[Exploration of the mechanism of skin expansion]

OBJECTIVE

In order to explore the mechanism of skin expansion technique (SET).

METHODS

Domestic dogs were used in this experiment. The epidermal mitotic activity, capillary blood flow change of the expanded flap were observed with microspectrophotometer and radioactive microsphere technique.

RESULTS

1. The epidermis of expanded skin was significantly thicker than that of other groups (P < 0.05). 2. The epidermal mitotic activity was elevated significantly(P < 0.01). 3. The capillary blood flow of expanded flaps increased significantly (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

1. The surplus skin produced by SET is the result of replication, not compensation. 2. SET increases skin blood flow, therefore enlarges the survival area of an expanded flap.

Density functional theory study on fundamental vibrational spectra of disilyl iodide and its isotopomer

Density function theory calculations using B3' exchange functional and LYP' correlation functionals (B3LYP) with the 3-21G** basis set were carried out to study the molecular structure and fundamental vibrational frequencies of Si2H5Br, Si2H5I and their isotopomers. One scale factor used to scale Si-H(D) force constants for Si2H5Br is transferred from Si2H5Br to Si2H5I. Other scale factors of force constants for Si2H5I and Si2D5I are determined by a least-squares fitting to experimental vibrational frequencies. The predictions of fundamental vibrational frequencies for Si2H5I and its isotopomer are given. The scaled DFT force fields using B3LYP/3-21G** reproduced the observed fundamental vibrational frequencies of Si2H5I and its deuterium isotopomer with a mean absolute deviation of 6 cm(-1). Reassignment of some fundamental vibrational modes of Si2H5I and its isotopomer is discussed.

Retinal degeneration but not obesity is observed in null mutants of the tubby-like protein 1 gene

The tub gene is a member of a small, well conserved neuronal gene family of unknown function. Mutations within this gene lead to early-onset blindness and deafness, as well as late-onset obesity and insulin resistance. To test the hypothesis that mutations within other members of this gene family would lead to similar phenotypes as observed in tubby mice, and hence have similar functional properties, we have generated null mutants of the tubby-like protein ( Tulp ) 1 gene by homologous recombination. Similarly to tubby mice, Tulp1 (-/-)mice exhibit an early-onset retinal degeneration with a progressive, rapid loss of photoreceptors, further supporting the notion that previously identified mutations within the human TULP1 gene are indeed causative of retinitis pigmentosa. However, in contrast to tubby mice, Tulp1 (-/-)mice exhibited normal hearing ability and, surprisingly, normal body weight despite the fact that both TUB and TULP1 are expressed in the same neurons within the hypothalamus in areas known to be involved in feeding behavior and energy homeo stasis. However, TUB and TULP1 show a distinctly different staining pattern in the nucleus of these neurons, perhaps explaining the difference in body weight between the Tulp1 (-/-)and tubby mutant mice.

Spatial distribution and habitat characterization of anopheline mosquito larvae in Western Kenya

Studies were conducted to characterize larval habitats of anopheline mosquitoes and to analyze spatial heterogeneity of mosquito species in the Suba District of western Kenya. A total of 128 aquatic habitats containing mosquito larvae were sampled, and 2,209 anopheline and 10,538 culicine larvae were collected. The habitats were characterized based on size, pH, distance to the nearest house and to the shore of Lake Victoria, coverage of canopy, surface debris, algae and emergent plants, turbidity, substrate, and habitat types. Microscopic identification of third- and fourth-instar anopheline larvae did not yield any Anopheles funestus or other anophelines. A total of 829 An. gambiae s.l. larvae from all habitats were analyzed further by rDNA-polymerase chain reaction to identify individual species within the An. gambiae species complex. Overall, An. arabiensis was the predominant species (63.4%), and An. gambiae was less common (31.4%). The species composition of An. gambiae s.l. varied significantly among the sampling sites throughout Suba District. The larval habitats in the southern area of the district had a higher proportion of An. gambiae than in the northern area. Multiple logistic analysis did not detect any significant association between the occurrence of anopheline larvae and habitat variables, and principal component analysis did not identify key environmental factors associated with the abundance of An. gambiae. However, significant spatial heterogeneity in the relative abundance of An. gambiae within the Suba district was detected. When the effect of larval habitat locality was considered in the analysis, we found that the distance to the nearest house and substrate type were significantly associated with the relative abundance of An. gambiae. Future studies integrating detailed water chemistry analysis, remote sensing technology, and the ecology of predators may be required to further elucidate the mechanisms underlying the observed spatial variation of anopheline larval distribution.

[Research on applications of micromachine technology in medical engineering]

This paper presents the basic concept of micromachines. The development aim and Key technology of medical micromachine Research are discussed here too. Besides, this Paper introduces some typical application research of micromachines, which may have actual reference Value for the future development of medical engineering.

Association of acidosis and nutritional parameters in hemodialysis patients

There is extensive literature supporting an important role for acidosis in inducing net protein breakdown, both in experimental animals and humans. However, the clinical importance of the moderate intermittent metabolic acidosis frequently observed in hemodialysis patients has not been determined. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline laboratory data in the first 1,000 patients recruited to the Hemodialysis Study, looking for correlations between predialysis serum total carbon dioxide levels and parameters related to dietary intake and nutritional status. We found the mean predialysis serum total carbon dioxide level was moderately low (21.6 +/- 3.4 mmol/L; mean +/- SD) despite the use of bicarbonate dialysate and an average single-pool Kt/V of 1.54. Predialysis serum total carbon dioxide level correlated negatively with normalized protein catabolic rate (P < 0.001), suggesting patients with lower serum total carbon dioxide levels have a greater protein intake. The degree of acidosis observed in our patients does not seem to have a deleterious effect on the nutritional status of these patients because correlation of serum total carbon dioxide level with nutritional parameters, such as serum creatinine and serum albumin levels, was either negative or not statistically significant. Further investigation of the effect of modifying serum bicarbonate concentration on nutritional markers is needed to test these hypotheses.

Population genetics of the yellow fever mosquito in Trinidad: comparisons of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers

Recent development of DNA markers provides powerful tools for population genetic analyses. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based DNA fingerprinting technique that can detect multiple restriction fragments in a single polyacrylamide gel, and thus are potentially useful for population genetic studies. Because AFLP markers have to be analysed as dominant loci in order to estimate population genetic diversity and genetic structure parameters, one must assume that dominant (amplified) alleles are identical in state, recessive (unamplified) alleles are identical in state, AFLP fragments segregate according to Mendelian expectations and that the genotypes of an AFLP locus are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). The HWE assumption is untestable for natural populations using dominant markers. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers segregate as codominant alleles, and can therefore be used to test the HWE assumption that is critical for analysing AFLP data. This study examined whether the dominant AFLP markers could provide accurate estimates of genetic variability for the Aedes aegypti mosquito populations of Trinidad, West Indies, by comparing genetic structure parameters using AFLP and RFLP markers. For AFLP markers, we tested a total of five primer combinations and scored 137 putative loci. For RFLP, we examined a total of eight mapped markers that provide a broad coverage of mosquito genome. The estimated average heterozygosity with AFLP markers was similar among the populations (0.39), and the observed average heterozygosity with RFLP markers varied from 0.44 to 0.58. The average FST (standardized among-population genetic variance) estimates were 0.033 for AFLP and 0.063 for RFLP markers. The genotypes at several RFLP loci were not in HWE, suggesting that the assumption critical for analysing AFLP data was invalid for some loci of the mosquito populations in Trinidad. Therefore, the results suggest that, compared with dominant molecular markers, codominant DNA markers provide better estimates of population genetic variability, and offer more statistical power for detecting population genetic structure.

[Effects of extract from Pegasus laternarius on the weight of immune organs and the antistress in mice]

Extract from Pegasus laternarius Cuvier (PLE) could increase the splenic and thymic weight in immunity-suppressed mice induced by hydrocortisone or cyclophosphamide and could increase the thymic weight in senile mice. PLE could prolonged the survival time of anoxic mice under normal pressure or chemically anoxic mice poisoned by potassium cyanide. It could also prolong the survival time of mice swimming in ice-water and enhance the tolerance of mice without food to eat and water to drink.

Technical and clinical comparison of two fully automated methods for the immunoassay of CA 125 in serum

The sensitivity and precision of two fully automated enzyme immunoassays, a chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), for the determination of the ovarian carcinoma antigen CA 125 were evaluated by comparison with an immunoradiometric assay (IRMA). Sera were obtained from patients with ovarian carcinoma (N = 28 before treatment and N = 24 after treatment), digestive system cancer (N = 21 before treatment) and from healthy women (N = 90). The CLEIA showed a good agreement with the IRMA in terms of the positivity rate, accuracy and assay linearity, whereas the ELISA gave some false positive results. The mean value of CA 125 in the sera of healthy women was 14, 16 and 20 U/ml determined using the CLEIA, IRMA and ELISA procedures with standard deviations (SD) of 6.9, 7.3 and 8.8 U/ml, respectively. Both the reproducibility and precision of the CLEIA with coefficients of variation (CV) of 4.6% intra-assay and 7.6% inter-assay were better than those of the ELISA with CV of 6.2% intra-assay and 15.2% inter-assay (N = 16). We conclude that the CLEIA is the preferable method for CA 125 determinations and the diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma.

[Extraction and purification of acidic mucopolysaccharide from Holothuria atra]

Mucopolyaccharide with molecular weight of 10253 Da was extracted and purified from fresh Holothuria atra Jaeger by means of enzymic and alkaline hydrolysis, potassium acetate and ethanol fractional precipitation. It was tested to be purified ingredient with agarose electrophoresis. The percentage content of galactosamine, glucuronic acid, fucose and sulfate in the mucopolysaccharide was 16.12%, 17.88%, 11.66% and 23.52% respectively.

[The study on edge detection method of medical color image]

Considering the specificity of the medical color image, in this paper a medical color image is decomposed as three color orthogonal feature: I1, I2 and I3 in K-L transformation method, and Kirsch algorithm is used to detect the edge of the monochrome image I1 including rich information. Finally, both clarity edge and rich detail of color backdisplay image are gained, if we adopt I2 and I3 to compensate I1.

[Bilirubin induced apoptosis of cerebellar granule neurons]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the mechanism of bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity from cellular and molecular level.

METHODS

Bilirubin was exposed to primary cultured rat cerebellar granule and cortical neurons and its neurotoxicity was observed DNA staining and agars gel electrophores were used to identify the biochemical and morphological features of bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity in cultured cerebellar granule and cortical neurons.

RESULTS

Bilirubin selectively induced death of cerebellar granule neurons in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Neuronal death displayed biochemical and morphological features of apoptotic nuclei: condensation of nuclear chromatin and DNA fragmentation. RNA and protein synthesis inhibitors blocked the neurotoxicity induced by bilirubin. However, the cortical neurons displayed a relative insensitivity to bilirubin.

CONCLUSIONS

Bilirubin induced neuron death is an active process, requiring de novo synthesis of RNA and protein. Bilirubin may selectively induce apoptosis of cerebellar granule neurons.

Novel splicing of the human MHC-encoded peptide transporter confers unique properties

Presentation of intracellularly derived antigenic peptides to T cells requires their assembly together with MHC class I molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Such peptides are delivered to the ER by an MHC-encoded transporter composed of TAP1 and TAP2 protein delivery. Here, the first alternative splicing of Tap2 is described. The human splice variant, termed Tap2iso, lacks exon 11 and original 3' untranslated region and contains a newly identified exon 12 and 3' untranslated region. The full-length Tap2iso cDNA (2496 bp) predicts a protein of 653 amino acids. Tap2iso mRNA was normally coexpressed with Tap2 mRNA in all human lymphocyte cell lines examined. Function of TAP2iso was evaluated at multilevel in TAP1/2iso and TAP1/2 cotransfected T2 cells, a mutant cell line deplete of endogenous Tap gene products. The TAP1-TAP2iso transporter facilitated the maturation of MHC class I molecules in the ER and restored surface expression of class I. Importantly, TAP1-TAP2iso transporters expressed in T2 cells exhibited distinct and opposing influences on peptide selectivities, at times exceeding 30-fold differences in competition experiments and attributable to diversity in the 3'-COOH tail. The common coexpression of an alternative splice product of the Tap2 gene may contribute to broaden immune diversity, a mechanism previously described to occur predominantly at the level of the TCR and MHC class I gene products.

[Completion pneumonectomy combined with graft replacement of thoracic aortic aneurysm by simple clamping]

A 59-years-old male patient who had left upper lobe partial resection 30 years ago. He was seen at the family physician because of cough. A chest X-ray was showing an abnormal mass shadow measuring 3 x 4 cm in left lower lobe like honey comb. And squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was detected in his sputum. He was diagnosed as primary lung cancer and introduced to our department to have operation. Chest CT-scan was showing lung tumor suspected SCC measuring 4.3 x 2.6 cm in segment 8 faced chest wall. At the same time, we detected thoracic aortic aneurysm and subcarinal lymph node, but could not see where the boundary is, so it was hard to distinguish between parietal thrombus with thoracic aortic aneurysm and swelling subcarinal lymph node. We decided it swelling subcarinal lymph node by three-dimensional treated CT-scan. Aortic angiography was showing proximal descending aortic aneurysm measuring diameter was 4.5 cm. Abdominal CT-scan was showing infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm measuring diameter was 5.5 cm. He was diagnosed as primary lung cancer (It. S8, SCC) (cT2N2M0, Stage IIIB), thoracic aortic aneurysm, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and had completion pneumonectomy (R 2 b) for primary lung cancer and graft replacement with aneurysm dissection for thoracic aortic aneurysm without extracorporeal circulation. In this operation, we could find swelling subcarinal lymph node measuring 5 x 3 cm instead of parietal thrombus with thoracic aortic aneurysm. Pathological examination diagnosed middle differential SCC and no metastasis from dissected lymph node (PT2N0M0, Stage I A).

[Study on a new type of endoscope based on micro motor]

The application of Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) on the fields of biomedical engineering is a newly technological field. Applying a micro motor, whose diameter is only 2 mm, as driving device of this system, this paper presented a new type of medical endoscope whose front tip of diagnosing tube could work automatically.

ESR and U-series analyses of teeth from the palaeoanthropological site of Hexian, Anhui Province, China

ESR and U-series analyses of teeth from the palaeoanthropological site of Hexian which contained Homo erectus remains, illustrate the limited effectiveness of stand-alone ESR and U-series age estimates on faunal materials. The problem lies in the unknown U-uptake history causing very large uncertainties in the age results of both techniques. This study demonstrates the particular strength that lies in the integration of ESR and U-series dating analyses allowing the estimation of the U-uptake history. We obtained a combined ESR/U-series age estimate of 412 +/- 25 ka (average of six analyses on two teeth). This pinpoints the deposition of the faunal remains to the time of the transition between oxygen isotope stages 12 and 11. This is in agreement with the faunal composition which show a mixture of cold adapted northern mammals and more subtropical-tropical southern elements. The age also implies that the advanced Hexian Homo erectus occurred at a similar time as the less advanced Homo erectus specimens at Locality 1 at Zhoukoudian (LI-LIII).

Temporal and spatial features of slow positive potential related to visual selective response during head-down-tilt

The temporal and spatial features of visual ERP changes during 2 hour HDT (-10 degrees) were compared with that during HUT (+20 degrees) in 15 normal subjects. The stimuli consisted of two color LED flashes appeared randomly in left (LVF) or right (RVF) visual field with the same probability. The subjects were asked to make switch response to target signals (T) differentially: switching to left for T in LVF and to right for T in RVF, and making no response to non-target signals (N). Five sets of tests were made during HUT and HDT. ERPs were obtained from 9 locations on the scalp. Mean amplitude of the ERPs in the period 0.30-0.55 s were taken as the amplitude of slow positive potential (P400). The results obtained were: (1) The mean amplitude of P400 decreased during HDT which was more significant at the 2nd, 3rd and 5th set of tests; (2) spatially, the reduction of mean P400 amplitude during HDT was more significant for signals from RVF and were more significant at posterior and central brain regions than those from frontal locations. These data provide further evidence showing that the higher brain function was affected by the simulated weightlessness and that this effect was not only transient but also with interesting spatial characteristics.

[Changes of brain potentials related to selective mental arithmetic during simulated weightlessness]

To study the effect of simulated weightlessness on brain function state, the brain event-related potentials (ERPs) during a selective mental arithmetic task were compared between head down tilt (HDT) and head up tilt (HUT) in 15 normal subjects. The results were: target (T) flash signals induced significant slow positive potentials and they decreased significantly in amplitude especially during HDT as compared with that during HUT. The data provide new evidence indicating that the ability of brain response declined during simulated weightlessness.

The temporal and spatial features of event-related EEG spectral changes in 4 mental conditions

Event-related EEG spectral perturbation (ERSP) was studied in 20 right-handed subjects during selective response (SRP) and selective mental arithmetic (SMA). The input signals were one-digit number sounds (single syllable). The subjects were asked to make switch response (for SRP) or accumulative summation (for SMA) as soon as odd numbers (T) were heard and to ignore even ones (N). EEG powers were derived from 3 successive 0.5 s segments post input signal from 9 locations on scalp in 4 conditions (srT, srN, maT and maN). The ERSP was taken as the spectral change relative to that under rest control. The main results were: (i) the power of delta and theta activity increased significantly in the 1st 0.5 s in all 4 conditions but decreased in the following epochs; (ii) the theta activity revealed greatest spatial differentiation, prominent theta activity remained at Fz in the 2nd and 3rd 0.5 s in maT but not in srT; (iii) the power of alpha activity was lowest in the 1st 0.5 s and remained low level during SMA but increased in the 2nd 0.5 s during SRP; (iv) the 11-18 Hz activity augmented after the 1st 0.5 s, its dominance remained at P6 during SMA but switched from P6 to frontal locations during SRP; (v) the power of high frequency activities beyond 30 Hz decreased significantly during SRP at all locations. The temporal and spatial feature of ERSP in the 4 conditions provided further evidence indicating the functional correlates of EEG activities in each frequency band. The high frequency activity might reflect the general attention state. The dynamic change of attentional demand during information processing was probably reflected by alpha activity. The delta, theta and beta activities seemed related to different aspects of cognitive processes.

Antigen processing and autoimmunity. Evaluation of mRNA abundance and function of HLA-linked genes

Quantitative defects in the density of conformationally correct human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) class I complexes on the surface of lymphocytes are apparent in patients with diverse HLA-linked autoimmune diseases, including Type I diabetes and Sjögren's syndrome. First, HLA class I expression was investigated in individuals with two rare and genetically divergent polyglandular autoimmune diseases. Polyglandular failure patients whose disease showed HLA linkage, but not those whose disease was not HLA linked, exhibited decreased HLA class I expression on the surface of their lymphocytes as well as a reduced abundance of transcripts of the HLA-linked genes Tap1 and Tap2, both of which encode proteins that contribute to HLA class I processing. Second, lymphocytes from patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), Sjögren's syndrome, Graves' disease, and Hashimoto's disease showed varying degrees of decreased abundance of mRNAs that encode Tap1, Tap2, Lmp2, or Lmp7 (the latter two proteins also contribute to HLA class I processing). Third, in twins discordant for IDDM, reduced transcript abundance was preferential to diabetic subjects. Fourth, functional assays of isolated diabetic proteasomes, the peptide cutting complex containing LMP2 and LMP7 proteins, revealed altered peptidase activity. These data suggest that defective transcription of HLA class I-processing genes could contribute to the quantitative defect in cell-surface expression in autoimmune lymphocytes of HLA-controlled disease.

[Lung autotransplantation technique in the treatment of stage III bronchogenic carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To perform a double sleeve right upper and middle bilobectomy with transposing the inferior pulmonary vein to the superior one stump in a lung cancer patient.

METHOD

The "cut-down" lobe was immersed in heparin solution in vitro for 15 minutes. It took 15, 14 and 10 minutes to finish the anastomosis of pulmonary vein, bronchus, and artery. The pulmonary artery was blocked for 3 hours. Postoperatively, the patient underwent ventilation for 6 hours.

RESULT

In the 5th day after operation, re-implanted lung inflated well, the chest tube was retreated, and the patient can walk around. The reconstruction of pulmonary vessels and airway was done by spiral CT, which demonstrated no stenoses of bronchi and the pulmonary blood perfused and returned very well 3 weeks after operation. Follow-up more than 6 months showed the patient had a good quality of life and resumed his work.

CONCLUSION

It is indicated to apply the technique of lung autotransplantation for operation on the central bronchogenic carcinoma when the main bronchus or pulmonary artery involved by tumor is too long to perform the anastomosis in the double sleeve bilobectomy.

Evidence for genetic hitchhiking effect associated with insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti

Information on genetic variation within and between populations is critical for understanding the evolutionary history of mosquito populations and disease epidemiology. Previous studies with Drosophila suggest that genetic variation of selectively neutral loci in a large fraction of genome may be constrained by fixation of advantageous mutations associated with hitchhiking effect. This study examined restriction fragment length polymorphisms of four natural Aedes aegypti mosquito populations from Trinidad and Tobago, at 16 loci. These populations have been subjected to organophosphate (OP) insecticide treatments for more than two decades, while dichlor-diphenyltrichlor (DDT) was the insecticide of choice prior to this period. We predicted that genes closely linked to the OP target loci would exhibit reduced genetic variation as a result of the hitchhiking effect associated with intensive OP insecticide selection. We also predicted that genetic variability of the genes conferring resistance to DDT and loci near the target site would be similar to other unlinked loci. As predicted, reduced genetic variation was found for loci in the general chromosomal region of a putative OP target site, and these loci generally exhibited larger F(ST) values than other random loci. In contrast, the gene conferring resistance to DDT and its linked loci show polymorphisms and genetic differentiation similar to other random loci. The reduced genetic variability and apparent gene deletion in some regions of chromosome 1 likely reflect the hitchhiking effect associated with OP insecticide selection.

Dynamic change of ERPs related to selective attention to signals from left and right visual field during head-down tilt

To study further the effect of head-down tilt (HDT) on slow positive potential in the event-related potentials (ERPs), the temporal and spatial features of visual ERPs changes during 2 hour HDT (-10 degrees) were compared with that during HUT (+20 degrees) in 15 normal subjects. The stimuli were consisted of two color LED flashes appeared randomly in left or right visual field (LVF or RVF) with same probability. The subjects were asked to make switch response to target signals (T) differentially: switching to left for T in LVF and to right for T in RVF, ignoring non-target signals(N). Five sets of tests were made during HUT and HDT. ERPs were obtained from 9 locations on scalp. The mean value of the ERPs in the period from 0.32-0.55 s was taken as the amplitude of slow positive potential(P400). The main results were as follows. 1) The mean amplitude of P400 decreased during HDT which was more significant at the 2nd, 3rd and 5th set of tests; 2) spatially, the reduction of mean P400 amplitude during HDT was more significant for signals from RVF and was more significant at posterior and central brain regions than that on frontal locations. As that the positive potential probably reflects the active inhibition activity in the brain during attention process, these data provide further evidence showing that the higher brain function was affected by the simulated weightlessness and that this effect was not only transient but also with interesting spatial characteristics.

Caspase inhibition prevents staurosporine-induced apoptosis in CHO-K1 cells

Apoptosis is a distinct form of programmed cell death that plays an important role in many biological processes. Although the phenotypes of apoptotic cells are well documented, little is known of the central mechanism leading to programmed cell death. Over the past few years, a number of ICE/CED-3 family proteases (also termed caspases) have been discovered and implicated as the common effectors of apoptosis. In this report, we demonstrate that induction of apoptosis in CHO-K1 cells by staurosporine, a broad spectrum inhibitor of protein kinases, results in an increase in DEVD-dependent protease activity. These events were followed by nuclear DNA fragmentation and cell death. Inhibition of the DEVD-cleaving activity by a synthetic tetrapeptide inhibitor DEVD-CHO, blocked staurosporine-induced downstream apoptotic phenotypes, such as morphological characteristics and DNA fragmentation. These results suggest that staurosporine-induced apoptosis in CHO-K1 cells is mediated through the CPP32/caspase-3-like cysteine proteases.

[Effects of ear acupuncture on beta-adrenoreceptor in lung tissues of guinea-pigs with experimental asthma]

The maximal binding volume (Bmax) of beta-adrenoreceptor in the lung tissues of guinea-pigs in health group, experimental asthma group and ear acupuncture treatment group was determined with radiological ligand binding analysis. The results were as follows: (1) the Bmax of beta-adrenoreceptor in lung tissues of guinea-pigs in asthma group (52.4 +/- 20.1 fmol/mg protein) was significantly lower than that of healthy group (106.8 +/- 14.0 fmol/mg protein) (P < 0.01); (2) the Bmax in the lung tissues of guinea-pigs in ear acupuncture treatment group (84.5 +/- 35.1 fmol/mg protein) was significantly higher than that of asthma group (P < 0.02), and was similar to that of healthy group(P > 0.05). These suggested it was one of the mechanisms of ear acupuncture treatment on asthma to increase the number of beta-adrenorecepor in the lung tissues.