Expression of type 2 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and corticosteroid hormone receptors in early human fetal life

In adult life, the type 2 isozyme of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD2) protects the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) from glucocorticoid by inactivating cortisol to cortisone. 11betaHSD2 activity has been reported in human fetal tissues, where glucocorticoids may impair fetal growth yet are also required for normal fetal development. Using digoxigenin-labeled complementary ribonucleic acid (RNA) probes and an in-house 11betaHSD2 antiserum, we have analyzed the expression of 11betaHSD2, MR, and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in human fetal tissues of gestational age 6-17 weeks (n=15). 11BetaHSD2 expression was absent at gestational age 6+ weeks, but was expressed in abundance in many fetal tissues between 8-12 weeks. At this time, 11betaHSD2 colocalized with GR messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in metanephros, gut, muscle, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia, periderm, sex chords of testis, and adrenal. In particular within fetal kidney, intense expression of 11betaHSD2 and GR mRNA was observed over Bowman's capsule and the vascular tufts of developing glomeruli as they migrated from the surface of the kidney to the inner cortex. Only lung and adrenal medullary rests demonstrated high levels of GR mRNA but low levels of 11betaHSD2. 11BetaHSD2 mRNA and immunoreactivity staining patterns were similar, with the exception of the fetal adrenal, where mRNA was localized to the outer definitive zone but immunoreactivity was localized to the inner fetal zone. Colocalization of 11betaHSD2 (and GR mRNA) with MR mRNA was observed principally within epithelial cells of collecting ducts, particularly after 16 weeks gestation when the pattern of distribution of 11betaHSD2 became more adult in nature. High levels of MR mRNA were observed within developing bone. The data indicate that 11betaHSD2 in fetal life principally modulates ligand access to the GR in most fetal tissues, notably glomeruli and tubules in the developing kidney, testis, and periderm, and this may be have ramifications for fetal sodium homeostasis and differentiation. The development of tissues previously shown to have a critical requirement for glucocorticoids, such as lung and adrenal medulla, is facilitated by the expression of GR mRNA, but not 11betaHSD2. The expression of MR mRNA in high abundance in bone suggests a role for corticosteroids in human bone development, and the low/absent expression of 11betaHSD2 at this site suggests that it is functionally acting as a GR.     

Determination of erythema-effective solar radiation in Japan and Germany with a spore monolayer film optimized for the detection of UVB and UVA--results of a field campaign

A centrifugation method was used to investigate the accumulation of 14C-rifampicin by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and to characterize the mechanism of rifampicin transport into S. aureus. For both species, drug accumulation was rapid with the steady-state concentration (SSC) reached within 40 s of drug exposure. Rifampicin accumulation by S. aureus was temperature and pH dependent; the lower the experimental temperature and the lower the experimental pH, the lower was the concentration of rifampicin accumulated. Accumulation was unaffected by the presence of inhibitors of antibiotic efflux, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), dinitrophenol (DNP), or reserpine. Exposure to increasing concentrations of rifampicin suggested that the accumulation process was saturable above a rifampicin concentration of 0.2 mg/L. Michaelis-Menten kinetics gave an apparent Km and Vmax for rifampicin, calculated from a Lineweaver-Burk plot, of 0.05 mg/L (0.06 microM) and 3.8 ng rifampicin per second, respectively. However, calculations suggest that these values reflect those for binding of rifampicin to its target, RNA polymerase.     

Development of a toxin-binding agent as a treatment for tunicaminyluracil toxicity: protection against tunicamycin poisoning of sheep

OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of certain derivatives of beta-cyclodextrin to treat sheep affected by tunicaminyluracil toxicity, using tunicamycin poisoning as a model system. DESIGN: Controlled treatment trial. ANIMALS: One hundred and sixty Merino wethers were used in the studies. PROCEDURE: Groups of sheep were experimentally poisoned with tunicamycin. Derivatives of beta-cyclodextrin, with or without magnesium sulphate and magnesium gluconate, were administered to treatment groups daily for 2 to 3 days. Treatment groups were compared with untreated groups in terms of survival. RESULTS: A significant increase in survival was observed following treatment of tunicamycin-affected sheep with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP beta-CD) and magnesium sulphate in solution (P < 0.05). In subsequent trials, formulation of the cyclodextrin in the form of a magnesium gluconate gel suspension demonstrated significant protection (P < 0.01) and was equally as effective as the cyclodextrin in solution, but required half the frequency of administration, even when the treatment was not commenced until 24 h after the final toxin dose. Beta-cyclodextrin-epichlorohydrin copolymer also improved the survival rate. After toxin administration, the sheep lost significantly less weight if treatment with HP beta-CD was commenced early (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Protection studies using these two beta-cyclodextrin derivatives suggest that they may be effective in increasing the survival of sheep poisoned by tunicamycin and warrant further testing in field outbreaks of annual ryegrass toxicity.     

Quantitation of intrathecal measles virus IgG antibody synthesis rate: subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and multiple sclerosis

A method for quantitating specific anti-viral antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is established using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Quantitated antibody levels are used to determine intrathecal specific IgG synthesis rate for the particular antibody. Measles virus was used as a model for validating this quantitative technique: a mutated form of measles virus is a cause of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) and there is a possibility that measles virus is related to the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS). Matched serum and CSF samples were assayed. Concentration of anti-measles IgG was determined and intrathecal measles-specific IgG synthesis rate was calculated. For the SSPE samples, measles-specific IgG synthesis rate was elevated and comprised > 20% of the total intrathecal IgG synthesis rate; these results are consistent with the literature. The ELISA method can be performed routinely, providing a quick, simple, reproducible means of quantitating specific antibody concentrations, with sensitivity greater than 1 nanogram per milliliter. With this method, quantitation of IgG antibodies to any other viral antigen can be reliably and precisely determined.     

Cytoplasmic mRNA for human triosephosphate isomerase is immune to nonsense-mediated decay despite forming polysomes

Nonsense codons between position 14 within the first exon and position 193 within the penultimate exon of the human gene for triosephosphate isomerase reduce mRNA abundance to 25% of normal. The reduction in abundance is due to the decay of newly synthesized mRNA that copurifies with nuclei. TPI mRNA that copurifies with cytoplasm is immune to decay. We show here that immunity is not due to the failure of nonsense-containing mRNA to form polysomes. This finding indicates that cytoplasmic mRNA, in contrast to nucleus-associated mRNA, may have lost one or more factors that are required for nonsense-mediated decay or gained one or more factors that confer immunity to nonsense-mediated decay.     

起重机监控器双机协同中CAN总线的应用

为了满足工程建设日益大型化的发展,两台以及多台起重机共同作业的需求日益增强。设定了起重机双机协同模型,使用飞思忙尔MC9S12DGl28单片机以实现起重机监控器的双机协同功能,设计了CAN总线节点模块来实现双机的数据采集、状态检测和故障处理等功能,给出了实现双机协同的硬件设计和软件流程图。系统在实际运行过程中稳定、可靠,能保证起重机在双机协同时做到步调一致,并很好地应对故障的发生,同时表明CAN总线在起重机工作环境中能够很好地发挥自身通讯距离长、抗干扰能力强等优势,符合了双机协同的功能要求。     

Effect of test method and crack size on the fracture toughness of a chain-silicate glass-ceramic

The fracture toughness of a canasite glass-ceramic with a highly acicular, interlocked grain structure was measured by a number of different methods. The values at room temperature obtained by the chevron-notch, short-bar and notched-beam methods ranged from 4 to 5 M Pa m^–1/2, well above literature values for other glass-ceramics. Similar values of toughness were obtained by the fracture of bars with indentation cracks introduced with loads ranging from 1.96 to 400 N, but only for crack sizes >200 m, with lower values for cracks of smaller size. The toughness values obtained by the direct measurement of the size of the indentation cracks were appreciably lower than the values obtained by all other methods over the total range of indentation loads and corresponding crack size. SEM fractography showed that the surface within the indentation cracks was appreciably smoother than the surrounding fracture surface. The high values of fracture toughness were attributed to the combined mechanisms of crack-deflection and microcrack-toughening due to the stress-enhanced creation of microcracks caused by the residual stresses which arise from the thermal expansion anisotropy of the canasite monoclonic crystal structure. The strong negative temperature dependence of the fracture toughness suggests that at room temperature microcrack toughening represents the primary contributing mechanism to the fracture toughness. The combined effects of crack-deflection and microcrack-toughening can lead to the development of glass-ceramics with greatly improved resistance to crack propagation.     

汽车仪表板模型表面的反向工程重构技术

曲面重构技术是反向工程的重要组成部分,在工业制造、医疗、艺术、军事等应用领域意义重大,已成为国内外的研究热点.对于反向工程的研究内容,数据获取方法、曲面重构技术理论和相关软件进行了介绍,并举例重点阐述了一些典型的方法.