An evaluation of semi‐automated methods for collecting ecosystem‐level data in temperate marine systems

Historically, marine ecologists have lacked efficient tools that are capable of capturing detailed species distribution data over large areas. Emerging technologies such as high‐resolution imaging and associated machine‐learning image‐scoring software are providing new tools to map species over large areas in the ocean. Here, we combine a novel diver propulsion vehicle (DPV) imaging system with free‐to‐use machine‐learning software to semi‐automatically generate dense and widespread abundance records of a habitat‐forming algae over ~5,000 m² of temperate reef. We employ replicable spatial techniques to test the effectiveness of traditional diver‐based sampling, and better understand the distribution and spatial arrangement of one key algal species. We found that the effectiveness of a traditional survey depended on the level of spatial structuring, and generally 10–20 transects (50 × 1 m) were required to obtain reliable results. This represents 2–20 times greater replication than have been collected in previous studies. Furthermore, we demonstrate the usefulness of fine‐resolution distribution modeling for understanding patterns in canopy algae cover at multiple spatial scales, and discuss applications to other marine habitats. Our analyses demonstrate that semi‐automated methods of data gathering and processing provide more accurate results than traditional methods for describing habitat structure at seascape scales, and therefore represent vastly improved techniques for understanding and managing marine seascapes.     

无功能垂体瘤的术后评估

垂体瘤是常见的颅内良性肿瘤,患病率高,预后较好。在我国,其发病率仅次于胶质瘤和脑膜瘤。无功能垂体瘤约占垂体瘤22.5%,手术是其首选的治疗方式,以解除肿瘤的占位效应,减少对正常垂体组织的压迫。然而手术本身可能引起垂体功能减退,术后应对患者垂体功能的监测并予以处理。同时,由于手术及患者个体身体、心理原因,患者术后的生活质量也越来越受到重视。本文综述了无功能垂体瘤患者术后各内分泌轴功能的临床检测方法,以帮助临床医生对术后患者的垂体功能进行评估并重建;同时对术后患者生活质量的评估加以讨论,帮助指导患者恢复生理及心理健康。     

消水散联合利尿剂治疗癌性腹水的疗效及对患者免疫功能的影响

目的:探讨自拟消水散联合利尿剂治疗癌性腹水的临床疗效。方法:选取恶性肿瘤伴癌性腹水患者84例,按随机数字表法分组,分别为42例,对照组予以常规利尿剂治疗,研究组予以自拟消水散联合利尿剂治疗。观察并比较两组患者治疗前后血清TNF-α,IL-2,IL-4,IL-6,CD3~+,CD4~+及CD4~+/CD8~+含量的变化情况以及临床疗效。结果:与治疗前对比,两组治疗后血清TNF-α,IL-2,IL-4及IL-6均降低,CD3~+,CD4~+及CD4~+/CD8~+均升高,CD8~+均降低,CEA,CA125,CA153及CA199均降低(P0.05);与对照组对比,研究组治疗后血清TNF-α,IL-2,IL-4,IL-6较低,CD3~+,CD4~+及CD4~+/CD8~+较高,CD8~+较低,CEA,CA125,CA153及CA199较低(P0.05);研究组治疗有效率高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:消水散联合利尿剂治疗癌性腹水的疗效确切,能显著降低炎症指标及肿瘤标志物,提高机体免疫功能。     

不同麻醉方法对食管癌手术患者免疫及认知功能的影响

目的:探讨全麻或全麻复合硬膜外麻醉对食管癌手术患者的T细胞水平及术后认知功能的影响。方法:选择2014年1月至2015年12月于我院择期行开胸手术的食管癌患者100例为研究对象,根据手术时间顺序分为观察组(全麻复合硬膜外麻醉)和对照组(全麻),每组50例,观察记录两组患者诱导前、插管时、术中1 h、拔管后的平均动脉压(MAP)、血氧饱和度(Sp O2)和心率(HR);两组患者术前30 min、术后2 h、术后2 d和术后7 d的T细胞亚群水平,包括CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+;两组患者术前1 d,术后6 h,术后1 d,术后3 d的认知功能;术后认知功能障碍(POCD)发生率。结果:诱导前观察组和对照组患者的MAP、Sp O2和HR比较,差异均不显著(P0.05),插管时、术中1h和拔管后观察组患者的MAP和HR水平均明显低于对照组(P0.05),而Sp O2明显高于对照组(P0.05)。术后2 h,观察组和对照组的CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+值均较术前30 min明显降低(P0.05),但两组间各指标值无显著性差异(P0.05);术后2 d,观察组的CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+值均明显高于对照组(P0.05)。术后7 d,两组的T细胞亚群水平均较术前30 min无显著性差异(P0.05)。术后6 h和术后1 d,两组的MMSE评分均较术前1 d明显下降(P0.05),观察组术后1 d、3 d和7 d的MMSE评分均明显高于对照组(P0.05)。术后6 h,观察组的POCD发生率明显低于对照组(P0.05),术后1 d和3 d观察组的POCD发生率低于对照组,但无统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:与单凭全麻比较,全麻复合硬膜外麻醉对食管癌手术患者的T细胞水平及术后认知功能的影响较小,术后恢复快。     

Establishing the role of detoxifying enzymes in field‐evolved resistance to various insecticides in the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) in South India

The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), is one of the major pests of rice throughout Asia. Extensive use of insecticides for suppressing N. lugens has resulted in the development of insecticide resistance leading to frequent control failures in the field. The aim of the present study was to evaluate resistance in the field populations of N. lugens from major rice growing states of South India to various insecticides. We also determined the activity of detoxifying enzymes (esterases [ESTs], glutathione S‐transferases [GSTs], and mixed‐function oxidases [MFOs]). Moderate levels of resistance were detected in the field populations to acephate, thiamethoxam and buprofezin (resistance factors 1.05–20.92 fold, 4.52–14.99 fold, and 1.00–18.09 fold, respectively) as compared with susceptible strain while there were low levels of resistance to imidacloprid (resistance factor 1.23–6.70 fold) and complete sensitivity to etofenoprox (resistance factor 1.05–1.66 fold). EST activities in the field populations were 1.06 to 3.09 times higher than the susceptible strain while for GST and MFO the ratios varied from 1.29 to 3.41 and 1.03 to 1.76, respectively. The EST activity was found to be correlated to acephate resistance (r = 0.999, P ≥ 0.001). The high selection pressure of organophosphate, neonicotinoid, and insect growth regulator (IGR) in the field is likely to be contributing for resistance in BPH to multiple insecticides, leading to control failures. The results obtained will be beneficial to IPM recommendations for the use of effective insecticides against BPH.     

Analysis of conformational motions and related key residue interactions responsible for a specific function of proteins with elastic network model

Protein collective motions play a critical role in many biochemical processes. How to predict the functional motions and the related key residue interactions in proteins is important for our understanding in the mechanism of the biochemical processes. Normal mode analysis (NMA) of the elastic network model (ENM) is one of the effective approaches to investigate the structure-encoded motions in proteins. However, the motion modes revealed by the conventional NMA approach do not necessarily correspond to a specific function of protein. In the present work, a new analysis method was proposed to identify the motion modes responsible for a specific function of proteins and then predict the key residue interactions involved in the functional motions by using a perturbation approach. In our method, an internal coordinate that accounts for the specific function was introduced, and the Cartesian coordinate space was transformed into the internal/Cartesian space by using linear approximation, where the introduced internal coordinate serves as one of the axes of the coordinate space. NMA of ENM in this internal/Cartesian space was performed and the function-relevant motion modes were identified according to their contributions to the specific function of proteins. Then the key residue interactions important for the functional motions of the protein were predicted as the interactions whose perturbation largely influences the fluctuation along the internal coordinate. Using our proposed methods, the maltose transporter (MalFGK₂) from E. Coli was studied. The functional motions and the key residue interactions that are related to the channel-gating function of this protein were successfully identified.     

Genetic variation at pig plasma protein locus PLP1 and its assignment to chromosome 5

A new genetic polymorphism of an unidentified plasma protein (PLP1) in pigs was described by using a method of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and protein staining. Two codominant alleles, with frequencies of 0.83 and 0.17, were found in the Swedish Yorkshire breed. The PLP1 marker was typed in a three-generation pedigree and tested for linkage against a set of 128 markers. The PLP1 locus showed significant LOD score values with three different microsatellite markers (S0092, DAGK and S005), previously assigned to chromosome 5.     

Spatial distributional patterns of macroinvertebrates along rivers within and among biomes

This study was designed to test the biome dependency hypothesis, which predicts that similar assemblages of macroinvertebrates occur along rivers both within and among drainage basins if the basins occupy the same biome. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected from three drainage basins within each of three biomes in Canada, the eastern deciduous forests (EDF) of southwestern Ontario, the grasslands of south-central Alberta, and the montane coniferous forests (MCF) of southeastern British Columbia. A total of 225 benthic samples (3 biomes × 3 rivers/biome × 5 sites/river × 5 samples/site) was collected in spring using a cylinder sampler.The significant interaction effect between biome and a site's location along a river indicated that spatial patterns of variation in total density and taxonomic composition were not spatially consistent among sites along rivers or among biomes. Total macroinvertebrate densities were equivalent between the EDF and grassland sites. However, total density was substantially lower at the MCF sites than at sites in the other two biomes. The greatest differences in taxonomic composition occurred among biomes, although significant differences also occurred for all other sources of variation examined. Macroinvertebrate composition was more strongly associated with local, site-specific factors (riparian vegetation and land use) than with longitudinal gradients. Distinct site-specific taxonomic assemblages were evident in EDF, but not in the other two biomes where land use was more homogeneous.     

Effect of streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin on rabbit macrophage functions in vitro: mediation by splenic lymphocytes

Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE) showed no direct effect on rabbit macrophage functions in vitro. However, when splenic lymphocytes were added to macrophage cultures, SPE caused marked augmentation of glucose consumption and superoxide anion production, and concomitant inhibition of phagocytosis without loss of cell viability. The SPE effects were demonstrated to be mediated by a soluble factor(s) released from the splenic lymphocytes in response to SPE stimulus.     

A biomechanical study of the relationship between running velocity and three-dimensional lumbosacral kinetics

Faster running is not performed with proportional increase in all joint torque/work exertions. Although previous studies have investigated lumbopelvic kinetics for a single velocity, it is unclear whether each lumbopelvic torque should increase for faster running. We examined the relationship between running velocity and lumbopelvic kinetics. We calculated the three-dimensional lumbosacral kinetics of 10 male sprinters during steady-state running on a temporary indoor running track at five target velocities: 3.0 (3.20 ± 0.16), 4.5 (4.38 ± 0.18), 6.0 (5.69 ± 0.47), 7.5 (7.30 ± 0.41), and maximal sprinting (9.27 ± 0.36 m/s). The lumbosacral axial rotation torque increased more markedly (from 0.37 ± 0.06 to 1.99 ± 0.46 Nm/kg) than the extension and lateral flexion torques. The increase in the axial rotation torque was larger above 7.30 m/s. Conversely, the extension and lateral flexion torques plateaued when running velocity increased above 7.30 m/s. Similar results were observed for mechanical work. The results indicate that faster running required larger lumbosacral axial rotation torque. Conversely, the extension and lateral flexion torques were relatively invariant to running velocity above 7 m/s, implying that faster running below 7 m/s might increase the biomechanical loads causing excessive pelvic posterior tilt and excessive pelvic drop which has the potential to cause pain/injury related to lumbopelvic extensors and lateral flexors, whereas these biomechanical loads might not relate with running velocity above 7 m/s.