Lysophosphatidylcholine is involved in the antigenicity of oxidized LDL

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is formed by hydrolysis of PC in low density lipoprotein (LDL) and cell membranes by phospholipase A2 or by oxidation. Oxidized (ox) LDL activates endothelial cells, an effect mimicked by LPC. oxLDL also has the capacity to activate T and B cells, and antibody titers to oxLDL are related to the degree of atherosclerosis. The antigen in oxLDL responsible for its immune-stimulatory capacity is not well characterized, and we hypothesized that LPC was involved. We demonstrate herein the presence of antibodies against LPC, both of the IgG and IgM isotype, in 210 healthy individuals. This antibody reactivity was not specifically related to oxidation of the fatty acid moiety in LPC, since LPC containing only palmitic acid showed antibody titers equivalent to those of LPC containing unsaturated fatty acids. Antibody titers to PC were low compared with LPC, and hydrolysis of PC at the sn-2 position is thus essential for immune reactivity. There was a close correlation between anti-oxLDL and anti-LPC antibodies. Furthermore, LPC competitively inhibited anti-oxLDL reactivity, which indicates that LPC may explain a significant part of the immune-stimulatory properties of oxLDL. LPC, being a lipid, is not likely to be an antigen itself. Instead, LPC could form immunogenic complexes with peptides, which may induce and potentiate immune reactions in the vessel wall. This study adds to the evidence that LPC is an important component of oxLDL and emphasizes the potential role of phospholipase A2 in atherosclerosis.     

Physical fitness, physical activity, and functional limitation in adults aged 40 and older

PURPOSE: A cohort of middle-aged and older men and women were followed for an average of 5.5 yr to examine the association between physical fitness, physical activity, and the prevalence of functional limitation. METHODS: The participants received medical assessments between 1980 and 1988 and responded to a mail-back survey regarding functional status in 1990. RESULTS: Among 3495 men and 1175 women over 40 yr of age at baseline, 350 (7.5%) reported at least one functional limitation in daily or household activities at follow-up. The prevalence of functional limitation was higher among women than men. Physically fit and physically active participants reported less functional limitation than unfit or sedentary participants. After controlling for age and other risk factors, the prevalence of functional limitation was lower for both moderately fit (odds ratio = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.2-0.6) and high fit men (odds ratio = 0.3, 95% CI = 0.2-0.4), compared with low fit men. Corresponding figures for women were 0.5 (0.3-0.7) and 0.3 (0.2-0.5) for moderately fit and high fit women. The association between physical activity and functional limitation was similar to the data for physical fitness. CONCLUSIONS: These data support a protective effect of physical fitness and physical activity on functional limitation among older adults and extend this protective effect to middle-aged men and women.     

有机硅建筑密封剂及施工管理

本文介绍了有机硅建筑密封剂特点、品种及应用范围，重点介绍其施工程序及管理。     

有关H－Ⅱ运载火箭的动力学课题研究

重点介绍有关Ｈ—Ⅱ运载火箭（以下简称Ｈ—Ⅱ）的一些动力学课题的研究状况。其中，重要的动力学课题有全箭振动、ＰＯＧＯ、防液体晃动、分离动力学试验、动力学环境试验等。针对这些动力学课题，日本有关部门已研究多年，既作了充分的地面试验，又进行了有效的工程应用研究，最终保证了Ｈ—Ⅱ的首次飞行成功。     

两种具有电双稳态的全有机络合物

首次发现两种在室温下即具有电双稳态的全有机（有机-有机）络合物，分别称为MCA＋TCNQ和BBDN＋TCNQ。它们可在真空中制备成薄膜，在数伏电压的作用下，从高电阻至低电阻的跃迁时间小于100ns，因此可作为一次写入的存储器材料。根据我国目前最小刻线宽度的水平，可望在1．6cm2的SiO2平面上做出64Mb的存储器。     

EC与~（99m）Tc－GH之间的配体交换反应动力学研究

实验表明，ＥＣ浓度与配体交换反应速度常数无关，体系的ｐＨ值对速度常数和９９ｍＴｃ－ＥＣ的标记率影响较大。测定并计算了不同ｐＨ值的交换反应速度常数。结果表明，为保证用配体交换法制备９９ｍｃ－ＥＣ时９９ｍｃ－ＥＣ的标记率大于９０％，体系的ｐＨ值必须≥８。     

An ET-Based Two-Phase Method for the Calibration and Application of Distributed Hydrological Models

Water Resources Management - Parameter calibration is a core process for the application of distributed hydrological models, which depends strongly on river runoff records. However, the sparse...     

A steel surface defect inspection approach towards smart industrial monitoring

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing - With the advance in Industry 4.0, smart industrial monitoring has been proposed to timely discover faults and defects in industrial processes. Steel is widely...