大鼠肢体缺血预处理对肝缺血/再灌注损伤的保护作用

目的：研究肢体缺血预处理对大鼠肝缺血/再灌注损伤是否具有保护作用。方法：雄性SD大鼠32只,随机分为对照组（S组）;缺血/再灌注组（I/R组）;经典缺血预处理组（IPC组）;肢体缺血预处理组（远端缺血预处理组,RPC组）。S组仅行开腹,不作其他处理;IPC组以肝缺血5min作预处理;RPC组以双后肢缺血5min,反复3次作预处理,2个预处理组及I/R组均行肝缺血1h再灌注3h。取血用于血清谷丙转氨酶（ALT）与血清谷草转氨酶（AST）检测。切取肝组织用于测定湿干比（W/D）、中性粒细胞（PMN）计数及观察显微、超微结构的变化。结果：与I/R组比较,IPC组,RPC组ALT,AST,W/D值,及PMN计数均明显降低（P〈0.01）,肝脏的显微及超微结构损伤减轻。结论：肢体缺血预处理对大鼠肝脏I/R损伤有明显的保护作用,强度与经典缺血预处理相当,其机制可能与抑制肝脏炎症反应、减轻肝脏水肿、改善肝组织微循环有关。     

Global co-occurrence of methanogenic archaea and methanotrophic bacteria in Microcystis aggregates

Global warming and eutrophication contribute to the worldwide increase in cyanobacterial blooms, and the level of cyanobacterial biomass is strongly associated with rises in methane emissions from surface lake waters. Hence, methane-metabolizing microorganisms may be important for modulating carbon flow in cyanobacterial blooms. Here, we surveyed methanogenic and methanotrophic communities associated with floating Microcystis aggregates in 10 lakes spanning four continents, through sequencing of 16S rRNA and functional marker genes. Methanogenic archaea (mainly Methanoregula and Methanosaeta) were detectable in 5 of the 10 lakes and constituted the majority (~50%–90%) of the archaeal community in these lakes. Three of the 10 lakes contained relatively more abundant methanotrophs than the other seven lakes, with the methanotrophic genera Methyloparacoccus, Crenothrix, and an uncultured species related to Methylobacter dominating and nearly exclusively found in each of those three lakes. These three are among the five lakes in which methanogens were observed. Operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness and abundance of methanotrophs were strongly positively correlated with those of methanogens, suggesting that their activities may be coupled. These Microcystis-aggregate-associated methanotrophs may be responsible for a hitherto overlooked sink for methane in surface freshwaters, and their co-occurrence with methanogens sheds light on the methane cycle in cyanobacterial aggregates.     

Extract‐SAGE: An integrated platform for cross­analysis and GA­based selection of SAGE data

Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) is a powerful quantification technique for gene expression data. The huge amount of tag data in SAGE libraries of samples is difficult to analyze with current SAGE analysis tools. Data is often not provided in a biologically significant way for cross‐analysis and ‐comparison, thus limiting its application. Hence, an integrated software platform that can perform such a complex task is required. Here, we implement set theory for cross‐analyzing gene expression data among different SAGE libraries of tissue sources; up‐ or down‐regulated tissue‐specific tags can be identified computationally. Extract‐SAGE employs a genetic algorithm (GA) to reduce the number of genes among the SAGE libraries. Its representative tag mining will facilitate the discovery of the candidate genes with discriminating gene expression.     

旋转磁场联合5-FU对SP2/0细胞超微弱发光强度的影响

目的:研究旋转磁场(RMF)联合氟尿嘧啶(5-Fu)对小鼠骨髓瘤细胞(SP2/0)超微弱发光的影响,探讨两者联合对肿瘤细胞的杀伤作用.方法:SP2/0细胞分为四组:对照组,单纯5-FU化疗组(单化组),单纯磁疗组(单磁组),磁场联合5-FU组(磁化组).用RMF、5-FU作用于SP2/0细胞,化学发光仪进行分析.结果:对照组的化学发光强度值最低,单化组、单磁组、磁化组化学发光强度值均明显高于对照组(P均<0.001).单磁组低于单化组及磁化组,有明显差别(P<0.001);磁化组的化学发光强度值最高,高于单化组(P<0.001).结论:磁场和5-Fu均可引起SP2/0细胞化学发光强度值的变化,以磁场联合5-Fu的化学发光强度值变化最明显,提示磁场单独及联合5-FU对SP2/0细胞有明显的杀伤作用.其机理可能与旋转磁场和5-FU引起细胞自由基增高有关.     

Thrombin regulates matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in human monocytes

We investigated whether thrombin, the final activator of coagulation cascade, regulates expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9 in human monocytes.We show that thrombin stimulation induced MMP-9 secretion of monocytes dose- and time-dependently as revealed by gelatin zymography. Real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis demonstrated that thrombin up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of MMP-9. Pre-incubation with anti-protease-activated receptor (PAR)-1 or anti-PAR-3 antibody partially inhibited the thrombin-induced MMP-9 secretion. Simultaneous incubation with both showed synergistic effect, indicating the involvement of both receptors in this thrombin effect. BAPTA, a Ca²⁺ chelator, abolished the thrombin-induced MMP-9 secretion, indicating the requirement of Ca²⁺ mobilization in this process. Inhibition of thrombin-induced MMP-9 secretion by either MEK inhibitor or p38 kinase inhibitor revealed that the thrombin effect was mediated by both ERK1/2 and p38 pathways. The activation of NFκB by thrombin as demonstrated by electromobility shift assay was also shown to be critical to the thrombin-induced MMP-9 up-regulation.     

条石鲷仔、稚、幼鱼脂肪酸组成变化研究

通过采用GC/MS法研究了条石鲷(Oplegnathus fasciatus)仔鱼、稚鱼及幼鱼阶段的脂肪酸组成和变化特点。共检测到28种脂肪酸,其中饱和脂肪酸(SFA)13种,单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)7种,多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA)8种。结果表明:条石鲷鱼苗内源性营养阶段以饱和脂肪酸C16∶0、C20∶0及单不饱和脂肪酸C16∶1、C18∶1作为能量代谢的主要来源;必需脂肪酸C20∶4(n-6)(AA)、C22∶5(n-3)(DPA)和C22∶6(n-3)(DHA)在稚鱼期含量较低,∑EPA+DHA仅为6.89%,认为是发生稚鱼"胀鳔病"的主要原因;仔鱼开口前体内的DHA和EPA是由母体卵黄提供的。     

Quercetin supplementation suppresses the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the lungs of Mongolian gerbils and in A549 cells exposed to benzo[a]pyrene alone or in combination with β-carotene: in vivo and ex vivo studies

In vitro studies have shown that quercetin modulates the effects of β-carotene induced by stimulants. Whether these reactions happen in vivo, however, is unclear. Thus, we investigated whether quercetin supplementation suppresses the harmful effects of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) alone or combined with β-carotene in the lungs of Mongolian gerbils. The gerbils were given quercetin (100 mg/kg body wt, 3 times/week), β-carotene (10 mg/kg body wt, 3 times/week), and BaP (8 mmol, 2 times/week) alone or in combination by gavage for 6 months. β-Carotene supplementation enhanced the pro-inflammatory effects of BaP in the lungs of gerbils. In contrast, quercetin supplementation significantly decreased the infiltration of inflammatory cells as well as the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and plasma of gerbils exposed to BaP or BaP+β-carotene (P<.05). Such effects of quercetin supplementation were accompanied by a down-regulation of the expression of phospho-c-Jun and phospho-JNK induced by BaP or BaP+β-carotene in the lungs of gerbils. Furthermore, in the ex vivo study, we found that quercetin-metabolite-enriched plasma (QP) obtained from gerbils acted like a JNK inhibitor to significantly suppress the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by BaP or BaP+β-carotene in A549 cells (P<.05). QP also suppressed the activation of the JNK pathway in the A549 cells. These results suggest that supplemental quercetin suppress the pro-inflammatory effect of β-carotene induced by BaP in vivo and ex vivo. The regulation of the JNK pathway by the metabolites of quercetin contributes, at least in part, to such effects of quercetin in vivo.     

Association between transfusion of whole blood and recurrence of cancer.

Transfusion affects the immune response to renal transplantation and may be associated with recurrence of various human neoplasms. Data from patients with colonic, rectal, cervical, and prostate tumours showed an association between transfusion of any amount of whole blood or larger amounts of red blood cells at the time of surgery and later recurrence of cancer. Recipients of one unit of whole blood had a significantly higher incidence of recurrence (45%) than recipients of a single unit of red cells (12%) (p = 0.03). Recipients of two units of whole blood also had a higher rate of recurrence (52%) than those receiving two units of red cells (23%) (p = 0.03). Recipients of any amount of whole blood had similar recurrence rates (38-52%). Recipients of four or more units of red blood cells had a higher rate of recurrence (55%) than those receiving three or fewer units of red blood cells (20%) (p = 0.005). Mortality due to cancer in patients receiving three or fewer units of red blood cells (2%) was similar to that in patients who did not have transfusions (7%) and significantly lower than that observed in patients receiving three or fewer units of whole blood (20%) (p = 0.003). A proportional hazards risk analysis showed that transfusion of any whole blood or more than three units of red blood cells was significantly associated with earlier recurrence and death due to cancer. These data support an association between transfusion and recurrence of cancer. They also suggest that some factor present in greater amounts in whole blood, such as plasma, may contribute to the increased risk of recurrence in patients who have undergone transfusion. Until the questions raised by retrospective studies of cancer recurrence and transfusion can be answered by prospective interventional trials with washed red blood cells, red blood cells should be transfused to patients with cancer in preference to whole blood when clinically feasible.     

Design of general bidirectional associative memories with improved recall capability

The concept of qth order Hamming ball for general bidirectional associative memories (GBAMs) is presented, which results in an enhanced recall capability. A technique based on the minimum overlap algorithm (MOA) is proposed to deal with the separability problem of the qth order Hamming balls. Simulation results show that the recall capability obtained by using the proposed method is indeed larger than that obtained by using the conventional method.     

Proteome mining for novel IgE-binding proteins from the German cockroach (Blattella germanica) and allergen profiling of patients

Although cockroaches are known to produce allergens that can cause IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions, including perennial rhinitis and asthma, the various cockroach allergens have not yet been fully studied. Many proteins from the German cockroach show high IgE reactivity, but have never been comprehensively characterized. To identify these potential allergens, proteins were separated by 2-DE and IgE-binding proteins were analyzed by nanoLC-MS/MS or N-terminal sequencing analysis. Using a combination of proteomic techniques and bioinformatic allergen database analysis, we identified a total of ten new B. germanica IgE-binding proteins. Of these, aldolase, arginine kinase, enolase, Hsp70, triosephosphate isomerase, and vitellogenin have been reported as allergens in species other than B. germanica. Analysis of the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program allergen database indicated that arginine kinase, enolase, and triosephosphate isomerase showed significant potential cross-reactivity with other related allergens. This study revealed that vitellogenin is an important novel B. germanica allergen. Personalized profiling and reactivity of IgE Abs against the panel of IgE-binding proteins varied between cockroach-allergic individuals. These findings make it possible to monitor the individual IgE reactivity profile of each patient and facilitate personalized immunotherapies for German cockroach allergy disorders.