Angiotensin II stimulates cardiac myocyte hypertrophy via paracrine release of TGF-beta 1 and endothelin-1 from fibroblasts

We examined the effects of different cytokine combinations and culture conditions on the expansion and modulation of cell surface antigens of CD34+ derived dendritic cells (DCs), the most efficient antigen-presenting cells capable of stimulating resting T cells in the primary immune response. Cells with a dendritic morphology and expressing HLA-DR, CD1a, S100 and CD83 were maximally expanded under serum-free conditions with the addition of SCF, GM-CSF, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta and Flt-3 ligand (fold increase of CD1a+ cells = 102 +/- 32 after 2 weeks of culture). CD34+ cells were also grown under continuous flow conditions in an artificial capillary system: after 14d of culture, the expansion in the total cell number was lower than that of the static cultures (3.3 +/- 2 v 18.9 +/- 4) but the percentage of CD1a+/CD83+/ CD80+ cells was considerably higher, whereas the CD14+ cells were significantly reduced (8.9 +/- 2 v 26 +/- 13). In continuous perfusion cultures, low levels of DC precursors and of LTC-IC were still present up to day 14. The DCs generated under flow conditions stimulated the mixed leucocyte reaction (MLR) more than the cells grown in static cultures. By electron microscopy, cells grown in the continuous flow system showed an increased number of large cells with numerous dendritic processes and abundant multilamellar complexes. The cells expanded under these conditions were sorted on the basis of their light-scatter properties into two fractions: one containing a predominance of CD1a+/S100+/ CD8 3+/CD80+/CD14- 'large cells' with great internal complexity (mature DCs); the second including 'small cells' either CD33+/CD14+, CD33+/CD15+ or CD33+/CD13-/CD14. The DCs generated and selected with this method are therefore particularly well suited for immunotherapeutic protocols.     

Dosimetric evaluation of a widely used kilovoltage x-ray unit for endocavitary radiotherapy

In this paper we present the dosimetric data of a Therapax DTX300 kilovoltage x-ray unit for endocavitary rectal irradiation. The unit if operated at tube voltage of 40-60 kVp (30 mA) with an added filtration of 0.2-0.4 mm Al generates acceptable beam qualities comparable to those of the original Papillon technique. Relative dosimetric measurements were performed at the cone end (37.2 cm SSD) of a 3 cm diameter rectal cone using various detectors to ensure the accuracy. A Monte Carlo method was used to calculate correction factors for the diode used in the percentage depth-dose (PDD) measurement, and to study the effect of the detector size on the beam profile. The PDD data were determined using the diode measurement corrected for its energy and angular response. It was found that the PTW N23342 and Markus parallel-plate chamber can be used directly to measure the PDD for this beam quality with 2% uncertainty. Measurement and Monte Carlo results have shown that the detector size has a significant effect on the penumbral profile. Film and diode detectors have a better spatial resolution compared to ionization chambers, but they may give an incorrect profile tail due to either nonlinear response at low energy or angular dependence. This can be corrected using the ionization-chamber measurement, based on the Monte Carlo analysis. The isodose distributions for this x-ray unit are presented.     

Mechanisms of insulin resistance in experimental hyperinsulinemic dogs

The aim of this work was to identify which proteins in horse dander extracts are allergens and to characterise them. Two-dimensional PAGE showed that horse dander preparations are composed of up to 50 proteins, all having acidic isoelectric points in the pH range 3-4.5. Immunoblots of two-dimensional PAGE were used to compare the reactivity of the proteins with IgE from 23 allergic patients. Patient sera were divided into two main groups recognising either allergens of 18.5 kDa or proteins of 27-29 and 31 kDa. The proteins of 27-29 kDa and 31 kDa were all N-glycosylated and their glycan chains seem to play a role in the binding of IgE from allergic patients. The sugar composition of their carbohydrate moiety was determined and lectin-binding experiments indicated presence of terminal sialic acid linked alpha-(2-->6) to galactose, galactose linked beta-(1-->4) to N-acetylglucosamine, and possibly presence of sialic acid linked alpha-(2-->3) to galactose. The 27-29-kDa glycoproteins had heterogeneous isoelectric points, most probably due to different degrees of sialylation in their oligosaccharide chains. The two 18.5-kDa allergens exhibited slightly different isoelectric points and their N-terminal sequences were identical, showing that they most likely were isoforms of the same protein. Sequence analyses revealed that their N-terminal sequences are similar to proteins belonging to the lipocalin family. We named the two 18.5-kDa proteins Equ c 2.0101 and Equ c 2.0102, according to International Allergen Nomenclature recommendations [King, T. P., Hoffman, D., Lowenstein, H., Marsh, D. G., Platts-Mills, T. A. E. & Thomas, W. (1995) J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 96, 5-14]. The N-terminal of the allergens of 27-29 kDa were blocked and their sequences were not determined. Their amino acid compositions were determined and comparison with acidic mammalian proteins in the Swiss-Prot database revealed high scores with lipocalin proteins. This suggests that the glycosylated horse dander allergens belong to the lipocalin family, like Equ c 2.0101 and Equ c 2.0102.     

Giant cell tumor of lumbar vertebra. A case report with 13-year followup

A combined one stage anterior and posterior approach was used to excise a giant cell tumor involving the second lumbar vertebra. The tumor involved the anterior and posterior elements of the vertebra. A wide excision was feasible with immediate stabilization using the Luque instrumentation posteriorly and fibular strut grafts supporting the vertebral bodies anteriorly. The followup period was 13 years. There is no recurrence, and the patient has no symptoms of disease, and the fibular grafts are fully incorporated.     

Conformational stability of factor VIIa: biophysical studies of thermal and guanidine hydrochloride-induced denaturation

The binding of the multidomain protein factor VIIa (fVIIa) to tissue factor provides the interprotein communication necessary to make fVIIa an efficient catalyst of the initial event in the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation. We have investigated the stability of individual domains in fVIIa and the influence of Ca2+ and an irreversible active-site inhibitor (FFR-chloromethyl ketone). Equilibrium guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl)-induced unfolding monitored by tryptophan fluorescence and far-UV circular dichroism (CD) demonstrated that the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain unfolds at 0.3 M GuHCl and the serine protease (SP) domain at 3 M GuHCl and that Ca2+ is a prerequisite for the formation of an ordered, compact structure in the Gla domain. The loss of amidolytic activity coincides with the first transition, which is stabilized by the active-site inhibitor, and a change in the environment of the active site is demonstrated using a fluorescent inhibitor (DEGR-chloromethyl ketone). Thermal unfolding monitored by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) reveals that Ca2+ stabilizes the SP domain slightly, increasing the unfolding temperature by 2.7 degrees C. In addition, Ca2+ is required for a large enthalpy change concomitant with unfolding of the Gla domain, and this unfolding enthalpy is only detectable in the presence of the SP domain, indicating some kind of interaction between these domains. Thermal unfolding measured by CD indicates secondary structural changes at the same temperature as the heat absorption in the DSC but only when both the Gla domain and the SP domain are present together with Ca2+ ions. Taken together, these results indicate a Ca2+-dependent interaction between the Gla domain and the SP domain, implying a high degree of flexibility of the domains in free fVIIa. It is also shown that the epidermal growth factor-like domains are stable at elevated temperatures and high GuHCl concentrations. Moreover, already at physiological temperature, subtle structural changes take place which influence the overall shape of fVIIa and are detrimental to its enzymatic activity.     

高韧性—70℃低温钢WHD4（09MnNiDR）的性能及应用

本文研究了武钢研制生产的高韧性—70℃低温钢WHD4(09MnNiDR)钢板的全面力学性能、焊接性能.介绍该钢在大型石油、化工设备中的应用实例.结果表明该钢具有优异的低温韧性和优良的焊接性能,是制造低温压力容器等设备的理想用材.     

双相位共轭镜的工作条件参数分析

本文讨论了纯扩散机制的光折变晶体用作单作用区的双相位共轭镜（ＤＰＣＭ）时的阈值耦合强度和允许的输入光强比范围，并与双作用区的情况进行比较后，给出了在输入光强比远离１的条件下，双相位共轭镜的正常工作的条件参数。     

测量高功率激光的体吸收能量计

叙述了体吸收激光能量计的特点，介绍了其标定方法，给出了其技术参数。体吸收激光地的推广应用取得了广泛的社会效益。     

SiH4＋CH4激光等离子体动力学时空特性

采用时间，空间分辨的等离子体光辐射诊断技术，研究了脉冲ＴＥＡＣＯ２激光诱发ＳｉＨ４＋ＣＨ４击穿产生的等离子体膨胀过程，得到不同空间位置，不同实验条件下等离子体发光的时间特性，证明了ＳｉＨ４＋ＣＨ４气体击穿产生爆燃波而后诱发激波是等离子体中基本宏观动力学过程，并在实验上分析了激波对等离体内化学反应的影响，为激光等离子体合成ＳｉＣ粉末微观反应动力学过程的研究提供了参考数据。