上海市生物化学与分子生物学学会50年发展历程

本文回顾了上海市生物化学与分子生物学学会50年的发展历程,主要介绍了该学会历史沿革及在人才培养和科学研究方面的成绩。     

中国微生物学会微生物资源专业委员会发展历程北大核心

中国微生物学会微生物资源专业委员会成立于2009年,致力于推动微生物资源科研工作的开展,为微生物资源的保护与可持续利用提供技术支撑和战略指导。积极开展各种形式的学术交流、人才培养和国际合作,促进微生物资源领域的创新与发展,推动我国微生物学科的不断进步。随着科技的不断进步和经济的快速发展,微生物资源的研究和利用已成为国际科技领域的重要热点之一。因此,微生物资源专业委员会的建设与发展具有重要意义,将进一步推动我国微生物学科的发展,提高我国在该领域的学术地位和国际竞争力。     

Twins and the paradox of dental-age estimations: A caution for researchers and clinicians

The biological age difference among twins is frequently an issue in studies of genetic influence on various dental features, particularly dental development. The timing of dental development is a crucial issue also for many clinicians and researchers. The aim of this study was therefore to verify within groups of twins how dental development differs, by applying Demirjian's method, Mincer's charts of development of third molars and two of Cameriere's methods for dental age estimation, which are among the most popular methods both in the clinical and the forensic scenario. The sample consisted of 64 twin pairs: 21 monozygotic, 30 dizygotic same-sex and 13 dizygotic opposite-sex with an age range between 5.8 and 22.6 years. Dental age was determined from radiographs using the mentioned methods. Results showed that dental age of monozygotic twins is not identical even if they share all their genes. The mean intra-pair difference of monozygotic pairs was low and similar to the difference in dizygotic same-sex twins; the maximum difference between monozygotic twins, however, was surprisingly large (nearly two years). This should lead to some circumspection in the interpretation of systematic estimations of dental age both in the clinical and forensic scenario.     

分享科学，创造梦——美国第43届神经科学年会参会感

美国第43届神经科学年会于2013年11月9－13日在美国圣迭戈召开。本文根据作者的参会经历,对此次会议的概况、规模,以及内容作一简介,以期让读者了解神经科学这一研究领域的前沿以及美国神经科学年会的概况。     

Experimental Boron Neutron Capture Therapy for Melanoma: Systemic Delivery of Boron to Melanotic and Amelanotic Melanoma

The boron-containing melanin precursor analogue p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) has previously been shown to selectively deliver boron to pigmented murine melanomas when administered in a single intragastric dose. If boron neutron capture therapy is to become a clinically useful method of radiation therapy for human malignant melanoma, the boron carrier must be capable of delivering useful amounts of boron to remote tumor sites (metastases) and to poorly pigmented melanomas. We have now determined the ability of BPA to accumulate in several nonpigmented melanoma models including human melanoma xenografts in nude mice. The absolute amount of boron in the nonpigmented melanomas was about 50% of that observed in the pigmented counterparts but was still selectively concentrated in the tumor relative to normal tissues in amounts sufficient for effective neutron capture therapy. Single intragastric doses of BPA resulted in selective localization of boron in the amelanotic Greene melanoma carried in the anterior chamber of the rabbit eye and in a pigmented murine melanoma growing in the lungs. The ratio of the boron concentration in these tumors to the boron concentration in the immediately adjacent normal tissue was in the range of 3:1 to 4:1. These distribution studies support the proposal that boron neutron capture therapy may be useful as a regional therapy for malignant melanoma.     

Connecting the dots: Melanoma cell of origin,tumor cell plasticity,trans-differentiation,and drug resistance

Melanoma, a lethal malignancy that arises from melanocytes, exhibits a multiplicity of clinico-pathologically distinct subtypes in sun-exposed and non-sun-exposed areas. Melanocytes are derived from multipotent neural crest cells and are present in diverse anatomical locations, including skin, eyes, and various mucosal membranes. Tissue-resident melanocyte stem cells and melanocyte precursors contribute to melanocyte renewal. Elegant studies using mouse genetic models have shown that melanoma can arise from either melanocyte stem cells or differentiated pigment-producing melanocytes depending on a combination of tissue and anatomical site of origin and activation of oncogenic mutations (or overexpression) and/or the repression in expression or inactivating mutations in tumor suppressors. This variation raises the possibility that different subtypes of human melanomas (even subsets within each subtype) may also be a manifestation of malignancies of distinct cells of origin. Melanoma is known to exhibit phenotypic plasticity and trans-differentiation (defined as a tendency to differentiate into cell lineages other than the original lineage from which the tumor arose) along vascular and neural lineages. Additionally, stem cell-like properties such as pseudo-epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT-like) transition and expression of stem cell-related genes have also been associated with the development of melanoma drug resistance. Recent studies that employed reprogramming melanoma cells to induced pluripotent stem cells have uncovered potential relationships between melanoma plasticity, trans-differentiation, and drug resistance and implications for cell or origin of human cutaneous melanoma. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the current state of knowledge on melanoma cell of origin and the relationship between tumor cell plasticity and drug resistance.     

Meeting report: fourth international congress of the Society for Melanoma Research

The 4th international melanoma congress of the Society for Melanoma Research (SMR), organized by Marianne Berwick (University of New Mexico), Paul Chapman (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center), Rene Gonzalez (University of Colorado) and Ze'ev Ronai (Burnham Institute), was held at the Marriott Hotel in downtown New York on November 2007. The congress was attended by a record high number of attendees (over 500 delegates) who joined to discuss recent advances in melanoma biology and therapy. About 40% of the participants arrived from 39 countries, a testament to the high impact of this annual gathering on the international melanoma community. Over 120 of the participants were students or postdoctoral fellows, representing a most impressive fraction of young scientists engaged in melanoma research. The meeting consisted of more than 50 plenary and minisymposia presentations, stimulating the exchange of unpublished data and novel ideas, and helping to forge new collaborations that are anticipated to facilitate significant advances in basic, translational and clinical melanoma research. Another major focus of this meeting was over 160 posters, which were heavily attended and provided an effective forum for extensive informal discussions. This report will highlight the major scientific themes and advances of this most successful meeting, and provide a useful perspective on the current state of melanoma research, as well as where the field should be heading.     

Gray zones around diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Conclusions based on the workshop of the XIV meeting of the European Association for Hematopathology and the Society of Hematopathology in Bordeaux, France

The term “gray-zone” lymphoma has been used to denote a group of lymphomas with overlapping histological, biological, and clinical features between various types of lymphomas. It has been used in the context of Hodgkin lymphomas (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), including classical HL (CHL), and primary mediastinal large B cell lymphoma, cases with overlapping features between nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma and T-cell/histiocyte-rich large B cell lymphoma, CHL, and Epstein–Barr-virus-positive lymphoproliferative disorders, and peripheral T cell lymphomas simulating CHL. A second group of gray-zone lymphomas includes B cell NHL with intermediate features between diffuse large B cell lymphoma and classical Burkitt lymphoma. In order to review controversial issues in gray-zone lymphomas, a joint Workshop of the European Association for Hematopathology and the Society for Hematopathology was held in Bordeaux, France, in September 2008. The panel members reviewed and discussed 145 submitted cases and reached consensus diagnoses. This Workshop summary is focused on the most controversial aspects of gray-zone lymphomas and describes the panel’s proposals regarding diagnostic criteria, terminology, and new prognostic and diagnostic parameters.     

Focus: Personalized Medicine: Tailoring the Treatment of Melanoma: Implications for Personalized Medicine

Oncology has been revolutionized by the ability to selectively inhibit the growth of cancerous cells while ostensibly avoiding the disruption of proteins and pathways necessary for normal cellular function. This paradigm has triggered an explosion of targeted therapies for cancer, creating a burgeoning billion-dollar industry of small molecules and monoclonal antibodies [1]. Largely due to these new treatments, spending on cancer pharmaceuticals has surpassed $100 billion worldwide [2]. In particular, the treatment of melanoma, a deadly and fast-spreading form of skin cancer, has been transformed by these new targeted therapies. In this mini-review, we summarize the progress made in the field of personalized treatment of melanoma, with an emphasis on targeted therapies. We then outline future directions for treatment, including novel cell-mediated therapies and new potential targets.     

Biologic,Immunocytochemical, and Cytogenetic Characterization of Two New Human Melanoma Cell Lines: IIB-MEL-LES and IIB-MEL-IAN

Two human melanoma cell lines, derived from metastases of two patients with epithelioid malignant amelanotic melanomas, and designated IIB-MEL-LES and IIB-MEL-IAN, have been established. Both cell lines have been in continuous culture over 2 years and were propagated continuously for 85 and 75 serial passages, respectively. Morphologically, IIB-MEL-LES is composed predominantly of spindle shaped cells, whereas IIB-MEL-IAN grows as a monolayer of cuboid and stellate shaped cells with many rounded cells in suspension. Immunocytochemical studies revealed that both cell lines express S-100 protein, vimentin, and GD₃ and GD₂ gangliosides but are negative for keratin and collagen. Both cell lines express HLA class I and HLA-DR antigens in variable proportions. The MAGE-1 gene is expressed only by the IIB-MEL-IAN cell line, as revealed by PCR analysis. Cytogenetic analysis of both cell lines revealed abnormal karyotypes; the modal chromosome numbers of IIB-MEL-LES and IIB-MEL-IAN were 48 and 81, respectively. IIB-MEL-LES cells presented rearrangements in chromosomes 1, 14 and X, gains in chromosomes 10,20, and 21 losses in chromosomes 15 and Y. The most frequent markers observed in IIB-MEL-IAN cells were 7q+, 10p+, 2p+, i(6p), 2q+, and 10q-. Clonal gains were observed in chromosomes 12 and 21, whereas losses were seen in chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, and 17. Both cell lines were capable of forming colonies in soft agar and developed tumors when transplanted into nude mice, reproducing and maintaining the characteristics of the original tumors. These cell lines and their xenografts appear to provide useful systems for studying the biology, genetics and histogenesis of human malignant melanoma and could be utilized for the development of melanoma vaccines.     

Melanin as a Target for Melanoma Chemotherapy: Pro‐oxidant Effect of Oxygen and Metals on Melanoma Viability

Melanoma cells have a poor ability to mediate oxidative stress, which may be attributed to constitutive abnormalities in their melanosomes. We hypothesize that disorganization of the melanosomes will allow chemical targeting of the melanin within. Chemical studies show that under oxidative conditions, synthetic melanins demonstrate increased metal affinity and a susceptibility to redox cycling with oxygen to form reactive oxygen species. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)‐active 5,5′‐dimethyl‐pyrollidine N‐oxide spin adduct was used to show that binding of divalent Zn or Cu to melanin induces a pro‐oxidant response under oxygen, generating superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. A similar pro‐oxidant behaviour is seen in melanoma cell lines under external peroxide stress. Melanoma cultures grown under 95% O₂/5% CO₂ atmospheres show markedly reduced viability as compared with normal melanocytes. Cu‐ and Zn‐dithiocarbamate complexes, which induce passive uptake of the metal ions into cells, show significant antimelanoma activity. The antimelanoma effect of metal‐ and oxygen‐induced stress appears additive rather than synergistic; both treatments are shown to be significantly less toxic to melanocytes.     

The American Society for Neurochemistry (ASN): Antecedents, Founding, and Early Years

Events leading to and the influences on the founding of the American Society for Neurochemistry are recounted, with emphasis on early activities of neurochemists in the United States, as well as the international activities, that led to the founding of both the International and American societies (in 1965 and 1969, respectively). The founding of the American Society for Neurochemistry in the period 1968-1969 and its first annual meeting in 1970 are described, together with significant developments during the early years of the Society.     

History of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology

Scientists studying diseases of invertebrates in the USA, Europe, and Asia began to meet at international congresses in the 1950s and early 1960s, and soon recognized that they needed both a society and a journal where their common interests could be discussed and their findings presented. Edward A. Steinhaus played a major role in bringing together scientists from across the globe with common interests in these diseases. As a consequence, the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology (then Journal of Insect Pathology) was initiated in 1959 and Steinhaus became its first editor. Along with Albert Sparks he organized a meeting at Seattle, Washington in 1967 that led to the founding of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology with Steinhaus as its first President. The Society held its first meeting at Ohio State University in 1968, and has continued to meet annually. The Society has instituted a Founder's Lecture series, graduate student awards, and Divisions of Microbial Control, Microsporidia, Bacteriology, Fungi, Viruses, and Nematodes. Members enjoy several social functions at meetings as well as symposia, submitted papers, and poster sessions. The Society for Invertebrate Pathology is a truly international organization which to date has held meetings in 13 countries and 14 US states, usually attended by members from at least 20 countries.     

Advances in the conservation of British mammals, 1954–2004: 50 years of progress with The Mammal Society

1. The Mammal Society was established in 1954 to link amateurs and professionals in promoting the study of mammals. It now directly assists British conservation science, and has fostered The British Deer Society, the National Federation of Badger Groups, The Bat Conservation Trust, the Ungulate Research Group and Sea Watch Foundation. The Society also has strong links with the Zoological Society of London, the Vincent Wildlife Trust and the People's Trust for Endangered Species/Mammals Trust UK, as well as with many other non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) and statutory bodies. 2. The Mammal Society provides fora for discussion, scientific symposia, mammal publications, and practical studies. It has also instigated major advances in the presentation of scientific knowledge through three editions of The Handbook of British Mammals under three successive editors: H.N. Southern, G.B. Corbet and S. Harris. 3. From the 1970s the Society has highlighted conservation concerns (e.g. the decline of otters and persecution and management of badgers), informed legislation, supported many surveys, including harvest mice, pine marten, polecat, small rodents, hares, yellow‐necked mice and foxes, and published authoritative species’ accounts, guides to methodology, Mammal Review, Notes/Communications from The Mammal Society, the annual Current Projects on British Mammals and other scientific and educational material. 4. Country‐wide mammal recording and training (Look Out for Mammals) developed in the 1990s alongside the Endangered British Mammals Fund. The ‘ground breaking’A Red Data Book for British Mammals, and A Review of British Mammals, both drew on Mammal Society expertise, helping to meet the UK Government's conservation responsibilities and emphasizing the growing influence of The Society. Co‐operative monitoring has been developed with the British Trust for Ornithology through the Winter Mammal Monitoring scheme and is further projected with more than 20 NGOs and statutory bodies forming the ‘Tracking Mammals Partnership’. 5. The Mammal Society now advises on UK Biodiversity Action Plans and plays a lead role in UK mammal conservation, highlighting problems and promoting solutions. However, many British mammals are still declining, many are neither legally protected nor subject to national conservation initiatives, and data are still lacking on the status of many terrestrial and most marine species. Much has been done, but there is still much to do.     

Melanoma in the shopping mall: A utilitarian argument for offering unsolicited medical opinions in informal settings

Doctors occasionally make diagnoses in strangers outside of formal medical settings by using the medical skill of visual inspection, such as noticing signs of melanoma or the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. This may cause considerable moral unease and doubts on the side of the diagnosing physician. Such encounters force physicians to consider whether or not to intervene by introducing themselves to the stranger and offering an unsolicited medical opinion despite the absence of a formal doctor‐patient relationship. A small body of literature has addressed the topic of the unsolicited medical opinion, often with a primary focus on practical advice. This article seeks to establish an ethical‐theoretical basis for physicians' ethical obligation to offer an unsolicited medical opinion when they make a diagnosis by visual inspection in a stranger outside of the formal medical context. Using a utilitarian approach, it is argued that, if it is in the physicians' power to prevent a possible loss of well‐being, without thereby sacrificing anything of equal value, physicians have an ethical obligation to intervene.     

Melanocyte‐Specific Immune Response in Melanoma and Vitiligo: Two Faces of the Same Coin?

The appearance of depigmentation during the course of malignant melanoma has been considered a good prognostic sign. Is it only a side‐effect, informative of the immune system's response to the treatment, or does it act as a necessary amplifier of these clinically important anti‐tumor responses? The current review will attempt to tackle this question by reviewing the current literature, as well as by posing some novel hypotheses. Understanding the nature of humoral and cellular immune responses directed against normal melanocytes and their malignant counterparts may lead to the design of improved therapeutic strategies relevant to both vitiligo and melanoma.     

医学院校本科生进行基础科研能力培养的意义

随着我国科学技术的迅猛发展,生命科学领域对专业人才的需求愈加迫切,要求亦愈加严格。部分医学院校为适应目前我国对基础科研工作者的需求现状,积极调整医学与生命科学专业本科生专业设置,改善完善课程设置,在本科生中有计划的进行科研训练,对学生毕业后的选择就业去向或者进一步深造具有重要指导作用,培养具有科研能力的高素质的医学从业人员,有助于推动医疗卫生事业的发展。