糖视清对实验动物SOD,LPO水平及红细胞膜流动性的影响

用四氧嘧啶和高脂饲料分别造成实验动物高血糖和高脂血症模型对其进行检测，结果表明：糖视清可使糖尿病小鼠血糖降低、血浆ＳＯＤ含量增高、ＭＤＡ含量减少、红细胞偏振度数值明显减少（Ｐ＜０．０１）；使高脂血症大鼠ＴＣ、ＴＧ、ＬＤＬ－Ｃ、ＶＬＤＬ水平升高，同时使红细胞偏振度数值减小（Ｐ＜０．０１）。这些作用可成为糖视清治疗糖尿病性视网膜病变的部分药理学基础。     

氯碘羟喹对小鼠海马苔藓纤维内游离锌离子螯合作用的研究

目的研究金属螯合剂氯碘羟喹（Clioquinol,CQ）对小鼠大脑海马苔藓纤维内游离锌离子的螯合作用。方法3月龄雄性C57BL／6小鼠42只,随机均分为3组：正常对照组,溶剂对照组,CQ组。CQ组和溶剂对照组腹腔注射药物2h后与正常对照组一起断头取脑,制备小鼠海马冰冻切片,应用N-（6-甲氧基-8-喹啉）-P-甲苯磺胺（TSQ）荧光探针技术和金属自显影技术检测各组小鼠大脑海马苔藓纤维游离锌离子的分布和含量。结果CQ处理组小鼠海马苔藓纤维的TSQ荧光强度在CA3区及齿状回均明显低于正常对照组和溶剂对照组（P〈0．01）,而两对照组之间无差别。CQ处理组小鼠大脑金属自显影阳性反应强度在皮层、海马CA3区、齿状回均明显低于正常对照组和溶剂对照组（P〈0．01）,而两对照组之间无差别。结论金属螯合剂CQ对小鼠大脑内游离锌离子有明显的螯合作用,提示CQ可能作为锌离子诱导的神经细胞死亡疾病（如脑缺血和阿尔茨海默病）的潜在治疗药物。     

锌离子和锌转运蛋白3在小鼠海马苔藓纤维的共存

目的研究锌离子与锌转运蛋白3(ZNT3)抗体进行双标的可行性。方法应用TSQ荧光技术以及普通荧光技术在小鼠海马苔藓纤维双重标记锌离子和ZNT3蛋白。结果在小鼠海马苔藓纤维,锌离子和ZNT3蛋白被各自标记,荧光反应阳性。而合并后的图片表明,两者实现完全共区域化。结论TSQ作为一种锌离子特殊荧光染色是可以和普通荧光染色的抗体进行双重标记的。     

Residual tinnitus after the medical treatment of sudden deafness

Objectives

Some patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) are frustrated by residual tinnitus even after accomplishment of the treatment for SSNHL. In the present prospective study, we examined patients’ backgrounds of sex, laterality and age together with changes in hearing level and the tinnitus score after the onset of SSHNL to determine the prognostic factors of residual tinnitus after the final day of medical treatment for SSNHL.

Methods

Forty-four patients with SSNHL were all treated with systemic administration of steroids for 2 weeks and oral intake of vasoactive drugs and vitamin B12 for 6 months before accomplishment of the treatment for SSNHL. The hearing improvement rate (HIR) was determined by comparing the hearing level before and 6 months after the start of treatment. Tinnitus was subjectively evaluated by the tinnitus scoring questionnaire before, 6 and 24 months after the start of treatment. The score of a five-step evaluation of subjective tinnitus feelings, “loudness”, “duration” and “annoyance”, was recorded.

Results

HIR was significantly correlated with tinnitus score improvement (TSI) in “duration” at 6 months after the start of treatment compared with before treatment. The tinnitus score of all 3 items was significantly improved 6 months after the start of treatment compared with that before treatment but it was not significantly changed between 6 and 24 months after the start of treatment. TSI in “duration” between 6 and 24 months was significantly correlated with the patients’ age and HIR using multiple regression analysis.

Conclusion

According to the tinnitus scoring questionnaire, “duration” is the most reliable item for subjective evaluation of tinnitus accompanied by SSNHL. Generally, subjective feelings for residual tinnitus 6 months after the start of treatment for SSNHL are supposed to be almost the same, even at the 24th post-treatment month. Especially, younger patients with better hearing improvement are predicted to achieve further improvement of tinnitus between 6 and 24 months after the start of treatment.     

New mescaline concentrations from 14 taxa/cultivars of Echinopsis spp. (Cactaceae) (“San Pedro”) and their relevance to shamanic practice

Aim of the study

The aim of the present study is to determine in a procedurally uniform manner the mescaline concentrations in stem tissue of 14 taxa/cultivars of the subgenus Trichocereus of the genus Echinopsis (Cactaceae) and to evaluate the relationship (if any) between mescaline concentration and actual shamanic use of these plants.

Materials and methods

Columnar cacti of the genus Echinopsis, some of which are used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes by South American shamans in traditional medicine, were selected for analysis because they were vegetative clones of plants of documented geographic origin and/or because they were known to be used by practitioners of shamanism. Mescaline content of the cortical stem chlorenchyma of each cactus was determined by Soxhlet extraction with methanol, followed by acid-base extraction with water and dichloromethane, and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Results

By virtue of the consistent analytical procedures used, comparable alkaloid concentrations were obtained that facilitated the ranking of the various selected species and cultivars of Echinopsis, all of which exhibited positive mescaline contents. The range of mescaline concentrations across the 14 taxa/cultivars spanned two orders of magnitude, from 0.053% to 4.7% by dry weight.

Conclusions

The mescaline concentrations reported here largely support the hypothesis that plants with the highest mescaline concentrations - particularly E. pachanoi from Peru - are most associated with documented shamanic use.     

糖视清对高血糖高脂血症动物的降糖降脂作用及血液流变特性影响

糖尿病性视网膜病变（ＤＲＰ）与血糖、血脂代谢紊乱及血液高凝、高粘有关。糖视清是临床有效治疗ＤＲＰ的中药复方。现通过基础实验验证和探讨其作用及机理,实验证明它具有降低四氧嘧啶所致高血糖动物的血糖（Ｐ＜０．０１）的作用,降低高脂饲料所致高脂血症大鼠血清ＴＣ、ＴＧ、ＬＤＬ－Ｃ和ＶＬＤＬ、提高ＨＤＬ－Ｃ（Ｐ＜０．０１）的作用;对高血糖、高血脂大鼠各切速下的全血粘度、血浆粘度、体外血栓长度、湿重、干重及血小板聚集都明显降低（Ｐ＜０．０１）。提示这些作用可成为糖视清治疗ＤＲＰ的部分药理学基础。     

Zinc release contributes to hypoglycemia-induced neuronal death

Neurons exposed to zinc exhibit activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), an enzyme that normally participates in DNA repair but promotes cell death when extensively activated. Endogenous, vesicular zinc in brain is released to the extracellular space under conditions causing neuronal depolarization. Here, we used a rat model of insulin-induced hypoglycemia to assess the role of zinc release in PARP-1 activation and neuronal death after severe hypoglycemia. Zinc staining with N-(6-methoxy-8-quinolyl)-para-toluenesulfonamide (TSQ) showed depletion of presynaptic vesicular zinc from hippocampal mossy fiber terminals and accumulation of weakly bound zinc in hippocampal CA1 cell bodies after severe hypoglycemia. Intracerebroventricular injection of the zinc chelator calcium ethylene-diamine tetraacetic acid (CaEDTA) blocked the zinc accumulation and significantly reduced hypoglycemia-induced neuronal death. CaEDTA also attenuated the accumulation of poly(ADP-ribose), the enzymatic product of PARP-1, in hippocampal neurons. These results suggest that zinc translocation is an intermediary step linking hypoglycemia to PARP-1 activation and neuronal death.     

Imaging synaptic zinc release in living nervous tissue

Zinc enriched neurons have a pool of synaptic vesicles which contain free or loosely-bound zinc ions. The movement of the vesicular zinc ions into the synaptic clefts has been previously studied by microdialysis, fluorescence postmortem staining for zinc and radioactive zinc isotope. In this study the zinc fluorescence probe N-6-metoxy-p-toluensulfonamide quinoline (TSQ) has been applied as a tracer of synaptic release of zinc ions. This fluorochrome permeates cell membranes and when exposed to living brain slices gives rise to a staining pattern similar to that seen with autometallography. In the living brain slices, fluorescence emission persists after exposure to calcium saturated ethylen diamino-tetra-acetic acid (Ca-EDTA) because this chelator does not penetrate cell membranes, while sodium dethyldithiocarbamate (DEDTC), that does penetrate membranes, partially suppressed the fluorescence emission. Stimulation of slices bathed in the non-permeant chelator Ca-EDTA with 50 mM potassium chloride leads to a rapid and complete disappearance of fluorescence. In the absence of Ca-EDTA, however, potassium stimulation induces a sudden transitory increase in fluorescence. This increase is caused by a translocation of the fluorochrome (TSQ) zinc molecules from the weakly acid interior of the synaptic vesicles to the neutral extracellular space, whereby the fluorescence emission of the molecules is enhanced sufficiently to be recorded by a high sensitivity TV camera.     

锌离子在小鼠肺组织分布的TSQ荧光研究

目的研究游离锌离子在小鼠肺组织的定位分布。方法应用TSQ荧光技术检测小鼠肺组织内的锌离子。结果荧光显微镜下可见被TSQ荧光标记的锌离子广泛的分布在肺叶支气管壁粘膜、粘膜下及软骨,肺内小支气管基膜,肺泡上皮和肺内血管平滑肌,尤其以肺叶支气管粘膜以及软骨中荧光染色最为明显。结论小鼠肺组织内含有丰富的锌离子可能参与肺泡上皮细胞以及肺各级支气管软骨细胞中某些蛋白质的合成和组装。