稀土-落叶松单宁配合物的合成及抗真菌活性研究

以稀土(Re~(3+))和落叶松单宁(LT)为原料,采用液相合成法合成了5种廉价的稀土-落叶松单宁(Re~(3+)-LT)配合物,并通过红外光谱、X射线光电子能谱、紫外光谱以及配位数测定确定了配合物的结构.采用牛津杯法、琼脂稀释法测定配合物对黑曲霉、红曲霉、白腐菌、毛霉4种真菌的抑制作用.在抑菌方面,5种配合物对上述4种真菌均具有较强的抑制作用,其抑菌活性大小顺序为Ce~(3+)-LTGd~(3+)-LTLa~(3+)-LTNd~(3+)-LTYb~(3+)-LT,其中Ce~(3+)-LT对4种真菌的最小抑菌浓度分别为:1.6、1.6、0.8和1.6 g·L~(-1);Yb~(3+)-LT对4种真菌的最小抑菌浓度分别为:3.2、1.6、3.2和3.2 g·L~(-1).在杀菌方面,Yb~(3+)-LT的杀菌活性最强,其对4种真菌的最小杀菌浓度分别为:6.4、3.2、3.2和6.4 g·L~(-1).此外,尽管Nd~(3+)-LT和Gd~(3+)-LT具有较强的抑菌活性,但对黑曲霉和毛霉的杀菌作用较弱.     

纯化膜蛋白质复合体Cytb6f的新方法

建立了纯化光合膜蛋白质复合体Ｃｙｔｂ６ｆ的新方法。与现有方法相比,新方法简单明了,只包括透析离心和用硫酸铵分级沉淀两个步骤,而且适于大批量制备。按此方法从菠菜叶绿体分离纯化的制剂含９．８ｎｍｏｌＣｙｔｆ·ｍｇ－１;ＳＤＳＰＡＧＥ显示４条主要区带及１条低分子量区带,背景干净;Ｃｙｔｂ６（ｂ型血红素）∶Ｃｙｔｆ＝２∶１（ｍｏｌ∶ｍｏｌ）,Ｃｈｌａ∶Ｃｙｔｆ＝１∶１（ｍｏｌ∶ｍｏｌ）;酶活性（ＰＱ２Ｈ２→Ｃｙｔｃ）８０μｍｏｌＣｙｔｃ·ｎｍｏｌＣｙｔｆ－１·ｈ－１左右;产率可达３８％。     

The protective effect of alpha lipoic acid against traumatic brain injury in rats

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) was induced by a weight-drop device using 300 g–1 m weight-height impact. The study groups were: control, alpha-lipoic acid (LA) (100 mg/kg, po), TBI, and TBI + LA (100 mg/kg, po). Forty-eight hours after the injury, neurological scores were measured and brain samples were taken for histological examination or determination of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and glutathione (GSH) levels, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and Na⁺-K⁺ ATPase activities, whereas cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β) were determined in blood. Brain oedema was evaluated by wet–dry weight method and blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability was evaluated by Evans Blue (EB) extravasation. As a result, neurological scores mildly increased in trauma groups. Moreover, TBI caused a significant decrease in brain GSH and Na⁺-K⁺ ATPase activity, which was accompanied with significant increases in TBARS level, MPO activity and plasma proinflammatory cytokines. LA treatment reversed all these biochemical indices as well as histopathological alterations. TBI also caused a significant increase in brain water content and EB extravasation which were partially reversed by LA treatment. These findings suggest that LA exerts neuroprotection by preserving BBB permeability and by reducing brain oedema probably by its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in the TBI model.     

Seedling growth and soil nutrient availability in exotic and native tree species: implications for afforestation in southern China

Background and aims

The relationship between tree species and soil nutrient availability is critical for evaluating plantation succession and promoting forest restoration. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of exotic and native tress species on soil nutrient availability.

Methods

Four exotic species (Eucalyptus urophylla, E. tereticornis, Acaia auriculaeformis, A. mangium) and four native species (Castanopsis fissa, Schima superba, C. hystrix, Michelia macclurei) were planted and grown for one-year. Soil solution (DOC, DON, NH₄?N, NO₃?N) was sampled and analyzed during the study. After the experiment, soil properties were determined, and plant tissues were analyzed.

Results

DOC levels were greater in soils with trees planted than controls without trees. Compared to native species, exotic species had much faster growth rates and greatly reduced DON and NO₃?N concentrations. Exotic species always had less P concentrations in leaves and stems than native species. Furthermore, N-fixing A. auriculaeformis led to greater soil available P compared to other species.

Conclusions

Based on these findings, we provide some recommendations for afforestation practice. This study highlights that a better understanding of the pros and cons of exotic species would be beneficial to advance afforestation in China and the world.     

Spatial distribution patterns of Sargassum horneri in the coastal waters of the Ma'an Archipelago

Seaweed beds are a nearshore marine ecosystem composed of macroalgae and other marine organisms. In recent years, soil erosion, pollution, and other land-based mechanisms have severely reduced nearshore algal populations, particularly in areas influenced by the outflow of the Yangtze and Qiantang rivers. The Ma'an Archipelago is located in the estuary of the Yangtze and Qiantang rivers in the East China Sea. Although the archipelago is relatively distant from the shore, algal populations there have decreased significantly in recent years. The reasons for this decline are unknown, owing to an absence of data on macroalgal spatial distribution in seaweed beds and of long-term monitoring. Numerous environmental factors, operating at different scales, are likely to contribute to the abundance and distribution of macroalgae in seaweed beds. Therefore, it is important to study the beds across spatial scales to understand the ecological factors influencing the beds' presence and decline. During September 2014 and May 2015, we investigated the distribution of Sargassum horneri in germling and adult stages at 12 sites on three islands (Zhongkui, Lvhua, and Gouqi) around the Ma'an Archipelago. Our results showed that: (1) on a whole-archipelago scale, S. horneri density was highest around Zhongkui Island, and lowest around Lvhua Island. Adult plant lengths showed the opposite trend. The ratio of average densities around the three islands was 1 (Lvhua): 3.8 (Gouqi): 13.8 (Zhongkui) at the germling stage, and changed to 1:1.8:4 at the adult stage. (2) At the individual-site scale, wave exposure may explain why S. horneri density is highest in southeastern sites and lowest in northwestern ones. Around Zhongkui Island, S. horneri grew in turbulent conditions, was significantly affected by wave motion, and suffered a high mortality rate between the seedling and adult stages. (3) Within site scale, S. horneri was distributed over a considerably wider depth range around Zhongkui Island than around Lvhua or Gouqi islands. Adult S. horneri was most abundant at 2-m depth. Wave action apparently controlled the upper limit of S. horneri bathymetric distribution, whereas the lower limit depended on sedimentation and light availability.     

Evaluation of a novel biphasic culture medium for recovery of mycobacteria: a multi-center study

Background

Mycobacterial culture and identification provide a definitive diagnosis of TB. Culture on Löwenstein-Jensen (L-J) medium is invariably delayed because of the slow growth of M. tuberculosis on L-J slants. Automated liquid culture systems are expensive. A low-cost culturing medium capable of rapidly indicating the presence of mycobacteria is needed. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel biphasic culture medium for the recovery of mycobacteria from clinical sputum specimens from suspected pulmonary tuberculosis patients.

Methods and Findings

The biphasic medium consisted of 7 ml units of L-J slant medium, 3 ml units of liquid culture medium, growth indicator and a mixture of antimicrobial agents. The decontamination sediments of sputum specimens were incubated in the biphasic culture medium at 37°C. Mycobacterial growth was determined based on the appearance of red granule sediments and the examination using acid-fast bacilli (AFB). The clinical sputum specimens were cultured in the biphasic medium, on L-J slants and in the Bactec MGIT 960 culture system. Among smear-positive specimens, the mycobacteria recovery rate of the biphasic medium was higher than that of the L-J slants (P<0.001) and similar to that of MGIT 960 (P>0.05). Among smear-negative specimens, the mycobacterial recovery rate of the biphasic medium was higher than that of L-J slants (P<0.001) and lower than that of MGIT 960 (P<0.05). The median times to detection of mycobacteria were 14 days, 20 days and 30 days for cultures grown in MGIT, in biphasic medium, on L-J slants for smear negative specimens, respectively (P<0.001).

Conclusions

The biphasic culture medium developed in this study is low-cost and suitable for mycobacterial recovery. It does not require any expensive detection instrumentation, decreases the time required for detection of M. tuberculosis complex, and increases the detection rate of M. tuberculosis complex.     

Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) Value: A Potential Imaging Biomarker That Reflects the Biological Features of Rectal Cancer

Objective

We elected to analyze the correlation between the pre-treatment apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and the clinical, histological, and immunohistochemical status of rectal cancers.

Materials and Methods

Forty-nine rectal cancer patients who received surgical resection without neoadjuvant therapy were selected that underwent primary MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Tumor ADC values were determined and analyzed to identify any correlations between these values and pre-treatment CEA or CA19-9 levels, and/or the histological and immunohistochemical properties of the tumor.

Results

Inter-observer agreement of confidence levels from two separate observers was suitable for ADC measurement (k  =  0.775). The pre-treatment ADC values of different T stage tumors were not equal (p  =  0.003). The overall trend was that higher T stage values correlated with lower ADC values. ADC values were also significantly lower for the following conditions: tumors with the presence of extranodal tumor deposits (p  =  0.006) and tumors with CA19-9 levels ≥ 35 g/ml (p  =  0.006). There was a negative correlation between Ki-67 LI and the ADC value (r  =  −0.318, p  =  0.026) and between the AgNOR count and the ADC value (r  =  −0.310, p  =  0.030).

Conclusion

Significant correlations were found between the pre-treatment ADC values and T stage, extranodal tumor deposits, CA19-9 levels, Ki-67 LI, and AgNOR counts in our study. Lower ADC values were associated with more aggressive tumor behavior. Therefore, the ADC value may represent a useful biomarker for assessing the biological features and possible relationship to the status of identified rectal cancers.     

LGT蛋白质组阳性肿瘤患者免疫功能的观察报告——LGT系列论文之八

目的：了解LGT（lost goodwill target）蛋白质组阳性表达患者CD3^＋、CD4^＋、CD8^＋、CD4^＋/CD8^＋、T细胞和NK细胞的变化规律.方法：对30例LGT蛋白质组阳性表达的肿瘤患者分别采用美国BD公司生产的流式细胞检测仪及提供的相应单克隆抗体检测患者空腹血清CD3^＋、CD4^＋、CD8^＋、CD4^＋/CD8^＋、T细胞和NK细胞并用美国赛费吉（Ciphergen）公司制造的蛋白质指纹仪及该公司提供的弱阳离子交换芯片（WCX2）按其操作方法（SELDI检测技术）配对检测肿瘤患者空腹血清中的蛋白质指纹,对有病情加重的患者均检查两次以上.以指纹图上质荷比（M/Z）为11100＋H～11900＋H之间出现一峰簇样（cluster）的指纹标志为LGT阳性诊断标准,并按蛋白质指纹LGT检测阳性次数分成二组.对二组内CD3^＋、CD4^＋、CD8^＋、CD4^＋/CD8^＋、T细胞和NK细胞与正常参考值之间进行统计学显著性检验.结果：CD3^＋T细胞值在LGT蛋白质组持续阳性表达组是增高的,在另一组是无变化,二者之间有显著性差异,而CD8^＋T细胞在二组内同时增高,CD4^＋T细胞和NK细胞二组同时低下,无显著性差别.结论：本研究提示肿瘤晚期可能存在有酪氨酸蛋白激酶修饰的细胞内信号传导,使之病情加重,而肿瘤早期则不明显.这是一种新的看法,应加强这个方面的研究.     

Display of avian influenza virus nucleoprotein on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus thuringiensis</Emphasis> cell surface using CTC as a fusion partner

The S-layer protein CTC surface display system of Bacillus thuringiensis was used to test the possibility of displaying avian influenza virus nucleoprotein (NP) on the cell surface of B. thuringiensis. By fusing np with the anchoring motif of ctc, four recombinant plasmids were constructed. They harbored fusion gene ctc-np, csa-ctc-np (csa representing csaAB operon, very important in anchoring S-layer protein on cell surface), ctc-npp (npp representing the part fragment of np), and csa-ctc-npp, respectively. Five recombinant strains were obtained by transferring recombinant plasmids to B. thuringiensis plasmid-free derivative strain BMB171. The vegetative cells of five strains were used as agglutinogens for slide agglutination assays. The assays showed recombinant NP proteins successfully displayed on the cell surface of five strains. After immunization of chickens with spores by oral route, all five strains elicited a humoral response to NP and exhibited immunogenicity as indicated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISA also showed that one of five strains, CN (bearing csa-ctc-npp), exhibited the highest immunogenicity among five strains, which suggested that the best way of constructing ctc fusion gene was the csa-ctc-npp. The strategy developed in this study suggests the possibility of generating a heat-stable and oral veterinary vaccine with B. thuringiensis surface display system.