Ligation of CD28 in vivo induces CD40 ligand expression and promotes B cell survival

Functional activation of T cells requires ligation of Ag receptors with specific peptides presented by MHC molecules on APCs concurrent with appropriate contacts of cell surface accessory molecules. Among these accessory molecules, interactions between CD28/CTLA-4 with B7 family members (CD80 and CD86) and CD40 with CD40 ligand (CD40L) play a decisive role in regulating the progression of balanced immune responses. However, most information regarding the role of accessory molecules in immune responses has been derived in the context of signals from the TCRs. Little understanding has been achieved regarding the consequence of ligation of costimulation molecules in absence of signals from the TCR. By employing an in vivo murine system, we show, herein, that ligation of CD28 alone with anti-CD28 Abs leads to a dramatic enlargement of the peripheral lymphoid organs characterized primarily by the expansion of B cells. B cells from anti-CD28-treated mice are resistant to spontaneous and anti-IgM-induced apoptosis. These cells are also unsusceptible to FasL-mediated apoptosis. Interestingly, this in vivo effect of CD28 on B cells is largely mediated by inducing the expression of CD40L, since coadministration of a blocking Ab against CD40L inhibited CD28-mediated B cell survival and expansion. Therefore, CD28-mediated expression of CD40L may play an important role in the regulation of lymphocyte homeostasis.

[The mechanism of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) induced insulin resistance by variation in promoter region of TNF-alpha gene]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between the G to A variant at the--308 bp of the promoter region of tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene (TNF-alpha-P) and the body adiposity, the insulin secretion and action, and the glucose and lipid levels in Chinese population.

METHOD

359 Chinese were genotyped for the TNF-alpha-P by using PCR/Nco I digestion. Fasting blood lipid profile and the levels of plasma glucose (PG), insulin (INS), c-peptide (CP) and the free fatty acids (FFA) at 0, 1/2, 1, 2 and 3 hours after glucose challenge were measured.

RESULTS

Genotype frequencies of TNF-alpha-P were not associated with diabetes and obesity. The genotype frequency of the G/A heterozygotes was significantly increased in non-diabetic subgroups with less decreased levels of 2 h-FFA and AUC-FFA after glucose challenge (Fisher exact P = 0.002 and 0.041 respectively). The FFA levels in non-diabetics with G/A heterozygotes were higher than those with G/G homozygotes, especially in the comparisons of the 2 h and 3 h FFA levels after glucose challenge (P = 0.029 and 0.030 respectively). Similar tendency was also observed in diabetics.

CONCLUSION

Circulation FFA level reflects the degree of lipolysis in adipose tissue. The difference in the degree of lipolysis led by the variant of the promoter region of TNF-alpha may be one of the mechanisms for the variation in the degree of insulin resistance in general population.

[Survey on traditional medicinal resources of Uncaria distributed in China]

OBJECTIVE

To make clear the botanical origin of medicinal Uncaria distributed in China and the situation of its use in folk medicines.

METHODS

Collecting data and making on-the-spot investigation.

RESULTS

There are thirteen medicinal plants which belong to Uncaria genus, and ten of them are commercially available. A clear idea was obtained of their geographical distribution, distribution features and practical experiences in folk application.

CONCLUSION

This investigation is helpful in further researching and exploring the resources of Uncaria for medical use, as well as provides a scientific basis for production, management and safe use of crude drugs.

[Postprandial triglyceridemia and carotid atherosclerosis in male patients with coronary heart disease]

OBJECTIVE

To test the effect of postprandial accumulation of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TGRL) on carotid artery atherosclerosis.

METHODS

In 42 male cases with coronary heart disease (CHD) as verified by angiography, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) levels in fasting serum, serum triglyceride concentrations before and 2, 4, 6, 8 hours after a standard fat test meal were measured. Each patient underwent a carotid artery high-resolution B-mode ultrasound examination. The extent of alimentary lipemia [area under the triglyceride curve over 8 hours, TG-AUC and peak triglyceride response (TGPR)] correlated with the carotid artery intima-media thickness.

RESULTS

Univariate analyses indicated both TG-AUC and TGPR had direct correlation with mean intima-media thickness measured from four well-defined vessel wall segments in the left and right carotid arteries (r = 0.45 and 0.41, both P < 0.01). After controlling for age, body mass index (BMI), triglyceride, HDL-C, and apolipoprotein B concentrations in fasting serum with multivariate stepwise regression analysis, the above correlation remained. There was an independent inverse correlation between HDL-C and carotid artery intima-media thickness.

CONCLUSION

It is suggested that abnormal metabolism and clearance of postprandial TGRL can promote the progression of atherosclerosis.

Synovial T cell receptor heterogeneity in early arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been postulated to result from a synovial immune response to an unidentified antigen(s), which should be mirrored by the T cell response. Here we investigate the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in the synovial tissue of patients with arthritis of early to moderate duration. We developed a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to examine the TCR repertoire of small biopsy specimens, and show that the method is highly sensitive. We apply this technique to synovial biopsies obtained from the knee joints of patients with early to moderate duration arthritis (average duration of arthritis 1 year, range 0. 02-2.75 years). We examined biopsies from 5 normal individuals, 32 RA patients, 7 patients with seronegative spondyloarthropathy (Sp), and 12 patients with undifferentiated arthritis (UA). TCR message was detectable in 4/5 normals, 15/32 RA, 5/7 Sp, and 8/11 UA biopsies, with sampling error likely accounting for most negative biopsies. The average numbers of TCR Vbetas detected per TCR-positive biopsy were 5.0 +/- 3.7 for normals, 12.7 +/- 8.4 for RA, 18.0 +/- 7.4 for Sp patients, and 14.4 +/- 10.2 for UA. Examination of TCR messages by single-stranded conformational polymorphism analysis showed similar proportions of dominant clones in the normals compared with the patients with inflammatory arthritis. Sequence analysis was performed on 33 dominant clones from 16 patients. Sequence alignment of the third hypervariable regions showed some evidence of disease-specific sequence clustering for Sp, while some RA sequences showed similarity to previously described motifs. These data indicate greater TCR heterogeneity in early Sp and UA compared with normal synovium. Disease-specific TCR sequences may occur in early RA and Sp.

[A clinical study of bacterial infection in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of bacteriologic characteristics and bacterial infection in small airway disease.

METHODS

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy and ultrathin fiberoptic bronchoscopy were performed on outpatients with COPD and chronic bronchitis both during stable stage and acute exacerbation. Samples were obtained from both large and small airways by protective specimen brush, and bacteria were cultured quantitatively.

RESULTS

The positive rates for pathogens in patients with COPD and chronic bronchitis during acute exacerbation were 26.6% (8/30) and 23.5% (5/17) respectively. Major pathogens in acute COPD include Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Hemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All of the pathogens were present in large airways, with 2 strains present in small airways concurrently. The positive rates for pathogens in stable COPD and chronic bronchitis were 24.0% (6/24) and 11.7% (2/17) respectively. Major pathogens found in stable COPD include Staphylococcus epidermis, Micrococcus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The bacteria were less than 10 x 10(3) cfu/ml, present mainly in large airways. There was no significant difference in the extent of small airway diseases between COPD with bacterial infection and that without bacterial infection (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Bacterial infection is not a major pathogenic factor in stable COPD. There is no direct cause-and-effect relationship between bacterial infection and the extent of small airway diseases in patients with COPD.

Boswellic acid acetate induces differentiation and apoptosis in leukemia cell lines

Boswellic acid acetate (BC-4), a compound isolated from the herb Boswellia carterii Birdw., can induce differentiation and apoptosis of leukemia cells. Based on cell morphology and NBT reduction, BC-4 induced monocytic differentiation of myeloid leukemia HL-60, U937 and ML-1 cells at a dose under 12.5 microg/ml (24.2 microM). BC-4 was a potent inducer, with 90% of the cells showing morphologic changes and 80-90% of the cells showing NBT reduction. Specific and non-specific esterase were also increased by BC-4. Based on benzidine staining assay, BC-4 failed to induce erythroid leukemia DS-19 and K562 cells differentiation. In contrast to its selective differentiation effect, BC-4 strongly inhibited growth of all cell lines tested. The growth inhibition effect was dose- and time-dependent. In HL-60 cells, 20 microg/ml (38.8 microM) of BC-4 decreased viable cell number by 60% at 24 h, whereas at 3 days there was virtually no viable cells. Morphologic and DNA fragmentation analysis proved that BC-4 induced cell apoptosis. The dual apoptotic and differentiation effects of BC-4 suggest that it may be a powerful agent in the treatment of leukemia.

Protein structure analysis using the resonant recognition model and wavelet transforms

An approach based on the resonant recognition model and the discrete wavelet transform is introduced here for characterising proteins' biological function. The protein sequence is converted into a numerical series by assigning the electron-ion interaction potential to each amino acid from N-terminal to C-terminal. A set of peaks is found after performing a wavelet transform onto a numerical series representing a group of homologous proteins. These peaks are related to protein structural and functional properties and named characteristic vector of that protein group. Further more, the amino acids contributing mostly to a protein's biological functions, the so-called 'hot spots' amino acids, are predicted by the continuous wavelet transform. It is found that the hot spots are clustered around the protein's cleft structure. The wavelets approach provides a novel methods for amino acid sequence analysis as well as an expansion for the newly established macromolecular interaction model: the resonant recognition model.

[Studies on the fine stereostructure of taxoids]

The anticancer drug taxol is a new type antimicrotubular drug. The structure-activity relationship study on taxol and its analogs has indicated the importance of the C13 side chain and the C4-C5-C20 epoxypropane group. The crystal structures of 4 taxoids having the basic skeleton with 5/7/6 membered ring and three types of 10 taxoids having the basic skeleton with 6/8/6 membered ring have been analyzed. The effects of the induction by different substructures at C4 on the stereostructures of taxoids were studied, and the relationship between the 6/8/6/4 skeleton and the anticancer activity was discussed from the crystallographic point.

Pantropic retroviral vectors mediate somatic cell transformation and expression of foreign genes in dipteran insects

The control of insects that transmit disease and damage crops has become increasingly difficult. The ability to genetically engineer insects would facilitate strategies to protect crops and block arthropod vector-borne disease transmission. Transformation vectors based on insect transposable elements have been developed, but most have limited host ranges. A promising alternative is the pantropic retroviral vector, which is packaged with the envelope glycoprotein from vesicular stomatitis virus and is replication-defective. We show here that pantropic murine retroviral vectors can mediate high-level expression of foreign genes in somatically transformed insect larvae and adults of three dipteran genera. This success demonstrates the potential for germline transformation mediated by pantropic retroviral vectors.

[Spironolactone ameliorates rat pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin A5]

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of aldosterone in pulmonary fibrosis and the protective effect of anti-aldosterone treatment.

METHOD

Rats were divided into control, fibrosis and treatment groups; rat pulmonary fibrosis was induced by endotracheal injection of bleomycin A5 and spironolactone was given 100 mg/kg daily in drinking water to treatment group. 28 days later, plasma, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) and tissue aldosterone concentration, as well as lung collagen levels, were determined.

RESULT

Plasma aldosterone was higher in fibrosis group than that in control group(469 +/- 161 pg/ml and 319 +/- 115 pg/ml, respectively), but without significant difference (P > 0.05); spironolactone could ameliorate the extent of pulmonary fibrosis, the level of lung collagen was 25% less than that of fibrosis group (3.4 +/- 0.5 mg/g lung and 4.6 +/- 1.2 mg/g lung, respectively; q = 3.7893, P < 0.05), and the level of lung protein was 22% less (50 +/- 4 mg/g lung and 65 +/- 6 mg/g lung, respectively; P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Spironolactone had some protective effects on pulmonary fibrosis, and aldosterone might play a role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis.

Flow injection on-line photochemical reaction coupled to spectrofluorimetry for the determination of thiamine in pharmaceuticals and serum

The photochemical reaction of thiamine was studied with a photochemical reactor made by coiling a knotted PTFE reactor around a low-pressure mercury lamp. Acetone, which was previously reported to be a sensitizer for the photochemical reaction that took place in situ in a flow-through cell, severely depressed the fluorescence signal of the photochemical reaction that took place on-line in the knotted PTFE reactor when sodium sulfite was involved in the photochemical reaction. Experiments revealed that the effect of acetone on the photochemical reaction was dependent on the intensity of the irradiation that was used to induce the photochemical reaction, and that acetone might impair the photochemically induced fluorescence if strong UV irradiation was applied to induce the photochemical reaction and sodium sulfite was used to enhance the fluorescence signal. Based on these observations, a flow injection on-line photochemical-spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of thiamine was developed without using acetone. With the proposed method, a detection limit of 0.11 micrograms l-1 thiamine, a relative standard deviation of 0.36% for 11 determinations of 1 mg l-1 thiamine and a sampling frequency of 100 h-1 were achieved. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of the thiamine content in various pharmaceutical preparations and serum.

Targeted mutation reveals a central role for SR-BI in hepatic selective uptake of high density lipoprotein cholesterol

Scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI) is a cell surface receptor that binds high density lipoproteins (HDL) and mediates selective uptake of HDL cholesteryl esters (CE) in transfected cells. To address the physiological role of SR-BI in HDL cholesterol homeostasis, mice were generated bearing an SR-BI promoter mutation that resulted in decreased expression of the receptor in homozygous mutant (designated SR-BI att) mice. Hepatic expression of the receptor was reduced by 53% with a corresponding increase in total plasma cholesterol levels of 50-70% in SR-BI att mice, attributable almost exclusively to elevated plasma HDL. In addition to increased HDL-CE, HDL phospholipids and apo A-1 levels were elevated, and there was an increase in HDL particle size in mutant mice. Metabolic studies using HDL bearing nondegradable radiolabels in both the protein and lipid components demonstrated that reducing hepatic SR-BI expression by half was associated with a decrease of 47% in selective uptake of CE by the liver, and a corresponding reduction of 53% in selective removal of HDL-CE from plasma. Taken together, these findings strongly support a pivotal role for hepatic SR-BI expression in regulating plasma HDL levels and indicate that SR-BI is the major molecule mediating selective CE uptake by the liver. The inverse correlation between plasma HDL levels and atherosclerosis further suggests that SR-BI may influence the development of coronary artery disease.

Construction and binding kinetics of a soluble granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor alpha-chain-Fc fusion protein

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) activity is mediated by a cellular receptor (GM-CSFR) that is comprised of an alpha-chain (GM-CSFRalpha), which specifically binds GM-CSF, and a beta-chain (betac), shared with the interleukin-3 and interleukin-5 receptors. GM-CSFRalpha exists in both a transmembrane (tmGM-CSFRalpha) and a soluble form (sGM-CSFRalpha). We designed an sGM-CSFRalpha-Fc fusion protein to study GM-CSF interactions with the GM-CSFRalpha. The construct was prepared by fusing the coding region of the sGM-CSFRalpha with the CH2-CH3 regions of murine IgG2a. Purified sGM-CSFRalpha-Fc ran as a monomer of 60 kDa on reducing SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis but formed a trimer of 160-200 kDa under nonreducing conditions. The sGM-CSFRalpha-Fc bound specifically to GM-CSF as demonstrated by standard and competitive immunoassays, as well as by radioligand assay with 125I-GM-CSF. The sGM-CSFRalpha-Fc also inhibited GM-CSF-dependent cell growth and therein is a functional antagonist. Kinetics of sGM-CSFRalpha-Fc binding to GM-CSF were evaluated using an IAsys biosensor (Affinity Sensors, Paramus, NJ) with two assay systems. In the first, the sGM-CSFRalpha-Fc was bound to immobilized staphylococcal protein A on the biosensor surface, and binding kinetics of GM-CSF in solution were determined. This revealed a rapid koff of 2.43 x 10(-2)/s. A second set of experiments was performed with GM-CSF immobilized to the sensor surface and the sGM-CSFRalpha-Fc in solution. The dissociation rate constant (koff) for the sGM-CSFRalpha-Fc trimer from GM-CSF was 1.57 x 10(-3)/s, attributable to the higher avidity of binding in this assay. These data indicate rapid dissociation of GM-CSF from the sGM-CSFRalpha-Fc and suggest that in vivo, sGM-CSFRalpha may need to be present in the local environment of a responsive cell to exert its antagonist activity.

Structural motifs in rheumatoid T-cell receptors

The linkage of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to HLA-DR haplotypes, high levels of HLA-DR expression, and T-cell infiltration in the joints, indicate a central role for the interaction of T-cell receptors (TCR) with antigen (Ag) + major histocompatibility complex (MHC) complexes in pathogenesis. Receptor analysis in RA has uncovered a restricted heterogeneity of TCR transcripts, suggesting an antigen-driven response. We analyzed the sequence and structural features of RA-associated TCRs in light of the recently published TCR crystal structures. The surface-exposed residues of the third complementarity-determining region (CDR3s) showed preferential use of certain amino acid residues when sequences derived from synovial fluid or tissue were compared with those derived from peripheral blood, particularly for alpha chains. Sequence alignment of oligoclonal synovial TCR CDR3s revealed groupings with similar CDR3 lengths and amino acid compositions, which suggests shared antigen recognition. Given the limitations of analyzing TCR sequences without knowing their structures, we developed several in vivo-activated synovial-tissue Vbeta17 + RA T-cell clones. Two Vbeta17/V alpha7 clones with different CDR3 sequences were analyzed by molecular modeling. Although distinct topologic features were seen, a central patch of residues with similar chemical and geometric characteristics was present in both. Electrostatic maps revealed similar binding surfaces of both alpha domains and central patches, with differences in the beta domains. This suggests that an alpha-domain-focused binding trajectory would allow shared antigen recognition by these TCRs. These studies support recognition of a limited diversity of Ag + MHC complexes by synovial RA TCRs.

[Detection of K-ras oncogene mutations in human lung cancer by PCR-SSCP-DNA direct sequencing]

K-ras oncogene mutations were detected with PCR-SSCP-DNA direct sequencing technique in 40 cases of lung cancer. The result of PCR-SSCP silver staining indicated that the mutational rate was 30% (12/40), all mutations were observed in lung adenocarcinoma and its mutational rate was 44% (12/27). The result of DNA direct sequencing showed that 11 of the 12 positive samples screened by PCR-SSCP had mutation and 90% of K-ras mutations were in codon 12. The mutation was mainly G-->T transversion and G-->A transition. The study suggested that SSCP silver staining analysis is very useful in screening large amount of samples simultaneously and PCR-SSCP-DNA direct sequencing method is quite efficient for the detection of oncogene mutation.

[The secretion and receptor gene of insulin-like growth factor-I quantitative expression in ovarian stroma in polycystic ovarian syndrome patients]

OBJECTIVE

To explore varying different degrees of the action of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and its receptor gene quantitative expression in the ovarian stroma of women with obese and nonobese polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

METHOD

The expression of IGF-I receptor gene in the ovarian stroma from 35 cases of PCOS (obese: 15 cases; nonobese: 20 cases) and 20 cases of control were quantitatively determined by reverse transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) combined with beta(2) micro globlin (beta(2) MG) gene as inner-control to amplificate sychronously. The grey value ratio of them were determined. The PCR-amplified cDNA fragments were put in restriction analysis (DdeI).

RESULTS

The expression of IGF-I receptor in PCOS ovary stroma was significantly greater than in the control group (P < 0.001). The nonobese group presents more enhancement than obese group in IGF-I receptor gene expression. The restrictive fragments were same between the PCOS and the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The expression of IGF-I receptor in PCOS ovarian stroma is abnormally excessive and the nonobese PCOS have more potential action of IGF-I system in ovary stroma.

A flow injection microdialysis sampling chemiluminescence system for in vivo on-line monitoring of glucose in intravenous and subcutaneous tissue fluid microdialysates

A novel flow injection on-line microdialysis system for in vivo monitoring of glucose in subcutaneous tissue fluid and blood is described. An implantable loop-type microdialysis probe was used for subcutaneous sampling, and a flow-through microdialyzer was used for intravenous sampling by pumping of the blood from the tested rabbit through the microdialyzer located outside the living system at a flow rate of 10 microL/min. The perfusion rate of the dialysate was 20 microL/min. The glucose in the dialysate was detected on-line with a flow injection chemiluminescence system after passing through an immobilized glucose oxidase reactor. The calibration of the detector system (including reactor) and monitoring of baseline drifts were performed simultaneously to improve the reliability of the monitoring process. The dialysate sample volume was 20 microL, and the sample throughout was 28 h-1. The variation of glucose level in subcutaneous tissue fluid and blood of the rabbits was monitored after the administration of glucose or insulin to demonstrate the favorable resolution and reliability of the system for in vivo on-line monitoring.

[Tri-dimensional computer reconstruction and animated display from serial sections of the Chinese crude drugs]

In this paper, the tri-dimensional computer reconstruction and animated display from serial sections of the genuine crude drug Radix Aconitii have been addressed. Accordingly, some tridimensional image technique and information for the teaching and identification of pharmacognosy have also been offered.

Linearly coded profilometry

A new optical profilometry-linearly coded profilometry (LCP)-is presented. It uses a sawtoothlike linear light structure to code the surface to be measured and a phase-shifting technique to decode the profile. Two kinds of coding-light structure, one with right-angle triangle teeth and the other with isosceles triangle teeth, are proposed. For coding with light with right-angle triangle teeth, a general decoding method is given. In addition, an optimum sampling manner and the measurement error are discussed with respect to a special case. For coding with light with isosceles triangle teeth, a decoding method with three samples is given. In our laboratory, an experimental system was established, and experiments that verified the reliability of the proposed methods were performed. Experimental results typical of those obtained are given. We find that LCP is similar to the widely used phase-measuring profilometry but has a faster measuring speed.

CD28 ligation prevents bacterial toxin-induced septic shock in mice by inducing IL-10 expression

The pathogenesis of septic shock is due mainly to bacterial toxin stimulation of the immune system, resulting in an excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines. TNF-alpha has been implicated as a major mediator in septic shock. Coinjection of D-galactosamine and LPS or staphylococcal enterotoxin B induced a rapid-onset, low-dose form of septic shock syndrome and ultimately led to death. We found that both the septic shock syndrome and death could be prevented by administration of anti-CD28 Ab. The protection induced by anti-CD28 Ab was associated with a decrease in TNF-alpha levels in the circulation. In addition, serum from anti-CD28 Ab-treated mice was capable of inhibiting the production of TNF-alpha by bone marrow-derived macrophages following treatment with LPS, indicating that anti-CD28 Ab induced production of soluble factors that subsequently inhibited the production of TNF-alpha. We confirmed that one of the factors present in serum was IL-10, because anti-CD28 Ab treatment stimulated the expression of IL-10, both in splenocytes and in T cell lines. Furthermore, injection of anti-IL-10 Abs could abolish the protective effect of anti-CD28 Ab on septic shock. Anti-IL-10 Ab could also suppress the anti-CD28 Ab-induced inhibition of TNF-alpha production, either in vivo or in vitro. Thus, we conclude that ligation of CD28 induces expression of IL-10, which in turn suppresses TNF-alpha production and prevents septic shock.

CD28 ligation prevents bacterial toxin-induced septic shock in mice by inducing IL-10 expression

The pathogenesis of septic shock is due mainly to bacterial toxin stimulation of the immune system, resulting in an excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines. TNF-alpha has been implicated as a major mediator in septic shock. Coinjection of D-galactosamine and LPS or staphylococcal enterotoxin B induced a rapid-onset, low-dose form of septic shock syndrome and ultimately led to death. We found that both the septic shock syndrome and death could be prevented by administration of anti-CD28 Ab. The protection induced by anti-CD28 Ab was associated with a decrease in TNF-alpha levels in the circulation. In addition, serum from anti-CD28 Ab-treated mice was capable of inhibiting the production of TNF-alpha by bone marrow-derived macrophages following treatment with LPS, indicating that anti-CD28 Ab induced production of soluble factors that subsequently inhibited the production of TNF-alpha. We confirmed that one of the factors present in serum was IL-10, because anti-CD28 Ab treatment stimulated the expression of IL-10, both in splenocytes and in T cell lines. Furthermore, injection of anti-IL-10 Abs could abolish the protective effect of anti-CD28 Ab on septic shock. Anti-IL-10 Ab could also suppress the anti-CD28 Ab-induced inhibition of TNF-alpha production, either in vivo or in vitro. Thus, we conclude that ligation of CD28 induces expression of IL-10, which in turn suppresses TNF-alpha production and prevents septic shock.

Linearly coded profilometry with a coding light that has isosceles triangle teeth: even-number-sample decoding method

A new triangulation-based optical profilometry-linearly coded profilometry (LCP)-is presented. In this method, a linear coding technique is introduced. It uses a periodic sawtoothlike structure light to code the surface being measured and the phase-shifting technique to decode the profile. A coding light that has isosceles triangle teeth is proposed. To realize the decoding, at least three samples are needed. When more than three samples are used, higher accuracy can be obtained. A decoding method of LCP with an even number of samples is provided. This method has been realized in my laboratory and the experimental results verify the reliability of LCP. Because the coding method used in LCP is simpler than that used in phase-measuring profilometry, LCP has a faster measuring speed.

[Optimal high-yield agronomic measures for Curcuma longa L]

Regression method of orthogonal conic substitution with factors was employed to build up a tuber yield simulation model. Three main measures (sowing time, plant population, application rate of fertilizer) affecting the tuber yield were analyzed by the mathematical model of three unknown second order orthogonal rotative regression. The optimal agronomic measures were obtained. The results indicate that sowing time and plant population play a important role in raising the tuber yield. Sowing time is clearly interrelated with plant population, and likewise, plant population application rate of fertilizer.

[Effects of cigarette smoke extract on proliferation and ET-1 release of airway smooth muscle cells]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether the effect of smoking on airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC) is mediated by the autocrine action of endothelin-1 (ET-1).

METHODS

Abbit ASMC was cultured exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE), we examined the mitogenic effect CSE on ASMC in vitro and whether the ETA receptor antagonist JKC-301 can inhibit this effect.

RESULTS

The exposure of ASMC to 10% and 30% CSE resulted in obvious cytotoxity. The viability of ASMC was decreased, the lipid peroxides (MDA) formation was increased, and the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) into supernatant was enhanced. 5% CSE significantly enhanced the cultured ASMC[3H]-thymidine (3H-TdR) incorporation by 59.9% (P < 0.01) over control. The ASMC proliferative response to 5% CSE was dose-dependently inhibited by JKC-301. Moreover, 5% CSE evoked time-dependent release of endogenous ET-1 from ASMC.

CONCLUSION

These data demonstrate that 5% CSE mediates ASMC proliferation via release and autocrine mitogenic action ET-1.

Electrocardiographic features of septal location of right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia

A consistent 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) morphology and characteristic frontal plane axis shift from sinus rhythm to ventricular tachycardia (VT) was demonstrated in 10 consecutive patients with idiopathic right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) VT. All arrhythmias were successfully ablated on the septal side of the RVOT.

Targeted disruption of the melanocortin-4 receptor results in obesity in mice

The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4-R) is a G protein-coupled, seven-transmembrane receptor expressed in the brain. Inactivation of this receptor by gene targeting results in mice that develop a maturity onset obesity syndrome associated with hyperphagia, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia. This syndrome recapitulates several of the characteristic features of the agouti obesity syndrome, which results from ectopic expression of agouti protein, a pigmentation factor normally expressed in the skin. Our data identify a novel signaling pathway in the mouse for body weight regulation and support a model in which the primary mechanism by which agouti induces obesity is chronic antagonism of the MC4-R.

Measurement error caused by speckle noise in heterodyne and quasi-heterodyne holographic interferometry

In heterodyne and quasi-heterodyne holographic interferometry, the measuring accuracy is limited by speckle noise. It is important to know the relation between measurement accuracy and speckle noise in both theory and application. This problem has been discussed in the past under the assumption that the speckle noise produces only a small measuring error. However, this assumption is not reasonable in practice. The effect of speckle noise on the measurement accuracy is analyzed by the use of a general statistical method. The results obtained reveal the general relation between the measuring accuracy and system parameters, and thus constitute important guidelines to the application of these techniques.

Multipage storage in a LiNbO(3):Fe crystal sheet using the photorefractive light-climbing effect

The storage application of the light-climbing effect in a LiNbO(3):Fe crystal has been studied experimentally. A new type of photorefractive storage in LiNbO(3):Fe crystals, in which one could write the multipage simultaneously and at a later time read out the multistored pages, using only one readout beam simultaneously, has been demonstrated successfully. Furthermore the signal-to-noise ratio of the output images was high because the climbing lights suppressed the fanning noise scattering lights.

[Patterns of systematic development for the resources of traditional Chinese drugs and herbs in the Three Gorges Reservoir areas]

Based on the comprehensive survey, the status and countermeasures of systematic development for the resources of traditional Chinese drugs and herbs in the rural exploitative emigration and eco-agricultural economy in the Three Gorges Reservoir Areas are put forth constructively.

Differential central projections of vestibular afferents in pigeons

The question of whether a differential distribution of vestibular afferent information to central nuclear neurons is present in pigeons was studied using neural tracer compounds. Discrete tracing of afferent fibers innervating the individual semicircular canal and otolith organs was produced by sectioning individual branches of the vestibular nerve that innervate the different receptor organs and applying crystals of horseradish peroxidase, or a horseradish peroxidase/cholera toxin mixture, or a biocytin compound for neuronal uptake and transport. Afferent fibers and their terminal distributions within the brainstem and cerebellum were visualized subsequently. Discrete areas in the pigeon central nervous system that receive primary vestibular input include the superior, dorsal lateral, ventral lateral, medial, descending, and tangential vestibular nuclei; the A and B groups; the intermediate, medial, and lateral cerebellar nuclei; and the nodulus, the uvula, and the paraflocculus. Generally, the vertical canal afferents projected heavily to medial regions in the superior and descending vestibular nuclei as well as the A group. Vertical canal projections to the medial and lateral vestibular nuclei were observed but were less prominent. Horizontal canal projections to the superior and descending vestibular nuclei were much more centrally located than those of the vertical canals. A more substantial projection to the medial and lateral vestibular nuclei was seen with horizontal canal afferents compared to vertical canal fibers. Afferents innervating the utricle and saccule terminated generally in the lateral regions of all vestibular nuclei in areas that were separate from the projections of the semicircular canals. In addition, utricular fibers projected to regions in the vestibular nuclei that overlapped with the horizontal semicircular canal terminal fields, whereas saccular afferents projected to regions that received vertical canal fiber terminations. Lagenar afferents projected throughout the cochlear nuclei, to the dorsolateral regions of the cerebellar nuclei, and to lateral regions of the superior, lateral, medial, and descending vestibular nuclei.

[A study on cAMP and Ca-CaM of the epithelium in human normal and cataractous lenses]

OBJECTIVE

The study was designed to study the relationship between calcium-calmodulin (Ca-CaM) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) systems and their possible cataractogenic effects.

METHODS

We measured cAMP, Ca and Ca-CaM in the epithelium of human normal and cataractous lenses by enzymic and radioimmunoassay methods.

RESULTS

The levels of Ca-CaM in the epithelium of senile cataractous lens were higher, while of cAMP were lower than that in the normal lens.

CONCLUSION

The results imply that the low level of cAMP might cause the high level of calcium in the lens which is possibly a cataractogenic factor. The dangerous role of calcium is amplified by the elevation of Ca-CaM.

[Clinical use of selective reduction in multifetal pregnancies]

Selective reduction under ultrasound guidance was carried out in 12 multifetal pregnancies with over 3 fetuses during 8 to 14 gestational weeks. It was performed transabdominally in 9 women but in other 3, tansvaginal approach was used. Ten women have already delivered 19 viable infants, but the remaining 2 aborted after amniotic rupture during the second trimester. Selective reduction is a safe, feasible method for management of multifetal pregnancies with over 3 fetuses.

VH and VL gene usage by anti-beta-amyloid autoantibodies in Alzheimer's disease: detection of highly mutated V regions in both heavy and light chains

In a previous study, four human IgM kappa monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) secreted by Epstein-Barr-virus-transformed B cell lines independently derived from the peripheral blood of a patient with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were found to react with a conformational epitope of beta-amyloid protein and to stain amyloid plaques in AD brain. Three of these mAbs were studied further. They did not react with an additional panel of antigens and autoantigens. By a competitive inhibition ELISA, the Kd was determined to be 5.7 x 10(-8) M. The VH and V kappa of these mAbs were sequenced at the cDNA level and found to be identical. The corresponding VH and V kappa germline counterpart genes hsigghvm148 and hsiggkvm148 were identified to be analogous to the previous reported VH3 germline gene humighvf1/dp53 and the V kappa IV germline gene hsigk18. DA1/4 and JH4b were used by the heavy chain and J kappa 4 was used by the light chain. Multiple nucleotide substitutions were seen in both VH and V kappa when their sequences were compared to the germline sequences. High replacement/silent ratios in the CDR regions of both VH and V kappa indicate positive-selective pressure. Of a total of 22 amino acid replacements in VH and V kappa, 12 were nonconservative replacements. Furthermore, 7 of these 12 resulted in charge changes. The monoreactivity, the moderately high affinity constant, the clonal expansion evident by identical VH and VL used by these B cells secreting antibodies of interest, and the excessive replacement mutations in both VH and VL segments lead to the conclusion that these antibodies have been generated due to an antigen-driven process.

The analysis of disparity evoked potentials by a new form of static random-dot stereograms

PURPOSE

A new form of static random-dot stereograms free of monocular clues was designed as stimulus to elicit disparity evoked potentials.

METHODS

Disparity evoked potentials were recorded in 40 stereo-normal subjects. The stimulator was a white-black static random-dot stereograms generated by a computer and had no monocular clues. Every subject was tested in disparity stimulus, zero disparity stimulus, monocular stimulus and wearing prism condition.

RESULTS

A characteristic wide positive wave at about 250 ms was consistently recorded in disparity stimulus, which may be regarded as evidence of the presence of stereopsis. In contrast, recordings for zero disparity stimulus, monocular vision, stimulus and wearing prism condition all demonstrated a markedly difference from recording for disparity stimulus.

Detection of T cell receptors in early rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue

Synovial tissue is rarely available from patients with early synovitis, with the exception of synovial biopsies. However, T cell populations early in the development of synovitis may be enriched in antigen-specific cells and critical to disease pathogenesis. To investigate the T cell repertoire in early synovitis, we utilized a PCR protocol for detection of T cell receptor (TCR) transcripts present in small amounts of synovial tissue. To expand the substrate for PCR, preamplification of cDNA was performed with a 3' constant region primer plus either a mixture of variable region primers or random hexanucleotides. Utilizing this method improved the sensitivity of detection. This technique is applied here to the analysis of TCR transcripts in synovial biopsies from individuals with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and non-RA synovitis. TCR alpha-chain transcripts were detectable in 5/5 RA and 4/4 non-RA specimens evaluated, with beta-chain transcripts detected in 4/5 early RA and 4/4 non-RA specimens evaluated. Confirmation of transcripts by sequencing of cloned PCR products verified the specificity of amplification. The most frequently expressed TCR V region families in early RA synovitis were V alpha 11, V alpha 14, V alpha 28, V beta 7, V beta 9 and V beta 17. Several of these V regions have previously been implicated in studies of chronic RA synovitis. J alpha and J beta region usage was similar to that seen in chronic RA, and conserved N region motifs were apparent. We conclude that it is possible to detect TCR transcripts in small synovial biopsies from individuals with early arthritis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

V alpha gene usage in rheumatoid compared with osteoarthritic synovial tissue T cells

While many investigators have examined V gene usage by the clonotypic T-cell receptor (TCR) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) joints, few have reported on arthritic controls. We compared TCR alpha-chain V gene usage in knee synovial tissue specimens from 9 RA and 5 osteoarthritis (OA) patients. There was no significant difference in the number of V gene families used in RA compared with OA synovium. However, there was an increased prevalence of V alpha 28, V alpha 10, V alpha 17, and V alpha 18 and under representation of V alpha 15 in RA compared with OA synovium. Of these, V alpha 28 was also recently described by us as being present in RA synovial tissue early in the course of disease. V alpha 28 associated J region usage, and N-regional diversity was surveyed in T-cell receptors from additional rheumatoid synovial tissue T-cell populations and normal peripheral blood. Oligoclonality was observed in 6/10 rheumatoid specimens either by direct sequencing or where three or more molecular clones were sequenced, compared with 0/5 normal PBMCs. The oligoclonal populations included 2/3 cell lines stimulated with interleukin-2 (IL-2) alone. Several novel J regions were observed, with some recurrent residues observed at N-region positions. These data indicate an increased prevalence of certain TCR V region families in RA versus OA synovium, and suggest an antigen-driven expansion of V alpha 28-expressing T cells in RA synovium.