Introduction of the Plant Front Cover:Gymnocarpos przewalskii

Gymnocarpos przewalskii Bunge ex Maxim.belongs to Gymnocarpus of Caryophyllaceae,a rare and endangered ancient Mediterranean relict plant,alias‘achene caryophyllum’,Perennial deciduous subshrub,50-100 cm tall.Leaves linear,5-20 long and 1-1.5 mm wide,sessile,acute apex,contracted base,fleshy,waxy layer on surface,glabrous,no obvious veins.Stipules membranous,scaly.     

Quantitative assessment of acute kidney injury by noninvasive arterial spin labeling perfusion MRI:a pilot study

The kidneys are essential for maintaining homeostasis,are responsible for the reabsorption of water,glucose and amino acids,and filter the blood by removing waste.Acute kidney injury(AKI) is a syndrome characterized by the rapid loss of renal excretory function and the accumulation of end metabolic products of urea and creatinine.AKI is associated with the later development of chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease,and may eventually be fatal.Early diagnosis of AKI and assessments of the effects of treatment,however,are challenging.The pathophysiological mechanism of AKI is thought to be the imbalance between oxygen supply and demand in the kidneys.We have assessed the ability of arterial spin labeling(ASL) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),without the administration of contrast media,to quantify renal blood flow(RBF) non-invasively.We found that RBF was significantly lower in AKI patients than in healthy volunteers.These results suggest that ASL perfusion MRI,a noninvasive measurement of RBF,may be useful in the early diagnosis of AKI.     

石斑角形虫(黏体门, 角形虫科)的分子证据及其在不同宿主中的遗传变异

研究从中国东海的青石斑鱼 Epinephelus awoara Temminck & Schlegel 1842和褐带石斑鱼E. bruneus Bloch 1793的胆囊中检获了石斑角形虫 Ceratomyxa epinephela Wu, Wu et hua, 1993, 首次提供了其SSU rDNA和ITS1 rDNA序列, 并基于形态学和分子数据进行了重新描述。石斑角形虫成熟孢子的孢子长(4.8±0.5) μm (3.6—5.6 μm), 孢子厚(31.8±4.8) μm (23.3—37.5 μm); 孢子壳瓣光滑且等大, 由垂直的缝线连接; 极囊长(2.9±0.2) μm (2.4—3.7 μm), 极囊宽(2.6±0.2) μm (2.2—3.1 μm); 孢子夹角处稍微凹陷, 延伸至两端逐渐变平坦, 夹角为 (175.9±3.7)° (165.5°—179.7°)。基于SSU rDNA序列构建的系统发育树显示石斑角形虫与诺兰角形虫C. nolani Gunter & Adlard 2009, 卡特莫尔角形虫C. cutmorei Gunter & Adlard 2009和横山角形虫C. yokoyamai Gunter & Adlard 2009 有很近的亲缘关系, 且其宿主均为石斑鱼属物种。结果表明, 类群关系较近的宿主其寄生的同属黏孢子虫可能具有更近的系统发育关系。基于SSU rDNA和ITS1 rDNA的遗传分析显示, 石斑角形虫的4个分离株已发生了明显的遗传分化(形成了4个基因型), 形成了不同的种群, 但在不同宿主种类间并未形成特有的分化。     

Metabolic alteration in tumorigenesis

Altered metabolism in cancer was first discovered by Otto Warburg early last century.Although the Warburg Effect has been widely used in tumor detection,relatively little progress had been made in mechanistic understanding of cancer metabolism in the subsequent eight decades.Genetic studies have recently identified mutations in human cancer targeting multiple enzymes involved in intermediate metabolism.One emerging mechanism common to these mutant enzymes is the accumulation of a metabolite that alters the epigenetic control.