藏北申扎地区下石炭统永珠组下部孢子组合的特征及意义

报道藏北申扎永珠区德日昂玛—下拉剖面的永珠组孢子组合,发现孢子43属,70余种(包括未定种)。组合特征如下:1)缺乏欧美植物地理区早石炭世典型的石松类植物的小孢子Lycospora属及早石炭世晚期(维宪期)重要孢子属;2)出现较多早石炭世早期(杜内期),甚至泥盆纪晚期分子。呈现出新老化石的混合现象;3)北半球和南半球孢子的混合组合,同时也是冷、暖微古植物群混合,既有相当于中国早石炭世晚期大塘期以及西欧维宪期典型属种,又有南半球澳大利亚(包括巴西和非洲大陆)的维宪期的典型种。从孢子化石混合现象看,永珠组应为近岸浅水或滨海条件下的沉积,下伏地层的孢子化石再沉积现象说明当时有一次很大的海平面下降,在邻近地区出现了大面积的剥蚀区。说明杜内期末期—维宪期初期,申扎地区出现一次由冈瓦纳大陆冰川发育造成海平面相对下降。形成区域上不整合界面———洛工组或“巴日阿朗寨段”底部的不整合界面。混合孢子组合中的寒冷气候条件下的孢子化石的发现,印证了杨式溥、范影年和林宝玉推断的冈瓦纳冰川自早石炭世维宪期(大塘期)开始就影响到西藏申扎的推论。     

中国不同地域恒河猴MHC-Ⅰ型部分等位基因的调查

采用序列特异性引物-聚合酶链式反应(PCR-SSP)分型方法对在华南灵长类动物研究中心繁殖的247只中国恒河猴(Macaca mulatta)(其中30只来源于广西、34只来源于海南,183只来源于川西、安徽等内陆地区杂交群)的Mamu-A01、A02、A08、B01和NA7等5个MHC-Ⅰ型分子位点进行检测。结果显示,A01、A02发现于海南群和杂交群,阳性率均小于8.8%;A08发现于杂交群中,阳性率小于3.8%;B01发现于广西群和杂交群,阳性率均大于17.48%;NA7在3个猴群中均有发现,阳性率均大于32.4%。中国不同地域恒河猴群体携带的5个MHC-Ⅰ型等位基因的频率存在明显差异,通过与印度的恒河猴比较,中国恒河猴与印度恒河猴携带的MHC-Ⅰ等位基因也存在显著的差异。     

Contributions of source population and incubation temperature to phenotypic variation of hatchling Chinese skinks

Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation are viewed as the main factors that result in between-population variation in phenotypic traits,but contributions of ...     

糖类在植物组织培养中的效应

糖类是影响植物组织培养成功与否的关键之一。迄今为止,已用于植物组织培养的糖类有５０多种。在植物体细胞组织培养中,蔗糖一直作为标准碳源,然而其他糖类物质如：葡萄糖、麦芽糖和山梨醇对植物体细胞培养也产生了一定的影响。在植物花药培养中,蔗糖较好,但应注意麦芽糖对花药培养的促进作用。     

Categorization of humans in biomedical research: genes,race and disease

A debate has arisen regarding the validity of racial/ethnic categories for biomedical and genetic research. Some claim 'no biological basis for race' while others advocate a 'race-neutral' approach, using genetic clustering rather than self-identified ethnicity for human genetic categorization. We provide an epidemiologic perspective on the issue of human categorization in biomedical and genetic research that strongly supports the continued use of self-identified race and ethnicity.     

BACE蛋白的表达、纯化和活性测定

在大肠杆菌中表达、纯化并重新折叠以获得有活性的酸性蛋白水解酶 (BACE蛋白 )———一种与阿尔茨海默病 (AD)发病相关的蛋白水解酶。克隆BACE活性区的表达序列到原核表达载体 pET11a中 ,经E .coliBL2 1(DE3)表达 ,从包涵体中获取蛋白质 ,电泳鉴定后经梯度反向快速折叠法重新折叠 ,柱层析分离纯化 ,得到了表达的重组可溶性BACE蛋白 ;用高效液相色谱、质谱等方法检测其对人工合成多肽底物的水解作用 ;测定了BACE蛋白的酶促动力学常数。结果表明 ,得到的重组BACE蛋白具有水解人工合成小肽底物的活性。     

烟草耐盐愈伤组织变异体对盐渍的适应性

用组织培养及逐步增加,NaCl浓度的方法,筛选出烟草耐盐愈伤组织变异体。能耐盐(2％ NaCl)的愈伤组织在2％ NaCl中继代29次,再移入无盐培养基中培养11和20代后不能保持提高的耐盐性,分别退化到只耐1.5％与1.0％ NaCl的水平。耐2％ NaCl愈伤组织产生的再生植株自交后代,其萌发种子、幼苗及成长植株均未能表现出耐盐性,说明用选择胁迫方法所筛选出的耐盐细胞系,其耐盐性的提高属于生理适应性。     

TNF-α is associated with loss of lean body mass only in already cachectic COPD patients

Background

Systemic inflammation may contribute to cachexia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this longitudinal study we assessed the association between circulating C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 levels and subsequent loss of fat free mass and fat mass in more than 400 COPD patients over three years.

Methods

The patients, aged 40–76, GOLD stage II-IV, were enrolled in 2006/07, and followed annually. Fat free mass and fat mass indexes (FFMI & FMI) were calculated using bioelectrical impedance, and CRP, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 were measured using enzyme immunoassays. Associations with mean change in FFMI and FMI of the four inflammatory plasma markers, sex, age, smoking, FEV₁, inhaled steroids, arterial hypoxemia, and Charlson comorbidity score were analyzed with linear mixed models.

Results

At baseline, only CRP was significantly (but weakly) associated with FFMI (r = 0.18, p < 0.01) and FMI (r = 0.27, p < 0.01). Univariately, higher age, lower FEV₁, and use of beta2-agonists were the only significant predictors of decline in FFMI, whereas smoking, hypoxemia, Charlson score, and use of inhaled steroids predicted increased loss in FMI. Multivariately, high levels of TNF-α (but not CRP, IL-1ß or IL-6) significantly predicted loss of FFMI, however only in patients with established cachexia at entry.

Conclusion

This study does not support the hypothesis that systemic inflammation is the cause of accelerated loss of fat free mass in COPD patients, but suggests a role for TNF-α in already cachectic COPD patients.     

电压门控性钠离子通道与伤害性感受

伤害性感受器激活引起疼痛的概念,现已广泛被人们接受,大量实验表明,伤害性感受器兴奋性的变化与一些离子通道有关,对河豚毒素不敏感的电压依赖性钠离子通道（TTXr)选择性地分布于与伤害性感受有关的初级感受神经元,炎症反应和神经损伤诱发的慢性疼痛可诱发这种TTXr功能及基因表达的变化,TTXr通道蛋白的反义寡核苷酸（antisense ODN)处理可对抗炎症或神经损伤引起的痛觉过敏或超敏,提示TTXr在伤害性感受中起重要作用,有望成为特异性镇痛药物的药理作用靶点。     

构象耦合作用下驱动蛋白的定向运动

用电偶极子的转动来描述驱动蛋白的构象变化。把微管的构象简化为若干电偶极子的线性排列。驱动蛋白和微管之间的相互作用可看作偶极子－偶极子的耦合作用。计算结果表明：这种耦合作用能够产生沿微管的定向粒子流,并且粒子平均位移反映了驱动蛋白实验结果的主要特征。