湖北神农架发现绞花林蛇

2012年5月,在湖北神农架国家级自然保护区进行陆生脊椎动物本底资源调查时采集到1号蛇类标本(♀),经鉴定为游蛇科的绞花林蛇(Boiga kraepelini),系该种在湖北省首次发现。     

湖北省爬行类新记录——棕黑腹链蛇

笔者于2006年7月在湖北省广水市大贵寺林场进行动物资源考察时,采集到一批蛇类标本,经鉴定其中4条为棕黑腹链蛇Amphiesma sauteri,为湖北省爬行类新纪录.棕黑腹链蛇在分类上隶属爬行纲、有鳞目、蛇亚目、游蛇科、腹链蛇属.标本保存于华中师范大学动物学研究室.     

广西、浙江、江西发现福清链蛇

2011年4月,在广西壮族自治区桂林市兴安县猫儿山国家级自然保护区采集到蛇类雌性成体标本1号;2011年5月,在浙江省丽水市缙云县新建镇采集到蛇类雌性成体标本1号;2012年4月,在江西省赣州市全南县采集到蛇类雄性成体标本1号。经鉴定这3号标本为蛇亚目游蛇科链蛇属福清链蛇(Lycodon futsingensis),为在广西壮族自治区、浙江省和江西省首次发现,标本保存在广东省昆虫研究所。     

北京市蛇类新纪录——中介蝮

2011年6月,在北京市门头沟区小龙门林场进行教学实习时,采集到2号蛇类标本,经鉴定为中介蝮(Gloydius intermedius),为北京市蛇类新纪录。     

湖南省蛇类新纪录——龙胜小头蛇

2008年7月,在湖南省莽山自然保护区内(24°58′N, 112°52′E,1000 m)采集到蛇类标本1号,经鉴定,该蛇为龙胜小头蛇Oligodon lungshenensis,是湖南省蛇类新纪录.标本保存于西华师范大学生命科学学院标本室.     

湖南省发现青脊蛇

2013年5月,在湖南省怀化市鹤城区黄岩乡野外考察期间采集到1号游蛇科蛇类标本,经鉴定为青脊蛇(Achalinus ater),为湖南省蛇类新纪录种。此记录能为研究青脊蛇的形态变化和地理分布提供基础资料。     

黑带腹链蛇:贵州省蛇类新纪录

2011年7月,在贵州省雷公山国家级自然保护区采集到2号游蛇科蛇类标本,经鉴定确定为黑带腹链蛇(Amphiesma bitaeniata),为贵州省蛇类新纪录种.此新纪录能为研究黑带腹链蛇的形态变化和地理分布提供基础资料.     

广东省发现尖喙蛇

2016年9月2日,在广东省云浮市新兴县采集到蛇类标本3号(2♂,1♀),经鉴定为尖喙蛇(Rhynchophis boulengeri),为广东省爬行动物新纪录。标本保存在广东省生物资源应用研究所。     

安徽省发现福建华珊瑚蛇

2010年7月26日,在安徽省岭南省级自然保护区采集到蛇类标本1号,经鉴定为福建华珊瑚蛇(Sinomicrurus kelloggi),为安徽省爬行动物新纪录.标本现保存在黄山学院标本馆.     

江西武夷山发现缅甸钝头蛇

2014年8月,在江西武夷山国家级自然保护区采集到3号蛇类标本,基于形态学比较,并结合线粒体细胞色素b基因（Cyt b）序列的分子系统关系重建,确定这3号标本为缅甸钝头蛇（Pareas hamptoni）,为江西省蛇类分布新记录种。     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.