脑啡肽对离体动脉条收缩活动的影响及其机制分析

亮氨酸脑啡肽(L-ENK)和甲硫氨酸脑啡肽(M-ENK)对兔耳动脉条在电场刺激下所产生的收缩反应具有抑制作用,此抑制效应具有剂量依赖关系,并且可以被阿片受体阻断剂纳洛酮阻断。用荧光法测定动脉条去甲肾上腺素(NE)释放量的实验表明,脑啡肽(ENK)是通过抑制支配动脉壁交感神经末梢释放NE,继而抑制血管平滑肌收缩的。实验还证明,吗啡对动脉条的收缩无抑制作用,从而表明在兔耳动脉上以δ亚型阿片受体为主,可能无μ亚型阿片受体。可卡因和育亨宾通过不同的作用途径使动脉条释放NE增加。     

Functional principles of steerable multi‐element probes in insects

Hemipterans, mosquitoes, and parasitic wasps probe in a variety of substrates to find hosts for their larvae or food sources. Probes capable of sensing and precise steering enable insects to navigate through solid substrates without visual information and to reach targets that are hidden deep inside the substrate. The probes belong to non‐related taxa and originate from abdominal structures (wasps) or mouthparts (hemipterans and mosquitoes), but nevertheless share several morphological characteristics. Although the transport function clearly differs (egg laying and acquisition of liquid food), the functional demands on the mechanical behaviour of the probe within the substrate tend to be similar. The probe needs to be thin to limit substrate deformation, and long, in order to attain substantial path lengths or depths. We linked the morphology across taxa to the different functional requirements, to provide insights into the biology of probing insects and the evolution of their probes. Current knowledge of insect probes is spread over many taxa, which offers the possibility to derive general characteristics of insect probing. Buckling during initial puncturing is limited by external support mechanisms. The probe itself consist of multiple (3–6) parts capable of sliding along one another. This multi‐part construction presumably enables advancement and precise three‐dimensional steering of the probe through the substrate with very low net external pushing forces, preventing buckling during substrate penetration. From a mechanical viewpoint, a minimum of three elements is required for 3D steering and volumetric exploration, as realised in the ovipositors of wasps. More elements, such as in six‐element probes of mosquitoes, may enhance friction in soft substrates. Alternatively, additional elements can have functions other than ‘drilling’, such as saliva injection in mosquitoes. Despite the gross similarities, probes show differences in their cross sections, tip morphologies, relative lengths of their elements, and the shape of their interconnections. The hypothesis is that the probe morphology is influenced by the substrate properties, which are mostly unknown. Correlating the observed diversity to substrate‐specific functional demands is therefore currently impossible. We conclude that a multipart probe with sliding elements is highly effective for volumetric substrate probing. Shared functional demands have led to an evolutionary convergence of slender multi‐element probes in disparate insect taxa. To fully understand 3D probing, it is necessary to study the sensory and material properties, as well as the detailed kinematics and dynamics of the various probes in relation to the nature of the selective pressure originating from the species‐specific substrates. Such knowledge will deepen our understanding of probing mechanisms and may support the development of slender, bio‐inspired probes.     

N末端脑钠肽前体在围冠状动脉搭桥术期的变化及意义

N-末端脑钠肽前体(N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide,NT-proBNP)是体内脑钠肽前体(proBNP)裂解成脑钠肽(brain natriuretic peptide,BNP)时的产物,NT-proBNP的血浆浓度及稳定性比BNP更高,半衰期更长,属于钠尿肽系统的重要一员,本身无生物学活性。NT-proBNP主要由正常的心肌细胞合成和分泌,在心肌损伤或坏死后迅速升高,可反映机体代偿病理改变和恢复循环的能力,是心功能障碍性疾病,如心力衰竭、左室肥厚等诊断、疗效监测和预后评估等最佳的心肌标志物,临床通过测定血浆NT-proBNP水平用于急慢性充血性心力衰竭(congestive heart failure,CHF)的诊治及预后,本文主要就NT-proBNP在围冠状动脉搭桥术(Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting,CABG)期的变化及临床意义的新进展进行综述。     

Torsion of the central pair microtubules in eukaryotic flagella due to bending-driven lateral buckling

Inspired by recent interest in torsion of the central pair microtubules in eukaryotic flagella, a novel thin-walled elastic beam model is suggested to study critical condition under which uniform bending of a flagellum will cause lateral/torsional buckling of the central pair. The model is directed to the central pair itself and the role of all surrounding cross-linkings inside the flagellum is modeled as an equivalent surrounding elastic medium. The model predicts that bending-driven torsion of the central pair does occur when the radius of curvature of the bent flagellum reduces to a moderate critical value typically of tens of microns. In particular, this critical value is almost independent of the flagellum length, and more sensitive to the parameters defining the surrounding elastic medium than the shear modulus of microtubules. The predicted wavelengths of the torsional buckling mode are insensitive to the flagellum length and comparable to some known related experimental data. These results indicate that torsion of the central pair microtubules in flagella is inevitable as a result of bending-driven lateral buckling. This offers an entirely new insight into the ongoing research on the mechanism of the central pair torsion.     

Determination of material models for arterial walls from uniaxial extension tests and histological structure

An approach is proposed that allows the determination of material models from uniaxial tests and histostructural data including fiber orientation of the tissue. A combination of neo-Hookean and Fung-type strain-energy functions is utilized, and inequality constraints imposed on the constitutive parameters are derived providing strict local convexity and preferred fiber orientations. It is shown how the Fung-type model gets a pseudo-structural aspect inherent in the phenomenological model; a correlation between the fiber structure and the parameters of the Fung-type model is explicitly provided. In order to apply the proposed approach, quasi-static uniaxial extension tests of preconditioned prepared strips from the intima, media and adventitia of a human aorta with non-atherosclerotic intimal thickening are acquired in axial and circumferential directions; structural information from histological analyses for each aortic tissue are documented. Data reveal a remarkable thickness, load-bearing capacity and stiffness of the intimal samples in comparison with the media and adventitia. Constitutive parameters for each aortic tissue layer are determined by solving the constrained problem using a penalty function method; a new approach for the estimation of appropriate start values is proposed. Finally, the predictivity and efficacy of the material models is shown by comparing model data with data from the uniaxial extension tests and histological image analyses.     

Incidence of anomalous origin of coronary artery in 1879 Chinese adults on dual-source CT angiography

Background and Objective. Dual-source CT (DSCT) has been used to detect coronary artery anomalies. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of anomalous origin of the coronary artery in Chinese adults. Methods. We summarised all patients who underwent DSCT coronary angiography (CTCA) from December 2006 to February 2008, and data of anomalous origin of the coronary artery in Chinese adults were recorded. Results. 1879 patients underwent CTCA during that period; 24 patients with an anomalous origin of the coronary artery were detected, giving an incidence of 1.3%. Fifteen patients had an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (12 from left coronary sinus, 3 high takeoff), eight patients had an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (LCA from posterior sinus of Valsalva in three cases, LCX from the right coronary sinus, LCX from RCA, high takeoff, LCA from right coronary sinus, and single coronary artery in one case, respectively), and one patient had an anomalous origin of both coronary arteries (high takeoff). Conclusion. The incidence of anomalous origin of the coronary artery in Chinese adults in this study is 1.3%. DSCT can clearly visualise the anomalous origin and course of the coronary artery and is a useful screening modality. (Neth Heart J 2010;18:466-70.)     

冠脉护理在320排螺旋CT冠状动脉造影中提高图像质量的作用

目的：探讨320排螺旋CT心脏冠状动脉护理的作用及其临床意义。方法：2009年11月至2010年3月,于我院行心脏检查1024例行320排螺旋CT冠状动脉造影检查的患者,检查前对每一患者进行心理辅导,减轻紧张情绪;进行心率控制、屏气训练等护理措施准备;在扫描过程中配合影像技师使用高压注射器;检查完成后积极与患者交谈,严密观察患者状态,预防造影剂不良反应的发生。结果：受检患者中987例患者顺利完成检查,图像重建后血管显示效果优;16例血管显示良;有1例患者造影剂未全部进入血管内,导致血管显影不充分。有2例出现轻度过敏反应;无空气栓塞或任何心脑血管意外的发生。受检病例中432例同时进行了冠状动脉造影,98%（425/432）与检查结果完全一致,有2%（8/432）与检查结果有轻度误差。结论：检查前细致的护理对提高心脏冠状动脉血管成像成功率、提高至关重要。     

Stand variation in Pinus radiata and its relationship with allometric scaling and critical buckling height

Background and Aims

Allometric relationships and the determination of critical buckling heights have been examined for Pinus radiata in the past. However, how they relate to more mature Pinus radiata exhibiting a wide range of stem diameters, slenderness and modulus of elasticity (E) at operationally used stand densities is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between Pinus radiata stand structure variables and allometric scaling and critical buckling height.

Methods

Utilizing a Pinus radiata Nelder trial with stand density and genetic breed as variables, critical buckling height was calculated whilst reduced major axis regression was used to determine scaling exponents between critical height (H_crit), actual height (H), ground line diameter (D), slenderness (S), density-specific stiffness (E/ρ) and modulus of elasticity (E).

Key Results

Critical buckling height was highly responsive to decreasing diameter and increasing slenderness. Safety factors in this study were typically considerably lower than previously reported margins in other species. As density-specific stiffness scaled negatively with diameter, the exponent of 0·55 between critical height and diameter did not meet the assumed value of 0·67 under constant density-specific stiffness. E scaled positively with stem slenderness to the power of 0·78.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that within species density-specific stiffness variation may influence critical height and the scaling exponent between critical height and diameter, which is considered so important in assumptions regarding allometric relationships.     

五指山小型猪两种股动脉穿刺方法的比较

目的比较五指山小型猪在急性心肌梗死造模前行股动脉穿刺所使用的两种方法的成功率和并发症发生率以及所花费时间,为动物实验时行股动脉穿刺提供依据。方法拟行股动脉穿刺的五指山小型猪16头随机分为两组即切开直视穿刺组（n：8）和超声引导穿刺组（n=8）,比较两组穿刺的成功率、并发症发生率以及穿刺所花费时间。结果切开直视穿刺组的成功率及感染发生率均无差异,但出血发生率前者显著低于后者（P〈0．05）,且花费时间也明显少于后者（P〈0．05）。结论切开直视股动脉穿刺术是一种成功率高,安全性好,花费时间相对较少的方法。