Morphology of the enamel-dentine junction in sections of anthropoid primate maxillary molars

The shape of the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) in primate molars is regarded as a potential indicator of phylogenetic relatedness because it may be morphologically more conservative than the outer enamel surface (OES), and it may preserve vestigial features (e.g., cuspules, accessory ridges, and remnants of cingula) that are not manifest at the OES. Qualitative accounts of dentine-horn morphology occasionally appear in character analyses, but little has been done to quantify EDJ shape in a broad taxonomic sample. In this study, we examine homologous planar sections of maxillary molars to investigate whether measurements describing EDJ morphology reliably group extant anthropoid taxa, and we extend this technique to a small sample of fossil catarrhine molars to assess the utility of these measurements in the classification of fossil teeth. Although certain aspects of the EDJ are variable within a taxon, a taxon-specific cross-sectional EDJ configuration predominates. A discriminant function analysis classified extant taxa successfully, suggesting that EDJ shape may a reliable indicator of phyletic affinity. When considered in conjunction with aspects of molar morphology, such as developmental features and enamel thickness, EDJ shape may be a useful tool for the taxonomic assessment of fossil molars.     

Dental tissue proportions and enamel thickness in Neandertal and modern human molars

The thickness of dental enamel is often discussed in paleoanthropological literature, particularly with regard to differences in growth, health, and diet between Neandertals and modern humans. Paleoanthropologists employ enamel thickness in paleodietary and taxonomic studies regarding earlier hominins, but variation in enamel thickness within the genus Homo has not been thoroughly explored despite its potential to discriminate species and its relevance to studies of growth and development. Radiographic two-dimensional studies indicate that Neandertal molar enamel is thin relative to the thick enamel of modern humans, although such methods have limited accuracy. Here we show that, measured via accurate high-resolution microtomographic imaging, Neandertal molar enamel is absolutely and relatively thinner than modern human enamel at most molar positions. However, this difference relates to the ratio of coronal dentine volume to total crown volume, rather than the quantity of enamel per se. The absolute volume of Neandertal molar enamel is similar to that of modern humans, but Neandertal enamel is deposited over a larger volume of coronal dentine, resulting in lower average (and relative) enamel thickness values. Sample sizes do not permit rigorous intragroup comparisons, but Neandertal molar tissue proportions evince less variation than the modern human sample. Differences in three- and two-dimensional enamel thickness data describing Neandertal molars may be explained by dimensional reduction. Although molar tissue proportions distinguish Neanderthals from recent Homo sapiens, additional study is necessary to assess trends in tissue proportions in the genus Homo throughout the Pleistocene.     

Shape components of the maxillary molars in Australian aboriginals

Principal components analysis was used to quantify the variability in crown outlines of maxillary molars in Australian Aboriginals. The outlines were measured by 36 radii from the central pit to the crown periphery. The first component, responsible for over half of the total variance, was concerned with general crown size. Four remaining components were retained to indicate sources of variability resulting from contrasting degrees of development or reduction of different crown components. Shape changes from the first to third molars were identified with components representing overall size reduction, diminution of the hypocone, and metacone elements and mesiodistal compression. An anteroposterior gradient along the molar series in average scores and variances for all components resulted from the progressive reduction of distal crown elements, increasing mesiodistal compression, and greater morphological variation.     

On the Use of Various Methods of Discriminant Analysis

The use of discriminant analysis for normal distributed populations with common or differing variances, and for populations with distributions of unknown type is discussed and illustrated by an example. Existing programs are mentioned. The results of the various methods of discriminant analysis are compared with each other.     

安徽省土壤绿僵菌分离株的分子鉴定

目的进一步验证ITS序列的系统发育分析可为绿僵菌属种的鉴定提供重要的参考依据。方法对分离自安徽土壤的13株绿僵菌菌株的内转录间隔区（ITS）片段进行PCR扩增和序列测定,采用Blast方法将测序结果在GenBank中进行同源搜索,依据邻接法构建获得与其相关菌株的ITS序列系统发育树。结果供试菌株分别位于系统发育树的3个分支上,分支I包括8个菌株和金龟子绿僵菌小孢变种,1个菌株和金龟子绿僵菌鳞鳃金龟变种形成分支III,另外4个菌株和黄绿绿僵菌棉蚜变种聚为分支X。结论结合同源比较的数据,将这8个、4个和1个绿僵菌菌株分别鉴定为金龟子绿僵菌小孢变种、黄绿绿僵菌棉蚜变种和金龟子绿僵菌鳞鳃金龟变种。     

Evaluation of six commercial identification kits for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine mastitis

AIMS: Comparison of six commercially available in human medicine well-established slide agglutination systems for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus. METHODS AND RESULTS: Slide agglutination tests were compared with the conventional tube coagulase test, biochemical identification and with the molecular identification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of species-specific parts of the gene encoding the 23S RNA. Systems evaluated included Masta-Staph (Mast Diagnostics), Staphylase-Test (Oxoid), Staphytect-Plus (Oxoid), Staphyloslide Latex (Becton Dickinson), Slidex Staph Plus (bioMerieux) and Dry Spot Staphytect Plus (Oxoid). A total of 141 staphylococcal strains isolated from cases of bovine mastitis including 90 S. aureus, 14 Staphylococcus epidermidis, 10 Staphylococcus warneri, 13 Staphylococcus xylosus, 11 Staphylococcus haemolyticus and three other coagulase-negative staphylococci were tested with each method. Staphylococcus aureus strains were selected by macrorestriction analysis with pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Only genetically unrelated strains were included in the study. The sensitivities and specificities of the test were as follows: Masta-Staph 86.7 and 90.1%, Staphylase-Test 78.4 and 85.1%, Staphytect-Plus 81.1 and 86.5%, Staphyloslide Latex 77.8 and 84.4%, Slidex Staph Plus 77.8 and 84.4%, Dry Spot Staphytect Plus 75.6 and 83.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this evaluation suggest that the six slide agglutination methods tested can provide rapid identification of S. aureus also from bovine mastitis. The sensitivity and specificity seems to be less than those reported from human S. aureus isolates. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is one of the first comparative reported investigations about the applicability of different commercially available slide agglutination tests for the detection of S. aureus from bovine mastitis using PFGE selected clinical isolates.     

一种褐飞虱病原真菌的分子生物学鉴定

从田间褐飞虱Nilaparvata lugens( St(a)l)罹病虫体分离得到一株绿僵菌,以该菌为供试菌体,采用氯化苄法、CTAB法以及裂解液法分别提取了该菌的基因组DNA;以ITS1和ITS4为绿僵菌通用引物,对供试菌株的rDNA ITS序列进行PCR扩增、琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测和序列分析,并在核酸序列数据库中进行同...     

A quantitative investigation of irregular cuspules in human maxillary permanent molars

The frequency of occurrence of anomalous cusps or tubercles on human upper first molars was investigated in seven racial populations using moiré contourography, which permits the three-dimensional measurement of minute cusps. Tubercles on the mesial marginal ridge were more frequently found in Mongoloid populations (Japanese and Eskimo) than in others. The frequency of the protoconule was high in Eskimos and Negroids (Bantu and San). The lingual paracone tubercle (mesial cusp) showed a particularly high frequency in Australian aborigines. The metaconule was rare or absent in all of the populations. Caucasoid groups (Dutch White and Asiatic Indian) showed generally low frequencies of all these abnormal tubercles, especially the distal accessory cusp (C5). Racial differences in the frequencies of occurrence may offer a key to understanding the adaptive significance of these traits and human microevolution. Confusion in nomenclature for upper molar tubercles is also discussed.     

Differentiation of marine luminous bacteria using commercial identification plates

Differentiation of marine luminous bacteria using Biolog GN plate combined with API 20e or the BBL Crystal ID plate inoculated with cell suspensions in artifical seawater was accomplished by comparison to type species using cluster analysis. Inoculum density affected the results from Biolog GN plates, but had less of an effect on the reactions obtained from API 20e strip or BBL Crystal ID plate. In a few cases, combination of the Biolog GN traits along with either the API 20e or Crystal ID traits was necessary to differentiate some marine luminous bacteria. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reduction of maxillary molars in Homo sapiens sapiens: a different perspective.

Crown and cusp areas, and buccolingual and mesiodistal diameters of maxillary molars of complete upper tooth rows (30 males, 30 females) were analysed in order to quantify changes in size and shape from the first to the third molar. Uni- and multivariate analyses revealed the mesial cusps, in particular the protocone (mesiolingual cusp), to be more stable than the other cusps. Although there is a gradient in size from the first to third molar, shape changes were found to be marked. Overall, the findings are in keeping with the field theory and the hypotheses of environmental constraints on later developing teeth. However, not all of the results could be entirely explained by these concepts. Functional aspects seem to account for the relative stability of the protocone and the buccolingual crown diameter. It appears that this functional complex is relatively stable despite the overall reduction of tooth size, which is probably secondary to processes occurring in the jaws and the cranium. This finding may have implications for studies on tooth reduction between populations of different time periods.     

Anthropometric analysis of the face in hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia: a family study

Sixteen individuals with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) were compared to normal standards as well as to 16 unaffected family members by using a series of 20 anthropometric measurements of the head and face. Individuals with HED were generally smaller than normal controls or their unaffected relatives. However, this size reduction was not uniform. Instead, it was most evident in the anterior-posterior dimensions of the lower two-thirds of the face, in facial height, and in the size of the ears, nose, and mouth. A stepwise discriminant function analysis indicated that a function constructed from four variables (depth of the lower face, width of the nose, mandibular arc, and total facial height) could accurately classify 96.7% of the 32 individuals in the combined sample of affected and unaffected individuals. These findings demonstrated that the face of individuals with HED is unique and can be useful in its diagnosis. Additional studies are needed to determine if similar-though-less-pronounced facial abnormalities can be used to detect minimally affected gene carriers of this presumably X-linked condition.     

崇明老白酒酿造过程中酵母菌的鉴定及其特性初探

从八二酒曲及酿造崇明老白酒过程中分离纯化得到1株白色酵母菌和1株红色酵母菌,采用分子生物学方法进行鉴定,并对其酿造老白酒的特性进行了分析。结果显示,八二酒曲及崇明老白酒酿造过程中的优势酵母菌为酿酒酵母(Saccaromyces cerevisiae),从酿酒过程中分离的红色酵母菌为粘红酵母(Rhodotorula mucilaginosa)。采用粘红酵母和米根霉曲酿造的酒液的酒精度为11.9%vol,残余还原糖含量为11.2 g/100 m L,总酸含量为4.59 g/L,总酯含量为4.42 g/L。纯化的酿酒酵母和米根霉曲酿成的酒液口味醇和爽口,酒曲的纯化有助于开发出口感更爽口的老白酒。混合酵母和米根霉曲酿造的酒液呈典型的崇明老白酒风味,粘红酵母的参与对崇明老白酒口味风格的形成有一定的作用。     

The Effect of Sample Design in the Discriminant Analysis for Two Groups

This paper shows the effect of sample design on the Discriminant Analysis for two groups by means of a simulation study involving stratified design. Four criteria of discrimination are used and compared. Also, the equivalency between the Multiple Linear Regression using the Generalized Estimating Equations and the Discriminant Analysis for two normal populations from a Complex Design is proved. The results are applied to an epidemiological problem.     

Serological identification of Bacillus thuringiensis and related bacteria isolated in Japan

Distribution of Bacillus thuringiensis and related sporeforming bacteria in Japan was investigated and it was found that most of the crystalliferous isolates belonged to B. thuringiensis serotypes 3a, 4a:4b, 7, and 8. Serotypes 1, 3a:3b, 4a:4c, and 11 were rarely isolated. H antigens of 189 isolates of acrystalliferous sporeformers were analyzed and 26 isolates were agglutinated by B. thuringiensis H antisera against serotypes 3a, 4a:4b, 5a:5c, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 at high serum dilutions. Heat-stable somatic antigens of these isolates differed significantly from that of reference B. thuringiensis.     

人源双歧杆菌的分离纯化及鉴定

利用改良的乳酸细菌（MRS）培养基从健康人群的粪便中进行双歧杆菌的分离筛选。结果表明：在添加有5-溴-4-氯-3-吲哚-β-D-半乳糖苷（X-Gal）的MRS培养基上双歧杆菌的菌落呈典型的乳白色并带有蓝色,其他菌株的菌落呈白色或深蓝色。实验共分离出10株疑似菌株,经生理生化试验和Biolog自动微生物分析系统鉴定,结果发现其中4株为双歧杆菌,这4株菌中有3株为两歧双歧杆菌,1株为长双歧杆菌。和传统MBS培养基相比较,改良MRS培养基能显著提高筛选效率。     

Systematic toxicological analysis: computer-assisted identification of poisons in biological materials

A new software was developed to improve the chances for identification of a "general unknown" in complex biological materials. To achieve this goal, the total ion current chromatogram was simplified by filtering the acquired mass spectra via an automated subtraction procedure, which removed mass spectra originating from the sample matrix, as well as interfering substances from the extraction procedure. It could be shown that this tool emphasizes mass spectra of exceptional compounds, and therefore provides the forensic toxicologist with further evidence-even in cases where mass spectral data of the unknown compound are not available in "standard" spectral libraries.