日粮添加核苷酸对CCl4致肝纤维化的干预作用

目的：观察日粮添加核苷酸对CCl4染毒大鼠肝纤维化形成的干预作用．方法：选用90只SD大鼠随机分为空白对照组,四氯化碳模型组和四氯化碳＋核苷酸组．四氯化碳模型组和四氯化碳＋核苷酸组大鼠腹腔注射四氯化碳,对照组大鼠注射橄榄油,每周2次,连续12周．对照组和四氯化碳组饲喂大鼠纯化饲料,四氯化碳＋核苷酸组饲喂添加有核苷酸的纯化饲料．结果：在试验期内,四氯化碳组大鼠体重增长低于或显著低于对照组,其中第2、4、6、8、10周时差异显著,四氯化碳＋核苷酸组大鼠体重增长虽低于对照组,但无显著差异;在整个试验期内大鼠的死亡率,四氯化碳组为20％,而四氯化碳＋核苷酸组仅为7％;四氯化碳模型组大鼠肝脏组织MDA含量较空白对照组和四氯化碳＋核苷酸组高;从肝脏外部形态和色泽看,四氯化碳组表面油腻,有结节,四氯化碳＋核苷酸组表面光滑．结论：日粮添加核苷酸对CCl4染毒致大鼠肝纤维化具有一定干预作用．     

Adults with cystic fibrosis and barriers to employment

Existing research on cystic fibrosis (CF) tends to view CF as a long‐term medical condition of childhood, thus reinforcing the mistaken view that few children with CF survive into adulthood. Despite the fact that people with CF are increasingly living into older age there has been little research into the employment of adults with CF. Those studies which have been undertaken portray CF as a ‘serious illness’ which causes employment problems. In contrast, this paper discusses findings from a study which explored the employment experiences of adults with CF from a social model perspective. The findings reveal barriers to employment which are similar to those experienced by other disabled people, as well as barriers related to the ‘impairment effects’ of CF. The authors conclude that adults with CF have valuable perspectives to contribute to social model analysis and the development of employment‐related policy solutions.     

Effects of testosterone supplementation on prevention of age-related penile remodeling

Abstract

Erectile dysfunction develops among 46.2% of men between 40 and 70 years. Studies demonstrated substitution on detrusor muscle by collagen due testosterone deprivation. It is clear the correlation among aging and oxidative stress, accelerating apoptosis process in many tissues. This study aims to demonstrate the collagen substitution over the muscle fibers on muscle structure of rat’s penis and the effects of testosterone supplementation. Sixteen senescent Wistar rats were divided into two groups: treatment (receiving standard supplementation testosterone dose) and control (receiving equivalent saline solution). Testosterone was dosed on D0 and D56 of study. All penises were prepared with picrosirius colored histology; stereology was applied to determine the volumetric density of collagen fibers (Vv). Analysis of variance demonstrated testosterone group’s replacement therapy to be effective, while the androgenic decline continued by the time of experiment in control group (p?<?0.05). Testosterone group had Vv of 20.6%, lower than control group (47.8%); t-test (p?<?0.001). Pearson’s correlation demonstrated an inverse correlation between the Vv and testosterone’s levels (p?<?0.001). This is a pioneer study on demonstration of structural alterations over the cavernous corpora muscle caused by deprivation of testosterone on elderly rat. These finding implicate that the testosterone levels can influence, not only the libido, but also the erectile function.     

人肾微血管内皮细胞转分化在移植肾间质纤维化形成中的作用

目的:探讨人肾微血管内皮细胞-间充质细胞转分化(endothelial-mesenchymal transition,EndMT)在移植肾间质纤维化形成中的意义及相关机制?方法:通过对南京医科大学第一附属医院25例慢性移植肾失功能(chronic allograft dysfunction,CAD)患者和25例正常人血生化指标进行分析,对移植肾组织标本和正常肾组织标本进行糖原(PAS)和马松三色(Masson)染色检查分析,观察两组肾功能?肾小管萎缩?肾小球塌陷及肾间质纤维化程度的差异?用免疫组织化学和间接免疫荧光双重染色方法检测两组肾组织标本中血管内皮细胞标志物CD34和肌成纤维细胞标志物α-平滑肌细胞肌动蛋白(α-smooth muscle actin,α-SMA)以及转化生长因子-β1(transforming growth factor-β1,TGF-β1)的表达和分布特点?进一步以原代人脐静脉内皮细胞(human umbilical vein endothelial cells,HUVECs)为体外研究对象,以TGF-β1(5 ng/ml)作用0~72 h,采用免疫印迹方法观察细胞中CD34和α-SMA的表达变化?结果:与正常人相比,CAD患者血清肌酐水平明显升高,PAS和Masson三色染色结果显示CAD患者移植肾组织中出现明显肾小管萎缩?肾小球塌陷及肾间质纤维化改变;半定量统计分析结果表明两者间存在统计学差异(P < 0.01)?免疫组织化学及间接免疫荧光染色结果表明,与正常组相比,CAD组中CD34阳性表达率降低而α-SMA及TGF-β1阳性表达率显著升高,CAD组中部分肾小球和间质微血管内皮细胞呈CD34和α-SMA双重染色阳性?体外研究显示,TGF-β1作用于HUVECs细胞后,随着时间延长,CD34表达逐渐降低而α-SMA表达逐渐增多,与对照组相比,具有统计学差异(P < 0.01)?结论:人肾微血管内皮细胞可能在TGF-β1介导下通过发生EndMT现象进而在移植肾间质纤维化形成中起重要作用?     

Reproductive Knowledge and Preferences of Adolescents and Adults with Cystic Fibrosis: A Web-Based Assessment

ABSTRACT

The reproductive consequences of cystic fibrosis (CF) have increased in relevance as individuals with CF now live well into their reproductive years. This article describes the first Internet-based study of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge, experiences, and preferences of adolescents and adults with CF participating in an online discussion board. Although broad SRH knowledge was demonstrated, CF-specific SRH knowledge was incomplete. Respondents reported wanting providers to initiate reproductive health discussions and offer more CF-specific SRH information. Respondents also reported experiencing a variety of disease-specific reproductive health issues (e.g., shortness of breath with sexual activity, vaginal dryness due to viscous mucous, etc.). Future research should explore how to enhance access to disease-specific SRH information.     

Prediction of transplant-free survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients using joint models for event times and mixed multivariate longitudinal data

We implement a joint model for mixed multivariate longitudinal measurements, applied to the prediction of time until lung transplant or death in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Specifically, we formulate a unified Bayesian joint model for the mixed longitudinal responses and time-to-event outcomes. For the longitudinal model of continuous and binary responses, we investigate multivariate generalized linear mixed models using shared random effects. Longitudinal and time-to-event data are assumed to be independent conditional on available covariates and shared parameters. A Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm, implemented in OpenBUGS, is used for parameter estimation. To illustrate practical considerations in choosing a final model, we fit 37 different candidate models using all possible combinations of random effects and employ a deviance information criterion to select a best-fitting model. We demonstrate the prediction of future event probabilities within a fixed time interval for patients utilizing baseline data, post-baseline longitudinal responses, and the time-to-event outcome. The performance of our joint model is also evaluated in simulation studies.