共识性歧视与刻板印象:以外来务工人员与城市居民群体为例

目的:研究外来务工人员对城市居民外群体偏好现象中的共识性歧视以及歧视程度的差异。方法:基于刻板印象内容模型和偏差地图,对101名外来务工人员和相匹配的101名城市居民进行调查。结果:①两类群体的刻板印象符合中国社会群体刻板印象分类;②两类群体对外来务工人员低社会地位、低能力和高热情以及城市居民高社会地位、高能力和低热情达成共识,且外来务工人员的内群体评价高于城市居民的评价;③外来务工人员表现出对城市居民保护帮助和赞赏敬佩的外群体偏好。结论:外群体偏好现象存在共识性歧视的同时也存在共识性歧视程度差异。     

Effects of 4 Weeks Recombinant Human Growth Hormone Administration on Insulin Resistance of Skeletal Muscle in Rats

Purpose

Effect of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) administration on lipid storage, and its subsequent effect on insulin sensitivity have not yet been adequately examined. Thus, we investigated the effects of rhGH treatment on muscle triglyceride (TG) and ceramide content, and insulin sensitivity after 4 weeks of rhGH administration in rats.

Materials and Methods

Fourteen rats were randomly assigned to two groups: rhGH injection group (GH, n = 7) and saline injection group (CON, n = 7). GH received rhGH by subcutaneous injections (130 µg·kg^-1·day^-1, 6 days·week^-1) for 4 weeks, while CON received saline injections that were equivalent in volume to GH group. Intramuscular TG and ceramide content and hepatic TG content were measured. To determine insulin sesitivity, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and muscle incubation for glucose transport rate were performed in rats, and used as indicators of insulin sensitivity. We also examined plasm lipid profiles.

Results

After 4 weeks of rhGH treatment, the GH group had higher muscle and liver TG contents than the CON (p < 0.05). Ceramide content in GH was significantly greater than that in CON (p < 0.05). GH also had higher plasma levels of FFA (p < 0.05), glucose and insulin responses during OGTT (p < 0.05), and lower glucose transport rates in submaximal insulin concentration (p < 0.05) as compared with CON. Results indicate that rhGH treatment is associated with insulin resistance in rats.

Conclusion

rhGH treatment elevated muscle TG and ceramide content, and hepatic TG content. Thus, elevation of these compounde by rhGH treatment could contribute to the development of insulin resistance in rats.     

Long-Term Follow-Up of the Changes in Circulating Cytokines, Soluble Cytokine Receptors, and White Blood Cell Subset Counts in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) After Monoclonal Anti-TNFα Antibody Therapy

To investigate the mechanism of the long-lasting efficacy of chimeric monoclonal anti-TNF antibody (cA2) therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), eight patients with refractory RA were treated with a single infusion of cA2 and the changes in circulating cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, TNF, and IL-10), soluble cytokine receptors (TNF-RI, RII, and sIL-6R) and peripheral white blood cell (WBC) subset counts were followed up long-term (12 weeks) after cA2 therapy in them. Significant clinical responses (>20% improvement according to Paulus' criteria) were observed just after cA2 infusion and lasted more than 4 weeks in all patients, as reported elsewhere. Moreover, five of the eight patients showed prolonged clinical responses (>12 weeks). The elevated serum IL-6 and sTNF-RI (or RII) levels before treatment rapidly decreased after treatment. The serum IL-10 levels also significantly elevated before treatment. The elevations of serum IL-10 levels were augmented after treatment and stayed higher than the baseline in four patients with prolonged clinical responses. No significant TNF, IL-1 and -, or sIL-6R were detected in the sera of the patients before treatment and during the whole study period. On the other hand, peripheral lymphocytes as well as total WBC and neutrophils increased for 4 weeks after treatment. However, thereafter, only the lymphocyte count decreased gradually and stayed below the baseline long-term (12 weeks). FACS analysis revealed the predominance of T lymphocytes in the decrease in lymphocyte counts. These results suggest that the augmentation of IL-10 production and the decrease in T cells might partly contribute to the long-lasting efficacy of cA2 treatment in RA.     

Isotonic and hypertonic sodium loading in supine humans

The hypothesis that hypertonic saline infusion induces a greater natriuresis than infusion of the same amount of sodium as isotonic saline was tested in 8 supine subjects on fixed sodium intake of 150 mmol NaCl day^–1. Sodium loads equivalent to the amount of sodium contained in 10% of measured extracellular volume were administered intravenously over 90 min either as isotonic saline or as hypertonic saline (850 mmol L^–1). A third series without saline infusion served as time control. Experiments lasted 8 h. Water balance and sodium loads were maintained by replacing the excreted amounts every hour. Plasma sodium concentrations only increased following hypertonic saline infusion (by 2.7 ± 0.3 mmol L^–1). Oncotic pressure decreased significantly more with isotonic saline (4.1 ± 0.3 mmHg) than with hypertonic saline (3.2 ± 0.2 mmHg), indicating that isotonic saline induced a stronger volumetric stimulus. Renal sodium excretion increased more than a factor of four with isotonic and hypertonic saline but also increased during time control (factor of three). Cumulated sodium excretions following isotonic (131 ± 13 mmol) and hypertonic saline (123 ± 10 mmol) were statistically identical exceeding that of time control (81 ± 9 mmol). Plasma angiotensin II decreased in all series but plasma ANP concentrations and urinary excretion rates of endothelin-1 remained unchanged. In conclusion, hypertonic saline did not produce excess natriuresis. However, as the two loading procedures induced similar natriureses during different volumetric stimuli, part of the natriuresis elicited by hypertonic saline could be mediated by stimulation of osmoreceptors involved in renal sodium excretion. The supine position does not provide stable time control conditions with regard to renal excretory function.     

Creatine uptake in isolated soleus muscle: kinetics and dependence on sodium,but not on insulin

The increased use of creatine by athletes as a dietary supplement to improve their physical performance assumes that increased serum creatine levels will increase intracellular skeletal muscle creatine. Despite this common assumption, skeletal muscle creatine uptake awaits full characterization. Consequently, we have investigated ¹⁴C-labelled creatine uptake in isolated, incubated rat soleus (type I) muscle preparations at 37 °C. We found that the apparent K_m for creatine uptake was 73 μM and the V_max was 77 nmol h^–1 gww^–1. Creatine uptake was 82% inhibited by 2 m M β-guanidinopropionic acid, the structural analogue of creatine. In addition, a decrease in buffer Na⁺ concentration, from 145 to 25 m M , reduced the rate of ¹⁴C-labelled creatine uptake by 77%, indicating that uptake is largely Na⁺-dependent in soleus muscle. Insulin had no effect on the rate of creatine uptake in vitro. The total creatine content was 34% lower, but the rate of creatine uptake in the presence of 100 μM extracellular creatine was 45% higher, in soleus than in extensor digitorum longus (type II) muscle. However, at 1 m M extracellular creatine, the maximal rate of uptake was not significantly different for the two muscle types, implying that soleus muscle has a lower K_m for creatine uptake. We suggest that intracellular creatine levels may play a role in the regulation of skeletal muscle creatine uptake.     

白藜芦醇通过激活SGK1上调急性肺损伤小鼠肺泡上皮钠离子通道的表达

目的探讨白藜芦醇(resveratrol)对急性肺损伤(ALI)小鼠肺泡上皮钠离子通道(ENaC)的作用及可能机制。方法将小鼠随机分为对照(control)组、LPS组、RES组和PP242组,每组6只。苏木精-伊红(HE)染色观察肺组织病理;BCA法测肺泡灌洗液(BALF)中蛋白含量,酶联免疫吸附实验(ELISA)检测炎性因子水平;流式细胞计量术检测BALF中性粒细胞比例;Western blot检测肺组织α-ENaC蛋白表达和SGK1磷酸化水平,实时荧光定量PCR(qPCR)检测肺组织α-ENaC mRNA转录水平。结果 1)与对照组相比,LPS组肺组织损伤明显,BALF中性粒细胞比例、蛋白含量和炎性因子水平明显升高(P0.05),肺组织α-ENaC表达和SGK1磷酸化水平显著下调(P0.05);2)与LPS组相比,RES组肺损伤明显减轻,BALF中性粒细胞比例、蛋白含量和炎性因子水平明显降低(P0.05),伴α-ENaC表达和SGK1磷酸化水平显著上调(P0.05);3)与RES组相比,PP242组肺损伤明显加重,BALF中性粒细胞比例、蛋白含量和炎性因子水平明显升高(P0.05),同时伴α-ENaC表达和SGK1磷酸化水平显著下调(P0.05)。结论 SGK1介导的α-ENaC上调机制参与了RES对ALI的保护作用。     

Beyond faithful conduction: short-term dynamics, neuromodulation, and long-term regulation of spike propagation in the axon

Most spiking neurons are divided into functional compartments: a dendritic input region, a soma, a site of action potential initiation, an axon trunk and its collaterals for propagation of action potentials, and distal arborizations and terminals carrying the output synapses. The axon trunk and lower order branches are probably the most neglected and are often assumed to do nothing more than faithfully conducting action potentials. Nevertheless, there are numerous reports of complex membrane properties in non-synaptic axonal regions, owing to the presence of a multitude of different ion channels. Many different types of sodium and potassium channels have been described in axons, as well as calcium transients and hyperpolarization-activated inward currents. The complex time- and voltage-dependence resulting from the properties of ion channels can lead to activity-dependent changes in spike shape and resting potential, affecting the temporal fidelity of spike conduction. Neural coding can be altered by activity-dependent changes in conduction velocity, spike failures, and ectopic spike initiation. This is true under normal physiological conditions, and relevant for a number of neuropathies that lead to abnormal excitability. In addition, a growing number of studies show that the axon trunk can express receptors to glutamate, GABA, acetylcholine or biogenic amines, changing the relative contribution of some channels to axonal excitability and therefore rendering the contribution of this compartment to neural coding conditional on the presence of neuromodulators. Long-term regulatory processes, both during development and in the context of activity-dependent plasticity may also affect axonal properties to an underappreciated extent.     

Calcium pentosan polysulfate and sodium pentosan polysulfate may be used to treat intervertebral disc degeneration

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a major health problem world-wide, and several spinal disorders are closely associated with it. Although people have invested a great deal of time and effort, how to prevent and reverse the IDD for the researchers is still a difficult and hot issue. Intervertebral disc belongs to cartilage tissue, and IDD also is the cartilage degeneration disease. A large quantity of studies have shown that Calcium pentosan polysulfate (CaPPS) and sodium pentosan polysulfate (NaPPS) possess chondroprotective activities and play an important role in maintaining cartilage integrity. We reasonably hypothesize that NaPPS and CaPPS may be used to treat IDD. The possible mechanism may include that: (1) the significant effects of NaPPS and CaPPS in improving capillary blood flow could maintain nutritional supply to intervertebral disc, and preserve intervertebral disc tissue against degeneration; (2) CaPPS and NaPPS preserve cartilage integrity, proteoglycan synthesis, and improve cartilage biomechanical properties; (3) as the multifaceted exosite inhibitors of proteinases NaPPS and CaPPS strongly impede the activity and production of proteinases; (4) promotion of the balance between proteinases and TIMPs also may be involved in treating IDD; (5) NaPPS and CaPPS exhibit potent anti-inflammatory effects, and then reduce inflammation-induced IDD. If the hypothesis were conformed, the symptoms caused by IDD and its related diseases would be a corresponding alleviation or even disappearance, which could greatly alleviate the suffering of patients from disc degeneration diseases. Certainly, many roles of CaPPS and NaPPS, such as effectiveness, safety and side effects, need to be tested, and further works such as animal model and clinical trial, need to be done to prove this hypothesis.     

氧化海藻酸钠交联改性脱细胞基质材料及其细胞相容性研究

运用高碘酸钠氧化法制备新型的生物交联剂—氧化海藻酸钠(ADA)并将之用于交联改性脱细胞基质材料,通过检测一些交联指标及交联后材料的性能特征来研究ADA交联改性脱细胞基质材料的特点。实验中采用了目前典型的两类交联剂(戊二醛(GA)和京尼平(GP))作为实验对照组。用三种交联剂处理血管组织15min～72h,测定交联过程中的交联指数,并对彻底交联后材料的力学性能以及细胞相容性进行研究。结果表明,ADA交联脱细胞基质材料的交联速率、交联程度不亚于GA,明显优于GP;交联后的材料也具有更适宜的力学性能;在细胞相容性方面,ADA交联的材料也具有明显优于GA、与GP相当的这样非常理想的效果。综上所述,ADA是一种具有很大发展前景的生物组织交联剂。