Secretases as therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease

Accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) is widely accepted as the key instigator of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The proposed mechanism is that accumulation of Aβ results in inflammatory responses, oxidative damages, neurofibrillary tangles and, subsequently, neuronal/synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss. Given the critical role of Aβ in the disease process, the proteases that produce this peptide are obvious targets. The goal would be to develop drugs that can inhibit the activity of these targets. Protease inhibitors have proved very effective for treating other disorders such as AIDS and hypertension. Mutations in APP (amyloid-β precursor protein), which flanks the Aβ sequence, cause early-onset familial AD, and evidence has pointed to the APP-to-Aβ conversion as a possible therapeutic target. Therapies aimed at modifying Aβ-related processes aim higher up the cascade and are therefore more likely to be able to alter the progression of the disease. However, it is not yet fully known whether the increases in Aβ levels are merely a result of earlier events that were already causing the disease.     

Intentionally introduced species: more easily invited than removed

Alien species are brought into countries world wide on a massive scale for agricultural production, ex situ conservation, landscape aesthetics, gardens, and ecosystem restoration. Unfortunately, some of these species have escaped and adversely impacted on regional as well as global biodiversity conservation and agricultural production. To reduce such risks, it is necessary to implement specific and effective measures. Since various government departments and institutions are involved in the management of alien species, it is difficult to prevent native and agroecosystems from being invaded by invited species. We propose the establishment of a supervision and inspection continuum over intentional species introduction, similar to that which exists in some countries over unintentional species introductions. Namely, a justification of the necessity to import, a risk assessment, assurances as to provision of an adequate containment facility assessment, and a damage-limitation protocol should that need to be invoked. These requirements should be satisfied before an alien species is knowingly imported, and the necessary follow-up supervision is important post- importation.     

CO_2倍增对植物生长和土壤微生物生物量碳、氮的影响

关于大气ＣＯ２浓度倍增（即为７００μｍｏｌＣＯ２·ｍｏｌ－１空气）将对植物生长产生诸多影响,已有大量报道［１,２］。但ＣＯ２倍增对植物及所在土壤中微生物影响的研究甚少［３,４］。土壤微生物是陆地生态系统中最活跃的成分,担负着分解动植物残体的重要作用,...     

菊花中一个新的多糖的研究

通过热水提取、离子交换层析和凝胶层析,从菊花(Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.)中分离得到一个新的多糖.根据糖组成分析、甲基化分析、高碘酸氧化、部分酸水解和NMR谱图分析,确定其结构如下:[→4)-Galp-(1→4)-Galp-(1→4)-Galp-(1→4)-Galp-(1→6)-Galp-(1]→F3L2Araf-(1→5)-Araf-(1→4)-Glcp-(1→4)-Glcp1→6 F3[→4)-Galp-(1→4)-Galp-(1→4)-Galp-(1→4)-Ga6p-(1→6)-Galp-(1]→n     

不同植被类型对土壤水蚀的影响

不同植被类型对土壤水蚀的影响因子是计算土壤水蚀速率以及选择适当土地利用方式的基本参数.本文以土壤侵蚀模型中的植被因子(C因子)为指标,研究不同植被类型对土壤水蚀的影响.根据6个水土保持试验项目33个小区共195个小区年的资料,计算了剌槐、柠条、沙棘、沙棘-杨树,沙棘-油松、沙打旺、红豆草、苜蓿和草木樨等9种林草植被因子值.林地植被因子介于0.004到0.164之间,以刺槐林的C值最低.草地植被因子介于0.071到0.377之间,以第一年的草木樨C值为最高.定量对比说明林草植被的水土保持效益明显优于农作物.本项研究结果可以用于定量比较不同植被类型覆盖下的土壤流失速率,对于北方农牧交错带退耕还林还草政策的实施具有参考价值.     

流式细胞术揭示出枯草芽孢杆菌多态异质性

新近的研究发现,微生物群体异质性现象普遍存在,与微生物群体许多关键功能密切相关.微生物群体中的多种异质性状态需要单细胞水平的分析技术才能被揭示,流式细胞术是获取异质性状态精确分布的重要工具.但微生物细胞尺寸微小、生物分子含量少、常常缺乏特异性试剂等都限制着传统流式细胞技术在微生物研究领域的应用.本论文采用新型的低背景、高灵敏度和高分辨率流式细胞仪,以增强的前向散射光、侧向散射光以及紫外光激发的细菌自发荧光水平这三个无需任何荧光标记就可以检测的信号为参数,首次揭示出不同生长状态的枯草芽孢杆菌具有复杂、动态的异质性状态分布.这一方法鉴定出的枯草芽孢杆菌多种状态及其与生理功能相关的、高度关联的变化,可能对该菌的生理变化规律及其分子机理的认识提供新的机遇.本论文也讨论了这一采用新型高灵敏度、高分辨率流式细胞仪测量非标记细胞参数的方法对于广泛开展各种微生物多态性研究具有巨大潜力.     

CD8 T-cell activation in mice injected with a plasmid DNA vaccine encoding AMA-1 of the reemerging Korean Plasmodium vivax

Relatively little has been studied on the AMA-1 vaccine against Plasmodium vivax and on the plasmid DNA vaccine encoding P. vivax AMA-1 (PvAMA-1). In the present study, a plasmid DNA vaccine encoding AMA-1 of the reemerging Korean P. vivax has been constructed and a preliminary study was done on its cellular immunogenicity to recipient BALB/c mice. The PvAMA-1 gene was cloned and expressed in the plasmid vector UBpcAMA-1, and a protein band of approximately 56.8 kDa was obtained from the transfected COS7 cells. BALB/c mice were immunized intramuscularly or using a gene gun 4 times with the vaccine, and the proportions of splenic T-cell subsets were examined by fluorocytometry at week 2 after the last injection. The spleen cells from intramuscularly injected mice revealed no significant changes in the proportions of CD8(+) T-cells and CD4(+) T-cells. However, in mice immunized using a gene gun, significantly higher (P<0.05) proportions of CD8(+) cells were observed compared to UB vector-injected control mice. The results indicated that cellular immunogenicity of the plasmid DNA vaccine encoding AMA-1 of the reemerging Korean P. vivax was weak when it was injected intramuscularly; however, a promising effect was observed using the gene gun injection technique.     

微波辅助提取荷叶生物碱条件的优化

对荷叶中主要生理活性物质生物碱的提取条件进行了初步研究,以稀盐酸水为溶剂结合微波照射浸渍提取,获得了较优化的提取工艺,即用pH2.5 HCl、微波辅助处理2.5 min、固液比1:40、提取温度90℃、提取时间3 h,可得荷叶生物碱量172.63μg.g-1。