreover, it was observed that the lipid extract could partially re‐establish the antitumor activity of the immunosuppressive tumor‐associated macrophages. These results indicated that in addition to its direct tumoricidal activity, the lipid extract from G. sinensis spores could exert antitumor activity by stimulating the activation of human monocytes/macrophages. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kindergarten children's representation and understanding of written number symbols

Two samples of kindergarten children's representation and understanding of written number symbols were examined in two time points in one academic year. About 85% of Chinese five year olds (mean = 5 years 10 months) were able to use conventional number symbols to represent the quantity of 30 or larger. At the end of the kindergarten year, 94% of Chinese six year olds (mean = 6 years 4 months) were able to use conventional number symbols to represent the quantity of 100 or larger. Some Chinese six year olds had problems in representing written addition and subtraction tasks. Children's ability to represent written number symbols, ability to represent written addition and subtraction formula and their performance on written addition and subtraction were closely related. The performance of children in a university-affiliated childcare center was better than that of the center serving working-class families in Time 1, but the performance reversed at the end of the kindergarten year.     

重症胆管炎23例临床治疗分析

目的：探讨急性重症胆管炎患者的手术时机和死亡原因。方法：回顾性分析23例急性重症胆管炎患者的治疗及预后情况。结果：死亡2例（手术死亡及传统治疗死亡各1例）。早期大剂量短期应用糖皮质激素患者休克得到纠正率85％，明显高于未用糖皮质激素患者休克纠正率50％。结论：急性重症胆管炎患者应在出现休克和（或）精神症状之前手术，对已出现休克的患者，应先给予充分的保守治疗，待病情稳定后再手术。贻误手术时机，严重合并症如多器官功能衰竭及高龄是死亡的主要原因。     

Detection of glaucomatous damage using multifocal ERG

The first‐order kernel analysis in multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) using low contrast stimulation is suggested as a way to detect the inner retinal responses in animal studies. In this case report, this protocol is applied to human patients with glaucoma to demonstrate the possibility of using mfERG as a tool to detect glaucomatous damage. Two patients with glaucoma were recruited and had mfERG measurements with the 103‐scaled hexagonal stimulus pattern at low (50 per cent) contrast. Their responses were analysed and compared with those from normal subjects with the mfERG measured under the same condition. In the normal subjects, there were obvious oscillatory components on the ascending and descending limbs of the first‐order kernel response to 50 per cent contrast. In the glaucomatous patients, the oscillatory component on the descending limb was obviously diminished. In addition, this component was significantly diminished in the quadrant with a glaucomatous visual field defect. This suggests that the low‐contrast stimulation condition in mERG measurement may provide a good way to detect glaucomatous damage and this may help in clinical diagnosis of glaucoma.     

Novel azapeptide inhibitors of cathepsins B and K. Structural background to increased specificity for cathepsin B

Abstract: We have designed and synthesized a new series of azapeptides which act as potential inhibitors of cathepsin B and/or cathepsin K. Their structures are based upon the inhibitory sites of natural cysteine protease inhibitors, cystatins. For the synthesized azapeptides, the equilibrium constants for dissociation of inhibitor–enzyme complex, K_i, were determined. Comparison of these values indicated that all of the azainhibitors act much stronger toward cathepsin B. Z‐Arg‐Leu‐His‐Agly‐Ile‐Val‐OMe ( 7 ) proved to be approximately 500 times more potent for cathepsin B than for cathepsin K. To be able to explain the obtained experimental values we used the molecular dynamics procedures to analyze the interactions between cathepsin B and compound 7 . We also determined the structure of the most potent and selective cathepsin B azainhibitor by means of NMR studies and theoretical calculations. In this report, we describe SAR studies of azapeptide inhibitors indicating the influence of the conformational flexibility of the examined compounds on inhibition of cathepsins B and K.     

应用上唇外侧组织瓣旋转修复下唇缺损

目的:探求上唇外侧组织瓣在修复较大面积下唇缺损中的作用。方法:根据患者下唇缺损情况,设计上唇外侧组织瓣,旋转后插入缺损组织,同时在缺损吻合处,将上层外侧旋转瓣内侧粘膜肌肉向外牵拉形成部分新的红唇,然后逐层相对缝合,修复缺损。结果:自2003年1月应用此方法修复患者6例,术后随访1～2年,唇部外形好,无流涎,无口闭合不全,效果满意。