Further analysis of familial transmission of congenital glaucoma.

A re-analysis of familial transmission of congenital glaucoma is performed here using the unified model and considering, respectively, joint and conditional likelihoods. Whereas the familial aggregation of this malformation is consistent with the segregation of a recessive major gene and a high proportion of sporadic cases using conditional likelihood, this is rejected using joint likelihood. The difference in the results obtained using each of these two strategies is discussed.     

双壳贝类线粒体基因组结构的比较

利用比较基因组学和生物信息学方法, 比较分析了已登录到GenBank中的14种海产双壳贝类和2种淡水双壳贝类的线粒体基因组的结构特征。结果发现, 双壳贝类线粒体的基因组结构、基因排列顺序均互不相同; 不同目、科和属之间线粒体基因组的大小、基因排列方式以及基因种类也存在明显的差异, 尤其是基因排列方式没有明显的规律。对16种双壳贝类的线粒体基因组全序列、编码基因序列进行系统分析, 分别得到了不同的聚类结果, 即用基因组全序列聚类时, 16种贝类的聚类结果与传统的形态学分类地位基本相同; 而将16种贝类的所有蛋白质编码基因和2个rRNA基因按照一致顺序排列起来进行聚类时, 所得的系统分类情况与这些贝类传统的形态学分类地位相差较大。     

Identification of instars of Hypera postica using chaetotaxy

A new method using chaetotaxy for identification of instars of Hypera postica (Gyllenhal) is presented and compared with earlier methods. I recommend a combined method using separation of small (first and second instars) and large (third and fourth instars) followed by identification of particular instars by using chaetotaxy.     

Photocontrolled nanoparticles for on-demand release of proteins

We describe here light-regulated swelling and degradation features of polymeric nanoparticles that are produced using an inverse microemulsion polymerization method. We demonstrate the phototriggered release characteristics of the nanoparticles by sequestering protein molecules and releasing them using light as a trigger. Furthermore, the intracellular translocation of the nanoparticles, along with its fluorescent protein payload, was achieved using a cell-penetrating peptide-based surface modification. We expect that the noncovalent encapsulation of proteins using nanoparticles and their photo triggered release using an external light would provide opportunities for achieving intracellular release of molecular therapeutics for on-demand requirements.     

Comparison between agarose gel electrophoresis and capillary electrophoresis for variable numbers of tandem repeat typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Variable numbers of tandem repeat (VNTR) typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was performed on 54 strains including 23 strains derived from 9 outbreaks. PCR amplicon sizes of 12 mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit tandem repeat loci were measured using both agarose gel electrophoresis and capillary electrophoresis. Similarities using agarose gel electrophoresis of Euclidian distances among the 23 strains derived from the 9 outbreaks were significantly lower than that using capillary electrophoresis (Wilcoxon signed ranks test, P < 0.01). By clustering analysis using unweighted pair group method using arithmetic averages, all of the 23 strains derived from the 9 outbreaks were each clustered with more than 90% similarities based on the distance using capillary electrophoresis. In contrast, differential clusters with more than 90% similarity were observed with only 7 strains derived from 3 outbreaks when analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. These results indicated that measurement of PCR amplicon size of tandem repeat loci should be carried out using capillary electrophoresis and that agarose gel electrophoresis is not suitable for clustering analysis of M. tuberculosis VNTR typing.     

The use of image analysis for spore counts of white-rot fungi

Summary An improved method has been developed for the determination of fungal spore counts using a haemocytometer. The method uses a personal computer with a frame grabber card and commercial imaging software. Semi-automation using an iterative programming technique was implemented to count the spores produced byPhanerochaete chrysosporium. Rapid and reliable counts were achieved using image processing.     

Analysis of Novel Nonviral Gene Transfer Systems for Gene Delivery to Cells of the Musculoskeletal System

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of novel nonviral gene delivery systems in cells of musculoskeletal origin. Primary cultures of lapine skeletal muscle cells, lapine articular chondrocytes, human cells from fibrous dysplasia and cell lines established from human osteosarcoma (SAOS-2), chondrosarcoma (CS-1), murine skeletal myoblasts (L8) and fibroblasts (NIH 3T3) were transfected with the P. pyralis luc or the E. coli lacZ genes using Nanofectin 1 and 2, Superfect, JetPEI, GeneJammer, Effectene, TransPass D2, FuGENE 6, Lipofectamine 2000, Dreamfect, Metafectene, Escort III, and calcium phosphate. Maximal transfection efficiency in lapine skeletal muscle cells was of 60.8 ± 21.2% using Dreamfect, 38.9 ± 5.0% in articular chondrocytes using Gene Jammer, 5.2 ± 8.0% in human cells from fibrous dysplasia using Lipofectamine 2000, 12.7 ± 16.2% in SAOS-2 cells using FuGENE 6, 29.9 ± 3.5% in CS-1 cells using Lipofectamine 2000, 70.7 ± 8.6% in L8 cells using FuGENE 6, and 48.9 ± 13.0% in NIH 3T3 cells using Metafectene. When the cells were transfected with a human IGF-I gene, significant amounts of the IGF-I protein were secreted. These results indicate that relatively high levels of transfection can be achieved using novel nonviral gene transfer methods.     

两株不同地域的家蚕微孢子虫分离株的细胞侵染力 比较及遗传多样性分析

家蚕微孢子虫(Nosema bombycis)是蚕业生产上一种毁灭性病害—— 微粒子病的病原体。文章将安徽和重庆两地域来源的病原性家蚕微孢子虫分离株进行草地贪夜蛾Sf9细胞感染性检测, 结果显示二者对细胞的侵染能力存在显著差异。为进一步探讨不同家蚕微孢子虫分离株的种群多态性, 进行了孢子虫核糖体DNA序列的测定和系统聚类比较, 结果表明SSU rDNA(Small subunit ribosomal DNA)和ITS(Internal transcribed spacer)在不同地域的种群差异性并不显著。通过检索重庆株全基因组数据及其他地域株rDNA序列, 显示在家蚕微孢子虫rDNA元件的部分SSU rDNA结构复制子中存在MITE-like转座元件的插入, 表明家蚕微孢子虫rDNA结构的多样性。     

一种安全有效的卵母细胞封闭式玻璃化冷冻载体

目的探讨封闭式玻璃化冷冻载体冻存小鼠卵母细胞的可行性。方法以小鼠MII期卵母细胞为模型,以开放式玻璃微细管法（GMP）为对照组,比较两种玻璃化冷冻载体对小鼠卵母细胞冷冻后的存活率、受精率、卵裂率及囊胚率的影响。结果卵母细胞经冻融后,封闭式冷冻载体组和GMP组的存活率、受精率、卵裂率和囊胚率均没有明显差异（92.80%vs93.11%,49.80%vs51.67%,36.73%vs35.83%,12.65%vs14.17%%;P〉0.05）。结论封闭式冷冻载体能安全、有效的冷冻保存小鼠卵母细胞。     

Mutagenicity of methyl bromide in a series of short-term tests

Methyl bromide is commonly used as a soil fumigant in greenhouses. In the framework of a toxicological evaluation, it was tested for possible genotoxic properties in two bacterial test systems (the fluctuation test using Klebsiella pneumoniae and the plate test using Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and TA98), two systems using mammalian cells in vitro (forward mutations at the TK and HPRT loci in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells and unscheduled DNA synthesis in primary rat-liver cells) and in the sex-linked recessive lethal test using Drosophila melanogaster. Methyl bromide was active in all tests except the DNA-repair assay. The results indicate a relatively low mutagenic efficiency of the compound, as expected from its alkylating properties.     

肌动蛋白是扁绒泡菌Physarum compressum原质团细胞核核骨架成分

本研究以2mol/L NaCl或3, 5-二碘水杨酸锂（Lis）抽提扁绒泡菌Physarum compressum原质团细胞核,对残余蛋白进行电泳及肌动蛋白免疫印迹分析。结果表明单独用Lis抽提细胞核不能有效去除组蛋白,用2mol/L NaCl则可有效去除组蛋白,免疫印迹实验表明核骨架中存在着可以有效对抗2mol/L NaCl的肌动蛋白。     

Validation of respirometry as a short-term method to assess the efficacy of biocides

This study shows that a short-term respirometric measurement based on the rate of oxygen uptake needed to oxidize glucose is a reliable and fast method to assess biocide efficacy against P. fluorescens cells. Respiratory activity using oxygen consumption rate, the determination of viable and nonviable cells using Live/Dead BacLight kit and colony formation units (CFU), were compared as indicators of the biocidal efficacy of ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA). The results showed that determining the effect of OPA against P. fluorescens using the different methods leads to different conclusions. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was 80 mgl(-1), 100 mgl(-1) and 65 mgl(-1) respectively, using respiratory activity, viability using BacLight counts and culturability. The plate count method was shown to underestimate the biocidal action of OPA, whilst data from respirometry and viability using Live/Dead BacLight kit correlated strongly and were not statistically different when yellow cells were considered nonviable. Respirometry therefore represents an expeditious, non-destructive and accurate method to determine the antimicrobial action of biocides against aerobic heterotrophic bacteria.     

经鼻蝶入路显微侵袭切除垂体腺瘤的临床疗效

目的:对比观察经鼻蝶显微技术下入路与经鼻蝶神经内窥镜下入路手术切除垂体腺瘤的疗效,探讨切除垂体瘤的良好辅助方法。方法:78例患者分别采用经鼻蝶显微技术下入路和经鼻蝶神经内窥镜下入路手术切除垂体腺瘤。结果:与经鼻蝶显微技术下入路比较,经鼻蝶神经内窥镜下入路手术者住院时间短、肿瘤全切除率高、鼻出血率低、术后并发症发生率低(P<0.05),但是经鼻蝶神经内窥镜下手术切除肿瘤时术中出血需显微镜下止血。结论:经鼻蝶神经内窥镜下手术入路是垂体腺瘤切除的良好手术切除垂体瘤的入路,如有条件也可将二者联合应用取长补短。     

Use of membrane filters for measurement of mycobactericidal activity of alkaline glutaraldehyde solution

Bactericidal assays of 2% alkaline glutaraldehyde solution were carried out using Millipore membranes, and the rate of kill was compared with that of mycobacteria in suspension and on Penicylinder surfaces when using the methods recommended for the official tuberculocidal test. The rate of inactivation observed on the membrane filter surface was similar to that achieved using Penicylinders. The absence of visible colonies on the treated membranes provided a direct demonstration of sterility. The use of filter membranes in tuberculocidal tests provides a simple quantitative assay.     

Histological and immunohistochemical studies of the structure of lymph nodes in Kilis goats

Ten healthy adult Kilis goat mesenteric lymph nodes were used to examine the general structure of lymph nodes, lymphocytes, plasma cells, reticular cells and reticular fibers using histological methods. We also detected T lymphocytes using anti-CD3 [SP7], anti-CD4 [74-12-4], mouse anti-bovine CD4 [CC30] and mouse anti-bovine CD8 [CC63] monoclonal antibodies (mAb); and B lymphocytes using anti-CD79a [HM57] mAb, macrophages using anti-macrophage [MAC387] mAb and follicular dendritic cells using anti-S100 polyclonal antibody (pAb). The distribution of these cells also was studied. Although the primer antibodies we used for CD3, CD8, CD79a, MAC387 and S100 worked well, the primer antibodies for CD4 were ineffective for paraffin embedded goat lymph nodes.     

Use of membrane filters for measurement of mycobactericidal activity of alkaline glutaraldehyde solution.

Bactericidal assays of 2% alkaline glutaraldehyde solution were carried out using Millipore membranes, and the rate of kill was compared with that of mycobacteria in suspension and on Penicylinder surfaces when using the methods recommended for the official tuberculocidal test. The rate of inactivation observed on the membrane filter surface was similar to that achieved using Penicylinders. The absence of visible colonies on the treated membranes provided a direct demonstration of sterility. The use of filter membranes in tuberculocidal tests provides a simple quantitative assay.     

Alignment of high resolution mass spectra: development of a heuristic approach for metabolomics

One of the challenges of using mass spectrometry for metabolomic analyses of samples consisting of thousands of compounds is that of peak identification and alignment. This paper addresses the issue of aligning mass spectral data from different samples in order to determine average component m/z peak values. The alignment scheme developed takes the instrument m/z measurement error into consideration in order to heuristically align two or more samples using a technique comparable to automated visual inspection and alignment. The results obtained using mass spectral profiles of replicate human urine samples suggest that this heuristic alignment approach is more efficient than other approaches using hierarchical clustering algorithms. The output consists of an average m/z and intensity value for the spectral components together with the number of matches from the different samples. One of the major advantages of using this alignment strategy is that it eliminates the boundary problem that occurs when using predetermined fixed bins to identify and combine peaks for averaging and the efficient runtime allows large datasets to be processed quickly.     

Sensitivity of the knee joint kinematics calculation to selection of flexion axes

Various flexion axes have been used in the literature to describe knee joint kinematics. This study measured the passive knee kinematics of six cadaveric human knee specimens using two widely accepted flexion axes; transepicondylar axis and the geometric center axis. These two axes were found to form an angle of 4.0 degrees +/- 0.8 degrees. The tibial rotation calculated using the transepicondylar axis was significantly different than the rotation obtained using the geometric center axis for the same knee motion. At 90 degrees of flexion, the tibial rotation obtained using the transepicondylar axis was 4.8 degrees +/- 9.4 degrees whereas the rotation recorded using the geometric center axis at the same flexion angle was 13.8 degrees +/- 10.2 degrees. At 150 degrees of knee flexion, the rotations obtained from the transepicondylar and the geometric center axes were 7.2 degrees +/- 5.7 degrees and 19.9 degrees +/- 6.9 degrees, respectively. The data suggest that a clear definition of the flexion axis is necessary when reporting knee joint kinematics.     

Phylogenetic analysis of Alloglossidium Simer, 1929 (Digenea: Plagiorchiiformes: Macroderoididae) with discussion of the origin of truncated life cycle patterns in the genus.

Alloglossidium comprises 9 species of North American plagiorchiiform digeneans using ictalurid catfish, freshwater crustacea, and hirudinid leeches as definitive hosts. Two hypotheses about the evolution of this array of definitive hosts were examined using phylogenetic systematic analysis. Two most parsimonious trees, based on 15 homologous series derived from morphological data, each indicated the 2 species utilizing ictalurid catfish definitive hosts are basal members of the group, whereas the 2 species using freshwater crayfish definitive hosts and the 5 utilizing leech definitive hosts each comprise relatively derived monophyletic sister groups. The results suggest that species using crustaceans as definitive hosts are derived by life cycle truncation, whereas those using leeches as definitive hosts appear to be derived through a switch from crustaceans to leeches.