[Membrane currents in macrophages].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Z S Zhang.
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Ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) was measured in anesthetized dogs, while cardiac work was altered by changing arterial pressure (pressure work) or by opening an aorta to left atrial shunt (flow work). When VFT during pressure work was compared with that during flow work, at a constant heart rate, it was found that there was a negative correlation (a lower threshold for fibrillation) between VFT and flow work but not pressure work. VFT also had negative correlations with the rate of contraction and relaxation indexes; maximal +/- dp/dt and negative dp/dt were the most significant variables. On the other hand, coronary flow, oxygen consumption, end diastolic pressure, and tension time index were not correlated with VFTs. Thus, VFT depended on mechanical factors not necessarily correlated to alterations in myocardial perfusion.
By using type I and type III collagen cDNA probe and cDNA-mRNA in situ hybridization, we observed the changes of rat lung alpha 1(I) and alpha 1(III) collagen gene expression in radiation interstitial pneumonitis. The results showed that the expressed cell of type I and type III collagen were scattered within the fibroblasts in the thickened interalveolar walls. The type I and type III collagen mRNA content in irradiated animals were higher than those in the controls at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months.
The CD2, CD4 and CD8 mRNA expression of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBL) from 49 female patients with acromegaly and hyperprolactinemia and 15 healthy women were studied by dot blotting assay using corresponding CD2, CD4 and CD8 antisense RNA probes. It was found that CD2 mRNA expression increased in women with growth hormone over-expression and the ratio of CD4 and CD8 mRNA declined significantly in the women with prolactin over-expression. These suggested that the mRNA expression of these cluster differentiation antigens in peripheral T lymphocytes was affected by the pituitary hormones. The significance of these findings relevant to the study of the neuroendocrine and immune network was discussed.
Paeonol 60 mg.kg-1 ip, was given to rats for 15 days. On the 16th day myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury was produced in the rat heart by occlusion of the left coronary artery and the release of the occlusion. The results showed that paeonol significantly improved myocardial SOD activity (5.8 +/- 0.6.mg-1 compared with reperfusion control 3.4 +/- 0.9, P < 0.01), reduced the MDA content (11.4 +/- 1.7 nmol.mg-1 versus 17 +/- 1.3, P < 0.01) and cardiac CPK release (1523 +/- 478.5 U.L-1 versus 2355 +/- 626.5, P < 0.01). The myocardial ultrastructure was also protected keeping them from the oxygen free radical damage. It appears that paeonol is an efficient protective agent against ischemia reperfusion damage in the rat heart.
From 1986 to 1989, 324 aortae from accidental death aged 15-39 were collected from two locations, one of higher prevalence (Beijing in North China), and the other of lower prevalence (Nanning in South China) of atherosclerosis (AS) and coronary heart disease (CHD). Morphometry and biochemical analyses, were used in the study with emphasis on the changes of smooth muscle cells (SMC) in the aortic intima and on the aortic proteoglycans (PGs) of specimens from both locations to elucidate their relationship with the pathogenesis and development of AS and to find ways, if any, for the prevention and control of AS. The results showed that the densities, especially the area density of the cell nuclei of aortic SMC were significantly higher in specimens from the North than those from the South (P < 0.01). Nuclear densities of SMC negatively correlated with alcian blue-positive substances; both total PGs and Heparin sulfate PG (HSPG, inhibitory to SMC proliferation) of the aortic intima and media were lower in specimens from the North than those from the South (P < 0.01). The percentage of sudanophilic lesion (SL) in the total intimal area, showing the extent of fatty infiltration of aortae from the two locations, was similar except that of the male abdominal aortae which was higher in the North (P < 0.01). The above findings showed that decreased content of HSPG which is inhibitory to SMC proliferation might be one of the causes of the augmentation of aortic SMC proliferation in Beijing specimens; and also the increased serum cholesterol concentration of the population in Nanning was reflected in the SL of the aortic intima.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Combination of chlorpromazine (CPZ) and verapamil (Ver) was found to decrease the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias and ventricular fibrillation induced by myocardial ischemia and reperfusion, lower serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and decrease the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in heart tissue homogenate especially in mitochondria; and increase the phospholipid content and the phospholipid/cholesterol ratio; and decrease the myocardial "cell calcium" content in the reperfused area. The effect of CPZ and Ver combination was better than either CPZ and Ver alone.
The hepatitis B x (HBx) gene is the smallest open reading frame of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome. It is conserved among all mammalian hepadnaviruses and is expressed during viral infection. While the HBx protein (pX) has been shown to trans-activate the transcription of a wide range of viral and cellular genes and to induce liver cancer in transgenic mice, the significance of pX for the life cycle of HBV itself has not been elucidated. To assess the function of pX in viral replication and virion export, we designed an X-minus mutant by introduction of a stop codon at the beginning of the HBx gene without affecting the viral polymerase gene product. Transient transfection analyses using different cell lines revealed that this X-minus mutant directs the synthesis of wild-type levels of viral proteins, replicative intermediates, and virion export. These data suggest that the expression of the highly conserved HBx gene is not central for the life cycle of HBV in vitro but may be involved in the pathogenicity of hepadnavirus infection, including liver cancer development.
Ninety-six biopsy specimens were collected for studying the association of specific sequences of HPV DNA with genital warts, precancerous lesions and invasive cervical cancer. Using DNA probes labeled with biotin, 17 of the 22 (77.27%) specimens showing condyloma and 1 of the 14 (7.14%) specimens displaying subclinical papillomavirus infection (SPI) of cervix were found to be positive for HPV 6/11; 4 of 23 (17.39%) specimens of squamous epithelial cervical cancer and 2 of the 23 (8.70%) specimens of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) were positive for HPV 16/18. All the 14 specimens of cervicitis were negative for both probes. The HPV 6/11 positive hybridization products were present mainly in the superficial and intermediate epithelium of condyloma and SPI. In invasive cancer, HPV 16/18 were shown more often in cancer cells of infiltrative nests and were focally distributed.
Serotonin is a modulatory neurotransmitter that produces many of the cellular changes associated with sensitization of reflexes in Aplysia. These changes have been carefully documented in sensory neurons located in the abdominal ganglion that mediate the gill-siphon withdrawal reflex and in sensory neurons located in the pleural ganglion that mediate the tail-siphon withdrawal reflex. Although serotonin appears to be necessary for sensitization, there is no direct evidence that serotoninergic neurons make synaptic contacts with sensory neurons. In this study, the immunoperoxidase technique was used to label serotonin-immunoreactive neurites surrounding the cell bodies of sensory neurons in the pleural ganglion. Serotonin-immunoreactive neurites had varicosities whose mean short axis diameter was 1.1 +/- 0.6 microns (mean +/- S.D.). The shape of the size distribution was skewed toward larger sizes, however, suggesting that there were multiple subpopulations of varicosities. One subpopulation was that of varicosities located at branch points whose average short axis diameter was larger than normal (1.7 +/- 0.5 microns). Serotonin-immunoreactive varicosities were directly apposed to the sensory neurons without intervening glial cells. In most contacts, serotonin-immunoreactive neurites invaginated into the plasma membranes of the sensory neurons. There were also a few contacts onto spinelike processes, but these were flat rather than invaginated. Serotoninergic neurons whose activity produces changes in the electrophysiological properties of sensory neurons have been identified, but this study provides the first direct evidence for synaptic connections between serotoninergic neurons and sensory neurons in Aplysia.
In this study, we used Digoxigenin, (Dig)-11-dUTP, in the Genius kit purchased from Boehringer Mannheim to label the Plasmodium falciparum (P.f.) DNA fragment by random primed labelling method. The P. falciparum DNA fragment was isolated from the recombinant clone pPF14 by enzyme digestion and agarose electrophoresis. This probe is designated pPF14-F-Dig. Purified P.f. DNA and blood samples from malaria patients in Hainan Province of China were detected by the probe in dot-blot hybridization. Thirty-eight patients with falciparum malaria, three with falciparum malaria and vivax malaria and four with vivax malaria were detected with the pPF14-F-Dig probe. The results showed that the pPF14-F-Dig probe could detect at least 40 pg of P.f. DNA and a parasitemia of 0.005 percent. Out of 38 detected P.f. patients' blood samples, 33 hybridized positively with this probe. The positivity rate was 86.8%. Twenty-one normal blood samples all showed negative. In addition, 2 of 3 samples with P.f. and P.v. were positive. Three of 4 samples with P.v. were negative and one was doubtful. The preliminary result of this study indicates that the pPF14-F-Dig probe could detect the patients of falciparum malaria with good sensitivity and specificity, and that this probe can be used to detect the patients with P. falciparum in Hainan Province.
The genes of colonization factor K88 and avirulent heat-labile enterotoxin LT A-B+ of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) have been ligated, and a vaccine strain containing recombinant plasmid that efficiently expresses two antigens has been obtained. Using the activity of beta-galactosidase as a selection marker instead of drug resistance, another bivalent vaccine strain with the same expression level has also been constructed. The vaccine strains have no toxicity and do not cause any adverse reactions. In challenge study and field trials, a high degree of protection from colibacillosis was afforded to piglets when their dams were immunized orally or parenterally. Practice of bivalent live vaccines including colonization factor and enterotoxin antigens and without antibiotic resistance gene shows effective.
Two cases of abdominal cocoon are reported. Abdominal cocoon is rare, only 31 cases reported in the literature. The majority of the cases are adolescent girls with symptoms of acute or chronic intestinal obstruction and/or abdominal mass. Ultrasound examination shows the mass is a shadow of intestinal loop aggregation and barium meal reveal the mass to be made of folded intestine. Operative findings showed the bowel is encased in a white, tough and dense membrane that on microscopic examination thickened fibrous tissue are found Partiac. Removal of the membrane, releasing the intestine adhesions and plication of the bowel may be effective.
Isolated mycobacterium from 219 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis was identified according to the criteria of growth in para-aminobenzoic acid medium, rough or smooth type of colony as well as easy or difficult to emulsified etc. 6 strains (2.7%) of atypical mycobacteria have been found. Among them 3 cases (1.4%) of pulmonary mycobacterial intracellular diseases were diagnosed finally. All of the 211 strains (cases) of the rough type are difficult to emulsify, but 8 strains (cases) of the smooth type are all easy to emulsify.
Gossypol acetic acid has been shown to have the effect of increasing the SCE frequencies in the spermatogonial cells of mice. This study further confirmed the genotoxic effects of gossypol acetic acid by investigating the dose-response relationships of gossypol acetic acid-induced SCEs in spermatogonial cells and bone marrow cells of mice. Twelve or over 12 mg/kg body weight of the dosage per day could increase the SCE frequencies of both bone marrow cells and spermatogonial cells. The increase of SCE frequency appeared to be directly correlated with the doses used at significant levels (p less than 0.001). Regression lines indicated that, in spite of cell type variation, the SCE induced was proportional to the dose of gossypol acetic acid.
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