Effect of serum concentration on adhesion of monocytic THP-1 cells onto cultured EC monolayer and EC-SMC co-culture

Background:The adhesion of monocytes to the endothelium following accumulation oflow-density lipoprotein(LDL) in subendothelial spaces is an important step in the development of intimal hyperplasia in arterially implanted vein grafts and atherosclerosis in both animals and humans.However.it iS not well known how serum factors affect the adhesion of monocytes.Methods:We have studied the efrect of fetal calf serum(FCS).which we considered a source of LDL.on the adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells(Ecs)by using human monocytic THP-1 cells and both a monolayer of cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells(EC monoculture)and a co-culture with bovine aortic smooth muscle cells(EC-SMC co-culture).Results:It was found that the addition of FCS to the medium greatly affected the adhesion of THP-1 cells,and the higher the concentration of FCS in the medium,the greater the adhesion of THP-1 cells to endothelial cells.Adhesion of THP-1 cells to an EC-SMC co-culture Was approximately twofold greater than that to an EC monoculture,and after adhering to endothelial cells,many THP-1 cells transmigrated into the layer of smooth muscle cells.Conclusion:The results suggest that the elevation of the LDL(cholesterol)level in blood provides a favorable condition for the development of intimal hyperplasia and atherosclerosis by promoting the adhesion of monocytcs to the endothelium and their subsequent migration into subendothelial spaces.     

Effect of chloride and diamide on sheep kidney,lung and serum angiotensin converting enzyme

The effect of chloride and diamide on angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity from sheep kidney, lung and serum was investigated by using Hip-His-Leu as substrate. Optimum chloride concentrations were 400–1000 mM for kidney, 700 mM for lung and 1000 mM for serum. Optimum chloride concentration increased ACE activity of serum and lung 1.70 folds and 2.73 folds respectively of the activity at physiological chloride concentrations, suggesting that the effect of salt on blood pressure may be due to the chloride sensitivity of ACE. The difference in effect of chloride on lung, kidney and serum ACE suggest that each tissue ACE has unique three dimentional structure. Increased pulmonary and serum ACE activity on pretreatment with diamide indicates that tissue oxidation may alter blood pressure.     

冷应激环境下补充维生素C对小鼠血清生化指标及部分内脏器的影响

为了研究补充维生素C(VC)对冷应激环境下雄性小鼠血清生化指标和部分内脏器官的影响。本试验选购清洁级雄性昆明小鼠30只,随机分为冷应激组、冷应激+VC组和对照组(n=10),冷应激和冷应激+VC组每天在0℃下给2h的冷刺激,冷应激+VC组补充300μg/g VC,试验期1w。结果表明,在冷应激环境中,小鼠血清AST、UREA、UA、Glu、TP和CREA水平均出现显著变化(P<0.05);肾器官指数显著增加(P<0.05),睾丸和附睾重量显著降低(P<0.05);肾、睾丸和附睾出现不同程度损伤,但肝的重量、器官指数和组织结构以及无明显变化。补充VC后,血清UA明显降低(P<0.05),Glu、TP和CREA含量显著增加(P<0.05),而AST和UREA含量无明显变化(P>0.05);肾器官指数显著降低(P<0.05),睾丸重量明显增加(P<0.05);肾小球和肾小囊结构正常,睾丸生精细胞和精子数量增加,附睾管脱落上皮细胞数量减少。     

血睾酮／皮质醇比值与运动

关于运动对人体血液循环中睾酮、皮质醇的影响和生理机制的研究,一直处于探讨之中.自70年代以来,许多学者就运动对血睾酮、皮质醇的影响进行了大量的研究,研究结果表明,不同的运动负荷量,血睾酮、皮质醇会产生不同的变化.因而反向的利用血睾酮、皮质醇变化可以了解运动负荷量情况.近年来有人提出,生理条件下机体内血睾酮/皮质醇比值的变化可作为判断运动员过度训练的一个较灵敏的指标.     

补充胆红素对不同强度运动大鼠淋巴细胞凋亡的影响

目的:观察补充胆红素对不同强度运动造成的细胞凋亡的影响,为运动营养补剂的研发,减少运动性损伤提供一定的实验依据。方法:以53只健康雄性SD大鼠为研究对象,随机分成7个组,即安静对照组、中等强度运动组、中等强度运动补胆红素组、大强度运动训练组、大强度运动训练补胆红素组,力竭运动组、力竭运动补胆红素组,通过流式细胞仪检测技术检测强抗氧化剂对淋巴细胞凋亡的影响。同时观察与分析外周血浆SOD的活性与MDA的含量。结果表明:力竭运动和大强度运动训练能诱导大鼠淋巴细胞凋亡过度增加;补充胆红素使其凋亡率下降,其原因与补充胆红素能提高机体抗氧化应激有关。     

Importance of Serum Copper and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF-A) Levels in Postmenopausal Bleeding

The main aim of this study is association of serum copper and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) in postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) patients. Blood samples were collected from female patients suffering with postmenopausal bleeding (n = 50) as well as healthy females as controls (n = 50). Serum copper levels were estimated by spectrophotometric method and serum VEGF-A by ELISA technique and compared with ultrasonographic measurement of endometrial thickness in both patients and controls. A significant increase in serum copper levels and an almost twofold increase in serum VEGF-A was observed in DUB patients when compared with controls. Correlation (r) between serum VEGF-A levels and endometrial thickness was 0.96. Odds ratio for copper, VEGF-A and combination of copper and VEGF-A was 0.0426, 0.0947 and 0.0313 respectively, in all these cases odds ratio was <1. The abnormal angiogenesis in PMB could be due to increased serum copper levels,which in turn stimulates factors like VEGF-A, thereby causing an increase in endometrial growth.     

The Birth of the Biotechnology Era: Penicillin in Australia, 1943–80 1

Abstract

As Australia and other countries seek to establish biotechnology industries, it is timely to review successes and failures in this field. One of the most notable stories is the development of penicillin, as a wartime project, to which Australians made major contributions. Australians during and immediately after the war contributed much to the scientific identification and purification of penicillin, and to the industrial scaling up in its production at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories in Melbourne. This was a classic instance of war accelerating innovations in public administration. Yet the nascent antibiotic industry was never allowed to gain international competitiveness, and was allowed to run down and eventually disappeared by the end of the 1970s. This article is concerned to tease out the puzzle posed by this contrast in aspirations, between the highest levels of scientific and technical achievement in bringing penicillin into widespread use (Australia being the first country in the world to provide penicillin to the civilian population in 1944) and shockingly poor performance in sustaining and developing a national antibiotics industry. As the stirrings of a biotechnology industry may be observed in the first decade of the twenty‐first century, it would be unfortunate to ignore the lessons of this earlier experience at the birth of the biotechnology era.     

药物与血清白蛋白相互作用中荧光光谱学的研究进展

研究药物分子与蛋白质相互作用对阐明药物的运输和代谢以及了解蛋白质的结构与功能关系有着重要的意义。综述测定药物分子与血清白蛋白相互作用的荧光猝灭机制、结合常数、结合数、作用力类型以及药物分子对蛋白质构象的影响等基本原理和实验方法,并列举一些药物与血清白蛋白相互作用的实验结果,最后讨论其发展方向。     

Determination of cancer antigen 125 in ovarian carcinoma

Appropriate therapeutic measures can improve the life expectancy of patients with ovarian malignancy. There has been a pressing need for serodiagnostic assays to enable, the close patient monitoring. Cancer Antigen 125 (CA125) has been described as a useful marker in patient monitoring for ovarian malignancy. Keeping this in view, the present study was planned. 40 consecutive female patients of ovarian carcinoma (mean age 52.4±10.7 years) were selected for serum CA125 analysis during the period of year 1995–2001. The tumour marker concentration was compared with histologic types of ovarian tumour and the FIGO staging of the disease. 25 healthy females (mean age 35.2–10.4 years) served as control. Mean serum CA125 concentrations in patients with papillary serous adenocarcinoma(Mean±%CV 1571±121.5 U/ml) was much higher than patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma(775±78U/ml). Mean serum CA125 concentration in endometrioid carcinoma was very high(2853±136 U/ml). The patient with clear cell carcinoma however had shown moderate increase(60 U/ml). No correlation was found between serum CA125 concentration and the FIGO staging of disease. Quantitation of CA125 was most helpful in monitoring the response of treatment and followup of the patients after completion of their treatment. Posttherapeutically its concentration showed more than 50% reduction in almost all (91.4%) patients (P<0.001). Importantly these patients had also shown significant regression of the disease clinically and radiologically. 8.6% of patients had shown static or increase in serum CA125 concentration which was associated with either clinically static or progressive disease. Recurrence of the disease was noted in patients who had shown increase in serum CA125 concentration (biochemical recurrence) in the followup However, in our test population biochemical recurrence(increase in serum marker concentration) preceded the clinical or radiological recurrence by an average of 6.5 months. Kaplan meier survival analysis for evaluation of overall survival in our test subjects showed an overall survival of 32% at one year and median survival of 9 months with confidence interval of 6.34 to 11.66. We conclude that serum CA125 is a useful marker for monitoring the treatment and predicting an early recurrence of the disease in ovarian carcinoma patients. A study in larger number of patients is needed to define its exact role in the management of the carcinoma ovary.     

Serum calcium levels in patients with essential hypertension and their first degree relatives

Calcium plays an important role in the pathophysiology of essential hypertension. Serum calcium levels were measured in 117 subjects with essential hypertension and 77 first-degree relatives. The results showed that serum calcium levels were significantly (p<0.01) decreased in both males and females with essential hypertension and their first-degree relatives when compared with the normotensive controls. This is the first study in Indian population.