An automated differential thermal and potentiometric titration apparatus for binding studies

A differential pH-termal titration apparatus is described which can detect pH differences with a sensitivity of ±0.0001 pH units and a thermal sensitivity of ±0.00002°C at a time constant of 0.1 s. With a reaction which yields 1 kcal mol⁻¹, the current system can detect concentrations as low as 4×10⁻⁶ M or, in a 2 ml volume, a total amount of 40 nmol. With a time constant of 0.1 s, the sensitivity is 20±4 μ°C. The experimental protocol is specified by a microprocessor and three modes of operation are possible: titration at constant rate of reagent addition, titration at variable rates of addition so that the contents of both cells are at either constant pH or at a constant temperature and variable rate when a rate of change is specified. Experimental data are collected in files, corrected for heat loss, initial baseline drift, and changes in volume. The final corrected from the standardized run of 0.01338 M HCl in 0.2 M KCl at 25°C calibrate the pH scale yielded the calorimetric conversion constants and pK_w which are calculated and stored for subsequent corrections for the titration of an unknown acid or the measurement of bindin constants and heats.     

烧伤早期伴发脓毒症患者血清PCT、hs-CRP、COR及WBC的动态变化及临床意义

目的:探讨烧伤早期伴发脓毒症患者血清降钙素原(PCT)、超敏C反应蛋白(hs-CRP)、皮质醇(COR)和白细胞计数(WBC)水平并分析其临床价值。方法:回顾性分析2014年12月至2018年1月本院收治的63例烧伤早期患者的临床资料,其中19例患者伴发脓毒症(脓毒症组),44例患者未伴发脓毒症(无脓毒症组),另选取30例于本院进行体检的志愿者作为健康对照组,依据病情严重程度将脓毒症患者分为脓毒症休克组(n=4)、严重脓毒症组(n=7)、一般脓毒症组(n=8),依据预后情况分为预后良好组(n=13)和预后不良组(n=6)。动态检测并对比所有研究对象血清PCT、hs-CRP、COR和WBC水平。结果:无脓毒症组、脓毒症组血清PCT、hs-CRP、COR和WBC水平高于健康对照组,且脓毒症组高于无脓毒症组(P<0.05)。烧伤后7 d、11 d、15 d,脓毒症组血清PCT、hs-CRP、COR和WBC水平均高于无脓毒症组(P<0.05)。脓毒症休克组血清PCT、hs-CRP、COR和WBC水平高于严重脓毒症组、一般脓毒症组,且严重脓毒症组患者高于一般脓毒症组患者(P<0.05)。预后不良组血清PCT、hs-CRP、COR和WBC水平高于预后良好组(P<0.05)。结论:血清PCT、hs-CRP、COR和WBC水平在烧伤早期伴发脓毒症患者中水平异常升高,与病情严重程度有关,上述指标对预后判断有一定的临床参考价值。     

A Prognostic Model to Predict Recovery of COVID-19 Patients Based on Longitudinal Laboratory Findings

Virologica Sinica - The temporal change patterns of laboratory data may provide insightful clues into the whole course of COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate longitudinal change patterns of key...     

2种调查方法对四川黑竹沟国家级自然保护区3种雉类种群密度调查的比较

种群数量是物种的重要生态学基础资料,合适的密度调查方法是数量估算的基础。2016年4-5月,采用广泛应用于鸡形目Galliformes鸟类种群密度调查的样线法和样点法,调查了四川黑竹沟国家级自然保护区3种鸡形目鸟类(白腹锦鸡Chrysolophus amherstiae、红腹角雉Tragopan temminckii和血雉Ithaginis cruentus)的种群密度。样线法和样点法估算的雄体密度分别是:白腹锦鸡1.20只/km^2和(6.31±0.98)只/km^2,红腹角雉5.41只/km^2和(0.39±0.17)只/km^2,血雉3.01只/km^2和(5.97±2.70)只/km^2。除红腹角雉外,样点法估算的白腹锦鸡、血雉种群密度均大于样线法。建议针对不同鸡形目鸟类采用不同的调查方法,并尽量扩大样本数量,从而提高调查结果的准确性。     

基于转录组的冬虫夏草菌微循环产孢研究

为研究冬虫夏草菌（Ophiocordyceps sinensis）微循环产孢过程中的分子机理,采用高通量测序技术,对微循环产孢前后冬虫夏草菌的转录组进行研究。筛选获得差异表达基因6 902个。Gene Ontology（GO）功能聚类分析表明,差异表达基因主要参与分子功能、胞内运输、核糖核蛋白复合体等生物学通路。京都基因与基因组百科全书（Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes,KEGG)功能富集分析结果表明,差异表达基因参与了核糖体、嘧啶代谢、蛋白酶体、嘌呤代谢、甘氨酸代谢等过程。Mmc、Mcb、MaH1、MaPP5、MaAGA、Pyk等候选基因不同程度的参与了冬虫夏草菌微循环产孢过程,其中Mcb家族基因可能起到关键作用。通过qRT PCR验证差异表达基因,定量结果与转录组测序结果一致。本研究为进一步揭示冬虫夏草菌微循环产孢分子机制以及关键基因的调控提供了重要信息。     

Proteomic Analysis of High Temperature Stress-Responsive Proteins in Chrysanthemum Leaves

Chrysanthemum is one of the most important ornamental flowers in the world, and temperature has a significant influence on its field production. In the present study, differentially expressed proteins were investigated in the leaves of Dendranthema grandiflorum ‘Jinba’ under high temperature stress using label-free quantitative proteomics techniques. The expressed proteins were comparatively identified and analyzed. A total of 1,463 heat-related, differentially expressed proteins were successfully identified by Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and 1,463 heat-related, differentially expressed proteins were successfully identified by mass spectrometry after a high temperature treatment. Among these, 701 proteins were upregulated and 762 proteins were downregulated. The in-depth bioinformatics analysis of these differentially expressed proteins revealed that these were involved in energy metabolism pathways, protein metabolism, and heat shock. In the present study, the investigators determined the changes in the levels of some proteins, and their expression at the protein and molecular levels in chrysanthemum to help reveal the mechanism of heat resistance in chrysanthemum. Furthermore, the present study elucidated some of the proteins correlated to heat resistance in chrysanthemum, and their expression changes at the protein and molecular levels to help reveal the mechanism of heat resistance in this flower species. These results provide a theoretical basis for the selection of new heat resistant varieties of chrysanthemum in the field.     

Lipidomic alteration of plasma in cured COVID-19 patients using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry

Background: The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a serious public health crisis worldwide. The symptoms of COVID-19 vary from mild to severe among different age groups, but the physiological changes related to COVID-19 are barely understood.Methods: In the present study, a high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based lipidomic strategy was used to characterize the endogenous plasma lipids for cured COVID-19 patients with different ages and symptoms. These patients were further divided into two groups: those with severe symptoms or who were elderly and relatively young patients with mild symptoms. In addition, automated lipidomic identification and alignment was conducted by LipidSearch software. Multivariate and univariate analyses were used for differential comparison.Results: Nearly 500 lipid compounds were identified in each cured COVID-19 group through LipidSearch software. At the level of lipid subclasses, patients with severe symptoms or elderly patients displayed dramatic changes in plasma lipidomic alterations, such as increased triglycerides and decreased cholesteryl esters (ChE). Some of these differential lipids might also have essential biological functions. Furthermore, the differential analysis of plasma lipids among groups was performed to provide potential prognostic indicators, and the change in signaling pathways.Conclusions: Dyslipidemia was observed in cured COVID-19 patients due to the viral infection and medical treatment, and the discharged patients should continue to undergo consolidation therapy. This work provides valuable knowledge about plasma lipid markers and potential therapeutic targets of COVID-19 and essential resources for further research on the pathogenesis of COVID-19.     

Modelling the effect of birth and feeding modes on the development of human gut microbiota

The human gut microbiota is transmitted from mother to infant through vaginal birth and breastfeeding. Bifidobacterium, a genus that dominates the infants’ gut, is adapted to breast milk in its ability to metabolize human milk oligosaccharides; it is regarded as a mutualist owing to its involvement in the development of the immune system. The composition of microbiota, including the abundance of Bifidobacteria, is highly variable between individuals and some microbial profiles are associated with diseases. However, whether and how birth and feeding practices contribute to such variation remains unclear. To understand how early events affect the establishment of microbiota, we develop a mathematical model of two types of Bifidobacteria and a generic compartment of commensal competitors. We show how early events affect competition between mutualists and commensals and microbe-host-immune interactions to cause long-term alterations in gut microbial profiles. Bifidobacteria associated with breast milk can trigger immune responses with lasting effects on the microbial community structure. Our model shows that, in response to a change in birth environment, competition alone can produce two distinct microbial profiles post-weaning. Adding immune regulation to our competition model allows for variations in microbial profiles in response to different feeding practices. This analysis highlights the importance of microbe–microbe and microbe–host interactions in shaping the gut populations following different birth and feeding modes.