PET-CT在非完全实性肺结节中的应用价值

肺癌在中国恶性肿瘤的发病率位居第一,随着低剂量薄层CT在肺癌筛查中的广泛应用,临床发现更多表现为非完全实性结节的肺腺癌,目前众多研究使CT影像学特征和肺腺癌病理的关系得到更进一步的认知,虽然CT能对部分非完全实性结节做出定性和定位诊断,但仍有部分非完全实性结节诊断困难,PET-CT结合了病灶的代谢信息和精确的定位信息,从而提高对肺部结节诊断的敏感性、特异性、准确性,综合多个文献PET-CT在非完全实性结节中的诊断分期价值较CT无明显提升,却在评估预后和制定合适手术方案上可以起到一定的作用,本文就PET-CT在SSN中的应用价值进行阐述。     

Effect of amino acid substitutions on calmodulin binding and cytolytic properties of the LLP-1 peptide segment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmembrane protein.

Previous studies have identified two highly basic amphipathic helical regions in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmembrane protein that, in vitro, display both cytolytic and calmodulin-binding and -inhibitory properties that could contribute to cellular dysfunctions and cytopathogenesis during a persistent viral infection. In the current study, the structural specificity of the cytolytic and calmodulin-binding activities of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 lentivirus lytic peptide (LLP-1) are examined with synthetic peptide homologs and analogs. The results of these studies demonstrate that even minor changes in LLP-1 amino acid content can markedly affect these properties, suggesting that sequence variation in these highly conserved LLP sequences may correlate with alterations in viral cytopathic properties.     

烟青虫感染核型多角体病毒后围食膜的病变

昆虫的围食膜是衬在昆虫中肠内一种网状的结构,它可充作虫体抵御外来病原侵染的一道屏障。关于鳞翅目昆虫幼虫感染了昆虫病毒后围食膜的病变问题,国内外鲜有报道。尤锡镇和康慧娟(1985)曾以实验证明家蚕围食膜对核型多角体病毒有灭活作用,而且认为核型多角体病毒不能侵染和破坏围食膜。Derksen和Granados(1988)则证明染病幼虫的围食膜因不同杆状病毒(包括两种核型多角体病     

κ-卡拉胶琥珀酰基化衍生物的抗氧化活性研究

对κ-卡拉胶进行酸降解得到三种卡拉胶低聚糖,并进一步琥珀酰基化得到分子量分别为2720、4000和5960的κ-卡拉胶琥珀酰衍生物(A、B和C)。对产物进行FT-IR表征,并测得其琥珀酰基取代度(DS)分别为0.61、0.29和0.83。检测了三种κ-卡拉胶琥珀酰衍生物对超氧阴离子自由基O2.-、DPPH自由基、羟基自由基.OH以及过氧化氢的清除活性。结果表明:随着取代度的增加,其清除超氧阴离子自由基O2.-和DPPH自由基的能力增强;随着分子量的增加,其清除羟基自由基.OH和过氧化氢的能力增强。这可能与衍生物的羟基含量、取代基团的性质以及取代度等因素有关。     

Somatoform disorders among patients attending walk-in clinics in Trinidad: prevalence and association with depression and anxiety

Objectives Somatoform disorders are common in international primary care settings, but have been little studied in the developing world. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder, and its relationship to depression and anxiety, among patients attending walk-in clinics in Trinidad.Methods The study participants, who were all aged 18 years or older and attending walk-in clinics at 16 randomly selected health centres, were surveyed between May and August 2007 using the PRIME-MD questionnaire.Results There were 594 participants (the response rate was 92%), of whom 72.7% were female. Their ages ranged from 18 to 93 years, and 54.5% were over 50 years of age. In total, 37.2% were married and 25.9% were single. Indo-Trinidadians represented 43.1% and Afro-Trinidadians represented 36% of the study sample; 56.5% of the participants reported that their income was less than US$ 400 per month, and 65.7% were unemployed. At walk-in clinics in Trinidad, the estimated prevalence of severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder was 10.3% (95% CI: 7.86–12.74), that of hypochondriasis was 28.5% (95% CI: 24.9–32.1), and that of body dysmorphic disorder was 15.8% (95% CI: 11.9–18.7). Severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder was statistically significantly associated with gender and ethnicity but not with age, level of education, employment status or income. Chi-square testing found significant associations between the presence of severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder and both depression and anxiety (P < 0.05), between hypochondriasis and both anxiety and depression (P < 0.05), and between body dysmorphic disorder and depression (P < 0.05) but not anxiety. Regression analysis suggested that the demographic features that predicted severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder were being female or Indo-Trinidadian.Conclusions Walk-in clinics in Trinidad that serve older patients on a lower income have a high proportion of patients with somatoform disorders as measured by the PRIME-MD scale. These patients exhibit many features of anxiety and depression. These findings have implications for medical training and service delivery.     

Concentration-dependent differential induction of necrosis or apoptosis by HIV-1 lytic peptide 1

The mechanism by which human immunodeficiency virus type 1 induces depletion of CD4+ T-lymphocytes remains controversial, but may involve cytotoxic viral proteins. Synthetic peptides (lentivirus lytic peptide type 1) corresponding to the carboxyl terminus of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein induce cytopathology at concentrations of 100 nM and above. At these concentrations lentivirus lytic peptide type 1 disrupts mitochondrial integrity of CD4+ T-lymphoblastoid cells and induces other changes characteristic of necrosis. In contrast, at concentrations of 20 nM, lentivirus lytic peptide type 1 potently induces apoptosis. Thus, the mechanism by which human immunodeficiency virus type 1 mediates cell death, necrosis or apoptosis, may depend, in part, on the tissue concentration of transmembrane glycoprotein.     

Selective toxicity of engineered lentivirus lytic peptides in a CF airway cell model

Lentivirus lytic peptides (LLPs) are derived from HIV-1 and have antibacterial properties. LLP derivatives (eLLPs) were engineered for greater potency against Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was determined in low and physiologic salt concentrations. MBC was decreased against SA and equivalent against PA in physiologic salt when compared to the parent compound LLP1. In a novel cystic fibrosis (CF) airway cell model, one derivative, WLSA5, reduced the number of adherent PA and only moderately affected CF cell viability. Overall, eLLPs are selectively toxic to bacteria and may be useful against CF airway infections.     

Pyrazole compound BPR1P0034 with potent and selective anti-influenza virus activity

Background

Influenza viruses are a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. More recently, a swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus that is spreading via human-to-human transmission has become a serious public concern. Although vaccination is the primary strategy for preventing infections, influenza antiviral drugs play an important role in a comprehensive approach to controlling illness and transmission. In addition, a search for influenza-inhibiting drugs is particularly important in the face of high rate of emergence of influenza strains resistant to several existing influenza antivirals.

Methods

We searched for novel anti-influenza inhibitors using a cell-based neutralization (inhibition of virus-induced cytopathic effect) assay. After screening 20,800 randomly selected compounds from a library from ChemDiv, Inc., we found that BPR1P0034 has sub-micromolar antiviral activity. The compound was resynthesized in five steps by conventional chemical techniques. Lead optimization and a structure-activity analysis were used to improve potency. Time-of-addition assay was performed to target an event in the virus life cycle.

Results

The 50% effective inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of BPR1P0034 was 0.42 ± 0.11 μM, when measured with a plaque reduction assay. Viral protein and RNA synthesis of A/WSN/33 (H1N1) was inhibited by BPR1P0034 and the virus-induced cytopathic effects were thus significantly reduced. BPR1P0034 exhibited broad inhibition spectrum for influenza viruses but showed no antiviral effect for enteroviruses and echovirus 9. In a time-of-addition assay, in which the compound was added at different stages along the viral replication cycle (such as at adsorption or after adsorption), its antiviral activity was more efficient in cells treated with the test compound between 0 and 2 h, right after viral infection, implying that an early step of viral replication might be the target of the compound. These results suggest that BPR1P0034 targets the virus during viral uncoating or viral RNA importation into the nucleus.

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, BPR1P0034 is the first pyrazole-based anti-influenza compound ever identified and characterized from high throughput screening to show potent (sub-μM) antiviral activity. We conclude that BPR1P0034 has potential antiviral activity, which offers an opportunity for the development of a new anti-influenza virus agent.     

Kinetics and mechanism of exogenous anion exchange in FeFbpA–NTA: significance of periplasmic anion lability and anion binding activity of ferric binding protein A

The bacterial transferrin ferric binding protein A (FbpA) requires an exogenous anion to facilitate iron sequestration, and subsequently to shuttle the metal across the periplasm to the cytoplasmic membrane. In the diverse conditions of the periplasm, numerous anions are known to be present. Prior in vitro experiments have demonstrated the ability of multiple anions to fulfill the synergistic iron-binding requirement, and the identity of the bound anion has been shown to modulate important physicochemical properties of iron-bound FbpA (FeFbpA). Here we address the kinetics and mechanism of anion exchange for the FeFbpA–nitrilotriacetate (NTA) assembly with several biologically relevant anions (citrate, oxalate, phosphate, and pyrophosphate), with nonphysiologic NTA serving as a representative synergistic anion/chelator. The kinetic data are consistent with an anion-exchange process that occurs in multiple steps, dependent on the identity of both the entering anion and the leaving anion. The exchange mechanism may proceed either as a direct substitution or through an intermediate FeFbpA–X* assembly based on anion (X) identity. Our kinetic results further develop an understanding of exogenous anion lability in the periplasm, as well as address the final step of the iron-free FbpA (apo-FbpA)/Fe³⁺ sequestration mechanism. Our results highlight the kinetic significance of the FbpA anion binding site, demonstrating a correlation between apo-FbpA/anion affinity and the FeFbpA rate of anion exchange, further supporting the requirement of an exogenous anion to complete tight sequestration of iron by FbpA, and developing a mechanism for anion exchange within FeFbpA that is dependent on the identity of both the entering anion and the leaving anion.