Prevention of Bone Loss by Clodronate in Early Postmenopausal Women with Vertebral Osteopenia: A Dose-Finding Study

This double-masked, placebo-controlled study was undertaken to determine the efficacy and safety of oral clodronate in the prevention of bone loss in early postmenopausal women with vertebral osteopenia. Altogether 610 women with a mean age of 53 years were recruited for the study. They were 1–5 years postmenopausal and their lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) was at least 1 standard deviation below the mean of premenopausal women (T-score ≤−1). The subjects were randomized into five study groups to receive either placebo, clodronate 65 mg, 400 mg or 800 mg daily, or intermittent clodronate in 3 month cycles with 400 mg daily for 15 days followed with no treatment for 75 days for 3 years. One hundred and eighty-seven of 509 women who completed the primary study continued in the extension study of 2 years in which previous placebo users were switched to clodronate 800 mg daily, while previous users of 400 mg or 800 mg of clodronate used either placebo or 800 mg of clodronate daily. In the primary study clodronate was administered in the evening, and in the extension 1 h before breakfast on an empty stomach. In the primary study mean changes in lumbar spine BMD were −3.4% in the placebo group and +0.4% in 800 mg clodronate group [difference between groups at 3 years 3.8% (95% CI 2.7% to 4.9%, p<0.0001)], and in the trochanter area BMD −1.1% in the placebo group, and + 0.4% in the 800 mg clodronate group [difference between groups at 3 years 1.5% (95% CI 0.05% to 2.9%)]. During the extension study mean changes in lumbar spine BMD were +1.5% in the clodronate group and −0.2 % in the placebo group [difference between groups 1.7% (CI 0.4% to 3.0%, p = 0.010)] and in trochanter BMD were +2.5% in the clodronate group and no change in the placebo group [difference between groups 2.1% (CI 0.3% to 3.9%, p = 0.007)]. No statistically significant differences between the placebo and 800 mg clodronate groups were found in the femoral neck BMD. In the primary study the urinary excretion of type I collagen aminoterminal telopeptide (NTX) decreased by 44% (p<0.0001 compared with placebo) and that of deoxypyridinoline by 18% (p<0.0001) in the clodronate 800 mg group. In the extension study urinary NTX decreased by 51% (p<0.0001) in those who were switched to 800 mg of clodronate and increased by 67% (p<0.0001) in those who stopped using that dose. There was no difference in the frequency of gastrointestinal complaints between clodronate- and placebo-treated patients in the primary study, but they were more common among women who received clodronate in the extension phase. Clodronate in daily doses of 400–800 mg caused a slight elevation of aminotransferase levels, usually within the reference range. In bone biopsies no defect in mineralization was found. In conclusion, clodronate in a daily dose of 800 mg prevents early postmenopausal bone loss at the sites of the skeleton in which cancellous bone predominates. It effectively reduces bone resorption and bone turnover rate. Antifracture efficacy of clodronate remains to be established by prospective, placebo-controlled trials. Received: 4 March 2002 / Accepted: 9 July 2002     

兔精原干细胞培养及生物学特征的初步研究

目的:建立精原干细胞的培养方法并对培养细胞的生物学特征进行研究.方法:用饲养层和无饲养层两种方法培养幼家兔精原干细胞,在倒置相差显微镜下观察培养细胞的生长和形态变化,并对细胞的糖原、脂质及c-kit受体的细胞化学和免疫细胞化学染色结果进行分析.结果:成功的分离并培养幼家兔精原干细胞.在培养细胞中精原干细胞为主体细胞,并可见少量间质细胞.根据精原干细胞体积大小和形态特点,可分为大、小两种类型.PAS染色,精原干细胞胞质呈阳性反应;免疫细胞化学染色显示,体积较小的精原干细胞c-kit受体呈强阳性反应,体积较大的大精原干细胞呈弱阳性反应;间质细胞PAS染色和c-kit受体染色呈阴性反应,而脂质染色呈强阳性反应.精原干细胞培养无论有无饲养层,均能呈集落状生长,但有饲养层的培养,细胞的生长明显优于无饲养层培养.结论:青春期前的睾丸生精小管是精原干细胞最集中、数量最多,且容易获取分离的部位;精原干细胞的成功培养为今后重建完整的生精细胞系的治疗性移植和对这类定向干细胞的发育及分化潜能的研究提供了细胞模型.     

前列腺癌中PIM-1的表达及其临床意义

目的 探讨PIM-1在前列腺癌中的表达及临床意义。方法 逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT—PCR）半定量分析2例良性前列腺增生（BPH）和5例前列腺癌（PCa）组织标本中PIM-1mRNA表达，免疫组织化学法检测20例BPH、20例高分级前列腺上皮内瘤（HGPIN）和42例PCa组织标本中PIM-1蛋白表达水平，染色结果分为阴性、弱阳性、阳性和强阳性。结果 5例PCa组织PIM-1mRNA表达相对值分别为0．63、0．55、0．42、0．91、0．76，2例BPH中其相对值为0．26、0．27。BPH、HGPIN和PCa组织中PIM-1蛋白阴性表达率分别为60％（12／20）、20％（4／20）和2％（1／42），弱阳性表达率分别为40％（8／12）、20％（4／20）和12％（5／42），阳性列强阳性表达率分别为0（0／20）、60％（12／20）和86％（36／42），PCa中PIM-1蛋白表达水平高于HGPIN和BPH（P值均〈0．05）。PIM-1蛋白表达水平随PCa的临床分期和病理分级增高而增强，在有和没有淋巴结转移PCa组织中PIM-1强阳性表达率分别为70％（7／10）、25％（8／32），差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。结论PIM-1高表达可能与PCa发生和发展相关，PIM-1表达水平与PCa分期、Gleason评分呈正相关，可能成为PCa预后判断的肿瘤标志物。     

The value of MCA, CA 15-3, CEA and CA-125 for discrimination between metastatic breast cancer and adenocarcinoma of other primary sites

MCA, CA 15-3, CEA and CA 125 were determined in the serum of 49 patients with metastatic breast cancer and 38 patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of other primary sites. By using the 99th percentile of the normal value distribution as the cut-off point, the positive predictive value (PV+) was found to be 85% (95% CI 76-94) for MCA, and 71% (95% CI 61-81) for CA 15-3. When receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed, the PV+ for CA 15-3 was increased to 82% (95% CI 72-92), using 60 U ml-1 as the cut-off point. With the exception of two patients who had a slightly elevated MCA, MCA and CA 15-3 identified the same patients with breast cancer. By combining a positive MCA or CA 15-3 with a negative CEA and CA 125, further improvement of the PV+ could be achieved; 100% (95% CI 91-100). We conclude that MCA and CA 15-3 may play a useful role in discrimination between patients with metastatic breast cancer and those with adenocarcinoma of other primary sites.     

BILIARY HYPERPRESSURE IN RAT EXTRAHEPATIC CHOLESTASIS ALTERS HORSERADISH PEROXIDASE BILIARY EXCRETION

1. The authors investigated the effect of two extrahepatic cholestasis models (one by bile duct ligation and the other by choledocho-jugular fistula) on the hepatic clearance of horseradish peroxidase in male Sprague-Dawley rats divided into four groups. 2. In groups A (n = 5 rats) and B (n = 5), bile duct ligation was performed, while a choledocho-jugular fistula was created in groups C (n = 5) and D (n= 7). A 10 mg intravenous bolus of horseradish peroxidase was injected after 24 h (groups A and C), 48 h (groups B and D) or 1 h (Group E; five sham-operated rats). Serum and bile samples were then serially collected for 2 h. 3. In all groups, serum horseradish peroxidase levels increased soon after injection and then rapidly decreased, the curves being similar. Biliary excretion increased for 30 min and then slowly decreased. The highest horseradish peroxidase biliary concentrations and outputs were found in Group B followed by Group A; both groups had significantly higher levels than Group E. No difference was found between horseradish peroxidase biliary excretion of groups C and D and that of sham-operated rats. 4. When each group was considered separately, sampling times correlated with the corresponding ratios of bile/ plasma HRP. Significant differences were found between the relative slopes of groups A, B and E, but not between those of groups C, D and E. 5. In conclusion, bile duct obstruction greatly affects the plasma-bile transfer of fluid phase markers, such as horseradish peroxidase, while single retention, caused by choledocho-jugular fistula, has no influence. The increased biliary hyperpressure related to the duration of cholestasis may account for the degree of horseradish peroxidase transfer which, in turn, probably depends on an enhanced paracellular passage.     

Effects of smoking and drinking on excretion of hippuric acid among toluene-exposed workers

Summary In order to investigate possible effects of smoking and drinking on the metabolism of toluence in occupational settings, 206 toluene-exposed men (mean age: 31.4 years) in shoemaking, painting, or surface-coating workshops together with 246 nonexposed control men (36.8 years) were studied for the time-weighted average intensities of exposure to toluene, hippuric acid concentration in shift-end urine samples, and the two social habits of smoking and drinking. The mean daily consumptions of cigarettes and ethanol were about 20 pieces and 10 g among smokers and drinkers, respectively. The geometric mean toluene concentration among the exposed subjects was about 20 ppm, with a maximum of 521 ppm. Regression analysis after classification of the subjects by smoking and drinking clearly demonstrated that the two social habits, when combined, markedly reduce the hippuric acid level in the urine of workers exposed to was a significant association between smoking and drinking habits, which hindered separate evaluation of the effects of the two habits on toluene metabolism. Comparison of the present results with the findings reported in the literature, however, suggested that the observed effects may be attributable to smoking rather than to drinking habits.     

新型生物指示剂在紫外线消毒方面的应用

用一种可穿透紫外线的可溶性菌膜作为生物指示剂,检查紫外线的消毒效果。当紫外线剂量为12000μw·s/cm²时可杀灭99.9%以上金黄色葡萄球菌;50000μw·s/cm²可杀灭99.9%以上枯草杆菌芽孢。并且证明杀菌效力不完全取决于紫外线强度的高低,而照射剂量的大小在消毒效果中起关键作用。应用时根据不同消毒对象,调节照射时间,计算所需照射剂量,即可达到保证消毒质量的目的。应用新型生物指示剂检查紫外线消毒效果除简化操作程序外,还可以提高细菌回收的准确度及试验的重复性。     

~(125)碘-绒毛膜促性腺激素的电泳纯化及分析

标记抗原在贮存过程中,由于受幅射分解和脱碘影响而使免疫活性和生物活性降低。我们对自制的~(125)碘-绒毛膜促性腺激素进行了实验观察。结果显示:贮存1月后,其免疫活性和生物活性分别降低了33.1％和44.0％;经电泳纯化后的标记物的免疫活性和生物活性明显提高,分别达到了最初的90.5％和95.3％。     

云南金铁锁的生物学特性及其保护的初步研究

对金铁锁的生物学特征、适应性及其机理进行探讨。结果表明：金铁锁具有旱生植物的结构和特征，耐旱、耐贫瘠能力较细。同时提出了相应的保护措施。为合理的开发、利用和保护金铁锁提供了依据。