The effect of interleukin-1 on iron metabolism in rats

The effect of interleukin-1 on iron metabolism in rats was evaluated. Plasma iron decreased from 184 +/- 16 micrograms/dl (mean +/- SE) to 24 +/- 12 at 6 hours after interleukin-1 intramuscular administration in non-fasting rats and 109 +/- 6 micrograms/dl to 12 +/- 1 micrograms/dl in fasting rats, which was significantly lower than in control rats. Ferrokinetic studies showed a more rapid disappearance rate and lower iron turnover in interleukin-1-injected rats. The release of iron from the mononuclear phagocyte system to plasma was studied at 3 h after interleukin-1 administration. Although the percent of radioactivity in plasma of the total injected dose was 3.2 +/- 0.6% in interleukin-1, which was significantly lower than in the control rats (5.4 +/- 0.6%) at 9 h after intravenous injection of 59Fe chondroitin ferrous sulfate, there was no difference between the amount of 59Fe released from the mononuclear phagocyte system over the first 9 h in interleukin-1 and control rats. These data appear to imply that iron release is unimpaired but that, for some reason, there is an enhanced rate of clearance of the 59Fe once it has been released from the mononuclear phagocyte system into the plasma.     

补益脾肾方佐治小儿哮喘的临床研究

目的比较小儿支气管哮喘中、西医治疗疗效.方法将64例支气管哮喘患儿随机分为两组治疗组32例,给予常规西药治疗及对症处理;中药组32例,在常规西药治疗的基础上加服中药(补益脾肾方),监测两组的ET-1、NO水平,比较两组的临床疗效.结果急性期ET-1、NO显著增高,入院时两组比较,差异无显著性(P＞0.05).治疗2w后,中药组ET-1、NO明显下降,两组比较,差异有显著性(P＜0.05).1年后随访患儿中,中药组(23例)轻度哮喘2例,中度哮喘3例,重度哮喘2例;治疗组(20例)依次分别为5例、4例、4例;1年内中药组与治疗组患儿哮喘发作次数比较未发作(例)61,发作＞3次(例)15,两组比较差异有显著性(P＜0.01).结论补益脾肾中药可降低支气管哮喘患儿的血ET-1、NO水平,减轻哮喘发作时的症状;随访1年患儿哮喘发作次数明显减少.我们认为补益脾肾中药可提高支气管哮喘患儿的机体抵抗力,减轻气管炎症损伤,对防治小儿支气管哮喘有效.     

rhGM—CSF对小鼠口腔粘膜损伤的防治作用

目的：观察rhGM-CSF对TMX致实验性小鼠口腔粘膜损伤的疗效。方法：按随机分组原则将501只昆明种小白鼠分成8组，分别在相应时间给予不同药物（MTX，CF或rhGM-CSF）的处理因素，于第1－10天光镜下观察小鼠口腔粘膜的病理改变和积分情况。结果：IDMTX致口腔粘膜损伤病变率（45％－63％）和积分率（19．4％－56％）较其它组高，且死亡率很低（小于5％）；IDMTX＋GM0（或GM2）组的口腔粘膜损伤病变率（30．53％和30．99％）和积分率（19．47％和17．25％）比IDMTX组（55．56％和36．31％）明显减少，且溃疡严重程度较轻，二者相差显著（P＜0．01）。结论：IDMTX致小鼠口腔粘膜损伤模型可以用于粘膜损伤的研究；rhGM-CSF可以减少MTX致小鼠口腔粘膜损伤，并促进粘膜损伤恢复。     

绝经前后T1期乳腺癌患者临床特征的分析

目的:分析T1期(肿瘤直径<2cm)原发性乳腺癌女性患者绝经前后在肿瘤大小、病理分类、淋巴结转移率和数目。方法:常规病理检验以及应用免疫组化、HE法分别测定绝经前乳腺癌患者和绝经后乳腺癌患者者的ER、PR。结果:两组患者在肿瘤大小上无明显差异,但绝经前乳腺癌患者浸润导管癌的百分比为 84. 7%,绝经后乳腺癌患者的浸润导管癌百分比为 62. 2%,经χ2 检验,P<0. 01。两组淋巴结转移率分别为 39. 3%和 25. 5%,经χ2 检验,P<0. 01。两组ER和PR阳性伴淋巴结转移的比例经χ2 检验,P<0. 05。结论:绝经前乳腺癌患者和绝经后乳腺癌患者在病理分类、淋巴结转移率及数目、ER、PR阳性伴淋巴结转移上有显著性差异。对于T1原发性乳腺癌患者不论有无淋巴结转移,均应行癌肿切除伴Ⅰ、Ⅱ级淋巴结清扫。     

RNA干扰基因敲除MAGE-1在恶性胶质瘤U87细胞中的初步研究

目的：通过构建抑制MAGE-1的短片段双链核糖核酸（siRNA）表达载体，鉴定其在人恶性胶质瘤细胞系U87细胞中对MAGE．1基因表达的干涉作用。方法：化学合成2对编码短发夹RNA序列的靶向MAGE—1基因寡核苷酸链，克隆至经BglⅡ、HindⅢ双酶切的pSUPER载体上，重组构建核糖核酸干扰（RNAi）质粒载体。利用RT-PCR、流式细胞术和荧光显微镜，检测经稳定转染后胶质瘤U87细胞中MAGE-1的表达，以了解siRNA的干涉效果。结果：重组构建的pSUPER—MAGE—1载体经双酶切、电泳及插入基因片段序列分析，表明寡核苷酸链成功地插入至预计位点，且序列与预期完全一致。稳定转染后G418筛选出的U87多克隆细胞MAGE-1的表达经RT—PCR、流式细胞术和荧光显微镜检测，2对siRNA均有较明显的干扰作用。结论：载体的成功构建并能对U87细胞中的MAGE—1分子进行RNAi，为进一步研究MAGE—1在肿瘤中的作用，分析基因功能，展开肿瘤基因治疗奠定了基础。     

茶水提取物和茶多酚抑制诱变的类型及其机制

目的 :研究茶水提取物和茶多酚的去突变特征和机制 ,鉴别茶和茶多酚去突变的量效关系和抑菌关系 ,了解去突变剂与直接诱变剂(1_NP)、间接(Trp_P_1)诱变剂的抗突变作用方式和抑制效果。 方法 :用细胞外抑制诱变试验和改进型两次活化的Ames试验方法。 结果 :茶水提取物和与其相关的儿茶素等都存在非抑菌性的去突变效果 ,其中表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯(EGCG)和茶黄素(TF)的效果最好。抗突变试验结果表明 ,茶水提取物对Trp_P_1( +S9)有显著的抗突变性 ,与Trp_P_1的混合液在非代谢活性条件时无诱变性 ;茶水提取物对1_NP( -S9)也有抑制活性 ,但比对Trp_P_1的抑制活性低(P<0.01) ,与1_NP混合物经代谢活化后有诱变性 ,且与非代谢活化的抗突变结果呈较高的相关性(r= -0.9694)。 结论 :茶多酚能抑制间接诱变剂的前体形成 ,也有对直接诱变剂构成阻断剂的作用 ,但是在阻断具有强氧化性的诱变剂时可能形成不稳定的结合物或不安全的结构物。     

Molecular basis of severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy

Severe myoclonic epilepsy (SMEI) or Dravet syndrome is caused by mutations of the SCN1A gene that encodes voltage-gated sodium channel alpha-1 subunit. Recently, we generated and characterized a knock-in (KI) mice with an SCN1A nonsense mutation that appeared in three independent SMEI patients. The SCN1A-KI mice well reproduced the SMEI disease phenotypes. Both homozygous and heterozygous knock-in mice developed epileptic seizures within the first postnatal month. In heterozygous knock-in mice, trains of evoked action potentials in inhibitory neurons exhibited pronounced spike amplitude decrement late in the burst but not in pyramidal neurons. We further showed that in wild-type mice the Nav1.1 protein is expressed dominantly in axons and moderately in somata of parbalbumin (PV) – positive inhibitory interneurons. Our immunohistochemical observations of the Nav1.1 are clearly distinct to the previous studies, and our findings has corrected the view of the Nav1.1 protein distribution. The data indicate that Nav1.1 plays critical roles in the spike output from PV interneurons and further, that the specifically altered function of these inhibitory circuits may contribute to epileptic seizures in the mice. These information should contribute to the understanding of molecular pathomechanism of SMEI and to develop its effective therapies.     

Contrast behavior and relaxation effects of conventional and hyperecho-turbo spin echo sequences at 1.5 and 3 T.

To overcome specific absorption rate (SAR) limitations of spin-echo-based MR imaging techniques, especially at (ultra) high fields, rapid acquisition relaxation enhancement/TSE (turbo spin echo)/fast spin echo sequences in combination with constant or variable low flip angles such as hyperechoes and TRAPS (hyperTSE) have been introduced. Due to the multiple spin echo and stimulated echo pathways involved in the signal formation, the contrast behavior of such sequences depends on both T2 and T1 relaxation times. In this work, constant and various variable flip angle sequences were analyzed in a volunteer study. It is demonstrated that a single effective echo time parameter TE(eff) can be calculated that accurately describes the overall T2 weighted image contrast. TE(eff) can be determined by means of the extended phase graph concept and is practically independent of field strength. Using the described formalism, the contrast of any TSE sequence can be predicted. HyperTSE sequences are demonstrated to show a robust and well-defined T2 contrast allowing clinical routine MRI to be performed with SAR reductions of typically at least 70%.     

Rational design of hypoallergens applied to the major cat allergen Fel d 1

BACKGROUND: Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only treatment for allergic disease providing long-lasting symptom relief. Currently, it is mainly based on the use of crude allergen extracts. The treatment may be improved by the use of genetically engineered allergens, hypoallergens, aiming at a more effective and safer therapy. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to provide a rational design of hypoallergen candidates for immunotherapy by using structural information and knowledge of B and T cell epitopes of an allergen. METHODS: The three-dimensional structure of the major cat allergen Fel d 1 was systematically altered by duplication of selected T cell epitopes and disruption of disulphide bonds. Seven Fel d 1 derivatives were generated and screened for allergenic reactivity in comparison with recombinant Fel d 1 in competition-ELISA. The allergenicity was further evaluated in basophil activation experiments and T cell reactivity was assessed in a lymphoproliferation assay. RESULTS: Three out of seven Fel d 1 derivatives, with two duplicated T cell epitopes and one or two disulphide bonds disrupted, were carefully evaluated. The three derivatives displayed a strong reduction in allergenicity with 400-900 times lower IgE-binding capacity than recombinant Fel d 1. In addition, they induced a lower degree of basophil activation and similar or stronger T cell proliferation than recombinant Fel d 1. CONCLUSION: By a rational approach, we have constructed three Fel d 1 hypoallergens with reduced IgE-binding capacities and retained T cell reactivities. This strategy may be applied to any well-characterized allergen to improve immunotherapy for allergic patients.