颈椎前路椎体间微创融合器的生物力学实验研究

目的评价植入镍钛记忆合金微创融合器(NiTi-TFC/C)的颈椎节段的稳定性及压缩力学性能。方法采集24只羊颈椎标本随机分为4组,每组6份,四组处理分别为:单取髓核组、自体髂骨植骨组、微创融合器组和钛制融合器组(InterFix)。所有标本进行前路减压,并对后3组进行椎间融合术。分别对各组标本进行生物力学测试并进行比较。结果微创融合器组与钛制融合器组在强度、刚度及扭转力学等方面无显著性差异(P>0.05)。而微创融合器组与自体髂骨植骨组具有显著性差异(P<0.05)。最大承载力为12050N。结论该微创融合器强度大、刚度高、抗扭转能力强,具有良好的抗压能力,为颈椎融合提供新型的融合装置。     

睡眠剥夺对内隐记忆的影响

目的:探讨不同时间睡眠剥夺(sleep deprivation,SD)对内隐记忆的影响。方法:将32名青年男性随机分为4组:对照组、SD21、SD45和SD69组,每组8名。采用补笔测验和组词测验对4组被试进行测试。结果:SD 后无论知觉启动还是语义启动,启动量降低,并随SD 时间延长而减少。同一组内,两种测验进行比较,除对照组外,其他SD 组两两比较,语义启动的启动量大于知觉启动(P<0.05)。知觉启动中,SD45同SD69 相比无显著差异(P=0.245),其他两两比较差异均有统计学意义(P<0.01);语义启动中,SD21同对照组相比差异无统计学意义(P=0.316),其他两两比较差异均有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论:SD 后内隐记忆受损,并同SD 时间有关;SD 后语义启动和知觉启动出现分离,知觉启动更受SD 影响。     

老年学习记忆减退大鼠齿状回突触的定量研究

据老年大鼠在Ｍｏｒｒｉｓ水迷宫中的行为表现，将其分为老年学习记忆减退和学习记忆正常两部分，采用透射电镜观察、拍片，对齿状回中分子层触的数量和大小进行体视学定量分析。     

The advantage of mucosal immunization for polysaccharide-specific memory responses in early life

The aim of vaccination is to rapidly elicit protective immunity and generate memory for sustained protection. We studied the induction and persistence of polysaccharide (PS)-specific memory in neonatal and infant mice primed with pneumococcal conjugate (Pnc1-TT) by assessing the response to native pneumococcal PS (PPS-1), the kinetics of the PPS-1-specific IgG response to a second Pnc1-TT dose and affinity maturation. A subcutaneous (s.c.) Pnc1-TT booster induced a rapid increase in PPS-1-specific IgG, indicating efficient priming for memory by a single dose of Pnc1-TT already at 1 week of age. High levels were maintained for >12 weeks. However, a PPS-1 booster induced no response in neonatal or infant mice. The adjuvant LT-K63 significantly enhanced the IgG response and affinity to Pnc1-TT by both the s.c. and the intranasal (i.n.) route in all age groups. In neonatal and infant mice, PPS-1 and LT-K63 induced a booster response only when given i.n. following either s.c. or i.n. priming with Pnc1-TT and LT-K63. In contrast, PPS-1 with or without LT-K63 administered s.c. compromised the ongoing PPS-1-specific response elicited in neonatal mice by either s.c. or i.n. priming with Pnc1-TT and LT-K63. These results demonstrate the advantage of the mucosal route for elicitation of PS-specific memory responses in early life.     

Motor cortical activity in a memorized delay task

Summary Two rhesus monkeys were trained to move a handle on a two-dimensional (2D) working surface in directions specified by a light at the plane. They first captured with the handle a light on the center of the plane and then moved the handle in the direction indicated by a peripheral light (cue signal). The signal to move (go signal) was given by turning off the center light. The following tasks were used: (a) In the non-delay task the peripheral light was turned on at the same time as the center light went off. (b) In the memorized delay task the peripheral light stayed on for 300 ms and the center light was turned off 450–750 ms later. Finally, (c) in the non-memorized delay task the peripheral light stayed on continuously whereas the center light went off 750–1050 ms after the peripheral light came on. Recordings in the arm area of the motor cortex (N= 171 cells) showed changes in single cell activity in all tasks. In both delay tasks, the neuronal population vector calculated every 20 ms after the onset of the peripheral light pointed in the direction of the upcoming movement, which was instructed by the cue light. Moreover, the strength of the population signal showed an initial peak shortly after the cue onset in both the memorized and non-memorized delay tasks but it maintained a higher level during the memorized delay period, as compared to the non-memorized task. These results indicate that the motor cortex is involved in encoding and holding in memory directional information concerning a visually cued arm movement and that these processes can be visualized using neuronal population vector analysis.     

Immune Response Induced in Vitro by CD16− and CD16+ Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Treated with Dendritic Cell Vaccines

Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (mDC) are increasingly used as cancer vaccines. However, human monocytes are a heterogeneous cell population. We showed previously that DC derived from a monocyte subset expressing CD16 (16+mDC) stimulated allogeneic naïve T lymphocytes to secrete higher levels of IL-4 than DC derived from regular CD14^highCD16^? monocytes (16?mDC). Th1-type responses have been associated with effective antitumor responses, thus the use of mDC containing 16+mDC as cancer vaccines might be disadvantageous. Here, we evaluate the primary and memory immune response elicited in vitro by 16+mDC and 16?mDC in five patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma vaccinated with autologous mDC pulsed with tumor lysates (TuLy) and keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). After therapy, three of the five patients had stable disease. Surprisingly, patients with longer survival showed the highest amount of peripheral blood CD16+ monocytes. Analysis of KLH-specific antibodies revealed high titers of IgG2 in patients with longer survival. CD4+ T lymphocyte proliferation against KLH and TuLy increased after treatment, and some patients showed an augmented rate of CD4+ T lymphocyte proliferation against KLH (3/5) and TuLy (2/3) when 16+mDC were used as antigen presenting cells (APC). Before treatment, the IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio against TuLy and KLH was higher when using 16?mDC as APC, but after vaccination four of five patients had an increased ratio for TuLy with 16+mDC. These results suggest that the immune response elicited by 16?mDC and 16+mDC is modified when memory or naïve T cells are stimulated, and 16+mDC could favor a stronger and more beneficial antitumoral Th1 memory response in vivo.     

CD8+T-bet+ cells as a predominant biomarker for inclusion body myositis

Background

Myositis is a heterogeneous group of muscular auto-immune diseases with clinical and pathological criteria that allow the classification of patients into different sub-groups. Inclusion body myositis is the most frequent myositis above fifty years of age. Diagnosing inclusion body myositis requires expertise and is challenging. Little is known concerning the pathogenic mechanisms of this disease in which conventional suppressive-immune therapies are inefficacious.

Chemical neuromodulation of frontal-executive functions in humans and other animals

Neuromodulation of frontal-executive function is reviewed in the context of experiments on rats, monkeys and human subjects. The different functions of the chemically identified systems of the reticular core are analysed from the perspective of their possible different interactions with the prefrontal cortex. The role of dopamine in spatial working memory is reviewed, taking account of its deleterious as well as facilitatory effects. Baseline-dependent effects of dopaminergic manipulation are described in rats on an attentional task, including evidence of enhanced function following infusions of D1 receptor agonists into the prefrontal cortex. The precise nature of the cognitive task under study is shown to be a powerful determinant of the effects of mesofrontal dopamine depletion in monkeys. Parallels are identified in human subjects receiving drugs such as the indirect catecholamine agonists L-dopa, methylphenidate and the dopamine D2 receptor blocker sulpiride. The effects of these drugs on different types of cognitive function sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction are contrasted with those of a manipulation of 5-HT function, dietary tryptophan depletion. Hypotheses are advanced that accord the ascending systems a greater deal of specificity in modulating prefrontal cortical function than has hitherto been entertained, and clinical and theoretical implications of this hypothesis are discussed.     

学习障碍儿童记忆的比较研究 Ⅰ.学习障碍儿童的短时记忆和工作记忆

目的：考查学习障碍儿童的短时记忆和工作记忆及各型学习障碍儿童短时记忆特征，比较短时记忆和工作记忆对学习的相对贡献。方法：根据儿童的学科成绩、智力水平、教师对学习能力的评定，结合临床观察，从三所小学１５６４名学生中筛查出学习障碍儿童９７人（男７１人，女２６人），正常学习儿童６３人（男３６，女２７人），并根据主要困难所在把学习障碍儿童分为三组：语文障碍（３１人）、数学障碍（２１人）和混合型障碍（４５人）。对每个入组儿童作个别记忆测查，内容包括短时记忆（数字、汉词和符号）和工作记忆（数字、汉词、符号、故事）。结果：混合型障碍的短时记忆和工作记忆均低于对照组，语文障碍对言语材料的短时记忆和工作记忆中的故事理解低于对照组，数学障碍仅言语材料的短时记忆低于对照组；三型学习障碍之间仅在数字广度和故事Ⅱ阅读理解二项任务上有差异；短时记忆和工作记忆与学习成绩均有中度相关，工作记忆与数学成绩的相关更高。结论：学习障碍儿童存在共同的短时记忆和工作记忆缺陷，但缺陷程度有差异，这种缺陷可能与言语编码缺陷或记忆系统本身功能障碍有关。     

On the pharmacological phenocopying of memory mutations inDrosophila: Alkylxanthines accelerate memory decay

Theophylline and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, two cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibitors, when fed to wild-typeDrosophila adults, cause the rapid decay of learning index after training in a shock-odor learning paradigm. The drugs practically do not affect the olfactory acuity of flies, hence they influence the learning/memory process itself. The time courses of memory decay resemble those of the memory mutantsrutabaga andamnesiac and, to a lesser extent,dunce ² anddunce ^M11. Theophylline further deteriorates the learning performance ofdunce ^M11. Biochemical characterization of the inhibition of the two major phosphodiesterase isoenzymes inDrosophila by theophylline predicts only a slight inhibition of these enzymesin vivo, in accordance with the unchanged level of cAMP in wild-type fly heads during drug feeding. 8-Phenyltheophylline, an adenosine receptor antagonist in mammals, slightly retards memory decay in the wild-type. It is suggested that alkylxanthines induce memory decay inDrosophila by interfering with cAMP dynamics at more than one point of its metabolism.This work was supported by Grants OTKA and OKKFT Tt to P.F.