The chimpanzee M blood-group antigen is a variant of the human M-N glycoproteins

Chimpanzee erythrocytes express strong M but weak, occasional N blood-group activity, as detected by anti-M and anti-N reagents. We have found that the M activity is carried by a major membrane glycoprotein that is similar but not identical to the human MM glycoprotein (glycophorin A). We have isolated and characterized this glycoprotein from erythrocyte membranes of four individual chimpanzees. The purified glycoproteins strongly inhibited agglutination of M cells by rabbit anti-human M sera and only weakly inhibited the agglutination of N cells by rabbit anti-human N sera. They also displayed medium-to-strong inhibitory activity against chimpanzee iso- and crossimmune antisera tested with chimpanzee erythrocytes of various V-A-B-D and W^c specificities, which are known as chimpanzee extensions of the human type M-N system and the Miltenberger counterpart, respectively. Each glycoprotein was cleaved with CNBr into three fragments, whose size, solubility, and composition were analogous to those obtained by similar treatment of the human M-N antigens. The amino-terminal fragment was found to be a glycooctapeptide whose amino acid composition and partial sequence indicated that it is an intermediate form of the human M and N glycooctapeptides. Its carbohydrate content comprised two threonine-linked saccharide units that, although similar in composition to the human threonine-linked units, were fewer in number than the three units found in the corresponding human glycooctapeptides. Structural similarities to the human antigens strongly suggest that the amino terminus bears the major antigenic determinants of the molecule, and the occurrence in this region of numerous, albeit rare, variants among humans and in chimpanzees indicates that the corresponding coding sequence of the structural gene is particularly susceptible to mutational events. We conclude that the chimpanzee M gene product is a variant of the human type and that the chimpanzee gene is an allele of the human polymorphic M-N locus.This research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants GM 16389 and HL 19011 and March of Dimes Grant 1-661.     

Schistosoma mansoni: uptake of exogenous hemeproteins by schistosomules grown in vitro

The uptake and fate of the hemeproteins horseradish peroxidase (HRPO) and hemoglobin (Hb) by schistosomules of Schistosoma mansoni maintained in vitro were studied by electron microscopy and cytochemical techniques. After administration of HRPO, reaction product was observed initially in the lumen of the digestive tract, and, after 2 hr of feeding, reaction product was also visible in the cytoplasm of the gastrodermis. There was no evidence of pinocytosis. After administration of Hb, reaction product was observed only in the lumen of the digestive tract. As is found following red blood cell feeding, digestive pigment was formed in the lumen of the gut following Hb feeding. The possible significance of these findings is discussed.     

Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes in Trinidad,West Indies: longevity case studies

Few laboratory and field studies have reported long survival periods for Ae. aegypti females and even fewer have designed experiments to characterize this important life history trait. This study was conducted under laboratory conditions to determine the number of blood meals taken by individual females, the number of eggs laid per individual female, the length of the gonotrophic cycle, and the duration of female survival. The results showed individual females oviposited between 670 and 1,500 eggs throughout their lifetimes, females undergoing large numbers of gonotrophic cycles and surviving up to 224 days. These results are discussed in the context of vector competence, unique alternating high and low oviposition patterns observed after week 14, and resource partitioning/allocation by older Ae. aegypti females after blood feeding.     

健脾化瘀中药提高胞嘧啶脱氨酶/单纯疱疹病毒胸苷激酶基因治疗肝细胞癌的实验研究

目的:观察健脾化瘀中药提高胞嘧啶脱氨酶/单纯疱疹病毒胸苷激酶基因治疗肝细胞癌的作用。方法:脂质体lipofectamine将含有双自杀基因的腺病毒载体pAd-CD/TK导人293细胞,收集病毒上清转染人肝癌细胞BEL7402,MTT法测定BEL7402细胞存活率。裸鼠人肝癌模型转染CD/TK双自杀基因后,给予5-FC500mg/kg,GCV 100mg/kg腹腔注射,同时予健脾化瘀中药960复方灌胃。观察肿瘤生长情况。结果:给予前体药物5-FC和GCV后,CD/TK转染细胞被杀死。并表现出较强的旁观者效应。转染细胞比例达到10%即表现出较强的杀伤作用(P<0.01)。健脾化瘀中药960复方具有提高旁观者效应作用,1.67ml/kg和2.5ml/kg960复方含药血清组细胞存活率显著低于对照组(P<0.01)。转染基因组应用5-FC和GCV治疗后,裸鼠肝癌的生长明显受到抑制(P<0.05),抑瘤率39.42%,单用中药组抑瘤率18.04%,中药与CD/TK 5-FC/GCV联合运用组,较单纯CD/5-FC/HSV-tk/GCV对裸鼠肿瘤模型的生长抑制作用更加明显(P<0.05),抑瘤率55.10%。结伦:腺病毒介导CD/TK自杀基因可有效地杀死人肝癌BEL7402细胞,健脾化瘀中药960复方具有显著提高CD/TK双自杀基因对人肝癌细胞的抑杀作用。     

Reconsidering the relation between serum homocysteine and red blood cell distribution width: a cross-sectional study of a large cohort

Purpose: In a recent small sample study, red blood cell distribution width (RDW) was suggested as a predictor of homocysteine levels. The current study was aimed to reexamine this association in a large scale sample.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of healthy adults, conducted at Rabin Medical Center, during 2000–2014. Data were retrieved from the medical charts and a logistic regression controlling for interfering factors was carried out. Sensitivity analysis was implemented by exclusion of individuals with anaemia.

Results: Five thousand, five hundred fifty-four healthy individuals were included. Mean serum homocysteine level was 10.10 (SD 2.72) μmol/L. 34.4% of the study population had a homocysteine level higher than the upper limit of normal (10.8?μmol/L). Homocysteine showed no association with RDW (OR 1.00; 95% CI 0.97–1.03), but increased with age (OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.04–1.06) and decreased with a rise in haemoglobin (OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.71–0.83), and in the mean corpuscular volume (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.85–0.88). Exclusion of individuals with anaemia did not reveal an association between homocysteine and RDW but found a somewhat smaller association between haemoglobin and RDW [OR 0.82; 95% CI 0.73–0.91].

Conclusions: In our large scale sample we did not find an association between RDW and serum homocysteine.     

Human erythrocyte flickering: temperature,ATP concentration,water transport,and cell aging,plus a computer simulation

Images of human erythrocytes from a healthy donor were recorded under differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy; they were acquired rapidly (~336 Hz) and the intensity of the centermost pixel of each cell was recorded for ~60 s (20,000 values). Various techniques were used to analyze the data, including detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and multiscale entropy (MSE); however, power spectrum analysis was deemed the most appropriate for metrifying and comparing results. This analysis was used to compare cells from young and old populations, and after perturbing normal conditions, with changes in temperature, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration (using NaF, an inhibitor of glycolysis, and α-toxin, a pore-forming molecule used to permeabilize red cells to ATP), and water transport rates [using glycerol, and p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid (pCMBS) to inhibit aquaporins, AQPs]. There were measurable differences in the membrane fluctuation characteristics in populations of young and old cells, but there was no significant change in the flickering time series on changing the temperature of an individual cell, by depleting it of ATP, or by competing with the minor water exchange pathway via AQP3 using glycerol. However, pCMBS, which inhibits AQP1, the major water exchange pathway, inhibited flickering in all cells, and yet it was restored by the membrane intercalating species dibutyl phthalate (DBP). We developed a computer model to simulate acquired displacement spectral time courses and to evaluate various methods of data analysis, and showed how the flexibility of the membrane, as defined in the model, affects the flickering time course.     

Max试验验证症状限制心肺运动试验为最大极限运动进一步临床研究*

目的: 验证临床受试者所完成的心肺运动试验（CPET）为最大极限运动,进一步设计完善Max试验验证CPET结果客观定量功能评估的准确性及以某特定指标的特定数值作为停止运动的标准是否可行。方法: 选择2017年9月至2019年1月在阜外医院签署知情同意书后进行CPET和Max试验受试者216例。其中正常受试者41例,因CPET峰值呼吸交换率（RER）≤1.10,或运动中心率和血压不上升,对CPET极限运动结果存在质疑的临床患者175例进行研究。其中60例已初步报告,本研究进一步扩大研究。Max试验方法：完成CPET测试后,先蹬车≥60 r/min,再施加130%峰值功率的恒定功率,鼓励受试者运动至不能坚持的极限状态。计算分析Max试验30 s的最大心率和最大摄氧量、及其与峰值心率和峰值摄氧量之间的差值和百分差值。百分差值=（Max值-峰值值）/Max值× 100%。评测标准：①若心率和摄氧量任一指标的差值百分比≤-10%（Max测试的数值低于CPET峰值数据）则定义Max试验操作失败,否则为成功;2若心率和摄氧量的差值百分比均在-10%~10%,则Max试验操作成功,证明CPET数据为极限运动,CPET 峰值相关数据较为准确;③若心率和摄氧量差值任一指标差值百分比≥10%时,则Max试验操作成功,证明CPET结果为非极限运动。结果: 病例组峰值摄氧量（L/min、ml/（min·kg）、%pred）、无氧阈（L/min、ml/（min·kg）、%pred）、峰值氧脉搏（ml/beat、%pred）、峰值RER、峰值收缩压（mmHg）、峰值运动负荷（W/min）、峰值心率（bpm）、摄氧有效性峰值平台（OUEP）（比值、%pred）低于正常组,二氧化碳通气有效性平均90 s最低值（Lowest Ve/VCO₂）（比值、%pred）、二氧化碳通气效率斜率（Ve/VCO₂ Slope）（比值、%pred）高于正常组（P<0.05）。所有正常组与病例组均安全无任何事件完成CPET和Max试验。216例受试者中,Max试验成功198例（91.7%）,其中证明CPET为极限运动182例,为非极限运动16例;失败18例（8.3%）。结论: 在临床检查中,若对CPET结果是否为最大极限存在质疑,利用Max试验可验证CPET是否为极限运动。Max试验方法安全可行,值得进一步深入研究和临床推广应用。     

新生儿首次呼吸前后脐带动静脉血液氧和二氧化碳变化探索呼吸调控机制的初步报告II—同一个新生儿同一时间的脐带动静脉血液氧和二氧化碳分压差值个体化分析*

目的: 为探讨新生儿自主呼吸产生机制,前文已对新生儿出生后自主呼吸开始前脐带动静脉氧气和二氧化碳差值进行了人群组间分析;而本部分则对相关信息进行个体化分析。方法: 在产前经所有胎儿父母签署知情同意书,新生儿出生后还没有呼吸之前在脐带动脉和脐带静脉分别连续逐搏取血,仅有3例同时采集到Pua和Puv血液样本进行血气分析测定,计算分析脐带静脉和脐带动脉的异同和动态变化。结果: 虽然准备了数十产妇,但仅有3例同时采集到Pua和Puv血液样本,同一时间的PuvO₂显著高于PuaO₂（P均<0.01）,平均相差（24.17±7.09） mmHg;而PuvCO₂显著低于PuaCO₂（P均<0.01）,平均相差（-7.67±3.70） mmHg。在同一时间的Puv-uaO₂显著高于Puv-uaCO₂（P<0.05）。结论: 新生儿出生后自主呼吸前,全部氧气供应由脐带静脉运输,只要胎盘开始剥离则新生儿的PuaO₂随时间（心跳次数）逐渐降低,当PuaO₂达到触发呼吸阈值（最低值）诱发第一次吸气开始其自主呼吸。     

Identification of the protease responsible for the antiadhesive properties of dog blood serum

The antiadhesive effect of dog blood serum described previously was shown to be associated with the proteolytic activity of the serum components. A protease exhibiting this antiadhesive effect was isolated by several fractionation stages and identified with plasmin.     

Overview of the diversity of erythrocyte blood group antigens

During the differentiation and maturation of erythrocytes, the surface molecules of erythrocytes are gradually expressed and stabilized. These molecules are to be antigenic in addition to their functions of maintaining cell membrane structural stability, material transport and exchange of cells and signal transmission between cells. The antigenic molecules on the erythrocyte surface are called erythrocyte blood group antigens. The blood group antigens and their corresponding blood group antibodies in vivo are important indicators for clinical blood transfusion and organ transplantation, and also form the basis for research on blood group related diseases. Three hundred and sixty-eight erythrocyte blood group antigens have been confirmed so far, which are classified into 39 blood group systems, 5 blood group collections and 2 blood group series. Based on the diversity of blood group antigens and their composition of glycolipids, glycoproteins and other molecules, this study mainly reviews the classification, molecular structure, antibody response and gene regulation of blood group antigens, and explains the main reasons for the diversity of blood group antigens.