The increase of cardiac beta 1-subtype of beta-adrenergic receptors in adult rats following neonatal 6-hydroxydopa treatment

An analysis of Hofstee plots of specific [3H]dihydroalprenolol ([3H]DHA) binding in the presence of various concentrations of practolol showed that KD and Bmax in beta 1-subtype adrenoceptors were 19.2-fold lower and 2.76-fold higher than those in beta 2-subtype in adult rat hearts, respectively. Neonatal treatment with 6-hydroxydopa produced a significant increase only in Bmax in beta 1-adrenoceptors without changing Bmax and KD in beta 2-receptors. "Up' regulation in the density of beta 2-type of adrenoceptors seems to be caused by the 6-hydroxydopa-induced sympathetic lesion.     

In vitro and in vivo down-regulation of human plateletα 2-adrenoceptors by clonidine

Summary The effect of clonidine on the number of ₂-adrenoceptors in human platelet membranes, determined by³H-yohimbine binding, was investigatedin vitro andin vivo. Incubation of platelet membranes with clonidine (1–100 µM) for 16 h at 25 °C led to a concentration-dependent decrease in the number of³H-yohimbine binding sites of 10–25%; the affinity of³H-yohimbine to the sites was not changed (K_D approximately 3–4 nM). In such desensitized membranes, inhibition of³H-yohimbine binding by clonidine resulted in steep, monophasic displacement curves, which in comparison to the curves from control membranes (IC₅₀ for clonidine 90 nM), were shifted to the right (IC₅₀: 321 nM) and were not affected by 10^–4M guanosine-5-triphosphate (GTP).Treatment of 3 hypertensive patients with clonidine (3×150 µg/d for 7 days) reduced blood pressure and heart rate. Simultaneously, both³H-yohimbine binding sites on platelet membranes and plasma catecholamine levels decreased within three days and remained at a reduced level during treatment. After abrupt cessation of clonidine treatment, blood pressure, heart rate and plasma catecholamines rapidly increased, reaching values after two days similar to or higher than those before treatment.³H-yohimbine binding sites, however, initially decreased further before returning to control values. In platelet membranes derived from hypertensive patients treated with clonidine for at least three weeks, GTP (10^–4M) had no influence on inhibition of³H-yohimbine binding by (—)-adrenaline and clonidine. It is concluded that clonidine desensitizes ₂-adrenoceptors in human platelet membranesin vitro andin vivo. An important step in the desensitization process is the uncoupling of receptor occupancy by agonists and adenylate cyclase activity, as indicated by loss of the regulatory activity of GTP on desensitized membranes. The clonidine withdrawal syndrome may be caused by enhanced release of endogenous catecholamines not adequately regulated by presynaptic ₂-adrenoceptors, which have become subsensitive after chronic clonidine treatment.     

Blockade of presynaptic α-receptors and of amine uptake in the rat brain by the antidepressant mianserine

Summary Mianserine (Org GB 94, Tolvon^®) is 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 14b-hexahydro-2-methyl-dibenzo [c, f] pyrazino [1, 3-a] azepine hydrochloride, a new antidepressant drug. Its effect on noradrenaline release and its capacity to inhibit amine uptake were investigated. Mianserine increased the release of ³H-noradrenaline from field-stimulated cortical slices previously labelled with the tritiated transmitter. The assumption that this effect is due primarily to the blockade of the presynaptic noradrenergic -receptors is supported by the fact that mianserine failed to augment ³H-noradrenaline release further after blockade of the presynaptic -receptors by phentolamine. In the reciprocal experiment, phentolamine failed to augment ³H-noradrenaline release after exposure of the slices to mianserine. The hypothesis is further reinforced by the fact that mianserine antagonized the reduction of ³H-noradrenaline release by clonidine in the same manner as the -blocking drugs phentolamine and phenoxybenzamine. Mianserine inhibited noradrenaline uptake in vitro and in vivo (in the rat heart and midbrain-diencephalon synaptosomes from pretreated rats.) Only a marginal inhibition of serotonin uptake was observed.It therefore appears that mianserine increases the concentration of noradrenaline in the synaptic cleft by blocking the presynaptic -receptors and inhibiting uptake. Whether or not this increase has functional consequences at postsynaptic noradrenergic receptor sites is unknown. It is possible, however, that postsynaptic receptor blockade counteracts the increase in available noradrenaline.A part of these results was presented at the 16th Spring Meeting of the German Pharmacological Society, Mainz, March 4–7, 1975     

端粒酶的调节基因TRAP在皮肤基底细胞癌中的表达及意义

目的:探讨端粒酶的调节基因TRAP在皮肤基底细胞癌中的表达情况。方法:用免疫组化S-P法检测TRAP在38例皮肤基底细胞癌、15例正常皮肤中的表达。结果:TRAP在皮肤基底细胞癌的表达高于正常皮肤(P<0.01);在未分化型与分化型基底细胞癌表达的差异无统计学意义。结论:TRAP的异常高表达可能与皮肤基底细胞癌的发病有关。TRAP的表达与基底细胞癌的病理分型无关。     

儿童体质八分法

儿童体质可以分为均衡质和不均衡质两大类,和平质、特禀质、气虚质、血虚质、阴虚质、阳虚质、痰湿质、阳热质八型。论述了八种儿童体质的性质及其临床表现,提出了不同体质儿童日常生活调护及饮食调理的方法。      

水凝胶的生物力学研究进展

水凝胶是生物医用领域的重要生物材料,也是近年来的研究热点。但人体内的细胞与组织的微环境和调控机制非常复杂,水凝胶应用于再生修复领域仍存在一些待解决的科学问题。随着生物力学的发展,越来越多的研究者发现除了关注水凝胶的材料学及生物学特性以外,其生物力学特性也是调控细胞功能、影响组织再生修复的关键因素之一。因此,本文总结了水凝胶材料的生物力学研究进展,并对未来的研究工作进行了展望。     

Brain activation during cognitive reappraisal depending on regulation goals and stimulus valence

Neural bases of cognitive reappraisal may depend on the direction of regulation (up- or downregulation) and stimulus valence (positive or negative). This study aimed to examine this using a cognitive reappraisal task and conjunction analysis on a relatively large sample of 83 individuals. We identified regions in which activations were common for all these types of emotion regulation. We also investigated differences in brain activation between the ‘decrease’ and ‘increase’ emotional response conditions, and between the regulation of negative and positive emotions. The common activation across conditions involved mainly the prefrontal and temporal regions. Decreasing emotions was associated with stronger involvement of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, while increasing with activation of the amygdala and hippocampus. Regulation of negative emotions involved stronger activation of the lateral occipital cortex, while regulation of positive emotions involved stronger activation of the anterior cingulate cortex extending to the medial prefrontal cortex. This study adds to previous findings, not only by doing a conjunction analysis on both emotional valences and regulation goals, but also doing this in a bigger sample size. Results suggest that reappraisal is not a uniform process and may have different neural bases depending on regulation goals and stimulus valence.     

高氧诱导小鼠视网膜新生血管模型中端粒酶逆转录酶的表达变化

目的 研究高氧诱导视网膜新生血管模型中小鼠端粒酶逆转录酶(TERT)基因表达水平是否有变化,为进一步研究视网膜新生血管疾病的预防和治疗提供新的靶点.方法 实验研究.选取7 d龄C57BL/6J新生小鼠32只,分高氧组和对照组,每组16只.高氧组小鼠以密闭氧箱内以75%±2%氧浓度饲养5 d后置于正常氧浓度环境中,正常对照组小鼠于正常氧环境中饲养.于小鼠生后12、14及19 d时分别取高氧组和对照组小鼠各2只(4只眼),经尾静脉行2%伊文思蓝溶液灌注并做视网膜铺片,荧光显微镜下观察视网膜新生血管的形成情况.高氧模型组和正常对照组生后19 d幼鼠3只,行HE染色,光学显微镜下观察视网膜血管形态,观察突破内界膜的内皮细胞核数.取生后19 d高氧组和对照组小鼠,分别取其视网膜组织并提取总RNA,反转录成cDNA后行反转录PCR,2%琼脂糖凝胶电泳并照相.提取视网膜总RNA,反转录成cDNA后(同RT-PCR),配制荧光定量实时PCR反应体系(总计20μl),在60℃检测荧光信号,分析图像.分别取高氧模型组和正常对照组P19小鼠行眼球切片,常规处理后TERT抗体孵育37℃ 60 min,HRP酶标二抗孵育30 min,DAB显色,中性胶封片,镜下观察并照相.结果高氧诱导模型小鼠牛后12 d眼底后极部出现大片无灌注区,生后14 d眼底后极部出现新牛血管迂曲、渗漏等视网膜血管病变.生后17～19 d视网膜新生血管形成达到高峰.正常小鼠视网膜组织切片HE染色基本看不剑突出内界膜的血管芽及血管管腔,内界膜下视网膜内的血管内皮细胞核散在分布、数量较少;高氧组见大量突出内界膜伸向玻璃体腔的血管管腔及血管芽,内界膜下视网膜内也有大量血管内皮细胞增生.19 d高氧模型组小鼠视网膜TERT及bFGF mRNA表达较同日龄正常对照组小鼠明显提高,二者差异有统计学意义(F=8.575,5.667;P＜0.05).生后19 d实时PCR检测高氧模型组小鼠视网膜TERT mRNA表达较同日龄正常对照组小鼠明显上调,差异有统计学意义(F=173.104,P＜0.05).生后19 d高氧诱导小鼠视网膜新生血管模型中视网膜新生血管TERT表达阳性,同日龄对照组新生小鼠视网膜血管TERT表达阴性.结论高氧诱导视网膜新生血管小鼠模型中端粒酶逆转录酶和新生血管形成相关因子表达水平明显上调,可能会成为视网膜新生血管疾病预防和治疗的新靶点.(中华眼科杂志,2009,45:199-205)     

A Comparison of Pseudorabies Virus Latency to Other α-Herpesvirinae Subfamily Members

Pseudorabies virus (PRV), the causative agent of Aujeszky’s disease, is one of the most important infectious pathogens threatening the global pig industry. Like other members of alphaherpesviruses, PRV establishes a lifelong latent infection and occasionally reactivates from latency after stress stimulus in infected pigs. Latent infected pigs can then serve as the source of recurrent infection, which is one of the difficulties for PRV eradication. Virus latency refers to the retention of viral complete genomes without production of infectious progeny virus; however, following stress stimulus, the virus can be reactivated into lytic infection, which is known as the latency-reactivation cycle. Recently, several research have indicated that alphaherpesvirus latency and reactivation is regulated by a complex interplay between virus, neurons, and the immune system. However, with those limited reports, the relevant advances in PRV latency are lagging behind. Therefore, in this review we focus on the regulatory mechanisms in PRV latency via summarizing the progress of PRV itself and that of other alphaherpesviruses, which will improve our understanding in the underlying mechanism of PRV latency and help design novel therapeutic strategies to control PRV latency.     

Two BRM promoter polymorphisms predict poor survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Polymorphisms in the promoter of the BRM gene, a critical subunit of the chromatin remodeling SWI/SNF complex, have previously been implicated in risk and prognosis in Caucasian‐predominant lung, head and neck, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers, and in hepatocellular cancers in Asians. We investigated the role of these polymorphisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk and prognosis. HCC cases were recruited in a comprehensive cancer center while the matched controls were recruited from family practice units from the same catchment area. For risk analyses, unconditional logistic regression analyses were performed in HCC patients and matched healthy controls. Overall survival analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazard models, Kaplan‐Meier curves, and log‐rank tests. In 266 HCC cases and 536 controls, no association between either BRM promoter polymorphism (BRM‐741 or BRM‐1321) and risk of HCC was identified (P > 0.10 for all comparisons). There was significant worsening of overall survival as the number of variant alleles increased: BRM‐741 per variant allele adjusted hazards ratio (aHR) 5.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.89‐11.54 and BRM‐1321 per variant allele aHR 4.09, 95%CI 2.22‐7.51. The effects of these two polymorphisms were at least additive, where individuals who were double homozygotes for the variant alleles had a 45‐fold increase in risk of death when compared to those who were double wild‐type for the two polymorphisms. Two BRM promoter polymorphisms were strongly associated with HCC prognosis but were not associated with increased HCC susceptibility. The association was strongest in double homozygotes for the allele variants.