FOLLICULO-STELLATE CELLS OFTHE RAT ANTERIOR PITUITARY RESPONDED TO ANGIOTENSIN Ⅱ BY INCREASING INTRACELLULAR CONCENTRATION

Objective The main purpose of this study was to investigate whether the folliculo-stellate cells (FSC) respond to angiotensin(Ang) Ⅱ by increasing intracellular free concentration ([]i) ,and where the o-rigin of mobilization is if that has occurred. Methods Pituitary cells in primary culture were prepared from male Wister rats(250g) by a conventional method and cultured in MEM supplemented with 4％ normal rat serum. Af-ter 2 days in culutre,cells were loaded with 1 μmol/L fura-PE3/AM for 1 h and subjected to a ment with Quanti Cell 700 system. Excitation wavelengths of 340 and 380 nm were selected by means of a computer-controlled filterwheel. Results The of FSC in the rat anterior pituitary was elevated by Ang Ⅱ. The eleva-tion of of FSC induced by 0. 1,1.0,10 and 100 nmol/L Ang Ⅱ was (56.33±6.18), (117.07± 36.07), (175.59 ± 40.01 ) and (216.02 ±11.52) nmol/L, respectively. The increase of of FSC induced by 100nmol/L Ang Ⅱ was not influenced by the medium without (0Ca),but significantly suppressed by thapsigargin (TG),an inhibitor of ATPase. The rate of responsive FSC to Ang Ⅱ (100 nmol/L) was 61.84％ which was obviously higher than that of pituitary endocrine cells (43.49％). Conclusion The present experiment demonstrates that the FSC in the rat anterior pituitary responds to Ang Ⅱ by increasing [which raises the possibility that Ang Ⅱ re-leased from either lactotrophs or gonadotrophs affects FSC through paracrine mechanism. The elevation of [induced by Ang Ⅱ presents a dosage-dependent relation, and is possibly because of the release of from an intra-cellular pool (s). Fashions of release are relative to the concentration of Ang Ⅱ. The results indicate that Ang Ⅱ functions as a paracrine factor among pituitary cells including FSC.     

RELATION OF PERIOPERATIVE SERUM THYROID HORMONE CHANGES TO HEART DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS UNDERGONE CARDIAC VALVE REPLACEMENT

Myocardial dysfunction is commonly a signifi-cantproblem following heart surgery.Recentstud-ies demonstrated that decreased serum triiodothy-ronine(T3) concentration probably plays an impor-tantrole in the pathogenesis ofboth critical chroniccongestive heart failure and low cardiac output af-ter heart surgery[1,2 ] .To further explore the rela-tionship of perioperative thyroid hormone changesto heart dysfunction,the serum concentration ofthyroid hormone in2 0 patients undergoing mitralvalve re…     

EFFECT OF MELATONIN AGAINST GLUTAMATE-INDUCED EXCITOTOXICITY ON CULTURED CEREBRAL CORTICAL NEURONS

Melatonin(MT) is a kind of very importantpineal hormone.Besides its sedative,hypnotic andanalgetic effects,in recent years,many researchershave suggested that it may be used in the treat-ment of many acute and chronic central nervoussystem diseases,for example,brain trauma,epilepsy,Alzheimer s disease,and so on[1～ 3 ] .　However,its mechanism of resisting diseases isstill unclear.In the present research,an isolatedpattern of excitotoxic neuron injury was induced byglutamate.On the basis of …     

Bacillus brevis DX01 Labeling by Green Fluorescent Protein Gene and Its Colonization in Rice Seedling Roots

Since the gfp cDNA was cloned from Aequoreavictoria[1], the green fluorescence protein (GFP)has attracted considerable attention as a marker/reporter system[2, 3]. In recent years, the greenfluorescent protein gene has been used as a markersystem for detection of marked cells in soil.Tombolini et al.[4]used a red-shift mutant to de-tect individual bacterial cells on the surface ofroots. They also investigated the stability of theprotein under nutrient starvation conditions. Theprotein was s…     

Numerical Simulation on Freezing Process of Saturated Granular Soil

Introduction Soil freezing and thawing have a harmful impacton roads and buildings in cold regions. For example,frost heave and thawing settlement lead to cracks, set-tlement and structure breaking. A number ofreports[1-3]indicated that the frost heave induced bywater transfer could exceed the volume of water chan-ges because of water freezing in the cells. The mainmodels for coupled heat and moisture transfer infreezing soil are hydrodynamic models and rigid icemodels[1,2]. Though the hydrod…     

RELATIONS OF DERIVATIVE ALGEBRA AND RING OF DIFFERENTIAL OPERATORS IN CHARACTERISTIC p>0

Introduction　　 Let K be a field,K [X ]∶=K [x1,… ,xn]bethe polynomial ring in n variables.We know thatwhen K is a field with ch( K ) =0 ,then the Weylalgebra An( K) ,the ring of differential operatorsD( K[X]) ,and the derivative algebraΔ ( K [X])which is generated by{xi, i| i=1 ,… ,n}in End KK[X]are all isomorphic[1～ 3 ] .But if ch( K) =p>0 ,the three do not have that relation.In factΔ( K[X]) is only a quotientof An( K) [4] ;and Ref.[5 ]gives a comprehensive study to the rela…     

Eukaryotic expression and biological activity analysis of neuroprotective peptide [Gly14]-Humanin

Objective To investigate the expression of neuroprotective peptide [Gly14]-Humanin (HNG) in eukaryotic cells by gene engineering technique and analyze its biological activity. Methods By means of asymmetrical primer/template, double stranded cDNA of HNG with FLAG in its C-terminal was obtained, which was cloned into the plasmid pcDNA3.1(-), and the resultant recombinant vector pcDNA3.1(-)/HNG-FLAG was transfected into PC12 cells. At the same time, the recombinant vector pcDNA3.1(-)/EGFP was transfected to control the efficiency of transfection. The expression of HNG in the cells was determined by immunocytochemistry. In order to analyze the biological activity of the expressed HNG, 25μM Aβ25-35 peptide was added to the culture medium of the transfected cells for 24h, then cell morphology, MTT assay and Hoechst 33258 staining were observed. Results The eukaryotic expression vector of pcDNA3.1(-)/HNG-FLAG was identified by enzyme digestion and sequencing. HNG was highly expressed in PC12 cells. After exposure of PC12 cells to 25μM Aβ25-35 for 24h, cell viability decreased to (65.8±5.3)%, and the dystrophic changes of neuritis and nuclei condensation were obvious. When cells were pre-transfected with pcDNA3.1(-)/HNG-FLAG, Aβ25-35-induced cell death and morphological changes of cells and nuclei were suppressed. In contrast, pre-transfected with empty vector did not protect cells from Aβ25-35-induced toxicity. Conclusion The eukaryotic expression vector for FLAG-tagged HNG was successfully constructed and expressed in PC12 cells. Expressed HNG has biological activity.     

Inositol (1,4,5)-triphosphate Modulates Pollen Tube Polar Growth

Pollen tube is characterized by polarized elon-gation at the apex. Through polar growth, pollentube drives the sperm cells into the ovary to fulfillfertilization. So this process is essential for higherplants sexual propagation and food production[1].During finding its way to the ovary, pollen tubeshould always adjust its growth direction accordingto the external signals that are subsequently con-verted to the internal signals on plasma membrane.Ins(1,4,5)P3is one of such second messengers in…     

THE EFFECTS OF POLYAMINE ANALOGUES AND POLYAMINE TOXIN ON EXPRESSED KIR 2.1 CHANNEL

Inward rectifying potassium channels(Kir)are presentin a wide variety of cell types,includingmuscles,neurons,eggs and endothelial cells.Theyconduct cations more easily in the inward directionthan in the outward direction,and this property isimportant for maintaining the resting membranepotential near the K equilibrium potential (Ek) ,and for permitting long depolarizing responses[1,2 ] .The property of strong inward rectifier K channel(Kir2 .1 ) has been previously attributed to intra-cellul…     

A NEW ESTIMATION METHOD OF SPATIAL PEAK TEMPORAL AVERAGE INTENSITY AND SPATIAL PEAK PULSE AVERAGE INTENSITY IN HIFU FIELD

High intensity focused ultrasound( HIFU) inmedicine has been developed rapidly for more thanten years.It changes the situation of slowly ad-vancing in ultrasonic therapy. HIFU has become anew character of ultrasound in medicine.The ex-tracorporal lithotriptor,the pyrothrapy,the HIFUsurgery,the HIFU hemostasis,and the HIFUabortion are the most important progresses.Theyshow that the applications of ultrasound in therapywill have greater project than that in diagnosis[1] .China has made m…     

THE ROLE OF NUCLEUS RAPHE MAGNUS IN THE ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF MUSCLE SPINDLE AFFERENTS IN THE RAT

Previous studies revealed that stretching thehindlimb muscles of rats of systemically adminis-trating succinylcholine(SCH) for activation of theafferents of muscle spindle receptors markedly de-pressed the responses of neurons in the spinal dor-sal horn to noxious stimulation[1,2 ] ,and thisantinociception was reduced significantly by tran-section of the spinal cord[2 ] ,suggesting that thesupraspinal structures might be involved in theantinociception elicited by activation of the musclespindl…     

Effects of PYY on the interdigestive migrating myoelectric complex in the small intestine in vivo and the neural and endocrinal mechanisms of the effects

Objective To investigate the effects of peptide YY (PYY) on the interdigestive migrating myoelectrlc complex (MMC) in the small intestine in vivo and explore the neural and endecrinal mechanisms of the effects. Methods Spragne-Dawley rats were supplied with a venous catheter and bipolar electrodes in the duodenum and jejunum for electromyography of stomach and small intestine in wake state. PYY, phentolamine, nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, the inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase) and atropine were served with PYY respectively. The plasma motilin levels before and after the infusion of PYY were observed. Results At all the three recording points, PYY lengthened the drde length of MMC [from (591.90±128.98)s to (999.25±216.59)s, P<0. 01] and lowered the frequency of phase Ⅲ [from (39.28±8.40) min-1 to (22.08±3.13) min-1 , P<0.01], amplitude of phase Ⅲ [from (0. 320±0.060)mV to (0. 179±0.030)mV, P<0.01], and the portion of phase Ⅲ over the whole circle length [from (28. 61 ± 5.84)% to (15.43 ±5.16)% , P<0.01]. Phentolumine had no influence on the role of PYY. Administered L-NNA combined with PYY, the percentage of phase Ⅲ increased [(42. 09±8.67)%] compared with that of control(P<0.01) and compared with that of PYY administered alone (P<0. 01) too. Atropine combined with PYY showed stronger depressing effects on MMC. No significant difference was found between the plasma motilin levels before and after the infusion of PYY. Conclusion PYY my inhibit the interdigestive intestine motility through the none-adrenergic none-choUnergic tract, while the m-receptor tract and circulating motilin are probably not involved In the depressing effect.     

The development of an OxyHb animal model in mice and the study on OxyHb-induced apoptosis of mouse brain cells in vivo

Objective On the basis of developing a new animal model for oxyhemoglobin (OxyHb) injection into subarachnoid space in mice, this research was to explore the temporal dependence and spatial distribution of OxyHb- induced apoptosis in the mouse brain cells in vivo and the mechanism of neurocyte injury induced by OxyHb. Methods The animal model for OxyHb injection into subarachnoid space in mice was developed. Mice were divided randomly into the experimental group (n=40) and the control group (n= 35). The control group received saline injection (50 μL ) and the experimental group received OxyHb injection (50 μL ), both into the subarachnoid space. The mice of the two groups were subdivided according to different postoperative time (3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h). The apoptosis or necrosis of cells was distinguished with microscopy (HE staining), transmission electron microscopy and TUNEL method. Results The distribution of apoptosis was mainly in the ipsilateral neocortex and bilateral hippocampal gyrus. The apoptotic mouse brain cells showed morphological changes in the experimental group by HE staining and transmission electron microscopy. The count of TUNEL-positive cells showed substantial increase in the experimental group, and there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups, and the number of OxyHb- induced apoptotic cells decreased with time. Conclusion OxyHb in subarachnoid space in mice can induce apoptasis, but not necrosis of mouse brain cells in viro. The apoptotic brain cells show the pattern of temporal dependence and spatial distribution. It is suggested that the early treatment should be the method of first choice for treating the hemorrhagic brain injury.     

APPLICATION OF FRACTAL THEORY IN TRANSIENT CHAOTIC SIGNAL DETECTION

Introduction　　 It is recently declared that heart period signal( HPS) is one sort of chaotic signal[1,2 ] . HPS istime variant,it changes seriously with the changeof time. So HPS is one typical sort of transientchaotic signal. In general,the signal detectedthrough electrocardiograph( ECG) is the combina-tion of heart period signal ( HPS) and noise ( NS) .For noise,the cause and background are hard toexplain,and sometimes it also changes seriouslywith the change of time.So such a prob…     

AN EFFICIENT BTC IMAGE COMPRESSION ALGORITHM

IntroductionBlock truncation coding( BTC) [1] is a simple andfast lossy image coding technique,which has theadvantage of being easy to implement comparedto transform coding and vector quantization[2 ] .Its simplicity,performance and channel error re-sisting capability make it attractive in the real-time image transmission.BTC is a one- bit adap-tive moment- preserving quantizer that preservescertain statistical moments of small blocks of theinput image in the quantized output.The origi-nal …     

Predicting the Dielectric Strength of c-C4F8 and SF6 Gas Mixtures by Monte Carlo Method

An improved Monte Carlo method was used to simulate the motion of electrons in c-C_4F_8 and SF_6 gas mixtures for pulsed townsend discharge. The electron swarm parameters such as effective ionization coefficient, [AKα-] and drift velocity over the E/N range from 280～700 Td(1Td=10-21 V·m2) were calculated by employing a set of cross sections available in literature. From the variation cure of [AKα-] with SF_6 partial pressure p, the limiting field (E/N)_lim of gas mixture at different gas content was determined. It is found that the limiting field of c-C_4F_8 and SF_6 gas mixture is higher than that of pure SF_6 at any SF_6 mixture ratio. Simulation results show excellent agreement with experiment data available in previous literature.     

A novel reconfigurable data-flow architecture for real time video processing

This paper describes a dynamically reconfigurable data-flow hardware architecture optimized for the computation of image and video. It is a scalable hierarchically organized parallel architecture that consists of data-flow clusters and finite-state machine (FSM) controllers. Each cluster contains various kinds of cells that are optimized for video processing. Furthermore, to facilitate the design process, we provide a C-like language for design specification and associated design tools. Some video applications have been implemented in the architecture to demonstrate the applicability and flexibility of the architecture. Experimental results show that the architecture, along with its video applications, can be used in many real-time video processing.     

Electrochemical Determination of Diethylstilbestrol in Feeds at Polyethylenimine-nanogold Modified Electrode

Diethylstilbestrol [(E)-4,4' -(1,2-diethyl-1,2-ethenediyl) bis phenol] (DES), one of thecheapest synthetic estrogens to produce, is highlyactive and used for the treatment of prostate can-cer. The formulation of DES contains two hydrox-yl groups in the phenol-ring and the molecularstructure is as follows: DES belongs to non-steroidal estrogens and itsbiochemical functions are mainly manifested bystimulating synthetic metabolism. Thus farmerssupplement this hormone in the feeds to increaset…     

Role of Liver Progenitor Cell in Liver Regeneration Cellular Cross-Talks and Signals

The liver is well known for its ability to regenerate in response to injury. After partial hepatectomy and some chemicals induced acute liver injury, existing hepatocytes can expand to repair the liver function. While adult liver stem/progenitor cells(LPCs) are evoked and differentiate into functional hepatocytes and cholangiocytes to compensate the damaged liver once hepatocyte proliferation is severely impaired. A number of evidences suggest that adjacent hepatic stellate cells(HSCs) or invading leukocytes may be involved in LPCs directed regeneration through governning two major events including fibrogenic and inflammatory responses respectively or simultaneously. As such, a microenvironment(or "niche") composed of different cell sources or factors presents diversity, which eventually mediates LPCs response to biliary or hepatocellular regeneration. This mini review aims at summarizing the latest development on the roles of HSCs, macrophages and lymphocytes as well as corresponding signaling pathways in liver progenitor cells mediated biliary and hepatocellular regeneration, and discussing therapeutic potential of liver progenitor cells in hepatic diseases.