Brief Psychotherapy: Current Status

In the past decade, stimulated by public concern with issues of mental health, there has been a new spurt of interest in techniques of brief treatment with circumscribed goals. These are applicable to groups as well as to the single patient. There are still differences of opinion about the effectiveness of brief psychotherapy, particularly the lastingness and depth of the results obtained, yet it is often highly beneficial, especially to previously well-functioning individuals who are involved in a situational crisis. Although probably the best results of brief psychotherapy are with disturbances of moderate severity and recent onset, in practice, it is often tried with a wide spectrum of patients. Brief psychotherapy aims at relief of the patient''s major current conflicts rather than at change of his personality structure, which generally requires long-term treatment. Brief psychotherapy is of special relevance for the general physician because the patients whom he sees in large numbers are precisely those best suited for this form of treatment.     

Tinea Capitis: Current Status

Tinea capitis remains a common childhood infection in many parts of the world. Yet knowledge of the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms and the development of effective immunity have shown striking advances, and new methods of diagnosis ranging from dermoscopy to molecular laboratory tests have been developed even though they have not been assimilated into routine practice in many centres. Treatment is effective although it needs to be given for at least 1 month. What is missing, however, is a systematic approach to control through case ascertainment and therapy.     

The Eukaryotic Ribosome: Current Status and Challenges

Despite having been identified first, their greater degree of complexity has resulted in our understanding of eukaryotic ribosomes lagging behind that of their bacterial and archaeal counterparts. A much more complicated biogenesis program results in ribosomes that are structurally, biochemically, and functionally more complex. However, recent advances in molecular genetics and structural biology are helping to reveal the intricacies of the eukaryotic ribosome and to address many longstanding questions regarding its many roles in the regulation of gene expression.Since its initial discovery using differential ultracentrifugation of rat liver homogenates (reviewed in Ref. 1), the ribosome has remained a foundational platform upon which our understanding of the relationship between structure and function at the molecular level has been built. There is a rich history of biochemistry and genetics of eukaryotic ribosomes, including the discovery in the 1950s that they 32 are the site of protein synthesis, the elucidation of the function of the nucleolus, and even the discovery of the first eukaryotic RNA polymerase (reviewed in Ref. 2). Whereas early studies using mammalian ribosomes defined the “integral requirements” for protein synthesis, a switch to bacterial ribosomes in the 1960s facilitated the identification of the “minimal requirements” for the translational machinery, giving rise to a “golden age” of translation. In particular, the greater degree of structural and functional complexity makes eukaryotic ribosomes more challenging to work with than their bacterial and archaeal counterparts. For example, whereas bacterial translation initiation requires only a small set of trans-acting factors and is facilitated by the Shine-Dalgarno sequence, this process in eukaryotes requires a multifactorial complex of trans-acting factors that is almost as massive as the ribosome itself (reviewed in Ref. 3). Here, some of the current topics and challenges in the study of the eukaryotic ribosome are reviewed.     

Male Germ Unit and Sperm Heteromorphism: The Current Status

In angiosperms, two sperms have been recognized as cells linked together by themselves and closely associated with the vegetative nucleus in pollen grain or in pollen tube ;o form so called the “male germ unit (MGU)”In addition to MGU, recent studies have shown the existence in several plants that the two sperm cells in pair may be very different in size, shape, organelle content, and sperm heteromorphism. The concept of the MGU and sperm heteromorphism has appeared in more than 40 reports and has triggered new research concerning the angiosperm fertilization process, In this review, a survey and analysis of the MGU and sperm heteromorphism in literature of last decade are presented and the new experimental approaches are suggested.     

溶藻类细菌的研究现状

随着全球水体富营养化的加剧,有害藻类水华和赤潮的爆发日趋频繁,所造成的环境和经济问题日益引起人们的重视.溶藻细菌作为水生生态系统生物种群结构和功能的重要组成部分,对维持藻的生物量平衡具有非常重要的作用.目前在物理、化学和其它生物方法治理水华和赤潮都不够理想的情况下,利用溶藻细菌治理水华,可保持水环境生态平衡,从而达到防止水华的目的.而且随着溶藻细菌的生物学活性不断被发现,以茵治藻将作为水华和赤潮生物防治的一个新对策,具有广泛的研究前景.本文通过查阅近年来国内外有关水生生态系统中溶藻细菌研究的最新研究成果并对溶藻细菌防治有害藻类的种类、分离方法、作用方式及可能的作用机理、作用效应、研究前景和存在问题做一阐述,以期对于细菌溶藻方面的研究及开发应用具有一定的参考价值.     

The Current Status of the Free-Living Heterotrophic Flagellates

ABSTRACT. The "flagellates" as a taxon has become obsolete and should be dispensed with. It is obsolete because it is not phylo-genetically coherent. Adopting an ultrastructural perspective, it is argued that the flagellates exemplify an extreme case of paraphyly. Meaningful discussion of the evolution or ecology of flagellates can only emerge after we identify the monophyletic constituents of the flagellates. There are over 40 known types of heterotrophic flagellates and these should form the basis of a new understanding of flagellate diversity.     

GABA Pharmacology: The Search for Analgesics

Decades of research have been devoted to defining the role of GABAergic transmission in nociceptive processing. Much of this work was performed using rigid, orthosteric GABA analogs created by Povl Krogsgaard-Larsen and his associates. A relationship between GABA and pain is suggested by the anatomical distribution of GABA receptors and the ability of some GABA agonists to alter nociceptive responsiveness. Outlined in this report are data supporting this proposition, with particular emphasis on the anatomical localization and function of GABA-containing neurons and the molecular and pharmacological properties of GABA_A and GABA_B receptor subtypes. Reference is made to changes in overall GABAergic tone, GABA receptor expression and activity as a function of the duration and intensity of a painful stimulus or exposure to GABAergic agents. Evidence is presented that the plasticity of this receptor system may be responsible for the variability in the antinociceptive effectiveness of compounds that influence GABA transmission. These findings demonstrate that at least some types of persistent pain are associated with a regionally selective decline in GABAergic tone, highlighting the need for agents that enhance GABA activity in the affected regions without compromising GABA function over the long-term. As subtype selective positive allosteric modulators may accomplish these goals, such compounds might represent a new class of analgesic drugs.     

转基因农作物育种发展与思考

综述了国内外转基因作物育种及产业化发展现状,指出转基因技术发展已势不可挡,加快推进有利于抢占市场先机和技术制高点,延误时间只会坐失良机而付出更大代价。当前应以主要用作饲料、安全性确有保障的转基因植酸酶玉米和抗虫玉米为重点,尽快突破转基因认识误区和产业发展困境。为此提出了调整和修订不适应发展需要的管理规则和程序、制定转基因玉米产业化推进规划、加强转基因科普宣传和舆论引导等三项建议。     

Behavioral Correlates of Primates Conservation Status: Intrinsic Vulnerability to Anthropogenic Threats

Behavioral traits are likely to influence species vulnerability to anthropogenic threats and in consequence, their risk of extinction. Several studies have addressed this question and have highlighted a correlation between reproductive strategies and different viability proxies, such as introduction success and local extinction risk. Yet, very few studies have investigated the effective impact of social behaviour, and evidence regarding global extinction risk remains scant. Here we examined the effects of three main behavioral factors: the group size, the social and reproductive system, and the strength of sexual selection on global extinction risk. Using Primates as biological model, we performed comparative analysis on 93 species. The conservation status as described by the IUCN Red List was considered as a proxy for extinction risk. In addition, we added previously identified intrinsic factors of vulnerability to extinction, and a measure of the strength of the human impact for each species, described by the human footprint. Our analysis highlighted a significant effect of two of the three studied behavioral traits, group size and social and reproductive system. Extinction risk is negatively correlated with mean group size, which may be due to an Allee effect resulting from the difficulties for solitary and monogamous species to find a partner at low densities. Our results also indicate that species with a flexible mating system are less vulnerable. Taking into account these behavioral variables is thus of high importance when establishing conservation plans, particularly when assessing species relative vulnerability.     

对虾转基因研究的现状和展望

随着生物技术的发展,通过基因工程手段获得对虾新品种成为可能,然而经过十几年努力,目前对虾转基因研究依然处于初级阶段。各国科学家正在加紧研究,争取有所突破。综述了近年来国内外对虾转基因研究的进展以及目前面临的技术和安全问题,同时对未来对虾的转基因技术发展和应用前景进行了讨论 。