Hemagglutinin of Influenza Virus Partitions into the Nonraft Domain of Model Membranes

The HA of influenza virus is a paradigm for a transmembrane protein thought to be associated with membrane-rafts, liquid-ordered like nanodomains of the plasma membrane enriched in cholesterol, glycosphingolipids, and saturated phospholipids. Due to their submicron size in cells, rafts can not be visualized directly and raft-association of HA was hitherto analyzed by indirect methods. In this study, we have used GUVs and GPMVs, showing liquid disordered and liquid ordered domains, to directly visualize partition of HA by fluorescence microscopy. We show that HA is exclusively (GUVs) or predominantly (GPMVs) present in the liquid disordered domain, regardless of whether authentic HA or domains containing its raft targeting signals were reconstituted into model membranes. The preferential partition of HA into ld domains and the difference between lo partition in GUV and GPMV are discussed with respect to differences in packaging of lipids in membranes of model systems and living cells suggesting that physical properties of lipid domains in biological membranes are tightly regulated by protein-lipid interactions.     

52例肺腺癌的临床表现及影像学分析

目的:探讨肺腺癌的临床表现及影像学特点。方法:回顾性分析52例肺腺癌的临床表现及影像学资料,从该病的临床表现、影像学特点进行归纳及总结性研究。结果:52例肺腺癌患者主要症状为咳嗽、咯血、胸闷和其他转移病灶表现,转移多见于脑、肝、骨骼、肾上腺等,发生淋巴结转移患者的5年生存率明显下降;47例患者行普通X线胸片检查,6例未见明显异常病灶,13例为中心型肺癌,25例为周围型肺癌,3例为细支气管-肺泡癌;52例患者均行CT扫描检查,各叶均可发生,病灶呈圆形、椭圆形、分叶状,病灶大多边缘有切迹、细小毛刺或棘状突起者。结论:结合临床表现,CT能够较准确的对肺癌做出诊断,组织病理学检查可确诊为肺腺癌     

肺部孤立性结节X线与CT对照分析及鉴别诊断

肺内孤立结节性病灶是指直径≤4cm的类圆形结节影,无阻塞性肺不张、肺炎、卫星病灶及局部淋巴结肿等征象。对肺内孤立性结节的研究,X线胸片多着重于边缘、密度及纹理的改变,而CT扫描多着重于其结节密度的CT值。综合X线胸片与CT扫描的表现作出良恶性结节的鉴别诊断。     

能谱CT成像对甲状腺癌局部浸润深度的诊断价值及其定量参数与肿瘤组织中Ki67、VEGF、CD34、EGFR的相关性

摘要 目的：探讨能谱CT成像对甲状腺癌局部浸润深度的诊断价值及其定量参数与肿瘤组织中Ki67、VEGF、CD34、EGFR的相关性。方法：回顾性分析2018年6月-2021年6月我院经手术或穿刺活检病理证实为甲状腺肿瘤性病变的患者96例，其中29例为甲状腺癌局部浸润组（A组），34例为甲状腺癌无浸润组（B组），33例为甲状腺腺瘤组（C组）。另取56例甲状腺另一侧叶正常组织作为对照组（D组）。所有患者均完善能谱CT检查，采集图像后在能谱CT Viewer分析软件上测量病变区碘浓度，计算能谱曲线斜率。采用免疫组织化学染色分析Ki-67、VEGF、CD34、EGFR的表达情况。采用Spearman秩相关分析评价碘浓度、能谱曲线斜率与甲状腺癌肿瘤组织中Ki-67、VEGF、CD34、EGFR表达的相关性。结果：在平扫、动脉期、静脉期，A组、B组、C组和D组的碘浓度逐渐增大，两两比较差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。甲状腺癌局部浸润组织能谱曲线呈"低平型"，斜率为较小负值，正常甲状腺组织能谱曲线为下降型，斜率为负值；在平扫、动脉期、静脉期，A组、B组、C组和D组的能谱曲线斜率逐渐变小，差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。A组中Ki-67、VEGF、CD34和EGFR的阳性表达率均高于B组和C组，差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。碘浓度在动脉期、静脉期与Ki-67、VEGF、CD34、EGFR表达呈正相关（P＜0.05），碘浓度在平扫与Ki-67表达呈正相关（P＜0.05），碘浓度在平扫与VEGF、CD34、EGFR表达无相关性（P＞0.05）。能谱曲线斜率在动脉期、静脉期与Ki-67、VEGF、CD34、EGFR表达呈正相关（P＜0.05），能谱曲线斜率在平扫与VEGF表达呈正相关（P＜0.05），能谱曲线斜率在平扫与Ki-67、CD34、EGFR表达无相关性（P＞0.05）。结论：能谱CT成像检查对甲状腺癌局部浸润深度的判断具有重要的价值，其定量参数碘浓度、能谱曲线斜率与Ki67、VEGF、CD34、EGFR具有相关性，可间接反映肿瘤微血管、肿瘤血管生成、甲状腺癌分化程度、浸润程度等情况，对评价甲状腺癌生物学行为可提供有价值的信息。     

A conformational unfolding reaction activates phage fd for the infection of Escherichia coli

Unfolding usually leads to the loss of the biological function of a protein. Here, we show that an unfolding reaction activates the gene-3-protein of the filamentous phage fd for its function during the infection of Escherichia coli. Before infection, the gene-3-protein is in a fully folded locked form, in which the binding site for the phage receptor TolA is buried at the domain interface. To expose this binding site, the gene-3-protein must be activated, and previously we identified the cis-to-trans isomerization at Pro213 in the hinge region between the two domains as a key step of activation. We now report that Pro213 isomerization destabilizes the protein and leads to a loss of folded structure, presumably in the hinge region. The partially unfolded form of the gene-3-protein is metastable, and trans-Pro213 arrests the protein in this activated form for an extended time, long enough to find the receptor TolA. The partial unfolding and its timing by prolyl isomerization are essential for the biological function.     

Size and placement of developing anterior teeth in immature Neanderthal mandibles from Dederiyeh Cave,Syria: Implications for emergence of the modern human chin

Evolutionary and functional significance of the human chin has long been explored from various perspectives including masticatory biomechanics, speech, and anterior tooth size. Recent ontogenetic studies have indicated that the spatial position of internally forming anterior teeth partially constrains adult mandibular symphyseal morphology. The present study therefore preliminarily examined the size and placement of developing anterior teeth in immature Neanderthal mandibles of Dederiyeh 1 and 2, compared with similarly‐aged modern humans (N = 16) and chimpanzees (N = 7) whose incisors are comparatively small and large among extant hominids, respectively. The Dederiyeh 1 mandible is described as slightly presenting a mental trigone and attendant mental fossa, whereas Dederiyeh 2 completely lacks such chin‐associated configurations. Results showed that, despite symphyseal size being within the modern human range, both Dederiyeh mandibles accommodated overall larger anterior dentition and displayed a remarkably wide bicanine space compared to those of modern humans. Dederiyeh 2 had comparatively thicker deciduous incisor roots and more enlarged permanent incisor crypts than Dederiyeh 1, but both Dederiyeh individuals exhibited a total dental size mostly intermediate between modern humans and chimpanzees. These findings potentially imply that the large deciduous/permanent incisors collectively distended the labial alveolar bone, obscuring an incipient mental trigone. It is therefore hypothesized that the appearance of chin‐associated features, particularly of the mental trigone and fossa, can be accounted for partly by developmental relationships between the sizes of the available mandibular space and anterior teeth. This hypothesis must be, however, further addressed with more referential samples in future studies. Am J Phys Anthropol 156:482–488, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Monte Carlo simulation of the dose distribution of ICRP adult reference computational phantoms for acquisitions with a 320 detector-row cone-beam CT scanner

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation tool for patient dose assessment for a 320 detector-row CT scanner, based on the recommendations of International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Additionally, the simulation was applied on four clinical acquisition protocols, with and without automatic tube current modulation (TCM).MethodsThe MC simulation was based on EGS4 code and was developed specifically for a 320 detector-row cone-beam CT scanner. The ICRP adult reference phantoms were used as patient models. Dose measurements were performed free-in-air and also in four CTDI phantoms: 150 mm and 350 mm long CT head and CT body phantoms. The MC program was validated by comparing simulations results with these actual measurements acquired under the same conditions. The measurements agreed with the simulations across all conditions within 5%. Patient dose assessment was performed for four clinical axial acquisitions using the ICRP adult reference phantoms, one of them using TCM.ResultsThe results were nearly always lower than those obtained from other dose calculator tools or published in other studies, which were obtained using mathematical phantoms in different CT systems. For the protocol with TCM organ doses were reduced by between 28 and 36%, compared to the results obtained using a fixed mA value.ConclusionsThe developed simulation program provides a useful tool for assessing doses in a 320 detector-row cone-beam CT scanner using ICRP adult reference computational phantoms and is ready to be applied to more complex protocols.