The co-distribution of Plasmodium falciparum and hookworm among African schoolchildren

Background

On the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) have been the main tool used to control malaria over the last 13 years. In 2004, started an indoor residual spraying (IRS) campaign to control malaria. The purpose of this study is to asses the impact of the two control strategies on the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea), with regards to Plasmodium infection and anaemia in the children under five years of age.

Methods

Two transversal studies, the first one prior to the start of the IRS campaign and the second one year later. Sampling was carried out by stratified clusters. Malaria infection was measured by means of thick and thin film, and the packed cell volume (PCV) percentage. Data related to ITN use and information regarding IRS were collected. The Pearson's chi-square and logistic regression statistical tests were used to calculate odds ratios (OR)

Results

In the first survey, 168 children were sampled and 433 children in the second one. The prevalence of infection was 40% in 2004, and significantly lower at 21.7% in 2005. PCV was 41% and 39%, respectively. 58% of the children surveyed in 2004 and 44.3% in 2005 had slept under an ITN. 78% of the dwellings studied in 2005 had been sprayed. In the 2005 survey, sleeping without a mosquito net meant a risk of infection 3 times greater than sleeping protected with a net hanged correctly and with no holes (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

IRS and ITNs have proven to be effective control strategies on the island of Bioko. The choice of one or other strategy is, above all, a question of operational feasibility and availability of local resources.     

Plant Vascular Biology and Agriculture

The evolution of animal and plant vascular systems played a pivotal role in the advancement from simple to complex organisms, through the provision of a delivery system for the distribution     

不同术式的经内镜下行乳头括约肌切开术（EST）对肠胆反流的影响

目的：目前认为,十二指肠胆道反流是引起胆道反复感染,进而导致胆道结石再发和胆道狭窄的原因之一。近年来应用以内镜下逆行胆胰管造影术（endoscopicretrogradecholangiopancreatography,ERCP）为基础的微创治疗胆总管结束的技术开展颇为广泛。它主要包括ERCP、Oddi括约肌切开术（endoscopicsphincterotomy,EST）、十二指肠乳头球囊扩张术（endoscopicpapillarybal—Iondilation,EPBD）、胆管结石碎石取石术、胆总管支架植入术和鼻胆管引流术六大技术。本文主要研究了采用不同术式的EST,即EST中切口和EST小切口＋EPBD术,在术后早期对患者十二指肠胆道反流的影响。方法：63例胆总管结石患者,男30例,女33例,予行经内镜下逆行的胆胰管造影（ERCP）后分别采用不同术式EST,术后安放胆总管引流管。术后l周留取胆汁采用口服核素和测定胆汁中的胃蛋白酶I、II的浓度,对十二指肠胆道反流进行定量和定性的测定。结果：EST中切口术组、EST小切口＋球囊扩张（EPBD）组分别与无EST组相比,年龄和性别无统计学意义（P=0．07,P=0．416）。行EST中切开和小切开＋球囊扩张患者胆汁中的锝计数明显高于无EST组,且这两组不同术式的患者锝计数存在显著的统计学差异（P〈0．05）。行EST中切口者、EST小切口＋球囊扩张术者胆汁中的PGII质量浓度明显低于无EST组（P〈0．05）,但是EST中切口者和EST小切口＋球囊扩张术后两组间胆汁中PGII的质量浓度无统计学差异。结论：行EST中切口取胆总管结石的患者在手术早期较易发生十二指肠胆道的反流。因此,建议对于胆总管结石患者尽量选择行EST小切口＋球裳扩张术（EPBD）的手术方式。     

苎麻光合生理生态特性研究

以大田栽培的苎麻植株为材料,用TPS-2便携式光合作用测定系统测定自然条件下生长的苎麻叶片的光合气体交换参数,以及光响应曲线和CO2响应曲线,并通过回归和相关法分析探讨净光合速率与主要生理、生态因子间的关系.结果表明:(1)苎麻叶片的净光合速率(Pn)日变化曲线呈现双峰型,2个光合峰高度接近,其净光合速率具有典型的午休"现象;蒸腾速率(Tr)日变化曲线呈现单峰型,其走势与气孔导度(Gs)日变化一致.(2)苎麻叶片光合作用的光饱和点(LSP)为1 568.5μmol?m-2?s-1,光补偿点(LCP)为54.18μmol?m-2?s-1,表观量子效率(AQY)为0.025 8 mol?mol-1;而其CO2补偿点(CCP)、饱和点(CSP)和羧化效率(CE)分别为49.25、1 746.9μmol?mol-1和0.045;因此,苎麻属于喜光性阳生植物,且对强光有一定的耐受能力.(3)苎麻叶片Pn日变化的主要限制因子是胞间CO2浓度(Ci),主要决定生理因子是气孔导度(Gs).     

E. coli chaperones DnaK,Hsp33 and Spy inhibit bacterial functional amyloid assembly

Amyloid formation is an ordered aggregation process, where β-sheet rich polymers are assembled from unstructured or partially folded monomers. We examined how two Escherichia coli cytosolic chaperones, DnaK and Hsp33, and a more recently characterized periplasmic chaperone, Spy, modulate the aggregation of a functional amyloid protein, CsgA. We found that DnaK, the Hsp70 homolog in E. coli, and Hsp33, a redox-regulated holdase, potently inhibited CsgA amyloidogenesis. The Hsp33 anti-amyloidogenesis activity was oxidation dependent, as oxidized Hsp33 was significantly more efficient than reduced Hsp33 at preventing CsgA aggregation. When soluble CsgA was seeded with preformed amyloid fibers, neither Hsp33 nor DnaK were able to efficiently prevent soluble CsgA from adopting the amyloid conformation. Moreover, both DnaK and Hsp33 increased the time that CsgA was reactive with the amyloid oligomer conformation-specific A11 antibody. Since CsgA must also pass through the periplasm during secretion, we assessed the ability of the periplasmic chaperone Spy to inhibit CsgA polymerization. Like DnaK and Hsp33, Spy also inhibited CsgA polymerization in vitro. Overexpression of Spy resulted in increased chaperone activity in periplasmic extracts and in reduced curli biogenesis in vivo. We propose that DnaK, Hsp33 and Spy exert their effects during the nucleation stages of CsgA fibrillation. Thus, both housekeeping and stress induced cytosolic and periplasmic chaperones may be involved in discouraging premature CsgA interactions during curli biogenesis.Key words: chaperone, curli, functional amyloid, CsgA, DnaK, Hsp33, Spy     

核心组蛋白的融合表达和纯化

目的:克隆核心组蛋白H2A、H2B、H3和H4的基因,表达并纯化组蛋白与谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(GST)的融合蛋白。方法:用PCR方法从乳腺文库中扩增核心组蛋白H2A、H2B、H3和H4的编码序列,分别将其以正确相位与pGEX-KG载体中的GST编码序列融合,得到重组质粒pGST-H2A、pGST-H2B、pGST-H3和pGST-H4,分别转化大肠杆菌BL21,表达融合蛋白GST-H2A、GST-H2B、GST-H3和GST-H4;用谷胱甘肽-Sepharose 4B亲和纯化融合蛋白;用Western印迹检测融合蛋白的表达及纯化。结果:分别构建了核心组蛋白H2A、H2B、H3和H4的融合表达载体;Western印迹检测表明,融合蛋白GST-H2A、GST-H2B、GST-H3和GST-H4获得表达及纯化。结论:表达并纯化了H2A、H2B、H3和H4的融合蛋白,为进一步研究核心组蛋白的功能奠定了基础。     

Pin1 promotes cell death in NGF-dependent neurons through a mechanism requiring c-Jun activity

Developing neurons deprived of trophic support undergo apoptosis mediated by activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and c-Jun, induction of the Bcl-2 homology 3-only protein Bim_EL, Bax-dependent loss of mitochondrial cytochrome c , and caspase activation. However, the mechanisms that regulate each of these events are only partially understood. Here we show that the prolyl isomerase Pin1 functions as a positive regulator of neuronal death through a c-Jun-dependent mechanism. Ectopic Pin1 promoted caspase-dependent death of NGF-maintained neurons that was associated with an accumulation of Ser⁶³-phosphorylated c-Jun in neuronal nuclei and was partially dependent on Bax. Downregulating Pin1 prior to NGF withdrawal suppressed the accumulation of phosphorylated c-Jun, inhibited the release of cytochrome c , and significantly delayed cell death. Pin1 knockdown inhibited NGF deprivation-induced death to a similar extent in Bim (+/+) and Bim (−/−) neurons. The protective effect of Pin1 knockdown was significantly greater than that caused by loss of Bim and nearly identical to that caused by a dominant negative form of c-Jun. Finally, cell death induced by ectopic Pin1 was largely blocked by expression of dominant negative c-Jun. These results suggest a novel mechanism by which Pin1 promotes cell death involving activation of c-Jun.