Electrochemical polymerization of 3-phenylthiophene

Poly (3-phenylthiophene) (P3PhT) films have been electrochemically synthesized by direct oxidation of 3-phenylthiophene in the electrolyte of pure boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BFEE). The oxidation potential of the monomer was measured to be 1.29 V (vs. SCE), and about 0.15 V lower than that measured in a neutral medium of acetonitrile. Free-standing P3PhT film with tensile strength of 32–40 MPa has been obtained for the first time. The morphology and the structure of the polymer film have been studied by scanning electron microscopy, infrared and Raman spectroscopies. Raman spectral results demonstrated that the doping level of the P3PhT film increased with film thickness during electrochemical growth process.     

螺旋CT三维重建影像在胫骨平台骨折诊疗中的价值

目的探讨螺旋CT三维重建影像在胫骨平台骨折诊断和治疗中的临床使用价值。方法2001年8月～2005年4月收集38例胫骨平台骨折分别行X线片和螺旋CT三维重建影像检查,对照术中所见,分析比较螺旋CT三维重建影像在临床诊断和治疗中的作用。结果X线片检查2例无法明确诊断,骨折分型错误6例;螺旋CT三维重建诊断、分型均正确。X线片与螺旋CT三维重建影像在确立诊断方面未见明显差异,但在分型和指导治疗方面,螺旋CT三维重建影像明显优于前者。结论螺旋CT三维重建影像能直观、立体地显示胫骨平台骨折的形态,有助于骨折的分型及治疗。     

雷公藤多甙对白细胞介素-1β诱导大鼠滑膜细胞株RSC-364基质金属蛋白酶-3、c-Jun基因表达的影响

目的 观察雷公藤多甙对白细胞介素(IL)-1β诱导大鼠滑膜细胞株RSC-364基质金属蛋白酶-3(MMP3)、c-Jun mRNA表达的影响.方法 选择不同浓度的雷公藤多甙作用IL-1β刺激的大鼠滑膜细胞株RSC-364,37℃,5%CO2的环境下培养48 h,运用酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测细胞上清的MMP3和实时聚合酶链反应(real-time PCR)检测分析细胞中的c-Jun mRNA表达.结果 不同浓度的雷公藤多甙(0、5、10、20 mg/L)对IL-1β刺激的大鼠滑膜细胞株RSC-364分泌MMP3的水平依次是198、176、140、115 μg/L,c-Jun mRNA表达分别是1.17×106、3.31×105、9.32 ×104、2.81 ×104copies/ml,即呈现明显地抑制.重要的是:c-Jun mRNA表达抑制呈现明显的剂量依赖性.结论 雷公藤多甙治疗类风湿性关节炎的有效的作用机制,可能与其抑制MMP3、c-Jun基因的表达相关.     

Sick day management using blood 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHB) compared with urine ketone monitoring reduces hospital visits in young people with T1DM: a randomized clinical trial.

AIMS: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening acute complication of Type 1 diabetes, may be preventable with frequent monitoring of glycaemia and ketosis along with timely supplemental insulin. This prospective, two-centre study assessed sick day management using blood 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHB) monitoring compared with traditional urine ketone testing, aimed at averting emergency assessment and hospitalization. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-three children, adolescents and young adults, aged 3-22 years, and their families received sick day education. Participants were randomized to receive either a blood glucose monitor that also measures blood 3-OHB (blood ketone group, n = 62) or a monitor plus urine ketone strips (urine ketone group, n = 61). All were encouraged to check glucose levels > or = 3 times daily and to check ketones during acute illness or stress, when glucose levels were consistently elevated (> or = 13.9 mmol/l on two consecutive readings), or when symptoms of DKA were present. Frequency of sick days, hyperglycaemia, ketosis, and hospitalization/emergency assessment were ascertained prospectively for 6 months. RESULTS: There were 578 sick days during 21,548 days of follow-up. Participants in the blood ketone group checked ketones significantly more during sick days (276 of 304 episodes, 90.8%) than participants in the urine ketone group (168 of 274 episodes, 61.3%) (P < 0.001). The incidence of hospitalization/emergency assessment was significantly lower in the blood ketone group (38/100 patient-years) compared with the urine ketone group (75/100 patient-years) (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Blood ketone monitoring during sick days appears acceptable to and preferred by young people with Type 1 diabetes. Routine implementation of blood 3-OHB monitoring for the management of sick days and impending DKA can potentially reduce hospitalization/emergency assessment compared with urine ketone testing and offers potential cost savings.     

Arsenic trioxide–loaded, microemulsion-enhanced cytotoxicity on MDAH 2774 ovarian carcinoma cell line

The antiproliferative effect of As(2)O(3)-loaded microemulsion (As(2)O(3)-M) on human MDAH 2774 ovarian cancer cells was compared with a regular solution of the As(2)O(3). We used MDAH 2774 as model cell lines for ovarian cancer. The (2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino)carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium hydroxide) (XTT) and trypane blue dye exclusion tests were used to evaluate cytotoxicity. Apoptotic effect of solutions was evaluated using cell death detection kit. Standard microemulsion formulation used in this experiment contains 5 x 10(-6) M As(2)O(3). It was clearly demonstrated that As(2)O(3)-M had a significant cytotoxic effect on MDAH 2774 cell line, and the cytotoxic effect of As(2)O(3)-M was significantly higher than that of regular As(2)O(3) solutions. Even approximately 6000 times diluted microemulsion formulation loaded with 5 x 10(-6) M As(2)O(3) showed a cytotoxic effect. As a result, this diluted concentration (approximately 8 x 10(-10) M) was found to be approximately 6000 times more effective than regular As(2)O(3) solutions (5 x 10(-6) M). Moreover, this diluted concentration resulted in 1.5-fold enhancement of apoptosis. According to the in vitro cytotoxicity studies, we concluded that by incorporating As(2)O(3) into the microemulsion (As(2)O(3)-M), which is a new drug carrier system, it is possible to increase antiproliferative effect of regular As(2)O(3) on MDAH 2774 cells. Translating these results to in vivo conditions would open new windows in the treatment of ovarian cancer.     

MAGE-A3抗原肽负载树突状细胞诱导乳腺癌患者免疫应答的研究

目的研究MAGE-A3抗原肽负载对乳腺癌患者树突状细胞(DC)的功能的影响,探讨其是否可以在体外诱导特异性细胞毒性T淋巴细胞(CTL)应答.方法体外培养HLA-A2乳腺癌患者外周血来源的DC,并经孵育携带MAGE-A3抗原肽,用以刺激CTL,用3H-TdR渗入法检测抗原肽负载前后DC刺激同种淋巴细胞增殖能力(MLR),并用乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)释放法检测CTL对靶细胞的杀伤效应.结果DC:T为1:10时,单纯DC组刺激能力显著高于抗原肽负载组DC(DC-P)(P＜0.05),但当DC:T低于1:20时后DC-P组刺激能力显著强于单纯DC组(P＜0.05).DC-P组和单纯DC组所激发的CTL对细胞株MCF-7,Sk-Br-3,MDA-MB-435s的杀伤活性有显著性差异,而对细胞株Raji无显著性差异,DC-P组对细胞株MCF-7,Sk-Br-3,MDA-MB-435s的杀伤活性明显高于对细胞株Raji的杀伤活性.结论负载MAGE-A3抗原肽的DC在体外可以诱导乳腺癌患者特异性的CTL免疫应答,为临床以DC为基础的过继免疫治疗的应用提供理论基础.     

首例中国可视化人体心脏三维重建及临床意义

目的 对首例中国数字化可视人体的心脏进行三维重建，为心脏疾病的影像学诊断和外科手术提供三维解剖学依据。方法 将首例中国数字化可视人体心脏部分的薄层断面(层厚1．0mm)输入SGI工作站，经数据分割、对位重建、平滑处理和三维显示等步骤，完成对心脏结构的三维重建。结果 本研究完整地重建出了心脏结构，重建的结构能够以多结构、多彩色实体模型方式显示，可显示心脏内部各结构的空间位置和毗邻关系，可在三维空间伴置上绕任意轴旋转任意角度。结论 重建出的三维图像清晰地显示了心脏内部和整体的结构，实现了心脏的二维可视化。     

Hypoxia‐inducible factor 1α may be a marker for vasculitic neuropathy

Neuromuscular biopsy is still an essential method for diagnosing vasculitic neuropathy, although its diagnostic sensitivity is at most 60%. Our objective was to examine the expression of hypoxia‐inducible factor 1α (HIF‐1α) in peripheral nerves and to evaluate its usefulness in diagnosing vasculitic neuropathy, especially for discrimination from other axonal neuropathies. Forty‐one patients with vasculitic neuropathy consisting of 20 definite, 14 probable and seven possible diagnoses, 15 patients with metabolic neuropathy, five with motor neuron disease and six with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy were included. Nerve biopsy specimens were immunohistochemically examined for HIF‐1α and various cell markers. Distinct immunoreactivity (IR) was observed in nuclei of endoneurial cells in 54% (22/41) of vasculitic patients, while specimens from metabolic neuropathies showed less nuclear IR and the difference of mean density of HIF‐1α‐positive nuclei was significant. Two patients with possible vasculitis who showed HIF‐1α‐positive nuclei in endoneurium, were later confirmed to have vasculitis by skin biopsies. Most of the cells expressing HIF were demonstrated to be Schwann cells. There was a trend in the vasculitic patients with early phase nerve damage to display higher endoneurial HIF‐1α‐IR. HIF‐1α may be an immunohistochemical marker for vasculitic neuropathy, especially when the observed section contains no vasculitic lesions.     

Proline reduces brain cytochrome c oxidase: prevention by antioxidants

In the present study, we initially investigated the in vivo (acute and chronic) and in vitro effects of proline on cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV) activity in rat cerebral cortex to test the hypothesis that proline might alter energy metabolism and that this alteration could be provoked by oxidative stress. The action of alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid on the effects produced by proline was also evaluated. For acute administration, 29- and 60-day-old rats received one subcutaneous injection of proline (18.2 micromol/g body weight) or an equivalent volume of 0.9% saline solution (control) and were sacrificed 1h later. For chronic treatment, proline was injected subcutaneously twice a day at 10h intervals from the 6(th) to the 28(th) day of age. Rats were sacrificed 12h (29(th)) or 31 days (60(th)) after the last injection. Results showed that acute administration of proline significantly diminished the activity of cytochrome c oxidase in the cerebral cortex of 29- and 60-day-old rats. On the other hand, chronic hyperprolinemia reduced this complex activity only on day 29, but not on the 60(th) day of life. In another set of experiments, 22-day-old rats or 53-day-old rats were pretreated for 1 week with daily intraperitoneal administration of alpha-tocopherol (40 mg/kg) and ascorbic acid (100mg/kg) or saline. Twelve hours after the last antioxidant injection, rats received a single injection of proline or saline and were killed 1h later. In parallel to chronic treatment, rats received a daily intraperitoneal injection of alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid from the 6(th) to the 28(th) day of life and were killed 12h after the last injection. Results showed that the pretreatment with alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid before acute proline administration or concomitant to chronic proline administration significantly prevented these effects. We also observed that proline (3.0 microM-1.0 mM) when added to the incubation medium (in vitro studies) did not alter cytochrome c oxidase activity. Data suggest that the inhibitory effect of proline on cytochrome c oxidase activity is possibly associated with oxidative stress and that this parameter may be involved in the brain dysfunction observed in hyperprolinemia.     

Norepinephrine transporter and α2c adrenoceptor allelic variants and personality factors

It has been suggested that reward dependence, as measured by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ), is related to central noradrenergic activity, a proposition supported by two studies of urinary norepinephrine metabolite. In the current investigation, 190 normal young Han Chinese were examined, with genetic polymorphisms determined for the norepinephrine transporter (1287G/A) and the α_2c‐adrenoceptor (Del322–325) to test the association with TPQ personality traits. No significant association was demonstrated for these two polymorphisms and any of the TPQ personality‐factor scores, including reward dependence and its subscales. Our negative findings suggest that the investigated polymorphisms of the norepinephrine transporter and the α_2c adrenoceptor do not play a major role in the reward‐dependence personality trait as assessed by TPQ. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.