Recent biosynthetic studies on beta-lactam antibiotics

Recent experimental observations on the cell-free formation of penicillins and cephalosporins in protoplast lysates from C. acremonium are described. Conversion of radiolabelled penicillin N into deacetoxycephalosporin C is described. A proposal is made about the general types of mechanism involved in these conversions.     

Recent studies on aspergillosis in turkey poults

A review of the studies on aspergillosis in turkey poults at the National Animal Disease Center include limited field studies, pathogenicity studies, and vaccine development. Natural ventilation in turkey rearing houses was effective in reducing airborne propagules of four major fungal genera, but the effectiveness of ventilation appeared to be limited by the width of the building. Aspergillus fumigatus was more effective than A. flavus in producing mortalities in aerosol exposed poults. Toxigenicity of A. flavus did not enhance its pathogenicity, and no apparent aflatoxin production occurred during pathogenesis in infected turkey poults. Spores of A. fumigatus were disseminated quite rapidly in poults exposed to aerosols, and alveolar macrophages from respiratory lavages taken immediately after exposure contained spores of A. fumigatus. Vaccines produced from germlings of A. fumigatus and administered to turkey poults were the most efficacious of five vaccines tested against challenge exposure to aerosols of A. fumigatus spores.     

热量限制与白藜芦醇抗衰老的研究进展

限制热量摄取(caloric restriction,CR) 能够延长寿命,这个75 年前的发现己得到广泛的证明.其作用主要是由去乙酰化酶 (Sir2/SIRT1)所介导.近年又发现,植物中的多酚化物--白藜芦醇,是SIRT1 的激活剂,它能够模拟 CR 的抗衰老作用,并能防治多种疾病.因此它有可能成为人类防病和抗衰老的有用工具.