Advanced glycation endproducts are increased in rheumatoid arthritis patients with controlled disease

Introduction  

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are produced and can accumulate during chronic inflammation, as might be present in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). AGEs are involved in the development of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether AGEs are increased in patients with long-standing RA and whether AGE accumulation is related to disease activity, disease severity and measures of (premature) atherosclerosis, such as endothelial activation, endothelial dysfunction and intima media thickness (IMT).     

腔内治疗下肢动脉硬化闭塞症的临床研究

目的：下肢动脉硬化闭塞症（arteriosclerosis obliterans,ASO）是血管外科常见疾病,我们拟讨论腔内成形术在ASO治疗中的应用。方法：回顾2008年5月至2010年4月我科收治的76例ASO病例,对手术成功率、手术效果和糖尿病等合并症对疗效的影响进行分析。结果：总体技术成功61例,技术成功率80.3%,Fontaine II期组技术成功36例（成功率92.3%）,明显高于III期（82.1%）和IV期组（22.2%）;合并糖尿病组22例（28.9%）,技术成功15例（成功率68.2%）,低于无糖尿病组的85.2%;结论：腔内成形术是治疗ASO的有效微创手术方法,积极腔内手术干预有助提高早期患者成功率,同时对晚期患者可有效改善症状。     

乳腺分型及乳腺厚度与全数字化乳腺X线摄影曝光条件及平均腺体剂量的关系

目的：探讨不同乳腺分型（Ⅰ型（脂肪型）、Ⅱ型（致密型）、Ⅲ型（中间型）、Ⅳ型（导管型））、不同乳腺厚度与全数字化乳腺X射线摄影曝光条件（kV、mms）、平均腺体剂量（mGy）之间的关系。方法：回顾性分析2009年9月-2010年6月间采用德国Siemens公司MAMMOMAT Novation DR全数字化乳腺摄影系统、自动曝光控制模式下摄影所获得的2000例头尾位和内外侧斜位乳腺片,分析7840幅Ⅰ级乳腺照片中不同乳腺分型、不同乳腺厚度的曝光条件、平均腺体剂量,以研究乳腺分型及乳腺厚度与全数字化乳腺X线摄影曝光条件及平均腺体剂量的关系。结果：当乳腺厚度相同时,Ⅱ型（致密型）乳腺的曝光条件及平均腺体剂量最大,Ⅳ型（导管型）次之,Ⅲ型（中间型）再次之,Ⅰ型（脂肪型）乳腺的曝光条件及平均腺体剂量最小。无论何种乳腺分型,随着乳腺厚度的增加,全数字化乳腺X射线摄影曝光条件及平均腺体剂量随之增加。结论：乳腺分型及乳腺厚度与全数字化乳腺X射线摄影曝光条件及平均腺体剂量关系密切,乳腺腺体组织越致密、厚度越厚,其曝光条件及平均腺体剂量就越大。     

腔内治疗下肢动脉硬化闭塞症的临床研究

目的:下肢动脉硬化闭塞症(arteriosclerosis obliterans,ASO)是血管外科常见疾病,我们拟讨论腔内成形术在ASO治疗中的应用.方法:回顾2008年5月至2010年4月我科收治的76例ASO病例,对手术成功率、手术效果和糖尿病等合并症对疗效的影响进行分析.结果:总体技术成功61例,技术成功率80.3%,FontaineⅡ期组技术成功36例(成功率92.3%),明显高于Ⅲ期(82.1%)和Ⅳ期组(22.2%);合并糖尿病组22例(28.9%),技术成功15例(成功率68.2%),低于无糖尿病组的85.2%;结论:腔内成形术是治疗ASO的有效微创手术方法,积极腔内手术干预有助提高早期患者成功率,同时对晚期患者可有效改善症状.     

Temporal dynamics of epidermal responses of guppies Poecilia reticulata to a sublethal range of waterborne zinc concentrations

This study assessed the histological changes in the epidermis of guppies Poecilia reticulata induced by waterborne zinc (Zn). Laboratory‐reared P. reticulata fry were maintained individually in separate vessels containing artificial water (8 µg l^?1 Zn) to which 0, 15, 30, 60 or 120 µg l^?1 Zn was added. Their epidermal response to Zn was monitored regularly over 4 weeks. Compared with controls, mucus was rapidly released and mucous cell numbers decreased at all concentrations. Thereafter mucous release, epidermal thickness, numbers and size of mucous cells fluctuated at a rate that varied with Zn concentration, but fluctuations declined after day 18. Results clearly highlight the dynamic nature of the epidermal response to sublethal concentrations of waterborne Zn. In general, low concentrations of Zn induced a rapid response with reduced numbers and size of mucous cells and shift in mucin composition, and a subsequent thickening of the epidermis. Epidermal thickness and mucous cell area fluctuated over time but were normal after a month of exposure to low Zn concentrations. The number of mucous cells, however, remained low. Virtually all mucous cells from fish maintained in 15 and 60 µg l^?1 Zn contained acidic mucins throughout the month, whereas fish maintained at 30 µg l^?1 Zn responded by production of neutral mucins during the first 12 days followed by a mixture of neutral and acidic mucins. At 120 µg l^?1 Zn, the most dramatic effects were the gradual but sustained decrease in numbers and area of mucous cells, and the shift to acidic mucins in these cells. Thus, as concentration of Zn increased, the epidermal responses indicated a disturbed host response (dramatic decline in mucous cell numbers, with mixed composition of mucins), which may have been less effective in preventing Zn uptake across the epithelium.     

Relations of APOE promoter polymorphisms to LDL cholesterol and markers of subclinical atherosclerosis in young adults

The common apolipoprotein E (apoE) gene (APOE) epsilon2/epsilon3/epsilon4 polymorphism explains part of serum lipid variation, and polymorphisms in the APOE promoter region have been proposed to participate in the regulation of serum lipid levels within the most common APOE epsilon3/epsilon3 genotype group. We determined APOE -219G/T and +113G/C promoter genotypes and estimated APOE haplotypes in 525 participants of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. We studied the associations of the APOE promoter polymorphisms and their haplotypes with cross-sectional and longitudinal serum lipid and apolipoprotein concentrations as well as with flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), carotid artery compliance (CAC), and intima-media thickness (IMT) within the APOE epsilon3/epsilon3 carriers. We found no significant association between the APOE promoter genotypes and serum lipids [low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-C, and triglycerides], apolipoproteins (apoA-I and apoB), or brachial artery FMD, CAC, or carotid IMT in either men or women. In longitudinal analyses in males, the carriers of heterozygous genotypes (-219G/T or +113G/C) and, furthermore, carriers of the -219T/+113C/epsilon3 haplotype had significantly higher LDL-C and total cholesterol concentrations throughout the 21 year follow-up period compared with homozygous G allele carriers or noncarriers of the -219T/+113C/epsilon3 haplotype. Such associations were not found in females. In summary, the APOE promoter polymorphisms -219G/T and +113G/C as well as their haplotype are associated with longitudinal changes in LDL-C and total cholesterol concentrations in young Finnish males but do not seem to be major determinants for FMD, CAC, or carotid IMT in males or females.     

Acclimation to irradiance in seedlings of three tropical rain forest Garcinia species after simulated gap formation

We investigated the acclimation of seedlings of three tropical rain forest sub-canopy Garcinia species (G. xanthochymus, G. cowa, and G. bracteata) after transfer from 4.5 (LI) to 40 % (HI) sunlight and 12.5 (MI) sunlight to HI (LH₁ and LH₂ denoting transfer from LI to HI and MI to HI transfer, respectively). The changes of chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence, net photosynthetic rate (P _N), dark respiration rate (R _D), Chl content per unit area (Chl_area), leaf mass per unit area (LMA), and seedling mortality were monitored over two months after transfer. These parameters together with leaf anatomy of transferred and control seedlings (kept in LI, MI, and HI) were also examined after two months. No seedlings died during the two months. F_v/F_m, P _N, and Chl_area of the transferred seedlings decreased in the first 3 to 12 d. LH₁ leaves showed larger reduction in F_v/F_m (>23 % vs. <16 %) and slower recovery of F_v/F_m than LH₂ leaves. P _N started to recover after about one week of I transfer and approached higher values in all G. cowa seedlings and G. xanthochymus LH₁ seedlings than those before the transfer. However, P _N of G. bracteata seedlings approached the values before transfer. The final P _N values in leaves of transferred G. xanthochymus and G. cowa seedlings approached that of leaves kept in HI, while the final P _N values of transferred leaves of G. bracteata were significantly lower than that of leaves grown under HI (p<0.05). R _D of G. xanthochymus LH₁ seedlings and all G. cowa seedlings increased and approached the value of the seedlings in HI. The final Chl_area of both G. xanthochymus and G. cowa approached the values before transfer, but that of G. bracteata did not recover to the level before transfer. The final Chl_area of all transferred seedlings was not significantly different from that of seedlings in HI except that G. cowa LH₁ seedlings had higher Chl_area than that in HI. LMA decreased within 2 d and then increased continuously until about 30 d and approached the value under HI. Spongy/palisade mesophyll ratio decreased after transfer because of the increase in palisade thickness. Leaf thickness did not change, so LMA increase of transferred seedlings was mainly due to the increase of leaf density. Thus the mature leaves under LI and MI of G. xanthochymus and G. cowa are able to acclimate to HI by leaf physiological and anatomical adjustment, while G. bracteata had limited ability to acclimate to HI.     

Does contamination buildup limit throughput for automated cryoEM?

The development of automated systems for data acquisition in cryo electron microscopy has enabled the possibility of acquiring very large number of images from a single specimen grid. We have demonstrated that over images of 250,000 single particles can be acquired in a 24 h period. This has raised questions as to whether contamination buildup on the specimen limits the quality of the data that can be acquired during these long duration experiments and also whether the data acquisition session could be extended to allow acquisition of more than 1,000,000 particles. We report here a systematic characterization of contamination of specimens maintained for long periods of time at liquid nitrogen temperatures using standard side entry cryo stages. As part of this characterization we developed a more reliable method for accurately estimating specimen ice thickness. Using the method, we were able to calibrate image contrast against ice thickness under a variety of magnifications, objective aperture positions, and defoci, and demonstrated the strong dependence of the calibration curve on these parameters. The results show the anti-contamination aperture is, as expected, critical to the prevention of contamination and that loading film into the microscope dramatically increases the contamination rate, particularly in the first 3 h after the insertion of the film box. In the absence of film, we were able to reproducibly demonstrate that the contamination rate can be limited to a rate of approximately 1 angstrom/h providing reassurance that contamination will not be a major limiting factor for long term cryoEM experiments if a CCD camera is used for the imaging.     

Mitochondrial ND5 12338T>C variant is associated with maternally inherited hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a Chinese pedigree

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a primary disorder characterized by asymmetric thickening of the septum and left ventricular wall, which affects 1 in 500 individuals in the general population. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA have been found to be one of the most important causes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Here we report the clinical, genetic and molecular characterization of a Han Chinese family with a likely maternally transmitted hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Four (2 men/2 women) of 5 matrilineal relatives in this 3-generation family exhibited the variable severity and age at onset of 44 to 79years old. Sequence analysis of the entire mitochondrial DNA in this pedigree identified the known homoplasmic ND5 12338T>C variant. This mitochondrial DNA haplogroup belongs to the Eastern Asian F2a. The 12338T>C variant, highly evolutionarily conserved, resulted in the replacement of the translation initiating methionine with a threonine, shortening the ND5 polypeptide by 2 amino acids. The occurrence of ND5 12338T>C variant exclusively in maternal members of this Chinese family suggested that the 12338T>C variant is associated with maternally inherited hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Our findings will provide theoretical basis for genetic counseling of maternally inherited hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.