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Astrocytes play a major role in the reactive processes in response to neuronal injuries in the brain. Excessive gliosis is detrimental and can contribute to neuronal damage. CD81 (TAPA), a member of the tetraspanin family of proteins, is upregulated by astrocytes after traumatic injury to the rat central nervous system (CNS). To further understand the role of CD81 in the inhibition of astrocytes, we analyzed the effects of a CD81 antibody, on cultured rat astrocytes. The results indicated that the effect worked in a dose-dependent manner with certain dosage range. It, however, reached a dosage equilibrium at a high dosage. Furthermore, anti-CD81 antibody remarkably inhibited the proliferation of astrocytes after incubation with astrocytes for different periods of time and the effect presented a time-dependent fashion. However, anti-CD81 antibody substantially inhibited the proliferation of astrocytes at low density and middle density but slightly inhibited the proliferation of astrocytes at high density, suggesting that the effect was positively correlated with the proliferative ability of astrocytes. Finally, the cell cycle of astrocytes exposured to anti-CD81 antibody was arrested in S phase at the initial stage and at G(0)/G(1) phase over time. These findings indicated that CD81 exert significant inhibitory effect, dose-dependently and time-dependently, on the proliferation of astrocytes and the effect is positively correlated with the proliferative capability of astrocytes.
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Objective To analyse the relationship between catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity and affective disorders, and explore the biological mechanism of the etiology of affective disorders.Methods The activities of erythrocytes COMT from 112 affective disorders and 120 normal control were measured with high performance liquid chromatography, all examined data were tested by SPSS 11.0v.Results COMT activity frequency distribution of patients group and control group are at the range of 2～23nmol/ml RBC/hr and 7～28nmol/ml RBC/hr respectively. The average activity of COMT in patients group and control group were (11.0±3.8) nmol/ml RBC/hr and (16.1±4.3) nmol/ml RBC/hr representatively. COMT activity in male and female patient were (11.2±3.7) nmol/ml RBC/hr and (10.6± 4.0) nmol/ml RBC/hr., male and female in control group were (16.5 ±4.6) nmol/ml RBC/hr and (15.4±3.9) nmol/ml RBC/hr, there were significant difference between patients group and control group and also between male and female (P <0.001).conclusion The activity of erythrocytes COMT in affective disorders is lower than normal population and suggested that the lower COMT activity of erythrocytes is associated with affective disorders.
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BACKGROUND: Microglial cells are prominently involved in certain neurologic diseases such as Parkinson disease and Alzeheimer disease. In vitro primary culture is commonly used in studies on the functions of microglia.However, these classical culture methods have some defects including complex procedures and low out-put.OBJECTIVE: To establish a simplified high-output primary culture of microglia.DESIGN: An explorative experiment with microglial cells as the single sample.SETTING: Department of Neurology, Affiliated Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.MATERIALS: The study was finished at the Central Laboratory of Union Hospital from April to October 2004. Microglial cells were obtained from 10 newborn(one day) male Kunming mice that were selected.METHODS: The author' s culture method was based on McCarthy method, we developed a new culture method and made some improvements,including the increased cell density for primary culture and nutritional deprivation. The microlglial cells were isolated with low-concentration trypsin-EDTA(ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) digestion and immunochemically labeled with MAC-1 antibody, so as to measure the output and purity of microglia.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Morphologic features of microglial cells, observed with inverted microscope; ② Purity and activity of microglia cultured with these two methods, were measured immunohistochemically.RESULTS: For microglia cultured with McCarthy method, the culture cycle was 20 days and the output was 2 × l05 cells per flask with a purity of 95% -97%. The new method shortened the culture cycle to 15 days and the output reached 1 × 106 cells per flask with a purity of 96-98%. Cell purity and activity had no significant difference between these two culture methods.CONCLUSION: The new method has a similar purity and activity with classical method; however, it may simplify procedures, shorten cycle, and increase output, and therefore can be a useful method for studies on microglia function and for nerve repair.
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Objective: To explore the prevalence of depression in junior school students and its relationship with potential psychological and environmental factors. Method:Depressive symptoms, self-esteem, life events, social support, family cohesion and conflict were investigated with self-report questionnaire in 300 junior school students, the relationship between depression and other psychological or environmental factors were analyzed through stepwise regression. Results:The prevalence of depression in junior high school students was 11%. Among the 5 investigated psychological and environmental factors, self-esteem and social support were negatively related with depression (standardized regression coefficient were -0.59 and -0.14), while life events positively related with it(standardized regression coefficient was 0.26). Only "academic pressure" and another factors covering the item "do not want to go to school" showed a negative association with the students' self-esteem among the 6 factors included in the life events questionnaire (standardized regression coefficient were -0.149 and -0.13).Conclusion: Depression is common among junior school students. Poor self-esteem, lack of social support and negative life events are currently related with the development of adolescent depression. The pressure and failing experiences coming from academic activities are the most influential life events to the development of adolescents' self-esteem.
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Objective: To study the correlation between subjective well- being and stress level of elderly. Method:346 urban elderly (male aged over 60, female aged over 55) were sampled by group. Subjective well - being was indexed by positive factor, negative factor, total score of MUNSH, and total life satisfaction which was the mean of the satisfactions in 6 life domains. Stress level was indicated by somatization, depression, anxiety and hostility of SCL- 90. Stress was distin guished by ” recent” and ” ordinarily” . Results: Bivariate correlation suggested that most indices of subjective well - being correlated to stress, the absolute coefficients were between 0. 1 to 0.6 (p ＜ 0.05), except the ” hostility at ordinary time”to positive factor (p＞0.05) . Multi- variate step- wise regression indicated that subjective well- being correlated negatively to depression first, secondly to anxiety and hostility. Depression could explain 25% total score variance, 36% negative factor, less than 10% positive factor and satisfaction. Anxiety could explain less than 2％ of total score and positive factor variance, hostility had similar powerin explaining satisfaction variance. Conclusion: Subjective well- being correlated negatively with bad mood, especially depression.
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Objective:To study the validity of Binomial Forced-Choice Digit Memory Test(BFDMT) in detecting dissimulation of intellectual deficit.Methods:64 subjects with compensable head injury were assessed by BFDMT,experiential judgment and Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM),and were finally diagnosed on intellectual deficit degrees.Results:(1)The rate of malingering was 78.1% judged by BFDMT,and 43.8% by experiential judgment.(2)All of the 16 uncertain cases by experiential judgment were assessed as malingering by BFDMT.(3)Only one case in 64 was considered as a faulted diagnosis by follow-up.Conclusion:BFDMT is useful for detecting dissimulation of intellectual deficit particularly for the difficul cases in clinical experiential judgment.
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Objective: To evaluate Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) for assessing validity of test performance. Methods: To compare the results of RSPM between head injured patients with and without malingering. Results:①There were significant differences in the performance between the two groups of patients in subtests A,B,C and D of RSPM. There was no significant difference on subtest E. ②Based on p
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Objective:To study behavior problems,family factors an d parental rearing styles in students with poor academic achievement.Meth od:Through stratified cluster sampling,488 primary or middle school studen t s were identified as study group(below 5th percentile in their classes),while th e controls were 599 students whose academic achievement were above 95th percent ile in their classes.All subjects completed EMBU,CBCL(children behavior checkli st).Results:Higher boy/girl ratio was pound in study group(326/162) than in control(291/308,? 2=36.4,p
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Objective To investigate the effect of anti-CD81(antibodys against CD81) on the proliferation of astrocytes. Methods Purified astrocytes from newborn rats' cerebral cortex were divided into 6 groups and added with anti-CD81 different concentrations(0,0.1,0.5,1,5,10?mg/L).The activity of astrocytes was tested by methyl thiazolyl terazolium(MTT).Three significative groups were chosen based on MTT result and added with anti-CD81 of different concentrations(0,0.5,5mg/L).After administration for 24 hours,the cell cycle of the astrocytes was measured by flow cytometer.The corresponding data were analyzed with SPSS statistical software. Results 1.By MTT,the average optical density(AOD) values of astrocytes were reduced after administration with anti-CD81 of different concentrations for 24 hours,that is,the number of astrocytes was reduced,which indicated anti-CD81 inhibited the proliferation of astrocytes and the effect showed a dose-dependent pattern.2.By cell cycle analysis,a progressive dose-dependent decrease was found in the index of cells in G-0/G-1 phase and an increase in S phase.Such as,the index of cells in G-0/G-1 phase,was 82.73 in 0,is 82.16 in 0.5?mg/L,was 78.58 in 5?mg/L.Conclusion Anti-CD81 inhibits the proliferation of astrocytes and the number of astrocytes is reduced.Further more,the index of cells decreases in G-0/G-1 phase and increases in phase S after administration with anti-CD81.This study shows that anti-CD81 doesn't restrain the cells from G-1 phase to S phase but the cells are arrested in S phase.