La inhibición de los puntos de control inmunológico, una terapia en evolución: remembranza del Premio Nobel de Medicina 2018 / Immune checkpoint inhibitors: a breakthrough in cancer therapy

Professors James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo were awarded with the 2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their contributions in cancer immunotherapy. The latter is a breakthrough in cancer therapy, aimed to overcome tumor-induced immunosuppression, leading to the reactivation of the immune system against cancer cells. Under physiological conditions, the CTLA-4 and PD-1 proteins expressed on T-cells and discovered by the awarded scientists, lead to immune tolerance. Cancer cells exploit these control points to enhance the inhibition of T-cells. The expression of PD ligands (PD-L1) in tumor cells and CTLA-4 ligands in antigen presenting cells, which bind the PD-1 receptor and CTLA-4 respectively, block anti-tumor immunity. This situation led to a biotechnological race focused on the development of effective antibodies able to "turn-on" the immune system cheated by the tumor. Anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 antibodies improve life-expectancy in cancer patients. In this review, we perform an historical overview of Professors Allison and Honjo contribution, as well as the immunological basis of this new and powerful therapeutic strategy, highlighting the clinical benefits of such intervention.

Progress in pathogenesis of perinatal group B streptococcal infection / 中华围产医学杂志

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a major cause of severe perinatal infection, stillbirth, premature delivery, and neonatal infectious diseases. Ascending infection after vaginal colonization is the main route of prenatal GBS transmission. The pathogenic mechanism of GBS from asymptomatic colonization to invasive infection mainly relates to virulence factors, the regulation of two-component systems and immune escape. This paper reviews progress in pathogenic mechanism of perinatal GBS infection in recent years, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the development of vaccines and new treatment approaches against GBS.

Expression of type III collagen in hypertrophic gingival tissue of patients with orthodontic treatment: a pilot study / Expresión del colágeno tipo III en tejido con hipertrofia gingival de pacientes con tratamiento ortodóntico: un estudio piloto

ABSTRACT Introduction: gingival hypertrophy (GH) is the uncontrolled increase in gingival volume induced by different etiological factors, including orthodontic treatment. This pathology is characterized by changes in epithelial and connective tissue, including modifications in the extracellular matrix. The present study determined the presence and distribution of type III collagen in tissues of patients with GH wearing fixed orthodontic appliances. Methods: 12 samples of gingival tissue were obtained from patients undergoing periodontal surgery. They were divided into two groups, the first with healthy patients (control; n = 6) and the second with patients diagnosed with GH and orthodontic treatment (patients; n = 6). Each obtained sample was subjected to the hematoxylin-eosin stain, Masson-Goldner staining, and type III collagen immunohistochemistry. Results: the hematoxylin-eosin and Masson-Goldner histological stains showed hypertrophia of epithelial tissue and connective tissue with a marked collagen fiber increase in the gingival tissue of orthodontic wearers with GH compared to individuals in the control group. The gingival tissue of patients with GH caused by orthodontic treatment showed a distribution and location of type III collagen near the basal lamina, around the blood vessels, but unlike the control group, its location was noticeable throughout the connective tissue. Conclusion: the gingival tissues of orthodontic wearers with GH experience an increase in the number and density of collagen fibers. Type III collagen seems to lose its usual location in the gingival tissues of orthodontic wearers with GH.

RESUMEN Introducción: la hipertrofia gingival (HG) es el aumento descontrolado del volumen de la encía debido a diversos factores etiológicos, entre ellos el tratamiento ortodóntico. Esta patología se caracteriza por cambios del tejido epitelial y conectivo, incluyendo modificaciones en la matriz extracelular. El presente estudio determinó la presencia y distribución de colágeno tipo III en tejidos de pacientes con HG portadores de ortodoncia fija. Métodos: se obtuvieron 12 muestras de tejido gingival de pacientes sometidos a cirugías periodontales. Se dividieron en dos grupos, el primero, integrado por pacientes sanos (control; n=6), y el segundo por pacientes diagnosticados con HG con ortodoncia (pacientes; n=6). Cada muestra obtenida fue sometida a la coloración hematoxilina-eosina, Masson-Goldner e inmunohistoquímica del colágeno tipo III. Resultados: las tinciones histológicas hematoxilina-eosina y Masson-Goldner permitieron constatar hiperplasia del tejido epitelial y un tejido conectivo denso con notable aumento de las fibras de colágeno en el tejido gingival de los pacientes con HG portadores de ortodoncia en comparación con los individuos del grupo control. El tejido gingival de pacientes con HG por ortodoncia evidenció una distribución y localización del colágeno tipo III cerca de la lámina basal, alrededor de los vasos sanguíneos, pero a diferencia del grupo control, su localización fue notoria en toda la extensión del tejido conectivo. Conclusión: los tejidos gingivales de pacientes con HG portadores de ortodoncia experimentan aumento en número y densidad de las fibras de colágeno. El colágeno tipo III parece perder su localización habitual en los tejidos gingivales de pacientes con HG portadores de ortodoncia.

Effects of water extracts of Lepidium meyenii walp (maca) growing in two different places in Xin-jiang on the maturation and function of dendritic cells / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of water extracts of Lepidium meyenii walp (LMWE) collected from two different places in Xinjiang on the maturation and function of dendritic cells (DCs) and to evaluate their roles in immunoregulation. Methods Water extracts of LMWE growing in Tashikuergan County (Ta xian) and A La gou of Xinjiang were prepared and named as LMWE-T and LMWE-A,respectively. Bone marrow-derived DCs and splenocytes isolated from C57BL/6 mice were treated with different concentrations of polysaccharide extracts from LMWE-T/A. Effects of LMWE-T/A on the per-centage and apoptosis of DC,expression of co-stimulatory molecules and secretion of cytokines were detected by flow cytometry and ELISA. MTT assay was used to analyze the proliferation of splenocytes. Changes in the functions of DC were evaluated by mixed lymphocyte reaction(MLR). Results LMWE-T/A had no in-fluence on the percentage and viability of DC. Expression of CD40 and CD86,and secretion of TNF-α,IL-12p40 and IFN-γ were significantly increased by LMWE-T/A treatment in a dose-dependent manner. LMWE-T/A treatment enhanced the functions of DCs and also dose-dependently promoted the proliferation of splenocytes. LMWE-A was more effective than LMWE-T in promoting CD86 expression,IFN-γ secretion and splenocyte proliferation. Pretreatment with TAK-242,an inhibitor of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4),could sig-nificantly inhibit the regulatory effects of LMWE-T/A on CD40 expression and the secretion of TNF-α and IL-12p40. Conclusion This study shows that LMWE could promote the maturation of DC through TLR4 signaling pathway,enhance the functions of DC without side effects on DC survival,and increase the prolif-eration of splenocytes,indicating that LMWE has a potential immunopotentiating effect. LMWE-A has better effects than LMWE-T on immune enhancement.

Digital gene expression profiling of dendritic cells treated with Seabuckthorn favones / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To study the changes in morphology , phenotypes and gene expression pro-files of dendritic cells (DCs) following treatment with Seabuckthorn flavones (SF).Methods DCs were treated with 200μg/ml of SF and then cultured for 7 days.Changes in the morphology of DCs were observed under light microscope .Flow cytometry was used to detect DC surface molecules .Total RNA was extracted to construct the library for digital gene expression profiling ( DGE ) .Differentially expressed genes were screened out and further analyzed by gene ontology ( GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes ( KEGG ) pathway enrichment analysis .Results Compared with control group , SF treatment significantly enhanced the expression of HLA-DR, CD80, CD83 and CD86 on DCs.A total of 355 differentially expressed genes were screened out by DGE , including 176 up-regulated genes and 179 down-regulated genes .GO enrichment was mainly involved in the regulation and development of the immune sys -tem and other biological processes .KEGG pathway analysis showed that the significantly enriched pathways were closely related to inflammation , the immune system, cancer and other diseases .Conclusion SF can promote the expression of DC co-stimulatory molecules and pro-mature molecules, and regulate the expres-sion of immunity-related genes such as CD11a, SLAMF6, LMCD1, TSC22D3 and IKZF3.

Mechanism of CCL2/MCP-1 in its relevant diseases / 中国药理学通报

Chemokine is a small protein which plays an impor-tant role in men's physiological function.It has chemotactic ac-tivity and is often secreted by immune cells and glial cells like microglia or astrocytes.Through the effect of chemokine recep-tors on target cells,various immune cells can achieve directional migration and play an important role in the diseases related with immunity and inflammation.CCL2,also known as monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1 ),is one member of chemokine CC subfamily (βsubfamily).It can chemokine monocytes, macrophages and T lymphocytes to affect their phagocytosis func-tion and produce antibodies to combat invading microorganisms. In recent years,it has been found that CCL2 plays a key role in the occurrence and development of the problems concerning cen-tral nervous system and immune system as well as cancer, AIDS,leukemia,diabetes and other diseases.This thesis is to give an elaboration on the latest research on CCL2 and the rele-vant diseases.

Research progress of MicroRNAs involved in the tumor microenvironment regulation in non-cell-autonomous mechanisms / 天津医药

As an internal environment of tumor occurrence, tumor microenvironment is composed of a variety of cells and extracellular matrix, and plays a crucial role in tumor formation, transfer and resistance to drugs. The regulation of tumor microenvironment will be a potential target to control the cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a kind of 21 to 25 nucleotides single-stranded RNA, and are mainly involved in regulating gene expression. Recently, with the suggestion of cellular auton-omous tumor inhibition mechanism, the regulation of tumor microenvironment by miRNAs has received great attention. This review summarizes recent findings on the non-cell-autonomous mechanisms of miRNAs-mediated regulation of tumor micro-environments, which provides foundations and perspective on the design of therapeutic interventions.

The differential effects of traditional Chinese medicine Danchaiheji on dendritic cells / 天津医药

Objective To explore the effects of traditional Chinese formula Danchaiheji on the differentiation of regula?tory dendritic cells (DCs) and the underlying mechanism. Methods The rat blood serums with or without the formula Dan?chaiheji were prepared. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated from the peripheral venous blood of healthy donors. CD14+monocytes were isolated using CD14+magnetic beads and cultured for 5-7 days to obtain immature dendritic cells (imDCs). Then the cells was divided into control group and Danchaiheji containing rat serum group. Control group was divided into two subgroups (containing LPS and without LPS). Danchaiheji containing rat serum group was also divided into two subgroups (containing LPS and without LPS). The surface markers CD86, CD11b and HLA-DR of DCs were detected by flow cytometry. The level of IL-10 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The proliferation of al?logeneic T-cells was detected by flow cytometry and the expression level of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) was deter?mined using quantitative real-time PCR. Results DCs treated with the formula Danchaiheji exhibited high CD11b and low CD86 and HLA-DR expression levels as well as promoted the secretion of IL-10. In addition, the drug could inhibit the pro?motion of DCs on the proliferation of T cells, which was associated with the up-regulation of IDO expression. Conclusion The traditional Chinese formula Danchaiheji can induce the differentiation of DCs into regulatory DCs and play a role in in?hibitory effect on immune function.

Blood products and its applications for the treatment of military trauma and diseases / 军事医学

The first blood product albumin was developed during World War Ⅱ.Since then, blood products began to play an irreplaceable role in military trauma and emergency cares .Currently, the supporting system of blood and blood products has become increasingly sophisticated .Development of novel blood products also improved dramatically .Universal virus inactivated freeze-dried plasma has also been purchased by the military .Albumin is used as antishock blood volume expansion for emergency treatment of military trauma .Different kinds of albumin including albumin of various concentra-tions, high purity albumin and albumin in soft packages are available .Specific immunoglobulin has become the regular stra-tegic storage of some developed countries , used for the prevention and treatment of infection in military trauma , emerging infectious diseases and against the potential threat of bioagents and bioterrorism .Local hemostatic produced upon fibrinogen and thrombin as well as coagulator Factor Ⅶperforming integral hemostasis effect have become increasingly significant for treating hemorrhage in military trauma .Development of anticoagulants including human protein C and antithrombin has got great improvement .These medicines have the potential for preventing and treating sepsis caused by military trauma .Prote-ase inhibitors including α2-macroglobulin are expected to work in the specific medicine .In conclusion , blood products will play a greater role in the future war and non war military operations .

Efecto de la degradación post mórtem sobre la detección inmunohistoquímica de antígenos en el cerebro de ratón / Effect of postmortem degradation on the immunohistochemical detection of antigens in the mouse brain

Introducción. Si bien lo ideal es llevar a cabo la preservación de los tejidos en el menor tiempo posible luego de la muerte de un animal objeto de un estudio neurohistoquímico, con frecuencia es inevitable trabajar con tejido nervioso obtenido varias horas post mórtem. Objetivo, Estudiar el efecto de la degradación post mórtem sobre la inmunorreacción de di-ferentes antígenos en el cerebro de ratón. Métodos. Se inocularon ratones con virus de la rabia y se extrajeron los cerebros luego de fijar los animales con paraformaldehído me-diante perfusión. En otro grupo de animales la extracción de los encéfalos se hizo para fi-jarlos por inmersión con el mismo fijador y en diferentes horas post mórtem. En un vibráto-mo se obtuvieron cortes coronales de los ce-rebros, y estos se procesaron para inmunode-tección de rabia y de otros cuatro antígenos. Resultados. Cuatro de los antígenos evalua-dos, calbindina, parvoalbúmina, glutamato y ácido gamma-aminobutírico (GABA), presen-taron pérdida de inmunorreacción cuando el tejido cerebral se había tratado previamente mediante fijación por inmersión. Este efecto fue más acentuado cuando aumentó el tiempo post mórtem antes de la fijación. Por el con-trario, la inmunorreacción al virus de la rabia se incrementó cuando transcurrieron más de seis horas post mórtem antes de la fijación. Conclusiones. La fijación por perfusión es ideal para estudios de inmunohistoquími-ca de diferentes antígenos. La degradación tisular post mórtem generalmente provoca disminución de la inmunorreacción. No obs-tante, los antígenos del virus de la rabia in-crementan su inmunorreacción a medida que transcurre el tiempo post mórtem antes de la fijación.

Introduction: It is advisable to carry out the preservation of tissues in the shortest time after the death of an animal subject of neu-rochemical study but it is often unavoidable to work with nervous tissue obtained several hours postmortem. Objective: To study the effect of postmor-tem degradation on immunoreactivity of di-fferent antigens in the mouse brain. Methods: Mice were inoculated with rabies virus and the brains were removed after the animals were fixed by perfusion with parafor-maldehyde. In another group of animals the brain extraction was performed and they were fixed by immersion in the same fixative solu-tion at different hours postmortem. Coronal sections of the brains were obtained in a vibra-tome and they were processed for immunode-tection of rabies, and other four antigens. Results: Four of the antigens studied, cal-bindin, parvalbumin, glutamate and GABA, showed loss of immunoreactivity when brain tissue was pretreated by immersion fixa-tion. This effect was more noticeable when postmortem time increase before the fixing. Conversely immunoreactivity to rabies virus was increased over six hours postmortem before fixation. Conclusions: Fixation by perfusion is ideal for immunohistochemical studies of diffe-rent antigens. Postmortem tissue degrada-tion usually causes decreased immunoreac-tivity. However, rabies virus antigens show increased immunoreactivity when elapses more postmortem time before fixation.

Efficiency of three methods for detecting Toxoplasma IgG antibody / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To discuss the test efficiency of three methods for detecting Toxoplasma IgG antibody. Methods To-tally 304 specimens were detected parallelly for Toxoplasma IgG antibody by using the gold marked method,indirect hemagglutina-tion test(IHA),and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),and the sensitivity,specificity and Youden index of these methods were compared. Results The detection sensitivities of gold marked method,IHA,and ELISA for Toxoplasma IgG anti-body were 85.5%,89.8%and 91.9%respectively(χ2=4.12,P>0.05);the specificities were 92.4%,96.6%and 97.5%respec-tively(χ2=4.06,P>0.05). The detection efficiency and Youden index of ELISA were 94.1%and 0.89 respectively,being high-er than those of IHA and gold marked method. Conclusion The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA method for Toxoplasma IgG antibody are higher,and in addition,it can be automated. Therefore,it is suitable for large-scale Toxoplasma IgG antibody screening.

Implication of serum immunoglobulins and C3 in disease condition evaluation and prognosis of childhood primary nephrotic syndrome / 重庆医学

Objective To understand the clinical significance of serum immunoglobulins and C3 at the initial episode on the treat-ment and prognosis of childhood primary nephrotic syndrome(PNS) .Methods 426 children patients with first episode of PNS ad-mitted to the nephrology department of our hospital from January 1 ,2003 to December 30 ,2012 were retrospectively analyzed .The clinical data were collected for conducting the analysis on the immuneglobulins and C 3 levels in different age groups ,clinical classifi-cation ,hormone response ,recurrence ,prognosis and correlation among various pathological types .Results (1)Compared with the healthy children ,the peripheral blood IgG level in childhood PNS was significantly decreased ,while the IgM and IgE level were sig-nificantly increased .(2)The IgE level in steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome(SSNS) was higher than that in steroid-resistant ne-phrotic syndrome(SRNS);which in frequent recurrence nephrotic syndrome was higher than that in non-recurrence nephrotic syn-drome .(3) The C3 level in the PNS children patients aged over 1 years and nephritis nephrotic syndrome(NNS) was lower than that in simple nephrotic syndrome(SNS) .Conclusion PNS is correlated with the immune dysfunction .Serum IgE level increase clinically manifests by the steroid sensitivity and frequent relapse ;the lower the C3 level ,the poorer the prognosis .

Study on the antigenicity of Streptococcus pneumonia polysaccharide, its derivatives and conjugates by three immunological assays / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To monitor and analyze the antigenicity of Streptococcus pneumonia polysac-charide, its derivatives and conjugates by three immunological assays .Methods Inhibition ELISA and rate nephelometry(RN) were established for this study.Antigenicity of serotype 23F pneumococcal conjugates and their intermediates were analyzed by double immunodiffusion assay , inhibition ELISA and RN .The re-sults derived from three assays were comparatively analyzed to evaluate the changes of antigenicity during the preparing process of serotype 23F conjugate.Results Double immunodiffusion assay, inhibition ELISA and RN were all applicable to antigenicity analysis during the process of conjugate preparation .Inhibition ELISA could quantitatively detect a slight difference of polysaccharide antigenicity during the preparing process . Conclusion The antigenicity of polysaccharide during the preparing process of pneumococcal conjugates could be analytically monitored by using three immunological assays .This study provided evidence for suc-cessfully using immunological assays as the quality control means during the preparing process of pneumococ -cal conjugates .

Inhibitory Effects of Suramin in Combination with PG-Rg3 on the Growth of Lung Adencarcinoma in Mice / 天津医药

Objective To observe the effect of suramin combinated with PG-Rg3 on xenograft growth of lung adeno-carcinoma in mice, and the related mechanism thereof. Methods Forty C57BL/6J mice bearing Lewis cells were random-ized into five groups:control group, cisplatin (DDP) group, suramin group, PG-Rg3 group and combination group. Appropri-ate interventions were given in five groups of mice. Mice were sacrificed at day 24 after tumor inoculation. The subcutaneous tumors were stripped for histological examination. The tumor inhibitory rate was measured. The expressions of erythropoietin-producing hepatoma amplified sequences (Eph) B4 protein, Bcl-2 and tumors microvessel density (MVD) were determined by immunohistochemistry method with image analyze system. The apoptosis of tumor cells was measured by biotinyated dUTP nick and labeling (TUNEL) method. Results There were significantly lower values in subcutaneous tumor volume and weight in drug-treated groups than those in control group (P<0.05). The inhibitory rates were 39.20%, 49.11%, 54.86%and 62.49%in cisplatin group, suramin group, PG-Rg3 group and combined group (P<0.05). The values of EphB4, MVD and Bcl-2 grey values were significantly decreased, the apoptotic index was significantly increased, in suramin group, PG-Rg3 group and combined group than those of control group and DDP group (P<0.05). The values of EphB4, MVD and Bcl-2 grey values were significantly increased, the apoptotic index was significantly decreased, in suramin group and PG-Rg 3 group than those of combined group (P<0.05). Conclusion Suramin combinated with PG-Rg3 can produce a synergetic inhibitory activity against tumor growth of lung adenocarcinoma, which may be associated with the effect of suppressing the expression of EphB4 and angiogenesis, and the promotion of tumor cell apoptosis.

System and intranasal immunization of group B streptococcal C5a peptide / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To study the system of streptococcal C5a peptidase (ScpB) and the specif-ic antibody levels in serum, lung, vagina and recta after subcutaneous and intranasal immunization with dif-ferent doses of C5a peptide. Methods Recombinant protein C5a peptide was expressed in E. coli strain BL21 and purified by affinity chromatography. The expressed product was identified by SDS-PAGE and pep-tide mass fingerprinting (PMF). BALB/c mice were subcutaneously and intranasally injected with different doses of ScpB. Antibody titer was tested by ELISA. Opsonophagocytosis assay was used to test the function of antibody. Results ScpB protein was successfully expressed and purified. The probability based mouse score of ScpB was 175 by PMF analysis. ELISA data showed that both subcutaneous and intranasal immtmi-zation could elicit significantly higher levels of IgG in immunized mice serum than that of control group (P ＜0.01), 30 μg group waa better than 5 μg and 10 μg group. Intranasal immunization could elicit higher lev-els of IgA in lung, vagina and rectum (P ＜0.001) while system immunization could not. Opsenophagocyto-sis tests indicated that anti-serum of ScpB had opsenophagocytic activity than that of control (P ＜ 0. 05).Conclusion The results demonstrated that intranasal immunization with ScpB could induce significantly higher levels of lgG and IgA, and its anti-serum had better opsenic activity.

Expression of Cyclooxygenase-2, p53 and Ki-67 in Gastric Cancer

It has been reported that p53 mutation may contribute to upregulate cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression that is observed in malignant tissues. These molecules are involved in carcinogenesis by affecting tumor cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between COX-2 or p53 expression and clinico-pathological characteristics including tumor cell proliferation in gastric cancer. COX-2 and p53 expressions were investigated with immunostaining, in tissue specimens obtained from 119 patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer. The Ki-67 labeling index (LI) was counted by Ki-67 immunostaining. COX-2 and p53 expressions correlated significantly with depth of tumor invasion. However, there was no association between COX-2 or p53 expression and survival. p53 expression did not correlate with COX-2 expression. There was no significant difference in various clinicopathological variables between Ki-67 LI subgroups. The mean Ki-67 LI value of COX-2 positive tumors was significantly higher than that of negative tumors. The mean Ki-67 LI value of p53 positive tumors was not significantly higher than that of negative tumors. The mean Ki-67 LI value of both COX-2 and p53 positive tumors was significantly higher than that of both negative tumors. These results imply that COX-2 expression is associated with tumor cell proliferation of gastric cancer.

Usefulness of Urinary Cotinine Test to Discriminate between Smokers and Nonsmokers in Korean Adolescents / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: Recently we have demonstrated that urinary cotinine test by an enzyme immunoassay is valid to discriminate smoking status among adults. This study was conducted for the same purpose among Korean high school students. METHODS: Questionnaire on smoking and urinary cotinine tests were performed for 1, 267 high school students. Cotinine concentrations in urine were measured by Cotinine Enzyme Immunoassay (Diag-nostic Reagents Inc., CA, USA) on 502X Multiple Chemistry Unit (A&T Co., Tokyo, Japan). RESULTS: The questionnaire was responded by 1, 227 of the 1, 267 students (96.8%); 6 male (0.8%) and 34 female students (5.9%) did not respond. Among the responders, 13.4% (92/685) of male students and 3.0% (16/542) of female students answered as smokers. By using 6 ng/mL as a cutoff, the sensitivity and specificity of the urinary cotinine test were 79.6% (86/108) and 91.4% (1023/1119), respectively. According to the results of urinary cotinine, 96 additional students were presumed as smokers. Of 85 abstainers and 40 non-responders, 41 (32.8%) tested positive for urinary cotinine. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike in a previous study with adults, the urinary cotinine test is shown not to be able to replace the self-reported questionnaire due to the lack of sensitivity for young adolescents. But the urinary continine test is valid to discriminate smokers among purported nonsmokers, espe-cially among non-responders and those who claimed abstinence.

Study on the mechanism of laminarin sulfate in the prevention of experimental atherosclerosis / 中国海洋药物

Objective To explore the possible immunological mechanism of laminarin sulfate in the prevention of experimental atherosclerosis. Methods Serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) , circulating immuno-complex, sub units of T lymphocyte, inter leukin-6(IL-6) , in-terleukin-8(IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and lipid metabolism were determined by ELISA, RIA in rats and quails. Results The lipid metabolism and immunologic function were prominent disturbance in animals after feeding with high-lipid food. However, Laminarin sulfate has obvious regulating effects on above-mentioned index. Conclusions The mechanism of laminarin sulfate in the prevention of atherosclerosis might be closely related to the regulation of the disturbance of lipid metabolism and to the regulation of the immunologic function of the body.

Expression of C-myc protein in oromaxillofacial sarcoma and its biological significance / 实用口腔医学杂志

Objective:To study the correlation between C-myc express io n and clinicopathological characteristics of oromaxillofacial sarcoma. M ethods:C-myc expression was determined by SP method in 37 cases of sarc oma and 14 benign mesenchymal tumors in oral and maxillofacial region. R esults:C-myc expression was detectd in 22 cases (40.54%) of sarcoma and in none of the benign tumor. In sarcoma of gradeⅠ, Ⅱand Ⅲ, the positive r ates of C-myc expression were 16.70%, 30% and 66.67% respectively, and a statis tical significance was only observed in C-myc expression between gradeⅠand Ⅲ( P

An Immunohistochemical and Immunoelectron Microscopic Study of Distribution of Neuropeptide Y in the Cat Spinal Trigeminal Subnucleus Caudalis after Pulpectomy / 대한해부학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the cat spinal trigeminal subnucleus caudalis following pulpectomy of mandibular premolars and molar by means of an immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopic study. The animals were divided into normal and experimental group which were sacrificed at 14 days after pulpectomy. The results were as follows; 1. On the light microscopic observation of the spinal trigeminal subnucleus caudalis in normal group, NPY-immunoreactivity (IR) was weak within lamina I and lamina II outer. In pulpectomy group, NPY-IR was strong and appeared to extend into lamina I and lamina II inner at 14 days. 2. On the immunoelectron microscopic observation of the spinal trigeminal subnucleus caudalis in normal group, NPY-IR was revealed in axon terminals, dendrites, myelinated axons and unmyelinated axons. NPY-IR was associated with membrane structures within microtubules, synaptic vesicles, outer membrane of mitochondria and inner surface of the axolemma. In NPY-immunoreactive structure, there was a small amount of DAB precipita-tions. 3. On the immunoelectron microscopic observation of the spinal trigeminal subnucleus caudalis at 14 days in pulpectomy group, the number of NPY-immunoreactive axon terminals, dendrites, myelinated axons and unmyelinated axons was increased than normal group. DAB precipitations in NPY-immunoreactive structure was increased than normal group. Some NPY-immunoreactive axon terminal formed synaptic glomerulus and axoaxonic synapse. 4. The results indicate that NPY-IR was increased in the spinal trigeminal subnucleus caudalis after pulpectomy, and it is speculated that the increased NPY by injury of peripheral nerve may participate in the processing of nociception.