Plasma metabonomics as a novel diagnostic approach for major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a socially detrimental psychiatric disorder, contributing to increased healthcare expenditures and suicide rates. However, no empirical laboratory-based tests are available to support the diagnosis of MDD. In this study, a NMR-based plasma metabonomic method for the diagnosis of MDD was tested. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectra of plasma sampled from first-episode drug-na??ve depressed patients (n = 58) and healthy controls (n = 42) were recorded and analyzed by orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The OPLS-DA score plots of the spectra demonstrated that the depressed patient group was significantly distinguishable from the healthy control group. Moreover, the method accurately diagnosed blinded samples (n = 26) in an independent replication cohort with a sensitivity and specificity of 92.8% and 83.3%, respectively. Taken together, NMR-based plasma metabonomics may offer an accurate empirical laboratory-based method applicable to the diagnosis of MDD.     

Evolutionary Analysis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Therapies Based on Conditionally Replicating Vectors

Efforts to reduce the viral load of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) during long-term treatment are challenged by the evolution of anti-viral resistance mutants. Recent studies have shown that gene therapy approaches based on conditionally replicating vectors (CRVs) could have many advantages over anti-viral drugs and other approaches to therapy, potentially including the ability to circumvent the problem of evolved resistance. However, research to date has not explored the evolutionary consequences of long-term treatment of HIV-1 infections with conditionally replicating vectors. In this study, we analyze a computational model of the within-host co-evolutionary dynamics of HIV-1 and conditionally replicating vectors, using the recently proposed ‘therapeutic interfering particle’ as an example. The model keeps track of the stochastic process of viral mutation, and the deterministic population dynamics of T cells as well as different strains of CRV and HIV-1 particles. We show that early in the co-infection, mutant HIV-1 genotypes that escape suppression by CRV therapy appear; this is similar to the dynamics observed in drug treatments and other gene therapies. In contrast to other treatments, however, the CRV population is able to evolve and catch up with the dominant HIV-1 escape mutant and persist long-term in most cases. On evolutionary grounds, gene therapies based on CRVs appear to be a promising tool for long-term treatment of HIV-1. Our model allows us to propose design principles to optimize the efficacy of this class of gene therapies. In addition, because of the analogy between CRVs and naturally-occurring defective interfering particles, our results also shed light on the co-evolutionary dynamics of wild-type viruses and their defective interfering particles during natural infections.     

Pyrethroids as Promising Marine Antifoulants: Laboratory and Field Studies

Due to the regulations and bans regarding the use of traditional toxic chemicals against marine fouling organisms and the practical impediments to the commercialization of natural product antifoulants, there is an urgent need for compounds that are antifouling-active, environmentally friendly, and have a potential for commercial application. In this study, a series of common, commercially available pyrethroid products, which are generally used as environmentally safe insecticides, was evaluated for antifouling activity in the laboratory using an anti-settlement test with cyprids of the barnacle Balanus albicostatus and also in a field experiment. Laboratory assay showed that all eleven pyrethroids (namely, rich d-trans-allethrin, Es-biothrin, rich d-prallethrin, S-prallethrin, tetramethrin, rich d-tetramethrin, phenothrin, cyphenothrin, permethrin, cypermethrin, and high active cypermethrin) were able to inhibit barnacle settlement (EC₅₀ range of 0.0316 to 87.00 μg/ml) without significant toxicity. Analysis of structure–activity relationships suggested that the cyano group at the α-carbon position had a significant influence on the expression of antifouling activity in pyrethroids. In the field, the antifouling activity of pyrethroids was further confirmed, with the most potent pyrethroids being cypermethrin and high active cypermethrin, which displayed efficiency comparable with that of tributyltin. In summary, our investigation indicated that these pyrethroids have a great and practical commercial potential as antifouling agents.     

细叶益母草(Leonurus sibiricus)叶表面腺毛多样性及发育形态学研究

本文研究了分布在细叶益母草（Ｌｅｏｎｕｒｕｓｓｉｂｉｒｉｃｕｓ） 叶表面三种腺毛的发育过程,在此基础上,对２细胞头状腺毛、４细胞头状腺毛和８细胞盾状腺毛的多样性特征进行了讨论     

高浓度酒精废水厌氧处理工程系统中古菌多样性及其代谢特征

颗粒污泥形成快、抗冲击能力强、悬浮性好是新型高浓度有机废水厌氧处理系统的重要特征。为了研究颗粒污泥中古菌组成多样性及其功能特征, 采集活性污泥样品, 提取总基因组DNA, 应用PCR-DGGE和16S rDNA克隆测序技术对系统内古菌群落进行研究。结果表明: 古菌克隆文库中克隆子的近缘种归属于Methanosaeta、Methanosarcina、Methanobacterium和Methanomethylovorans 4个类群, 所占文库容量比例依次为58.2%、23.6%、12.7%和3.6%, 1个克隆子未能找到相似菌株, 占1.8%。系统发育分析找到了未知克隆子C10、C11、C13和C19的相似菌株FJ618821、AB479397、AJ244290和AB447878, 并明确相应的分类地位。古菌类群以乙酸利用型Methanosaeta、Methanosarcina为主, 说明甲烷形成过程以乙酸途径为主。中间代谢产物VFAs组成与不同产甲烷菌代谢功能分析的结果证明了古菌群落组成多样性与其代谢功能的对应关系。     

Direct and indirect effects of ski run management on alpine Orthoptera

Alpine landscapes are heavily influenced by ski run management, which can have severe impacts on alpine biodiversity. To assess these impacts on alpine Orthoptera, we compared species richness and species abundance in 41 plot pairs on ski runs and adjacent off-slope control plots in three ski resorts in Austria and Germany. A mixed modelling approach was used to assess the impacts of ski run preparation, artificial snow-making and environmental variables such as altitude, cover of dwarf shrubs and the application of fertilizer. Ski run plots showed a significantly lower species richness and number of individuals than control plots. Moreover, artificial snow led to a further decrease in species number. Hierarchical variance partitioning revealed that Orthoptera community composition is best predicted by environmental variables indirectly related to ski run management (fertilization, cover of dwarf shrubs) and to altitude. Only one out of five species significantly decreased in abundance after artificial snow-making. Other species were more sensitive to fertilizing and altitude. Dwarf shrubs were negatively associated with ski run management but positively associated with abundance of three species and species richness. Our data provide evidence for both direct and indirect consequences of ski runs and artificial snow-making on alpine Orthoptera. Overall, Orthoptera communities are suitable indicators for human-induced changes in alpine environments. In particular, a shift towards generalist species such as Chorthippus parallelus along with a decrease in typical alpine species gives cause for concern as this implies a homogenisation of biodiversity owing to ski run management.     

利用Cre-loxP自动敲除H5亚型禽流感病毒血凝素重组鸡痘病毒中的报告基因

研究去除重组鸡痘病毒中的报告基因,构建一株只含目的基因的重组毒。将H5亚型AIV的HA基因作为靶基因,两侧含loxP序列的GFP表达盒插入鸡痘病毒重组臂基因构建了转移质粒载体,将其与脂质体混合转染CEF细胞,获得了表达H5和GFP的鸡痘病毒重组体。通过二次转染,利用Cre酶自动敲除重组病毒中的GFP基因,最终获得了只含H5血凝素基因表达盒的重组鸡痘病毒。免疫荧光和病毒滴度测定结果表明,经过连续传代后重组病毒仍然稳定复制并表达H5血凝素。用10⁵PFU和2×10⁵PFU rFPV H5免疫SPF鸡,28d后,免疫组鸡抗体平均滴度(HI)分别达到4log 2和4.5log 2,结果表明,H5HA基因重组病毒能刺激鸡群产生较高特异抗体。     

横断山地区叶螨三新种（蜱螨亚纲：叶螨科）

本文记述了发现于横断山地区的叶螨三新种:横断山苔螨Bryobia heng duanensis,矛拟细须螨Tenuipalpoides hastata和长裂爪螨Schizotetranychus elongatus,其中拟细须螨属在中国为首次报道。