PLPP2: Potential therapeutic target of breast cancer in PLPP family

PLPPs (Phospholipid phosphatases) are widely expressed in different human tissues, regulate cell signal transduction, and are overexpressed in cancers such as gliomas, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and so on. As a member of the PLPP family, PLPP2 (phospholipid phosphatase 2) plays a vital role in the occurrence and development of breast cancer, but its mechanism is still unclear. Our research found that PLPP2 was overexpressed in breast cancer, and the higher expression level of PLPP2 showed a worse prognosis for breast cancer patients. Further analysis showed that overexpression of PLPP2 affected the expression of CDC34 (cell-division cycle 34), LSM7 (Like-Smith 7), and SGTA (small glutamine-rich tetratricopeptide repeat-containing protein alpha) through EMT (epigenetic-mesenchymal transition) related pathways to promote the occurrence and development of breast cancer. In vitro, silencing PLPP2 significantly reduced the proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities of human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231. ER+ is a common subtype of breast cancer. Furthermore, we found that the overexpression of PLPP2 was significantly related to the poor prognosis of ER+ breast cancer. These results indicate that PLPP2 has value as a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer, especially for ER+ breast cancer.     

Molecular Cytogenetic Analysis of Tetraploid and Hexaploid Aegilops Crassa

The distribution of highly repetitive DNA sequences on chromosomes of tetraploid and hexaploid cytotypes of Aegilops crassa (Dcr1Xcr and Dcr1XcrDcr2 genomes) was studied using C-banding and in situ hybridization analyses with the pSc119, pAs1 and pTa794 DNA clones. In total, 14 tetraploid and five hexaploid accessions were examined. All chromosomes can be identified by their C-banding and ISH pattern with the pAs1 DNA clone. Only a few pSc119 hybridization sites were observed in the telomeric regions of several chromosomes. We found a high level of C-banding polymorphism and only minor variations in labeling patterns. The position of C-bands generally coincided with the location of the pAs1 sequence. Three 5S rDNA loci were detected in tetraploid Ae. crassa, whereas five pTa794 ISH sites were observed in 6x Ae. crassa. All the hexaploid accessions differed from the tetraploids by a reciprocal non-centromeric translocation involving chromosomes A and N. Three additional translocations were detected in the accessions analyzed. The Dcr1 genome of 4x Ae. crassa is highly modified compared with the D genome of the progenitor species Ae. tauschii. Because of the large amount of chromosomal rearrangements, the origin of the Xcr genome remains unknown. The second Dcr2 genome of 6x Ae. crassa is different from the Dcr1 genome but is similar to the D-genome chromosomes of Ae. tauschii, indicating that no additional large rearrangements occurred at the hexaploid level.     

Prenatal diagnosis with repetitive in situ hybridization probes

We have used chromosome-specific repetitive sequences to detect the most common human aneuploidies prenatally. Together chromosome 21, 13, 18, X, and Y aneuploidy comprises 95% of the chromosome abnormalities that result in a high risk of abnormal phenotypes at birth. The X, Y, and 18 repetitive probes work reliably in multiple tissue types including directly examined and cultured amniocytes, chorionic villus cells, lymphocytes, and cultured fibroblasts. The probe that detects both chromosomes 13 and 21 routinely gives results in each cell type tested except directly studied amniocytes which can be interpreted in seven-ninths of the cases with protocol 1 and all tested samples with protocol 2. Our protocols diagnosed trisomy 21 in a 23-week fetus with low maternal serum AFP and a trisomy 18 in a direct chorionic villus sample 2 working days after the samples were obtained. Trisomy 21 also has been ruled out in a CVS karyotype first thought to be 47,XY,+21. These studies reflect the potential value of in situ hybridization to provide a more rapid, less expensive means to screen most at-risk fetal populations with less effort in first world cytogenetic laboratories, and to provide economical cytogenetic services in less developed countries. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Sucrose sham feeding decreases accumbens norepinephrine in the rat

Noradrenergic projections from the dorsomedial medulla reach the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a structure implicated in both reward and feeding behavior. Despite this relationship, the effect of food reward on accumbens norepinephrine (NE) remains uninvestigated. In the course of assessing dopamine (DA) in the NAcc during sucrose ingestion [0.03, 0.1, and 0.3 M; Am. J. Physiol., Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol., 286 (2004) R31], we also analyzed NE in the microdialysis samples from 14 ad-libitum-fed male rats. In contrast to DA, which increased with sucrose concentration (+20-47%) during sham feeding, in the same animals, NE levels were reduced (approximately -20%), regardless of sucrose concentration. These results demonstrate a novel relationship between accumbens DA and NE during orosensory stimulation with a preferred nutrient.     

肝铸型标本肝静脉吻合的观测及临床意义

目的：观察肝静脉之间的吻合情况；方法：观察88个铸型标本中肝静脉侧支吻合的出现率，并对一例有丰富吻合支的肝脏用游标卡尺测量吻合中点处的直径；结果：88个肝铸型标本中有侧支吻合22例，显示率25％；1例丰富吻合标本，其中有17处吻合，最大直径为2．28mm，最小直径为0．62mm。副肝静脉与肝静脉吻合3处；结论：在肝静脉结扎或病理变化后，侧支循环开放、增多，受累肝段与未受累肝段间发生浅表和深部肝静脉侧支吻合，使得肝内血管解剖变得异常复杂而完全不同于正常解剖结构，为肝外科手术中处理肝静脉提供了解剖学依据。     

Differential fos activation in virgin and lactating mice in response to an intruder

Lactating (L) mice display fierce aggression towards novel, male mice, while virgin (V) mice do not. This study compares patterns of brain activation in V and L mice in response to a novel intruder using immunohistochemical detection of Fos (Fos-IR). Animals were sampled 120 min after either a sham or real 10 min test with a male intruder. L mice were aggressive towards intruders, but V mice were not. In general, Fos-IR for both groups increased with exposure to an intruder, with L mice showing higher increases in Fos-IR than V mice. In only medial preoptic nucleus and ventral portion of bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) was Fos-IR significantly increased in both groups with testing. In V mice, testing resulted in Fos-IR increases in an additional 10 regions examined that did not reach significance in L mice, including lateral septum, lateral and medial preoptic areas, and anterior hypothalamus. Fos-IR also increased with testing in nine regions unique to L mice, including the mitral and granular layers of accessory olfactory bulb, regions of the amygdala, dorsal BNST, and caudal portions of the hypothalamic attack area. These increases in Fos-IR with testing suggest alterations in the circuitry governing response to pheromonal cues and imply some commonalities between the circuitries governing maternal aggression and intermale aggression. These results support the hypothesis that pregnancy and lactation induce substantial changes in brain circuitry and function; changes that enable maternal defense of offspring by altering the neural response to an intruder male.     

昏迷病人床边脑电图监测的临床应用

目的：探讨昏迷病人的脑电图（EEG）诊断对估计预后的价值。方法：回顾性分析96例昏迷病人床边EEG。结果：EEG表现为平坦波或暴发抑制波异常预后不良，均死亡，EEG以α波为主，混有θ，β波，预后良好；而为δ，θ，β波，其预后难确定，还需随访。结论；昏迷病人进行床边EEG检查，可以检测脑功能，而且对最终预后作出较为肯定的评价。     

基于EEG信号AR模型的中枢神经系统损伤检测

本文综述一类基于 EEG信号 AR谱和 AR模型参数分析的中枢神经系统损伤检测方法 ,包括主控频率法、AR谱距离法和 Itakura距离测度法等。这类方法根据 EEG信号的 AR模型建立分析 EEG信号状态和变化的测度 ,并利用其检测中枢神经系统在缺氧窒息实验过程中可能存在的损伤并预测最终结果。实验和数据分析的结果表明 ,这类方法在实验各个阶段的检测结果与采用医学方法进行综合评价的 NDS结果一致 ,具有较高的可靠性。     

颈脊髓损伤致尿崩症、低钠血症的临床分析

目的探讨颈脊髓损伤致尿崩症、低钠血症的机理及临床治疗经验。方法对2003年5月至2007年8月收治的6例颈脊髓损伤并发尿崩症、低钠血症患者的临床资料进行回顾分析。结果5例经治疗后尿崩症、低钠血症得到明显缓解，1例自动放弃治疗。结论颈脊髓损伤并发尿崩症、低钠血症的原因是多方面的，治疗应限制水摄入、补充钠盐。     

Modulation of Cytokeratin Expression in The Hamster Thymus: Evidence For a Plasticity of The Thymic Epithelium

Cytokeratin (CK) expression was investigated, by means of immunocytochemistry, in the hamster thymic epithelium during ontogeny, as well as in primary cultures and upon glucocorticoid hormone treatment in vivo. As compared to the distribution pattern of distinct monoclonal antibody-defined cytokeratins in the normal adult thymus, CK modulation was evidenced in the three situations studied. During thymus ontogeny, both cytokeratins of simple lining epithelia, as CK8 and CK18, as well as the CK1/CK10 pair (typical marker of terminal stage of keratinization), were expressed since early stages of thymus development. They were located in the central region of thymic lobules preceding the cortical-medullary distinctions. This differed from what had been previously shown for mouse thymus ontogeny, revealing that the interspecific diversity in the distribution pattern of thymic cytokeratins occurred early in fetal life. A modulation of CK expression was also detected when hamster thymic epithelial cells (TEC) were led to grow in culture, with a down-regulation of CK19 contrasting with an enhancement of CK18 expression. This diverged from the maintenance of the in situ pattern when human TEC were cultured. Last, in vivo hydrocortisone treatment, known to increase the numbers of KL1⁺ cells in the mouse thymus medulla, promoted a cortical expression of the CK1/CK10 pair in the hamster thymus. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a continuous plasticity of the thymic epithelium, at least regarding cytokeratin expression, and enlarge the concept of interspecific diversity of intrathymic CK distribution in conditions as morphogenesis, in vitro system, and responsiveness to glucocorticoid hormone treatment.