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1.
We have analyzed a total of 12 different global and local multiple
protein-sequence alignment methods. The purpose of this study is to
evaluate each method's ability to correctly identify the ordered series of
motifs found among all members of a given protein family. Four
phylogenetically distributed sets of sequences from the hemoglobin, kinase,
aspartic acid protease, and ribonuclease H protein families were used to
test the methods. The performance of all 12 methods was affected by (1) the
number of sequences in the test sets, (2) the degree of similarity among
the sequences, and (3) the number of indels required to produce a multiple
alignment. Global methods generally performed better than local methods in
the detection of motif patterns.
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The African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini is a charismatic, southern African near-endemic, wader species, that is often seen as a flagship species for coastal bird conservation, as it was recently down-listed regionally to Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. To celebrate this rare conservation success story, BirdLife South Africa named it the 2018 Bird of the Year and ran a year-long programme in collaboration with the Nature’s Valley Trust highlighting aspects of the species’ biology, current threats, and conservation success. We used data collected by the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1 and SABAP2) to examine changes in the species’ range and relative abundance, both in the records between the two projects, as well as trends within the SABAP2 sampling period (2008–2017). This case study enabled us to assess whether such metrics can accurately reflect abundance and distributional changes in a species. We found increases in the reported range and the reporting rates between the two Atlas projects, and that the SABAP2 reporting rate was stable. Regionally, across four coastal categories, the reporting rate was lowest in KwaZulu-Natal, though this region also showed an increase in the probability of reporting during the SABAP2 period. While corroborating the recent change in the species’ conservation status, we also provide good evidence that the long-term SABAP data can be used successfully to assess population trends and range changes over time. 相似文献
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Surface proteins from Plasmodium falciparum are important malaria vaccine targets. However, the surface proteins previously identified are highly variant and difficult to study. We used tandem mass spectrometry to characterize the variant antigens (Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1)) expressed on the surface of malaria-infected erythrocytes that bind to chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) in the placenta. Whereas PfEMP1 variants previously implicated as CSA ligands were detected, in unselected parasites four novel variants were detected in CSA-binding or placental parasites but not in unselected parasites. These novel PfEMP1 variants require further study to confirm whether they play a role in placental malaria. 相似文献
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Nosten F Rogerson SJ Beeson JG McGready R Mutabingwa TK Brabin B 《Trends in parasitology》2004,20(9):425-432
The increased susceptibility of pregnant women to malaria infection has long been recognized, but the magnitude of the disease burden in this particular group, together with the pathophysiology of maternal malaria and the specific difficulties in treatment, have only recently been the focus of research. Most research on maternal malaria has derived from sub-Saharan Africa where transmission is high, whereas most of the studies on the treatment of malaria and the effect of non-falciparum species has been conducted in low-transmission areas of Asia. In this paper, we attempt to improve our understanding of the disease and its mechanisms from observed differences and similarities between contrasting areas of transmission, and to identify priorities for future research. 相似文献
6.
Edwin Ochong Alexis Nzila Serah Kimani Gilbert Kokwaro Theonest Mutabingwa William Watkins Kevin Marsh 《Malaria journal》2003,2(1):1-3
Background
Procalcitonin (PCT) is closely correlated with parasite burden and clinical outcome in falciparum malaria. The role of PCT in tertian malaria has not previously been investigated.Patients and methods
PCT serum levels in 37 patients with tertian malaria were analysed. Clinical and laboratory parameters were assessed and statistically correlated both to the initial PCT levels and during the course of the disease.Results
PCT levels rose for one day after commencing treatment and declined thereafter. However, there was no significant correlation with parasite burden, clinical parameters, laboratory values, or the presence of semi-immunity. Before treatment, the majority of patients showed normal or slightly elevated PCT levels (< 2.5 ng/ml), but PCT was markedly elevated (4.8 – 47 ng/ml) in one third of the population. The two groups did not differ by any other of the assessed parameters. Thus, while the post-treatment course of PCT resembles falciparum malaria, the lack of correlation between disease severity and even high PCT levels in a large proportion of patients is intriguing.Conclusions
There is a fundamental difference in the relationship of PCT with tertian malaria not seen in other infectious diseases in which elevated PCT levels have been observed. This suggests distinct pathophysiological pathways in malaria. 相似文献7.
Out of Africa and back again: nested cladistic analysis of human Y chromosome variation 总被引:18,自引:3,他引:15
Hammer MF; Karafet T; Rasanayagam A; Wood ET; Altheide TK; Jenkins T; Griffiths RC; Templeton AR; Zegura SL 《Molecular biology and evolution》1998,15(4):427-441
We surveyed nine diallelic polymorphic sites on the Y chromosomes of 1,544
individuals from Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the New World.
Phylogenetic analyses of these nine sites resulted in a tree for 10
distinct Y haplotypes with a coalescence time of approximately 150,000
years. The 10 haplotypes were unevenly distributed among human populations:
5 were restricted to a particular continent, 2 were shared between Africa
and Europe, 1 was present only in the Old World, and 2 were found in all
geographic regions surveyed. The ancestral haplotype was limited to African
populations. Random permutation procedures revealed statistically
significant patterns of geographical structuring of this paternal genetic
variation. The results of a nested cladistic analysis indicated that these
geographical associations arose through a combination of processes,
including restricted, recurrent gene flow (isolation by distance) and range
expansions. We inferred that one of the oldest events in the nested
cladistic analysis was a range expansion out of Africa which resulted in
the complete replacement of Y chromosomes throughout the Old World, a
finding consistent with many versions of the Out of Africa Replacement
Model. A second and more recent range expansion brought Asian Y chromosomes
back to Africa without replacing the indigenous African male gene pool.
Thus, the previously observed high levels of Y chromosomal genetic
diversity in Africa may be due in part to bidirectional population
movements. Finally, a comparison of our results with those from nested
cladistic analyses of human mtDNA and beta-globin data revealed different
patterns of inferences for males and females concerning the relative roles
of population history (range expansions) and population structure
(recurrent gene flow), thereby adding a new sex-specific component to
models of human evolution.
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8.
Little is known about the effect of exercise training on the expression of adiponectin receptor genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In this study, we investigated the effects of aerobic training on the expression of AdipoR1 and AidpoR2 mRNAs in PBMCs, whole body insulin sensitivity, and circulating adiponectins in men. Thirty young men were randomly assigned to either a control (n=15) or an exercise (n=15) group. Subjects assigned to the exercise group underwent a 12-week jogging and/or running programme on a motor-driven treadmill at an intensity of 60%-75% of the age-based maximum heart rate with duration of 40 minutes per session and a frequency of 5 days per week. Two-way mixed ANOVA with repeated measures was used to test any significant time-by-group interaction effects for the measured variables at p=0.05. We found significant time-by-group interaction effects for waist circumference (p=0.001), VO2max (p<0.001), fasting insulin (p=0.016), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (p=0.010), area under the curve (AUC) for insulin response during the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (p=0.002), high-molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin (p=0.016), and the PBMC mRNA levels of AdipoR1 (p<0.001) and AdipoR2 (p=0.001). The exercise group had significantly increased mRNA levels of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 in PBMCs, along with increased whole body insulin sensitivity and HMW adiponectin, decreased waist circumference, and increased VO2max compared with the control group. In summary, the current findings suggest that exercise training modulates the expression of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 mRNAs in PBMCs, implying that manipulation of the expression of these genes could be a potential surrogate for lifestyle intervention-mediated improvements of whole body insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. 相似文献
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