贵州空棘鱼属的修订与系统发育分析(英文)

依据在云南富源中三叠世法郎组竹杆坡段发现的新材料,对关岭贵州空棘鱼(Guizhoucoelacanthus guanlingensis)进行了补充描述,并修订了鼻骨、顶骨、后顶骨、额外肩胛骨、眶后骨、偶鳍、鳞片等特征。系统发育分析表明,贵州空棘鱼属与Whiteia+Piveteauia构成姐妹群,其共有离征包括:两对顶骨的大小相近,第一背鳍鳍条数小于8。建议将贵州空棘鱼属归入怀特鱼科(Whiteiidae)。     

An assessment of vegetation and environmental controls in the 1970s of the Mesopotamian wetlands of southern Iraq

A vast ecosystem of wetlands and lakes once covered the Mesopotamian Plain of southern Iraq. Widespread drainage in the 1990s nearly obliterated both components of the landscape. This paper reports the results of a study undertaken in 1972–1975 on the vegetation of the wetlands prior to drainage and provides a unique baseline for gauging future restoration of the wetland ecosystems in Mesopotamia. Five representative study sites were used to assess the flora, three of which were wetlands. A total of 371 plant species were recorded in the five sites, of which approximately 40% represent obligate or facultative wetland species. The wetland vegetation was classified into five major physiognomic forms (submerged, floating, herbaceous tall emergent, herbaceous low emergent and woody low emergent), which was further subdivided into 24 fresh and halophytic communities. Water levels greatly fluctuated across the different types of wetlands, and mean surface water depth ranged from below to greater than 2 m above the sediment surface, reflecting permanently, seasonally or intermittently wet habitats. Aboveground biomass was also highly variable among the communities. The Phragmites australis community, which was the most extensive community type, had the greatest biomass with an average value of approximately 5,000 g m⁻² in summer. Distribution and community composition were largely controlled by water levels and saline-freshwater gradients. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that salinity and water depth were the most important factors to explain species distribution. Environmental variables related to soil salinity separated halophytic species in woody low emergent and herbaceous low emergent forms (Tamarix galica, Cressa cretica, Alhagi mannifera, Aeluropus lagopoides, Juncus rigida, and Suaeda vermiculata) from other species. Their habitats were also the driest, and soil organic matter content was lower than those of other species. Habitats with deepest water were dominated by submerged aquatic and floating leaved species such as Nymphoides peltata, Ceratophyllum demersum, and Najas armata. Such diverse environmental conditions in the Mesopotamian wetland would be greatly affected by evapotranspiration, river water inputs from north, ground water inputs, local soil conditions, and a tide or seiche-controlled northward transgression of water from the Gulf. These environmental conditions should be considered in restoration plans if plant communities existed in the mid-1970s are to be part of the desired restoration goals. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Tulips: An Ornamental Crop in the Andalusian Middle Ages

Tulips: An Ornamental Crop in the Andalusian Middle Ages. The authors are working on the project “Crop Flora of al-Andalus,” which aims to recover the crop diversity of the Middle Ages in western Europe during the Islamic period. The documental sources of this study are all the agricultural treatises written in this territory and culture between the 10th and 14th centuries. Al-Andalus was the territory occupied by Islam between the 8th and 15th centuries, varying over time on varying regions on the Iberian Peninsula. In this period, a genuine agricultural revolution took place, as well as the incorporation into the Western world of many Eastern agricultural species. When we focused on the study of ornamental species used in gardens, courtyards, and houses, tulips could be identified in several texts, the main one being the ‘Umda, a botanical work written at the end of the 11th century or beginning of the 12th, probably by the agronomist Abu l-Jayr. Tulips are mentioned in this text 500 years before the first known references to their introduction into Europe, traditionally asserted to be from the Ottoman Empire to Holland via Austria, always in the 16th century. Thus the route of these ornamental bulbs in their passage from East to West must be modified.     

Differential expression of BK channel isoforms and β-subunits in rat neuro-vascular tissues

We investigated the expression of splice variants and β-subunits of the BK channel (big conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channel, Slo1, MaxiK, K_Ca1.1) in rat cerebral blood vessels, meninges, trigeminal ganglion among other tissues. An α-subunit splice variant X1_+ 24 was found expressed (RT-PCR) in nervous tissue only where also the SS4_+ 81 variant was dominating with little expression of the short form SS4₀. SS4_+ 81 was present in some cerebral vessels too. The SS2_+ 174 variant (STREX) was found in both blood vessels and in nervous tissue. In situ hybridization data supported the finding of SS4_+ 81 and SS2_+ 174 in vascular smooth muscle and trigeminal ganglion. β-subunits β2 and β4 showed high expression in brain and trigeminal ganglion and some in cerebral vessels while β1 showed highest expression in blood vessels. β3 was found only in testis and possibly brain. A novel splice variant X2_+ 92 was found, which generates a stop codon in the intracellular C-terminal part of the protein. This variant appears non-functional as a homomer but may modulate the function of other splice-variants when expressed in Xenopus oocytes. In conclusion a great number of splice variant and β-subunit combinations likely exist, being differentially expressed among nervous and vascular tissues.     

ApoE and ApoC-I polymorphisms: association of genotype with cardiovascular disease phenotype in African Americans

Apolipoproteins (apo) E and C-I are components of triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins and impact their metabolism. Functional polymorphisms have been established in apoE but not in apoC-I. We studied the relationship between apoE and apoC-I gene polymorphisms and plasma lipoproteins and coronary artery disease (CAD) in 211 African Americans and 306 Caucasians. In African Americans but not in Caucasians, apoC-I H2-carriers had significantly lower total and LDL cholesterol and apoB levels, and higher glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR levels compared with H1 homozygotes. Differences across CAD phenotypes were seen for the apoC-I polymorphism. African-American H2-carriers without CAD had significantly lower total cholesterol (P < 0.001), LDL cholesterol (P < 0.001), and apoB (P < 0.001) levels compared with H1 homozygotes, whereas no differences were found across apoC-I genotypes for African Americans with CAD. Among African-American apoC-I H1 homozygotes, subjects with CAD had a profile similar to the metabolic syndrome (i.e., higher triglyceride, glucose, and insulin) compared with subjects without CAD. For African-American H2-carriers, subjects with CAD had a pro-atherogenic lipid pattern (i.e., higher LDL cholesterol and apoB levels), compared with subjects without CAD. ApoC-I genotypes showed an ethnically distinct phenotype relationship with regard to CAD and CAD risk factors.     

The subterranean genus Niphargus (Crustacea, Amphipoda) in the Middle East: A faunistic overview with descriptions of two new species

The Middle East is at the southeastern borderline of the range of the subterranean amphipod Niphargus. The review of new and published data identified two new species and set the guidelines for the future research in the area. The genus in this part of the world seems to be insufficiently studied. The taxonomic status of Niphargus valachicus, population identified as N. spoeckeri and some populations, identified as N. nadarini, need to be reviewed. According to present data, we expect the highest diversity in Western Turkey. The eventual new records of the genus in the Middle East can be expected from those areas where even the longest periods of drought in the recent geological history did not affect the water supply.     

自发性高血压大鼠四氢生物碟呤治疗后动脉的结构及力学改变

目的：探讨长期四氢生物喋呤（BH4）治疗对自发性高血压大鼠（SHR）血管形态及血管力学性质的影响;方法：选用4周龄雄性SHR36只,随机分为实验组和对照组,每组18只。实验组每周2次腹腔注射BH420mg／kg,对照组注射等容量生理盐水,于实验第4、16和26周龄时各取6只测量动脉收缩压（SBP）,并使用计算机图像分析的方法分别测量主动脉血管零应力状态张开角、压力-直径关系及肠系膜动脉血管的壁／腔比值。结果：至BH4治疗后的第16和26周龄,SHR的SBP明显降低（P〈0．01）;实验组SHR胸主动脉张开角显著减小（P〈0．01）,压力-直径（P-D）关系曲线上移;实验组肠系膜动脉三级分支血管壁／腔（W／L）值减小（P〈0．05）。结论：BH4可以减弱由于长期高血压所导致的血管肥厚和管腔狭窄,恢复血管弹性。     

神经元型一氧化氮合酶在Ⅱ组代谢型谷氨酸受体介导的脑缺血耐受中的作用

目的：探讨神经元型一氧化氮合酶（nNOS）催化产生的一氧化氮（NO）在Ⅱ组代谢型谷氨酸受体（mGluR2／3）介导的脑缺血预处理（CIP）保护机制中的作用。方法：36只永久凝闭椎动脉的SD大鼠随机分为6组（n=6）：sham、CIP、损伤性缺血、CIP4-损伤性缺血、MqPG＋CIP和MTPG＋CIP＋损伤性缺血组。采用硫堇染色和免疫组化观察海马CA1区迟发性神经元死亡（DND）和nNOS表达的变化。结果：与Sham组相比,CIP组海马nNOS表达出现一定程度的上调,而损伤性脑缺血组则出现nNOS表达的明显上调,预先给与CIP可一定程度上防止损伤性脑缺血所致的nNOS表达的过度升高。在MTPG4-CIP组,预先侧脑室注射mGluR2／3阻断剂MTPG,可阻断CIP引起的nNOS表达增加,但对神经元的存活无影响。而在MTPG＋CIP＋损伤性缺血组中,出现大量锥体神经元DND,同时nNOS的表达较MTPG＋CIP组明显增加,该增加为损伤性脑缺血所致,而非MTPG的作用。结论：nNOS催化产生的NO作为mGluR2／3的下游分子参与脑缺血预处理过程中mGluR2／3介导的脑缺血耐受的形成。     

经隐动脉建立糖尿病兔股动脉血管狭窄模型

目的探讨建立糖尿病兔股动脉损伤后血管狭窄的模型方法。方法采用四氧嘧啶静脉注射建立糖尿病兔模型。建模成功后分为手术组、对照组,手术组接受了经隐动脉途径行球囊损伤股动脉术,对照组不行球囊损伤。术后均给予普食喂养,4周处死,行HE染色后观察血管狭窄情况。结果所有兔均完成了手术,24只存活至实验结束,平均手术时间（26±7）min,成功造成糖尿病兔股动脉狭窄模型,平均相关狭窄达（88.11±1.9）%。结论成功建立了糖尿病兔股动脉损伤后狭窄的实验模型,手术成功率高,操作时间少,存活率高,模型稳定,重复性好,为糖尿病外周血管病变的实验研究提供了借鉴方法。