Selected cellular immunity parameters in patients with Lesniowski-Crohn disease

The study was aimed at investigating the expression of HLA-DR, CD4, CD8, CD56 and CD16 surface antigens on peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with Crohn's disease. The percentage of rosette-forming T-cells in theophylline test was assessed simultaneously. The experiment at group consisted of 18 patients (aged 16-66) of long standing Crohn's disease history, being in the remission period and not treated by steroid antiinflammatory drugs. The percentage of lymphocytes with HLA-DR, CD4, CD8, CD56 and CD16 surface antigens was examined by means of the monoclonal antibodies (DAKO), and the APAAP procedure. The immunological test included also an assessment of the number of T-cells forming active (ARFC) and total (TRFC) rosettes in the theophylline test. Significantly increased (p < 0.001) percentage of lymphocytes with HLA-DR surface antigens was observed in patients with Crohn's disease. The percentage of lymphocytes with CD4, CD8, CD56 and CD16 surface antigens did not differ significantly from the control group, although the tendency for increase in the percentage of lymphocytes with CD8 surface antigens was clearly marked. The ratio of lymphocytes with CD4 to CD8 surface antigens and the number of T-cells forming active and total rosettes were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in patients with Crohn's disease. In 10 of 18 patients the number of T-cells forming active and total rosettes was lower than 500 cells in 1 mm3 peripheral blood. In addition particular notice should be given to the fact that no T-cells reaction to theophylline was obtained in patients' group. The results suggest significant cellular immunoreactivity disturbances which may be the result of the persisting intestinal mucosa's inflammation in patients with Crohn's disease being in the remission period. The studies of peripheral blood lymphocytes with HLA-DR surface antigens may have significance in Crohn's disease's clinical monitoring.     

气象参数对大气环境评价的影响

本文对同一气象站的不同观测频率气象参数的统计结果进行了对比分析,并论述了其对大气环境评价的影响.     

The parameters of cellular proliferation in acute (immature-cell) leukemias

The standard distribution of the fatty acids in the total lipids of serum was gaschromatographically defined in the respective umbilical cord blood of 24 mothers and their newborn babies, as well as in 20 placentas. The same examinations were made with 30 newborn babies on the day of birth, 14 children in the newborn stage, 22 young babies between 3 and 10 weeks old and 16 older babies between 4 and 12 months old. In the umbilical cord mixed blood of another collective (n = 10) the separation of the total serum lipids in the individual fatty fractions (neutral lipids, phospholipids, cholesterol esters) was also undertaken. The results were compared and existing differences were discussed. It was further established that an advance towards the adult's fatty acid pattern already takes place at an age between 4 and 12 months.     

Systematic effects of participant role on evaluation of the psychotherapy session.

This study identified systematic differences between therapists (n?=?114) and patients (n?=?119) in the process components that predict evaluation of psychotherapy sessions. The Comprehensive Scale of Psychotherapy Session Constructs was developed to measure 9 process variables and their relationships to session evaluation from the perspectives of therapist and patient. Regression equations predicting session evaluation from the process components for the 2 groups were significantly different. Therapist session evaluation was best predicted by therapist expertness, and patient session evaluation was best predicted by the therapist real relationship. The therapist real relationship negatively predicted therapist session evaluation when all process variables were considered simultaneously. Patient progress and patient involvement significantly and positively predicted both therapist and patient evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vectorcardiographic evaluation of myocardial infarct size: departure parameters are superior to conventional spatial parameters

OBJECTIVE: To measure the effects of losartan and amlodipine on peripheral capillary microcirculation in hypertension. SETTING: Medical out-patient clinic, Basel, in a university teaching hospital. METHODS: After a 4-week placebo run-in period 20 patients aged 50 +/- 8 (range 36-65) years with mild-to-moderate hypertension were randomly allocated to receive active treatment with losartan 50 mg titrated to losartan 50 mg/hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) 12.5 mg, or amlodipine 5 mg titrated to 10 mg for a 12 week period. Titration was performed if diastolic blood pressure (BP) was > or=90 mm Hg after 6 weeks of treatment. BP measurements as well as video capillary microscopy of the finger nailfold at the end of the placebo period and after 12 weeks of active treatment were compared. Capillary blood cell velocity was measured at rest and immediately, 1 min and 2 min after local finger cooling. RESULTS: After 3 months of treatment with amlodipine (n = 10) and losartan titrated to losartan-HCT (n = 10) sitting BP decreased significantly from 160 +/- 7/103 +/- 4 mm Hg and 147 +/- 7/98 +/- 6 mm Hg to 131 +/- 10/86 +/- 7 mm Hg and 134 +/- 17/89 +/- 9 mm Hg, respectively (P < 0.01). After local finger cooling the area under the curve (AUC) of capillary blood cell velocities was 1.13 +/- 0.58 mm (median +/- s.d.) at baseline and increased to 1.94 +/- 1.15 (P < 0.05) in losartan/losartan-HCT treated patients. In amlodipine treated patients the increase in AUC of capillary blood cell velocity did not reach the level of statistical significance (1.59 +/- 1.36 to 2.14 +/- 1.05 mm). CONCLUSION: This small trial shows that the area under the curve of capillary blood cell velocity increases in hypertensive patients treated with both losartan/losartan-HCT and amlodipine compared with baseline values.     

Systematic desensitization and nonspecific treatment effects: A methodological evaluation.

Evaluates the extent to which the therapeutic effects of systematic desensitization may be attributed to a specific therapy ingredient beyond nonspecific treatment effects. The vast majority of studies have not determined empirically whether desensitization and nonspecific treatment control conditions are equal in credibility and expectancy for improvement generated in the clients. Recent research suggests that control conditions commonly employed in desensitization research are less credible than desensitization and generate less expectancy for improvement on the part of the clients, and that desensitization is not superior to control groups that unambiguously rule out as a rival hypothesis differential expectancies across treatment and control conditions. A review of the research that has controlled for expectancies for improvement does not support the proposition that desensitization has a specific therapeutic ingredient. On purely methodological grounds, it appears that nonspecific treatment effects, at least at present, cannot be ruled out in accounting for the effects of desensitization. Strategies to control for differential credibility and expectancies for therapeutic change generated by treatment and comparison groups are presented. (5 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis of viral and cellular parameters which affect the fusion process of influenza viruses

In the present investigation we studied the fusogenic process developed by influenza A, B and C viruses on cell surfaces and different factors associated with virus and cell membrane structures. The biological activity of purified virus strains was evaluated in hemagglutination, sialidase and fusion assays. Hemolysis by influenza A, B and C viruses ranging from 77.4 to 97.2%, from 20.0 to 65.0% from 0.2 to 93.7% and from 9.0 to 76.1% was observed when human, chicken, rabbit and monkey erythrocytes, respectively, were tested at pH 5.5. At this pH, low hemolysis indexes for influenza A, B and C viruses were observed if horse erythrocytes were used as target cells for the fusion process, which could be explained by an inefficient receptor binding activity of influenza on N-glycolyl sialic acids. Differences in hemagglutinin receptor binding activity due to its specificity to N-acetyl or N-glycolyl cell surface oligosaccharides, density of these cellular receptors and level of negative charges on the cell surface may possibly explain these results, showing influence on the sialidase activity and the fusogenic process. Comparative analysis showed a lack of dependence between the sialidase and fusion activities developed by influenza B viruses. Influenza A viruses at low sialidase titers (< 2) also exhibited clearly low hemolysis at pH 5.5 (15.8%), while influenza B viruses with similarly low sialidase titers showed highly variable hemolysis indexes (0.2 to 78.0%). These results support the idea that different virus and cell-associated factors such as those presented above have a significant effect on the multifactorial fusion process.     

Correlation of dermatoglyphic and cellular immunity parameters in children with early stage of primary tuberculosis

Immunological status and dermatoglyphic characteristics were compared in 55 children aged 4-14 with a turn in tuberculin reactions. A correlation was established between genetic and immunological factors, this pointing to the fact that dermatoglyphics is a component of genotype indicative of natural resistance of children to tuberculosis. Synchronization between immunological and genetic values is less intensive in children with immunological disorders against those without them. The findings support the hypophysis on an evolutional role of M. tuberculosis as natural selection factors as well as setting up genetically determined mechanisms of natural resistance to tuberculosis.     

Angiogenesis and apoptosis are cellular parameters of neoplastic progression in transgenic mouse models of tumorigenesis

The epidemiology and histopathology of human cancers and studies of animal models of tumorigenesis have led to a widely-accepted notion that multiple genetic and epigenetic changes have to accrue for the successful development of a malignant phenotype. Tumor growth and expansion requires an ability not only to proliferate, but also to down-modulate cell death (apoptosis) and activate angiogenesis to produce a tumor neovasculature. This review will describe the interplay between apoptosis and proliferation, as well as the characteristics of the angiogenic phenotype in two transgenic mouse models of multi-step tumorigenesis, namely, pancreatic islet cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin.     

Achilles reflexogram and hemodynamic parameters in the evaluation of thyroid function

Among the numerous techniques designed to explore thyroid function, two which examine important peripheral aspects are considered: Achilles osteotendinous reflectivity (determination of contraction time and relaxation time of the gastrocnemius muscle) and the response of the cardiovascular system to thyroid hormones (determination of the time of onset of Korotkoff's sound and that of the brachial sphygmic wave). Comparison of the results obtained with these two techniques in a group of 60 euthyroid subjects, 17 hypothyroid and 25 hyperthyroid cases, shows that the techniques are comparable as regards precision, reproducibility, and sensitivity and are of indubitable importance for the assessment of thyroid function through the study of two of its peripheral aspects.     

Simultaneous extraction of cellular lipids and water-soluble metabolites: evaluation by NMR spectroscopy

A method for simultaneous extraction of lipids and water-soluble metabolites from a single cell sample was developed and optimized for NMR spectroscopy. Intermediary metabolites in cultured M2R mouse melanoma cells and changes therein in response to challenge with melanotropin were studied by 31P and 13C NMR. Cells were extracted with methanol, chloroform, and water (1:1:1, v/v/v). The contents of the chloroform and methanol-water phases were separated and quantitatively recovered. The contents of the upper and lower phases compared well with the homologous fractions obtained by perchloric acid and Folch's lipid extraction methods. The pH of the extracts remained within the physiologic range, eliminating potential deleterious effect on cellular metabolites. The water phase contained minimal amounts of salts, making these extracts amenable to subsequent analytical procedures. Obtaining lipid- and water-soluble metabolites from the same sample enables characterization of metabolic pathways that bridge the two cellular components in a quantitative manner.     

Pressure-flow studies: an evaluation of within-testing reproducibility--validity of the measured parameters

Growth and maturation during adolescence has not been well described in rural African populations, although it may represent the missing link between high levels of preschool stunting and nearly 'normal' adult heights. In 1995 the homes of subjects aged 10.3-17.5 years, living in a rural area of Senegal, were visited, and all adolescents present, 1527 boys and 1126 girls, were included in the analysis. A number of girls were absent because they worked in the capital city Dakar. Resident girls (n = 705) had significantly higher means than boys for all anthropometric variables (weight, body mass index, arm circumference and muscle arm circumference, triceps and subscapular skinfolds), except for height and head circumference. Girls who had just returned from seasonal migration to Dakar (n = 415) were, on average, 2 kg heavier, but not taller, than resident girls (p < 0.0001). The girls fell off in height from 11 to 13 years compared to the NCHS reference and then 'caught up' until the age of 17, while boys fell off during the entire age span. Mean age at menarche was estimated at 16.1 years (95% fiducial CI: 15.8-16.4) from status quo data by probit analysis. No significant difference was found between residents and migrants. Postmenarcheal girls had better nutritional status than premenarcheal girls in terms of height, weight, body mass index, percentage body fat and arm muscle circumference (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, puberty, as assessed by age at menarche, is delayed by about 3 years in this population, probably due to malnutrition.     

Prediction of radiosensitivity of individual mice by multidimensional analysis

Changes in the RNA-content of isolated anterior horn motor neurons from the 7th cervical segment were studied during the postnatal development of pre- and postnatally undernourished, and normally nourished rats. The motor neurons of the anterior horn were isolated by micromanipulation from Carnoy-fixed sections. The neuronal RNA-content was determined by microchemical methods according to Edstr?m (1964). The observation was made that moderate pre- and postnatal undernutrition does not alter the normal RNA-accumulation in anterior horn motor neurons during the preweaning period. After weaning the cellular RNA incorporation decreases but again reaches normal values at the age of 39 days. The present results are compared with those of a previous study (Haltia 1970) in which rats were severely undernourished postnatally.     

The evaluation of some biochemical parameters in pyridoxine-treated calcium oxalate renal stone formers

20-, 40- and 60-day old chicks were infected with E. tenella (100000 oocysts). The nature of changes in cholesterol, general fat and lecithin of chicks' blood is the same as at the infection with a small dose (5000) of oocysts of E. tenella. Changes in the lipoid components differ only quantitatively: they are greater at the infection with a greater dose of oocysts that at the infection with a small one.