Pioglitazone suppresses advanced glycation end product-induced expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in vascular smooth muscle cells

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play an important role in vascular complications of diabetes, including fibrinolytic abnormalities.Pioglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARΥ) agonist, has recently been shown to reduce circulating plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels in diabetes mellitus. In the present study, we investigated the effects of pioglitazone on the expression of local PAI-1 in rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced by AGEs and the underlying mechanism. The result showed that AGEs could enhance the PAI-1 expression by 5.1-fold in mRNA and 2.7-fold in protein level, as evaluated by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting,respectively. Pioglitazone was found to down-regulate the AGE-stimulated PAI-1 expression in VSMCs. However, these inhibitory effects were partially attenuated by the PPARΥ antagonist, GW9662. Furthermore, we found that AGEs induced a rapid increase in phosphorylation and activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2). The ERK kinase inhibitor, UO126, partially prevented the induction of PAI-1 by AGEs. Moreover, pioglitazone was also found to inhibit the phosphorylation of ERKi/2. Taken together, it was concluded that pioglitazone could inhibit AGE-induced PAI-1 expression, which was mediated by the ERK1/2 and PPARΥ pathways. Our findings suggestedpioglitazone had a therapeutic potential in improving fibrinolytic activity, and consequently preventing thromboembolic complications of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.     

联合检测血清NGAL、KIM-1和SCr可有效提高慢性肾病分期诊断

为了探讨中性粒细胞明胶酶相关脂质运载蛋白(neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, NGAL)和肾损伤分子-1 (kidney injury molecule-1, KIM-1)以及血肌酐(serum creatinine, SCr)联合检测对慢性肾病(chronic kidney disease, CKD)的早期诊断价值,本研究收集260例肾病患者和85例健康体检者,检测其血清NGAL、KIM-1和SCr水平。依据肾功能分级标准,CKD患者分为CKD 1期(53例),CKD 2期(68例),CKD 3期(71例),CKD 4期(46例)和CKD 5期(22例),并分析以上指标在各组间的含量差异,及其联合测定对CKD早期的敏感性。与健康对照组相比较,CKD 1期、CKD 2期、3期、4期和5期患者的NGAL、KIM-1水平均明显升高(p<0.001)。血清SCr含量在CKD 3期、4期和5期组较健康对照组显著增加(p<0.001)。以上3项指标均随着CKD严重程度增加而升高。各组指标阳性率分析显示,3项联合检测阳性率高于单项检测阳性率。ROC曲线分析NGAL、KIM-1、SCr对CKD诊断的AUC值F分别是为0.824、0.805、0.856。相关性分析结果显示,GFR和NGAL、KIM-1、SCr相关系数分别是r=-0.784、-0.756、-0.728 (p<0.05)。NGAL与KIM-1、SCr的相关系数分别是r=0.932、0.764 (p<0.05);KIM-1与SCr的相关系数r分别是0.791 (p<0.05)。本研究初步得出结论:血清NGAL、Kim-1可作为CKD早期诊断的重要指标,联合检测血清NGAL、Kim-1、SCr可有效提高CKD早期肾损伤诊断的敏感度,对CKD的分期诊断和治疗具有极其重要的临床价值。     

小鼠对不同拓扑性质图形的识别

视觉感知的一系列研究都支持大范围拓扑感知的理论．拓扑性质作为整体性质,是视觉感知的基础．视觉对图形拓扑特征差异的感知要优先于对局部特征差异的感知．采用Y迷宫研究了小鼠对不同拓扑性质图形的识别．训练小鼠学习识别圆环和实心矩形这一对拓扑性质不同的图形,之后用拓扑特征相同或不同的其他图形测试小鼠,这些图形包括空心矩形、实心圆、缺口的圆环、缺口的空心矩形．实验结果表明,学会识别圆环(奖励)和实心矩形(无奖励)的小鼠无法区分实心圆和实心矩形以及圆环和空心矩形,但是能够分别从缺口圆环、缺口的空心矩形、实心圆与空心矩形组成的图形对中识别出空心矩形．因此证实了小鼠的视觉系统能够感知拓扑特征的差异并且具有对拓扑性质的概括能力．结果为拓扑知觉对视觉系统来说是基本的这一假设提供了证据．     

一步法发酵菊芋生产乙醇

利用马克斯克鲁维酵母(Kluyveromyces marxianus)YX01具有菊粉酶生产能力且乙醇发酵性能良好的特点,直接发酵菊粉生成乙醇.在摇瓶中考察了该菌株最适发酵温度,进而在2.5L发酵罐中考察了通气量和底物浓度的影响.实验结果表明:该菌株最适发酵温度为35℃;在通气量为50 mL/min和100 mL/min时菌体生长加快,发酵时间缩短,但在不通气条件下糖醇转化率明显提高;在菊粉浓度235 g/L时,发酵终点乙醇浓度达到92.2 g/L,乙醇对糖的得率为0.436,为理论值的85.5%.在此基础上,使用近海滩涂种植海水灌溉收获的菊芋为底物,以批式补料方式直接发酵菊芋干粉浓度为280 g/L的底物,发酵终点乙醇浓度为84.0 g/L,乙醇对糖的得率为0.405,为理论值的80.0%.这些研究工作,为以菊芋为原料的燃料乙醇技术开发奠定了基础.     

多药耐药菌肺感染患者应用改良后呼吸机对病室环境卫生学影响

目的:探讨应用改良后的呼吸机对病室环境卫生学的影响。方法:对10例产碳青霉烯酶肺炎克雷伯菌肺感染应用呼吸机的患者和40例肺部感染耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(MRSA)使用呼吸机的患者进行分组试验,对病室环境卫生学监测结果进行统计分析。机器改良方法是呼吸机的呼气阀处连接一条螺纹管,将带菌空气引出,消毒后排放。结果:肺部感染产碳青霉烯酶肺炎克雷伯菌应用改良后呼吸机的一组在空气、床头桌、水池、操作中人员手的阳性率分别为20%、10%、20%、10%,较未改良的对照组为80%、70%、70%、50%有明显的下降。肺部感染MRSA使用有创改良呼吸机组空气、床头桌、水池、操作中人员手的阳性率分别为10%、10%、5%、10%均低于无创改良组的20%、20%、10%、20%。结论:此种方法有效地降低了环境的污染程度,降低了医源性医院感染的风险。加强洗手和隔离等卫生预防学措施可以有效的降低MRSA的医院感染率。     

Carbohydrate analysis by a phenol-sulfuric acid method in microplate format

Among many colorimetric methods for carbohydrate analysis, the phenol-sulfuric acid method is the easiest and most reliable method. It has been used for measuring neutral sugars in oligosaccharides, proteoglycans, glycoproteins, and glycolipids. This method is used widely because of its sensitivity and simplicity. In its original form, it required 50-450 nmol of monosaccharides or equivalent for analysis and thus is inadequate for precious samples. A scaled-down version requiring only 10-80 nmol of sugars was reported previously. We have now modified and optimized this method to use 96-well microplates for high throughput, to gain greater sensitivity, and to economize the reagents. This modified and optimized method allows longer linear range (1-150 nmol for Man) and excellent sensitivity. Moreover, our method is more convenient, requiring neither shaking nor covering, and takes less than 15 min to complete. The speed and simplicity of this method would make it most suitable for analyses of large numbers of samples such as chromatographic fractions.     

Microtubule-dependent retrograde transport of proteins into the ER in the presence of brefeldin A suggests an ER recycling pathway

Characteristics of brefeldin A (BFA)-induced redistribution of Golgi proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and its relationship to an ER retrieval pathway were investigated. Retrograde movement of Golgi proteins into the ER occurred via long, tubulovesicular processes extending out of the Golgi along microtubules. Microtubule-disrupting agents (i.e., nocodazole), energy poisons, and reduced temperatures inhibited this pathway. In BFA-treated cells Golgi proteins appeared to cycle between the ER and an intermediate compartment marked by a 53 kd protein. Addition of nocodazole disrupted this dynamic cycle by preferentially inhibiting retrograde movement, causing Golgi proteins to accumulate in the intermediate compartment. In the absence of BFA, such an ER cycling pathway appeared to be followed normally by the 53 kd protein but not by Golgi proteins, as revealed by temperature shift experiments. We propose that BFA induces the interaction of the Golgi with an intermediate "recycling" compartment that utilizes a microtubule-dependent pathway into the ER.     

Differences in genotypes of Helicobacter pylori from different human populations

DNA motifs at several informative loci in more than 500 strains of Helicobacter pylori from five continents were studied by PCR and sequencing to gain insights into the evolution of this gastric pathogen. Five types of deletion, insertion, and substitution motifs were found at the right end of the H. pylori cag pathogenicity island. Of the three most common motifs, type I predominated in Spaniards, native Peruvians, and Guatemalan Ladinos (mixed Amerindian-European ancestry) and also in native Africans and U.S. residents; type II predominated among Japanese and Chinese; and type III predominated in Indians from Calcutta. Sequences in the cagA gene and in vacAm1 type alleles of the vacuolating cytotoxin gene (vacA) of strains from native Peruvians were also more like those from Spaniards than those from Asians. These indications of relatedness of Latin American and Spanish strains, despite the closer genetic relatedness of Amerindian and Asian people themselves, lead us to suggest that H. pylori may have been brought to the New World by European conquerors and colonists about 500 years ago. This thinking, in turn, suggests that H. pylori infection might have become widespread in people quite recently in human evolution.     

城市生态园林与生物多样性保护

城市生态园林与生物多样性保护袁兴中,刘红（曲阜师范大学,２７３１６５）ＵｒｂａｎＥｃｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌｇａｒｄｅｎｉｎｇａｎｄＢｉｏｄｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙＣｏｎｓｅｒｖａｔｉｏｎ．￥ＹｕａｎＸｉｎｇｚｈｏｎｇ;ＬｉｕＨｏｎｇ（Ｄｅ－ｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｏｆＢｉ...