原矛头蝮蛇毒毒性及恢复规律

目的:对原矛头蝮(P.mucrosquamatus)的毒性及其恢复规律进行考察,增进对该蛇毒性的认识。方法:用该蛇连续攻击小鼠,用梯度剂量蛇毒对小鼠进行腹腔注射,统计死亡率,以折算绝对毒性和半数致死量。对毒性耗竭个体,在梯度时间间隔采集蛇毒,以考察毒性恢复规律。结果:原矛头蝮在2 h内可导致6只小鼠死亡。蛇毒对小鼠的半数致死量为12.204μL/Kg。毒性耗竭后,在间隔21天所获得蛇毒的容积达到最大值即190μL,湿重为149.7 mg。结论:毒蛇在攻击猎物时,并不一次性排完毒腺中的所有毒液,随着攻击次数的增多,毒腺中毒液量逐步减少直至耗竭。其毒液量的恢复需要约3周时间,期间,单次排毒量逐渐增加,干物质的含量也基本呈递增趋势。就单次最大排毒量而言,原矛头蝮高于竹叶青、蝮蛇和银环蛇。其单位剂量毒性高于五步蛇和竹叶青。     

尖吻蝮蛇毒对小鼠肾脏损伤的研究

尖吻蝮(五步蛇)Agkistrodonacutus是我国特有的毒蛇,尖吻蝮蛇毒除引起局部出血肿胀和坏死等症状外,临床常伴有肾功能衰竭或尿毒症的症状。为给临床治疗提供依据,本实验对尖吻蝮蛇毒引起损伤后肾脏的改变,用小鼠作了试验观察,材料与方法取体重20克左右的小白鼠。每只注入40微克的尖吻蝮蛇毒,先将粗蛇毒溶子生理盐水中,使每0.1毫升生理盐水含     

乌梢蛇血清的抗出血因子:一个有前途的抗蛇毒药物原料

用柱层析和聚丙烯酰胺凝胶盘状电泳法,从乌梢蛇血清中分离纯化了一个抗出血因子。用SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳法测得其分子量大约为65 kD;测定了五种蝮亚科蛇毒(尖吻蝮、竹叶青蛇、原矛头蝮、哈扑和短尾蝮)的最小出血剂量和乌梢蛇血清中抗出血因子对这五种蛇毒的抗出血活性;还测定了七种蛇毒(除上述五种毒蛇外,还包括圆斑蝰和银环蛇)的半数致死量,以及抗出血因子对中毒小鼠的治疗作用。结果显示:从乌梢蛇血清中提纯的抗出血因子的抗蛇毒活性,不仅可以抵抗它的捕食者尖吻蝮的蛇毒,而且还可以抵抗具出血活性的其它蛇毒;但它对不具出血活性的银环蛇毒的致死抑制作用不明显。该抗出血因子不仅在体外实验表现出强的中和出血毒素的活性,而且在体内实验中亦表现出对中毒小鼠良好的治疗作用,因而可能成为新的抗蛇毒药物的有前途的原料。乌梢蛇血清对血循毒的中和能力的获得,可能归因于尖吻蝮与乌梢蛇之间捕食与被捕食相互作用的关系。     

尖吻蝮(Deinagkistron acutus)生长过程不同时期排毒量及蛇毒组分的变化

对人工培育的4个年龄段尖吻蝮蛇毒和野生成体尖吻蝮蛇毒进行了聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分析.结果显示3龄以前尖吻蝮蛇毒蛋白电泳图谱,无论是在分带、泳动率及相应组分的量等方面,均呈现一定的差异,但随着尖吻蝮蛇龄的增长,蛇毒蛋白电泳图谱与野生成蛇蛇毒蛋白电泳图谱越来越接近.3龄尖吻蝮生长发育达到性成熟,其蛇毒蛋白电泳图谱与野生成蛇趋于一致.蛇毒组分的变化,提示了尖吻蝮的生长发育进程.     

尖吻蝮（Deinagkistrodon acutus）生长过程不同时期排毒量及蛇毒组分的变化

对人工培育的4个年龄段尖吻蝮蛇毒和野生成体尖吻蝮蛇毒进行了聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分析。结果显示：3龄以前尖吻蝮蛇毒蛋白电泳图谱,无论是在分带、泳动率及相应组分的量等方面,均呈现一定的差异,但随着尖吻蝮蛇龄的增长,蛇毒蛋白电泳图谱与野生成蛇蛇毒蛋白电泳图谱越来越接近。3龄尖吻蝮生长发育达到性成熟,其蛇毒蛋白电泳图谱与野生成蛇趋于一致。蛇毒组分的变化,提示了尖吻蝮的生长发育进程。     

蛇毒抗凝剂的临床应用

利用蛇毒制成抗凝剂国外已有27年历史,国内对此项研究开始于1981年,并已广泛应用于临床。1963年以来,国外已有红口蝮蛇毒、矛头蝮蛇毒、东部菱斑响尾蛇毒、尖吻蝮蛇毒等商品供应于临床,国内已有蛇岛蝮蛇抗栓酶、长白山蝮蛇抗栓酶、江淅蝮蛇抗栓酶、去纤维蛋白酶等产品已相继在临床上用来治疗血栓、栓塞等闭塞性血管疾病。经基础研究和上千例次临床实践证明,在我国,蛇毒抗凝剂具有药源广;疗效佳、毒副作用较少的特点,部分产品已居国内外领先地位,是一种得推广应用的药物。本文简要介绍该药的临床应用,供用药时参考。     

墨旱莲对4种蝮蛇毒引起的炎症和出血的影响

目的探讨墨旱莲提取液对短尾蝮蛇毒、蛇岛蝮蛇毒、白眉蝮蛇毒及尖吻蝮蛇毒所致的炎症和出血的影响。方法应用短尾蝮蛇毒、蛇岛蝮蛇毒、白眉蝮蛇毒及尖吻蝮蛇毒所致大鼠足跖肿胀的致炎模型,观察墨旱莲提取液对蛇毒所致大鼠足跖肿胀的影响。墨旱莲提取液分别与不同蛇毒混合,给小鼠腹部皮下注射,观察其对蛇毒引起的小鼠皮下出血的影响。结果墨旱莲提取液15g／kg连续2次灌胃给药,对短尾蝮蛇毒、蛇岛蝮蛇毒、白眉蝮蛇毒或尖吻蝮蛇毒所致大鼠足跖肿胀的急性炎症造模和短尾蝮蛇毒棉球肉芽肿的慢性炎症造模(20g／kg)均有明显的抑制作用,对这些蛇毒引起的小鼠皮下出血也能明显抑制。结论墨旱莲提取液对短尾蝮蛇毒、蛇岛蝮蛇毒、白眉蝮蛇毒及尖吻蝮蛇毒引起的炎症和出血均有明显的抑制作用。     

乌梢蛇血清对白眉蝮等3种蛇毒解毒作用初探

目的 探讨乌梢蛇血清对孟加拉眼镜蛇、白眉蝮、莽山烙铁头3种毒蛇的解毒作用。方法 给18～22g昆明小鼠分别注射盂加拉眼镜蛇毒、白眉蝮蛇毒及莽山烙铁头蛇毒后,随机分组注射不同浓度的乌梢蛇血清,并观察对3种蛇毒的解毒效果。结果 发现（1）乌梢蛇血清对盂加拉眼镜蛇毒有解毒作用．且注射蛇毒与4ml／kg的血清混合液的解毒作用最好,但随着间隔时间的延长,解毒作用逐渐减弱;（2）乌梢蛇血清对白眉蝮蛇毒有解毒作用,且注射量为1ml／kg和2ml／kg时出现了拮抗作用;（3）乌梢蛇血清对莽山烙铁头蛇毒有解毒作用,但莽山烙铁头蛇毒对血清注射量和间隔时间不敏感,在血清注射量为2ml／kg时和注射蛇毒10min后,再注射4ml／kg的血清时出现了拮抗作用。（4）只给小鼠注射不同量的乌梢蛇血清,发现乌梢蛇血清对小鼠无明显的毒副作用。结论 乌梢蛇血清对3种蛇毒均有解毒作用。     

不同地理单元尖吻蝮蛇毒蛋白组分比较研究

目的探讨不同地理单元尖吻蝮蛇毒蛋白组分有无差异性。方法采用非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(NativePAGE)方法,比较采自安徽黄山(黄山单元)和贵州梵净山(西部单元)尖吻蝮蛇毒组分。结果梵净山尖吻蝮的蛇毒蛋白表达量和条带数目均高于黄山尖吻蝮。结论黄山单元和西部单元的尖吻蝮蛇毒蛋白组分具有差异性。     

蛇毒抗菌的比较性研究

目的 研究蛇毒粗毒的抗菌作用,并比较不同蛇毒对不同细菌的抑制效果.方法 采用抑菌环法测定蛇岛蝮、江浙蝮和短尾蝮蛇毒粗毒对金黄色葡萄球菌、枯草芽孢杆菌、大肠埃希菌、铜绿假单胞菌以及白色念珠菌的抗菌作用,比较不同蛇毒粗毒的抗菌效果;加入过氧化氢酶(catalase),考察蛇毒抗菌作用的变化.结果 (1)3种蛇毒粗毒对5种细菌均呈现不同程度的抑制作用.(2)3种蛇毒粗毒对5种细菌的抑制作用大小依次为:金黄色葡萄球菌＞白色念珠菌＞大肠埃希菌或铜绿假单胞菌＞枯草芽孢杆菌.(3)加入catalase后,蛇毒的抗菌作用明显减弱.结论 (1)3种蛇毒粗毒均具有一定的抗菌作用,并具有明显抑菌选择性.(2)3种蛇毒的抗菌效果不同,蛇岛蝮蛇抗菌作用最强.(3) catalase能显著降低蛇毒的抗菌活性,表明L-氨基酸氧化酶是蛇毒起抗菌作用的主要成分.     

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.