Astroglial alterations in rat hippocampus during chronic lead exposure.

The present study was performed in order to follow the response of astroglial cells in the rat hippocampus to chronic low-level lead exposure. The experiments combined immunohistochemistry using anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibody and conventional transmission electron microscopy (EM). Chronic administration with drinking water [1 g% w/v (subclinical dose) of lead acetate dissolved in distilled water] was started through the mother's milk when pups were 7 days old. Following weaning, experimental offspring were treated for 3 months with the same concentration of adulterated water. The group of intoxicated animals and their controls were sacrificed by perfusion-fixation at 30, 60, and 90 days of exposure. After 60 days of lead treatment, staining of GFAP-positive cells demonstrated an astroglial transformation from the quiescent to the reactive state, characterized by an increase in GFAP. In control rats no changes in GFAP immunostaining were observed. The intensity of the astroglial response was enhanced after 90 days of lead intoxication, showing an increment of GFAP immunoreactivity. Quantification of these changes was made by computerized image analysis, confirming that the sectional areas of the astroglia in lead-exposed animals were larger than those in controls. These results are consistent with the ultrastructural alterations. Simultaneously with the increment in gliofilaments, intranuclear inclusions were seen in some astrocytes. The mechanisms by which lead affects astrocytes are unknown. Probably the astroglial changes induced by lead intoxication produce microenvironmental modifications that may disturb the neuronal function.     

C端序列的删除对非出血重组蛇毒纤溶酶的影响

[目的]研究C端序列对非出血重组纤溶酶(rFⅡ)特异性、活性和热敏感性的影响.[方法]通过SOEing PCR方法构建删除C端序列的突变体,突变体和rFⅡ分别在P.pastoris中诱导表达.表达和纯化的蛋白用SDS-PAGE和Westeren blot进行鉴定.之后分析其生化特性.[结果]rFⅡ及突变体通过SDS-PAGE和Westeren blot得到证实.生化分析揭示:①突变体对显色底物N-(p-Tosyl)-Gly-Pro-Lys-pNA的催化效率(Kcat/Km)是rFⅡ的1.9倍;②突变体和rFⅡ对氧化的胰岛素B链拥有共同的优先裂解位点,可是在随后的裂解中开始展现差异;③突变体显示了更高的纤(原)活性;④热处理表明突变体相较r FⅡ对温度的增加更敏感;⑤通过圆二色谱测量,突变体的螺旋比例有所增加.[结论]删除的序列参与rFⅡ的特异性、活性和热敏感性,该序列可作为下一步优化的候选序列.     

Circulating adipocytokines in non-diabetic and Type 1 diabetic children: relationship to insulin therapy, glycaemic control and pubertal development.

AIM: To determine the influence of Type 1 diabetes mellitus on circulating adipocytokines in children. METHODS: The circulating concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, resistin and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha were measured in 91 children, aged 11.1 +/- 2.7 years, with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Ninety-one healthy children were selected as control subjects. RESULTS: Body mass index-adjusted leptin concentrations were higher in the pubertal diabetic children compared with the control children. There was a significant positive correlation between leptin and daily insulin dose in the diabetic group. Circulating adiponectin concentrations were higher in the prepubertal diabetic children and were positively associated with HbA(1c). Resistin concentrations were lower in the prepubertal non-diabetic subjects compared with the pubertal non-diabetic children, whose values were higher than those of the diabetic children. TNF-alpha concentrations were similar in non-diabetic and diabetic children. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating concentrations of adipocytokines are abnormal in Type 1 diabetic children, although the direction of change differs by cytokine. Pubertal development, in addition to insulin treatment and glycaemic control, also influences the concentrations.     

Rb1基因第16内含子内21个碱基缺失1例

目地研究双眼视网膜母细胞瘤患者Rb1基因杂合性突变的分子生物学特性。方法应用PCR—SSCP直接测序技术检测双眼视网膜母细胞瘤患者白细胞DNA中Rb1基因杂合性突变。结果50例证实有Rb1基因杂合性突变的病例中有1例发生于第16内含子中可以用3种定位方法解释、具有相同序列的21个碱基缺失。结论这种极为少见的Rb1基因突变方式可能是由于破坏了正常拼接位点的结构而激活了“隐蔽拼接位点”，导致异常的Rb1基因mRNA产生或由此影响整个拼接过程。     

Contact urticaria from protein hydrolysates in hair conditioners

Protein hydrolysates (PHs) are added to hair-care products (to "repair" broken hair), soaps, bath gels, creams, etc. From one to 22 PHs used in hair-care products (collagen, keratin, elastin, milk, wheat, almond, and silk) were tested in three patient groups: A) 11 hairdressers with hand dermatitis B) 2160 consecutive adults with suspected allergic respiratory disease subjected to routine skin prick tests C) 28 adults with atopic dermatitis.
In group A, all the 22 PHs were tested with scratch and patch tests. In groups B and C, one to three PHs were tested with prick tests. Positive scratch/prick test reactions were seen in 12 patients from three PHs altogether. All were women with atopic dermatitis, and all reacted to at least hydroxypropyl trimonium hydroly:ed collagen (Crotein Q"). In three patients, prick and open tests with a hair conditioner containing Crotein Q were performed with positive results. One patient reported contact urticaria on her hands, and two reported acute urticaria on their head, face, and upper body from a hair conditioner containing Crotein Q. In seven of the eight studied sera, specific IgE to Crotein Q was detected. In conclusion, PHs of hair cosmetics can cause contact urticaria, especially in patients with atopic dermatitis.     

Differential inhibition of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and-2 (COX-2) by NSAIDS: Consequences on anti-inflammatory activity versus gastric and renal safety

The discovery of an inducible isoform of cyclooxygenase (COX-2) requires a refinement of the theory that inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity is responsible for both therapeutic and side-effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Pharmacological results with developmental compounds suggest that COX-2 is the relevant target for the therapeutic (i.e. anti-inflammatory) effects of NSAIDs, whereas gastric and renal side-effects are related to inhibition of constitutive COX-1. However a role of COX-1 in inflammation cannot be excluded. Furthermore, more research effort is needed to investigate the functional relevance of COX-2 in normal tissue.     

Immunoreactivity of sinusoids in hepatoblastoma: an immunohistochemical study using lectin UEA-1 and antibodies against endothelium-associated antigens, including CD34

Sinusoids are found not only in the normal liver but also in certain liver tumours, including hepatoblastoma, the most common malignant liver tumour in childhood. In this study, sinusoids in 12 hepatoblastomas, of various subtypes, and in normal liver were investigated with UEA-1 and antibodies against von Willebrand's factor, CD31 and CD34 to detect differences of possible diagnostic significance. In the normal liver, staining of sinusoids was seen with all these markers, but it was focal and confined to a few sinusoids near the portal tracts. In hepatoblastoma, the endothelial markers reacted with the sinusoids to varying extents. UEA-1 and anti-CD34 usually stained the majority of these vessels, anti-CD34 staining greater numbers of sinusoids and with greater intensity. Immunostaining revealed that both number and spatial organization of sinusoids in hepatoblastoma are dependent on the subtype. In addition to staining of endothelium, one of the two small cell hepatoblastomas exhibited strong immunoreactivity of the tumour cells for CD34. These findings show that the marked difference in sinusoidal immunoreactivity for CD34 between normal liver and hepatoblastoma could be useful for discriminating between non-neoplastic liver tissue and highly differentiated fetal hepatoblastoma. Our findings also show that small cell hepatoblastoma, in addition to acute leukaemia, should be considered when immunoreactivity for CD34 is found in small round and blue cell tumours in childhood.