Pulmonary vascular disease in secundum atrial septal defect in childhood: an unusual evolution

Reported is a case of a 16-month-old girl with an isolated atrial septal defect in whom severe pulmonary hypertension has developed in 26 months in spite of an important functional gradient across the pulmonic valves at a first catheterization. Individual susceptibility to an increased pulmonary blood flow is evoked.     

脂多糖和同型半胱氨酸对人脐静脉内皮细胞单核细胞趋化蛋白1 mRNA表达的影响

目的探讨脂多糖和同型半胱氨酸是否诱导培养的人脐静脉内皮细胞表达单核细胞趋化蛋白1(MCP-1) mRNA及其机制.方法将生长至汇合的人脐静脉内皮细胞分为对照组、脂多糖组,脂多糖+SB203580组,同型半胱氨酸组,同型半胱氨酸+SB203580组,脂多糖+同型半胱氨酸组.采用斑点杂交和RT-PCR检测其MCP-1 mRNA的表达.用免疫细胞化学法检测对照组、脂多糖组和同型半胱氨酸组P38蛋白激酶蛋白的表达.结果培养的人脐静脉内皮细胞能表达较低水平的MCP-1 mRNA.斑点杂交和RT-PCR均显示各实验组的MCP-1 mRNA明显高于对照组.免疫细胞化学显示,P38蛋白激酶蛋白在对照组的细胞核阳性表达率为9.6%,当人脐静脉内皮细胞暴露于脂多糖或同型半胱氨酸后,细胞核阳性表达率升至46.7%或57.7%.结论脂多糖和同型半胱氨酸能诱导人脐静脉内皮细胞表达单核细胞趋化蛋白1 mRNA,P38蛋白激酶可能参与了该过程.     

Effects of zymosan-activated plasma and phorbol myristate acetate on isolated, perfused rabbit lungs

The effects of complement activation on pulmonary vascular permeability are disputed. In rabbit lungs perfused with autologous blood, zymosan activated plasma (ZAP) induced a moderate increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), but did not detectably change the vascular permeability within 2 h. The stronger neutrophil granulocyte (PMN) activator, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), usually gave larger PVR increases and also increased pulmonary vascular permeability. Lungs from neutropenic animals, similarly perfused and given PMA, showed unchanged PVR reactions but had no apparent increase in vascular permeability. Lungs perfused with cell-free medium and given PMA displayed modest PVR increases, and no measurable permeability change. The lung preparatory procedure itself markedly influenced leukocyte circulation. Exsanguination of lung donors decreased the concentration of circulating PMN significantly, and they virtually disappeared from the perfusate within minutes after start of lung perfusion. PMN-mediated effects must therefore have been caused by cells already sequestered in the lungs. We conclude that ZAP does not induce an increased pulmonary vascular permeability in isolated, perfused rabbit lungs, in contrast to PMA. The permeability effects of PMA appear to be PMN dependent.     

Hepatic falciform artery

The hepatic falciform artery is an occasional terminal branch of the left or middle hepatic artery, and may provide an uncommon but important collateral route when the principal visceral arteries are occluded.     

Photodynamic therapy of tumours: value of quantum chemical procedures for characterization of new drugs. Prediction of the electronic structure of zinc(II) phthalocyanine with special emphasis on triplet state excitation energies

Zinc(II) phthalocyanine is the active component of the liposomal formulation CGP 55847 which showed a high activity in photodynamic therapy in a variety of animal tumours. The photophysical properties of zinc(II) phthalocyanine have been studied in detail and compared to those of Photofrin, the only sensitizing agent approved so far for phase III/IV clinical trials. Since the efficacy of photodynamic therapy intrinsically depends on the spectroscopic features of the sensitizer, quantum chemical methods have proven to be an efficient means for optimizing chemical structures. As will be shown, a simple modification of the time-honoured INDO model of Pople allows a prediction of the singlet and triplet state properties of molecules of the size of zinc(II) phthalocyanine with an rms error of ≤ 1000 cm⁻¹.     

血管内皮功能障碍对肥胖伴高血糖患者胰岛分泌功能的影响

目的　探讨血管内皮功能障碍对胰岛 β细胞分泌功能的影响。 　方法　正常体重(NW )组 81例 ,单纯肥胖 (Ob)组 14 0例 ,肥胖伴高血糖 (Ob HG)组 97例。测定体质指数 (BMI)、腰臀围比 (WHR)、血压、血脂、空腹血糖和胰岛素 (FBG和FIns)及餐后血糖和胰岛素 (2hBG和 2hIns)。采用稳态模式法评价胰岛素抵抗 (HOMA IR)和 β细胞功能 (HOMA β)。用高分辨率血管外超声测定肱动脉对血流介导的内皮依赖性血管扩张 (EDD)及硝酸甘油的扩张反应。　结果　与Ob组比较 ,Ob HG组WHR、血压、甘油三酯 (TG)、FIns、2hIns和HOMA IR等显著升高 ,HOMA β明显降低 ,并伴有EDD所标志的血管内皮功能显著下降。相关分析显示 ,β细胞功能与EDD在Ob HG组呈显著正相关 (r=0 2 5 9,P <0 0 5 ) ,在Ob组和NW组无显著相关。在对Ob HG组影响EDD的因素进行控制后 ,EDD仍与 β细胞功能显著相关 (r =0 4 5 8,P <0 0 1)。多元逐步回归分析表明影响 β细胞功能的主要因素在Ob HG组为FBG、FIns和EDD ,在Ob组为FBG和HOMA IR。　结论　内皮依赖性舒张功能障碍可能是导致肥胖者 β细胞功能衰退 ,引发 2型糖尿病 (T2DM )的重要危险因素。     

Effect of lactate and bicarbonate on human peritoneal mesothelial cells, fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells, and the role of basic fibroblast growth factor.

BACKGROUND: In patients on long-term continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), peritoneal dysfunction may occur due to loss of peritoneal mesothelial cells, peritoneal fibrosis and neovascularization. Lactate, long used as a buffer in peritoneal dialysates, has been substituted by bicarbonate in recent years. However, their effects on the peritoneum of CAPD patients are unknown. This study investigated the influence of lactate and bicarbonate on peritoneal dysfunction in CAPD patients. METHODS: The mitochondrial activity of human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) and their expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were studied after culture under various conditions. We also assessed the mitochondrial-activating effect of the supernatant of those cultures on human peritoneal fibroblasts (HPFBs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the effect of recombinant human bFGF on the mitochondrial activity of HPFBs and HUVECs. We used the WST-1 assay to determine mitochondrial activity in HPMC. RESULTS: At pH 7.4, the mitochondrial activity of HPMCs was lowest in a medium containing 40 mM (Lac), intermediate in a lactate (15 mM) plus bicarbonate (25 mM) medium (Lac/Bic), and highest in a 40 mM bicarbonate medium (Bic). In culture supernatant, the increase of bFGF was: Lac > Lac/Bic > Bic. Mitochondrial activation of HPFBs and HUVECs was stimulated by HPMC culture supernatants in the following decreasing order: Lac > Lac/Bic > Bic. The effects of these supernatants were suppressed by a bFGF-neutralizing antibody, while recombinant bFGF caused concentration-dependent mitochondrial activation in HPFBs and HUVECs. CONCLUSIONS: The role of bFGF in peritoneal fibrosis and neovascularization may be important. A bicarbonate-containing medium is better than a lactate-containing medium for preserving cell viability in HPMCs and preventing bFGF expression by these cells.     

胃腺癌微卫星不稳定性与VEGF蛋白表达关系的研究

目的：探讨胃癌微卫星不稳定性(MSI)与胃腺癌中皿管内皮生长因子(VEGF）之间的关系。方法：应用PCR—SSCP技术检测30例胃腺癌5个位点的微卫星不稳定性，同时应用免疫组织化学的方法检测肿瘤皿管内皮生长因子(VEGF)蛋白的表达。结果：MSI阳性率为43．4％(13／30)。VEGF阳性率为60％(18／30）。MSI—H胃癌VEGF的表达显著减少。结论：MSI—H的胃癌与MSS胃癌可能存在两种不同的胃癌及肿瘤血管新生形成的途径。MSI—H肿瘤较低的VEGF表达可能可以解释为何MSI-H胃癌有较低的侵袭性。