Cardiovascular malformations, work attendance, and occupational exposures during pregnancy in Finland

To explore for associations between occupational factors and cardiovascular malformations, information on the parents of 160 infants with cardiovascular malformations and 160 control parents was studied. The case infants had been reported consecutively to the Finnish Register of Congenital Malformations. All mothers were interviewed identically after delivery, using both open and pro forma questions about detailed work tasks, exposures, and leisure activities during pregnancy. The interview information was evaluated blindly. Neither parental occupational titles nor maternal working per se gave new clues to the teratogenic risk; nor did shift working, wearing of personal protective equipment, or the mother's own opinion on exposures during pregnancy. Identified occupational exposures, as categorized by an industrial hygienist, showed no remarkable associations to cardiovascular malformations. Few mothers were exposed substantially to specific occupational hazards. Comparing mothers who used medications in the first trimester with those who did not showed an odds ratio of 2.2 (95% confidence interval 1.3-3.9) when adjusted for potential confounding by multivariate logistic methods.     

羧基化多壁碳纳米管修饰电极伏安法测定多巴胺

目的 :研究用羧基化多壁碳纳米管修饰电极伏安法测定痕量多巴胺 (DA)的效果。方法 :采用涂布法制成羧基化多壁碳纳米管修饰电极 ;在pH =5 .4的KH2 PO4 Na2 HPO4缓冲溶液中 ,采用该修饰电极伏安法测定DA。结果 :该修饰电极对DA有着显著的电催化作用 ,与裸玻碳电极相比较 ,其灵敏度大大提高 ,在2 .0× 10 -7～ 6 .0× 10 -4mol/L浓度范围内 ,DA的氧化峰电流与浓度成良好的线性关系 ,检测限为 5 .0× 10 -8mol/L。将该修饰电极用于盐酸多巴胺针剂的测定 ,相对平均偏差为 1.4 % ,平均回收率为 99.2 %。结论 :该修饰电极响应快 ,灵敏度高 ,稳定性好 ,寿命长 ,适合于具有电活性生物分子的测定     

Oral Controlled Release Technology for Peptides: Status and Future Prospects

In spite of significant efforts in academic and commercial laboratories, major breakthroughs in oral peptide and protein formulation have not been achieved. The major barriers to developing oral formulations for peptides and proteins include poor intrinsic permeability, lumenal and cellular enzymatic degradation, rapid clearance, and chemical and conformational stability. Pharmaceutical approaches to address these barriers, which have been successful with traditional, small, organic drug molecules, have not readily translated into effective peptide and protein formulations. The success achieved by Sandoz with cyclosporin formulations remains one clear example of what can be achieved, although it is likely that effective oral formulations for peptides and proteins will remain highly compound specific. Although the challenges are significant, the potential therapeutic benefit remains high, particularly with the increasing identification of potential peptide and protein drug candidates emerging from the biotechnology arena. Successful formulations will most likely require a systematic and careful merger of formulation and design delivery systems which maximize the potential for absorption across the epithelial cell layer.     

一类“近乎双线性”系统及其稳定化反馈控制

本文定义了一类“近乎双线性”系统。可用以近似一类奇异摄动双线性系统,而且可以描述某些实际工业对象。并发现其控制器的设计较方便。文中还给出了一种简单的反馈控制器的设计方法。又对一类多输入双线性系统,提出一种设计反馈控制器的改进方案,根据Lyapunov定理得到一非线性反馈控制律。以上设计方法分别对某合成氨反应器作了应用研究,仿真结果表明了方法的有效性。     

Determination of tryptamine in rat brain by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Tryptamine (TA) occurs in trace levels in the brain, but its role in the central nervous system is not clear. However, there is evidence that TA may be a neuromodulator since it binds to specific binding sites in the brain. TA was measured as a diheptafluorobutyryl derivative in rat whole brain by capillary gas chromatography—mass spectrometry using negative chemical ionization (NCI) and single ion monitoring (SIM). d₄-TA was used as the internal standard. The ions m/z 532 and m/z 536 were monitored to identify TA and d₄-TA, respectively and to calculate the concentration of TA in rat whole brain which was found to be 0.19 ± 0.08 ng g⁻¹ (n = 8). The results confirm the earlier TA concentrations measured by GC—MS using positive electron impact ionization. However, NCI improved the signal/noise ratio of the method increasing its sensitivity for TA.     

The Relationship of pK a and Acute Skin Irritation in Man

The relationship between pK _a and skin irritation in man is studied for a homologous series of benzoic acid derivatives, which permeate through human skin at comparable rates (15–88 µg/cm²/hr). Skin irritation and pK _a are correlated for pK _a 4. Laser Doppler velocimetric assessment of skin blood flow, color meter readings, erythema, edema, and the primary irritation index are all linearly correlated and related to pK _a, erythema at 24 hr appears to be the most sensitive parameter to variation in pK _a when pK _a 4.     

装潢居室空气中挥发性化学物的遗传毒性研究

目的探讨装潢居室空气中挥发性化合物的遗传毒性.方法采用小鼠骨髓嗜多染性红细胞微核试验和小鼠精子畸形试验检测居室装潢后空气中挥发性化合物的遗传毒性.结果该化合物对小鼠呼吸系统有明显的刺激作用,与阴性对照组比较,高、中、低剂量组的微核率、精子畸形率均有显著差异性.结论居室装潢后室内空气中挥发性化合物具有遗传毒性作用.     

Beta-carotene-containing preparation carinat inhibits lipid peroxidation and development of renal tumors in rats treated with chemical carcinogen

The effects of pretreatment with β-carotene-containing preparation carinat on the development of renal tumors in rats receiving single intravenous injection of chemical carcinogen 3-(1-α-L-arabinopyranosyl)-1-methyl-1-nitrosourea were studied. Fourteen months after carcinogen administration, the degree of lipid oxidation in rat kidneys 2.5-fold surpassed that in animals receiving carinat in a dose producingin vivo antioxidant effect. Carinat decreased the total number of induced tumors and the incidence of mesenchymal renal tumors and suppressed the development of multiple tumors. The accumulation of lipoperoxides in the kidneys during carcinogenesis is associated with activation of free radical processes and carcinogen-induced inhibition of lipoperoxide enzymatic degradation and probably promotes renal malignancies due to co-carcinogenic action of these compounds. The data suggest that carinat-induced suppression of tumor development attests to antioxidant effects of β-carotene. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 130, No. 7, pp. 95–97, July, 2000     

Stretching the limits: Stem cells in regeneration science

The focus of regenerative medicine is rebuilding damaged tissues by cell transplantation or implantation of bioartificial tissues. In either case, therapies focus on adult stem cells (ASCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as cell sources. Here we review four topics based on these two cell sources. The first compares the current performance of ASCs and ESCs as cell transplant therapies and the drawbacks of each. The second explores somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) as a method to derive ESCs that will not be immunorejected. The third topic explores how SCNT and ESC research has led to the ability to derive pluripotent ESCs by the dedifferentiation of adult somatic cells. Lastly, we discuss how research on activation of intrinsic adult stem cells and on somatic cell dedifferentiation can evolve regenerative medicine from a platform consisting of cell transplantation to one that includes the chemical induction of regeneration from the body's own cells at the site of injury. Developmental Dynamics 237:3648–3671, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

癫痫大鼠海马结构谷氨酸和nNOS神经元的动态变化

的：探讨谷氨酸(Glu)和一氧化氮(NO)二者在癫痫模型中的作用及其相关性。方法：戊四唑化学点燃癫痫大鼠，分为Ⅰ、Ⅲ、Ⅴ级组和Ⅴ级后24h组。采用免疫组织化学方法和图像分析技术。结果：(1)Ⅲ、Ⅴ级组Glu免疫反应阳性神经元数目和平均光密度值升高；但Ⅴ级比Ⅲ级组有所下降；Ⅴ级后24h组恢复到对照组水平。(2)Ⅴ级组和Ⅴ级后24h组nNOS免疫反应阳性神经元数目和平均光密度值升高。结论：戊四唑点燃癫痫模型中，随着点燃级别的进展，Glu的含量是呈先增加后减少的趋势，而NO的含量是逐渐增加的，提示二者在癫痫发作中既有相关性又有独立性。