Asparaginase production by human clinical isolates of Vibrio succinogenes.

Three human isolates of Vibrio succinogenes produced asparaginase. Apparent Km's were 87,220, and 320 microM. The rate of glutamine hydrolysis was between 2.8 and 3.5% of the rate of asparagine hydrolysis. Asparaginase production was not induced by ammonium ions, and enzyme yields were lower than those obtained with the rumen strain.     

Fracture prevention in COPD patients; a clinical 5-step approach

Although osteoporosis and its related fractures are common in patients with COPD, patients at high risk of fracture are poorly identified, and consequently, undertreated. Since there are no fracture prevention guidelines available that focus on COPD patients, we developed a clinical approach to improve the identification and treatment of COPD patients at high risk of fracture. We organised a round-table discussion with 8 clinical experts in the field of COPD and fracture prevention in the Netherlands in December 2013. The clinical experts presented a review of the literature on COPD, osteoporosis and fracture prevention. Based on the Dutch fracture prevention guideline, they developed a 5-step clinical approach for fracture prevention in COPD. Thereby, they took into account both classical risk factors for fracture (low body mass index, older age, personal and family history of fracture, immobility, smoking, alcohol intake, use of glucocorticoids and increased fall risk) and COPD-specific risk factors for fracture (severe airflow obstruction, pulmonary exacerbations and oxygen therapy). Severe COPD (defined as postbronchodilator FEV₁ < 50% predicted) was added as COPD-specific risk factor to the list of classical risk factors for fracture. The 5-step clinical approach starts with case finding using clinical risk factors, followed by risk evaluation (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and imaging of the spine), differential diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. This systematic clinical approach, which is evidence-based and easy-to-use in daily practice by pulmonologists, should contribute to optimise fracture prevention in COPD patients at high risk of fracture.     

Detailed N-glycan analysis of mannose receptor purified from murine spleen indicates tissue specific sialylation

The mannose receptor (MR) is a heavily glycosylated endocytic receptor that recognises both mannosylated and sulphated ligands through its C-type lectin domains (CTLDs) and cysteine-rich (CR) domain, respectively. It is widely expressed among different tissues and by certain cell types in vivo. Our previous study suggested that the glycosylation, especially terminal sialylation, regulated the functional specificities of MR. In the current investigation, the distribution of MR among various mouse tissues was studied and the N-linked glycosylation of spleen MR was analysed. Our results showed that spleen expressed the most abundant MR, consistent with its wide distribution in different cell types in this organ. Spleen MR was heterogeneously N-glycosylated. The majority of the glycans were sialylated in the α2 → 6-linkage and both Neu5Ac and Neu5Gc sialic acids were detected. Most glycans were bi-antennary (74%) with ∼22% tri-antennary and most were core fucosylated (68%). About 13% contained α-galactose. In the lung, MR exhibited more terminal sialic acids in the α2 → 3- rather than in the α2 → 6-configuration. Our study provides a profile of MR N-linked glycosylation that will facilitate our understanding of their physiological role on MR biology in vivo.     

吐鲁番市胃食管反流病发生相关危险因素分析（附280例报道）

目的：探讨280例胃食管反流病（GERD）的分布特点及危险因素。方法：对临床诊断和胃镜确诊的280例GERD患者进行临床和风险因子相关性分析。结果：不论汉族还是维族,男性患者比例均明显高于女性;汉族患者高发年龄段早于维族患者（z=-2．939,P=0．003,）;汉族和维族患者占反流性食管炎和Barrett食管比例分别为42．4％、81_3％及56．5％、18．8％,其中汉族患者Barrett食管比例较高（X2=14．358,P=0．000）;肥胖、习惯性便秘、重体力活动者、饮食习惯不良在维族患者中的比例较高（P〈0．001）。结论：GERD与性别、年龄密切相关,男性多于女性,汉族患者发病年龄高峰旱于维族患者;汉族患者Barrett食管发生比例高于维族患者;肥胖、习惯性便秘、重体力活动、饮食习惯不良可能是GERD尤其是维族人群GERD的危险因素。     

Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Bacteria Treated with Toluene

Escherichia coli and Bacillus megaterium rendered permeable to ribonucleoside triphosphates by toluene treatment retain the capacity to synthesize discrete ribonucleic acid species.     

Exome sequencing and arrayCGH detection of gene sequence and copy number variation between ILS and ISS mouse strains

It has been well documented that genetic factors can influence predisposition to develop alcoholism. While the underlying genomic changes may be of several types, two of the most common and disease associated are copy number variations (CNVs) and sequence alterations of protein coding regions. The goal of this study was to identify CNVs and single-nucleotide polymorphisms that occur in gene coding regions that may play a role in influencing the risk of an individual developing alcoholism. Toward this end, two mouse strains were used that have been selectively bred based on their differential sensitivity to alcohol: the Inbred long sleep (ILS) and Inbred short sleep (ISS) mouse strains. Differences in initial response to alcohol have been linked to risk for alcoholism, and the ILS/ISS strains are used to investigate the genetics of initial sensitivity to alcohol. Array comparative genomic hybridization (arrayCGH) and exome sequencing were conducted to identify CNVs and gene coding sequence differences, respectively, between ILS and ISS mice. Mouse arrayCGH was performed using catalog Agilent 1 × 244 k mouse arrays. Subsequently, exome sequencing was carried out using an Illumina HiSeq 2000 instrument. ArrayCGH detected 74 CNVs that were strain-specific (38 ILS/36 ISS), including several ISS-specific deletions that contained genes implicated in brain function and neurotransmitter release. Among several interesting coding variations detected by exome sequencing was the gain of a premature stop codon in the alpha-amylase 2B (AMY2B) gene specifically in the ILS strain. In total, exome sequencing detected 2,597 and 1,768 strain-specific exonic gene variants in the ILS and ISS mice, respectively. This study represents the most comprehensive and detailed genomic comparison of ILS and ISS mouse strains to date. The two complementary genome-wide approaches identified strain-specific CNVs and gene coding sequence variations that should provide strong candidates to contribute to the alcohol-related phenotypic differences associated with these strains.