免疫层析法用于HCG快速检测的研究

目的：研制用于尿液HCG快速检验试纸条。方法：采用胶体金免疫层析分析方法。结果：检测灵敏度可达50IU／L，与高含量的LH、FSH、TSH均无交叉反应，检测214例临床样品，准确率为100％。结论：该方法简单、快速、特异性强，是检测尿液HCG较好的免疫学方法。     

人乳头瘤病毒感染的局部免疫反应

本文应用ABC法对30例尖锐湿疣(CA)和30例宫颈癌(CCU)进行原位观察,分析对比两者浸润单一核细胞(MNC)的亚群组成、分布及活化状态。结果提示,两者局部免疫均受抑制,而以宫颈癌为甚。依此本文对不同类型HPV相关疾病的局部免疫反应状态及宿主对不同型别HPV感染的免疫反应进行探讨。     

自身免疫性溶血性贫血20例临床分析

本文报道温抗体型自身免疫性溶血性贫血20例,其中包括特殊类型“兼有冷抗体和温抗体的自身免疫性溶血性贫血”3例,伴有血小板减少性紫瘢的Fisher—Evans综合征4例。并对本病致病因素、发病年龄、临床表现及特殊类型产生机理进行了讨论。     

亚急性重症肝炎与淤胆性肝炎黄疸成因的组织学差别

对29例亚急性重症肝炎及13例次淤胆性肝炎肝穿刺标本的光、电镜检查,测算了18例亚急性重症肝炎,9例淤胆性肝炎肝细胞内淤胆的容积百分比、胆汁凝固性坏死的容积百分比与临床资料进行统计学处理,指出这两类肝炎都有肝细胞内淤胆和胆汁凝固性坏死,但淤胆性肝炎肝小叶结构完整,胆汁流出道不破坏,亚急性重症肝炎肝小叶破坏。认为除肝细胞大量坏死外,胆汁流出道破坏是影响预后的另一个重要因素。本文详细描述了胆计凝固性坏死的超微结构改变。     

Clinical significance of the measurement of trace elements in the gastric mucosa and their oxides in patients with spleen diseases and gastric cancer

The gastric mucosa trace elements and oxides were investigated with X-ray energy disperse analysis system in 41 cases of gastric disease due to Spleen deficiency. The differences in the change of the quantity of Zn, Cu, ZnO and CuO were very significant (P less than 0.05-0.001) in the gastric mucosa between normal area and focal area, between Spleen Qi deficiency and Spleen deficiency with Qi stagnation, and between benign gastric disease and gastric cancer. The experiments showed that: (1) The trace elements in the organism form its own system, the values being within the relatively constant scope. (2) The ratios of Zn/ZnO and Cu/CuO reflected "the rate of effectual utility" of Zn and Cu. (3) There was a very close internal relation between Spleen deficiency with Qi stagnation and gastric cancer. (4) The quantitative changes of Zn, Cu, ZnO, CuO, Zn/ZnO and Cu/CuO were related to pathologic change and the TCM syndrome pattern, and is worthy of further research.     

Relationship between cytotoxicity,drug accumulation,DNA damage and repair of human ovarian cancer cells treated with doxorubicin: modulation by the tiapamil analog RO11-2933

Summary The effect ofN-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)N-methyl-2-(naphthyl)-m-dithiane-2-propylamine hydrochloride (RO11-2933), an analog of the calcium channel blocker tiapamil, on doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cytotoxicity and DNA damage in human ovarian cancer cells sensitive and resistant to DOX was investigated. A2780-DX2, A2780-DX3, and A2780-DX6 cell sublines were characterized by 7-, 26-, and 48-fold resistance after 2 h DOX exposure and 30-, 50-, and 500-fold resistance after 72 h DOX exposure, respectively. Increased drug efflux resulting in a lower intracellular drug accumulation, decreased DOX-induced DNA single-strand breaks (DNA SSBs), and rapid DNA repair correlated with the degree of resistance. In addition, DNA SSBs were rapidly repaired within 8 h in A2780-DX3 cells, whereas no significant repair of DNA SSBs was observed in sensitive cells. In comparison with verapamil, RO11-2933 was found to reverse DOX resistance at lower and nontoxic concentrations (2 M as compared with 10 M verapamil). This reversion was complete in cells with a low degree of resistance (A2780-DX1 and A2780-DX2) but partial in highly resistant cells (A2780-DX3 and A2780-DX6), and continuous exposure to RO11-2933 was essential for optimal reversal of drug resistance. Interestingly, RO11-2933 was found to inhibit the repair of DNA SSBs induced by DOX but not those induced by X-ray. These results suggest that the potentiation of DNA SSBs and the specific inhibition of DNA repair by RO11-2933 in multidrug-resistant cells could be of particular value in overcoming MDR in the clinic.Abbreviations RO11-2933 N-(3,4-dimethoxyphenethyl)-N-methyl-2-(2-naphthyl)-m-dithiane-2-propylamine hydrochloride - DOX doxorubicin-HCl - SSBs single-strand breaks - MDR multidrug resistance This work was supported in part by CA 18420 and CA 21071     

Region-specific growth properties and trophic requirements of brain- and spinal cord-derived rat embryonic neural precursor cells

To determine whether neural precursor cells have region-specific growth properties, we compared the proliferation, mitogenicity, and differentiation of these cells isolated from the embryonic day 16 rat forebrain and spinal cord. Neural precursor cells isolated from both regions were cultured in growth medium supplemented with epidermal growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, or epidermal growth factor+basic fibroblast growth factor. Under all three conditions, both neural precursor cell populations proliferated for multiple passages. While spinal cord-derived neural precursor cells proliferated moderately faster in epidermal growth factor-enriched growth medium, brain-derived cells proliferated much faster in basic fibroblast growth factor-enriched growth medium. When exposed to both epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor, the two neural precursor cell populations expanded and proliferated more rapidly than when exposed to a single factor, with brain-derived neural precursor cells expanding significantly faster than spinal cord-derived ones (P<0.0001). Differentiation studies showed that both neural precursor cell populations were multi-potent giving rise to neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. However, neuronal differentiation from brain-derived neural precursor cells was greater than spinal cord-derived ones (11.95+/-5.00% vs 1.92+/-1.13%; passage 2). Further, the two neural precursor cell populations differentiated into a similar percentage of oligodendrocytes (brain: 8.66+/-5.85%; spinal cord: 7.69+/-3.91%; passage 2). Immunofluorescence and Western blot studies showed that neural precursor cells derived from both regions expressed receptors for basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor. However, brain-derived neural precursor cells expressed higher levels of the two receptors than spinal cord-derived ones in growth medium containing epidermal growth factor+basic fibroblast growth factor. Thus, our results showed that neural precursor cells isolated from the two regions of the CNS have distinct properties and growth requirements. Identifying phenotypic differences between these neural precursor cell populations and their growth requirements should provide new insights into the development of cell therapies for region-specific neurological degenerative diseases.     

Role of new population of peripheral CD11c(+)CD8(+) T cells and CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells during acute and remission stages in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a CD4(+)-dependent chronic systemic inflammatory disease with autoimmune features. Autoreactive CD4(+) T-cell activation can result in autoimmune diseases. One of the key regulators is the CD4(+)CD25(high) regulatory T (Treg) cell. In an animal arthritis model, CD11c(+)CD8(+) T cells were found to be elevated, and could suppress pathogenic CD4(+) T cells after cross-linking with CD137. The purpose of this study was to compare the expression of CD137, CD4(+)CD25(high) Treg cells, and CD11c(+)CD8(+) in the peripheral blood T lymphocytes of RA patients during active and remissive states, and evaluate the correlation with disease activity. METHODS: Thirty nine RA patients treated at the rheumatology outpatient clinic at the Changhua Christian Hospital were assessed clinically for disease activity and classified as either highly active or remissive by the Disease Activity Score 28. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from these patients and compared against normal controls. RESULTS: The presence of CD11c(+)CD8(+) T cells or the expression of CD137 molecules in peripheral blood cells was not related to disease activity. In contrast, CD4(+)CD25(high) Treg cell levels were increased significantly in patients with active RA compared with patients with remissive RA or controls (p<0.05). These lymphocytes were intact, without evidence of apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that CD4(+)CD25(high) Treg cells play an important role in modulating RA disease activity and can serve as a parameter of disease activity.     

Effects of x-ray and CT image enhancements on the robustness and accuracy of a rigid 3D/2D image registration

A rigid body three-dimensional/two-dimensional (3D/2D) registration method has been implemented using mutual information, gradient ascent, and 3D texturemap-based digitally reconstructed radiographs. Nine combinations of commonly used x-ray and computed tomography (CT) image enhancement methods, including window leveling, histogram equalization, and adaptive histogram equalization, were examined to assess their effects on accuracy and robustness of the registration method. From a set of experiments using an anthropomorphic chest phantom, we were able to draw several conclusions. First, the CT and x-ray preprocessing combination with the widest attraction range was the one that linearly stretched the histograms onto the entire display range on both CT and x-ray images. The average attraction ranges of this combination were 71.3 mm and 61.3 deg in the translation and rotation dimensions, respectively, and the average errors were 0.12 deg and 0.47 mm. Second, the combination of the CT image with tissue and bone information and the x-ray images with adaptive histogram equalization also showed subvoxel accuracy, especially the best in the translation dimensions. However, its attraction ranges were the smallest among the examined combinations (on average 36 mm and 19 deg). Last the bone-only information on the CT image did not show convergency property to the correct registration.     

Genetic imbalances in pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma detected by comparative genomic hybridization and literature review.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is a rare, low-grade astrocytic tumor found in the central nervous system. Histologically, the tumor is characterized by markedly pleomorphic and lipidized cells. Although most of the patients have a favorable prognosis, a small number of cases undergoing recurrence or progression to anaplastic astrocytoma were reported. Very few genetic studies have been performed on PXA because of its rarity and the pathogenesis of this neoplasm is largely unknown. In order to provide an overview of genetic alterations in PXA, we performed comparative genomic hybridization to identify chromosomal imbalances (DNA gains and losses) in three cases of PXA. Genetic imbalance was detected on at least one chromosome for each case. One case, which revealed multiple genetic alterations, showed a poor prognosis. DNA gain on chromosome 7 and loss on 8p were demonstrated in two of three cases, suggesting that the candidate gene(s) located on these regions may play a role in the development of PXA. Further studies are needed to identify the residing candidate genes that are involved in the tumorigenesis of PXA. In addition, the histopathological features and previous genetic studies on PXA are reviewed.