体外构建组织工程骨-软骨复合组织

背景：设计一体化、具有过渡结构的双层支架材料,复合软骨细胞、骨髓间充质细胞,有利于新生的骨与软骨组织之间形成良好界面。目的：模仿自然骨一软骨基质构建复合支架,以软骨细胞和骨髓间充质干细胞为种子细胞,体外观察复合组织的成软骨及成骨能力。方法：制备明胶一硫酸软骨素一透明质酸及明胶一陶瓷化骨多孔复合支架,构建自然骨一软骨基质复合支架,复合兔软骨细胞与骨髓间充质干细胞,分未成骨诱导与成骨诱导两组培养,并进行MTT、糖胺多糖含量、碱性磷酸酶活性检测,以及苏木精一伊红染色检测。结果与结论：未成骨诱导与成骨诱导两组骨髓间充质干细胞增殖及糖胺多糖含量差异无显著性意义。未成骨诱导组碱性磷酸酶活性缓慢上升,成骨诱导组诱导后碱性磷酸酶活性迅速上升,14d时达到稳定状态。两组苏木精一伊红染色结果无明显区别,均已形成含有双层组织的类似骨一软骨样组织,其间可见未降解支架形态,但由于基质形成不完善及支架未完全降解,此种结构不成熟,细胞分布不均匀,支架内部可见散在无细胞区域。证实采用两种细胞与双层结构的支架经体外分层复合能够形成组织工程骨软骨复合组织。     

长QT间期扭转型室性心动过速发病机制探讨

狗静脉注射氯化铯(CsCl)所致的多形性室性心动过速(室速)基本符合长QT间期扭转型室速(TdP)的特点。右室心内膜单相动作电位(MAP)记录表明,CsCl可诱发早期后除极电位(EAD),TdP发作与EAD密切相关,硫酸镁(MgSO_4)可使EAD消失,TdP也获控制,提示TdP为EAD触发活性所致。Cs~ 为细胞膜K~ 通道阻滞剂,延长复极时间,增加内向Na~ /Ca~(2 )流,由此产生EAD,而Mg~(2 )为细胞膜K~ 通道激动剂,因此,Mg~(2 )对Cs~ 具对抗作用。     

Low plasma DHEA-S increases mortality risk among male hemodialysis patients

Objective

The incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the rise. CKD patients are at high risk of cardiovascular (CVD) and all-cause mortality. CKD patients have several endocrine disorders, including low levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). In the general population, low levels of DHEA-S are associated with high CVD and all-cause mortality. The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic value of plasma DHEA-S on the survival of CKD patients on hemodialysis.

Method

This was a single-center prospective cohort study on two hundred CKD patients on hemodialysis, which assessed the prognostic value of plasma DHEA-S on their survival.

Result

We found that plasma DHEA-S levels were negatively associated with age, and positively associated with dialysis duration and plasma creatinine, albumin, and phosphate levels in hemodialysis men. Elderly patients with co-morbidities (i.e. diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), poorer fluid control which was evaluated by higher cardiothoracic ratio, and low plasma creatinine and albumin levels seemed to have poor prognosis in hemodialysis men. Furthermore, low plasma DHEA-S levels were significantly associated with CVD-related [hazard ratio (HR) = 3.877; P = 0.021], non-CVD-related (HR = 3.522; P = 0.016), and all-cause mortality (HR = 3.667; P = 0.001) in hemodialysis men. But low plasma DHEA-S levels were not significantly associated with CVD-related, non-CVD-related, and all-cause mortality in hemodialysis women. Multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that low plasma DHEA-S levels are significantly and independently associated with all-cause mortality in hemodialysis men (HR = 2.933; P = 0.033).

Conclusion

The study suggested that low plasma DHEA-S was independently and significantly associated with all-cause mortality in CKD hemodialysis men.     

不同胰岛自身抗体阳性1型糖尿病临床特征分析

目的探讨单独或合并锌转运体8自身抗体(ZnT8A)、谷氨酸脱羧酶抗体(GADA)及蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酶抗体(IA-2A)阳性患者的1型糖尿病(T1DM)患者临床特征。方法采用放射配体检测法检测中南大学湘雅二医院1999—2009年收治的539例T1DM患者的ZnT8A、GADA及IA-2A,并将其分成三个亚组进行比较。结果(1)单一ZnT8A阳性组较抗体阴性组病程更长,胰岛素用量更大,收缩压更低,合并代谢综合征比例更少。单一ZnT8A阳性组较单一GADA阳性组BMI、WHR及空腹C肽值更高(P<0.05),而糖化血红蛋白水平更低(P<0.05);(2)多个抗体阳性组起病年龄显著低于抗体阴性组(P<0.05);1个抗体阳性患者的空腹C肽及餐后2 h C肽显著低于抗体阴性组(P<0.05);3个抗体阳性患者较1个抗体阳性患者的起病年龄更小(P<0.01),BMI更低(P<0.05),病程更短(P<0.05)。(3)合并任意两种抗体阳性中"GADA阳性与IA-2A阳性"组餐后C肽最低(P<0.01),空腹C肽也较低,但差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论单独或合并ZnT8A,GADA及IA-2A的T1DM临床特征分析对临床具有重要的指导意义。     

硫酸沙丁胺醇丙卡特罗治疗小儿支气管哮喘的临床对照研究

目的评价高选择行β2受体激动剂硫酸沙丁胺醇治疗小儿急性轻中度支气管哮喘是否差于丙卡特罗。方法93例诊断为小儿轻中度急性支气管哮喘患儿,随机分为硫酸沙丁胺醇组(实验组)42例,丙卡特罗组(对照组)51例。分别记录患儿用药前和用药后第3,7,10,14 d的肺功能。结果用药后实验组和对照肺功能指标(FEV1%,PEF%)与治疗前相比均有显著改善(P<0.05);实验组与对照组相比,患儿用药后第3,7,10,14 d肺功能指标FEV1%(P=0.36,0.72,0.52,0.63)和PEP%(P=0.50,0.59,0.62,0.83)差别无统计学意义。结论硫酸沙丁胺醇治疗小儿急性轻中度支气管哮喘在改善肺功能方面并不差于丙卡特罗。     

重度支气管哮喘硫酸镁治疗疗效分析

目的探讨重度支气管哮喘应用硫酸镁治疗疗效与安全性。方法将2009年11月～2011年4月于我院诊治的支气管哮喘重度患者81例分为两组。对照组39例均给予吸氧、平喘等常规治疗;观察组42例在对照组治疗外另给予硫酸镁治疗。结果观察组42例患者显效34例,有效7例,无效1例,总有效率97.62%,显著高于对照组(χ2=12.85,P<0.01)。两组患者均无不良反应。结论对重度支气管哮喘患者在常规治疗外静脉滴注硫酸镁治疗,疗效显著。     

The curious case of arenavirus entry, and its inhibition

Arenaviruses comprise a diverse family of enveloped negative-strand RNA viruses that are endemic to specific rodent hosts worldwide. Several arenaviruses cause severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans, including Junín and Machupo viruses in South America and Lassa fever virus in western Africa. Arenavirus entry into the host cell is mediated by the envelope glycoprotein complex, GPC. The virion is endocytosed on binding to a cell-surface receptor, and membrane fusion is initiated in response to physiological acidification of the endosome. As with other class I virus fusion proteins, GPC-mediated membrane fusion is promoted through a regulated sequence of conformational changes leading to formation of the classical postfusion trimer-of-hairpins structure. GPC is, however, unique among the class I fusion proteins in that the mature complex retains a stable signal peptide (SSP) as a third subunit, in addition to the canonical receptor-binding and fusion proteins. We will review the curious properties of the tripartite GPC complex and describe evidence that SSP interacts with the fusion subunit to modulate pH-induced activation of membrane fusion. This unusual solution to maintaining the metastable prefusion state of GPC on the virion and activating the class I fusion cascade at acidic pH provides novel targets for antiviral intervention.     

Syndecan-4 proteoliposomes enhance fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2)-induced proliferation, migration, and neovascularization of ischemic muscle

Ischemia of the myocardium and lower limbs is a common consequence of arterial disease and a major source of morbidity and mortality in modernized countries. Inducing neovascularization for the treatment of ischemia is an appealing therapeutic strategy for patients for whom traditional treatment modalities cannot be performed or are ineffective. In the past, the stimulation of blood vessel growth was pursued using direct delivery of growth factors, angiogenic gene therapy, or cellular therapy. Although therapeutic angiogenesis holds great promise for treating patients with ischemia, current methods have not found success in clinical trials. Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) was one of the first growth factors to be tested for use in therapeutic angiogenesis. Here, we present a method for improving the biological activity of FGF-2 by codelivering the growth factor with a liposomally embedded coreceptor, syndecan-4. This technique was shown to increase FGF-2 cellular signaling, uptake, and nuclear localization in comparison with FGF-2 alone. Delivery of syndecan-4 proteoliposomes also increased endothelial proliferation, migration, and angiogenic tube formation in response to FGF-2. Using an animal model of limb ischemia, syndecan-4 proteoliposomes markedly improved the neovascularization following femoral artery ligation and recovery of perfusion of the ischemic limb. Taken together, these results support liposomal delivery of syndecan-4 as an effective means to improving the potential of using growth factors to achieve therapeutic neovascularization of ischemic tissue.     

Barium swallow study in routine clinical practice: a prospective study in patients with chronic cough,

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the routine use of barium swallow study in patients with chronic cough.

METHODS:

Between October of 2011 and March of 2012, 95 consecutive patients submitted to chest X-ray due to chronic cough (duration > 8 weeks) were included in the study. For study purposes, additional images were obtained immediately after the oral administration of 5 mL of a 5% barium sulfate suspension. Two radiologists systematically evaluated all of the images in order to identify any pathological changes. Fisher''s exact test and the chi-square test for categorical data were used in the comparisons.

RESULTS:

The images taken immediately after barium swallow revealed significant pathological conditions that were potentially related to chronic cough in 12 (12.6%) of the 95 patients. These conditions, which included diaphragmatic hiatal hernia, esophageal neoplasm, achalasia, esophageal diverticulum, and abnormal esophageal dilatation, were not detected on the images taken without contrast. After appropriate treatment, the symptoms disappeared in 11 (91.6%) of the patients, whereas the treatment was ineffective in 1 (8.4%). We observed no complications related to barium swallow, such as contrast aspiration.

CONCLUSIONS:

Barium swallow improved the detection of significant radiographic findings related to chronic cough in 11.5% of patients. These initial findings suggest that the routine use of barium swallow can significantly increase the sensitivity of chest X-rays in the detection of chronic cough-related etiologies.