Interleukin 6, tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1beta and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist promoter or coding gene polymorphisms in multiple myeloma

Proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-1beta are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM). In the present study, we examined a G/C polymorphism at position -174 in the promoter region of IL-6, a biallelic polymorphism at position -308 in the promoter region of TNF-alpha, the TaqI restriction fragment length polymorphism in exon 5 of IL-1beta and a variable number of identical tandem repeat polymorphisms in intron 2 of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) genes. The alleles of these loci are known to influence the level of production of the cytokines and the IL-1Ra. Seventy-three patients with MM, 27 with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and 129 healthy individuals were included. No difference was found between patients and healthy controls or between MM and MGUS patients in the distributions of genotypes and frequencies of alleles of the IL-6 (-174), TNF-alpha (-308), IL-1beta TaqI and IL-1Ra gene polymorphisms. No associations between the polymorphisms at the loci under study and clinical factors such as age, sex, clinical stage at onset and M-protein type were observed. Our results indicate that the cytokine (IL-6, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta) and IL-Ra gene polymorphisms do not confer susceptibility to the development of MM.

Peripheral olfactory projections are differentially affected in mice deficient in a cyclic nucleotide-gated channel subunit

Axons of olfactory sensory neurons expressing a given odorant receptor converge to a few glomeruli in the olfactory bulb. We have generated mice with unresponsive olfactory sensory neurons by targeted mutagenesis of a cyclic nucleotide-gated channel subunit gene, OCNC1. When these anosmic mice were crossed with mice in which neurons expressing a given odorant receptor can be visualized by coexpression of an axonal marker, the pattern of convergence was affected for one but not another receptor. In a novel paradigm, termed monoallelic deprivation, axons from channel positive or negative neurons that express the same odorant receptor segregate into distinct glomeruli within the same bulb. Thus, the peripheral olfactory projections are in part influenced by mechanisms that depend on neuronal activity.

[Hemorrhagic shock increases the occurrence of bacterial translocation]

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether hemorrhagic shock (HS) increases the occurrence of bacterial translocation (BT).

METHODS

100 patients were divided into 4 groups: control group (group I, 34 patients); group with hemorrhagic shock (HS) caused by closed blunt abdominal trauma (group II, 23); group caused by closed blunt abdominal trauma without HS (group III 15); and group with HS caused by intra-abdominal viscus hemorrhage (group IV 28). Preoperative and postoperative samples were taken from peripheral blood, visceral peritoneal swab, portal vein blood, ileal mesenteric lymph node, liver and spleen biopsy respectively for aerobic and anaerobic culture.

RESULTS

The positive culture rates of these groups were 6%, 65%, 13%, 68% respectively. The difference between the control and experimental groups was significant(P < 0.05). The difference was also significant between group I and II and between I and IV (P < 0.01), whereas it was not significant between I and III, and between II and IV (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

HS increases the occurrence of BT.

[High resolution time-frequency analysis method for extracting the sleep spindles]

In this paper, a new method for the auto-detection sleep spindle is presented. The method is based on the Discrete Gabor Spectrogram (DGS), a high resolution time-frequency analysis. Sleep EEG5 were processed and the spindles were accurately detected. By, this method the accuracy of auto-detection almost approched the level of visulal detection. Auto-detection of sleep spindles could release the expert from reading long term sleep EEG and provide useful information for sleep studies.

[Studies on properties of biofriction and wear for friction pairs of UHMWPE and Ti matrix-TiN-TiC gradient film materials]

In order to search the possible application of friction pairs of UHMWPE and Ti6Al4V-TiN-TiC etc. gradient materials to total hip joint replacements, we have prepared Ti6Al4V-TiN-TiC etc. gradient film materials by using N ion implant, d. c plasma CVD(PCVD). The properties of biological friction and wear for friction pairs of HUMWPE and Ti6Al4V-TiN-TiC etc. gradient film materials were investigated. The friction coefficient of friction paris and the wear loss of worn UHMWPE were measured; the surface morphology was observed by SEM. It has been shown that in human serum lubrication the wear loss of HUMWPE decreases with the increase in the surface hardness of its pairing ceramic film material. The pairing Ti6Al4V-TiN-TiC gradient film material possesses highest surface hardness, compared with other materials studied; UHMWPE wear loss in lowest. The wear mechanism of studied pairs has been analysed as well in the present paper.

[3-D direct matching interpolation for rotary scanning echo-cardial images]

In the present paper, a method of three dimension direct matching interpolation for a series of 2-D echo-cardial images with intersecting each other and arranging at an angle in space has been developed. It is different from the conventional interpolation. During the interpolation, sectional images are acquired and the 3-D spatial position of "empty voxel" in sectional images is located; secondly, the cubic volume is constructed, and the motion orbit of images between two windows where the nearest original image intersects to the volume is found up, passing through the "empty voxel"; In the end, based on the matching pixels, the "empty voxel" is interpolated. This method simplifies the two interopolating procedures of the conventional methods into one procedure, and overcomes the shortcoming of the overlap of image data. Experiments show that the accuracy and reasonability of interpolation can be improved by the proposed method.

Congenital choledochal cyst--report of 56 cases

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this paper is to describe the mechanism, clinical manifestation, diagnosis and surgical management of congenital choledochal cyst.

METHODS

From 1984 to 1997, 56 cases of congenital choledochal cyst were reviewed. Among them, 8 patients were male, 48 patients were female, the age ranges from 12 to 50 years old with an average of 26.3.

RESULTS

The main clinical manifestation includes jaundice, abdominal pain and abdominal mass. All of them were confirmed by ultrasonography, while 39 cases were performed ERCP and PTC with the same diagnosis. Fifty-one patients were performed cystectomy and hepatojejunostomy, two cases were performed cystjejunostomy because of diffused angioma and severe hemorrhage respectively, external drainage was performed in one case with emergent cholangitis, the other two cases were reported malignancy through biopsy and operation was abandoned.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound diagnostics is essential to accurately diagnose the cyst, preoperative ERCP is helpful for differentiating pancreatic duct from bile duct, while MRCP is a reliable method; cystectomy and cholangiojejunostomy is recommended, laparoscopic procedure is becoming more and more accepted.

[The development of an extracting method for high frequency components of abnormal intra-QRS of exercise ECG signal]

This article introduces a method of extracting high frequency components of abnormal intra-QRS of exercise ECG signal by using spline function interpolation algorithm, and defines QRSe of the residual signal as quantitative index. Some expected results have been obtained. This method is an effective measuring approach to further researches on the high frequency components of exercise and other ECG signals.

[Prevention and management of complications with laparoscopy cholecystectomy]

OBJECTIVE

To prevent the complication of laparoscopy cholecystectomy (LC).

METHODS

This text analysed 1,200 cases retrospectively with LC from Feb. 1993 to May. 1998.

RESULTS

Three cases with biliferous duct injury, two cases with bile leakage from the stamp of cystic duct, two cases with gallbladder artery injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Strict preoperative examination and standard operative procedure can reduce markedly complication of LC.

Genomic integration and gene expression by a modified adenoviral vector

A replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus encoding luciferase was constructed using 5' and 3' long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences of the Moloney murine leukemia virus. Gene expression was observed in cultured cells in vitro and in submandibular gland, cortex, and caudate nucleus for as long as three months in vivo. The vector integrated randomly into the genome of both dividing and nondividing cells as determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) (10-15% of cells in vitro and 5% in rat spleen in vivo), gene walking, Southern hybridization, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in the absence of transcomplementing reverse transcriptase or integrase activity. The new vector combines the high titer and versatility of adenoviral vectors with the long-term gene expression and integration of retroviral vectors.

Effect of intranasal treatment with capsaicin on the recurrence of polyps after polypectomy and ethmoidectomy

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of five intranasal applications of capsaicin, performed after endoscopic polypectomy associated with partial middle turbinectomy and anterior ethmoidectomy, on the recurrence of nasal polyps and the intensity of nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea. Fifty-one patients (19 females, 32 males, mean age 43 years) suffering from nasal polyposis for more than 1 year were included in this double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. During post-surgical controls, local anaesthesia and vasoconstriction of the middle meatus area were performed in all patients with a cotton pellet soaked with lidocain and adrenaline. In 29 patients, the same type of cotton pellet soaked with capsaicin (3 x 10(-6) mol. dissolved in 70% ethanol) was left into the middle meatus of both nostrils for 20 min. As a control group, 22 patients, matched for age and sex, were treated with the capsaicin vehicle alone (70% ethanol). All patients studied received the intranasal treatment once a week for 5 weeks. Subjective evaluations of nasal airway resistance (NAR) and rhinorrhea were recorded by means of a visual analogue scale. Clinical staging of the nasal polyposis (graded from stage 0 = absence of polyp to stage 3 = polyps occupying the entire nasal cavity) was evaluated by the same ENT specialist (ZW) using a 0 degrees endoscope. All parameters were recorded for each patient 1 week before surgery, then once a month for 9 months. Patients treated by endoscopic surgery followed by intranasal capsaicin application, reported a marked reduction in their NAR compared with the pretreatment evaluation (p<0.001). In contrast, patients treated with the vehicle alone did not have any significant improvement of their subjective NAR. Subjective rhinorrhea was not modified by either treatment. Patients treated with capsaicin showed a significant smaller staging of their nasal polyposis compared with the control group (p<0.001). These observations suggest that endoscopic surgery followed by intranasal capsaicin application reduces polyps and nasal obstruction recurrence and could be an alternative treatment to expensive corticosteroids in developing countries.

Adenoviral transfer of xenogeneic MHC class I gene results in loss of tumorigenicity and inhibition of tumor growth

The immune system confers protection against a variety of pathogens and contributes to the destruction of neoplastic cells. Foreign major histocompatibility complex (MHC) protein serves as a potent stimulus to the immune system. In this report, a mouse H-2Kb gene was introduced into two poorly immunogenic tumor cell lines, a mouse colonic carcinoma cell line, MCA-26 (H-2Kd), and a rat mammalian carcinoma cell line, LN-4, in an effort to stimulate tumor rejection. Our results showed that the expression of xenogeneic MHC class I antigen completely abolished the LN-4 tumorigenicity in rats, whereas the expression of allogeneic MHC class I antigen only partially reduced the MCA-26 tumorigenicity in mice. Rats with tumor regression of LN-4/H-2Kb developed a T helper type 1-dominant response, whereas rats with LN-4 tumor growth developed a T helper type 2-dominant response. The immunized rats that experienced LN-4/H-2Kb tumor regression further developed protective immunity against a subsequent challenge of LN-4 cells. This protective immunity was mediated by the LN-4 tumor-specific cellular immune response against both the transduced and the parental LN-4 cells. Recombinant adenoviral vectors are highly efficient at in vitro and in vivo gene delivery. The LN4 cells transfected with the recombinant adenovirus AdV-H-2Kb in vitro expressed the cell surface H-2Kb molecule by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Adenovirus-mediated H-2Kb gene transfer in vivo can further significantly inhibit pre-established LN-4 tumors. Those rats with complete tumor regression further developed protective immunity against the subsequent challenge of a parental LN-4 tumor. Therefore, our study indicates that the adenovirus-mediated transfer of xenogeneic MHC class I gene may be an effective alternative to the current protocol of cancer gene therapy in which the allogeneic MHC class I gene is used.

[Research on stochastic factors of heart rhythm variability in nonlinear dynamic analysis]

In this study, the influence of external noise on heart rhythm variability (HRV) in nonlinear dynamic analysis and the internal stochastic factor of HRV were discussed in connection with their physiological significance. The sampling rate, stationary and non-uniformity time interval were analyzed. An interpolation algorithm for heart period was introduced. The experiment demonstrated that the influence was highly reduced by the mentioned procedure. The internal stochastic factors of HRV were investigated by several nonlinear dynamic methods such as surrogate data, mutual information and nonlinear forecasting. The results suggested the colligation of deterministic chaos and stochastic process should be a favorite to interpret HRV.

Polymorphisms at - 174 and in the 3' flanking region of interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene in patients with myasthenia gravis

We examined the bi-allelic polymorphism at - 174 in the promoter region and the polymorphism in the 3' flanking AT rich region of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene in Swedish patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and ethnically matched healthy individuals. There was no association between the polymorphisms and the disease. There was no relation of the polymorphisms to the clinical variables, the thymic histopathologies, the level of serum acetylcholine receptor antibodies or the concentrations of IgG and its subclasses. Our data yield no evidence for the IL-6 gene contributing to the disease susceptibility.

The JNKK2-JNK1 fusion protein acts as a constitutively active c-Jun kinase that stimulates c-Jun transcription activity

c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK), a member of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family, regulates gene expression in response to various extracellular stimuli. JNK is activated by JNK-activating kinase (JNKK1 and JNKK2), a subfamily of the dual specificity MAP kinase kinase (MEK) family, through phosphorylation on threonine (Thr) 183 and tyrosine (Tyr) 185 residues. The physiological functions of the JNK pathway, however, are not completely understood. A major obstacle is the lack of specific and activated kinase components that can stimulate the JNK pathway in the absence of any stimulus. Here we show that fusion of JNK1 to its upstream activator JNKK2 resulted in its constitutive activation. In HeLa cells, the JNKK2-JNK1 fusion protein showed significant JNK activity, which was comparable with that of JNK1 activated by many stimuli and activators, including EGF, TNF-alpha, anisomycin, UV irradiation, MEKK1, and small GTP binding proteins Rac1 and Cdc42Hs. Immunoblotting analysis indicated that JNK1 was phosphorylated by JNKK2 in the fusion protein on both Thr(183) and Tyr(185) residues. Like JNKK2, the JNKK2-JNK1 fusion protein was highly specific for the JNK pathway and did not activate either p38 or ERK2. Transient transfection assays demonstrated that the JNKK2-JNK1 fusion protein was sufficient to stimulate c-Jun transcriptional activity in the absence of any stimulus. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the JNKK2-JNK1 fusion protein was predominantly located in the nucleus of transfected HeLa cells. These results indicate that the JNKK2-JNK1 fusion protein is a constitutively active Jun kinase, which will facilitate the investigation of the physiological roles of the JNK pathway.

[The method of wavelet transformation used for extracting the characteristic of the exercise ECG]

This article introduces the basic rationale of wavelet transformation and the algorithm of typical dyadic wavelet transformation with mother wavelet of the first derivative of a Gaussian smoothing function, this wavelet transformation is used to recognize the characteristic parameters of the exercise ECG, it is concluded that this method make significant effects on restricting base line drifting and lessening noisy component in the exercise ECG, it provides a new way to do further research on characteristic recognition of the exercise ECG in the exercise test.

[Vroman effect of plasma protein adsorption to biomaterials surfaces]

Fibrinogen adsorption from plasma to biomaterials surfaces passes through a maximum when studied as a function of adsorption time, plasma concentration, or column height in narrow spaces and these are called Vroman effect. Studies have demonstrated that Vroman effect is a general phenomenon of plasma proteins and reflects the competitive adsorption of plasma proteins for a limited number of surface sites. In this paper, the factors affecting Vroman effect, the relationship between contact activation and fibrinogen displacement, and the significance of the Vroman effect with respect to blood-material interactions are reviewed.

Natural attenuation of BTEX compounds: model development and field-scale application

Benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX) dissolved into ground water and migrated from a light nonaqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) source in a sandy aquifer near a petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL) facility at Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah. Field observations indicated that microbially mediated BTEX degradation using multiple terminal electron-accepting processes including aerobic respiration, denitrification, Fe(III) reduction, sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis has occurred in the aquifer. To study the transport and transformation of dissolved BTEX compounds under natural conditions, a reactive flow and transport model incorporating biochemical multispecies interactions and BTEX was developed. The BTEX, oxygen, nitrate, Fe(II), sulfate, and methane plumes calculated by the model agree reasonably well with field observations. The first-order biodegradation rate constants, estimated based on model calibration are 0.051, 0.031, 0.005, 0.004, and 0.002 day(-1) for aerobic respiration, denitrification, Fe(III), sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis, respectively. The results of a sensitivity analysis show that the saturated aquifer thickness, hydraulic conductivity, and reaction rate constants are the most critical parameters controlling the natural attenuation of BTEX at this site. The hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness were found to be the key factors affecting the restoration of oxygen, nitrate, and sulfate after their interaction with the BTEX plume. The multispecies reactive transport modeling effort, describing BTEX degradation mediated by multiple electron-accepting processes, represents one of the few attempts to date to quantify a complete sequence of natural attenuation processes with a detailed field data set. Because the case study is representative of many petroleum-product contaminated sites, the results and insights obtained from this study are of general interest and relevance to other fuel-hydrocarbon natural attenuation sites.

[Multiresolution analysis based denoising algorithm for dynamic esophageal pH monitoring signal]

A denoising algorithm for dynamic esophageal pH monitoring signal is first introduced in this paper. The algorithm was developed on the basis of multiresolution analysis. The pH monitoring signal was investigated in experiments, then the algorithm was formulated by multiresolution analysis based on discrete dyadic wavelet transform combining with the results of the investigation mentioned above. Application of this algorithm to clinical data processing has proved its satisfactory denoising effect.

[Surgical treatment of gastric cancer in stage T1/T2: an reevaluation of the clinical significance of early gastric cancer]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical significance of early gastric cancer by means of an analysis of the results of surgical treatment of gastric cancer in stage T1/T2.

METHODS

A retrospective review and survival analysis of 132 patients with stage T1/T2 stomach cancer treated from 1983 through 1993 was performed.

RESULTS

The average tumor size, lymph node involvement, postoperative recurrence and survival rate were significantly different between gastric cancer in stage T1 and T2. It was true of both groups of patients that the survival rate of patients with and without lymph node involvement was significantly different. However, the survival rate of patients in stage T2 but without lymph node involvement was not significantly different as compared to that of patients in stage T1.

CONCLUSION

For stage T1 stomach cancer, because of possible lymph node involvemnt, local mucosal excision of tumor is not recommended. For stage T2 stomach cancer without lymph node metastasis, it can be regarded as cancer still in its early stage when postoperative adjunct therapy is to be given.

[Endoscopic treatment of sphenoidal and ethmoidal mucoceles]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate endoscopic surgery for sphenoidal and ethmoidal mucoceles.

METHOD

Seventeen patients diagnosed as having paranasal sinus mucoceles underwent attempted endoscopic marsupialization between 1989 and 1995. Ten of the mucoceles were in the sphenoid sinus, seven in the ethmoid sinus. Postoperative endoscopic follow-up period varied from 3 to 9 years.

RESULT

All the sphenoidal and ethmoidal mucoceles were satisfactorily approached endoscopically. Postoperative endoscopic examination manifested all the operating cavity was satisfactorily marsupialized. The symptoms were improved or relieved in 15 patients. None of the patients undergoing endoscopic surgery had significant complications.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that endoscopic surgery seems to be a safe, valuable way for management of sphenoidal and ethmoidal mucoceles.

[Usefulness of CYFRA21-1 as a tumor marker of non-small-cell lung cancer]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical usefulness of CYFRA21-1 as a serum tumor marker in diagnosis, evaluation of clinical status and prognosis of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

CYFRA21-1 in 126 serum samples of NSCLC patients was measured by radioimmunoassay. Of the 126 samples, 71 were collected before treatment, 29 at two weeks after operation, and 26 after 15-18 months follow-up.

RESULTS

CYFRA21-1 was positive in 49.3% of the NSCLC patients who had not received any treatment. The positive rate was 69.2% for squamous-cell carcinoma, and 25.0% for adenocarcinoma. The serum level of CYFRA21-1 was significantly higher in squamous-cell carcinoma than in adenocarcinoma (P < 0.0001). The serum level of CYFRA21-1 well correlated and increased with TNM staging (P = 0.0001). The level decreased significantly within two weeks after surgical operation in 29 cases (P = 0.0005). On follow up for 15-18 months, no change in CYFRA21-1 level was observed in 16 patients whose disease was stable, while there was significant increase in 10 patients with progressive disease.

CONCLUSION

CYFRA21-1 is a soluble fragment of cytokeratin 19 in serum of patients with NSCLC. It can be used as a useful tumor marker of NSCLC.

[The basic study of noninvasive detecting the ischemic/hypoxic cerebral injury]

The cerebrovacular diseases are important causes of mortality and disability in the world, and with the development of science and technology, many mission-oriented basic researches are aimed at the ischemic/hypoxic brain injury. This paper introduces some progress made in our research in this field, which includes: the animal experiment model of brain injury; the technique to efficiently extract evoked potentials from electroencephalogram; and the identification of the characteristic information of brain injury.

Effect of clodronate on macrophage depletion and adenoviral-mediated transgene expression in salivary glands

Expression of transgenes from adenoviral vectors is short-lived in salivary glands, in part because of immune responses to the virus and/or transgene product. Previous studies demonstrated that depletion of macrophages with multilamellar liposomes containing clodronate (Cl2MBP) increases adenoviral-mediated transgene expression in the liver. This technique was tested in salivary glands. Rats were treated with Cl2MBP-liposomes or control liposomes by femoral vein, intraperitoneal, or carotid artery injections. Thereafter, a recombinant adenovirus, AdCMVluciferase, was instilled intraductally in submandibular glands (SMGs), or delivered to the liver via femoral vein injection. Marked depletion (>94%) of liver macrophages and increased levels of luciferase activity in the liver (45-fold higher than controls) were present in animals receiving Cl2MBP-liposomes. In contrast, the same treatment never depleted more than 41% of SMG macrophages nor increased luciferase activity in SMGs, regardless of the route of administration. In conclusion, while macrophage depletion with Cl2MBP-liposomes is associated with markedly increased adenoviral-mediated transgene expression, this strategy was ineffective for salivary glands.

Structural basis of neurophysin hormone specificity: Geometry, polarity, and polarizability in aromatic ring interactions

The structural origins of the specificity of the neurophysin hormone-binding site for an aromatic residue in peptide position 2 were explored by analyzing the binding of a series of peptides in the context of the crystal structure of liganded neurophysin. A new modeling method for describing the van der Waals surface of binding sites assisted in the analysis. Particular attention was paid to the unusually large (5 kcal/mol) difference in binding free energy between Phe and Leu in position 2, a value representing more than three times the maximum expected based on hydrophobicity alone, and additionally remarkable since modeling indicated that the Leu side chain was readily accommodated by the binding pocket. Although evidence was obtained of a weak thermodynamic linkage between the binding interactions of the residue 2 side chain and of the peptide alpha-amino group, two factors are considered central. (1) The bound Leu side chain can establish only one-third of the van der Waals contacts available to a Phe side chain. (2) The bound Phe side chain appears to be additionally stabilized relative to Leu by more favorable dipole and induced dipole interactions with nonaromatic polar and sulfur ligands in the binding pocket, as evidenced by examination of its interactions in the pocket, analysis of the detailed energetics of transfer of Phe and Leu side chains from water to other phases, and comparison with thermodynamic and structural data for the binding of residue 1 side chains in this system. While such polar interactions of aromatic rings have been previously observed, the present results suggest their potential for significant thermodynamic contributions to protein structure and ligand recognition.

Identification of T-DNA tagged Arabidopsis mutants that are resistant to transformation by Agrobacterium

We have identified T-DNA tagged Arabidopsis mutants that are resistant to transformation by Agrobacterium tumefaciens (rat mutants). These mutants are highly recalcitrant to the induction of both crown gall tumors and phosphinothricin-resistant calli. The results of transient GUS (beta-glucuronidase) assays suggest that some of these mutants are blocked at an early step in the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation process, whereas others are blocked at a step subsequent to translocation of T-DNA into the nucleus. Attachment of Agrobacterium to roots of the mutants rat1 and rat3 was decreased under various incubation conditions. In most mutants, the transformation-deficient phenotype co-segregated with the kanamycin resistance encoded by the mutagenizing T-DNA. In crosses with susceptible wild-type plants, the resistance phenotype of many of these mutants segregated either as a semi-dominant or dominant trait.

[Using complexity measurement to study the EEG signal of focal ischemic cerebral injury]

In this paper, a model for SD rat focal ischemic cerebral injury is presented. Based on this experiment model, we recorded the EEG of ischemic region and normal region from before ischemia to after ischemia 30 minutes. We analyzed the complexity of these EEG signals, and found that the EEG complexity was very sensitive to focal ischemic cerebral injury. The EEG complexity on ischemic region was less than that on normal region. The difference in EEG complexity between two regions increased with the decreasing velocity. When insult took place, the EEG complexity was less than that before ischemai. These resluts agree to those we obtained by Discrete Gabor Spectrogram analysis and Heat Shock Protein (HSP) expression. The ischemic and normal regions can be clearly distinguished by analyzing their EEG complexity, and the extent can also be detected in this way.

[The characteristic wave intervals of exercise ECG influenced by changing of heart rate]

This paper analyzes the characteristic wave intervals of exercise ECG influenced by heart rate changing under exercise test. The most influenced parameter is TP interval, the next is QT interval, and the width of P wave and QRS waves are nearly unchanging. According to the changing characteristic of these waves width mentioned above, we suggest an adaptive adjusting method for ST segment measuring position after the J point, which is of significance to recognizing the characteristic waves and determining the result of exercise test for myocardial ischemia.

Adenovirus-mediated TNF-alpha gene transfer induces significant tumor regression in mice

Recombinant adenovirus vectors are highly efficient at in vitro and in vivo gene delivery. The in vitro infection of a mouse colon adenocarcinoma cell line MCA-26 with the adenovirus AdV-LacZ can reach a maximal 75% of infectivity at an MOI of 1000. Intratumoral injection of AdV-LacZ (2X10(9) pfu) resulted in substantial gene transfer in nearly 70% of MCA-26 tumors. After the in vitro infection of AdV-TNF-alpha, infected MCA-26 cells showed significant secretion of TNF-alpha (45 ng/ml/10(6) cells) in tissue culture. The secretion peaks at day 2 and is diminished at day 4 following the viral infection. Infected MCA-26 tumor cells secreting TNF-alpha significantly reduced their tumorigenicity in syngeneic BALB/c mice. In mice bearing small tumors, intratumoral injection of 2X10(9) pfu of AdV-TNF-alpha virus with a repeated booster treatment resulted in complete regression of three tumors and significant diminution of the other two with a mean tumor-weight of 0.16 g; this is in contrast to 0.85 and 1.62 g for tumors injected with the control AdV-pLpA and PBS respectively (p < 0.01). Mice with complete tumor regression further developed protective immunity against the second challenge of MCA-26 inoculation. In mice bearing large tumors, this treatment also caused significant inhibition of tumor growth with a mean tumor weight of 0.65 g vis-a-vis 3.05 g for tumors injected with the control AdV-pLpA. On the contrary, in mice bearing large tumors, the treatment of tumors with pCI-TNF-alpha delivered by the gene gun did not induce significant tumor inhibition. These results indicate that the adenoviral delivery of TNF-alpha gene is more efficient than the particle-mediated gene gun device, and that adenovirus-mediated cytokine gene therapy may be a useful approach in the clinical management of human solid tumors.

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis small heat shock protein Hsp16.3 exposes hydrophobic surfaces at mild conditions: conformational flexibility and molecular chaperone activity

Hsp16.3, the alpha-crystallin-related small heat shock protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is maximally expressed during the stationary phase and is a major membrane protein, has been reported to form specific trimer-of-trimers structure and to act as an effective molecular chaperone (Chang Z et al., 1996, J. Biol Chem 271:7218-7223). However, little is known about its action mechanism. In this study, Hsp16.3 conformational intermediates with dramatically increased chaperone activities were detected after treatment with very low concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride (0.05 M), urea (0.3 M), or mild heating (30 degrees C). The intermediates showed a significant increase in their capacity to bind the hydrophobic probe 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS), indicating an increased exposure of hydrophobic surfaces. Interestingly, the greatest chaperone activities of Hsp16.3 were observed in the presence of 0.3 M guanidine HCl or when heated to 35 degrees C. CD spectroscopy studies revealed no significant changes in protein secondary and tertiary structures at these mild treatments. Our in vitro studies also indicate that long-time-heated Hsp16.3, heated even to temperatures as high as 85 degrees C, has almost the same, if not a slightly greater, chaperone activities as the native protein when cooled to room temperature and its secondary structures also almost recovered. Together, these results suggest that Hsp16.3 modulates its chaperone activity by exposing hydrophobic surfaces and that the protein structure is highly stable and flexible, thus highly adapted for its function.

[Cytogenetic study in eight cases of Fanconi anemia]

OBJECTIVE

To study the clinical, hematological and cytogenetical characteristics in Fanconi anemia (FA).

METHODS

Culture the peripheral lymphocytes with Mitomycin C (MMC) induction to count the chromosome breakages and to count the sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in FA.

RESULTS

The clinical and hematological manifestations in FA varied at all. Spontaneous chromosome break and MMC induced break in FA were significantly higher than those in normal. Spontaneous and induced SCE were also higher in FA.

CONCLUSION

Owing to genetic heterogeneity in FA, the phenotypes in FA are diversified also. So, chromosome breakage study is a very important method in the diagnosis of FA, and gene complementation analysis may identify which complementation group the patient carries.

Bletilla striata as a vascular embolizing agent in interventional treatment of primary hepatic carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate Bletilla striata as a vascular embolizing agent in interventional treatment of primary hepatic carcinoma.

METHODS

We made a vascular embolizing agent from a Chinese medicinal herb, Bletilla striata (bai ji). From October 1991 to January 1995, 56 patients with primary hepatic carcinoma were treated by hepatic arterial chemoembolization with Bletilla striata angioembolus, and 50 patients with primary hepatic carcinoma who were treated by conventional gelfoam embolization served as controls. All patients were followed up for 10-48 months.

RESULTS

Embolization with the Bletilla striata powder produced extensive and permanent vascular obstruction, resulting in marked shrinkage of the tumor and significant decrease of serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP) level. After embolization, less collateral circulation formed later. The treatment interval was prolonged to an average of 7 months. The 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 81.9%, 44.9%, and 33.6%, respectively, with a mean survival period of 19.8 months. All the clinical parameters were better than those in the control group treated by conventional gelfoam embolization.

CONCLUSION

Bletilla striata angioembolus is a good vascular embolizing agent for treating PHC.

Growth factor regulation of the amylase promoter in a differentiating salivary acinar cell line

Salivary glands contain two major epithelial cell types: acinar cells which produce the primary salivary secretion, including amylase, and ductal cells which reabsorb electrolytes but also secrete kallikrein. Here we investigated salivary acinar cell differentiation in vitro using the activity of the salivary amylase and tissue kallikrein promoters as markers of acinar cell and ductal cell differentiation, respectively. Each of the promoter sequences was cloned into a replication-deficient adenoviral vector containing the luciferase reporter gene. Previous studies showed that a human submandibular gland cell line (HSG) differentiated into acinar cells when cultured on a reconstituted basement membrane matrix (Matrigel). The luciferase activity of the amylase promoter vector (AdAMY-luc) was low in HSG cells cultured on plastic, where they grow as an epithelial monolayer. The promoter activity increased approximately tenfold when HSG cells were cultured on Matrigel and developed an acinar phenotype. Under the same conditions, the luciferase activity of the kallikrein promoter (AdKALL-luc) was not induced. Because HSG cells demonstrate acinar cell morphology, but not amylase gene expression, when cultured on laminin-1, certain soluble components of Matrigel were tested for their ability to induce the amylase promoter during in vitro differentiation of acinar cells. We find that epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha), which are present in the basement membrane, and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) increase activity of the amylase promoter. Other basement membrane-derived growth factors such as TGF-beta, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and platelet-derived growth factor (PGDF), as well as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), keratinocyte growth factor (KGH), nerve growth factor (NGF) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) were inactive. This system will be further exploited to study the mechanisms by which extracellular matrix molecules and growth factors regulate salivary acinar cell differentiation.

[An automatic method segmenting lung regions from digital chest radiograph]

It is difficult to process digital chest image with ordinary method because of the wide dynamic range of chest radiograph. Anatomically adaptive processing is a better method for chest image, but it needs automatic segmentation of the image. In this paper, an effective method for segmenting lung regions from digital chest radiograph is presented. This method automatically calculates the lung/mediastinum-subdiaphragmatic threshold according to the histogram of chest image processed.

[Self-organization neural network based ultrasonic heart image segmentation]

Segmentation is one of the most difficult problems in multidimensional reconstruction of ultrasonic heart image. In the present paper, a segmentation method of ultrasonic heart image using the self-organization neural network has been studied. This is an unsupervised segmentation method, which can segment images through clustering automatically. The results show that the present method has significant benefits over the traditional K-means algorithm.

[Photothermal deflection spectroscopy for the detection of fluoride ion content in water]

In this paper the application of photothermal deflection spectroscopy to the detection of fluoride ion content in water is described. This PDS method gets rid of two factors that impair the test sensitivity of regular photometric method applied to the measurement of solution concentration, and increases the sensitivity. That the PDS signal varied with modulation frequencies, pump laser powers and probe laser powers is discussed, and the appropriate parameters of test apparatus are chosen.

[Relationship between endothelin-1 and ischemic brain damage after subarachnoid hemorrhage and protective effect of Ginkgo biloba extract]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in development of ischemic brain damage after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and the protective effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE).

METHODS

Wistar rat noncraniotomy models of SAH were divided into SAH group and GBE treated group, the diameter of basilar artery (BA) and dynamic changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and ET-1 content of intracranial plasma within 24 hours after SAH of both groups were determined. And pathological examination of CA1 region of hippocampus was performed 3 days later.

RESULTS

rCBF decreased and ET-1 content increased obviously and retained in 24 hours after SAH. Spasm of BA occurred half an hour after SAH and neurons of hippocampus CA1 region was damaged severely. GBE could antagonize the above-mentioned pathological changes effectively.

CONCLUSION

Increase of ET-1 is an important factor leading to ischemic brain damage after SAH. GBE exerts its protective effect by antagonizing pathological increase of ET-1.

[Doppler echocardiographic studies on fetal cardiac function of diabetic mothers]

OBJECTIVE

To assess fetal cardiac function by Doppler echocardiography in diabetic pregnancies.

METHODS

We investigated the changes of cardiac function in 54 normal fetuses and 23 fetuses of diabetic mothers. Cardiac anatomic datas were obtained by measuring the diameter of the aortic (AO), the pulmonary artery (PA), the mitral valve(MV), the tricuspid valve (TV) and interventricular septal thickness (IVS). Blood flow evlocity were obtained from the AO, PA, atrioventricular valves. The following variables were measured: peak flow velocity (PFV), accelerate time (ACT), systolic volume (SV) and ForceF. These indices respresented the systolic function. The peak early flow velocity (PFVe), peak late flow velocity (PFVa), PFVe/PFVa(E/A), mean velocity (V) of MV or TV respresented the diastolic function.

RESULTS

The results revealed that in fetuses of diabetic mothers, IVS became thickness. The diameter of AO, PA, MV, TV were wider than that of normal fetases. The PFV, SV, ForceF of AO or PA increased significantly. There was no different in ACT between two groups. The PFVa of MV or TV increased significantly, whereas the E/A of both atrioventricular valves decreased.

CONCLUSION

It showed that the fetal hyperinsulinemia triggered by maternal hyperglycemia result in fetal weight increasing, as well as hyperplasia and hypertrophy of myocardial cells. An iacreased contractility is compatible with relatively larger size of such fetuses. The intracardiac flow volume increased secondary to the more needs of fetal development. Abnormal thickenning IVS might impair ventricular diastolic function.

Gamma-irradiation-induced cell cycle arrest and cell death in a human submandibular gland cell line: effect of E2F1 expression

This study examined the effect of gamma-irradiation (5 and 10 Gy) on the human submandibular cell line (HSG). Radiation treatment (5 Gy and 10 Gy) induced a dose-dependent decrease in cell proliferation, with a G2/M arrest of the cell cycle, and an increase in cell death (cells with <2n DNA increased from 7% in control cells to 34% and 40% in 5 and 10 Gy irradiated cells, respectively). [Ca2+]i measurements demonstrated that the status of internal Ca2+ stores, and muscarinic receptor-mediated Ca2+ mobilization, in irradiated cells was comparable to that in non-irradiated cells. These data suggest that 1) irradiated HSG cells maintain normal physiology and 2) internal Ca2+ store depletion does not account for the decreased cell proliferation. To manipulate the radiation-induced cell cycle arrest, we examined the effect of the transcription factor E2F1, which has been shown to induce cell cycle progression in HSG cells (Lillibridge and O'Connell, 1997, J. Cell. Physiol., 1 72:343-350). The ability of irradiated HSG cells to express and appropriately route proteins was demonstrated by using adenovirus-mediated expression of beta-galactosidase, alpha1-antitrypsin, and aquaporin-1. Infection of HSG cells with an adenoviral vector encoding E2F1, either 12 h before or immediately following irradiation, but not post-irradiation, induced maintenance of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle, reduced the number of cells arrested at G2/M, and decreased the rate of appearance of cells with <2n DNA. While the mechanism of irradiation-induced cell death has not yet been confirmed, these data suggest that expression of the E2F1 gene product in HSG cells can be a useful strategy to manipulate cell cycle events and reduce the initial loss of cells due to radiation.

Intratumoral vaccination of adenoviruses expressing fusion protein RM4/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha induces significant tumor regression

Recombinant adenovirus (AdV) vectors are highly efficient at in vitro and in vivo gene delivery. VKCK is a murine myeloma cell line expressing the light chain of the fusion protein RM4/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. The in vitro transfection of VKCK cells with the AdV AdV5LacZ, which contains the marker gene beta-galactosidase, can reach a maximal 75% at a multiplicity of infection of 1000. Intratumoral injections of AdV5LacZ (2 x 10(9) plaque-forming units) resulted in substantial gene transfer in nearly 50% of VKCK tumors. The AdV pLpA/M4-TNF-alpha, which contains a fused gene M4-TNF-alpha that codes for the heavy chain of fusion protein RM4/TNF-alpha, was constructed. After the in vitro transfection of pLpA/M4-TNF-alpha at a multiplicity of infection of 1000, transfected VKCK cells showed significant secretion of RM4/TNF-alpha (36 ng/mL/10(6) cells) containing the functional TNF-alpha moiety in tissue culture. The secretion peaks at day 3 and is diminished at day 6 following the viral infection. These transfected VKCK cells also became more immunogenic with enhanced expression of major histocompatibility complex class I antigen. Intratumoral injections of 2 x 10(9) plaque-forming units of pLpA/M4-TNF-alpha virus with a repeated booster resulted in significant VKCK tumor regression in immune-competent mice, but not in athymic nude mice with a mean tumor weight of 0.07 g that were compared with 1.58 g and 1.70 g for tumors injected with AdV5LacZ and phosphate-buffered saline, respectively (P < .01). The tumor regression also results in protective immunity against a second challenge with parental tumor cells, which is mainly mediated by VKCK tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. These results indicate that AdV-mediated cytokine gene therapy may be a useful approach in the clinical management of solid human tumors.

Differential stimulation of proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase by sphingosine 1-phosphate

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (SphP), a metabolite of cellular sphingolipids, has been shown to induce cell proliferation by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) is a novel cytosolic tyrosine kinase which mediates activation of the MAPK or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathways in response to a variety of stimuli that elevate intracellular calcium. In this report, we show that SphP stimulates both tyrosine phosphorylation of Pyk2 and MAPK activation in a transient and dose-dependent manner in rat aortic smooth muscle cells. Further studies indicate that Pyk2 phosphorylation, but not MAPK activation, is dependent on a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein-coupled receptor as well as partially on actin cytoskeleton. In addition, both intracellular calcium mobilization and protein kinase C (PKC) are required for optimal Pyk2 phosphorylation while either calcium increase or PKC activation is sufficient for MAPK activation in response to SphP. Finally, we show that a tyrosine kinase(s) other than Pyk2 is necessary for MAPK activation by SphP. Together, these results suggest that SphP stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of Pyk2 through a G-protein coupled receptor, which is dissociated from its activation of the MAPK pathway in these cells.

[Assessment of diagnostic result for medical image by receiver operating characteristic and forced choice]

Two methods for diagnostic image evaluation, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and the forced choice, are introduced in this paper. The concepts of ROC and forced choice are described firstly, then the experiment design consideration and data analysis are discussed.

[Development of new ambulatory monitor for multi-channel gastroesophageal pH combining with cardiogram]

A new ambulatory monitor for multi-channel gastroesophageal pH combining with cardiogram is introduced in this paper. Key techniques of the monitor, design of hardware and software, clinical significance are described. Clinical application shows that the monitor advantages the diagnoses of functional diseases of upper digestive tract, especially is significant to distinguish the chest pain of cardiac origin and esophageal origin.

In vivo use of adenoviral vectors: effects on salivary gland structure

Recently there has been considerable progress in the development of in vivo gene transfer technology. By this means, new genetic information may be introduced directly to cells, while the cells remain in their natural milieu. The ability to express exogenous proteins makes it possible to explore the functions of native or altered proteins and thereby develop new insights into cell function and dysfunction. We have demonstrated that the major salivary glands are efficiently infected by recombinant adenovirus vectors. These vectors are capable of expressing transgenes in both acinar and ductal cell types. Recently, we have developed vectors that contain cell-specific promoters so that proteins may be expressed in selected subpopulations of salivary cells. Early generations of adenoviral vectors elicited potent immune responses in vivo. However, modified vectors and adjunctive measures have improved the safety of gene transfer to salivary glands. Future studies will aim to increase the duration of adenovirus-based gene expression and to produce vector systems that are not toxic to the host.

[The time-frequency analysis of the exercise ECG signal]

Exercise ECG indicates information about the heart load status in the exercise test. It is very significant to represent the characteristics of the exercise ECG for evaluating the exercise load test. This article introduces the principle of Winger-Ville Distribution time-frequency analysis and its implementation. By applying this method to analyse exercise ECG, some results were acquired. It is a promising method to do research of the exercise ECG in the time-frequency plane.

[Pressure control system for the hermetically sealed cabin of the recoverable satellite]

There are many precision instruments and equipment for scientific researches and experiments in the hermetically sealed cabin of satellite. Appropriate pressure must be controlled in the cabin in order to ensure the instruments and equipment from the adverse space environment. This paper describes a pressure control system for the hermetically sealed cabin in the recoverable scientific detect and experimental satellite. The cabin pressure is regulated automatically into the specific levels by venting or supplying the air from or to the cabin during launch, on orbit and before reentry of the satellite. The system has low mass, low power consumption and high reliability. It was used successfully in the recoverable satellite first in September 1987 and had been used many times since then. It is the first active pressure control system for the hermetically sealed cabin of the satellite in China.

[A micro transducer for dynamic multi-location pH monitoring in upper digestive tract]

A new transducer catheter used for dynamic multi-location pH monitoring in upper digestive tract has been developed. On the catheter several antimony electrodes and an Ag-Agcl electrode are integreted. An animal experiment compared the results of gastric aspiration and dynamic recording and demonstrated the reliability of this transducer. Clinical application has shown that this technology contributes greatly to the research on digestive physiology and to the diagnosis of functional diseases such as non-cardiac chest pain.

[Coexisting pheochromocytoma and renal artery stenosis]

OBJECTIVE

To improve the diagnosis of coexisting pheochromocytoma and renal artery stenosis.

METHOD

Four patients with coexisting pheochromocytoma and renal artery stenosis were treated.

RESULT

After removal of the pheochromocytoma, the blood pressure became normal in two patients combined with resection of kidney with renal artery stenosis, and one patient with local adhesion loosened. The hypertension, however, persisted in another patient after the resection of pheochromocytoma even though the long segment of renal artery stenosis was relieved.

CONCLUSION

After pheochromocytoma was diagnosed with its known position, coexisting renal artery stenosis should be suspected according to one of the following conditions: (1) Vascular murmurs are noted at the area of the upper abdomen or back; (2) One of the kidneys becomes less sized; (3) Using the inhibitor of receptor alpha only has no effect lowering blood pressure and it is necessary to add the inhibitor of angiotension; (4) Postoperative hypertension does not resolve when no remaining pheochromocytoma is present. the renal artery stenosis can be reversed after both removal of pheochromocytoma and loosening of adhesion in case of stenosis due to the pressure of the tumor and adhesion caused renal artery angling and local stricture. Extensive stenosis or closure, however, can not be corrected with severe atrophy of renal parenchyma due to pheochromocytoma, and the resection of kidney should be indicated.