The Detailed Localization Pattern of Na+/K+/2Cl? Cotransporter Type 2 and Its Related Ion Transport System in the Rat Endolymphatic Sac

The endolymphatic sac (ES) is a part of the membranous labyrinth. ES is believed to perform endolymph absorption, which is dependent on several ion transporters, including Na⁺/K⁺/2Cl⁻ cotransporter type 2 (NKCC-2) and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase. NKCC-2 is typically recognized as a kidney-specific ion transporter expressed in the apical membrane of the absorptive epithelium. NKCC-2 expression has been confirmed only in the rat and human ES other than the kidney, but the detailed localization features of NKCC-2 have not been investigated in the ES. Thus, we evaluated the specific site expressing NKCC-2 by immunohistochemical assessment. NKCC-2 expression was most frequently seen in the intermediate portion of the ES, where NKCC-2 is believed to play an important role in endolymph absorption. In addition, NKCC-2 expression was also observed on the apical membranes of ES epithelial cells, and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase coexpression was observed on the basolateral membranes of ES epithelial cells. These results suggest that NKCC-2 performs an important role in endolymph absorption and that NKCC-2 in apical membranes and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase in basolateral membranes work coordinately in the ES in a manner similar to that in renal tubules. (J Histochem Cytochem 58:759–763, 2010)     

抗心律失常药对豚鼠左心室流出道自律细胞电活动的影响

目的:研究抗心律失常药对豚鼠左心室流出道自律细胞电活动的影响。方法:采用标准玻璃微电极细胞内记录技术,记录并分析了四类抗心律失常药及腺苷对离体豚鼠左心室流出道自发慢反应电位的效应。结果:ⅠA类抗心律失常药1μmol/L奎尼丁可使左心室流出道自发慢反应电位的放电频率(RPF)和4相自动去极速度(VDD)减慢(P0.05),动作电位幅度(APA)降低(P0.05),0相最大去极速度(Vmax)减慢(P0.05),复极50%(APD50)和90%时间(APD90)延长(P0.05);ⅠB类抗心律失常药1μmol/L利多卡因灌流标本后,RPF和VDD减慢(P0.05),最大复极电位(MDP)绝对值和APA减小(P0.05),Vmax减慢(P0.05),APD50和APD90缩短(P0.05);ⅠC类抗心律失常药0.5μmol/L普罗帕酮可使RPF(P0.01)和VDD(P0.05)减慢,APA降低(P0.05),Vmax减慢(P0.01),APD50(P0.01)和APD90(P0.05)延长;Ⅱ类抗心律失常药5μmol/L普萘洛尔可使RPF和VDD减慢(P0.01),MDP绝对值和APA减小(P0.01),Vmax减慢(P0.05),APD50和APD90延长(P0.01);Ⅲ类抗心律失常药1μmol/L胺碘酮可使RPF和VDD减慢(P0.01),APA降低(P0.01),Vmax减慢(P0.05),APD50(P0.01)和APD90(P0.05)延长;Ⅳ类抗心律失常药1μmol/L维拉帕米可使RPF和VDD减慢(P0.01),MDP绝对值和APA减小(P0.05),Vmax减慢(P0.05),APD50和APD90延长(P0.05);50μmol/L腺苷可使RPF和VDD减慢(P0.05),APA降低(P0.05),Vmax减慢(P0.01),APD50和APD90缩短(P0.05)。结论:抗心律失常药均可显著降低左心室流出道组织的自律性,通过改变APD50和APD90影响有效不应期而起到抗心律失常作用。     

琯溪蜜柚汁胞在发育与粒化过程中APX活性变化及其同工酶分析

对不同发育时期的琯溪蜜柚(Citrus grandis'Guanximiyou')汁胞进行APX活性测定及同工酶分析.结果表明,随着汁胞的发育,APX活性增大;而柚子衰老腐烂时,APX活性迅速降低.APX同工酶随着汁胞发育而发生变化,花后150 d的APX同工酶增加了1个组分(迁移率0.66),且随着汁胞的成熟,其表达量增加.花后230 d时柚子开始衰老腐烂,花后242 d已难以看到大部分APX同工酶酶谱.粒化汁胞的APX活性比正常汁胞大,同工酶酶谱亮度和清晰度也大,推测琯溪蜜柚汁胞在粒化过程中APX可清除活性氧61由基,抵抗氧化损伤.     

水稻多卵突变体APⅣ胚囊发育过程中细胞核的异常行为和微管骨架组织变化

APⅣ是一份多卵水稻突变体.多卵是由"5-2-1"型、"5-3-0"型和"6-2-0"型等蓼型变异型发育途径发育而来的.多卵都能分别受精,因而使APⅣ出现多胚现象.本结果表明,APⅣ中约有一半胚囊的发育属于蓼型变异型,变异型胚囊发育过程中存在多种异常的核行为,这些核行为受着微管骨架组织变化的影响,显示微管骨架组织在胚囊核行为中起着一定的作用.文中观察到的较为明显的异常情况有:"5-2-1"型四核胚囊存在特殊的核运动,四核胚囊刚形成时,珠孔和合点两端各有2个核,但不久合点端有1个核移向珠孔端,形成珠孔端有3个核、合点端只有1个核的特殊四核胚囊.这种四核胚囊在合点端的1个核移向珠孔端期间,合点端2个姐妹核之间存在特殊的长条状微管束,这种微管可能是促进二核有效分开的重要组成部分."5-3-0"型和"6-2-0"型各个时期胚囊内的核行为和核周围的微管组织骨架与同期正常蓼型的胚囊均存在着差异."5-3-0"型二核胚囊1个核位于珠孔端,另1个核近珠孔端,二核呈纵向排列与胚囊纵轴平行,核之间存在随机排列的微管束,因此可能导致二核无法像正常二核胚囊的核一样移向两端."6-2-0"型功能大孢子、二核胚囊和四核胚囊等时期胚囊核均位于珠孔端或近珠孔端,而在核周则存在复杂的网络状微管."6-2-0"型八核胚囊早期除2个近胚囊中央的核存在朝向合点极的长微管(可能有助于推动核向胚囊中央移动)外,其他核周围的微管组织都呈复杂的网络状.     

曼氏无针乌贼墨囊组织学及墨汁形成的超微结构

采用组织学和电镜技术对曼氏无针乌贼的墨囊及墨腺细胞进行了研究。结果表明:墨囊壁和导管壁由外膜、肌肉层和黏膜三部分组成;墨腺体集中在墨囊底部,呈索状,腺体中部含丰富的结缔组织;墨汁颗粒以游离态形式分布于索状腺体的间隙及墨囊腔中。实验观察到无分泌黑色素功能的A型细胞和有分泌黑色素功能的B型细胞;在B型细胞中可见黑色素颗粒储存在囊泡中,囊泡在移出细胞的过程中逐渐变大,泡内的黑色素颗粒逐渐变多。囊泡可能通过胞吐的方式排出细胞外,黑色素排出后以颗粒的形式游离于细胞间隙中,形成墨汁。     

Malignant arrhythmia in apical ballooning syndrome: risk factors and outcomes

Objectives

We sought to determine the frequency and outcomes with symptomatic arrhythmia in patients with apical ballooning syndrome (ABS).

Methods

A retrospective review of the Mayo Clinic Angiography database was conducted to identify patients who met the Mayo criteria for ABS. Patients with documented arrhythmias formed the study group, and 31 randomly selected patients with ABS but without arrhythmia formed the control group.

Results

Out of 105 patients identified with ABS, 6 (5.7%) women aged 69 +/- 9 years experienced significant arrhythmia (ventricular fibrillation, asystole), 2 patients died, and 1 required permanent pacemaker implantation. When compared with controls, the study group showed no significant difference with respect to ECG characteristics (QT, QRS duration or axis) except for R-R interval variability (see comments below) (30.6±6 vs 14.5±17 p = 0.0004), QTc, and P-R interval. Patients without arrhythmia were more likely to be on beta-blocker therapy than the study population (33% vs 80.6% p = 0.02).

Conclusion

Life-threatening arrhythmia is uncommon (5.7%) with ABS despite marked, structural abnormalities. When arrhythmias do occur, the outcome is poor. Prominent variability in R-R intervals appears to be predictive of significant arrhythmias in ABS. The role of beta-blocker therapy in preventing arrhythmia with ABS requires further investigation.     

Left ventricular assist device as a bridge to recovery in a young woman admitted with peripartum cardiomyopathy

Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are an effective therapeutic option for end-stage heart failure patients as a bridge to cardiac transplantation in those who deteriorate despite maximal therapy and when a donor heart is not ready available. In some patients, cardiac recovery has been reported while supported by an LVAD. In this case report, we describe a 29-year-old female who was admitted to our centre because of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). Despite intensive treatment with intravenous inotropes and intra-aortic balloon counter-pulsation she had a persisting low cardiac index and an LVAD was implanted. In the months following implantation the left ventricular systolic function improved and the left ventricular dimensions normalised. Eventually the LVAD could be ex-planted nine months after implantation. At this moment, three years after explantation, echo-cardiography shows a normal-sized left ventricle and almost completely recovered systolic function. (Neth Heart J 2008;16:426-8).     

Predicting left ventricular remodeling after a first myocardial infarction by plasma proteome analysis

Recent improvements in therapeutic strategies did not prevent left ventricular remodeling (LVR), which remains a common event (30%) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We report the use of a systematic approach, based on comparative proteomics, to select circulating biomarkers that may be associated with LVR. We selected 93 patients enrolled in a prospective study. These patients with anterior wall Q-wave AMI underwent echocardiographic follow-up at hospitalization, 3 months and 1 year after AMI. They were divided into three groups (no, low, or high remodeling). Plasma samples of these patients (day 5 of hospitalization) were processed and stored at -80 degrees C within 2 h and analyzed using SELDI-TOF protein chip technology. This systematic approach allowed to select candidate proteins modulated by LVR: post-translational variants of alpha1-chain of haptoglobin (Hpalpha1) corresponding to m/z 9493, 9565, and 9623, which were more elevated in remodeling patients. The peak 9493 m/z was shown having a receiving-operating characteristic (ROC) value of 0.71 between non- and remodeling patients. SELDI-TOF approach may lead to the identification of circulating proteins associated with LVR. Whether these candidate proteins will help to identify patients who are at high risk of heart failure after AMI will have to be tested in future studies.