Impact of neonatal hypoxia‐ischaemia on oligodendrocyte survival,maturation and myelinating potential

Hypoxic‐ischaemic episodes experienced at the perinatal period commonly lead to a development of neurological disabilities and cognitive impairments in neonates or later in childhood. Clinical symptoms often are associated with the observed alterations in white matter in the brains of diseased children, suggesting contribution of triggered oligodendrocyte/myelin pathology to the resulting disorders. To date, the processes initiated by perinatal asphyxia remain unclear, hampering the ability to develop preventions. To address the issue, the effects of temporal hypoxia‐ischaemia on survival, proliferation and the myelinating potential of oligodendrocytes were evaluated ex vivo using cultures of hippocampal organotypic slices and in vivo in rat model of perinatal asphyxia. The potential engagement of gelatinases in oligodendrocyte maturation was assessed as well. The results pointed to a significant decrease in the number of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which is compensated for to a certain extent by the increased rate of OPC proliferation. Oligodendrocyte maturation seemed however to be significantly altered. An ultrastructural examination of selected brain regions performed several weeks after the insult showed however that the process of developing central nervous system myelination proceeds efficiently resulting in enwrapping the majority of axons in compact myelin. The increased angiogenesis in response to neonatal hypoxic‐ischaemic insult was also noticed. In conclusion, the study shows that hypoxic‐ischaemic episodes experienced during the most active period of nervous system development might be efficiently compensated for by the oligodendroglial cell response triggered by the insult. The main obstacle seems to be the inflammatory process modulating the local microenvironment.     

骨化三醇联合补气口服液对慢性肾功能衰竭患者血清瘦素及睾酮水平的影响

目的:探究骨化三醇联合补气口服液对慢性肾功能衰竭患者血清瘦素及睾酮水平的影响。方法:选取我院诊治慢性肾功能衰竭患者116例为研究对象,根据随机数字对照表分为对照组(58例)与试验组(58例)。两组患者均常规给予血管紧张素酶抑制剂或β受体阻滞剂,对照组给予口服骨化三醇胶丸,试验组在对照组的基础上联合给予补气口服液。治疗结束后,比较两组患者肾功能指标、血清瘦素及睾酮水平、营养生化指标。结果:治疗结束后,两组患者血清肌酐(Cr)、血尿素氮(BUN)及瘦素水平均较治疗前显著降低(P0.05),睾酮、血钙水平较治疗前升高(P0.05),血磷水平降低(P0.05)。与对照组相比,试验组血Cr、BUN及瘦素水平较低(P0.05),而血清睾酮、血钙水平较高,血磷水平较低(P0.05)。结论:骨化三醇联合补气口服液能够更有效改善慢性肾功能衰竭患者的肾功能,纠正患者体内电解质紊乱,改善患者食欲不振营养不良症状,推测其与降低血清瘦素水平及升高睾酮水平有关。     

Influence of obestatin on the histological development of the small intestine in piglets during the first week of postnatal life

Obestatin is a gastrointestinal peptide having wide-ranging effects on cell proliferation; however, its mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Thus, the aim of the study was to elucidate the effect of exogenous obestatin on the postnatal structural development of the small intestine. Seven-day-old piglets with an average BW of 1.56 ± 0.23 kg were divided into four groups (n = 10) that received intragastrically obestatin (2, 10 or 15 μg/kg BW) or vehicle. After a 6-day experimental period, morphological analysis of gastrointestinal tract and small intestine wall (mitosis and apoptosis indexes, histomorphometry of mucosa and muscularis layers) was performed. The study revealed a seemingly incoherent pattern of the histological structure of the small intestine among the experimental groups, suggesting that the effect of obestatin is both intestinal segment specific and dose dependent. Histomorphometric analysis of the small intestine showed that higher doses of obestatin seem to promote the structural development of the duodenum while simultaneously hindering the maturation of more distal parts of the intestine. Intragastric administration of obestatin increased the crypt mitotic index in all segments of the small intestine with the strongest pro-mitotic activity following the administration of obestatin at a dose of 10 and 15 μg/kg BW. The significant differences in the number of apoptotic cells in the intestinal villi among the groups were observed only in proximal jejunum and ileum. In conclusion, it seems that obestatin shows a broad-spectrum of activity in the gastrointestinal tract of newborn piglets, being able to accelerate its structural development. However, the varied effect depending on the intestinal segment or the concentration of exogenous obestatin causes that further research is needed to clarify the exact mechanism of this phenomenon.     

动物胃粘膜提取物对双歧杆菌的促生长作用

本文阐述了不同浓度的动物胃粘膜提取物对双歧杆菌生长繁殖的影响。试验结果表明,胃粘膜提取物对双歧杆菌有明显的促进作用,而且随着浓度增加为1％时,其菌数为4.45亿/ml,而不加提取物的菌数为2.53亿/ml,加胃粘膜提取物的比不加的菌数增长175.9％,促生长作用明显。证明胃粘膜提取物中含有促进双歧杆菌生长因子。     

人嗅黏膜间充质干细胞来源外泌体的分离鉴定及生物学特性研究

外泌体是指释放到细胞外微环境中的直径约50～130 nm的纳米级的膜性囊泡。嗅黏膜间充质干细胞（olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem cells,OM-MSCs）作为一类新发现的间充质干细胞,在许多疾病中均具有治疗作用,且其内在机制与其旁分泌的外泌体密切相关,但OM-MSCs外泌体的分离、鉴定及生物学特性的研究尚未见报道。本研究采用超速离心法提取OM-MSCs培养液中的外泌体,应用流式细胞术及免疫荧光进行细胞鉴定后,分别用透射电子显微镜、纳米粒径分析及Western印迹对外泌体形态、颗粒大小和表面的特异性分子标志进行分析鉴定。采用CCK8增殖实验,Western印迹和划痕实验,分析其对人脑微血管内皮细胞增殖和迁移的影响。电镜、Western 印迹和纳米粒径分析的结果显示：OM-MSCs来源外泌体形态多为圆形,直径约为40～150 nm;表达外泌体标记物CD63,CD81;CCK-8法检测显示：不同浓度的OM-MSCs源外泌体可提高人脑微血管内皮细胞的增殖活性,且其增殖促进作用具有浓度依赖性（P<0.05）。Western 印迹检测结果显示：相比空白对照组,OM-MSCs源外泌体可显著提高内皮细胞的增殖细胞核抗原蛋白质水平表达（P<0.01）,细胞划痕实验结果显示,OM-MSCs源外泌体可增强内皮细胞的迁移能力,且高于对照组（P<0.01）。本研究表明：通过超速离心法可以分离纯化获得OM-MSCs源外泌体,且该外泌体具有促进人脑微血管内皮细胞迁移和增殖的作用。     

Orally tolerant CD4 T cells respond poorly to antigenic stimulation but strongly to direct stimulation of intracellular signaling pathways

The response of splenic CD4 T cells from ovalbumin (OVA)-specific T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice after long-term feeding of a diet containing this antigen was examined. These CD4 T cells exhibited a decreased response to OVA peptide stimulation, in terms of proliferation, interleukin-2 secretion, and CD40 ligand expression, compared to those from mice fed a control diet lacking OVA, demonstrating that oral tolerance of T cells had been induced through oral intake of the antigen. We investigated the intracellular signaling pathways, which were Ca/CN cascade and Ras/MAPK cascade, of these tolerant CD4 T cells using phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin, which are known to directly stimulate these pathways. In contrast to the decreased response to TCR stimulation by OVA peptide, it was shown that the response of splenic CD4 T cells to these reagents in the state of oral tolerance was stronger. These results suggest that splenic CD4 T cells in the state of oral tolerance have an impairment in signaling, in which signals are not transmitted from the TCR to downstream signaling pathways, and have impairments in the vicinity of TCR. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Citrobacter rodentium Mouse Model: Studying Pathogen and Host Contributions to Infectious Colitis

This protocol outlines the steps required to produce a robust model of infectious disease and colitis, as well as the methods used to characterize Citrobacter rodentium infection in mice. C. rodentium is a gram negative, murine specific bacterial pathogen that is closely related to the clinically important human pathogens enteropathogenic E. coli and enterohemorrhagic E. coli. Upon infection with C. rodentium, immunocompetent mice suffer from modest and transient weight loss and diarrhea. Histologically, intestinal crypt elongation, immune cell infiltration, and goblet cell depletion are observed. Clearance of infection is achieved after 3 to 4 weeks. Measurement of intestinal epithelial barrier integrity, bacterial load, and histological damage at different time points after infection, allow the characterization of mouse strains susceptible to infection.The virulence mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens colonize the intestinal tract of their hosts, as well as specific host responses that defend against such infections are poorly understood. Therefore the C. rodentium model of enteric bacterial infection serves as a valuable tool to aid in our understanding of these processes. Enteric bacteria have also been linked to Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBDs). It has been hypothesized that the maladaptive chronic inflammatory responses seen in IBD patients develop in genetically susceptible individuals following abnormal exposure of the intestinal mucosal immune system to enteric bacteria. Therefore, the study of models of infectious colitis offers significant potential for defining potentially pathogenic host responses to enteric bacteria. C. rodentium induced colitis is one such rare model that allows for the analysis of host responses to enteric bacteria, furthering our understanding of potential mechanisms of IBD pathogenesis; essential in the development of novel preventative and therapeutic treatments.     

Nasal and oral calls in mother and young trunk-nosed saiga antelopes,Saiga tatarica

The trunk-like nose of the saiga antelope Saiga tatarica is a striking example of an exaggerated trait, assumed to having evolved as a dust filter for inhaled air. In addition, it functions to elongate the vocal tract in harem saiga males for producing low-formant calls that serve as a cue to body size for conspecifics. This study applies the source–filter theory to the acoustics of nasal, oral and nasal-and-oral calls that were recorded from a captive herd of 24 mother and 32 neonate saigas within the first 10 days postpartum. Anatomical measurements of the nasal and oral vocal tracts of two specimens (one per age class) helped to establish the settings for the analysis of formants. In both mother and young, the lower formants of nasal calls/call parts were in agreement with the source–filter theory, which suggests lower formants for the longer nasal vocal tract than for the shorter oral vocal tract. Similar fundamental frequencies of the nasal and oral parts of nasal-and-oral calls were also in agreement with the source–filter theory, which postulates the independence of source and filter. However, the fundamental frequency was higher in oral than in nasal calls, probably due to the higher emotional arousal during the production of oral calls. We discuss production mechanisms and the ontogeny of formant patterns of oral and nasal calls among bovid and cervid species with and without a trunk-like nose.     

Distribution of Streptococcus troglodytae and Streptococcus dentirousetti in chimpanzee oral cavities

The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution and phenotypic properties of the indigenous streptococci in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) oral cavities. Eleven chimpanzees (aged from 9 to 44 years, mean ± SD, 26.9 ± 12.6 years) in the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University were enrolled in this research and brushing bacterial samples collected from them. Streptococci were isolated from the oral cavities of all chimpanzees. The isolates (n = 46) were identified as thirteen species by 16S rRNA genes analysis. The predominant species was Streptococcus sanguinis of mitis streptococci from five chimpanzees (45%). Mutans streptococci were isolated from six chimpanzees (55%). The predominant species in the mutans streptococci were Streptococcus troglodytae from four chimpanzees (36%), this species having been proposed as a novel species by us, and Streptococcus dentirousetti from three chimpanzees (27%). Streptococcus mutans was isolated from one chimpanzee (9%). However, Streptococcus sobrinus, Streptococcus macacae and Streptococcus downei, which are indigenous to human and monkey (Macaca fasciclaris) oral habitats, were not isolated. Of the mutans streptococci, S. troglodytae, S. dentirousetti, and S. mutans possessed strong adherence activity to glass surface.