树鼩在医学实验研究中的新进展

树鼩的许多生物学特性近似于人类,人们利用树鼩成功建立了多种人类病毒感染的动物模型,并在肿瘤、内分泌、神经、视觉等方面有相当广泛和深入的应用和研究。本文概述了树鼩在医学实验研究中的新进展。     

Innovations in modeling influenza virus infections in the laboratory

Respiratory viruses represent one of the most substantial infectious disease burdens to the human population today, and in particular, seasonal and pandemic influenza viruses pose a persistent threat to public health worldwide. In recent years, advances in techniques used in experimental research have provided the means to better understand the mechanisms of pathogenesis and transmission of respiratory viruses, and thus more accurately model these infections in the laboratory. Here, we briefly review the model systems used to study influenza virus infections, and focus particularly on recent advances that have increased our knowledge of these formidable respiratory pathogens.     

Neonatal vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus infection

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants and is the most frequent cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children.Efficacious vaccination...     

慢性阻塞性肺病动物模型的研究进展

慢性阻塞性肺病(COPD)是一种严重的呼吸系统疾病,该病主要包括慢性肺气肿及慢性支气管炎,其发病率、死亡率高,医疗负担重。由于其发病机制、临床发展过程较为复杂,对COPD诊断、治疗的研究工作进展仍然相当缓慢。目前,国内外研究人员通过建立COPD动物模型对该病进行了大量研究工作。旨在对COPD动物模型的建立及评价方法进行总结,并对模型动物选择,评价方法的选择提出一点新的思路。     

冠状病毒S蛋白及其受体的结构和功能

冠状病毒是有包膜的单股正链RNA病毒。作为人和动物的重要致病原,冠状病毒感染主要导致宿主呼吸系统、肝脏、胃肠道以及神经系统出现急性或慢性症状。2000年以来,传染性非典型肺炎和中东呼吸综合征的暴发,以及猪流行性腹泻病毒在全球猪群中的暴发流行,引起大家对动物冠状病毒的极大重视。S蛋白具有受体结合活性和膜融合活性,是冠状病毒感染细胞的关键蛋白;S蛋白在病毒的组织或宿主嗜性和毒力等方面发挥重要作用。本文重点对近年来冠状病毒S蛋白的结构、功能以及S蛋白与受体相互作用的研究进行综述,以期为冠状病毒的入侵机制和反向遗传学研究以及受体阻断药物的开发提供参考。     

慢性粒细胞白血病小鼠动物模型建立的研究进展*

慢性粒细胞白血病(chronic myeloid leukemia,CML)是造血干细胞(hematopoietic stem cells,HSC)恶性克隆性增殖引起的一种血液系统疾病。动物模型是研究CML发病机制及药物靶向治疗的重要载体和工具。研究表明,CML小鼠模型可以通过逆转录病毒介导、转基因和白血病细胞移植的方法建立。三种方法建立的CML小鼠模型均可用于CML发病机制及药物疗效评估研究。实验动物模型进一步通过血常规、血涂片和骨髓涂片、免疫学、分子生物学及病理学等检测手段,判断模型是否建立成功。本文就近年来CML小鼠模型的建立、鉴定及研究应用进展进行综述。     

建立慢性阻塞性肺疾病动物模型方法的研究进展

慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)是一种重要的慢性呼吸系统疾病,主要包括慢性支气管炎和肺气肿,患病人数多,病死率高,由于其缓慢进行性发展,严重影响患者的劳动能力和生活质量.为此,国内外许多学者近年来对COPD的发病机制进行了大量的研究工作,但是到目前为止,COPD的研究进展仍然十分缓慢,其主要原因是COPD病因太多,发病机制复杂.本文旨在将国内外有关COPD的实验动物模型进行一次总结,并对各种模型的优缺点给予客观的评价.     

Development of circuits that generate simple rhythmic behaviors in vertebrates

Neurobiologists have long sought to understand how circuits in the nervous system are organized to generate the precise neural outputs that underlie particular behaviors. Given the complexity of the nervous system in higher vertebrates this is a daunting task. Nevertheless, recent advances in developmental genetics hold out hope that studies of locomotor and respiratory circuits will provide general insight for understanding how ensembles of neurons are wired to control specific behaviors.     

Physiological and circuit mechanisms of postural control

The postural system maintains a specific body orientation and equilibrium during standing and during locomotion in the presence of many destabilizing factors (external and internal). Numerous studies in humans have revealed essential features of the functional organization of this system. Recent studies on different animal models have significantly supplemented human studies. They have greatly expanded our knowledge of how the control system operates, how the postural functions are distributed within different parts of CNS, and how these parts interact with each other to produce postural corrections and adjustments. This review outlines recent advances in the studies of postural control in quadrupeds, with special attention given the neuronal postural mechanisms.     

Stem/progenitor cells and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome-new insights for clinical applications

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS) is a widespread disorder, characterized by recurrent upper airway obstruction during sleep, mostly as a result of complete or partial pharyngeal obstruction. Due to the occurrence of frequent and regular hypoxic events, patients with OSAS are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, metabolic disorders, occupational errors, motor vehicle accidents and even death. Thus, OSAS has severe consequences and represents a significant economic burden. However, some of the consequences, as well as their costs can be reduced with appropriate detection and treatment. In this context, the recent advances that were made in stem cell biology knowledge and stem cell- based technologies hold a great promise for various medical conditions, including respiratory diseases. However, the investigation of the role of stem cells in OSAS is still recent and rather limited, requiring further studies, both in animal models and humans. The goal of this review is to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding both lung resident as well as circulating stem/progenitor cells and discuss existing controversies in the field in order to identify future research directions for clinical applications in OSAS. Also, the paper highlights the requisite for inter-institutional, multi-disciplinary research collaborations in order to achieve breakthrough results in the field.     

Surface electromyography in animal biomechanics: A systematic review

The study of muscle activity using surface electromyography (sEMG) is commonly used for investigations of the neuromuscular system in man. Although sEMG has faced methodological challenges, considerable technical advances have been made in the last few decades. Similarly, the field of animal biomechanics, including sEMG, has grown despite being confronted with often complex experimental conditions. In human sEMG research, standardised protocols have been developed, however these are lacking in animal sEMG. Before standards can be proposed in this population group, the existing research in animal sEMG should be collated and evaluated. Therefore the aim of this review is to systematically identify and summarise the literature in animal sEMG focussing on (1) species, breeds, activities and muscles investigated, and (2) electrode placement and normalisation methods used. The databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Vetmed Resource were searched systematically for sEMG studies in animals and 38 articles were included in the final review. Data on methodological quality was collected and summarised. The findings from this systematic review indicate the divergence in animal sEMG methodology and as a result, future steps required to develop standardisation in animal sEMG are proposed.     

Aging and neural control of the GI tract. II. Neural control of the aging gut: can an old dog learn new tricks?

There has been a dramatic increase in funding available for aging research, primarily due to the fact that answers to questions on aging are likely to have a major impact on the well-being and healthy aging of the world's population for decades to come. The incidence of certain gastrointestinal problems, such as dysphagia and constipation, increases dramatically with age. Changes in gastrointestinal neuromuscular function with aging have been demonstrated in both human and animal models of aging. This article focuses on recent advances in our knowledge of the effects of aging on gastrointestinal function, treatment options, and future opportunities for research.     

Control of breathing in anuran amphibians

The primary role of the respiratory system is to ensure adequate tissue oxygenation, eliminate carbon dioxide and help to regulate acid-base status. To maintain this homeostasis, amphibians possess an array of receptors located at peripheral and central chemoreceptive sites that sense respiration-related variables in both internal and external environments. As in mammals, input from these receptors is integrated at central rhythmogenic and pattern-forming elements in the medulla in a manner that meets the demands determined by the environment within the constraints of the behavior and breathing pattern of the animal. Also as in mammals, while outputs from areas in the midbrain may modulate respiration directly, they do not play a significant role in the production of the normal respiratory rhythm. However, despite these similarities, the breathing patterns of the two classes are different: mammals maintain homeostasis of arterial blood gases through rhythmic and continuous breathing, whereas amphibians display an intermittent pattern of aerial respiration. While the latter is also often rhythmic, it allows a degree of fluctuation in key respiratory variables that has led some to suggest that control is not as tight in these animals. In this review we will focus specifically on recent advances in studies of the control of ventilation in anuran amphibians. This is the group of amphibians that has attracted the most recent attention from respiratory physiologists.     

Cancer stem cell hypotheses: impact on modern molecular physiology and pharmacology research

Although questioned on several occasions, the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) has been confirmed by a number of studies on experimental animal models. Nevertheless, it was shown that CSC hypotheses have several limitations and inconsistencies regarding the explanation of CSC origin, CSC identification and isolation, possible heterogeneity within CSC population, as well as methodology issues in some studies that were carried out in order to prove CSC existence. The aim of this article is to give a short and comprehensive review of recent advances concerning CSC hypothesis and to describe its impact on modern molecular physiology and pharmacology research.     

动物生殖抑制研究进展：理论模型、方式和机制

生殖抑制指原本具有生育能力的动物个体因特定外界环境或生理条件而减少或丧失生殖能力的现象,有时是受环境变化的主动调控,更多的是出现在其他个体影响下的被动抑制,极端情况发生在社会性动物的永久性抑制,即永久无法生殖或无法生殖成熟。研究发现非社会性动物也有生殖的推迟及可恢复性的生殖抑制,生殖抑制影响着动物种群数量动态、维持和进化。随着多学科的发展,生殖抑制机理研究取得了诸多进展。从阐述生殖抑制的概念出发,解析生殖抑制的形态、激素和分子生理特征,总结了生殖抑制的原因、作用,终述现有的理论模型以及不同物种方面的最新进展,并就生殖抑制在生物资源管理方面的应用价值进行了展望,旨在丰富生殖抑制的理论,扩展应用实践,为后续的生物资源管理提供理论参考。     

Blood glucose control algorithms for type 1 diabetic patients: A methodological review

A method for optimal continuous insulin therapy for diabetes patients has been sought since the early 1970s. Although technical and medical advances have been made, a fully automated artificial pancreas to replace the functions of the natural organ is still a research aim. This review compares recent control algorithms for type 1 diabetic patients which automatically connect continuous glucose monitoring and insulin injection, without patient intervention. Black-box model and gray-box model based control strategies are described and their performances are evaluated, with a focus on their feasibility of implementation in a real-life situation. In conclusion, a satisfactory control strategy has not yet been proposed, mainly because most control algorithms rely on continuous blood glucose measurement which is not yet available. Modeling the effect of glucose ingestion as an external disturbance on the time evolution of blood glucose concentration, is now the norm for the control community. In contrast, the effects of physical activity on the metabolic system is not yet fully understood and remain an open issue. Moreover, clinical studies on evaluation of control performance are scarce. Therefore, research on blood glucose control needs to concentrate on advanced patient modeling, control optimization and control performance evaluation under realistic patient-oriented conditions.     

Patterning mechanisms and morphological diversity of spider appendages and their importance for spider evolution

The prosoma of spiders bears different gnathal (labrum, chelicerae, pedipalps) and locomotory appendages (legs). In most species these appendages are also used for additional functions, e.g. sensing, mating, and courtship. The opisthosoma is equipped with four pairs of highly specialized appendages. Two pairs of spinnerets are used for silk production and manipulation. The other two pairs of appendages are internalized during development and give rise to a complex respiratory system of book lungs and tracheae. Thus spiders have a number of different appendage types with radically different adult morphologies. Furthermore, all these appendage types display significant additional species specific diversity correlating with a large spectrum of functions of the appendages. Despite this importance of appendage diversity for the evolution of the spiders we know relatively little about the genetic patterning mechanisms producing this diversity of morphology. We review recent advances concerning the developmental genetics of spider appendage diversification, mainly concentrating on open questions and future directions of research. We conclude that the deeper understanding of appendage development and diversity in spiders can contribute significantly not only to evolutionary developmental biology, but also to behavioral biology, speciation research and population genetics, and the study of sexually dimorphic traits.     

快速起搏致心力衰竭猪模型的研究进展

制作心力衰竭动物模型的方法较多,而持续快速心脏起搏诱发的心衰在血流动力学、神经激素变化及病理改变等方面均与人的慢性心衰极相似,因此是一种较为理想的心衰动物模型。尤其是快速起搏诱导的猪心衰模型,更由于猪在生理功能、解剖结构上与人的相似而更具有应用价值。     

Entomopathogenic Nematodes as a Model System for Advancing the Frontiers of Ecology

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in the families Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae have a mutualistic–symbiotic association with enteric γ-Proteobacteria (Steinernema–Xenorhabdus and Heterorhabditis–Photorhabdus), which confer high virulence against insects. EPNs have been studied intensively because of their role as a natural mortality factor for soil-dwelling arthropods and their potential as biological control agents for belowground insect pests. For many decades, research on EPNs focused on the taxonomy, phylogeny, biogeography, genetics, physiology, biochemistry and ecology, as well as commercial production and application technologies. More recently, EPNs and their bacterial symbionts are being viewed as a model system for advancing research in other disciplines such as soil ecology, symbiosis and evolutionary biology. Integration of existing information, particularly the accumulating information on their biology, into increasingly detailed population models is critical to improving our ability to exploit and manage EPNs as a biological control agent and to understand ecological processes in a changing world. Here, we summarize some recent advances in phylogeny, systematics, biogeography, community ecology and population dynamics models of EPNs, and describe how this research is advancing frontiers in ecology.