结扎冠状动脉后快速起搏方法建立急性心功能不全动物模型

目的探讨建立急性心功能不全动物模型的可行性。方法完全结扎犬前降支,进行快速右室起搏,使心输出量(CCO)较基础状态稳定地下降50%,分别测定基础及心输出量下降状态下的血压(AP)、血氧(SaO2)、平均右房压(mRAP)、平均肺毛压(mPCWP)、系统血管阻力(SVR)、心腔大小、左室射血分数(LVEF)、血浆肾素活性(PRA)、内皮素(ET)、尿量(UO)、血肌酐(Scr)、肌酐清除率(Ccr)。结果结扎LAD和快速右室起搏后,CCO较基础状态均稳定地下降50%,CCO降低后,AP、SaO2显著下降,mRAP、mPCWP、SVR显著升高;心脏各腔室明显扩大,LVEF显著降低;PRA、ET、Scr明显升高,UO、Ccr明显下降。结论结扎冠状动脉前降支及快速右心室起搏可成功制作急性心功能不全的动物模型。     

Apelin-36, a potent peptide,protects against ischemic brain injury by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway

Apelin is an endogenous ligand of G protein-coupled receptor-apelin and angiotensin-1-like receptor (APJ). The biological effects of apelin–APJ system are reported in multiple systems including cardiovascular, endocrinal, and gastrointestinal system. Previous studies had shown that apelin-13 is a potential protective agent on cardiac ischemia; however, the role of apelin in the central nervous system remained unknown. In this study, we investigated therapeutic effects of apelin-36, a long form of apelin, in ischemic brain injury models. We found that apelin-36 reduced cerebral infarct volume in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model and the neonatal hypoxic/ischemic (H/I) injury model. Apelin-36 improved neurological deficits in the MCAO model and promoted long-term functional recovery after H/I brain injury. We further explored the protective mechanisms of apelin-36 on H/I brain injury. We clearly demonstrated that apelin-36 significantly reduced the levels of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, two well-established apoptotic markers after H/I injury, indicating the anti-apoptotic activity of apelin-36 in ischemic injury. Since apelin-36 increased the level of phosphorylated Akt after H/I injury, we treated neonates with a specific PI3K inhibitor LY294002. We found that LY294002 decreased the phosphorylated Akt level and attenuated protective effects of apelin-36 on apoptosis. These suggested that the PI3K/Akt pathway was at least in part involved in the anti-apoptotic mechanisms of apelin-36. Our findings demonstrated that apelin-36 was a promising therapeutic agent on the treatment of ischemic brain injury.     

急性心肌缺血早期心室舒张功能的损害

用长度计和多导仪记录狗左心室胸面近心外膜层心肌的长度,长度变化速率(dL/dt),压力-长度环和心肌作功量等项指标,从心肌运动功能的角度探讨急性心肌缺血早期心室内压最大下降速率(-dP/dt-max)降低的机理。实验结果表明:(1)阻断冠状动脉左前降支(LAD)后5s 左右,-dP/dt-max 降到最低值时,LVEDP 和心肌舒张末期长度相应增加,此时非缺血区心肌(n=8)收缩增强,作功量增加,长度曲线、dL/dt 曲线和压力-长度环的时相关系正常;而缺血区心肌(n=16)收缩功能减弱,并出现射血晚期和舒张早期的反向异常运动(由缩短转为延长),故长度曲线反向膨出,压力-长度环由正常的逆钟向环变为“8”字形顺钟向环,心肌作功降低并转为负功;(2)阻断 LAD 后,在-dP/dt-max 降低并达到最低值时,-dP/dt-max 瞬间的心肌缩短速率(dL/dt)也逐渐降低并转为负值(-dL/dt),此时长度曲线和压力-长度环尚无可见的变化。随后,-dL/dt 增大,并且在时间上不再对应而是逐渐趋前于-dP/dt-max 瞬间。说明缺血心肌的反常运动首先发生在等容舒张相对应-dP/dt-max的瞬间,随后才扩展到射血晚期,这一现象可以为缺血早期心室舒张功能损伤、-dP/dt-max下降作出合理解释。     

An automated framework to quantify areas of regional ischemia in retinal vascular diseases with OCT angiography

In this observational and cross‐sectional study, capillary nonperfusion (CNP) and vascular changes in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO, sample size [n] = 26) and choroidal neovascularization (CNV, n = 29) were evaluated. Subjects underwent imaging using Optical coherence tomography angiography (Angiovue OCTA, RTVue XR, Optovue Inc., Fremont, California). Local fractal analysis was applied to the OCTA images of superficial, deep and choriocapillaris layer. CNP area (BRVO eyes) and vascular parameters were computed using local fractal‐based method. Sensitivity and specificity of vascular parameters were assessed with receiver operating characteristics curve. Automated CNP area showed excellent agreement with manually quantified CNP areas in both superficial (intraclass coefficient [ICC] = 0.96) and deep (ICC = 0.96) layers. BRVO eyes showed significantly altered (P < .05) vascular parameters in both superficial and deep layer as compared to normal eyes (n = 30). CNVM eyes had significantly higher capillary free zones (P < .001) as compared to normal eyes. In normal vs BRVO eyes, vessel density and spacing between the large vessels had similar area under the curve (AUC) (P > .05) in both superficial (0.97 and 0.97, respectively) and deep layer (0.99 and 0.98, respectively). Further, capillary free zones showed high AUC (0.92) in differentiating CNV eyes from normal eyes.      

连续全遮盖法治疗双眼屈光参差性弱视的有效性与安全性分析

目的:探讨连续q全遮盖法治疗双眼屈光参差性弱视的有效性与安全性。方法:选择2014年2月到2016年9月在我院诊治的126例双眼屈光参差性弱视患儿作为研究对象,根据治疗方法的不同分为阿托品组60例与遮盖组66例,遮盖组采用连续全遮盖法治疗,阿托品组给予阿托品治疗,两组都治疗观察3个月。比较两组治疗期间不良反应的发生情况、治疗后的总有效率、最佳矫正视力、电位潜伏期、波幅。结果:两组治疗期间都无严重不良反应发生。治疗后,遮盖组与阿托品组的总有效率分别为98.5%和88.3%,遮盖组的总有效率明显高于阿托品组(P0.05)。两组治疗后的最佳矫正视力都高于治疗前,且遮盖组治疗后的最佳矫正视力也明显高于阿托品组(P0.05)。两组治疗后的电位潜伏期都较治疗前明显缩短,而波幅明显增强(P0.05),且遮盖组治疗后的潜伏期明显短于阿托品组,而波幅显著强于阿托品组(P0.05)。结论:连续全遮盖法治疗双眼屈光参差性弱视具有很好的安全性,能提高患儿的治疗效果,改善视力,促进神经元的兴奋性。     

Long non-coding RNA RMST silencing protects against middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced ischemic stroke

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as major regulators in neurological diseases, and clarifying their roles in cerebral ischemic injury may provide novel targets for treating ischemic stroke. In this study, we mainly studied the role of lncRNA-RMST in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced mouse brain injury. We showed that RMST expression level was significantly up-regulated in oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-treated primary hippocampal neuron, MCAO-induced injured brain, and the plasma of patients with ischemic stroke. RMST silencing protected against MCAO-induced ischemic brain injury in vivo and OGD-induced primary hippocampal neuron injury in vitro. Intracerebroventricular injection of RMST shRNA significantly decreased brain RMST expression, reduced brain infarct size, and improved neurological function. Collectively, this study provides evidence that lncRNA is involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain injury, and suggests a promising approach of RMST inhibition in treating ischemic stroke.     

A review of the effects of some endocrinological factors on respiratory mechanics

Context: Endocrinological factors have been recently described to affect respiratory mechanics.

Objective: To review recent literature data, most of all obtained by the end-inflation occlusion method, describing the effects of molecules of endocrinological interest such as endothelin, erythropoietin and renin-angiotensin, on respiratory mechanics parameters.

Methods: The papers considered in this review were found by inserting in Pubmed/Medline the following indexing terms: hormones, endothelin, erythropoietin, angiotensin and respiratory mechanics.

Results: It was found that the above cited molecules, beside their well known physiological main effects, exhibit influences on respiratory mechanics, most of all on the airflow resistance, which was described to be increased by endothelin and angiotensin, and decreased by erythropoietin.

Conclusions: A number of molecules of biological interest exhibit unexpected influences on respiratory mechanics. The clinical effects depend on the consequences of modified inspiratory pressure values the respiratory muscles have to perform for a given breathing pattern.     

Tertiary structure and energy coupling in Ca2+-pump system

Europium luminescence from europium bound to sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca²⁺ Mg²⁺)-ATPase indicates that there are two high affinity calcium binding sites. Furthermore, the two calcium ions at the binding sites are highly coordinated by the protein as the number of H₂O molecules surrounding the Ca²⁺ ions are 3 and 0.5. In the presence of ATP, calcium ions are occluded even further down to 2 and zero H2O molecules, respectively. The Ca²⁺ - Ca²⁺ intersite distance is estimated to be 8–9 Å and the average distance from the Ca²⁺ sites to CrATP is about 18 Å.Digestion of the (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase at the T₂ site (Arg 198) causes uncoupling of Ca²⁺-transport from ATPase activity while calcium occlusion due to E₁-P formation remains unchanged. Further tryptic digestion beyond T₂ and in the presence of ATP diminishes Ca²⁺ occlusion to zero while 50% of the ATPase hydrolytic activity remains. Tryptic digestion beyond T₂ and in the absence of ATP diminishes ATPase hydrolytic activity to 50% of normal while Ca²⁺ occlusion remains intact. These data are consistent with a mechanism in which the functional enzyme must be in the dimeric form for occlusion and calcium uptake to occur, but each monomer can hydrolyze ATP.     

Development and evolution of the helicoidal plane of dental occlusion

The helicoidal plane of dental occlusion is a composite feature involving axial inclination of teeth and effects of dental attrition. Recent studies disagree on its distribution and significance in hominoid primates. The distribution, development, and functional basis of the helicoidal plane are investigated here, based on quantitative analysis of dental morphology and attrition in 667 human and 60 chimpanzee dentitions. Helicoidal planes are nearly universal in the human and chimpanzee dentitions studied. Increasing axial inclination of molars from M1 to M3 is primarily responsible for the helicoidal plane, although attrition acts to increase its expression. In hominoids, increased molar axial tilt appears to be associated with facial shortening and dental reduction. Population and species comparisons suggest a functional relationship with cranial structure. Progressive axial tilt of molars producing a helicoidal plane is found consistently in mammals with cheek teeth positioned partly under the cranium, as in hominids, pongids, some cebids, macropodids, ursids, and sciurids. Facial shortening is an important trend in hominid evolution and axial inclination of molars might be expected to show progressive change from Australopithecus afarensis to recent Homo sapiens.     

Characterization of a cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus from Estigmene acrea (Lepidoptera)

A cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (CPV) containing a segmented double-stranded RNA genome was isolated from Estigmene acrea larvae by isopycnic centrifugation in a sucrose density gradient. Ten double-stranded RNA segments with molecular weights (MW) from 2.8 to 0.67 × 10⁶ were separated by agarose gel electrophoresis. A total of ten virus proteins ranging from 14,000 to 128,000 MW were detected after separation by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A MW of 28,500 was determined for E. acrea CPV occlusion body protein.