Ischemia Elicits a Coordinated Expression of Pro-Survival Proteins in Mouse Myocardium

Cardiomyocytes are post-mitotic, long-lived cells until disruptions to pro-survival factors occur after myocardial ischemia. To gain an understanding of the factors involved with ischemic injury, we examined expression changes in pro-survival and opposing pro-apoptotic signals at early and chronic periods of ischemia using an in vivo murine model. Alterations of pro-survival proteins such as the inhibitor of apoptosis protein on chromosome X (xIAP) and the apoptotic repressor protein (ARC) have not been evaluated in a murine model of cardiac ischemia. Early ischemia (1 day) resulted in a 50% reduction in ARC protein levels relative to sham-operated left ventricles, without significant changes in the expression of xIAP or other pro-survival factors. In contrast, a deficiency of xIAP expression was found in cardiac infarcts starting after 1 week, concomitant with significant evidence of apoptotic cell death and an up-regulation of pro-apoptotic signals including Bax, tumor necrosis factor-a, and caspase-8 activation. Chronic ischemia (after 2 weeks) was associated with elevated levels of other pro-survival factors such as Bcl-xL and the phosphorylated form of Akt, as part of the adaptive remodeling of the myocardium. Altogether, these findings suggest that strategies to increase IAP expression may promote myocyte survival after chronic ischemia

HCG concentration and receptor gene expression in placental tissue from trisomy 18 and 21

Trisomy 21 is associated with high maternal serum concentrations of intact human chorionic gonadotrophin α(HCG) and free β-HCG whereas these concentrations are markedly decreased in trisomy 18. In this study, we investigated the effect of trisomy 21 and 18 on endogenous HCG concentrations and luteinizing hormone (LH)/HCG receptor expression in placental villous tissue in eight trisomy 21, six trisomy 18 and 42 chromosomally normal samples, collected at 12-16 weeks gestation. The tissue concentrations of intact HCG, free α-HCG and free β-HCG subunits were measured using solid- phase two-site immunoradiometric assay. LH/HCG receptor expression was evaluated with immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization. Villous tissue in trisomy 21 contained higher β-HCG concentrations than the controls (P< 0.05). In trisomy 18 cases, the β-HCG concentration was lower than in the control group (P < 0.01). Both immunocytochemistry and in-situ hybridization demonstrated a more intense staining of the trophoblast in cases of trisomy 21 and 18, compared with controls with the strongest signal in cases of trisomy 18 (P < 0.01). We concluded that in trisomy 21 the high tissue HCG concentration and expression of LH/HCG receptor in the trophoblast may reflect the relative immaturity of the trophoblastic tissue whereas in trisomy 18, the very low concentration of endogenous HCG, associated with an over-expression of LH/HCG receptor in the trophoblast, is probably secondary to the poor differentiation of the cytotrophoblast.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

China’s economic growth after WTO membership

ABSTRACT We assess the prospects of China&apos;s future growth performance in two steps. The first step is to project the potential growth path by determining whether past successes were generated by economic experimentation that produced non-capitalist institutional innovations (e.g. incentive contracts to state enterprises, profit-oriented supervision by state industrial bureaux, collectively-owned rural enterprises), or by institutional convergence toward the advanced WTO economies like France, Japan and the United States -two interpretations known respectively as the experimentalist school and the convergence school. Because WTO membership would harmonise China&apos;s economic institutions with those of capitalist economies and reduce the scope for experimentation, the experimentalist school would project a lower potential growth path than the convergence school. The fact that China has sought WTO membership voluntarily and with great tenacity is recognition of the correctness of the convergence interpretation. The second step in assessing China&apos;s growth prospects is to project the extent and duration that actual growth would deviate from potential growth. We assess the possibility of a WTO-induced macroeconomic shock that would generate such great political turmoil that prolonged economic stagnation would result. This macroeconomic shock could take two forms: a flood of imports that would cause widespread unemployment; and the entry of foreign banks that would bankrupt the domestic banks, and hence shut down the national credit system, crippling production economy-wide. Our main conclusions are that the government has the technical means to avert such this WTO-induced macroeconomic shock, and that the real threat to macroeconomic stability is China&apos;s weak fiscal position