Plasma selenium levels in healthy blood bank donors in the central-eastern part of Belgium

Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, with Zeeman background correction and after improved matrix modification, was used to measure the plasma selenium content of healthy blood bank donors in the central part of Belgium.

The mean plasma selenium concentration of 80 men and 80 women was 79.7±4.4 ng/mL with a range of 55.0–117.4 ng/mL.

There was no gender difference observed. Plasma selenium level was significantly highest for the adult group, aged 45–64 years, compared to the others, except the young adults (18–24 years).

The mean plasma selenium concentration measured corresponded well with literature data for Belgium. The obtained values were found to be in the medium range, compared with recent literature values for the European countries.     

Left Ventricular Dysfunction and CXCR3 Ligands in Hypertension: From Animal Experiments to a Population-Based Pilot Study

Detecting left ventricular (LV) dysfunction at an early stage is key in addressing the heart failure epidemic. In proteome profiling experiments in mice subjected either to aortic banding or sham, the circulating CXCR3 ligands monokine induced by interferon-γ (MIG) and interferon-γ inducible protein 10 (IP10) were 5 to 40 fold up-regulated at eight weeks. We assessed the diagnostic value of circulating NT-pro BNP and CXCR3 ligands (MIG, IP10, Interferon-inducible T-cell alpha chemo-attractant [I–TAC]) in patients with hypertension (≥140/90 mm Hg) associated with subclinical (n = 19) or symptomatic (n = 16) diastolic LV dysfunction on echocardiography and healthy controls. NT–pro BNP, MIG, IP10, I–TAC all increased (p ≤ 0.014) across the categories of worsening left ventricular dysfunction. In patients with symptomatic disease, MIG, IP10, and I–TAC increased 210% (p = 0.015), 140% (p = 0.007) and 120% (p = 0.035) more than NT-pro BNP. The optimal discrimination limits, obtained by maximizing Youden’s index were 246 pmol/L, 65 pg/mL, 93 pg/mL, and 24 pg/mL, respectively. The odds ratios associated with the four biomarkers were significant (p ≤ 0.010), ranging from 4.00 for IP10 to 9.69 for MIG. With adjustment for NT–pro BNP, the CXCR3 ligands retained significance (p ≤ 0.028). Adding optimized thresholds for the CXCR3 ligands to NT–pro BNP enhanced (p ≤ 0.014) the integrated discrimination improvement and the net reclassification improvement. In conclusion, congruent with the concept that inflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of LV dysfunction, MIG, IP10 and I–TAC add diagnostic accuracy over and beyond NT–pro BNP.     

紫晶香蘑栽培生物学研究

紫晶香蘑栽培生物学研究卢成英，李鹄鸣，钟以举（湖南省吉首大学生态研究所４１６０００）ＢｉｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌＲｅｓｅａｒｃｈｏｎＬｅｐｉｓｔａｓｏｒｄｉｄａＣｕｌｔｉｖａｔｉｏｎ．￥Ｌｕｃｈｅｎｇｙｉｎｇ；ＬｉＨｕｍｉｎｇ；ＺｈｏｎｇＹｉｊｕ（Ｉｎ－ｓｔ...     

Haem acquisition is facilitated by a novel receptor Hma and required by uropathogenic Escherichia coli for kidney infection

Iron acquisition, mediated by specific outer membrane receptors, is critical for colonization of the urinary tract by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). The role of specific iron sources in vivo , however, remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified a 79 kDa haem receptor, h ae m a cquisition protein Hma, and established that it functions independently of ChuA to mediate haemin uptake by UPEC strain CFT073. We demonstrated that expression of hma promotes TonB-dependent haemin utilization and the Hma protein binds haemin with high affinity ( K _d = 8 μM). Hma, however, lacks conserved His residues shown to mediate haem uptake by other bacterial receptors. In contrast, we identified Tyr-126 as a residue necessary for Hma-mediated haemin utilization. In a murine co-infection model of UTI, an isogenic hma mutant was out-competed by wild-type CFT073 in the kidneys ( P  < 0.001) and spleens ( P  <  0.0001) of infected mice, indicating its expression provided a competitive advantage in these organs. Furthermore, a hma chuA double mutant, which is unable to utilize haemin, was unable to colonize the kidneys to wild-type levels during independent infection ( P  = 0.02). Thus, we demonstrate that UPEC requires haem for kidney colonization and that uptake of this iron source is mediated, in part, by the novel receptor, Hma.     

Emergence of Cryptosporidium hominis Monkey Genotype II and Novel Subtype Family Ik in the Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus) in China

A single Cryptosporidium isolate from a squirrel monkey with no clinical symptoms was obtained from a zoo in Ya’an city, China, and was genotyped by PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA), 70-kDa heat shock protein (HSP70), Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein, and actin genes. This multilocus genetic characterization determined that the isolate was Cryptosporidium hominis, but carried 2, 10, and 6 nucleotide differences in the SSU rRNA, HSP70, and actin loci, respectively, which is comparable to the variations at these loci between C. hominis and the previously reported monkey genotype (2, 3, and 3 nucleotide differences). Phylogenetic studies, based on neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood methods, showed that the isolate identified in the current study had a distinctly discordant taxonomic status, distinct from known C. hominis and also from the monkey genotype, with respect to the three loci. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the SSU rRNA gene obtained from this study were similar to those of known C. hominis but clearly differentiated from the monkey genotype. Further subtyping was performed by sequence analysis of the gene encoding the 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60). Maximum homology of only 88.3% to C. hominis subtype IdA10G4 was observed for the current isolate, and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that this particular isolate belonged to a novel C. hominis subtype family, IkA7G4. This study is the first to report C. hominis infection in the squirrel monkey and, based on the observed genetic characteristics, confirms a new C. hominis genotype, monkey genotype II. Thus, these results provide novel insights into genotypic variation in C. hominis.     

Changes in the Prevalence of Rheumatic Diseases in Shantou,China, in the Past Three Decades: A COPCORD Study

This study aimed to clarify changes in the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Shantou, China, in the past 3 decades and validate whether stair-climbing is a risk factor for knee pain and knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The World Health Organization-International League Against Rheumatism Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) protocol was implemented. In all, 2337 adults living in buildings without elevators and 1719 adults living in buildings with elevators were surveyed. The prevalence of rheumatic pain at any site and in the knee was 15.7% and 10.2%, respectively; both types of pain had a significantly higher incidence in residents of buildings without elevators than was reported by people who lived in buildings with elevators (14.9% vs. 10.6% and 11.32% vs. 8.82%, respectively) (both P < 0.0001). The prevalence of rheumatic pain in the neck, lumbar spine, shoulder, elbow, and foot was 5.6%, 4.5%, 3.1%, 1.4%, and 1.8%, respectively; these findings were similar to the data from the 1987 rural survey, but were somewhat lower than data reported in the urban and suburban surveys of the 1990s, with the exception of neck and lumbar pain. The prevalence of KOA, gout, and fibromyalgia was 7.10%, 1.08%, and 0.07%, respectively, and their prevalence increased significantly compared with those in previous studies from the 20^th century. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (0.35%) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (0.31%) compared to that reported in prior surveys. The prevalence of KOA was higher in for residents of buildings without elevators than that in those who had access to elevators (16–64 years, 5.89% vs. 3.95%, P = 0.004; 16->85 years, 7.64% vs. 6.26%, P = 0.162). The prevalence of RA and AS remained stable, whereas that of KOA, gout, and fibromyalgia has increased significantly in Shantou, China, during the past 3 decades. Stair-climbing might be an important risk factor for knee pain and KOA.     

Multiple xylanases of Cellulomona fimi are encoded by distinct genes

Cellulomonas fimi genomic DNA encoding xylanase activity has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. As judged by DNA hybridization and restriction analysis, twelve xylanase-positive clones carried a minimum of four different xylanase (xyn) genes. The encoded enzymes were devoid of cellulase activity but three of the four bound to Avicel.     

Distribution of entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) in natural habitats in California, USA

A total of 270 soil samples from 30 different habitats in 10 geographic regions of California were evaluated for the presence of rhabditid entomopathogenic nematodes. Nematodes were isolated from 26.3% of the samples. The recovered isolates were identified as Steinernema carpocapsae, S. feltiae, S. kraussei, S. longicaudum, S. oregonense, Heterorhabditis marelatus and H.bacteriophora. Among the steinernematids, S. kraussei and S. feltiae were the most commonly encountered species, generally occurring in acidic soils high in organic matter. Among the heterorhabditids, H. bacteriophora was isolated along the southern coast, whereas H. marelatus was recovered along the northern coast of California. Steinernematids were recovered from coniferous forests, oak woodlands and grasslands whereas heterorhabditids were isolated from coastal marshes.