Insect metamorphosis: out with the old, in with the new

During insect metamorphosis, the steroid hormone ecdysone activates programmed cell death of larval tissues and the further development of adult tissues. Recent studies suggest that the E93 gene is both necessary and sufficient to target tissues for ecdysone-induced apoptosis.     

Coping with convection in the ultracentrifuge

If cell orientation and temperature control are good, convective flow in the analytical ultracentrifuge cell occurs due to vibrations transmitted from a faulty drive to the rotor itself. Minor vibrations are usually “ironed out” at high speeds but, at low speeds, (<15,000 rpm) can result in incorrectly low molecular weights as well as the appearance of false heterogeneity. In severe cases, a lack of sedimentation of the macromolecule under study may occur. Since drive replacement is sometimes time consuming, we describe here simple procedures which the non-expert can use to test for convection and “eliminate” it, allowing the investigator to rapidly make reliable molecular weight estimates.     

Genetic causality in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: out with the old and in with the new

Schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder are highly heritable forms of major mental illness. Great hopes were held out for a major breakthrough with the advent of genome wide association studies, but to date there have been no obvious low hanging fruit. A richer harvest of strong candidates has however emerged from molecular cytogenetics and copy number variant mapping strategies promise to add more. Both strategies identify gene mutations, paving a direct path to biological studies and tests of causality. Risk genes and convergent biological pathways common to both disorders are being revealed, offering hope for a better understanding of aetiological factors and for the development of biomarkers to aid in diagnosis and prognosis.     

Advancement in the derivatizations of the amino groups with the o-phthaldehyde-thiol and with the 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl chloride reagents

An overview is presented on the advancement of the two most frequently used derivatization protocols applying the o-phthalaldehyde (OPA)-thiol and the fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (FMOC) chloride reagents, prior to the high performance liquid chromatographic analysis of amino acids. This review pays special attention (i) to the blank value, to the composition, to the stability and to the life time of the reagents, (ii) to the optimum pH conditions for the interactions and derivatives' elutions, (iii) to the characteristics and behavior of those amino acids which might provide more than one derivative correlating with the molar ratios of the reagent to the reactants, and (iv) on the practical applicability of the optimized protocols.     

邂逅幻化碧波的斑斓遐思——剪影夏威夷第17届世界生物毒素大会

第17届世界生物毒素大会不久前在美国夏威夷如期召开。本文针对这次大会上热议的“生物恐怖”、充分张扬的从医学→毒素→医学的学科发展态势以及生物毒素与靶通道受体“矛与盾”的分子解构等学术关注热点和推进亮点做一简介。     

Melancholia in the Elderly with Cotard's Syndrome

The present paper is part of a study of involutional melancholias. This group of affective disorders falls into those divisions of psychiatry in which course and manifestations have as yet had little research.