Single Cell Analysis Linking Ribosomal (r)DNA and rRNA Copy Numbers to Cell Size and Growth Rate Provides Insights into Molecular Protistan Ecology

Ribosomal (r)RNA and rDNA have been golden molecular markers in microbial ecology. However, it remains poorly understood how ribotype copy number (CN)‐based characteristics are linked with diversity, abundance, and activity of protist populations and communities observed at organismal levels. Here, we applied a single‐cell approach to quantify ribotype CNs in two ciliate species reared at different temperatures. We found that in actively growing cells, the per‐cell rDNA and rRNA CNs scaled with cell volume (CV) to 0.44 and 0.58 powers, respectively. The modeled rDNA and rRNA concentrations thus appear to be much higher in smaller than in larger cells. The observed rRNA:rDNA ratio scaled with CV^0.14. The maximum growth rate could be well predicted by a combination of per‐cell ribotype CN and temperature. Our empirical data and modeling on single‐cell ribotype scaling are in agreement with both the metabolic theory of ecology and the growth rate hypothesis, providing a quantitative framework for linking cellular rDNA and rRNA CNs with body size, growth (activity), and biomass stoichiometry. This study also demonstrates that the expression rate of rRNA genes is constrained by cell size, and favors biomass rather than abundance‐based interpretation of quantitative ribotype data in population and community ecology of protists.     

Microbiological interactions with cold plasma

There is a diverse range of microbiological challenges facing the food, healthcare and clinical sectors. The increasing and pervasive resistance to broad‐spectrum antibiotics and health‐related concerns with many biocidal agents drives research for novel and complementary antimicrobial approaches. Biofilms display increased mechanical and antimicrobial stability and are the subject of extensive research. Cold plasmas (CP) have rapidly evolved as a technology for microbial decontamination, wound healing and cancer treatment, owing to the chemical and bio‐active radicals generated known collectively as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. This review outlines the basics of CP technology and discusses the interactions with a range of microbiological targets. Advances in mechanistic insights are presented and applications to food and clinical issues are discussed. The possibility of tailoring CP to control specific microbiological challenges is apparent. This review focuses on microbiological issues in relation to food‐ and healthcare‐associated human infections, the role of CP in their elimination and the current status of plasma mechanisms of action.     

Herbivore regulation of plant abundance in aquatic ecosystems

Herbivory is a fundamental process that controls primary producer abundance and regulates energy and nutrient flows to higher trophic levels. Despite the recent proliferation of small‐scale studies on herbivore effects on aquatic plants, there remains limited understanding of the factors that control consumer regulation of vascular plants in aquatic ecosystems. Our current knowledge of the regulation of primary producers has hindered efforts to understand the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems, and to manage such ecosystems effectively. We conducted a global meta‐analysis of the outcomes of plant–herbivore interactions using a data set comprised of 326 values from 163 studies, in order to test two mechanistic hypotheses: first, that greater negative changes in plant abundance would be associated with higher herbivore biomass densities; second, that the magnitude of changes in plant abundance would vary with herbivore taxonomic identity. We found evidence that plant abundance declined with increased herbivore density, with plants eliminated at high densities. Significant between‐taxa differences in impact were detected, with insects associated with smaller reductions in plant abundance than all other taxa. Similarly, birds caused smaller reductions in plant abundance than echinoderms, fish, or molluscs. Furthermore, larger reductions in plant abundance were detected for fish relative to crustaceans. We found a positive relationship between herbivore species richness and change in plant abundance, with the strongest reductions in plant abundance reported for low herbivore species richness, suggesting that greater herbivore diversity may protect against large reductions in plant abundance. Finally, we found that herbivore–plant nativeness was a key factor affecting the magnitude of herbivore impacts on plant abundance across a wide range of species assemblages. Assemblages comprised of invasive herbivores and native plant assemblages were associated with greater reductions in plant abundance compared with invasive herbivores and invasive plants, native herbivores and invasive plants, native herbivores and mixed‐nativeness plants, and native herbivores and native plants. By contrast, assemblages comprised of native herbivores and invasive plants were associated with lower reductions in plant abundance compared with both mixed‐nativeness herbivores and native plants, and native herbivores and native plants. However, the effects of herbivore–plant nativeness on changes in plant abundance were reduced at high herbivore densities. Our mean reductions in aquatic plant abundance are greater than those reported in the literature for terrestrial plants, but lower than aquatic algae. Our findings highlight the need for a substantial shift in how biologists incorporate plant–herbivore interactions into theories of aquatic ecosystem structure and functioning. Currently, the failure to incorporate top‐down effects continues to hinder our capacity to understand and manage the ecological dynamics of habitats that contain aquatic plants.     

神经生长因子治疗急性颅脑损伤的效果及对患者神经功能的影响

目的:研究神经生长因子在急性颅脑损伤中的治疗效果及对神经功能的影响。方法:选取2014年8月至2015年7月本院收治的82例急性颅脑损伤患者,随机分为观察组和对照组,每组41例。对照组采取常规对症治疗,观察组在对照组基础上采用神经生长因子治疗。观察并比较两组患者治疗前后血清S100β,白介素-6(IL-6),髓鞘碱性蛋白(MBP)及神经元特异性烯醇化酶(NSE)水平的变化情况以及临床疗效。结果:观察组总有效率高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。与治疗前比较,两组患者治疗后血清S100β及IL-6水平均降低,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);与对照组比较,观察组患者治疗后血清S100β及IL-6水平较低,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);与治疗前比较,两组患者治疗后血清MBP及NSE水平均降低,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);与对照组比较,观察组患者治疗后血清MBP及NSE水平较低,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:神经生长因子治疗急性颅脑损伤的效果显著,能够改善患者免疫功能和神经功能,值得临床推广应用。     

踝肱指数与糖尿病周围神经病变及中医证候积分的相关性

目的：探讨踝肱指数（ABI）与糖尿病周围神经病变及中医证候积分的相关性。方法：选取我院内分泌科收治辩证以气阴两虚 为证型的糖尿病患者66 例，根据踝肱指数实验将患者分为ABI降低组（0.9>ABI>0.5）和ABI 正常组(1.4>ABI>0.9)。记录患者神 经病变症状尼龙丝检查以及中医症候评分，分析ABI与糖尿病周围神经病变及中医证候积分的相关性。结果：ABI降低组的糖尿 病周围神经病变的患病率高于ABI正常组（P<0.05）。ABI 降低组发麻、针刺感症状的发生率高于ABI 正常组，且有统计学差异 （P<0.05）。ABI降低组10 g尼龙丝检查异常者多于ABI正常组，差异显著（P<0.05）。ABI降低组的感觉振动阈值高于ABI正常组 （P<0.05）。ABI数值与中医证候积分呈负向直线相关（P<0.05）。结论：糖尿病患者ABI数值与糖尿病周围神经病变和中医证候积 分具有相关性。     

康复运动对冠脉支架植入术后患者相关因素的影响

目的：研究心脏康复运动对冠脉支架植入术后患者血脂、血糖、体重指数及生活质量的影响。方法：对实施冠脉支架植入术的 146例患者进行比较分析，根据随机原则分为试验组76 例及对照组70 例。对照组患者给予常规的健康教育及冠心病二级预防指 导，给予定期随访。试验组患者在此基础上给予规律的康复运动指导。经过6 个月随访，比较两组患者血脂、HbA1C、体重指数及 生活质量情况。结果：试验组患者通过为期6 个月的规律的心脏康复运动指导，其血脂、HbA1C等冠心病危险因素控制情况优于 对照组，差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。同时，6个月后，试验组康复运动六月后sF 量表各项评分与对照组同期比较，差异均有统计 学意义(P<0.05)。结论：规范的心脏康复运动指导能够有效改善冠脉支架植入术后患者血脂、血糖情况，提高患者生活质量。     

TRPM离子通道与人类疾病

TRPM蛋白家族是一类表达于多种哺乳动物细胞中广泛存在的离子通道。近年来发现它们在维持某些特定生理功能中起关 键作用且与人类疾病密切相关。研究显示氧化应激可使TRPM离子通道功能异常导致疾病发生、发展。TRPM亚家族的三个成 员，TRPM2，TRPM4 和TRPM7 均受氧化应激的调控，其功能改变、增加或缺失与炎症及免疫系统的激活、神经退行性疾病和神经 系统疾病、心血管疾病、癌症及糖尿病，代谢紊乱和骨疾病等疾病紧密联系。本文就近年来氧化应激调控的TRPM离子通道与人 类疾病的关系做简要综述。此外，文章也将探讨它们作为药物设计靶点和工具的应用前景。