Myocardial functional preservation during ischemia: Influence of beta blocking agents

To determine whether prior acute Beta blockade protects the heart against the deleterious effects of normothermic low flow global ischemia on myocardial function, aortic pressure, developed pressure, dP/dtmax and end diastolic pressure were monitored in isolated perfused rabbit hearts prior to, during and following 30 and 60 min ischemia, during which either Krebs-Henseleit (control) or Beta blocking agents, Bevantolol (cardioselective) or Propranolol (non-selective) were perfused through the heart. Control hearts made ischemic for 30 min and then reperfused had significantly elevated end diastolic (p < .01) and aortic pressures (p < .01) and reduced developed pressure relative to baseline (p < .05). Hearts treated with Bevantolol or Propranolol (3 × 10^-5 m/l) 5 min prior to and during 30 min ischemia recovered preischemic developed pressure and dP/dt_max (p > 0.05), while end diastolic pressure was elevated (p < .01, p < .05 respectively). Aortic pressure was unchanged relative to baseline (p > .05). Comparison of indices from hearts under Beta blockade with controls showed that following 30 min ischemia and recovery, the Bevantolol treated group had reduced aortic pressure (p < .01) and end diastolic pressure (p < .05) and increased percent developed pressure and percent dP/dt_max (p < .001) relative to control. In the propranolol treated group, end diastolic pressure was reduced and percent developed pressure (p < .01) and percent dP/dt_max (p < .001) were increased relative to unblocked hearts. Following 60 min ischemia and 30 min reperfusion, reduction in all functional indices occurred, however dP/dt_max was unchanged from baseline in the Propranolol and Bevantolol treated groups. Comparison between groups showed that the Bevantolol treated group had significantly better dP/dt_max and developed pressure (p < .05), whereas the Propranolol group shows no significant difference from baseline (p > .05) (K-H). We conclude that following short periods of ischemia, Beta blockade protects the heart from deleterious function effects of ischemia but that the protective effect is diminished in Bevantolol relative to Propranolol treatments following prolonged ischemia. The data indicates that the beneficial effects of Beta blockade in reducing ischemic induced damage occurs early during conditions of ischemia such as would be present in the setting of acute myocardial infarction.     

Severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction after permanent pacemaker implantation: Should we pause before upgrading to biventricular pacing?

Left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction leading to heart failure (HF) is known to occur after permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) in a subset of patients. They are often treated by upgradation of the pacemaker to cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT). We report a case of progressive LV dysfunction and HF after PPI. Cardiac ¹⁸FDG-PET-CT scan revealed abnormal myocardial FDG uptake suggestive of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). Biopsy from FDG avid lymph node demonstrated non-caseating granuloma. Therapy with steroids resulted in resolution of HF symptoms accompanied by a significant improvement in LV function.     

Haemodynamic evaluation of alternative left ventricular endocardial pacing sites in clinical non-responders to cardiac resynchronisation therapy

Introduction

Non response to cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) may be related to the position of the coronary sinus lead.

Methods

We studied the acute haemodynamic response (AHR) from alternative left ventricular (LV) endocardial pacing sites in clinical non-responders to CRT. AHR and the interval from QRS onset to LV sensing (Q-LV interval) from four different endocardial pacing sites were evaluated in 24 clinical non-responders. A rise in LVdP/dtmax ≥ 15 % from baseline was considered a positive AHR. We also compared the AHR from endocardial with the corresponding epicardial lead position.

Results

The implanted system showed an AHR ≥ 15 % in 5 patients. In 9 of the 19 remaining patients, AHR could be elevated to ≥ 15 % by endocardial LV pacing. The optimal endocardial pacing site was posterolateral. There was no significant difference in AHR between the epicardial and the corresponding endocardial position. The longest Q-LV interval corresponded with the best AHR in 12 out of the 14 patients with a positive AHR, with an average Q-LV/QRS width ratio of 90 %.

Conclusions

Acute haemodynamic testing may indicate an alternative endocardial pacing site with a positive AHR in clinical non-responders. The Q-LV interval is a strongly correlated with the optimal endocardial pacing site. Endocardial pacing opposite epicardial sites does not result in a better AHR.     

Technical note: PCR analysis of minimum target amount of ancient DNA

The study of ancient DNA plays an important role in archaeological and palaeontological research as well as in pathology and forensics. Here, we present a new tool for ancient DNA analysis, which overcomes contamination problems, DNA degradation, and the negative effects of PCR inhibitors while reducing the amount of starting target material in the picogram range. Ancient bone samples from four Egyptian mummies were examined by combining laser microdissection, conventional DNA extraction, and low‐volume PCR. Initially, several bone particles (osteons) in the micrometer range were extracted by laser microdissection. Subsequently, ancient DNA amplification was performed to verify our extraction method. Amelogenin and β‐actin gene specific fragments were amplified via low‐volume PCR in a total reaction volume of 1 μl. Results of microdissected mummy DNA samples were compared to mummy DNA, which was extracted using a standard DNA extraction method based on pulverization of bone material. Our results highlight the combination of laser microdissection and low‐volume PCR as a promising new technique in ancient DNA analysis. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

一种包装AAV2/5的重组单纯疱疹病毒的构建

为了得到一种可以包装AAV2/5和表达绿色荧光蛋白的重组单纯疱疹病毒,设计并构建了一个由AAV2rep基因和AAV5cap基因嵌合而成的rep2cap5基因,然后,利用一套携带HSV1基因组的粘粒系统(cos6、cos28、cos14、cos56、cos48),将rep2cap5基因插入cos6粘粒上HSV1基因组片段的UL2基因中,而将EGFP的表达单位插入cos56粘粒上HSV1基因组片段的UL44基因中,用这2个重组粘粒与其它3个粘粒(cos14、cos28、cos48)共转染BHK-21细胞获得了重组病毒HSV1-r2c5-EGFP并进行了空斑纯化。HSV1-r2c5-EGFP病毒能够在BHK-21细胞连续传代,并且可以观察到几乎所有的感染细胞都能产生绿色荧光。用PCR方法以及Southern杂交方法表明所获得的HSV1-r2c5-EGFP中携带有rep2cap5基因,用HSV1-r2c5-EGFP感染携带报告基因LacZ的AAV载体细胞株,获得了具有感染性的重组AAV2/5-LacZ。结果表明,所获得的重组单纯疱疹病毒HSV1-r2c5-EGFP可提供AAV2/5载体包装所需的全部辅助功能,是一种能简便、高效制备重组AAV2/5病毒的通用性辅助病毒。     

山西吕梁山草本群落物种多样性的海拔梯度格局及与环境因子的关系

山地草本群落物种多样性的海拔梯度格局及其与环境因子的关系一直是生态学和地理学研究的热点问题。为探究吕梁山草本群落不同尺度物种多样性(α、β、γ多样性)的海拔梯度格局及其与环境因子的关系,该研究采用样方法在吕梁山从北向南选取管涔山、关帝山、五鹿山,并对每个山地划分出高、中、低3个海拔梯度,对草本群落物种多样性和环境因子进行调查分析。结果表明:(1)α多样性随海拔升高呈先升后减的单峰变化格局,峰值出现在中海拔; β多样性中Cody指数在1 900～2 000 m间出现峰值,而Bray-Curtis 指数出现最小值,表明1 900～2 000 m海拔带是草本群落物种更新速率和组成变化较快的过渡地带; γ多样性随海拔升高也呈先升后减的单峰变化格局(R²=0.406,P<0.01)。(2)海拔对温度、湿度变化的影响极其显著(P<0.01); 海拔、温度、湿度等环境因子共同影响物种的α多样性,其中海拔是主要影响因素(P<0.05),温度、湿度影响不显著(P>0.05)。综上所述,吕梁山草本群落多样性在海拔梯度上多表现为 “中间膨胀”变化格局,海拔变化是影响多样性变化的主要因素。     

Polypeptide composition of flacherie viruses of the silkworm

The purified flacherie viruses of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, (FVS I, FVS II, FVS III, and FVS IV) were iodinated by using chloramine-T. The iodinated FVSes were purified by sucrose density gradient centrifugation or 2.4% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. FVS IV was found in the sedimentation analysis of FVS I, FVS II, and FVS IV. Electrophoretic patterns of FVS IV showed that it was a mixture of components having identical mobilities with FVS I, EVS IIa, and FVS IIb. FVS IV was a decomposed particle of FVS I, FVS II, and/or FVS III. All of these particles contained three polypeptides with molecular weights of about 51,000, 31,000, and 12,000 daltons. FVS I composed of six polypeptides with molecular weights of 67,000, 51,000, 39,000, 31,000, 14,000, and 12,000 daltons. The maturation process of FVS I was discussed and was suggested as the following process, FVS IIb→FVS IIa→FVS I. It is not clear whether FVS III is an intermediate for FVS IIa to convert into FVS I, or FVS III is a decomposed particle of FVS I.     

RNA viruses in the sea

Viruses are ubiquitous in the sea and appear to outnumber all other forms of marine life by at least an order of magnitude. Through selective infection, viruses influence nutrient cycling, community structure, and evolution in the ocean. Over the past 20 years we have learned a great deal about the diversity and ecology of the viruses that constitute the marine virioplankton, but until recently the emphasis has been on DNA viruses. Along with expanding knowledge about RNA viruses that infect important marine animals, recent isolations of RNA viruses that infect single-celled eukaryotes and molecular analyses of the RNA virioplankton have revealed that marine RNA viruses are novel, widespread, and genetically diverse. Discoveries in marine RNA virology are broadening our understanding of the biology, ecology, and evolution of viruses, and the epidemiology of viral diseases, but there is still much that we need to learn about the ecology and diversity of RNA viruses before we can fully appreciate their contributions to the dynamics of marine ecosystems. As a step toward making sense of how RNA viruses contribute to the extraordinary viral diversity in the sea, we summarize in this review what is currently known about RNA viruses that infect marine organisms.     

Evidence for plant viruses in the region of Argentina Islands, Antarctica

This work focused on the assessment of plant virus occurrence among primitive and higher plants in the Antarctic region. Sampling occurred during two seasons (2004/5 and 2005/6) at the Ukrainian Antarctic Station 'Academician Vernadskiy' positioned on Argentina Islands. Collected plant samples of four moss genera (Polytrichum, Plagiatecium, Sanionia and Barbilophozia) and one higher monocot plant species, Deschampsia antarctica, were further subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to test for the presence of common plant viruses. Surprisingly, samples of Barbilophozia and Polytrichum mosses were found to contain antigens of viruses from the genus Tobamovirus, Tobacco mosaic virus and Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, which normally parasitize angiosperms. By contrast, samples of the monocot Deschampsia antarctica were positive for viruses typically infecting dicots: Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, Cucumber mosaic virus and Tomato spotted wilt virus. Serological data for Deschampsia antarctica were supported in part by transmission electron microscopy observations and bioassay results. The results demonstrate comparatively high diversity of plant viruses detected in Antarctica; the results also raise questions of virus specificity and host susceptibility, as the detected viruses normally infect dicotyledonous plants. However, the means of plant virus emergence in the region remain elusive and are discussed.     

寨卡病毒及其疫苗研究

寨卡病毒与黄热病毒、登革热病毒、日本脑炎病毒、西尼罗病毒等都属于蚊媒传播的黄病毒属病毒。寨卡病毒分离于1947年,但由于分布区域有限,所致寨卡热症状较轻,很长一段时间并没有引起太多的关注。最近一些年,特别是2015年后,巴西的寨卡疫情暴发及其与新生儿小头畸形的关联,引起了全球越来越多的关注。疫苗是应对寨卡疫情的重要手段,目前全球有30余个机构在进行寨卡病毒疫苗的研发。本文综述了寨卡病毒的生物学、流行病学、临床特征以及当前不同类型寨卡病毒疫苗研发现状,同时对其他几种黄病毒属病毒批准和临床阶段疫苗情况进行了概述,以为相关研究人员提供参考。     

Early onset of virus infection and up-regulation of cytokines in mice treated with cadmium and manganese

A substantial database indicates that a large number of environmental pollutants, chemicals and therapeutic agents to which organisms are exposed cause immunotoxicity. The suppression of immune functions may cause increased susceptibility of the host to a variety of microbial pathogens potentially resulting in a life-threatening state. Evaluation of the immunotoxic potential of chemical xenobiotics is of great concern and, therefore, we have investigated the impact of exposure of inorganic metals, specifically cadmium (Cd) and manganese (Mn) on Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), Semliki Forest virus (SFV), and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus (VEEV) infection. Pretreatment with a single, oral dose of Cd or Mn increased the susceptibility of mice to a sub-lethal infection of these viruses as observed by increased severity of symptoms and mortality compared to untreated controls. An early onset of virus infection was found in brains of Cd and Mn treated animals. Histopathological observations of the brain indicate evidence of inflammation and greater tissue pathology in Cd-or Mn-exposed mice compared to control animals. Meningitis and vascular congestion was seen in virus infected mice in all the metal treated groups, and further, the perivascular inflammation appeared earlier in treated mice compared to control. Encephalitis was maximum in Cd pretreated mice. Widespread environmental contamination of metals and the potential for their exposure and subsequent infection of humans or animals is indicative that further studies of these and all other metals are important to understand the effect of environmental pollution on human health.     

应用斑点法检测植物病毒的研究

应用斑点法检测了病叶粗汁液中的芜菁花叶病毒(TuMV)、大豆花叶病毒(sMV)和黄瓜花叶病毒(CMV),病叶粗汁液可被检测的最大稀释度分别为1:5120、1:2560和1:1280。提纯的大豆花叶病毒和黄瓜花叶病毒可检测的最低限量分别为1.7ng和1.2ng。以牛血清白蛋白、吐温和聚乙烯吡咯啉酮作封闭液,均可获得满意的结果。应用斑点法检测芜菁花叶病毒和大豆花叶病毒时,其抗血清稀释1:500倍可获得满意效果,稀释2000倍仍可用于检测。     

肝炎病毒与EB病毒重叠感染

为探讨肝炎病毒（ＨＶ）与ＥＢ病毒（ＥＢＶ）重叠感染的状况和后果,我们用免疫酶法对１５４例各型病毒性肝炎患者作了ＥＢＶＩｇＡ抗体检测。结果发现,急性肝炎、慢性轻度肝炎、慢性中度肝炎、肝炎肝硬化、慢性重型肝炎和原发性肝癌ＶＧＡ－ＩｇＡ抗体的阳性率分别为２４．０％、３０．０％、５３．３％、６３．３％、４０．０％和７２．７％,与健康人（５．３％）比较,有非常显著升高（Ｐ＜０．０１）;原发性肝癌又较急性肝炎和慢性轻度肝炎高,并有非常显著意义差异（Ｐ＜０．０１）。ＨＢＶ和ＨＡＶ＋ＨＢＶ感染者比较,前者又较后者低（Ｐ＜０．０１）。重叠感染者的临床表现均为“肝炎型”,未见咽炎、腺热、胃肠、肺炎、肾炎、神经等类型。重叠感染者的ＣＤ＋３及ＣＤ＋４Ｔ细胞下降,ＣＤ＋８Ｔ细胞及ＩｇＧ,ＩｇＭ升高,与健康人比较差异非常显著意义（Ｐ＜０．０１）。结果提示：ＨＶ感染,不仅因免疫失调易感ＥＢＶ,又可因重叠感染而进一步使免疫功能失调;对病毒性肝炎的处理应强调免疫调节治疗。     

Expression and detection of endogenous mouse C-type RNA viruses

Summary Many naturally occurring C-type RNA viruses are of endogenous origin. The genetic information for synthesizing these RNA viruses is present in the DNA of normal mouse cells, probably as part of their chromosomal DNA. Some C-type viruses infect mouse cells (homotropic virus), while others infect certain tissue culture cells from other species but not mouse fibroblasts (xenotropic virus). All mouse strains studied appear to contain endogenous xenotropic viral genomes. However, based on the regularity with which homotropic virus is detected, inbred mice can be divided into high, low, and nonvirus-yielding strains. Nucleic acid hybridization studies have shown that DNA from high virus strains contains several copies of the homotropic virus genome, while that from low virus strains contains fewer copies, and DNA from nonvirus strains lacks a significant portion of the homotropic virus genome. In vivo and in vitro genetic studies support the nucleic acid hybridization results. In addition, high virus mouse strains are more likely than low virus strains to release virus that will replicate efficiently in their own cells. Methods for the activation and detection of endogenous C-type virus in tissue culture are discussed. Presented at the Session in Depth on Endogenous Viruses in Cell Culture at the Twenty-fifth Annual Meeting of the Tissue Culture Association, June 1974.     

Qualification of a novel inline spiking method for virus filter validation

Virus filters are widely used in bioprocessing to reduce the risk of virus contamination in therapeutics. The small pores required to retain viruses are sensitive to plugging by trace contaminants and frequently require inline adsorptive prefiltration. Virus spiking studies are required to demonstrate virus removal capabilities of the virus filter using scale down filters. If prefiltration removes viruses and interferes with the measurement of virus filter LRV, the standard approach is to batch prefilter the protein solution, spike with virus, and then virus filter. For a number of proteins, batch prefiltration leads to increased plugging and significantly lower throughputs than inline prefiltration. A novel inline spiking method was developed to overcome this problem. This method allows the use of inline prefiltration with direct measurement of virus filter removal capabilities. The equipment and its operation are described. The method was tested with three different protein feeds, two different parvovirus filters, two virus injection rates; a salt spike, a bacteriophage spike, and two mammalian virus spikes: MMV and xMuLV. The novel inline method can reliably measure LRV at throughputs representative of the manufacturing process. It is recommended for applications where prefiltration is needed to improve throughput, prefiltration significantly reduces virus titer, and virus filter throughput is significantly reduced using batch vs. inline prefiltration. It can even help for the case where the virus preparation causes premature plugging.     

New insights in LV torsion for the selection of cardiac resynchronisation therapy candidates

Recent literature indicates that torsion of the left ventricle (LV) is a promising predictor for response to cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT). Among patients with severe heart failure, 45 to 75% of patients show rigid body rotation, where the base and apex rotate in the same direction, instead of normal, opposite rotation. The occurrence of this phenomenon seems to be a good indicator for response to CRT. From this review, it can be concluded that LV torsion might be a welcome addition to current selection criteria.