湖南鱼类新记录4种

2004年8月～2005年7月,在湖南安化进行鱼类资源调查期间,发现湖南鱼类新记录4种：漓江副沙鳅、盎堂拟鲿、越南鲇和司氏（鱼央）.     

A comprehensive analysis of root morphological changes and nitrogen allocation in maize in response to low nitrogen stress

The plasticity of root architecture is crucial for plants to acclimate to unfavourable environments including low nitrogen (LN) stress. How maize roots coordinate the growth of axile roots and lateral roots (LRs), as well as longitudinal and radial cell behaviours in response to LN stress, remains unclear. Maize plants were cultivated hydroponically under control (4 mm nitrate) and LN (40 μm ) conditions. Temporal and spatial samples were taken to analyse changes in the morphology, anatomical structure and carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio in the axile root and LRs. LN stress increased axile root elongation, reduced the number of crown roots and decreased LR density and length. LN stress extended cell elongation zones and increased the mature cell length in the roots. LN stress reduced the cell diameter and total area of vessels and increased the amount of aerenchyma, but the number of cell layers in the crown root cortex was unchanged. The C/N ratio was higher in the axile roots than in the LRs. Maize roots acclimate to LN stress by optimizing the anatomical structure and N allocation. As a result, axile root elongation is favoured to efficiently find available N in the soil.     

大鼠胰岛分离、培养条件的优化及miR-126表达的检测方法比较

目的:优化SD大鼠胰岛细胞的分离、纯化和培养方法与条件,为研究miR-126在Ⅱ型糖尿病中的作用机制提供活性与功能良好的胰岛细胞及miR-126表达的检测方法。方法:水合氯醛腹腔注射麻醉SD大鼠,采用8 mL胶原酶Ⅴ(含DNaseⅠ100 U)逆行注射、原位消化后Hitopaque-1077梯度离心分离纯化SD大鼠胰岛细胞,从培养后的胰岛细胞中提取总RNA,分别用加尾法和茎环法进行miR-126的反转录,实时定量PCR(qPCR)检测miR-126的表达量。结果:用该方法可从每只SD大鼠中分离、纯化得到胰岛细胞372±45个,胰岛细胞纯度90%,胰岛细胞存活率95%;用加尾法和茎环法qPCR检测miR-126的Cp值分别为34.56±2.56和32.47±2.01。结论:胶原酶Ⅴ(含DNaseⅠ100 U)逆行注射、原位消化可有效避免因消化时胶状物质的产生而导致的胰岛细胞分离失败,Hitopque-1077梯度离心分离方法具有操作简单、便捷、成功率高等特点,可得到活性与功能较好的胰岛细胞;与加尾法相比,茎环法能够更灵敏地检测胰岛细胞miR-126的表达量。     

基于叶片尺度观测数据的气孔导度模型评价

气孔导度(g)是控制冠层与大气之间能量和水分交换的重要因素。空气湿度是控制植物叶片气孔导度的一个关键环境因子。在过去的十几年中,普遍得到应用的是Ball-Woodrow-Berry(BWB)模型和Leuning模型中气孔导度与湿度的关系。本研究使用一个诊断变量f(H),基于农田叶片水平的光合-气孔导度观测数据,对BWB模型、Leuning模型以及新发展的power-h模型和power-D模型进行了气孔导度模拟效果的比较和评价。结果表明:BWB模型描述的是g和相对湿度(hs)之间的一种线性关系,当空气较为湿润时,模拟结果存在较大的低估;Leuning模型中反映的是g与饱和水汽压差(Ds)的非线性函数,降低了模拟结果的误差,但仍然不能很好地描述g在较湿状况下的显著升高;相比之下,两个新的模型,即Ds的指数函数和(1-hs)的指数函数形式模型能提高模拟结果的精度。这个研究结果也表明基于Ds的模型模拟效果要好于基于hs的模型。     

Ancient drainages divide cryptic species in Australia's arid zone: morphological and multi-gene evidence for four new species of Beaked Geckos (Rhynchoedura)

Deserts and other arid zones remain among the least studied biomes on Earth. Emerging genetic patterns of arid-distributed biota suggest a strong link between diversification history and both the onset of aridification and more recent cycles of severe aridification. A previous study based on 1 kb of mtDNA of the monotypic gecko genus Rhynchoedura identified five allopatric clades across the vast Australian arid zone. We supplemented this data with 2.2kb from three nuclear loci and additional mtDNA sequences. Phylogenetic relationships estimated from the mtDNA data with ML and Bayesian methods were largely concordant with relationships estimated with the nDNA data only, and mtDNA and nDNA data combined. These analyses, and coalescent-based species-tree inference methods implemented with (?)BEAST, largely resolve the relationships among them. We also carried out an examination of 19 morphological characters for 268 museum specimens from across Australia, including all 197 animals for which we sequenced mtDNA. The mtDNA clades differ subtly in a number of morphological features, and we describe three of them as new species, raise a fourth from synonymy, and redescribe it and the type species, Rhynchoedura ornata. We also describe a morphologically distinctive new species from Queensland based on very few specimens. The distribution of arid zone clades across what is now relatively homogeneous sand deserts seems to be related to a topographic divide between the western uplands and eastern lowlands, with species' distributions correlated with dryland rivers and major drainage divides. The existence of five cryptic species within the formerly monotypic Rhynchoedura points to ancient divergences within the arid zone that likely were driven by wet phases as well as dry ones.     

Cost-effectiveness of HIV screening in STD clinics, emergency departments, and inpatient units: a model-based analysis

Background

Identifying and treating persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection early in their disease stage is considered an effective means of reducing the impact of the disease. We compared the cost-effectiveness of HIV screening in three settings, sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics serving men who have sex with men, hospital emergency departments (EDs), settings where patients are likely to be diagnosed early, and inpatient diagnosis based on clinical manifestations.

Methods and Findings

We developed the Progression and Transmission of HIV/AIDS model, a health state transition model that tracks index patients and their infected partners from HIV infection to death. We used program characteristics for each setting to compare the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year gained from early versus late diagnosis and treatment. We ran the model for 10,000 index patients for each setting, examining alternative scenarios, excluding and including transmission to partners, and assuming HAART was initiated at a CD4 count of either 350 or 500 cells/µL. Screening in STD clinics and EDs was cost-effective compared with diagnosing inpatients, even when including only the benefits to the index patients. Screening patients in STD clinics, who have less-advanced disease, was cost-effective compared with ED screening when treatment with HAART was initiated at a CD4 count of 500 cells/µL. When the benefits of reduced transmission to partners from early diagnosis were included, screening in settings with less-advanced disease stages was cost-saving compared with screening later in the course of infection. The study was limited by a small number of observations on CD4 count at diagnosis and by including transmission only to first generation partners of the index patients.

Conclusions

HIV prevention efforts can be advanced by screening in settings where patients present with less-advanced stages of HIV infection and by initiating treatment with HAART earlier in the course of infection.     

Systemic maternal inflammation and neonatal hyperoxia induces remodeling and left ventricular dysfunction in mice

Aims

The impact of the neonatal environment on the development of adult cardiovascular disease is poorly understood. Systemic maternal inflammation is linked to growth retardation, preterm birth, and maturation deficits in the developing fetus. Often preterm or small-for-gestational age infants require medical interventions such as oxygen therapy. The long-term pathological consequences of medical interventions on an immature physiology remain unknown. In the present study, we hypothesized that systemic maternal inflammation and neonatal hyperoxia exposure compromise cardiac structure, resulting in LV dysfunction during adulthood.

Methods and Results

Pregnant C3H/HeN mice were injected on embryonic day 16 (E16) with LPS (80 µg/kg; i.p.) or saline. Offspring were placed in room air (RA) or 85% O₂ for 14 days and subsequently maintained in RA. Cardiac echocardiography, cardiomyocyte contractility, and molecular analyses were performed. Echocardiography revealed persistent lower left ventricular fractional shortening with greater left ventricular end systolic diameter at 8 weeks in LPS/O₂ than in saline/RA mice. Isolated cardiomyocytes from LPS/O₂ mice had slower rates of contraction and relaxation, and a slower return to baseline length than cardiomyocytes isolated from saline/RA controls. α-/β-MHC ratio was increased and Connexin-43 levels decreased in LPS/O₂ mice at 8 weeks. Nox4 was reduced between day 3 and 14 and capillary density was lower at 8 weeks of life in LPS/O₂ mice.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that systemic maternal inflammation combined with neonatal hyperoxia exposure induces alterations in cardiac structure and function leading to cardiac failure in adulthood and supports the importance of the intrauterine and neonatal milieu on adult health.