Trace detection of picloram using an electrochemical immunosensor based on three-dimensional gold nanoclusters

Picloram, a herbicide widely used for broadleaf weed control, is persistent and mobile in soil and water with adverse health and environmental effects. It is important to develop a sensitive method for accurate detection of trace picloram in the environment. In this article, a type of ordered three-dimensional (3D) gold (Au) nanoclusters obtained by two-step electrodeposition using the spatial obstruction/direction of the polycarbonate membrane is reported. Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-picloram was immobilized on the 3D Au nanoclusters by self-assembly, and then competitive immunoreaction with picloram antibody and target picloram was executed. The horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled secondary antibody was applied for enzyme-amplified amperometric measurement. The electrodeposited Au nanoclusters built direct electrical contact and immobilization interface with protein molecules without postmodification and positioning. Under the optimal conditions, the linear range for picloram determination was 0.001-10 μg/ml with a correlation coefficient of 0.996. The detection and quantification limits were 5.0 × 10⁻⁴ and 0.0021 μg/ml, respectively. Picloram concentrations in peach and excess sludge supernatant extracts were tested by the proposed immunosensor, which exhibited good precision, sensitivity, selectivity, and storage stability.     

糖尿病肾病发病机制研究进展

糖尿病肾病(DN)是糖尿病(DM)最常见的慢性并发症,也是终末期肾病(ESRD)的主要原因,其治疗费用巨大。其发病机制主要涉及遗传易感性、糖代谢紊乱、肾血流动力学的改变、细胞因子、炎症机制已及氧化应激等方面。本文就以上作用机制的最新研究进展作一综述。     

温度对党参害虫烟草甲实验种群生长发育的影响

以中药材党参(Codonopsis pilosula)为寄主食料,在人工气候箱内,研究了温度对烟草甲(Lasioderma serricorne)卵、幼虫和蛹的生长和发育的影响;计算了烟草甲各虫态的发育起点温度和有效积温;通过Logistic模型及"王-兰-丁"模型对温度与烟草甲各虫态之间的关系进行拟合,优化拟合温度与烟草卵和幼虫发育关系的Logistic方程6个,温度与烟草甲幼虫发育关系的"王-兰-丁"方程5个。结果表明,烟草甲卵、幼虫、蛹及卵-蛹期的发育起点温度分别为16.51℃、11.07℃、11.78℃和12.20℃,其卵、幼虫、蛹及卵-蛹期的发育有效积温分别为89.59、669.53、137.12和912.72日度;温度的升高有利于烟草甲的各虫态的生长和发育;"王-兰-丁"模型拟合对研究较宽温度幅度的昆虫发育与温度之间的关系拟合效果优于Logistic模型。本研究结果可为危害储藏期中药材的烟草甲种群数量控制技术提供技术支撑。     

血人参石油醚部位化学成分研究

为深入探究血人参中的活性物质成分，该文采用硅胶柱色谱、Sephadex LH-20柱色谱、半制备高效液相色谱以及重结晶等方法对血人参石油醚部位进行了系统分离纯化，并利用现代波谱技术对分离得到的单体化合物进行结构鉴定。结果表明：从血人参石油醚部位共分离得到22个单体化合物，分别鉴定为β-谷甾酮(1)、豆甾烷3,6-二酮(2)、6β-羟基-豆甾-4-烯-3-酮(3)、(22E)-5α,8α-epidioxyergosta-6, 22-dien-3β-ol(4)、美迪紫檀素(5)、sativan(6)、2′,4′-二羟基查尔酮(7)、6,7-dimethoxy-4-hydroxy-1-naphthoic acid(8)、对羟基苯甲酸乙酯(9)、2,4-二羟基苯甲酸乙酯(10)、(9E,11E)-13-oxo-9,11-ocatadecadienoic acid(11)、(9E,11E)-13-oxo-9,11-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester(12)、9-oxo-10E,12E-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester(13)、9-...     

How healthy are clones and their progeny: 5 years of field experience

There is considerable concern regarding the health of cloned cattle and their safety as a source of food. The objective was to summarize 5 years of commercial experience with cloning in three countries (United States, Argentina and Brazil). Overall, only 9% of transferred embryos resulted in calves; efficiency ranged from 0 to 45% (most were from 1 to 10%, but 24% of cell lines never produced live calves). There was no significant difference in pregnancy rate following transfer of one versus two embryos. Before 90 days of gestation, two ultrasound markers for embryo death were found, either crown rump length (CRL) or heart beat less than 7.5mm and 150bpm, respectively, were observed alone or together in 27% of clones that died. In addition, after 100 days of pregnancy, placental edema, hydrops fetalis and increased abdominal circumference size were used as ultrasound findings of a fetus at risk of loss. At 114 days of gestation, abdominal circumference in clones that died was statistically larger than in clones that survived alive to term and from MOET- and IVF-derived pregnancies (P<0.05). Since elective cesarean section (C-section) was partially replaced by natural or assisted parturition, C-section rates decreased from 100% in 2000 to 54% in 2005. On average, 42% of cloned calves died between delivery and 150 days of life; the most common abnormalities were: enlarged umbilical cord (37%), respiratory problems (19%), calves depressed/prolonged recumbency (20%) and contracted flexor tendons (21%). From 11 blood parameters evaluated during the first week of life, lactate decreased twice and glucose doubled its original value from 24h to 7 days. Adult cloned females had normal breeding and calving rates and cloned bulls produced good quality semen and had normal fertility when used for AI or natural mating. In conclusion, cloning had no risks qualitatively different from those encountered in animals involved in modern agricultural practices, although the frequency of the risks appeared to be increased in cattle during the early portions of the life cycle of cattle clones.     

Soluble expression, purification and functional identification of a disulfide-rich conotoxin derived from Conus litteratus

Conotoxins are a diverse array of small peptides mostly with multiple disulfide bridges. These peptides become an increasing significant source of neuro-pharmacological probes and drugs as a result of the high selectivity for ion channels and receptors. Usually, the analogue of natural conotoxins is produced by means of chemical synthesis. Here, we present a simple and fast strategy of producing disulfide-rich conotoxins via recombinant expression. By fused with thioredoxin and His tag, a novel O-superfamily conotoxin lt7a was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli and purified, resulting in a high yield of recombinant lt7a about 6 mg/l. The purity of target protein is up to 95% as identified by HPLC results. Whole cell patch-clamp recording revealed that the new conotoxin blocked voltage-sensitive sodium channels in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons, indicating it might be a novel microO-conotoxin.     

Increased sequence diversity coverage improves detection of HIV-specific T cell responses

The accurate identification of HIV-specific T cell responses is important for determining the relationship between immune response, viral control, and disease progression. HIV-specific immune responses are usually measured using peptide sets based on consensus sequences, which frequently miss responses to regions where test set and infecting virus differ. In this study, we report the design of a peptide test set with significantly increased coverage of HIV sequence diversity by including alternative amino acids at variable positions during the peptide synthesis step. In an IFN-gamma ELISpot assay, these "toggled" peptides detected HIV-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses of significantly higher breadth and magnitude than matched consensus peptides. The observed increases were explained by a closer match of the toggled peptides to the autologous viral sequence. Toggled peptides therefore afford a cost-effective and significantly more complete view of the host immune response to HIV and are directly applicable to other variable pathogens.     

Synthesis of 3-O-methylviridicatin analogues with improved anti-TNF-alpha properties

We synthesized 3-O-methylviridicatin and several analogues of this fungal metabolite. We showed that replacement of the methoxy moiety by a thiomethyl enhanced dramatically its ability to inhibit TNF-alpha secretion. These results strongly suggest that 4-phenyl-3-methylthioquinolinone may provide the basis for the development of new anti-inflammatory agents.