The association between the decreased expression levels of FOXJ1 and the activation of NF-κB pathway in interstitial lung disease of MRL/Lpr mice

Background: Pulmonary manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are appearing in 4-5% of patients involving lung in almost half of the cases during the disease course. Objective: We compared the autoimmune pulmonary inflammation in the lung tissue of mice to determine the association between decreased expression levels of Forkhead Box J1 (FOXJ1) and the activation of the NF-κB pathway in autoimmune pulmonary inflammation of MRL/Lpr mice. Methods: The female BALB/c mice (n=6) and MRL/Lpr mice (n=30) were divided into 5 groups including a control group (BALB/c), and five MRL/Lpr mice groups (8W, 12W, 16W, 24W, and 32W). The infiltration of the inflammatory cells was determined in lung tissue by performing the histological analysis. The western blotting was used to examine the expression levels of the age-related FOXJ1, and p50 and p65 proteins in the lungs of MRL/Lpr mice. The expression levels of MMP2 and MMP9 were determined via immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Results: There were severe infiltrates of lung cells with high levels of tracheal damage, perivascular injury and interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration when the MRL/Lpr mice from 16w to 32w comparing to the 8w old healthy MRL/Lpr mice in the control group (p <0.05). Moreover, the reduced expression levels of FOXJ1 were associated with the activation of the NF-κB pathway in interstitial lung disease of MRL/Lpr mice via the modulation of p50 and p65. In addition, the expression levels of MMP2 and MMP9 pro-inflammation factors increased in the lungs of the MRL/Lpr mice from 16w to 32w. Conclusions: The expression level of FOXJ1 might be an indicator of the degree of lung disease in lupus-prone mice.     

颈静脉孔区颈静脉球瘤的诊断治疗

目的探讨颈静脉球瘤的诊断及治疗方法。方法对14例颈静脉孔区颈静脉球瘤患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析研究。结果对14例颈静脉球瘤行显微手术治疗，全切除4例，近全切除4例，部分切除6例。12例行耳后经髁上入路切除肿瘤。无手术死亡。术后面瘫6例，声音嘶哑5例，听力障碍4例。有4例患者术后行γ-刀治疗。结论颈静脉孔区颈静脉球瘤，选择适当的手术入路，应用显微外科技术是治疗的关键，应早期诊断，早期手术治疗，可达到较好的疗效。     

金银花nrDNA ITS区聚合酶链反应条件的研究

目的:金银花nrDNA ITS区序列G C含量为68%,用常规的PCR方法扩增效果差.本研究通过改变扩增程序及使用改性剂的方法显著提高了金银花nrDNA ITS区的扩增效率.方法:分别从金银花叶及药材中提取总DNA,通过优化扩增条件,对nrDNA ITS区进行扩增,并比较了两种优化方法的差别及适应性.方法1:提高变性温度至97℃;方法2:添加混合改性剂(DMSO 4%-甘油10%).结果:与方法1相比,方法2可降低变性温度5 ℃,升高退火温度9 ℃,降低镁离子浓度至0.5 mmol/L,降低Taq DNA聚合酶用量至0.1 U(30 μl体系),PCR产物量显著提高,且可消除植物DNA粗提物中杂质的干扰.结论:通过提高退火温度及添加改性剂可克服高G C含量金银花nrDNA ITS区序列扩增的困难,该方法的建立有助于解决植物来源DNA模板的PCR扩增问题.     

莼菜多糖蛋白体营养液治疗便秘疗效观察

对随机抽取的57例成人便秘者,服用莼莱多糖蛋白体营养液治疗。结果服用第3天便秘症状缓解,第5天有56％以上服药者达到每天排一次正常软便,第9天全部便秘者症状消除。     

Antiserotonergic inhibition of calcitonin-induced increase of β-endorphin,ACTH, and cortisol secretion

Summary In a previous study we observed that calcitonin increases -endorphin, ACTH, and cortisol secretion. We assumed that calcitonin might have a modulatory role on the pituitary function. The present study was initiated to clarify whether this effect is due to a direct pituitary stimulation or to an indirect stimulation through CRF (corticotropin releasing factor).Fourteen healthy subjects, aged 30–60 years were investigated. All the subjects received 100IU Salmon calcitonin Sandoz i.v. at 8a.m. (time 0). Plasma -endorphin, ACTH and cortisol were estimated every 30min from – 30 to 120 min by specific radioimmunoassay. The same parameters were estimated a second time, at the same intervals, when cyproheptadine 8 mg (7 subjects) and 40 mg propranolol (7 subjects) were given per os at – 30 min and calcitonin i.v. at time 0. -endorphin, ACTH and cortisol levels (Mean ±SEM) rose significantly after calcitonin (peak value at 30–90 min) from 5.2 ±0.7 to 15.1±2.6 pmol/l; from 43.0±2.7 to 70.7±4.1 pg/ml and from 10.6±1.5 to 19.6 ±2.1 g/100 ml respectively (p< 0.0001 by analysis of variance and covariance and repeated measures). Propranolol 40 mg (per os) administered at time – 30 did not alter the response of -endorphin, ACTH and cortisol to calcitonin (infused at time 0).Cyproheptadine, the antiserotonergic substance that inhibits the synthesis and release of CRF completely inhibited the stimulatory effect of calcitonin.We conclude that probably calcitonin has a modulatory role on the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis and that it acts at the hypothalamic level probably by stimulating CRF secretion.     

Monoamine oxidase-B inhibition: a comparison of in vivo and ex vivo measures of reversible effects

Summary A behavioural test involving potentiation of the effects of an acute injection of -phenylethylamine (10 mg kg^–1 i.p.) was used to assess the time-course of type-B MAO inhibition after administration of (–)deprenyl (5 mg kg^–1 i.p.) and of MD 240928 (20 mg kg^–1 i.p.) respectively. Potentiation of the effects of -phenylethylamine was observed 1 h after injection of (–)deprenyl or MD 240928. This effect was still evident 120 h after administration of (–)deprenyl but not 24 h after administration of MD 240928. Comparisons of ex vivo estimates of MAO activity yielded a corresponding time-course for the recovery of this enzyme. The extent of MAO inhibition required for potentiation of the effects of -phenylethylamine was inferred from a comparison of the behavioural test results and the ex vivo MAO activity observed after (–)deprenyl administration. These comparisons indicate a significant underestimation of MD 240928-induced MAO inhibition using ex vivo measures. This underestimation is interpreted as evidence fordilution effects in the ex vivo assay of MAO inhibition. The potentiation of effects of -phenylethylamine under the present conditions is proposed as a useful and simple test for effects of reversible type-B MAO inhibitors.     

Lymphocyte β-adrenergic receptor binding in panic disorder

Lymphocyte beta adrenergic receptor binding using [¹²⁵I]CNP was determined in patients with panic disorder (N=4) or agoraphobia with panic attacks (N=17) and age- and sex-matched healthy subjects (N=22). The patients showed a significantly lower number of -adrenergic receptor binding sites and a significantly higher affinity of binding than healthy subjects. A past or present history of major depression in the patients did not alter these findings. These results are consistent with a growing body of knowledge implicating noradrenergic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of panic anxiety.     

“Occult” hydrocephalus in children

The authors describe 32 children between 2 and 15 years of age who had hydrocephalus that was only clinically manifest late in life. The clinical picture of these children did not suggest an obvious increase in intracranial pressure; instead, the presenting signs were rather nonspecific and included macrocrania, mild psychomotor retardation, unsteady gait, increased muscle tone and deep tendon reflexes in the lower limbs, impaired ocular movement, epilepsy, and endocrine dysfunction. Their histories suggest the possible causes of the ventricular dilation in about one third of the cases were: perinatal hemorrhage, leptomeningitis, neurofibromatosis, and untreated aneurysm of the great vein of Galen. In 20 patients, however, no positive anamnestic findings were reported. CT scan revealed triventricular dilation in more than half of the cases; tetraventricular dilation was present in 6 patients, and biventricular dilation in the remaining subjects. All children underwent CSF shunting, which resulted in complete recovery in all but 2 cases. The most frequently recorded surgical complication was postoperative subdural effusion (7 subjects), which required surgical treatment in only 2 cases.Presented at the 15th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, New York, 1987     

The reduction of water intake in rats caused by a low dose of apomorphine is unaltered by α-methyl-p-tyrosine: are autoreceptors not involved?

Summary Low doses of the dopamine (DA) agonist apomorphine (APO) induces a behavioural syndrome characterized by reduced spontaneous activity, reduced food and water intake and induction of yawning and penile erections. Traditionally these effects of APO have been considered to be caused by a preferential stimulation of DA autoreceptors, causing a decreased amount of transmitter at the postsynaptic receptors. If this is so, it could be hypothesized that 1) the same behavioural effects should be obtained if DA transmission is decreased by some other means, for example by synthesis inhibition, and that 2) the response to APO should be altered if DA transmission is already lowered.It was found that high doses of -methyl-p-tyrosine (-MPT; 50–200 mg/ kg) did not reduce water intake in thirsty rats, which low doses of APO do. It was further found that pretreatment with -MPT did not alter the response to APO. These results are difficult to reconcile with the DA autoreceptor hypothesis claiming that behavioural effects of low doses of APO are caused by a decreased release of DA. An alternative interpretation is that low doses of APO stimulates a certain population of sensitive postsynaptic D-2 receptors.