Astrocyte and microglial motility in vitro is functionally dependent on the hyaluronan receptor RHAMM

RHAMM (Receptor for Hyaluronic Acid Mediated Motility) has been identified as a receptor for the extracellular matrix component hyaluronan (HA) and was recently shown to be essential for the locomotion of normal and transformed peripheral cells. Until now the potential role of RHAMM in the motility of neural-derived cells has not been investigated. Here, we report that cultured primary astrocytes, astrocyte cell lines, and microglia express this receptor and exhibit RHAMM-dependent motility. Immunocytochemical localization of RHAMM showed that it was often present as aggregates at the periphery of cells in contact with one another or concentrated on protruding processes of isolated cells. Glial cells contained 50 and 72 kDa forms of RHAMM, and both of these forms were found to have HA binding capacity. Time lapse imaging of cell locomotion revealed a significant inhibition of motility and process elongation by neutralizing anti-RHAMM antibodies and by peptides corresponding to the HA binding domains of RHAMM. These results demonstrate that RHAMM serves a role in glial cell locomotion in vitro and provide the basis for investigations of the motile behavior of glial cells in vivo after CNS injury.     

Cell mediated immunity (CMI) and post transplant viral infections — Role of a functional immune assay to titrate immunosuppression

Cell mediated immunity (CMI) was assessed by the ImmuKnow assay in 12 patients after kidney transplantation, who presented with viral infection. Treatment included lowering of immunosuppression in all cases and antiviral treatment if indicated. The assay was repeated during the follow up. The ImmuKnow assay at time of presentation of viral infections was 56.8 ± 58.2 (range 3–178; median 22) ATP ng/ml. With the clearance of viral infection and lowering of immunosuppression, the assay showed an increase in the level of CMI at 194.5 ± 118.9 (range 53–409; median 150) ATP ng/ml. There was viral clearance or stabilization in all cases and there was no incidence of allograft rejection. The ImmuKnow assay of CMI can be used to titrate initial immunosuppression reduction and its subsequent increase, in patients with viral infection after transplantation.     

Novel pore mutation in SCN5A manifests as a spectrum of phenotypes ranging from atrial flutter, conduction disease, and Brugada syndrome to sudden cardiac death

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and biophysical characteristics of a novel SCN5A mutation. BACKGROUND: Brugada syndrome and isolated cardiac conduction defect have been linked to SCN5A mutations. METHODS: Eleven members of a western European family underwent electrophysiologic investigations and mutation analysis of the SCN5A gene. Wild-type and mutant SCN5A channels were expressed in HEK293 cells, and whole cell currents were studied using patch clamp procedures. RESULTS: A novel mutation, R376H, in the first pore segment of SCN5A variably causes Brugada syndrome and/or conduction disease in a single family. Biophysical analysis demonstrated a significant current reduction for the mutant, a pathophysiologic profile consistent with Brugada syndrome and isolated cardiac conduction defect. Among 11 family members, 9 were carriers of the mutation. The proband's initial presentation was a saddleback Brugada ECG, atrial flutter, and diffuse conduction disturbances. He had no inducible ventricular arrhythmias but experienced sudden cardiac death. His brother was affected by atrial flutter and had a clear conduction disorder, but he did not display baseline or evocable ECG signs of Brugada syndrome. He received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator that delivered one appropriate shock after 1 year of follow-up. The phenotype in the family members was highly variable and ranged from noninducible and inducible asymptomatic carriers of the mutations to isolated conduction disease and to symptomatic Brugada syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: We describe the functional characterization of a novel SCN5A pore mutation, R376H, with variable clinical expression in the same family. Differentiating between electrophysiologic entities (Brugada syndrome-isolated cardiac conduction defect) is more challenging. Recognition of factors modifying the clinical presentation may be important for clinical decision making.     

Cholesterol reduction and death from noncoronary causes: evidence from randomised controlled trials*

An overview of randomised trials of cholesterol reduction (26 trials, 50,000 patients, net cholesterol reduction ?10%) provides clear evidence of a reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) after just a few years of treatment. Overall, the observed reduction in CHD death (9%± 3) was only half as large as the reduction in non-fatal myocardial infarction (19%±4), although both were statistically significant (2p <0.005). In these trials, 60% of all deaths were from CHD, and since treatment reduced these by about 9%, the expected reduction in total deaths was about 5–6%. This expected reduction falls within the 95% confidence interval of the observed effect of cholesterol reduction on total mortality in these trials. There were small excesses of deaths from cancer and deaths from trauma among patients allocated active treatment. However, in no single trial, nor in the trials collectively, were these increases individually statistically significant. Furthermore, the increases did not appear to be specific to any one agent nor were the increases consistent between trials of the same agent. These observations suggest that the small excesses of noncoronary deaths observed in the cholesterol reduction trials may have occurred by chance. Evidence from ongoing longer-term studies of treatments producing larger cholesterol reductions will be useful in further delineating the effects, if any, of such treatments on non-coronary mortality.     

Diatoms and drowning

Summary An examination is made of the applicability of quantitative and qualitative diatom analysis to the diagnosis of death by drowning, definition of the environment in which drowning occurred, and delimitation of the area where it occurred. The material comprises 107 bodies of subjects known or suspected to have died by drowning together with a control series of 15 bodies of subjects over 30 years of age who had died of various diseases on land.Whenever diatoms were found in the greater circulatory organs they were also found in the lungs, and when none were present in the lungs none were found in the other organs either. No diatoms or fragments of diatoms were found in the samples from the control subjects. All the fresh, well-preserved bodies for which death by drowning could be regarded as certain from the macroscopic autopsy findings and police reports, the cases used to test the method, gave quantitative diatom results that supported a diagnosis of water aspiration.The diatoms identified in the qualitative analyses served well to describe the ecological properties of the environments in which death had taken place, and the site of drowning could be defined by means of comparative water samples provided that sufficient diatoms were present, the local environment was not too homogeneous or the diatoms were not of quite different species due to a completely unknown location of death.     

流式细胞光度术在鼻咽癌上皮样细胞株细胞周期动力学研究中的应用

本实验应用流式细胞光度术研究鼻咽癌上皮样细胞株（ＣＮＥ）的细胞周期动力学。结果发现ＣＮＥ细胞仍保持原代细胞的ＤＮＡ含量水平（超三倍体和亚四倍体），随着细胞接种时间的延长细胞周期中Ｇ０／Ｇ１时相细胞的百分数逐渐升高，而Ｓ％和Ｇ２＋Ｍ％则逐渐降低。该项研究还发现随着孵育时间的延长，细胞周期中各时相细胞的运动均逐渐延缓，其中以Ｇ０／Ｇ１和Ｇ２＋Ｍ时相细胞的运动减慢较为明显。     

重组人肿瘤坏死因子诱导HL－60白血病细胞分化及调控原癌基因表达的作用

采用２０～２００Ｕ／ｍｌ的重组人肿瘤坏死因子（ｒｈＴＮＦ－α）处理体外液相培养的人早幼粒白血病细胞珠ＨＬ－６０，观察到５０～２００Ｕ／ｍｌ的小剂量ＴＮＦ具有诱导其向单核－巨噬细胞途径分化及抑制其增殖的效应。采用细胞总ＲＮＡ打点杂交技术检测１～１００Ｕ／ｍｌＴＮＦ诱导ＨＬ－６０细胞早期（１２小时内）对其ｃ－ｍｙｃ，ｃ－ｆｏｓ原癌基因表达的影响，发现ＴＮＦ可抑制ｃ－ｍｙｃｍＲＮＡ水平及ｃ－ｆｏｓ短暂性表达增高。结果表明此小剂量ｒｈＴＮＦ－α具有诱导白血病细胞分化的效应及调控多癌基因表达的作用。     

应用胶原凝胶构建组织工程化皮肤的研究

目的探讨以胶原凝胶为支架材料构建组织工程化皮肤的可行性。方法体外分离、培养人皮肤表皮细胞和成纤维细胞;利用自制的胶原蛋白制成胶原凝胶作为组织工程支架材料;在成功构建人工真皮的基础上种植表皮细胞,构建复合人工皮肤;采用HE染色与免疫组织化学的方法对复合人工皮肤进行组织学检测。结果HE染色可见,构建的复合人工皮肤具有表皮和真皮双层结构;免疫组织化学染色显示,Ⅳ型胶原、纤维连接蛋白和层粘连蛋白阳性,在形态结构上与正常皮肤相似。结论培养的人表皮细胞和成纤维细胞种植于胶原凝胶支架上,气-液界面培养可构建出具有类似正常皮肤结构的组织工程化皮肤。     

突触蛋白-Ⅰ在胚胎干细胞体外神经分化过程中的表达变化

目的探讨突触蛋白-I（synapsin-I）在胚胎干细胞（ESCs）体外神经分化过程中的表达变化及作用。方法采用“五步法”和维甲酸（RA）法两种途径体外诱导ESCs向神经细胞分化，并以另一种可向神经细胞分化的肿瘤细胞-PC12细胞的诱导过程作参照，从不同的途径、不同的细胞进行比较．通过免疫组织化学、RT-PCR、Western blot方法观察这一过程中synapsin-I的表达变化．找出synapsin-I在ESCs向神经细胞分化过程中表达变化的共同规律。结果结合形态学和其它神经特异性指标的变化，synapsin-I在ESCs和PC12细胞向神经细胞分化的过程中具有早期即有表达，后逐渐升高，至分化成熟阶段达最高，后期又逐渐下降的变化规律。结论在ESCs的分化过程中，synapsin-I的表达存在特定的时空规律，并与ESCs的形态学改变相关，提示synapsin-I可能对ESCs在神经分化过程中的形态分化起着重要的作用。