三维超声心动图评价不同年龄段和性别主动脉瓣二叶畸形

目的:三维超声心动图评估不同年龄段和性别主动脉瓣二叶畸形(bicuspid aortic valve malformation,BAV)的应用价值。方法:超声心动图检测我院2012年6月至2014年9月70例BAV患者,根据年龄段分为4组,≤20岁年龄组7例,21-40岁年龄组14例,41-60岁年龄组30例,≥60岁年龄组19例;根据性别分为2组,男性42例,女性28例。测量不同病例分组的主动脉窦部及升部内径、室间隔厚度、左心功能及左房横径,比较主动脉瓣狭窄、关闭不全、钙化及脱垂四个合并症发生率。结果:在心脏结构指标方面,年龄段分组室间隔厚度≥60岁年龄组12.37±1.64 mm高于≤20岁年龄组10.43±2.22 mm和21-40岁年龄组11.00±1.92 mm;左房横径41-60岁年龄组38.73±7.95 mm和≥60岁年龄组40.05±9.71 mm高于≤20岁年龄组29.86±1.86 mm。性别分组左心功能女性64.18±6.04%高于男性58.71±11.28%。在合并症发生率方面年龄段分组主动脉瓣狭窄41-60岁年龄组80%、≥60岁年龄组84%高于21-40岁年龄组50%,性别分组狭窄男性81%大于女性54%,关闭不全女性79%大于男性50%。结论:三维超声心动图诊断BAV可获得更加全面、具体、直观的诊断信息,BAV的超声表现与患者年龄段和性别密切相关。     

From phenotyping towards breeding strategies: using in vivo indicator traits and genetic markers to improve meat quality in an endangered pig breed

In endangered and local pig breeds of small population sizes, production has to focus on alternative niche markets with an emphasis on specific product and meat quality traits to achieve economic competiveness. For designing breeding strategies on meat quality, an adequate performance testing scheme focussing on phenotyped selection candidates is required. For the endangered German pig breed ‘Bunte Bentheimer’ (BB), no breeding program has been designed until now, and no performance testing scheme has been implemented. For local breeds, mainly reared in small-scale production systems, a performance test based on in vivo indicator traits might be a promising alternative in order to increase genetic gain for meat quality traits. Hence, the main objective of this study was to design and evaluate breeding strategies for the improvement of meat quality within the BB breed using in vivo indicator traits and genetic markers. The in vivo indicator trait was backfat thickness measured by ultrasound (BF_iv), and genetic markers were allele variants at the ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1) locus. In total, 1116 records of production and meat quality traits were collected, including 613 in vivo ultrasound measurements and 713 carcass and meat quality records. Additionally, 700 pigs were genotyped at the RYR1 locus. Data were used (1) to estimate genetic (co)variance components for production and meat quality traits, (2) to estimate allele substitution effects at the RYR1 locus using a selective genotyping approach and (3) to evaluate breeding strategies on meat quality by combining results from quantitative-genetic and molecular-genetic approaches. Heritability for the production trait BF_iv was 0.27, and 0.48 for backfat thickness measured on carcass. Estimated heritabilities for meat quality traits ranged from 0.14 for meat brightness to 0.78 for the intramuscular fat content (IMF). Genetic correlations between BF_iv and IMF were higher than estimates based on carcass backfat measurements (0.39 v. 0.25). The presence of the unfavorable n allele was associated with increased electric conductivity, paler meat and higher drip loss. The allele substitution effect on IMF was unfavorable, indicating lower IMF when the n allele is present. A breeding strategy including the phenotype (BF_iv) combined with genetic marker information at the RYR1 locus from the selection candidate, resulted in a 20% increase in accuracy and selection response when compared with a breeding strategy without genetic marker information.     

Effect of chitosan‐alginate nanoparticles and ultrasound on the efficiency of gene transfection of human cancer cells

Background

Gene therapy has been used to treat a variety of health problems, but transfection inefficiency and the lack of safe vectors have limited clinical progress. Fabrication of a vector that is safe and has high transfection efficiency is crucial for the development of successful gene therapy. The present study aimed to synthesize chitosan‐alginate nanoparticles that can be used as carriers of the pAcGFP1‐C1 plasmid and to use these nanoparticles with an ultrasound protocol to achieve high efficiency gene transfection.

Methods

Chitosan was complexed with alginate and the pAcGFP1‐C1 plasmid at different charge ratios to create chitosan‐alginate‐DNA nanoparticles (CADNs). The average particle size and loading efficiency were measured. Plasmid DNA retardation and integrity were analysed on 1% agarose gels. The effect of CADNs and ultrasound on the efficiency of transfection of cells and subcutaneous tumors was evaluated.

Results

In the CADNs, the average size of incorporated plasmid DNA was 600–650 nm and the loading efficiency was greater than 90%. On the basis of the results of the plasmid DNA protection test, CADNs could protect the transgene from DNase I degradation. The transgene product expression could be enhanced efficiently if cells or tumor tissues were first given CADNs and then treated with ultrasound.

Conclusions

The use of CADNs combined with an ultrasound regimen is a promising method for safe and effective gene therapy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Ultrasound‐mediated synthesis of camphoric acid‐based chiral salens for the enantioselective trimethylsilylcyanation of aldehydes

New chiral salen ligands were prepared by the ultrasound‐irradiated condensation of optically active (1R, 3S)‐1,2,2‐trimethyl‐1,3‐diaminocyclopentane with aromatic 1‐hydroxyaldehydes. The ultrasound‐mediated process is more convenient due to shorter reaction times, energy economy, and easier isolation of the products. The in situ formed Ti(IV)(salen) complexes, evaluated as catalysts in the enantioselective trimethylsilylcyanation of benzaldehyde, were found to be efficient for this process, originating the corresponding product in high yields (72–99%) and selectivities of up to 79%. The lowest energy transition states were determined by computational studies. These results were in qualitative agreement with the experimentally observed ones. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Phenothiazines alter plasma membrane properties and sensitize cancer cells to injury by inhibiting annexin-mediated repair

Repair of damaged plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells is largely dependent on the binding of annexin repair proteins to phospholipids. Changing the biophysical properties of the plasma membrane may provide means to compromise annexin-mediated repair and sensitize cells to injury. Since, cancer cells experience heightened membrane stress and are more dependent on efficient plasma membrane repair, inhibiting repair may provide approaches to sensitize cancer cells to plasma membrane damage and cell death. Here, we show that derivatives of phenothiazines, which have widespread use in the fields of psychiatry and allergy treatment, strongly sensitize cancer cells to mechanical-, chemical-, and heat-induced injury by inhibiting annexin-mediated plasma membrane repair. Using a combination of cell biology, biophysics, and computer simulations, we show that trifluoperazine acts by thinning the membrane bilayer, making it more fragile and prone to ruptures. Secondly, it decreases annexin binding by compromising the lateral diffusion of phosphatidylserine, inhibiting the ability of annexins to curve and shape membranes, which is essential for their function in plasma membrane repair. Our results reveal a novel avenue to target cancer cells by compromising plasma membrane repair in combination with noninvasive approaches that induce membrane injuries.     

High-Frequency Ultrasound Assessment of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy In Vitro

Ultrasound imaging is proving to be an important tool for medical diagnosis of dermatological disease. Backscatter spectral profiles using high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS, 10–100 MHz) are sensitive to subtle changes in eukaryotic cellular morphology and mechanical properties that are indicative of early apoptosis, the main type of cell death induced following photodynamic therapy (PDT). We performed experiments to study whether HFUS could also be used to discern changes in bacteria following PDT treatment. Pellets of planktonic Staphylococcus aureus were treated with different PDT protocols and subsequently interrogated with HFUS. Changes in ultrasound backscatter response were found to correlate with antimicrobial effect. Despite their small size, distinct changes in bacterial morphology that are indicative of cell damage or death are detectable by altered backscatter spectra from bacterial ensembles using HFUS. This highlights the potential for HFUS in rapidly and non-invasively assessing the structural changes related to antimicrobial response.     

Cardiac imaging: the biological effects of diagnostic cardiac ultrasound

Diagnostic cardiac ultrasounds are an environment-friendly and non-ionising imaging technology. However, ultrasounds are not biologically inert, and their use might have profound clinical impact. This paper summarizes the known effects of cardiac ultrasound—compared to other major imaging techniques—to exposed patients and to clinically exposed physicians practising ultrasound imaging. Furthermore, this review also provides an overview of the evidences on the biological effects of diagnostic ultrasound—which suggest that ultrasound with frequency, intensity and duration fully in the diagnostic range have significant molecular, cellular and organ effects.

A better understanding of these effects may improve our understanding of the complex interactions between ultrasound and biological tissues and may open new avenues to therapeutic applications based on the ultrasound-modulated cell functions, such as membrane transduction, apoptosis, cell permeability and thrombolysis.     

Epidemiological studies on adverse effects of prenatal ultrasound--which are the challenges?

A large number of foetuses are scanned on a routine basis and although it is generally assumed that prenatal ultrasound is safe; very few studies have in fact focused on possible adverse effects in humans. The epidemiological tools when studying possible adverse effects of prenatal ultrasound are randomised controlled trials and observational studies such as cohort and case–control studies. There are advantages and disadvantages with all study designs. In this review, some of the challenges that have to be met are discussed based on experiences from a randomised controlled trial, cohort studies and an ongoing case–control study.     

Medical ultrasound imaging

The paper gives an introduction to current medical ultrasound imaging systems. The basics of anatomic and blood flow imaging are described. The properties of medical ultrasound and its focusing are described, and the various methods for two- and three-dimensional imaging of the human anatomy are shown. Systems using both linear and non-linear propagation of ultrasound are described. The blood velocity can also be non-invasively visualized using ultrasound and the basic signal processing for doing this is introduced. Examples for spectral velocity estimation, color flow imaging and the new vector velocity images are presented.