兴安落叶松叶碳利用效率对环境变化的适应

兴安落叶松(Larix gmelinii)作为北方森林的主要组成树种,具有广阔的分布范围和多样的生长环境,是研究树木对环境变化响应的理想树种。叶碳利用效率(CUE_L)不仅与树木的碳代谢及生长发育密切相关,而且能反映树木对环境变化的响应与适应。将来自不同地区(即环境条件)的6个兴安落叶松种源的种子播种培育在帽儿山森林生态系统研究站内,在其生长30a后采用研究站和种子来源地间干燥度(AI)的差值(ΔAI)来代表环境变化梯度,研究环境变化对CUE_L的影响。结果表明:CUE_L在不同环境变化梯度间存在显著差异(P0.05),且呈现随ΔAI的增大而减小的趋势。CUE_L与叶片氮含量、叶片磷含量、比叶重及叶绿素含量等均呈线性正相关关系,但较大ΔAI梯度下的CUE_L敏感性更高。CUE_L与种子来源地平均年降水量呈显著线性正相关关系(P=0.05),而与种子来源地AI则呈显著线性负相关关系(P0.01);随种子来源地年平均气温、平均年蒸发量的增加而下降,但其相关性不显著。以上结果表明,环境变化使兴安落叶松CUE_L产生了适应性变异,表现出树木对原生长环境的生态适应。     

肺癌气道播散的研究概况

2015年,世界卫生组织对肺癌的分类提出了气道播散(spread through air spaces,STAS)的概念,作为肺腺癌侵袭的新模式。STAS指的是肺癌细胞在肺实质内经气道播散到肿瘤主灶边缘以外。近年来,随着对STAS研究的深入,研究结果表明STAS作为一种侵袭方式与其他侵袭行为和转移有关。STAS与肺癌的预后存在密切联系,并且与复发的风险独立相关。而选择的手术方式不同,STAS阳性患者的预后大不相同。在影像学方面,STAS有着其特殊的影像学特征,这些影像学特征可以作为STAS可能性估计的工具。因此能否通过影像学等方法判断出是否有STAS存在对选择手术方式和改善患者预后有重要指导意义。这篇综述将重点阐述近年来STAS在与不同类型肺癌的联系、影像学、基因突变等方面的研究概况。     

Thyreophoran vertebrae from the Callovian (Middle Jurassic) of the Vaches Noires cliffs (Normandy,France), with remarks on the dinosaur assemblage from the Vaches Noires

Two associated incomplete thyreophoran dorsal vertebrae from the Callovian Marnes de Dives Formation of the Vaches Noires cliffs, on the Normandy coast, are referred to an indeterminate stegosaur that appears to be different from Lexovisaurus, previously reported from the Callovian of western France. These vertebrae are the first evidence of thyreophorans from the Vaches Noires and complement the dinosaur assemblage from this locality, which hitherto consisted of several theropod taxa and an indeterminate sauropod. The dinosaur record from the Vaches Noires is heavily dominated by theropods and this imbalance is difficult to explain. A possible explanation may be that the dinosaur sample from the Vaches Noires is too small to be statistically significant and representative of the original faunal assemblage from which it is derived.     

Phragmites australis — a helophytic grass — can establish successful partnership with phenol-degrading bacteria in a floating treatment wetland

Helophytic plants contribute significantly in phytoremediation of a variety of pollutants due to their physiological or biochemical mechanisms. Phenol, which is reported to have negative/deleterious effects on plant metabolism at concentrations higher than 500 mg/L, remains hard to be removed from the environmental compartments using conventional phytoremediation procedures. The present study aims to investigate the feasibility of using P. australis (a helophytic grass) in combination with three bacterial strains namely Acinetobacter lwofii ACRH76, Bacillus cereus LORH97, and Pseudomonas sp. LCRH90, in a floating treatment wetland (FTW) for the removal of phenol from contaminated water. The strains were screened based on their phenol degrading and plant growth promoting activities. We found that inoculated bacteria were able to colonize in the roots and shoots of P. australis, suggesting their potential role in the successful removal of phenol from the contaminated water. Pseudomonas sp. LCRH90 dominated the bacterial community structure followed by A. lowfii ACRH76 and B. cereus LORH97. The removal rate was significantly high when compared with the individual partners, i.e., plants and bacteria separately. The plant biomass, which was drastically reduced in the presence of phenol, recovered significantly with the inoculation of bacterial consortia. Likewise, highest reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and total organic carbon (TOC) is achieved when both plants and bacteria were employed. The study, therefore, suggests that P. australis in combination with efficient bacteria can be a suitable choice to FTWs for phenol-degradation in water.     

The genetic association study of TP53 polymorphisms in Saudi obese patients

Obesity is a multifactorial metabolic disorder characterized by low grade chronic inflammation. Rare and novel mutations in genes which are vital in several key pathways have been reported to alter the energy expenditure which regulates body weight. The TP53 or p53 gene plays a prominent role in regulating various metabolic activities such as glycolysis, lipolysis, and glycogen synthesis. Recent genome-wide association studies reported that tumor suppressor gene p53 variants play a critical role in the predisposition of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Till date, no reports are available from the Arabian population; hence the present study was intended to assess the association between p53 variants with risk of obesity development in the Saudi population. We have selected three p53 polymorphisms, rs1642785 (C > G), and rs9894946 (A > G), and rs1042522 (Pro72Arg; C > G) and assessed their association with obesity risk in the Saudi population. Phenotypic and biochemical parameters were also evaluated to check their association with p53 genotypes and obesity. Genotyping was carried out on 136 obese and 122 normal samples. We observed that there is significantly increased prevalence p52 Pro72Arg (rs1042522) polymorphism in obese persons when compared to controls at GG genotype in overall comparison (OR: 2.169, 95% CI: 1.086-4.334, p = 0.02716). Male obese subjects showed three-fold higher risk at GG genotype (OR: 3.275, 95% CI: 1.230-8.716, p = 0.01560) and two-fold risk at G allele (OR: 1.827, 95% CI: 1.128-2.958, p = 0.01388) of p53 variant Pro72Arg respectively. This variant has also shown significant influence on cholesterol, LDL level, and random insulin levels in obese subjects (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, p53 Pro72Arg variant is highly prevalent among obese individuals and may act as a genetic modifier for obesity development among Saudis.     

Reproductive biology and morphology of Apis mellifera jemenitica (Apidae) queens and drones

The current study aimed to investigate the important reproductive biology and morphology of A.m. jemenitica queens and drones through measuring the weight of virgin and mated queens, size and weight of spermathecae, weight of ovaries, number of ovarioles, quantity and viability of semen in queen and drones. Accordingly, the average weights of 0.139 ± 0.01 g and 0.143 ± 0.013 g recorded for virgin and mated queens respectively. The sizes of spermathecae were 1.248 ± 0.103 mm and 1.25 ± 0.022 mm for virgin and mated queens respectively. The mean weight of ovaries was 0.013 ± 0.003 g and the numbers of ovarioles varied from 124 to 163 with the mean of 142.9 ± 9.47 and with no significant difference between virgin and mated queens. The average number of stored sperm per spermathecae of mated queen was estimated to be 4.202 ± 0.613 million with the viability of 80.39%. The average number of sperm per drone recorded was 8,763,950 ± 1,633,203.15 with viability of 79.54 ± 6.70%. In general, the current study revealed that the values recorded for reproductive biology and morphological characters of A. m. jemenitica queens and drones were relatively lower than values recorded for other Apis mellifera races. This mainly could be associated with the body size of the race which is known to be the smallest race among A. mellifera races. Moreover, the harsh environmental conditions of the regions, high temperature, low humidity and limited resources may have contributed for the smaller biological and morphological values. The information will serve as a base in future selection and breeding of program of the race.     

Influence of age on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Apodemus sylvaticus at Merja Zerga lagoon,Morocco

The influence of age and sex on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Apodemus sylvaticus was studied in Merja Zerga lagoon in northern Morocco. Five trace metal elements (Zn, Pb, Cr, Cu and Fe) were quantitatively analyzed by Varian AA 240 atomic absorption spectroscopy with graphite furnace in three organs (Liver, Kidney and Heart) from animals of different age and sex. The maximum metal level of the analyzed samples was recorded in adults and was limited to 46.62 μg/g for Pb and 35.1 μg/g for Cu, while it reached 22.69 μg/g, 7.59 μg/g and 6.78 μg/g for Cr, Zn and Fe, respectively. Highly significant differences were found for bioaccumulation of heavy metals according to animal ages and no significant differences were observed between the two sexes among the studied animals. Our results revealed also the existence of a strong correlation (r > 0.65) between the majority of biometric parameters and the trace element concentrations. In general, we found that age is a critical factor in estimating the level of heavy metal pollution. Other characteristics such as habitat, feeding habits and anti-predator behavior of the species need to be studied.     

Rediscovery and phylogenetic placement of Olpidiopsis gillii (de Wildeman) Friedmann,a holocarpic oomycete parasitoid of freshwater diatoms

The genus Olpidiopsis of the Oomycota includes several species that are aquatic parasites and hyperparasites. Despite their widespread occurrence and potential ecological importance, only a handful of these species has been subjected to phylogenetic investigations, so far. Most species have not been observed and reported for several decades. In the current study, the freshwater diatom parasite Olpidiopsis gillii (de Wild.) Friedmann was rediscovered from the river Main in Germany and investigated for its phylogenetic placement using nuclear small ribosomal subunit (SSU) sequences. The absence of a zoospore diplanetism is a characteristic of the genus Olpidiopsis, which is in contrast to the diplanetism observed in species of Ectrogella. The phylogenetic reconstruction revealed that Olpidiopsis gillii is a basal lineage within the oomycetes, grouping together with the recently-described marine diatom parasite Olpidiopsis drebesii with high support, and loosely associated with Olpidiopsis species parasitising red algae. However, as there are no sequence data available for the type species of both Olpidiopsis and Ectrogella the taxonomic assignment of these simple holocarpic parasites of algae and diatoms remains fraught with uncertainty.     

2-(Bipiperidin-1-yl)-5-(nitroaryl)-1,3,4-thiadiazoles: Synthesis,evaluation of in vitro leishmanicidal activity,and mechanism of action

The development of novel leishmanicidal agents that are capable of being replaced by the available therapeutic options has become a priority. In the present study, the synthesis and leishmanicidal activity of a series of 5-(nitroheteroaryl-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives are described. All compounds appeared to be potent anti-leishmanial agents against both promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania major (L. major). Amongst the synthesized compounds, 2-([1,4′-bipiperidin]-1′-yl)-5-(5-nitrofuran-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole (IIa) and 1-(5-(1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-4-(piperidine-1-yl) piperidine (IIc) are the most effective. Infection index was statistically declined in the presence of all compounds. The analysis of redox-related factors revealed that exposure of L. major cells to IIa and IIc led to an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, two compounds were able to increase ROS and NO levels in infected macrophages in a dose-independent manner. In addition, we showed that these compounds induced cell death in promastigotes. Altogether, our results indicated the anti-leishmanial potential of IIa and IIc is mediated by apoptosis through an imbalance in the redox system resulting in the elevation of ROS. This new class of compound seems to hold great promise for the development of new and useful anti-leishmanial agents.     

New fossils of ascomycetous anamorphic fungi from Baltic amber

Three new fossils of saprotrophic fungi are presented and described from Baltic amber, dated to Eocene epoch (Paleogene, upper to mid-Eocene). All belong to Ascomycota and are represented by hyphae as well as asexual reproduction structures allowing to assign them to present genera, respectively Periconia, Penicillium and Scopulariopsis. These material provide both the first and the oldest known fossil record of the mentioned taxa, making these data valuable for the knowledge about the evolutionary history of the Ascomycota.