元谋古猿下颌臼齿三维立体特征

采用欧氏距离矩阵分析（EDMA）方法对72枚元谋古猿及作为对比样本的10枚禄丰古猿、现生大猿类和人类下颌臼齿齿冠13个测量标志点三维测量数据的统计分析显示：元谋古猿在下颌臼齿齿冠三维形态测量特征上与禄丰古猿最为接近。与现生大猿类及人类相比,元谋古猿和禄丰古猿均与人类之间呈现出非常显著的差异,而与猿类较为接近。它们两者及生大猿类均与人类之间具有许多共同的差异表现特点。元谋古猿在下颌臼齿三维测量特征方面与三种现生大猿类各自之间的差别表现相似。其中,元谋古猿与猩猩之间的牙齿形态特征上似乎更为接近。但目前对这些特征相似差异的含义尚难以确定。     

横断山区高山姬鼠臼齿特征的研究

高山姬鼠Apodemus chevrieri分布在横断山及其附近地区。臼齿在动物的生存和生态适应中起着重要的作用。为探讨横断山环境对高山姬鼠臼齿表型变异的影响,本研究采用几何形态测量法对横断山由北到南(东北:巴塘;中部:中甸和宁蒗;南部:景东)分布的高山姬鼠的上臼齿(第一上臼齿、第二上臼齿、第三上臼齿)和下臼齿(第一下臼齿、第二下臼齿、第三下臼齿)进行测量,并进行主成分分析、薄片样条分析和多维尺度分析。研究结果表明,横断山高山姬鼠各地理种群间的臼齿有一定形态变异,薄片样条法分析显示各臼齿齿叶间有一定的形变发生,这可能与高山姬鼠在横断山各地区生存环境有关。     

中缅树鼩头骨及下臼齿几何形态与环境的关系

共选取分布于云南、贵州和广西地区的190个中缅树鼩头骨和32颗臼齿(第二、第三下臼齿),运用几何形态测量法对其头骨侧面、腹面、背面及下颌侧面的形态特征进行主成分分析、薄片样条分析,同时运用统计软件SPSS15.0对头骨和臼齿进行多维尺度分析,以探讨头骨及臼齿形态与环境之间的关系.结果表明,头骨侧面在研究多种群头骨形态时更适宜,更有参考价值;经过薄片样条法分析显示形变多集中在鼻骨和臼齿,这可能与中缅树鼩生存的气候和地理环境相适应;经多维尺度分析显示云南、贵州和广西地区的中缅树鼩头骨具有明显的地区差异,同时,对臼齿的分析显示,臼齿形态具有地区差异,这种变化可能与中缅树鼩生活环境的经度和纬度有关.综上,云南、贵州和广西地区的中缅树鼩的头骨具有形态变异,并且差异仅仅发生在种群水平,这可能反映了其对特定生态环境的形态适应.     

斯氏黄河猴(哺乳动物纲,灵长目)较完整下颌骨的发现

新发现的下颌骨说明斯氏黄河猴下齿式为 ２？, １,３, ３。 ｐ２为双根齿,其前后有短的齿隙;ｐ３具有低小的后跟;ｐ４未臼齿化,无下前尖,有初始的下后尖,在较大的跟盆上,有明显的下次尖和很小的下内尖？; ｍ１下前尖小,有些前后收缩（与Ｒｅｎｃｕｎｉｕｓ ｚｈｏｗｉ比较）,ｍ３下次小尖不如正模发育。下颌骨联合部倾斜,不愈合。黄河猴的下臼齿在形态上与西瓦兔猴亚科和原始类人猿──渐新猿亚科有许多共同点,但上臼齿形态差异显著。黄河猴类可能出自亚洲的ｃｅｒｃａｍｏｎｉｉｎｅ形的兔猴形灵长类。     

记中国首次发现的"真古兽类" (eupantotherian)化石

记述了在中国首次发现的采自辽宁黑山县八道壕矿区早白垩世晚期沙海组的一件“eu- pantotherian”(“真古兽类”)下颌骨化石。标本保存了最后两个前臼齿和4个臼齿,它以抬高的下颌角突,半臼齿化的最后一枚前臼齿,臼齿上面积增大但未发育成完整盆形的跟座,尚未形成的facet-5,及加长的最后臼齿等特点有别于所有已知的“eupantotherian”和具有雏形磨楔式臼齿的Kielantherium,被命名为一新属新种,Mozomus shikamai gen.et sp.nov.(鹿间明镇古兽),并由它而创建了一新科,Mozomuridae fam.nov. “Eupantotherian”是早期哺乳动物演化中的一个重要环节,是从无跟座的对齿兽(sym- metrodont)到具有磨楔式(tribosphenic)臼齿兽类的中间类型。早期兽类进化的成功模式是发育成具有磨楔式的臼齿,即在上臼齿上发育出原尖,而下臼齿的跟座形成由3个齿尖围成的盆状。这种结构扩大了牙齿的面积,使咀嚼切割能力更趋完善,今天的有袋类和真兽类均是如此。但在哺乳动物系统发育史上,“eupantotherian”类的化石发现不多,这给探讨具有磨楔式臼齿构造的两大门类(后兽类和真兽类)的起源带来不少困难和疑惑。而传统上的真古兽类形态分异又很大,并不是一个单系类群。其中有跟座发育较好者,如peramurans有可能更接近具有磨楔式臼齿兽类的基部位置,本文记述的Mozomus shikamai也应属于这一类型。具有雏形的被认为处于基干上的磨楔式臼齿类化石,迄今只有两种,即发现在英国早白垩世地层中的滨齿兽(Aegialodon)和蒙古早白垩世晚期Hoobor层的Kielantherium,前者仅有一颗下臼齿,后者由一枚下臼齿和一具有4颗臼齿的下牙床为代表。两种化石在分类上被归入单一的滨齿兽目(Order Aegialodontia Butler,1978),视为Boreosphenidans的基干(stem)。本文记述的Mozomus,其时代与Kielantherium的大体相当,在大小、齿式及臼齿形态上与后者也多有相近之处,但前者以其臼齿的facet-5尚未出现和跟盆发育不全等特点表明它较Kielantherium更为原始,不具备磨楔式臼齿的模式,因之不能归人Aegialodontia,而只能纳入”eupantotheri- ans”。但在后一类的组合中,Mozomus以它半臼齿化的最后前臼齿和面积增大但未发育成盆形的跟座等特点,又是组合中相当进步的类型。无论如何Mozomus的发现是在为数极少的向磨楔式臼齿模式进化的中间环节上增添了一件重要的化石标本,也增加了不少新的信息。它必会引起学者对这一进化过程的更加深入的反思和新的启示。     

陕西洛南人牙化石及其地质时代

在陕西省洛南县洛河左岸洞穴中,发现一古人类上臼齿,其特点与郧县人牙化石很相似。与人牙化石共存的有大熊猫和獏。后二者比华南洞穴中常见的同类化石明显小,比广西柳城巨猿洞中的小型者要大。从化石特点分析,洛南人牙化石及其所在沉积层的时代为中更新世早期(也有早更新世晚期的可能)。     

河北阳原姜家梁新石器时代人类牙齿形态特征的观察与研究

本文应用牙齿人类学的研究方法,对出自河北阳原姜家梁遗址的新石器时代居民的牙齿形态特征进行了研究。采用“亚利桑那州立大学牙齿人类学系统”进行牙齿形态观察,应用“平均差异度”(MMD)距离公式计算出姜家梁组与其他各对比组的MMD距离系数以估计群体间的相似程度,并根据MMD矩阵对18组人群进行聚类分析和因子分析。本文研究结果表明,姜家梁居民的牙齿形态特征属于中国型牙(Sinodonty),但自身又具有某些独特的特征,如铲形上颌中央门齿和单根上颌第一前臼齿等特征的出现率很高。综合来看,姜家梁组在铲形上颌中央门齿、双铲形上颌中央门齿、单根上颌第一前臼齿和第一臼齿转向皱纹这4项性状上具有很高的出现率;上颌第一臼齿釉质延伸、上颌第三臼齿退化、三根下颌第一臼齿和下颌第二臼齿四尖这四项性状出现率处于中等水平。与同时代的下王岗组和庙子沟组比较而言,姜家梁组与庙子沟组的关系更为密切,有研究表明姜家梁组居民与庙子沟组居民具有较为相近的头骨形态特征,本文研究结果表明两者具有较为接近的牙齿形态特征,这说明在体质特征上相近的人群在头骨形态特征和牙齿形态特征方面的表现可能较为一致,但只通过这两个对比组的比较结果而下此结论还为时过早,尚有待于积累更多的同类型族群的相关牙齿人类学资料验证之。     

新疆准噶尔盆地北缘Pliopithecus的发现(英文)

1997和 1 998年的野外工作期间 ,在新疆准噶尔盆地北缘铁尔斯哈巴合中中新世哈拉玛盖组的底部第二砂层中发现了 4枚上猿牙齿。两枚显然是属于同一个体的左m2和m3发现于 980 1 7地点 ,地理坐标为 46°39.997′N ,88°30 .41 2′E。另一枚左下第一门齿和左上第四前臼齿产自该地点附近的同一砂层中。这是在中国境内、也是亚洲的第二个上猿化石地点。该 4枚牙齿中 ,下门齿可能与m2、m3属同一个种。m2刚开始经受磨蚀 ,m3则刚萌出齿槽。它们不同于所有已知种 (P .zhanxiangi、P .vindobonensis、P .antiquus、P .platyodon和P .priensis)的最明显的特征是在唇侧有一个很深的、间于下原尖和下次尖的漏斗状小坑。该坑由前次脊 (prehypocristid)、下次尖前方的斜脊的唇侧分支和沿下原尖唇侧壁向下延伸的一条脊所围成。此外 ,m3稍短于m2。在其他形态特征方面 ,新疆的种又以m2和m3尺寸较小、齿尖较低、齿脊较锐、近中凹和远中凹发育、釉面褶皱和唇侧齿带很发育而不同于我国宁夏同心的Pliopithecuszhanxiangi;以m2和m3的冠面较短宽且有很发育的上猿三角与P .vindobonensis区分 ;其m2和m3的尺寸明显大于P .antiquus。但在尺寸和其他形态上与P .platyodon很相似。铁尔斯哈巴合的m2、m3和下门齿应代表上猿属内的一个新?     

记裂齿目(哺乳动物纲)一新属——豫裂兽(Yuesthonyx gen.nov.)

古新世晚期裂齿类———丁氏豫裂兽 (新属、新种 ) (Yuesthonyxtingaegen .etsp .nov.)的发现表明了裂齿目在亚洲古新世已相当分化 ,在臼齿形态上有与北美始新世Esthonyx相近的小尖兽 (Meiostylogon)和中间兽 (Interogale) ,也有与北美Megalesthonyx接近的豫裂兽等。根据豫裂兽、Megalesthonyx、和亚洲的Adapidium的上臼齿都具有明显的中附尖等特征可与其他裂齿类相区别 ,新建了豫裂兽科 (YuesthoncidaeFam .nov.)。     

中国汉族男性臼齿磨耗与年龄关系的研究

本文对来自全国九个省区(江西、青海、吉林、河北、安徽、贵州、云南、广西、山东)的262个汉族男性颅骨上的992颗臼齿磨耗,进行了分析研究。探讨了牙齿磨耗的地区差异,提出了臼齿磨耗的新的分级方法。求出了M_1M_2在不同数目组合情况下,推算尸骨年龄的多个回归方程。     

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.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.