CD34, PCNA and CK19 expressions in AFP- hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most important malignant liver cancers in clinic. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) positive expression is an important examination index. However, there are some hepatocellular carcinoma patients show negative AFP expressions. Therefore, how to screen AFP- hepatocellular carcinoma patients is important and difficult. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Total of 80 cases of AFP- hepatocellular carcinoma patients with or without focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) confirmed by surgery was enrolled. Clinical information was collected for correlation analysis. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blot were applied for gene expression analysis, and the target gene includes CD34, proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cell keratin 19 (CK19). Their relationship was analyzed. RESULTS: CD34 positive rate in the 80 cases was 48%, of which patients with FNH showed higher expression level than those of patients without FNH. The PCNA positive rate was 38%, and there was no statistical difference between patients with and without FNH. The CK19 positive rate was 56%, while the patients with FNH presented a higher level than the patients without FNH. CD34, PCNA, and CK19 showed no evident difference on different gender, age, or tumor size. CD34 was negatively correlated with PCNA and positively correlated with CK19. CONCLUSIONS: AFP- hepatocellular carcinoma patients with FNH showed high CD34 and CK19, and low PCNA level.

Quantum phase diffusion in a small underdamped Josephson junction.

Quantum phase diffusion in a small underdamped Nb/AlO(x)/Nb junction (∼0.4 µm(2)) is demonstrated in a wide temperature range of 25-140 mK where macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) is the dominant escape mechanism. We propose a two-step transition model to describe the switching process in which the escape rate out of the potential well and the transition rate from phase diffusion to the running state are considered. The transition rate extracted from the experimental switching current distribution follows the predicted Arrhenius law in the thermal regime but is greatly enhanced when MQT becomes dominant.

[Changes in glucocorticoid receptor and phospholipase A2 in guinea pig asthma models].

In this study we determined the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) level (using 3H-dexamethasone as a ligand) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity of lung tissue in guinea pig asthma models at 1st, 3rd, 7th and 14th day of asthma attacks. The results showed that the GR maximal binding capacity (Bmax, fmol/mg pro.) were 54.36 +/- 26.57, 30.99 +/- 10.01, 19.40 +/- 10.06, and 29.16 +/- 11.35; GR dissociation constant (Kd, nmol/L) were 12.73 +/- 4.06, 8.28 +/- 3.23, 5.70 +/- 2.91, and 6.40 +/- 2.64 respectively; and PLA2 actisis (U) were 181.58 +/- 41.50, 239.80 +/- 61.15, 243.08 +/- 31.35, and 235.71 +/- 86.13 respectively. The GR Bmax, Kd and PLA2 of actisis control group were 61.48 +/- 27.60 (fmol/mg pro.), 13.11 +/- 2.88 (nmol/L), 81.06 +/- 15.97 (U). The GR Bmax and Kd of asthmatic animals decreased significantly since the 3rd day, but the PLA2 activity increased significantly since the 1st day as compared to the control group (P < 0.01). The changes of GR Bmax had significant negative correlation with those of the PLA2 activity (r = -0.9023, P < 0.05). The mechanism of the GR and PLA2 actisis changes of asthma animal models were discussed.

[A study on the pulmonary amine imaging in asthmatic patients and guinea pig asthma models].

Scintigraphic technique (SPECT) with intravenous injection of 131I-HIPDM was used to study pulmonary amine imaging in asthmatic patients and Guinea pig animal models. The results showed that the patients and animals had similar characteristic changes of amine imaging: the amine scanning pictures were not well-distributed, pulmonary amine uptake was significantly decreased but the clearance speed significantly increased as compared with those in healthy controls (P < 0.05-0.01). The only difference between the patients and the animals was that the amine imaging parameters in animals during remission recovered practically to normal, while that in patients during remission did not. The mechanism and clinical significance of the above changes were discussed.

[Bacteriologic study of lung infection in 47 cases of burns].

The culture results of sputum (SP), blood (BL) and wound secretions (WS) of 47 cases of burns with lung infection were analyzed. Symptoms of pneumonia within 5 days after burn were observed in 90.3% of inhalation injury patients (IIG, 31 cases) whereas only in 25.0% of noninhalation injury patients (NIIG, 16 cases). The isolation rates of Gr(-) bacteria from the 3 sources of culture were markedly higher than those of Gr(+) cocci. The same bacteria, mainly Ps. aeruginosa and Staph. aureus, were identified simultaneously from the 3 sources of culture in 12 cases (25.5%). Isolates from SP correlated well with those from WS, the coincidence rates of 4 main Gr(-) bacteria were over 58%. Ps. aeruginosa was the commonest pathogen of IIG but Staph. aureus was the commonest in SP and BL of NIIG. The isolation rate of fungi of SP in NIIG was about twice that in IIG. Ps. aeruginosa and E. coli were susceptible to Amikacin and Polymixin B, Ps. aeruginosa was more susceptible to Cefoperazone, while the Gr(+) cocci were susceptible to first generation Cephalosporins.

Effect of 70% oxygen on postresectional lung growth in rats.

We tested the hypothesis that exposure to hyperoxia could inhibit postresectional compensatory lung growth to the same degree that it inhibits newborn lung growth. We removed the 3 upper lobes of the right lung of rats, allowed them to breathe either air or 70% oxygen after surgery, and performed electron microscopy and morphometry on the left lung at 14 d postresection. Rats that had a thoracotomy without removal of lung were used as controls. Resection of lung tissue resulted in increases of about 100-200% (relative to controls) in the total volume per left lung of alveolar type 1 and type 2 epithelial cells, capillary endothelial cells, interstitial cells, and interstitial matrix; the total capillary and type 1 epithelial surface areas each increased about 40%. Exposure to 70% oxygen did not significantly inhibit postresectional growth, although there was a trend toward a lesser increase in capillary surface area. However, 70% oxygen did result in a 78% greater (relative to the nonexposed resected group) alveolar type 2 cell volume density and a 54% greater interstitial cell volume density; this suggested that increased proliferation of type 2 cells and interstitial cells occurred. Qualitative ultrastructural assessment confirmed that the type 2 cells and fibroblasts appeared increased and that interstitial edema and neutrophil accumulation were also present. We conclude that although 70% oxygen exposure is not entirely innocuous, it does not inhibit postresectional lung growth.

Effect of subcellular matrix on glycosaminoglycan synthesis by human lung fibroblasts.

The influences modulating glycosaminoglycan production by lung cells are not well understood. We examined the effect of three different subcellular matrices, plastic, type I collagen, and reconstituted basement membrane-like material (RBM), on the synthesis of sulfated glycosaminoglycans by cultured IMR-90 human lung fibroblasts. Accumulation of 35SO4-labeled glycosaminoglycans into the cell-matrix layer or medium was measured. Cells on collagen synthesized significantly less total glycosaminoglycans than cells on plastic but had a higher fraction of labeled glycosaminoglycans present in the cell-matrix layer (35 vs. 18%) with the increases being highest for dermatan and chondroitin sulfates. Cells grown on the RBM synthesized significantly more glycosaminoglycans than cells on plastic or collagen and also had 260% more labeled glycosaminoglycans present in the cell-matrix layer than cells on plastic. We conclude that the matrix to which lung fibroblasts are exposed can influence the amount and type of glycosaminoglycans synthesized and the degree of incorporation into the matrix. This may be relevant to fibrotic lungs with increased type I collagen or to severely injured lungs in which intra-alveolar fibroblasts are in contact with denuded basement membranes.