Estimation in Longitudinal or Panel Data Models with Random‐Effect‐Based Missing Responses

Summary In studies with longitudinal or panel data, missing responses often depend on values of responses through a subject‐level unobserved random effect. Besides the likelihood approach based on parametric models, there exists a semiparametric method, the approximate conditional model (ACM) approach, which relies on the availability of a summary statistic and a linear or polynomial approximation to some random effects. However, two important issues must be addressed in applying ACM. The first is how to find a summary statistic and the second is how to estimate the parameters in the original model using estimates of parameters in ACM. Our study is to address these two issues. For the first issue, we derive summary statistics under various situations. For the second issue, we propose to use a grouping method, instead of linear or polynomial approximation to random effects. Because the grouping method is a moment‐based approach, the conditions we assumed in deriving summary statistics are weaker than the existing ones in the literature. When the derived summary statistic is continuous, we propose to use a classification tree method to obtain an approximate summary statistic for grouping. Some simulation results are presented to study the finite sample performance of the proposed method. An application is illustrated using data from the study of Modification of Diet in Renal Disease.     

诱导人脐血间充质干细胞分化为多巴胺能神经元样细胞的研究

目的：探讨人羊膜上皮细胞条件培养液(ACM)及SHH,FGF8诱导人脐血间充质干细胞（CB-MSCs）分化为多巴胺( dopamine,DA )能神经元样细胞的作用及机制。方法：利用沉降红细胞、密度梯度离心和贴壁筛选法纯化CB-MSCs,加入ACM及SHH,FGF8分为CON,ACM,SHH+FGF8,ACM+SHH+FGF8四组诱导48h后,免疫细胞化学染色鉴定分化细胞的DA神经元表型。应用高压液相色谱技术测定细胞培养上清中DA含量,并应用Realtime PCR方法观察DA能神经元发育过程中的相关基因En-1,Foxa2,Lmx1b,Gli-1,Pitx3,Nurr1以及Ngn2的表达。结果：加诱导剂诱导48h后,各诱导组的TH和DAT的表达量均比对照组高。早期的转录因子En1,Foxa2 在各组中均有表达;而Pitx3,Lmx1b表达在各诱导组中;Lmx1b在ACM+SHH+FGF8组中表达最高;Pitx3在各诱导组中均有表达且无明显差异。Nurr1,Ngn2在SHH+FGF8组中表达很强。结论：ACM及SHH,FGF8可诱导脐血间充质干细胞分化为DA能神经元样细胞,其作用机制与多巴胺能神经元发育过程中的各种基因En-1,Foxa2,Lmx1b,Gli-1,Pitx3,Nurr1以及Ngn2相关。     

马桑内酯激活的星形胶质细胞条件培养液对正常大鼠脑内孕激素及其受体的影响

目的探讨星形胶质细胞对大鼠脑内孕激素及其受体的影响以及在癫痫发病中的作用。方法将马桑内酯(Coriaria lactone,CL)激活的星形胶质细胞条件培养液(Astrocytic conditioned medium,ACM)注射入正常SD大鼠侧脑室后,观察大鼠的行为变化;运用免疫组织化学方法观察大脑皮质及海马中孕激素受体(PR)表达的变化;运用放射免疫分析方法,观察脑组织匀浆及脑脊液内孕酮含量的变化。结果ACM组大鼠在注射ACM后30min出现癫痫行为,2h恢复正常;免疫组织化学显示:ACM作用后2h,PR免疫反应阳性神经元数和平均光密度值明显降低,4h达最低(P<0.05),12h恢复正常水平;放射免疫分析方法显示ACM组大鼠在侧脑室注射ACM后2h,脑脊液中孕酮含量明显升高;而海马组织和大脑皮质中孕酮含量则在注药后4h明显降低,与对照组比较均有显著差异(P<0.05)。结论以上实验结果提示马桑内酯激活的星形胶质细胞条件培养液可通过降低大鼠脑内孕激素及其受体的表达参与癫痫的反复发作。     

Proteomic identification of differentially expressed genes during differentiation of cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) embryonic stem cells to astrocyte progenitor cells in vitro

Understanding astrocytogenesis is valuable for the treatment of nervous system disorders, as astrocytes provide structural, metabolic and defense support to neurons, and regulate neurons actively. However, there is limited information about the molecular events associated with the differentiation from primate ES cells to astrocytes. We therefore investigated the differentially expressed proteins in early astrocytogenesis, from cynomolgus monkey ES cells (CMK6 cell line) into astrocyte progenitor (AstP) cells via the formation of primitive neural stem spheres (Day 4), mature neural stem spheres (NSS), and neural stem (NS) cells in vitro, using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). We identified 66 differentially expressed proteins involved in these five differentiation stages. Together with the results of Western blotting, RT-PCR, and a search of metabolic pathways related to the identified proteins, these results indicated that collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2), its phosphorylated forms, and cellular retinoic acid binding protein 1 (CRABP1) were upregulated from ES cells to Day 4 and NSS cells, to which differentiation stages apoptosis-associated proteins such as caspases were possibly related; Phosphorylated CRMP2s were further upregulated but CRABP1 was downregulated from NSS cells to NS cells, during which differentiation stage considerable axon guidance proteins for development of growth cones, axon attraction, and repulsion were possibly readied; Nonphosphorylated CRMP2 was downregulated but CRABP1 was re-upregulated from NS cells to AstP cells, in which differentiation stage reorganization of actin cytoskeleton linked to focal adhesion was possibly accompanied. These results provide insight into the molecular basis of early astrocytogenesis in monkey.     

Construction and synthesis of lactoferricin derivatives with enhanced antibacterial activity

A series of peptides derived from sequences from human, bovine, murine and caprine lactoferrin has been prepared and investigated for antibacterial effect. Among the four species investigated peptides based on the bovine sequence displayed significant activity. The bovine sequence, bovine lactoferricin, showed a MIC value of 30 μg/mL on E. coli and S. aureus, whereas the three other lactoferricins possessed MIC values above 200 μg/mL. Based on these findings, novel peptides with enhanced antibacterial activities, were prepared with sequences designed by molecular modelling and structure‐activity studies. Copyright © 1999 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nitric oxide counteracts the hyperoxia-induced proliferation and proinflammatory responses of mouse astrocytes

Preclinical studies in the premature baboon evaluating the efficacy and potential toxicity of inhaled nitric oxide indicated a significant effect on astrocyte area density, suggesting phenotypic and functional changes in astrocytes upon exposure to nitric oxide. However, the effects of nitric oxide and oxygen, the two major therapeutic gases utilized in neonatal intensive care, on astrocyte morphology and function remain vastly unknown. Herein, we report that exposure of mouse neonatal cortical astrocytes to hyperoxia results in a proinflammatory phenotype and increase in proliferation without significant changes in cellular morphology or levels of intermediate filament proteins. The proinflammatory phenotype was evident by a significant increase in cellular levels of cyclooxygenase-2 and a concomitant increase in prostaglandin E₂ secretion, a decline in the intracellular and secreted levels of apolipoprotein E, and a significant increase in the intracellular levels of clusterin. This proinflammatory phenotype was not evident upon simultaneous exposure to hyperoxia and nitric oxide. These results suggest that exposure to nitric oxide in the setting of hyperoxia confers unrecognized beneficial effects by suppressing astrocytic inflammation.     

Cholesterol efflux is differentially regulated in neurons and astrocytes: Implications for brain cholesterol homeostasis

Disruption of cholesterol homeostasis in the central nervous system (CNS) has been associated with neurological, neurodegenerative, and neurodevelopmental disorders. The CNS is a closed system with regard to cholesterol homeostasis, as cholesterol-delivering lipoproteins from the periphery cannot pass the blood–brain-barrier and enter the brain. Different cell types in the brain have different functions in the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis, with astrocytes producing and releasing apolipoprotein E and lipoproteins, and neurons metabolizing cholesterol to 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol. We present evidence that astrocytes and neurons adopt different mechanisms also in regulating cholesterol efflux. We found that in astrocytes cholesterol efflux is induced by both lipid-free apolipoproteins and lipoproteins, while cholesterol removal from neurons is triggered only by lipoproteins. The main pathway by which apolipoproteins induce cholesterol efflux is through ABCA1. By upregulating ABCA1 levels and by inhibiting its activity and silencing its expression, we show that ABCA1 is involved in cholesterol efflux from astrocytes but not from neurons. Furthermore, our results suggest that ABCG1 is involved in cholesterol efflux to apolipoproteins and lipoproteins from astrocytes but not from neurons, while ABCG4, whose expression is much higher in neurons than astrocytes, is involved in cholesterol efflux from neurons but not astrocytes. These results indicate that different mechanisms regulate cholesterol efflux from neurons and astrocytes, reflecting the different roles that these cell types play in brain cholesterol homeostasis. These results are important in understanding cellular targets of therapeutic drugs under development for the treatments of conditions associated with altered cholesterol homeostasis in the CNS.     

Involvement of separate pathways in the repair of mutational and lethal lesions induced by a monofunctional sulfur mustard.

The mutagenic and lethal effects of a monofunctional sulfur mustard, 2-chloro-ethylethylsulfide (CEES), have been studied in a number of repair deficient variants of Escherichia coli K12, B/r and B. The results indicate that CEES induces a (pre)mutational lesion which is subject to Uvr+-excision-repair. Extensive CEES-induced mutagenesis can occur in exrA- uvrA- and recA- uvrB- variants suggesting that the majority of the mutations in Uvr-bacteria do not arise from error-prone repair. These findings are similar to results previously reported with a volatile degradation product of captan and with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) but differ from those reported with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). It is hypothesized that CEES alkylates guanine at the O-6 position (R-O-6-G) and that this R-O-6-G which is Uvr+-excisable is directly mutagenic by producing G-C to A-T transitions during replication. Reduced levels of induced mutation frequencies observed in an endonuclease II-deficient variant lead us to postulate that, in constrast to Uvr- bacteria, CEES-induced mutation in wild-type cells arise from error-prone repair of apurinic sites. Analysis of the lethal actions of CEES indicates that the lesion produced is largely unexcisable by the Uvr+ system. Host-cell reactivation of CEES-treated TI bacteriophage shows that the production of the (pre)ethal lesion is dependent on both the initial dose and post-treatment incubation. The efficient repair of the (pre)ethal lesion requires both endonuclease II and polymerase I. Moreover, deficiencies of these two enzymes rendered bacteria more sensitive to the cytotoxic action of CEES. It is postulated that the lethal mechanism of CEES involves: (I) alkylation at the N-3 position of adenine and the N-7 position of guanine; (2) spontaneous depurination of these alkylated bases; and (3) production of apurinic sites which are lethal unless repaired by the endonuclease II-polymerase I excision-repair system.