Protection of chlordecone-potentiated carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity and lethality by partial hepatectomy

Chlordecone (CD) pretreatment is known to markedly potentiate CCl₄ hepatotoxicity. Previous studies have shown that prior exposure to CD obtunds the increased hepatocellular regeneration and repair observed in non-treated rats challenged with a single, low dose of CCl₄. These observations allowed us to hypothesize that suppression of hepatic regeneration and tissue repair by CD + CCl₄ combination treatment might be involved in this interaction. To test this hypothesis, CCl₄ hepatotoxicity was evaluated in actively regenerating livers using CD-treated (10 ppm in the diet for 15 days), surgically partially hepatectomized (PH) male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats undergoing no surgical manipulation (CTRL) and sham operation (SH) were included as appropriate controls. Surgical manipulations were conducted on day 15 of the dietary protocol. Based on liver-to-body weight ratios (LW/BW), mitotic indices, hepatic cytochrome P-450 content, and hepatic glutathione (GSH and GSSG) levels, PH-induced hepatocellular regeneration was not affected by pretreatment with CD. Thus, the PH model was considered valid for assessing the effects of CD + CCl₄ combination treatment. CCl₄ (100 l/kg; i.p.) was administered 1, 2, 4 or 7 days after the surgical manipulations. Hepatotoxicity was assessed 24 h later by measuring LW/BW and serum enzymes (SGPT, SGOT and ICD) in all four groups. Hepatic histopathological, histomorphometric and lethal effects were assessed in animals receiving CCl₄ 1 or 7 days after the surgical manipulations. CCl₄-induced increases in LW/BW were observed in CD + PH rats receiving CCl₄ 4 or 7 days post-PH, but not in the 1 or 2 day post-PH groups in which the hepatocellular regeneration was maximal. CCl₄-induced serum enzyme elevations were significantly less in the CD + PH rats as compared to CD + SH. This decrease in the serum enzyme elevations was most prominent in the 1 day post-PH group, where the hepatocellular mitotic activity was most pronounced. CCl₄ lethality, assessed in the 1 day post-surgical manipulation group, was also decreased in the CD + PH rats in comparison to CD + SH rats. Such a protection was not observed in rats receiving CCl₄ 7 days post-PH. These data are consistent with and are supportive of the hypothesis that a suppression of otherwise normally stimulated hepatocellular regeneration following low-dose CCl₄ administration is involved in the marked amplification of CCl₄ toxicity by CD.Abbreviations CD chlordecone - GSH reduced glutathione - GSSG oxidized glutathione - PH partial hepatectomy - SH shamhepatectomy - CTRL control, not surgically manipulated - N normal diet - LW/BW liver weight-to-body weight ratio - SGPT serum glutamic; pyruvic transaminase - SGOT serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase - ICD isocitrate dehydrogenase These studies were made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency R-811072A preliminary report of these findings was presented at the 70th Annual Meetings of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology at St. Louis, MO (Fed Proc 45: 1051, 1986)A. N. Bell is a Predoctoral Toxicology Trainee and Robert A. Young is a Postdoctoral Trainee supported by Toxicology Training grant from National Institute of Environmental Health Science ES-07045     

Abnormality of chromosome 16 and its phenotypic expression

An abnormality of chromosome 16 in which there is extra genetic material present on the short arm (46, XY, 16p+) has been identified. This chromosomal aberration was associated with multiple congenital anomalies, including mid-facial hypoplasia, arthrogryposis, and mental retardation. On the basis of the cytogenetic appearance and the phenotype of the patient, this may represent a partial 16 trisomy. Unlike most abnormalities of chromosome 16, this syndrome was compatible with life.     

Changes of the beat amplitude power after partial left ventriculectomy and coronary artery bypass grafting

Partial left ventriculectomy (PLV) was originally introduced as a new surgical approach by patients with an end stage of cardiac disease. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a standard procedures used in cardiac surgery. Multichannel ECG (MECG) measurements and body surface mapping (BSM) were used to analyse the normalised beat amplitude power maps (BAM) that reflect an overall cardiac activity. The resulting BAMs show that the amplitude of cardiac signals decrease for approximately 30% after the PLV and stay in the same level during the postoperative monitoring interval while after CABG no significant changes in BAM have been observed. In addition the electrodes from the body surface area above the left ventricle, where surgery was performed, show significant changes in beat amplitudes.     

大鼠肝再生中糖代谢相关基因的表达变化

目的了解糖类代谢相关基因在大鼠肝再生中的表达变化。方法本研究用搜集网站资料和查阅相关论文等方法获得糖类代谢相关基因,用大鼠基因组230 2.0芯片检测它们在大鼠再生肝中的表达情况,用比较手术组和假手术组中基因表达的差异性确定肝再生相关基因。结果初步证实上述基因中118个基因与肝再生相关。肝再生早期[部分肝切除(PH)后0.5~4h]、前期(PH后4~12h)、中期(PH后16~66h)和后期(PH后72~168h)等4个阶段起始表达的基因数为33、6、68和7;基因的总表达次数为68、44、210和83。表明肝再生相关基因主要在肝再生启动阶段起始表达,在不同阶段发挥作用。它们共上调205次,下调200次,分为12种表达方式,表明肝再生中糖代谢活动多样和复杂。其中,单糖和糖原代谢、糖蛋白和糖脂(主要为神经节苷脂)合成相关基因几乎在整个肝再生中表达增强,寡糖和糖胺聚糖合成及糖蛋白和糖脂分解相关基因表达下调。结论肝再生与糖代谢密切相关。     

脂类代谢和运输涉及的基因与大鼠肝再生的相关性分析

目的在基因转录水平了解脂类代谢和运输相关基因在大鼠肝再生(LR)中的表达变化和模式。方法用搜集网站资料和查阅相关论文等方法获得参与脂类代谢和运输基因,用大鼠基因组230 2.0芯片检测它们在大鼠再生肝中的表达情况,用比较手术和假手术中基因表达的差异性确定肝再生相关基因。结果初步证实上述基因中193个基因与肝再生相关。肝再生早期[部分肝切除(PH)后0.5~4h]、前期(PH后6~12h)、中期(PH后12~66h)、后期(PH后72~168h)等4个阶段起始表达的基因数为113、20、66和1;基因的总表达次数为250、205、796和293。共上调852次,下调630次,分为27种表达方式。肝再生早期和前期胆汁酸代谢相关基因转录减弱;早期和后期糖皮质激素分解相关基因转录增强;前期和中期磷脂合成相关基因转录增强,磷脂分解相关基因转录减弱;中期脂肪酸、白三烯和鞘糖脂合成相关基因转录增强,甘油三酯和磷脂酰肌醇代谢相关基因转录增强,鞘糖脂分解相关基因转录减弱;中期和后期前列腺素合成和脂肪酸分解相关基因转录增强;几乎在整个肝再生中性激素、糖皮质激素和孕酮合成相关基因转录增强,鞘磷脂代谢相关基因转录增强,脂类运输相关基因转录增强,胆固醇代谢相关基因转录减弱。结论肝再生中脂类代谢和运输变化较大,与肝再生密切相关。     

Modern Mind-Brain Reading: Psychophysiology, Physiology, and Cognition

This paper reviews the actual and potential benefits of a marriage between cognitive psychology and psychophysiology. Psychophysiological measures, particularly those of the event-related brain potential, can be used as markers for psychological events and physiological events. Thus, they can serve as "windows" on the mind and as "windows" on the brain. These ideas are illustrated in the context of a series of studies utilizing the lateralized readiness potential, a measure of electrical brain activity that is related to preparation for movement. This measure has been used to illuminate presetting processes that prepare the motor system for action, to demonstrate the presence of the transmission of partial information in the cognitive system, and to identify processes responsible for the inhibition of responses. The lateralized readiness potential appears to reflect activity in motor areas of cortex. Thus, this measure, along with other psychophysiological measures, can be used to understand how the functions of the mind are implemented in the brain.     

颈内动脉岩内段形态位置与毗邻结构的相关分析

目的:探讨颈内动脉岩内段形态位置变化的规律及其与毗邻结构的关系.方法:对66侧正常成人颅底高分辨率CT连续图像进行分析,测量颞骨气房体积,建立定位颈内动脉岩内段及其毗邻结构的参照系,对其位置和形态进行测量,运用偏相关分析方法求出它们形态位置的变化规律及其影响因素.结果:在男性,颈内动脉垂直段更偏外侧,其水平段长度也大于女性.颞骨气化好,则颈内动脉垂直段更偏后移.颈内动脉垂直段与颈静脉球的位置变化表现为同步.垂直段的内外移位相应地使水平段与中线的夹角发生变化.颈内动脉水平段的方位与蜗轴方向相关,蜗轴偏离中线的角度越小,则颈内动脉水平段偏离中线的角度越大,反之亦然.结论:影响颈内动脉岩内段形态位置变化的因素是复杂和多重的,包括性别因素、颅底发育状态、颞骨气化程度以及毗邻结构发育状态均可能是影响因素.     

Time course of changes in EMG activity of fast muscles after partial denervation

After partial denervation, the remaining motor units (MUs) of adult fast extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL) expand their peripheral field. The time course of this event was studied using tension measurement and recordings of electromyographic (EMG) activity. The results show that after section of the L4 spinal nerve, when only 5.3 ± 0.63 of the 40 MUs normally supplying EDL muscle remain, the force of individual motor units starts to increase between the 1st and 2nd week after the operation and continues to do so for a further week. The drastic reduction of the number of motoneurones supplying the fast EDL leads to an increase in activity of the remaining MUs. In the 1st week after partial denervation, there was a sharp increase in the EMG activity of remaining motor units. During the next 12 days, this increase became less marked, but EMG activity remained nevertheless significantly higher than that of the unoperated EDL muscle. Many MUs became tonically active during posture. The EMG activity pattern during locomotion was also altered, so that the burst duration was positively correlated with the step cycle duration. Moreover, shortly after partial denervation, the interlimb coordination was disturbed but returned to its original symmetrical use 1–2 weeks later. Received: 17 September 1996 / Accepted: 3 November 1997     

局限性癫痫脑电时间序列的分形维数计算比较

为探索应用非线性动力学理论诊断癫痫病的新方法，对局限性癫痫病患者脑电时间序列进行了相关维数（Ｄｃ）和波形维数（Ｄｗ）的计算比较。观察到，痫性导联脑电的分形维数多低于对侧导联的值；相关维数Ｄｃ的相对变化量较波形维数Ｄｗ大；而波形维数Ｄｗ对痫性棘波敏感；结果提示，脑电时间序列的分形维数有可能成为诊断癫痫的特征参数，值得进一步深入研究。     

Spatiotemporal analysis of event-related potentials to upright, inverted, and contrast-reversed faces: effects on encoding and recognition

In an n-back face recognition task where subjects responded to repeated stimuli, ERPs were recorded to upright, inverted, and contrast-reversed faces. The effects of inversion and contrast reversal on face encoding and recognition were investigated using the multivariate spatiotemporal partial least squares (PLS) analysis. The configural manipulations affected early processing (100-200 ms) at posterior sites: Inversion effects were parietal and lateral, whereas contrast-reversal effects were more occipital and medial, suggesting different underlying generators. A later reactivation of face processing areas was unique to inverted faces, likely due to processing difficulties. PLS also indicated that the "old-new" repetition effect was maximal for upright faces and likely involved frontotemporal areas. Marked processing differences between inverted and contrast-reversed faces were seen, but these effects were similar at encoding and recognition.