动脉粥样硬化易损斑块的核医学和磁共振分子影像学研究进展

动脉粥样硬化分子影像学通过使用具有敏感性和特异性影像对比的分子探针针对动脉粥样硬化斑块相关的特定分子进行分子成像.该方法会极大地提高对动脉粥样硬化病变特性的检测水平和增强对该病变特征,尤其对斑块的组成成份的识别能力.斑块的组成成份和斑块的破裂、斑块的易损性以及斑块破裂后导致的结果密切相关.因此了解斑块组成成份的在体无创性检测将对动脉粥样硬化病人的治疗和判断预后产生非常重要的临床应用价值.     

重点脆弱生态区生态恢复模式现状与发展方向

生态系统退化严重影响区域可持续发展,控制生态系统退化和生态恢复已成为重要议题。我国脆弱生态区分布广泛,生态系统退化显著,荒漠化、水土流失、石漠化等问题突出,针对这一问题,我国已开展一系列生态恢复工程,积累了数量众多的生态恢复模式。在梳理重点脆弱生态区(北方风沙区、青藏高寒区、干旱荒漠区、黄土高原区和喀斯特地区)生态环境问题现状基础上,整理了针对不同脆弱生态区及亚区的生态恢复模式,构建了一套全面评估生态恢复模式的综合效益的指标体系,结合实地调查和数据收集,评估了脆弱生态区的生态恢复模式的综合效益,基于此提出生态恢复实践中应将生物多样性和生态系统服务提升作为重要目标,同时加强针对生态恢复模式的成本效益分析,综合设计生态恢复管理制度,搭建重点脆弱生态区生态恢复信息平台可为生态恢复模式筛选和优化提供决策支持。     

重点脆弱生态区生态恢复综合效益评估指标体系

生态恢复是扭转由人类活动引起的生态环境退化和生物多样性损失,并保证生态系统服务可持续供给的一项主要战略措施。20世纪90年代以来我国针对重点脆弱生态区(北方风沙区、黄土高原区、西北干旱区、青藏高原区和西南喀斯特地区)实施了一系列的生态恢复工程。科学合理地评估重点脆弱生态区生态恢复综合效益,对生态恢复措施的进一步优化调整具有重要的理论与实践意义。然而,在重点脆弱生态区生态恢复综合效益评估的集成研究方面,由于缺乏统一的指标体系,阻碍了区域内综合性和长期性的生态恢复综合效益评估和监测,因此亟需构建一套面向我国重点脆弱生态区的生态恢复综合效益评估指标体系。以我国5个重点脆弱生态区为研究区,根据"生态恢复-生态系统结构-质量-服务-效益"级联式概念框架,在指标筛选原则和方法的指导下,参考现有的生态恢复评估成果,构建科学化、系统化和规范化的生态恢复综合效益评估指标体系。研究结果以期为重点脆弱生态区生态恢复评估研究和管理应用提供理论与技术支撑。     

Quantification of new structural features of coronary plaques by computational post-hoc analysis of virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound images

Cardiovascular disease and complications are often mediated by the development and rupture of atherosclerotic plaques. Plaque composition is a major factor that determines plaque vulnerability. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and spectral analysis of the radio frequency signal provide an in vivo tissue characterisation of atherosclerotic plaques, known as virtual histology (VH–IVUS). In VH–IVUS analysis, four histological tissue components are classified: fibrous, fibro/fatty, necrotic core and calcium. Existing technology determines only the area of each component within the plaque. Quantitative, objective characterisation of other plaque components' patterns within the plaque is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine new compositional and structural indices which indicate spatial distribution, heterogeneity and dispersity of each VH–IVUS-derived component within the plaque area and also with respect to the plaque–lumen border. We developed an automated computational system in Java for the analysis of both single cross-sectional segments and the whole length of the examined plaque (volumetric analysis). The following parameters were computed: the number of different solid segments and the area of the largest solid segment of each component within the plaque, the per cent of the lumen border that is surrounded by each component, the number of different solid segments and the largest area of a solid segment of each component that adjoins the lumen border. Especially components' localisation in relation to the lumen border may significantly influence plaque vulnerability and plaque–stent interaction, which should be investigated in future clinical studies.     

Normalizing and scaling of data to derive human response corridors from impact tests

It is well known that variability is inherent in any biological experiment. Human cadavers (Post-Mortem Human Subjects, PMHS) are routinely used to determine responses to impact loading for crashworthiness applications including civilian (motor vehicle) and military environments. It is important to transform measured variables from PMHS tests (accelerations, forces and deflections) to a standard or reference population, termed normalization. The transformation process should account for inter-specimen variations with some underlying assumptions used during normalization. Scaling is a process by which normalized responses are converted from one standard to another (example, mid-size adult male to large-male and small-size female adults, and to pediatric populations). These responses are used to derive corridors to assess the biofidelity of anthropomorphic test devices (crash dummies) used to predict injury in impact environments and design injury mitigating devices. This survey examines the pros and cons of different approaches for obtaining normalized and scaled responses and corridors used in biomechanical studies for over four decades. Specifically, the equal-stress equal-velocity and impulse-momentum methods along with their variations are discussed in this review. Methods ranging from subjective to quasi-static loading to different approaches are discussed for deriving temporal mean and plus minus one standard deviation human corridors of time-varying fundamental responses and cross variables (e.g., force-deflection). The survey offers some insights into the potential efficacy of these approaches with examples from recent impact tests and concludes with recommendations for future studies. The importance of considering various parameters during the experimental design of human impact tests is stressed.     

Safeguard subjects

In the available literature on ecobalances, relatively little attention has until now been devoted to the discussion of the ultimate objectives of ecocontrolling, i.e. to the determination of those elements of nature which deserve highest protection. The goal of this paper is to elaborate and to provide grounds for a target-system of ecocontrol-ling based upon existing concepts in the environmental ethics. The immediate connection between ethical considerations and the target-system of ecocontrolling arises from the fact that the ethical notion of ‘intrinsic value’ (applied on elements of nature), and the concept of ‘safeguard subject’ used in literature on ecocontrolling and ecobalances appear congruent. Principally, it would be desirable that the safeguard subjects consist only of natural elements with an intrinsic value — within the chosen approach of environmental ethics. However, in order to reach an optimal operationalization, it appears unavoidable to put elements of nature with an intrinsic value and those elements that do not possess such a value (but which operationalize elements with an intrinsic value) together in the list of the safeguard subjects. Relying on the theoretical and practical analysis, a list of safeguard subjects similar that from Gonsoli et al. is proposed. The ethical frame allows for a new insight, the idea that there is a hierarchy between the different safeguard subjects, and that a limited influence on a safeguard subject of lower rank docs not have to be considered an impairment of the corresponding safeguard subject.     

Langerhans's cell histiocytosis in old subjects: two rare case reports and review of the literature

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2012.00629.x Langerhans’s cell histiocytosis in old subjects: two rare case reports and review of the literature Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a proliferative disease of histiocyte‐like cells that generally affects children; LCH onset is rare in adults; immunohistochemistry is essential to obtain the correct diagnosis, and treatment protocols are controversial. Objective: To describe two new cases of adult onset oral LCH. Case reports: Case 1: a 71‐year‐old woman, complaining of diffuse oral pain, presented with erythematous mucosal lesions; the panoramic radiograph and CT scan showed multiple mandible radiolucent areas. Immunohistochemical assay for S‐100, CD1a and langerin test was essential in reaching the correct diagnosis. Case 2: a 77‐year‐old female patient presented with a non‐painful, non‐bleeding, slightly elevated erythematous palatal lesion of 6 months duration, together with a genital vulvar lesion of uncertain nature. The pathology confirmed the diagnosis of LCH. Many therapies (etoposid, radiotherapy) could induce only a clinical partial remission; Cladribine induced a complete recovery. Conclusion: The first case was difficult to diagnose: the clinical presentation and course of the disease (LCH) in the elderly are multiple and unpredictable. An immunohistochemistry study is often essential to obtain the correct diagnosis. The second case required several therapeutic interventions: even though some cases regress spontaneously, others require systemic chemotherapy.     

Sera from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients induce the non-canonical activation of NMDA receptors "in vitro"

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuromuscular disease characterized by the selective loss of both upper and lower motoneurons (MNs). The familial form of the illness is associated with mutations in the gene encoding Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD-1) enzyme, but it accounts for fewer than 10% of cases; the rest, more than 90%, correspond to the sporadic form of ALS. Although many proposals have been suggested over the years, the mechanisms underlying the characteristic selective killing of MN in ALS remain unknown. In this study we tested the effect of sera from sporadic ALS patients on NMDA receptors (NMDAR). We hypothesize that an endogenous seric factor is implicated in neuronal death in ALS, mediated by the modulation of NMDAR.Sera from ALS patients and from healthy subjects were pretreated to inactivate complement pathways and dialyzed to remove glutamate and glycine. IgGs from ALS patients and healthy subjects were obtained by affinity chromatography and dialyzed against phosphate-buffered saline. Human NMDAR were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and ionic currents were recorded using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique.Sera from sporadic ALS patients induced transient oscillatory currents in oocytes expressing NMDAR with a significantly higher total electrical charge than that induced by sera from healthy subjects. Sera from patients with other neuromuscular diseases did not exert this effect. The currents were inhibited by MK-801, a noncompetitive blocker of NMDAR. The PLC inhibitor, U-73122, and the IP₃ receptor antagonist, 2-APB, also inhibited the sera-induced currents. The oscillatory signal recorded was due to internal calcium mobilization. Isolated IgGs from ALS patients significantly affected the activity of oocytes injected with NMDAR, causing a 2-fold increase over the response recorded for IgGs from healthy subjects.Our data support the notion that ALS sera contain soluble factors that mobilize intracellular calcium, not opening directly the ionic conductance, but through the non-canonical activation of NMDAR.     

Spawning activity of the Australian lungfish Neoceratodus forsteri in an impoundment

This study assessed the spawning activity of the threatened Australian lungfish Neoceratodus forsteri by measuring egg densities within the artificial habitat of a large impoundment (Lake Wivenhoe, Australia). Eggs were sampled (August to November 2009) from multiple locations across the impoundment, but occurred at highest densities in water shallower than 40 cm along shorelines with a dense cover of submerged terrestrial vegetation. The numbers of eggs declined over the study period and all samples were dominated by early developmental stages and high proportions of unviable eggs. The quality of the littoral spawning habitats declined over the study as flooded terrestrial grasses decomposed and filamentous algae coverage increased. Water temperatures at the spawning site exhibited extreme variations, ranging over 20·4° C in water shallower than 5 cm. Dissolved oxygen concentrations regularly declined to <1 mg l^?1 at 40 and 80 cm water depth. Spawning habitats utilised by N. forsteri within impoundments expose embryos to increased risk of desiccation or excessive submergence through water‐level variations, and extremes in temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration that present numerous challenges for successful spawning and recruitment of N. forsteri in large impoundment environments.