Modified Uterine Allotransplantation and Immunosuppression Procedure in the Sheep Model

Objective

To develop an orthotopic, allogeneic, uterine transplantation technique and an effective immunosuppressive protocol in the sheep model.

Methods

In this pilot study, 10 sexually mature ewes were subjected to laparotomy and total abdominal hysterectomy with oophorectomy to procure uterus allografts. The cold ischemic time was 60 min. End-to-end vascular anastomosis was performed using continuous, non-interlocking sutures. Complete tissue reperfusion was achieved in all animals within 30 s after the vascular re-anastomosis, without any evidence of arterial or venous thrombosis. The immunosuppressive protocol consisted of tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and methylprednisolone tablets. Graft viability was assessed by transrectal ultrasonography and second-look laparotomy at 2 and 4 weeks, respectively.

Results

Viable uterine tissue and vascular patency were observed on transrectal ultrasonography and second-look laparotomy. Histological analysis of the graft tissue (performed in one ewe) revealed normal tissue architecture with a very subtle inflammatory reaction but no edema or stasis.

Conclusion

We have developed a modified procedure that allowed us to successfully perform orthotopic, allogeneic, uterine transplantation in sheep, whose uterine and vascular anatomy (apart from the bicornuate uterus) is similar to the human anatomy, making the ovine model excellent for human uterine transplant research.     

Overexpression of the mango MiCO gene delayed flowering time in transgenic Arabidopsis

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - CONSTANS (CO)/CONSTANS-like (COL) genes play an important role in the photoperiodic flowering pathway. However, the functional roles of the CO/COL...     

Clinical significance of serum transforming growth factor-β1 in lung cancer

Background: Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) plays a critical role in human cancer development. Present study aimed to explore the clinical significance of serum TGF-β1 levels in patients with lung cancer and analyze the relationship between TGF-β1 and existing tumor markers for lung cancer. Methods: Serum was collected from 118 patients with lung cancer and 40 healthy volunteers. Serum TGF-β1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the association with various clinical characteristics was analyzed. The diagnostic value of TGF-β1 was assessed alone and in combination with existing tumor markers for lung cancer. Results: Serum TGF-β1 levels were significantly higher in patients with lung cancer compared to healthy volunteers [0.6 × 10⁵ (0.4 × 10⁵, 0.9 × 10⁵) pg/ml vs 0.5 × 10⁵ (0.3 × 10⁵, 0.7 × 10⁵) pg/ml, P = 0.040]. Although there was a positive correlation between serum TGF-β1 levels and advanced stages, the significant difference was not found between early stages and advanced stages (P = 0.116). The ability of serum TGF-β1 to discriminate lung cancer at a cutoff value of 79,168 pg/ml exhibited sensitivity of 30.6% and specificity of 97.5%. Serum TGF-β1 levels were correlated to cytokeratin fragment 21-1 (CYFRA21-1; R = 0.308, P = 0.020) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE; R = 0.558, P = 0.003). The diagnostic accuracy rates for the existing lung-tumor markers, as SCC, CYFRA21-1, and NSE, were increased from 20.0%, 34.6%, and 45.9% to 48.9%, 51.7%, and 54.5%, respectively by the inclusion of serum TGF-β1 levels. Conclusion: Quantification of serum TGF-β1 levels by ELISA may provide a novel complementary tool for the clinical diagnosis of lung cancer.     

红花尔基不同龄级天然樟子松外生菌根真菌群落结构特征

红花尔基被誉为樟子松Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica的故乡,樟子松是我国北方主要的造林树种之一,也是典型的菌根依赖型树种。研究樟子松根围外生菌根真菌（ectomycorrhizal fungi,ECMF）群落结构特征对红花尔基沙地樟子松生态系统的保护具有重要意义。本研究以红花尔基天然樟子松根围土壤为研究对象,采用Illumina MiSeq测序技术研究了4个龄级（<10、11-20、21-30和31-40年,分别称作Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ和Ⅳ龄级）天然樟子松根围土壤ECMF群落结构特征。结果表明：（1）测序共获得87 516条ECMF序列,划分为177个OTUs（operational taxonomic units,OTU）,隶属于2个门,4个纲,12个目,26个科,43个属。（2）Ⅳ龄级中Ace丰富度指数和Shannon-Wiener多样性指数均显著高于Ⅰ龄级（P<0.05）。（3）不同龄级根围ECMF优势属占比不同,Ⅰ龄级中占比最大的为Inocybe（42.55%）;Ⅱ和Ⅲ龄级中占比最大的均为Tricholoma,分别为31.64%和27.69%;Ⅳ龄级中占比最大的为Cortinarius（28.80%）。（4）冗余分析表明,土壤pH值对ECMF的影响程度最大,其次为速效钾和碱解氮;同时,不同理化因子对群落中优势属的影响也存在差异。     

Development of automated online gel permeation chromatography-gas chromatograph mass spectrometry for measuring multiresidual pesticides in agricultural products

An automated online gel permeation chromatography-gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GPC-GC/MS) was developed for the rapid determination of residual pesticides in agricultural products. Pesticides were extracted from homogenized food samples with acetonitrile and decontaminated via the matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) technique, using a primary secondary amine as sorbent prior to GPC-GC/MS analysis. A slightly modified preparation method and automated GPC step proved useful in minimizing matrix interference. To evaluate the performance of the system, 97 target pesticides were spiked at a concentration of 0.1mg/kg into a range of food types, including potato, cabbage, carrot, apple, orange, cucumber, and rice. A low flow rate of 0.1 mL/min in GPC resulted in a 40-fold reduction in solvent consumption compared with conventional GPC column applications. The combination of MSPD technique and GPC-GC/MS for the analysis of the 97 pesticides can be accomplished within 90 min. Most pesticides were recovered in the range of 70-120%, with relative standard deviation generally less than 10%. The results demonstrate that the method can be successfully applied with acceptable recoveries to a broad range of target pesticides within a diverse range of food types.     

益坤宁对围绝经期大鼠卵巢细胞凋亡率及caspase-3表达的影响

目的:研究中药益坤宁(yikunning,YKN)对围绝经期大鼠卵巢细胞凋亡率及凋亡相关基因caspase-3基因表达的影响,探讨益坤宁治疗围绝经期综合征的作用机理。方法:选用30只自然衰老的围绝经期雌性大鼠,随机分为中药益坤宁实验组、围绝经期对照组和利维爱(livial)对照组,另选10只青年雌性大鼠作为青年对照组。连续灌胃处理4周后,采用原位脱氧核糖核苷酸末端转移酶介导的缺口末端标记(TUNEL)法检测大鼠卵巢细胞凋亡率,采用逆转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)和蛋白印迹(Western blot)检测大鼠卵巢中caspase-3 mRNA和蛋白表达。结果:益坤宁组大鼠卵巢细胞凋亡率显著低于围绝经期对照组(P0.01);益坤宁组大鼠卵巢中caspase-3 mRNA和蛋白表达低于围绝经期对照组,高于青年对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.01)。结论:中药益坤宁通过降低围绝经期大鼠卵巢细胞凋亡率,下调卵巢中凋亡相关基因caspase-3的表达,从而延缓卵巢衰老,这可能是其治疗围绝经期综合征的分子机制之一。     

The expression of a novel estrogen receptor, GPR30, in epithelial ovarian carcinoma and its correlation with MMP-9

The aim of the present study is to investigate the expression of a novel estrogen receptor, G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) and its correlation with matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Ovary tissues were obtained from 39 female patients, including 30 cases of EOC and 9 cases of benign ovarian tumor. Four normal ovary tissues were used as control. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expressions of GPR30 and MMP-9. Chi square test, Fisher's exact test and Spearman's rank correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. The results showed that GPR30 overexpression rate in EOC cases was significantly higher than those in benign ovarian tumor and normal ovary cases. Whereas MMP-9 overexpression rate in EOC cases was significantly higher than that in normal ovary cases, without any difference to that in benign ovarian tumor cases. To demonstrate the relationship between GPR30 and clinicopathological variables of EOC, we further analyzed the pathology type, FIGO stage and age of patients sampled in our study. The analysis showed there were significant differences of GPR30 overexpression rate among various pathology types and different FIGO stages (P<0.05), and no significant difference of both GPR30 and MMP-9 among three age groups (P>0.05). Moreover, GPR30 expression was positively correlated with MMP-9 (r(s)=1.000, P=0.002). These results suggest that GPR30 may be involved in the invasion and metastasis of EOC, being a potential index of EOC early diagnosis and malignancy grade prediction.     

独叶草的不育雄蕊、花被片和可育雄蕊对传粉昆虫和传粉的影响

为确定独叶草（Kingdonia uniflora）不育雄蕊、花被片和可育雄蕊对传粉昆虫和传粉的影响,分别进行去除不育雄蕊（A组）,去除花被片（B组）,去除可育雄蕊（C组）和对照组（D组）处理。结果表明：昆虫访花频率分别为A组0．4次／h、B组0次／h、C组0．9次／h、D组2．2次／h;被授粉花朵百分比分别为A组29．09％、B组40．38％、C组70.91％、D组91．67％;被授粉心皮百分比分别为A组17．77％、B组20．94％、C组为40．58％、D组为75．27％。与对照组相比,处理后被授粉花朵百分比、被授粉心皮百分比下降幅度均为A组〉B组〉C组。结合昆虫访花频率与不育雄蕊蜜汁的分泌量呈正比,可确定不育雄蕊产生的蜜汁是吸引昆虫访花的最主要因素。花被片为昆虫取食提供停歇的平台,可育雄蕊与花被片产生的色差及可育雄蕊提供的花粉,是吸引昆虫的辅助因素。     

植物丙酮酸磷酸双激酶（PPDK）研究进展

丙酮酸磷酸双激酶（PPDK）是C4植物和景天科酸代谢（CAM）植物光合作用的关键酶,催化形成固定CO2的初始分子受体磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸（PEP）。本文重点比较了植物的ppDK基因结构及分子进化关系,综述了PPDK在C4植物和C3植物中的功能、PPDK的调控机理、PPDK在胁迫条件下的功能以及转PPDK基因等在近年来的研究进展。     

鹅圆环病毒感染性克隆的构建及其转染试验

设计带BamHⅠ酶切标记位点的引物,PCR扩增鹅圆环病毒(Goose circovirus,GoCV)全长基因组,将2个基因组顺式连接插入到pGEM-T Easy载体中,获得GoCV全长基因组头尾串联二聚体感染性克隆质粒pGEMT-2GoCV。EcoRⅠ酶切线性化pGEMT-2GoCV,与脂质体混合转染GoCV阴性鹅胚和雏鹅,常规PCR检测发现GoCV在转染鹅体内增殖,鹅胚转染组于孵出第2周和第4周检出血清阳性,且其中一个个体于4周龄扑杀时检出法氏囊阳性,雏鹅转染组于转染后2周检出血清阳性。试验进一步对扩增片段进行了BamHⅠ标记位点的检测,并应用GoCV实时荧光定量PCR方法对转染阳性样品进行了定量,结果显示阳性法氏囊组织中病毒含量为1.57×106拷贝/mg,阳性血清含病毒拷贝数在3.52×104～5.92×105拷贝/μL。综上,本试验构建的GoCV全长基因组头尾串联二聚体感染性克隆DNA可以转染鹅胚和雏鹅并增殖出带标记的GoCV克隆。