Pediatric grand rounds: a tribute to Norman J. Siegel, M.D

At ceremonies held in Baltimore Maryland on May, 4, 2002, Dr. Howard A Pearson, Professor of Pediatrics, was awarded the John A. Howland award of the American Pediatric Society, probably the most prestigious award of American Pediatrics. Dr. Pearson had been nominated for the award by Dr. Norman Siegel. The Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds on Wednesday noon, October 26, 2002 was originally scheduled as a repetition of the presentation by Dr. Siegel and the acceptance by Dr. Pearson for those who could not be in Baltimore. However; in a number of meetings, unknown to Dr. Siegel, it was unanimously decided that it would be very appropriate to instead honor him as he stepped down from his position as Vice- and Interim Chairman of Pediatrics, and to formally thank him for his long and faithful service to the Department of Pediatrics, the Yale University School of Medicine, and the Yale New Haven Hospital.     

Cytological evidence for preservation of mitochondrial and plastid DNA in the mature generative cells of Chlorophytum spp. (Liliaceae)

Summary.  Following 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining of mature pollen grains of Chlorophytum comosum, fluorescence microscopy confirmed that cytoplasmic nucleoids (DNA aggregates) were present in the generative cells, which indicated the possibility of biparental cytoplasmic inheritance. Electron and immuno-electron microscopy showed that both plastids and mitochondria were present in the generative cells, and both organelles contained DNA. These results indicate that mitochondria and plastids of C. comosum have the potential for biparental inheritance. Similar results were obtained with mature pollen grains of C. chinense. Therefore, we conclude the coincident biparental inheritance for mitochondria and plastids in the members of the genus Chlorophytum. Received June 28, 2002; accepted September 26, 2002; published online April 2, 2003 RID="*" ID="*" Correspondence and reprints: College of Life Science, Peking University, Bejing 100871, People's Republic of China.     

Clinicopathological Conference: Diagnostic difficulties in a case of polypharmacy

The fifteenth quarterly clinicopathological conference was held at the Royal College of Physicians of London on 29 July 1976. The conference was chaired by Professor Sheila Sherlock (1). She began by introducing Professor Jean-Pierre Benhamou (2), professor of gastroenterology at the Beaujon-Clichy Hospital, University of Paris, who was to open the discussion of the case. Professor Sherlock emphasised that this case had no great dénouement but was more a talking point for various aspects of hepatology, a review of the state of the art. Dr James Scott (3) presented the case, and Dr R Dick (4) described the radiological findings.     

Meeting report: Human fetal tissue transplantation research panel

Summary On September 14 through 16, 1988, a meeting on the use of human fetal tissue in transplantation was held at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland, USA. The meeting sponsored by NIH for the Human Fetal Tissue Transplantation Research Panel, a consultant group to the Advisory Committee to the Director. The consultant group was convened to deal with the scientific, judicial and moral questions associated with research involving transplantation of human fetal tissue obtained after induced abortions. The first day of the meeting was devoted to presentations addressing scientific issues. Included among the speakers was Dr. Lars Olson, Professor of Neurobiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, who described the use of transplanted human fetal tissue in the treatment of patients with Parkinkson's disease and Dr. Eugene Redmond, Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, who showed results of work with transplantation of tissue to correct induced Parkinson-like disease in monkeys. Other speakers addressed the present, past or potential use of fetal tissue in the treatment of diabetes, immune disorders, and other diseases, as well as the use of fetal cells in the production of biologicals. At the conclusion of the meeting the panel did not recommend that research be halted on fetal tissue within the context discussed, although the recommendation of the committee is not binding, and an additional assembly of the panel will probably occur before the final recommendation to an NIH advisory committee is made in November. Other meetings on this subject include a meeting on the use of fetal tissue sponsored by the American Association of Tissue Banks, March 6–7, 1989, in Washington D. C. (Crystal City) and a meeting June 10, 1989, the day before the annual meeting of the Tissue Culture Association, USA, in Orlando, Florida, on fetal cells and ownership of cultured cells and products derived from clinical specimens. Following are statements to the Human Fetal Tissue Transplantation Research Panel presented September 14, 1988, by Dr. David Barnes, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Environmental Health Sciences Center at Oregon State University, USA, who was asked to address for the panel recent advances in cell culture related to fetal tissue, and Dr. Robert E. Stevenson, Director of the American Type Culture Collection, President of the Tissue Culture Association, USA, and Chairman of the Committee on Cells and Tumors of the American Association of Tissue Banks.     

响应性聚集金纳米粒子体系用于细菌的体外热疗研究

目的利用发生响应性聚集后的金纳米粒子体系的较强的光热特性,研究其对细菌的体外光热杀伤作用。方法通过Au-S键反应将合成好的多肽A和多肽B分别修饰到金纳米粒子(GNPs)表面,然后等比例混合组成GNPssystem。首先利用动态光散射(DLS)和透射电镜(TEM)研究其在弱酸性条件下的响应性聚集情况,利用多功能酶标仪研究其在在弱酸性条件下的紫外吸收变化;然后为了了解该纳米粒子在菌液中的光热转换情况,分别测定其在弱酸性条件下溶液内和与细菌作用后的温度变化曲线;进一步考察其体外抗菌效果。结果DLS检测到合成的GNPssystem在弱酸性条件下粒径由16nm增大到900nm左右,并在TEM下可见明显的聚集体,并且在650~900nm的紫外吸收信号明显增高。在模拟细菌的弱酸性环境下,GNPssystem在激光照射条件下均实现了溶液和细菌混合溶液的快速升温,且最高温度可达69.8℃,与对照组GNPs-PEG2000相比具有显著的统计学差异;体外抗菌实验结果显示,GNPssystem对金黄色葡萄球菌的杀伤力最强,50μg/mL浓度时就可杀死约50%的细菌;浓度为200μg/mL时基本上可以完全杀死,与对照组GNPs-PEG2000相比较具有显著的统计学差异。结论本研究为GNPs的设计提供了新的思路,为GNPs用于光热治疗提供了新的方法。     

A festschrift for J. Martyn Bailey, a biochemist extraordinaire

A festschrift for Dr. John Martyn Bailey, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology was organized by the Biochemistry department of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences on December 4-5, 2006 to honor his 48 years of contributions. He made important contributions in the areas of essential fatty acids, prostaglandins, thromboxanes and lipoxygenase metabolites.     

一种狂犬病毒疫苗佐剂的制备及其免疫效果研究

目的:以角鲨烯、山梨醇、吐温为组分,在琥珀酸缓冲液中混和甲型副伤寒沙门菌鞭毛蛋白制备复合佐剂Nano-fla,评价该佐剂对人二倍体狂犬疫苗的免疫效果和安全性。方法:以人二倍体细胞制备的狂犬灭活疫苗为抗原,BALB/c小鼠设置PBS对照组、全剂量疫苗组、半剂量疫苗组、低剂量佐剂组(含半剂量抗原+5μg鞭毛蛋白)、中等剂量佐剂组(含半剂量抗原+10μg鞭毛蛋白),免疫程序为在0、3、7 d肌肉注射,并在首针免疫后的第7、14 d尾静脉采血分离血清,通过快速免疫荧光灶抑制实验检测中和抗体,通过酶联免疫斑点实验检测细胞因子水平。结果:首针免疫后第7 d,中等剂量佐剂组的中和抗体达保护效力水平,显著高于全剂量疫苗组和低剂量佐剂组;第14 d时中等剂量佐剂组的IgG抗体浓度显著高于全剂量疫苗对照组;第14 d中等剂量佐剂组与全剂量疫苗组相比,分泌IFN-γ和IL-4的淋巴细胞数量显著增加。结论:复合佐剂Nano-fla应用到狂犬疫苗中,能有效刺激小鼠体液免疫和细胞免疫应答,更早地产生中和抗体,且能有效降低抗原用量,具有潜在应用价值。     

Are biomedical exchange programs inside The People's Republic of China feasible: report of a six-month study at Hubei Provincial Medical College

Between November 1979 and April 1980 we lived at Hubei Provincial Medical College (HPMC) in Wuchang, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China, in order to organize an exchange program on behalf of the Infectious Disease Section at Yale University School of Medicine. HPMC consists of a medical college, two affiliated Western-style medical hospitals, and a dental hospital. This institution and the living and working conditions arranged on our behalf are described. Ultimately our work centered on epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF), a disease with a high incidence in Southern China; the study of EHF may serve as a focal point for ongoing collaborations. Our results suggest that institution-to-institution exchange programs are feasible and will probably become more common in the future.     

Four Children and Yale: The Making of a Human Geneticist: The Grover Powers Lecture 2014

Dr. Leon E. Rosenberg delivered the following presentation as the Grover Powers Lecturer on May 14, 2014, which served as the focal point of his return to his “adult home” as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. Grover F. Powers, MD, was one of the most influential figures in American Pediatrics and certainly the leader who created the modern Department of Pediatrics at Yale when he was recruited in 1921 from Johns Hopkins and then served as its second chairman from 1927 to 1951. Dr. Powers was an astute clinician and compassionate physician and fostered and shaped the careers of countless professors, chairs, and outstanding pediatricians throughout the country. This lectureship has continued yearly since it first honored Dr. Powers in 1956. The selection of Dr. Rosenberg for this honor recognizes his seminal role at Yale and throughout the world in the fostering and cultivating of the field of human genetics. Dr. Rosenberg served as the inaugural Chief of a joint Division of Medical Genetics in the Departments of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine; he became Chair when this attained Departmental status. Then he served as Dean of the Medical School from 1984 to 1991, before he became President of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute at Bristol-Myers Squibb and later Senior Molecular Biologist and Professor at Princeton University, until his recent retirement. Dr. Rosenberg has received numerous honors that include the Borden Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the McKusick Leadership Award from the American Society for Human Genetics, and election to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences.     

基于高通量测序的不同年龄恒河猴肠道菌群结构差异分析

目的观察不同年龄恒河猴肠道菌群结构和丰度的变化。方法 50只恒河猴,分为成年(5～10岁)、老年(10岁以上)2组,其中成年组33只,老年组17只。采集动物的新鲜直肠粪便,提取DNA后使用Illumina高通量测序平台对样本中细菌16S rDNA-V3区进行测序,定量分析肠道菌群的结构和丰度。结果老年组和成年组获得的优化序列数差异无显著性(P> 0.05)。α-多样性分析,老年组恒河猴肠道菌群的Chao1指数(P=0.0174)、Simpson指数(P=0.0258)、ACE指数(P=0.0121)与成年组比较降低,Shannon指数与成年组比较升高(P=0.0132)。老年组与成年组相比,在门水平,拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)相对丰度升高(P=0.0013),厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)、螺旋体门(Spirochaetes)、疣微菌门(Verrucomicrobia)、粘胶球形菌门(Lentisphaerae)相对丰度降低(P=0.0283,P=0.0002,P=0.0482,P=0.0242)。在科水平,Prevotellaceae相对丰度升高(P=0.0001),Ruminococcaceae、Clostridiales、Spirochaetaceae、Christensenellaceae相对丰度降低(P=0.0039,P=0.0080,P=0.0002,P=0.0021)。在属水平,老年组unidentified_Prevotellaceae相对丰度升高(P=0.0001),乳杆菌属(Lactobacillus)、八迭球菌(Sarcina)、unidentified_Spirochaetaceae相对丰度降低(P=0.0114,P=0.0227,P=0.0028)。β-多样性分析,老年组肠道菌群与成年组分布在不同区域,差异有显著性(P=0.003)。LEfSe分析,在成年组,链球菌属(Streptococcus)、布赫纳氏菌属(buchnera)、乳杆菌属(lactobacillus)是具有统计学意义的生物标记物。结论恒河猴肠道菌群的结构随年龄增长而改变。丰度降低,多样性增高。     

溴化乙锭诱导无线粒体DNA宫颈癌HeLa细胞系的构建和鉴定

[目的]构建和鉴定由溴化乙锭(EB)诱导的无线粒体DNA(mtDNA)宫颈癌ρ~0HeLa细胞系,探讨mtDNA与宫颈癌发生的关系。[方法]采用含50ng/ml溴化乙锭、100μg/ml丙酮酸钠和50μg/ml尿嘧啶核苷的高糖DMEM完全培养基中传代培养HeLa细胞。低剂量EB连续诱导60d后,采用营养缺陷鉴定、PCR和WesternBlot鉴定无mtDNA的ρ~0HeLa细胞系;采用透射电子显微镜观察ρ~0HeLa细胞内线粒体形态变化;采用CCK8法测定ρ~0HeLa细胞增殖曲线。[结果]经溴化乙锭诱导60d,可以培养出具有尿嘧啶核苷依赖性的无mtDNA宫颈癌HeLa细胞系。普通PCR和qPCR结果均显示,低剂量EB诱导60d的ρ~0HeLa细胞中mtDNA完全缺失。WesternBlot结果显示,HeLa细胞中能表达核编码的NDUFA9蛋白,也能表达线粒体编码MT-ND1蛋白。而ρ~0HeLa细胞中已无MT-ND1蛋白表达,但核编码的NDUFA9蛋白能够正常表达。透射电子显微镜观察显示,ρ~0HeLa细胞内部分出现空泡改变,线粒体嵴被破坏。CCK8细胞增殖实验结果显示,ρ~0HeLa细胞系生长速度显著低于正常HeLa细胞系,且差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。[结论]无mtDNA的宫颈癌HeLa细胞系的建立,为后续研究mtDNA突变和线粒体功能在宫颈癌发生发展中的作用及机制奠定了基础。     

In memory of Professor Leonor Michaelis in Nagoya: Great contributions to biochemistry in Japan in the first half of the 20th century

Leonor Michaelis spent the years of 1922–1926 as Professor of Biochemistry of the Aichi Medical College (now Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University) in Nagoya, Japan. Michaelis succeeded in gathering many bright young biochemists from all over Japan into his laboratory, and made tremendous contributions to the promotion of biochemistry in Japan. Michaelis was invited to many places in Japan to present lectures over those years. Kunio Yagi, who was Professor of Biochemistry at Nagoya University in the second half of the 20th century, succeeded in crystallizing the “Michaelis” enzyme–substrate complex. Historically, Michelis has had an enormous impact on biochemistry in Japan.