使用多肿瘤标志物蛋白质芯片诊断系统(C-12)检测胃癌的临床价值

目的研究多肿瘤标志物蛋白芯片诊断系统用于胃癌的诊断价值。方法用多肿瘤标志物蛋白芯片诊断系统检测50例正常人,70例胃良性疾病及80例胃癌患者血清中十二种常见的肿瘤标志物:甲胎蛋白(AFP),癌胚抗原(CEA),神经元特异性烯醇化酶(NSE),糖原125(CA125),糖原153(CA153),糖原242(CA242),糖原199(CA199),前列腺特异性抗原(PSA),游离前列腺特异性抗原(f-PSA),铁蛋白(FER),β-人绒毛膜促性腺激素(β-HCG),人生长激素(HGH)的水平并进行统计学分析。结果80例胃癌患者血清有74例血清肿瘤标志物为阳性(阳性率为92.75%),70例良性胃疾病中10例肿瘤标志物为阳性(阳性率为14.28%),50份正常对照血清有1例血清肿瘤标志物为阳性(特异性为98%)。试验还发现部分胃癌患者血清中出现NSE,HGH,PSA,f-PSA。结论多肿瘤蛋白芯片的应用,对胃癌患者的术前肿瘤良恶性的判定有一定的临床应用价值。     

Haemoglobin variants and anaemia among pre-school/school children in north-east Brazil

In this study we investigated the presence of haemoglobin (Hb) variants and anaemia among 382 pre-school/school children from Bahia State, Brazil, a state where intermixing involving people from African origin is the highest in the country. Hb variants were investigated by cellulose acetate electrophoresis at alkaline pH. The pattern obtained was confirmed by citrate agar electrophoresis at pH 6.2. From the 382 children investigated, 79 (20.7%) had Hb variants: 47 (59.5%) had HbAS, 28 (35.4%) HbAC, 3 (3.8%) HbSC and 1 (1.3%) HbCC. Two hundred and fourteen children had anaemia. From these, 39 had microcytosis and 14 had low values of ferritin (<12 ng/ml). We cannot exclude thalassaemia among the children with microcytosis and hypochromia because it was not investigated. The majority of the children showed high mean values of ferritin, suggestive of subclinical infection. There was no difference when we compared the prevalence of anaemia among children with Hb variants (65.8%) and those without Hb variants (53.5%) (P = 0.06). These data demonstrate that Hb variants and anaemia are probably important public health problems in north-east Brazil.     

献血员献血时间对血清铁蛋白、转铁蛋白的影响

目的：探讨献血员献血时间对血清铁蛋白（SF），转铁蛋白（TF）含量的影响，方法：分别应用放免法和免疫比浊法对138名献血员进行了SF和TF含量测定，并与345名正常人作对照，结果：女献血员SF含量低于正常（P＜0．05），而TF含量则高于正常（P＜0．05），献血时间越长，差异越显（P＜0．01），结论：测定SF和TF含量对女献血员的缺铁状态有一定的诊断价值。     

Ferritin is a component of the neuritic (senile) plaque in Alzheimer dementia

Summary A strong immunoreactivity for ferritin was observed in the neuritic (senile) plaques in Alzheimer's disease hippocampus. The ferritin accumulation was almost exclusively associated with the microglia, which appeared to have proliferated greatly. These cells were also positive for HLA-DR, a putative marker for reactive microglia. In contrast, in the diffuse plaques, which were without neuritic pathology, the ferritin-stained microglia appeared to be normal. Microglia were seen frequently in contact with neurons undergoing neurofibrillary changes but only the tangles in the extracellular space were ferritin positive. No ferritin was detected, by Western blots, in paired helical filaments isolated from Alzheimer's disease brain, suggesting that ferritin was most likely weakly associated with and was not a constituent of these fibrils. No correlation between increased ferritin/microglia activity and blood-brain barrier leakage was detected. Ferritin, an iron-storage protein, might have a role in the formation of amyloid through the action of free radicals generated during the release of iron from the ferritin molecule. Alternatively, the ferritin/microglia system might be secondarily involved in the removal and processing of the amyloid.Supported in part by the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and National Institutes of Health grants NS18105, AG05892 and AG04220. H. L. was funded by a grant from the Ministry for Science and Research, Austria, J. G. J. and J. F. were funded by the Council for Tobacco Research. Parts of this paper have been reported at the 9th International Conference on Proteins of Iron Transport and Storage, Brisbane, Australia, June 1989 and at the 2nd International Conference on Aluminium and Health, Orlando, Fla, USA, December 1989     

Untersuchungen zur elektronenmikroskopischen Darstellung der Kapsel von Cryptococcus neoformans. Ultrastructural Research on the Capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans

Zusammenfassung: An drei Cryptococcus-neoformans-Stämmen wurden elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen zur Darstellung ihrer Kapsel durchgeführt. Mittels polykationischem Ferritin gelang die kontrastreiche Markierung der Polysaccharidkapsel auf der Basis einer zytochemisch-physikalischen Reaktion zwischen den negativen Ladungsträgern der Extrazellularschicht und dem kationischen Marker. Zusätzlich konnten extrazellulär fibrilläre Strukturen differenziert werden, an die eine Anlagerung von Ferritin nicht erfolgt war. Geringfügige methodische Variationen verringerten die Ferritinmarkierung erheblich, eine einstündige Hitzebehandlung hob sie ganz auf. Dagegen traten unmarkierte Bestandteile verstärkt in den Vordergrund. Bei dem Versuch einer Interpretation dieser elektronenoptischen Befunde wurde die Möglichkeit diskutiert, daß die Kapsel von Cryptococcus neoformans einen von dem leicht ablösbaren Polysaccharid zu unterscheidenden Anteil mit fibrillärem Aufbau enthält, der evtl. im Sinne eines Stützgerüstes für die Ein- und Anlagerung des löslichen Kapsel-Antigens fungiert. Summary: Ultrastructural research on the capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans. For ultrastructural visualization of their capsule, three Cryptococcus neoformans-strains were treated cytochemically with a polycationized derivative of ferritin. This marker binds electrostatically to the anionic sites of polysaccharide capsules. After treatment, the yeast cells were covered with a dense irregular layer of ferritin granules. Moreover, fibrillary components could be detected extracellularly, which did not bind cationic ferritin. Slight methodical variations, e. g. pretreatment of the yeasts by heat, led to an intensification of these structures, whereas binding of ferritin decreased or was abolished, respectively. These findings indicate that the capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans apparently consists of two different components: one seems to bind cationic ferritin, is easily removable, and equivalent to the soluble polysaccharide antigen found in serum and liquor during Cryptococcus-infection, and a second fibrillary one is possibly acting as a supporting framework for the soluble component.     

Relation between iron content of serum ferritin and clinical status factors extracted by factor analysis in patients with hyperferritinemia

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to develop a new technique for determination of iron content of serum ferritin (ICF, micromol Fe/mg protein) and to investigate relations between ICF and clinical status in patients with hyperferritinemia. METHODS: ICF values were determined by a combination of immunoprecipitation of ferritin and direct colorimetric iron assay. One hundred fifty patients with hyperferritinemia were screened. Factor analysis of the results of 11 laboratory tests was applied to extract factors representing the clinical status of patients. Relations between the extracted factors and the ICF values or serum ferritin concentrations were assessed. RESULTS: Within-run coefficients of variation (CVs) of the ICF assay were <==5.7%. The mean ICF value of 150 patients was 0.423 micromol/mg (SD, 0.211 micromol/mg). Three factors representing clinical status were identified: inflammation, tissue cell damage, and body iron status. Serum ferritin level correlated with all three factors. In contrast, ICF correlated significantly only with the factor representing tissue cell damage (r = 0.293, p = 0.001), and this correlation was independent of inflammation and iron status (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: ICF changes in response to tissue cell damage independent of inflammatory and body iron statuses, whereas serum ferritin changes in response to all three pathologic statuses.     

Iron overload alters iron-regulatory genes and proteins, down-regulates osteoblastic phenotype, and is associated with apoptosis in fetal rat calvaria cultures

Iron overload has been implicated in decreased bone mineral density. However, the effect of iron overload on osteoblast lineage cells remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine osteoblast differentiation, function, and apoptosis in iron-loaded cells from fetal rat calvaria. Cells were incubated with media supplemented with 0–10 μM ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄) during differentiation (days 6–20). Intracellular iron status was assessed by measuring iron content in cell layers and changes in transferrin receptor (TrfR) and ferritin gene and protein expression. Osteoblast differentiation and function were evaluated by measuring osteoblast phenotypic gene markers and capacity of cultures to form mineralized bone nodules. Apoptotic hallmarks were evaluated by microscopy. A 2.3-fold increase in media iron concentration resulted in saturable accumulation of iron in the cell layer 20-fold higher than control (p < 0.05) by mid-differentiation (day 15, D15). Iron accumulation resulted in rapid and sustained down-regulation of TrfR gene and protein levels (within 24 h) and up-regulation of light and heavy chain ferritin protein levels at late differentiation (day 20, D20). Concurrently, osteoblast phenotype gene markers were suppressed by D15 and a decreased number of mineralized nodules at D20 were observed. Apoptotic events were observed within 24 h of iron loading. These results provide evidence that iron overload alters iron metabolism and suppresses differentiation and function of cells in the osteoblast lineage associated with increased apoptosis.     

过量表达铁蛋白基因的转基因烟草抗Co2＋能力分析

目的：将烟草铁蛋白基因NtFer1的完整cDNA序列克隆到植物表达载体pBI121中,利用农杆菌（Agrobactri-um tumefaciens）介导的叶盘法将NtFer1导入烟草（Nicotiana tobacum L.）基因组。对卡那抗性植株进行PCR-Southern检测,并将进一步经Northern杂交证明NtFer1基因表达量增加的转基因株系进行抗Co2＋分析。结果表明,NtFer1的过量表达提高了转基因植株的抗Co2＋能力。在含150μmol·L-1Co2＋的MS培养基上,转基因植株的株高和鲜重均明显优于非转基因株系;在生理性状上表现为叶绿素含量、POD活性和SOD活性比非转基因株系明显增加,转基因植株MDA含量明显低于非转基因株系。结果表明,NtFer1大量表达能够增强转基因株系抗氧化能力,提高植物抗Co2＋能力。