Type II pneumocytes modulate surfactant production in response to cigarette smoke constituents: Restoration by vitamins A and E

This study was to evaluate the effects of cigarette smoke constituents upon type II pneumocyte surfactant production in vitro, and how vitamins A and E may alter the response. Freshly isolated type II pneumocytes from Sprague–Dawley rats were incubated 20 h in medium with fetal bovine serum that was or was not treated with cigarette smoke. The number of adherent cells was inversely related to the dose of smoke or benzo(a)pyrene. Despite the decreased number of treated cells, the total amount of surfactant per culture well was unchanged, whereas surfactant production per cell was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Vitamin A concentration was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the smoke-treated serum compared with untreated serum. When vitamin A or E was added to the cigarette smoke-treated serum, cell adherence and surfactant production returned to control values. In conclusion, cigarette smoke constituents or benzo(a)pyrene alone decreased the number of adherent type II pneumocytes, but did not alter surfactant amounts because of an increased production of surfactant per cell. Type II pneumocytes seem to adjust surfactant production dependent upon the number of type II pneumocytes to produce it and vitamin A or E enhance cell attachment in the presence of the smoke toxins.     

小鼠持续性脑缺血后NMDA受体亚单位表达的变化

目的：研究小鼠持续性脑缺血后不同脑区NMDA受体亚单位表达的变化及其与病理损伤之间的联系。方法：采用大脑中动脉阻断法制作小鼠持续性脑缺血模型，取缺血后不同时间的皮层、海马、皮层下脑组织，用免疫印迹技术测定NMDA受体亚单位ζ1和ε1及ε2蛋白的含量。同时作冰冻切片和苏木素伊红染色，计算相应脑区神经元密度。结果：NMDA受体ζ1和ε1及ε2亚单位表达的改变发生于缺血后5h内，皮层下3个亚单位表达均明显增加，海马则各亚单位表达变化不一。脑梗塞灶和相关脑区神经元密度显著减小均出现于缺血后5h，相关脑区神经元死亡严重程度依次为皮层下组织和海马CA1区及大脑颞叶皮层Ⅲ－Ⅳ层。结论：小鼠持续性脑缺血，缺血侧脑组织NMDA受体亚单位ζ1和ε1及ε2表达的变化发生在明显的病理损害之前，表达变化程度因脑区不同，与相关脑区神经元损害的程度相应。     

Heparin effect on ionised calcium concentration

The effect of heparin on plasma ionised calcium was studied by adding it in increasing amounts to whole blood from 10 normal subjects. There was no significant change in ionised calcium from the addition of 1 U/ml but a significant fall of 0.02 mmol/1 when 2 U/ml were added and a progressive further fall with increasing concentrations. Heparin from three different manufacturers produced similar results. The effect of heparinisation in vivo was studied during regular haemodialysis on 10 patients with chronic renal failure. Following intravenous injection of 10000 U of heparin there was a consistent and significant fall averaging 0.03 mmol/l.     

1α-Hydroxyvitamin D2 Partially Dissociates Between Preservation of Cancellous Bone Mass and Effects on Calcium Homeostasis in Ovariectomized Rats

Vitamin D metabolites can prevent estrogen depletion-induced bone loss in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Our aim was to compare the bone-protective effects of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (1,25(OH)₂D₃), 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₂ (1,25(OH)₂D₂), 1α-hydroxyvitamin D₃ (1α(OH)D₃), and 1α-hydroxyvitamin D₂ (1α(OH)D₂) in OVX rats. 1α(OH)D₃ and 1α(OH)D₂ are thought to be activated in the liver to form 1,25(OH)₂D₃ and 1,25(OH)₂D₂, respectively. Forty-four 12-week-old female Fischer-344 rats were either OVX or sham-operated (SHAM). Groups of OVX rats (n = 7 each) received vehicle alone, 1,25(OH)₂D₃, 1,25(OH)₂D₂, 1α(OH)D₃, or 1α(OH)D₂, starting 2 weeks after surgery. All vitamin D metabolites were administered orally at a dose of 15 ng/day/rat. Urine and blood samples were collected 6, 9, 12, and 16 weeks after surgery. Serum samples were analyzed for total calcium and phosphate. Calcium, phosphate, creatinine, and free collagen cross-links (ELISA) were determined in urine. After tetracycline double labeling, the rats were sacrificed 16 weeks postsurgery, and the proximal tibiae and the first lumbar vertebrae were processed undecalcified for static and dynamic bone histomorphometry. 1,25(OH)₂D₃ and, to a slightly lesser extent, 1,25(OH)₂D₂ elevated vertebral cancellous bone mass in OVX rats to a level beyond that observed in SHAM animals, and both compounds increased serum calcium and urinary calcium excretion to similar extents. 1α(OH)D₃ and 1α(OH)D₂ resulted in a 64% and 84%, respectively, inhibition of ovariectomy-induced vertebral cancellous bone loss. In the proximal tibial metaphysis, all vitamin D metabolites tested could only partially prevent post-OVX trabecular bone loss, with a tendency for 1α(OH)D₃ to be the least active compound. The effects of 1α(OH)D₃ and 1α(OH)D₂ on calcium homeostasis differed markedly, however. The mean increase in urinary calcium excretion over the whole experiment was fivefold for 1α(OH)D₃, whereas the corresponding increase for 1α(OH)D₂ was only twofold. We conclude that, compared with 1α(OH)D₃, 1α(OH)D₂ combined at least equal or higher bone-protective activity in OVX rats with distinctly less pronounced effects on calcium homeostasis. This effect was not due to a differential action of the corresponding main activation products, 1,25(OH)₂D₃ and 1,25(OH)₂D₂. Received: 2 May 1996 / Accepted: 18 October 1996     

Expression of pS2, c-erbB-2, and cathepsin D during the menstrual cycle in human breast cancers

Background: Many studies have addressed the effect of the timing of surgery for breast cancer relative to menstrual cycle phase, with conflicting results. Explanations for the possibility that survival could be altered by the appropriate timing of breast cancer surgery in humans remain speculative. Methods: We examined the expression of three estrogen related proteins (c-erbB-2, cathepsin D, pS2) in the breast tumors from 69 premenopausal women sampled in different phases of the menstrual cycle. Data on S-phase fraction and hormone receptor expression were also analyzed. Immunohistochemical assays were used to measure the proteins of interest. S-phase fraction was determined by flow cytometry. Analyses were performed based on fraction of cells staining positive for the protein, density of stain, and a histoscore that combined both fraction of positive cells and density. Results: We found no differences in c-erbB-2, cathepsin D, hormone receptor, or S-phase levels in tumors sampled in the follicular versus luteal phase, or perimenstrual versus periovulatory phase. The exception was pS2, which was expressed at greater levels during the luteal than during the follicular phase of the cycle (p<0.01); but there was no difference in pS2 expression when the patients were classified as periovulatory versus perimenstrual. Conclusions: Our findings do not support a variation in c-erbB-2, cathepsin D, S-phase fraction, or receptor expression as an explanation for the differences in breast cancer prognosis when surgery is timed by menstrual cycle phase. The finding that pS2 (an indicator of hormone sensitivity, and possibly better prognosis) is expressed at higher levels in tumor samples during the luteal phase suggests that the biologic profile of breast tumors may vary with the menstrual cycle and that these variations deserve further study.     

Importance of seafood as nutrient source in the diet of Belgian adolescents

BACKGROUND: Regular seafood consumption is recommended in dietary guidelines. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of seafood as a nutrient source in adolescents' diet and the extent to which seafood consumption can increase the intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D. METHODS: Consumption data recorded during seven consecutive days for 341 adolescents selected in Ghent (Belgium) were used to estimate the intake of vitamin D, linoleic (LA), alpha-linolenic (LNA), arachidonic (AA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosapentaenoic (DPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid. RESULTS: The adolescents consumed on average 3.21 microg/day vitamin D, 11.7 g/day LA and 1.4 g/day LNA. The mean intakes of AA, EPA, DPA and DHA were 83.2, 55.9, 18.4 and 111.4 mg/day respectively. The major source of vitamin D was fortified margarine. Fats and oils were the main sources for LA and LNA. The intake of AA was mainly contributed by meat, poultry and eggs. Fish and seafood contributed for 84.1%, 59.3% and 64.4% respectively for EPA, DPA and DHA. CONCLUSION: Flemish adolescents would benefit from increased seafood consumption, as this would lead to a higher intake of EPA and DHA as well as of vitamin D. Moreover, replacement of foods rich in saturated fat (SFA) by seafood products can help to reduce SFA intake.     

The problem of rickets in UK Asians

A large body of work relating to the occurrence of rickets in UK Asians is reviewed. Several theories of the aetiology of this condition are shown to be untenable: it is not exclusively a function of sunlight deprivation or of darker pigmentation; nor is it simply due to phytate-induced losses of calcium from the gut. Asian rickets, however, is associated with a high consumption of cereals, and experiments with rats have suggested a mechanism. In the absence of adequate vitamin D from sunlight, the low-calcium, high cereal intake of the UK Asian population may induce a state of mild secondary hyperparathyroidism which enhances the destruction of vitamin D and leads to a progressive reduction in vitamin D status and, ultimately, to the development of clinical rickets.     

X-linked hypophosphatemia: Normal renal function despite medullary nephrocalcinosis 25 years after transient vitamin D2-induced renal azotemia

Nephrocalcinosis (NC) detected by ultrasound is a recognized abnormality for some patients with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) who received vitamin D₂ and inorganic phosphate therapy, but is commonly observed in XLH patients treated with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ and inorganic phosphate supplementation. Nevertheless, long-term follow-up of kidney function in XLH patients with NC detected ultrasonographically has not been reported. We investigated two women with XLH, ages 31 (patient 1) and 39 (patient 2) years, each of whom had suffered at least one documented episode of vitamin D₂-induced hypercalcemia and renal azotemia during childhood. Patient 2 had also been treated with inorganic phosphate. No medications for XLH had been taken during adulthood. Renal ultrasonography at our institution demonstrated marked bilateral medullary NC in both women. No other explanation was found for their NC that apparently occurred several decades earlier from medical therapy for XLH. Detailed studies (including creatinine clearance, β₂-microglobulin excretion, and fasting urinary osmolality and acidification) revealed no impairment of kidney function in either patient. Our findings indicate that subradiographic medullary NC acquired during medical therapy for XLH may persist for decades, but with no adverse renal sequelae. Definitive (long-term) assessment of kidney function in the XLH population with NC, however, will be necessary to fully understand the risk of current medical treatment for this most common heritable form of rickets.     

The popularization and application of cold storage red blood cells or whole blood at −80 °C of the Rh(D) negative patients in surgical operation

Summary The efficiency of cold storage red blood cells (CSRBC) or whole blood at −80 °C used in 27 Rh(D) negative patients during surgical operation was reported. The Rh(D) negative patients received the transfusion of CSRBC or whole blood stored at −80 °C for 180 to 360 days. The changes in the indexes, such as blood TB, DB, K⁺, Na⁺, BUN, Cr, urine protein (URPO), UOB, Hb, HCT, serum total protein, relative to hemolytic reaction and blood volume before and after transfusion were observed. The results showed that after transfusion of CSRBC or whole blood 27 cases were negative for urine protein and UOB, and the levels of BUN and Cr were normal (P>0.05). Blood TB, DB, Hb, and HCT were increased, while pH, blood K⁺ and blood Na⁺ was normal with the difference being not significant before and after operation (P>0.05). Plasma protein was decreased, but there was no significant difference before and after operation (P>0.05). It was suggested that CSRBC or whole blood at −80 °C could be safely infused to the Rh(D) negative patients without side effects during the surgical operation. YU Zhongqing, male, born in 1957, Technician in Charge     

Cyclin D1在胶质瘤细胞系中表达分布模式的初步研究

目的：探讨cyclin D1在胶质瘤细胞系中的细胞周期表达模式，将为从生物学功能上阐明cyclin D1在胶质瘤细胞周期演进中的作用．方法：利用流式细胞仪双参数法和细胞同步化，确定cyclin D1在胶质瘤细胞系SHG-44和BT-325中的细胞周期表达分布模式．结果：在胶质瘤细胞系SHG-44和BT-325中，Cyclin Dl的表达呈细胞周期依赖性：在SHG-44中，cyclin D1在G1期表达最高，4h左右达到峰值，S期及G2／M期下降，但仍可检测到；在BT-325中，cyclin D1在G1期表达最高，6h左右达到峰值，S期及G2／M期下降，但仍可检测到．结论：cyclin D1蛋白质的表达呈细胞周期依赖性，且与细胞周期行进有关；cyclin D1在SHG-44和BT-325胶质瘤细胞进入G1期的早期发挥着重要的生物学作用。