Expression profiles of the duplicated matrix metalloproteinase-9 genes suggest their different roles in apoptosis of larval intestinal epithelial cells during Xenopus laevis metamorphosis.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a pivotal role in development and/or pathogenesis through degrading extracellular matrix (ECM) components. We have previously shown that Xenopus MMP-9 gene is duplicated. To assess possible roles of MMP-9 and MMP-9TH in X. laevis intestinal remodeling, we here analyzed their expression profiles by in situ hybridization and show that their expression is transiently up-regulated during thyroid hormone-dependent metamorphosis. Of interest, MMP-9TH mRNA is strictly localized in the connective tissue and most highly expressed just beneath the larval epithelium that begins to undergo apoptosis. On the other hand, cells expressing MMP-9 mRNA become first detectable in the connective tissue and then, after the start of epithelial apoptosis, also in the larval epithelium. These results strongly suggest that MMP-9TH is responsible in the larval epithelial apoptosis through degrading ECM components in the basal lamina, whereas MMP-9 is involved in the removal of dying epithelial cells during amphibian intestinal remodeling.     

家兔实验性动脉粥样硬化血管重塑的形态定量分析

目的 :探讨AS血管重塑的几何形态变化规律。方法 :将 40只新西兰雄性家兔随机等分为正常对照组 (C组 )和动脉粥样硬化模型组 (AS组 ) ,分别于实验的第 4、8、12周末取各组家兔的胸主动脉进行定性观察及定量分析。结果 :随时间延长 ,AS组斑块面积逐渐增大 ,斑块检出率逐渐增加。管腔面积在早期斑块形成时并无改变 ,晚期则明显缩小。斑块面积及管腔面积均分别与内弹性膜包围面积 (IELA)、外弹性膜包围面积 (EELA)呈正相关关系 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,IELA和EELA间也呈显著正相关关系 (P <0 .0 1) ,但斑块面积与管腔面积间并无直线相关关系 (P >0 .0 5 )。结论 :家兔AS病变随时间延长逐渐加重 ,且在斑块形成时伴内弹性膜和外弹性膜的同时扩张 ,管腔狭窄与否主要与IELA和EELA相关。IELA和EELA可作为判断管腔狭窄及评价血管重塑的指标。     

苯丙氨酸缓解高血压大鼠血管重塑

目的：应用激光共聚焦显微镜观察高血压时血管重塑，以及苯丙氨酸治疗后对血管重塑的影响。方法： 以Wistar-Kyoto 大鼠 (WKY)和自发性高血压大鼠(SHR)为研究对象，采用固定压力灌注和荧光染色激光共聚焦显微镜观察分析肠系膜小动脉的管腔、厚度和血管平滑肌的排列方向。结果： SHR较WKY 管腔缩小，管壁增厚，同时血管平滑肌排列方向紊乱。应用苯丙氨酸治疗后，管腔扩大，管壁变薄，血管平滑肌排列方向改善。结论： 高血压大鼠肠系膜小动脉存在血管重塑现象，苯丙氨酸可以改善血管重塑。     

妇产科常见疾病与染色体核型异常的关系分析

目的 分析染色体核型异常与妇产科常见疾病的关系，探讨流产、死胎、畸胎、不孕、月经不调及青春期发育异常的遗传病因。方法 532例病例，每例行外周血培养，细胞收获，制片及G显带，并行染色体核型分析。结果 532个病例中，共检出异常核型25例，检出率为4．7％，其中异常孕产史和不孕16例，占64％，月经不调和发育异常7例，占28％，其它2例，占8％。结论 染色体核型异常是导致流产、死胎、畸胎及不孕的重要原因之一；染色体核型异常与月经不调、青少年发育异常有密切关系。     

Skeletal alterations in hypophysectomized rats: I. A histomorphometric study on tibial cancellous bone

Background: Hypophysectomy (HX) results in a cessation of bone growth and a decrease in bone metabolism. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of HX on the static and dynamic histomorphometry of cancellous bone in the secondary spongiosa of the proximal tibial metaphysis in rats. Methods: Female rats, at 2 or 3 months of age, were HX and sacrificed at 0, 5 days, 2 and 5 weeks after the surgery. Age-matched intact rats served as controls. Cancellous bone histomorphometry was performed on doublefluorescent labeled, 30-um-thick sections of the proximal tibia. Tartrateresistant acid phosphatase histomorphometry was performed at 5 days on HX and control rats to evaluate the resorption in the metaphyseal bone. Results: Although the intact rats gained in body weight, tibial length, tibial weight, and density after 5 weeks, these changes did not occur following HX. As compared to the basal group, HX resulted in a decrease in the density and dry weight of the metaphysis. The histomorphometric data showed that the cancellous bone volume and trabecular number of the secondary spongiosa were decreased and the separation was increased in the HX rats. The dynamic results showed that HX significantly decreased longitudinal growth rate and tissue-based bone formation and resorption. However, the bone surface-based eroded surface, labeled surface, the mineral apposition rate, and the bone formation rate did not differ between the intact and the HX rats at either the 2 or 5 weeks study. Five days after HX, the bone surface and tissue-based osteoclast surfaces were significantly lower in the HX than in the intact rats. Conclusions: Pituitary hormone deficiency results in cancellous bone loss. The bone loss is due primarily to the suppression of longitudinal growth-dependent bone gain and the inhibition of tissue-based bone turnover with a lower bone formation relative to bone resorption. The surfacebased bone turnover is not affected. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

强力霉素影响基质金属蛋白酶活性和血管重构的实验研究

目的：观察强力霉素对损伤动脉组织中基质金属蛋白酶（MMP）活性的抑制作用，并探讨强力霉素对血管平滑肌细胞增殖、动脉内膜增生、管腔重构的影响。方法:球囊导管扩张动脉的方法建立大鼠颈总动脉损伤模型。治疗组用强力霉素30 mg·kg^-1·d^-1干预。明胶酶谱法测定损伤动脉组织中MMPs的活性。用HE染色、VVG染色、免疫组化标记α-actin和增殖细胞核抗原的方法观察损伤动脉内膜厚度、管腔重构及平滑肌细胞增殖的情况。结果:①强力霉素治疗组MMP-9活性在术后24 h、3 d分别比对照组低26.3％、34.5％（P<0.01）；MMP-2活性在术后7 d比对照组低40.0％（P<0.01）。②强力霉素治疗使术后7 d内膜平滑肌细胞增殖率（43.23％±1.06％）显著低于对照组（62.76％±1.02％）（P<0.01）；使术后14 d、28 d新生内膜厚度比对照组分别少32.0％、38.8％（P<0.01），而管腔面积比对照组多58.0％、90.4％（P<0.01） 。结论：强力霉素可以显著降低血管损伤后MMPs活性，抑制内膜平滑肌细胞的增殖、新生内膜增生以及管腔重构，提示它可能具有防治PTCA术后再狭窄的作用。     

Mucosal bromodomain-containing protein 4 mediates aeroallergen-induced inflammation and remodeling

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压力超负荷大鼠心、肺、肾血管重构的动态研究

目的 探讨压力超负荷与大鼠心、肺、肾内小动脉形态学重建的关系。方法 采用缩窄腹主动脉造成大鼠压力负荷模型，将大鼠随机分为两组：假手术组（SOG)和手术组(OG)。每组分为术后1、2、4、7、14、21、30、45、60d 9个时间点，对大鼠心、肺、肾组织连续切片，采用光镜配合计算机图像分析技术检测三个脏器小动脉几何形态的动态改变。结果 (1)随着压力负荷的增加，心、肺、肾小动脉的形态学重建可能存在时间顺序。(2)平均动脉压和造模时间与小冠状动脉和肾小动脉的壁腔比显著相关，而对小冠状动脉的管壁面积无影响；收缩压和造模时间与肾小动脉的管壁面积显著相关；造模时间与肺小动脉的壁腔比和管壁面积显著相关。结论 压力超负荷与心、肺、肾小血管的动态重构关系密切。小冠状动脉的重建以中膜平滑肌细胞的重排为主，肺、肾内小动脉的重建则可能存在中膜平滑肌细胞的肥大和增殖。     

Microvascular structural entropy: A novel approach to assess angiogenesis in pituitary tumors

Entropy, a measure of the degree of disorder in a system, has recently been used in different morphologic studies to quantify regularity. Our aims were (a) to study the structural organization of the microvascular bed in prolactin (PRL)-producing adenomas and carcinomas, the most vascularized of pituitary tumors, by assessing microvascular structural entropy (MSE), and (b) to determine whether the degree of disorder of the capillary bed correlates with tumor cell proliferation as estimated by MIB-1 labeling, microvessel density (MVD), the most widely used method of quantifying blood vessel formation, and various clinicopathologic parameters (gender, age, tumor size and invasiveness). The morphometric study demonstrated statistically significant differences in MIB-1 labeling, MVD, and MSE between PRL-producing adenomas and carcinomas. Unlike MIB-1 labeling index (PRL-producing adenomas 1.5±0.27; carcinomas 15.0±4.04) and MVD (PRL-producing adenomas 2.7±0.34; carcinomas 4.2±0.72), the MSE values were significantly higher in adenomas (171.5±25.37) than in carcinomas (67.9±17.45). These results indicate that PRL-producing carcinomas have a less chaotic distribution of vessels than benign adenomas. In contrast to a lack of correlation between, microvessel density and other morphometric parameters, a strong negative correlation was found between MSE and MIB-1 labeling index (r=0.511, p=0.003). It thus appears that regular, less chaotic microvascular geometry contributes to increased proliferative activity in PRL cell tumors. Analysis of MSE may provide an independent parameter of tumor behavior, and contributes to a better understanding of the role of microvasculature in pituitary tumor progression.     

Increased levels of serum tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 but not metalloproteinase-3 in atopic dermatitis

Matrix metalloproteinases and their specific inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), contribute to inflammation-induced tissue destruction and subsequent remodeling for maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Since the production of these enzymes and their inhibitors is regulated by mediators such as proinflammatory cytokines and growth factors, elevated levels of serum TIMPs and/or MMPs have been documented in patients with several inflammatory disorders. In this study, we examined the role of TIMPs and MMPs in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) by evaluating the serum levels of TIMP-1 and MMP-3 in 40 patients with AD and 20 control subjects by ELISA. The serum TIMP-1 levels were significantly higher in AD patients in exacerbation status than in nonatopic subjects, whereas serum MMP-3 levels were not significantly different between them. As a result, AD patients revealed significantly elevated TIMP-1/MMP-3 ratios. The levels of serum TIMP-1 were significantly reduced in AD patients following conventional treatments. Significantly higher values of peripheral eosinophil counts, serum levels of IgE and lactate dehydrogenase, eruption score, and eruption area were noted in the AD patients with elevated TIMP-1 levels when compared with those with normal values. Moreover, the points of chronic eruptions such as lichenification and prurigo were significantly higher in the patients with elevated TIMP-1 levels than those with normal TIMP-1, while those of acute lesions such as oozy/microvesicles and oedema were not different between these groups. Serum TIMP-1 level may be a useful marker to estimate the long-term disease activity of AD.