Isolation of Rare Tumor Cells from Blood Cells with Buoyant Immuno-Microbubbles

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are exfoliated at various stages of cancer, and could provide invaluable information for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. There is an urgent need for the development of cost-efficient and scalable technologies for rare CTC enrichment from blood. Here we report a novel method for isolation of rare tumor cells from excess of blood cells using gas-filled buoyant immuno-microbubbles (MBs). MBs were prepared by emulsification of perfluorocarbon gas in phospholipids and decorated with anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) antibody. EpCAM-targeted MBs efficiently (85%) and rapidly (within 15 minutes) bound to various epithelial tumor cells suspended in cell medium. EpCAM-targeted MBs efficiently (88%) isolated frequent tumor cells that were spiked at 100,000 cells/ml into plasma-depleted blood. Anti-EpCAM MBs efficiently (>77%) isolated rare mouse breast 4T1, human prostate PC-3 and pancreatic cancer BxPC-3 cells spiked into 1, 3 and 7 ml (respectively) of plasma-depleted blood. Using EpCAM targeted MBs CTCs from metastatic cancer patients were isolated, suggesting that this technique could be developed into a valuable clinical tool for isolation, enumeration and analysis of rare cells.     

诱导神经再生治疗阿尔茨海默病的机制研究进展

阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer's disease,AD)是一种以进行性认知障碍和记忆减退为主要特征的中枢神经退行性疾病,已经成为老年医学中最棘手的、亟待解决的问题之一. AD的病理机制仍不清楚,尚无特效治疗药物.目前,探索AD神经再生逐渐成为研究的热点领域,通过诱导神经再生可以有效地改善AD的症状.研究表明,运用药物、物理刺激或干细胞移植方法,可以提高大脑成体神经再生,是延缓AD的病理症状和认知障碍的有效治疗策略.本文综述诱导神经再生的方法及其治疗AD的作用机制,为神经再生治疗实施提供理论依据.     

Computational and Experimental Study of Performance of an Artificial Ligament: DacronTM yarn

Abstract

The success rate of reconstructing the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) with prosthetic ligaments is currently low both in humans and animals. The stress distribution in prosthetic ligaments that causes failure is very complex and not yet understood. Therefore, we have begun to develop a Finite Element Model of a prosthetic ACL. Here we describe the normal and contact stresses in Dacron^TM yarn (a multi-fibrillar structure) using input data based on experimental measurements of the load and strain of six designed yarns.

The results show that the normal and contact stresses in the fibres of the ACL yarn are directly proportional to the yam strains. Increasing the twisting length (transverse deformation) of the yarn increases the normal stress in the fibres and the yarn modulus, but decreases the contact stresses between the fibres. The structural properties of a yarn are dependent on the specific arrangement of various filament types. Increasing the distance between the longitudinal (symmetry) axes of the filaments and the axis of symmetry of the yarn decreases the stresses.     

反毒为药：精准控制河鲀毒素用作局部麻醉药的新进展

钠离子通道阻断剂河鲀毒素(TTX)是致命的毒素之一,却是极具价值的神经生物学和生理学等生命科学研究领域的工具药.近年来,越来越多的研究指出,TTX具有强大的局部麻醉潜能,有望成为替代氨基酯类和氨基酰胺类局部麻醉药、避免阿片类药物滥用的新型麻醉药物.本文综述TTX局部麻醉应用的辅助药物、TTX缓释及控释给药系统等相关研究,旨在为局部麻醉新药研发提供参考并探讨新的思路.     

Functional design and prey capture dynamics in an ecologically generalized surfperch (Embiotocidae)

Kinematic and electromyographic analyses of prey capture in two species of surfperch (Embiotocidae) reveal differing abilities to modulate strike activity in response to different prey types. Both the black perch, Embiotoca jacksoni, and the shiner perch, Cymatogaster aggregata, demonstrate stereotyped and conserved neuromuscular and kinematic activity in suction feeding. A distinguishing anatomical trait in this family, the interopercular shelf, enhances the coupling of hyoid movement with mandibular depression. Analyses of variance suggest a preprogrammed motor output that is ballistically launched for suction generation, with the possibility of more plasticity in latter phases of the strike. While the trophically limited shiner perch displays a stereotyped repertoire of this one strike pattern, very small prey, larger conglomerates of these, and large distinct prey elicit three modulated patterns in the black perch. Functional characteristics that enable the ecologically generalized black perch to exploit a variety of prey types include energy–conserving modulatory ability, behavioural flexibility in utilizing a conserved suction–generating programme, and the addition of specialized winnowing and spitting activity.     

烟粉虱生物型研究进展

烟粉虱B em isia tabaci(G ennad ius)是一种取食植物汁液的重要农业害虫,同时也是许多植物病毒最重要的传播介体之一。烟粉虱被认为是由许多具有明显遗传分化的不同种群即生物型组成的复合种,其中B型烟粉虱是一种入侵性最强的生物型,几乎在世界各地均有分布。由于不同生物型的烟粉虱在寄主范围、传毒能力、地理分布、抗药性等许多生物学方面存在差异,因此对烟粉虱生物型的鉴定及其遗传分化研究对于该害虫的可持续控制具有重要的指导意义。烟粉虱生物型的鉴定方法包括生物学鉴定、酶谱鉴定以及分子标记鉴定的方法,其中使用的分子标记包括RAPD、AFLP、rDNA-ITS1、m tDNA CO I以及SSR等标记。目前,不同生物型的烟粉虱尤其B型烟粉虱的分类地位仍然存在争议。介绍了不同生物型烟粉虱的生物学差异、鉴定方法及其遗传分化研究的最新进展,同时探讨了不同生物型烟粉虱的分类地位和研究方向。     

苹果树蒸腾规律及其与冠层微气象要素的关系

采用由热扩散植物液流技术测算得到的、周期为2 0 0 3年1～12月、时间步长10 min的苹果树蒸腾数据,结合同步观测得到果树冠层微气象要素值,分析太行山低山丘陵区10年生苹果树蒸腾耗水规律及其与微气象要素关系,旨在为该地区苹果生产提供必要的水分生态理论依据,并力图进一步完善苹果树蒸腾耗水理论。结果表明:(1)苹果树蒸腾(Tr)具有明显时间变化特征。Tr在晴天-多云日的主要和非主要生长季节日变化都表现为单峰曲线趋势。在阴天日,主要生长季节表现为多峰曲线趋势,非主要生长季节单峰除10月和3月份表现为双峰曲线趋势外,其余各月均为单峰曲线趋势。Tr日际变化或季节变化特征是3～4月份逐渐升高、5～6月份达到高峰值、7月份逐渐降低、10月末及11月初Tr迅速降低。全年Tr值为6 0 0 .9mm ,其中,主要生长期间(4～9月份)、非主要生长期间(1～3月份、10～12月份) TR值分别为5 0 2 .6、98.3mm ,分别占全年的83.6 %、16 .4 %。(2 )主要生长期内,Tr与冠层净辐射(Rn) ,空气温度(Ta)、湿度(RH) ,风速(V)等气象要素有很好的复相关性,统计回归方程为Tr =0 .2 74 0 .0 4 2 V 0 .0 0 6 7Ta - 0 .0 14 RH (n=2 6 35 2 ,Tr为单株蒸腾量,Tr、V、Ta、Rn的单位分别为L/ h、m/ s、℃、w/ m2 ,RH为无量纲值,以%表示) ,R2 =0 .     

利用大肠杆菌高效表达人载脂蛋白AI及其性质分析

载脂蛋白AI(apolipoproteinAI,apoAI)是高密度脂蛋白HDL的主要组成成分 ,流行病学研究表明apoAI的含量决定血浆中HDL的高低 ,而HDL具有胆固醇逆向转运的功能 ,起到降低冠心病发生概率的作用。通过大肠杆菌表达系统来生产apoAI的蛋白原proapoAI,蛋白的表达形式为包涵体 ,通过疏水柱进行柱上复性。同时在proapoAI和apoAI之间设计一个酸水解位点 ,通过将蛋白原proapoAI进行酸水解来得到成熟蛋白apoAI。最终得到的成熟蛋白apoAI在结构分析和脂结合特性上都与天然的apoAI相似 ,从而为该蛋白的工业生产上提供了一个良好的基础。