Non-invasive diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis by the direct boil loop-mediated isothermal amplification method and MinION™ nanopore sequencing

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is gaining attention as a public health problem. We present two cases of CL imported from Syria and Venezuela in Japan. We diagnosed them as CL non-invasively by the direct boil loop-mediated isothermal amplification method and an innovative sequencing method using the MinION? sequencer. This report demonstrates that our procedure could be useful for the diagnosis of CL in both clinical and epidemiological settings.     

Testing hypotheses driving genetic structure in the cooperatively breeding Brown‐headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla

Habitat fragmentation has often been implicated in the decline of many species. For habitat specialists and/or sedentary species, loss of habitat can result in population isolation and lead to negative genetic effects. However, factors other than fragmentation can often be important and also need to be considered when assessing the genetic structure of a species. We genotyped individuals from 13 populations of the cooperatively breeding Brown‐headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla in Florida to test three alternative hypotheses regarding the effects that habitat fragmentation might have on genetic structure. A map of potential habitat developed from recent satellite imagery suggested that Brown‐headed Nuthatch populations in southern Florida occupied smaller and more isolated habitat patches (i.e. were more fragmented) than populations in northern Florida. We also genotyped individuals from a small, isolated Brown‐headed Nuthatch population on Grand Bahama Island. We found that populations associated with more fragmented habitat in southern Florida had lower allelic richness than populations in northern Florida (P = 0.02), although there were no differences in heterozygosity. Although pairwise estimates of F_ST were low overall, values among southern populations were generally higher than northern populations. Population assignment tests identified K = 3 clusters corresponding to a northern cluster, a southern cluster and a unique population in southeast Florida; using sampling localities as prior information revealed K = 7 clusters, with greater structure only among southern Florida populations. The Bahamas population showed moderate to high differentiation compared with Florida populations. Overall, our results suggest that fragmentation could affect gene flow in Brown‐headed Nuthatch populations and is likely to become more pronounced over time.     

火干扰对小兴安岭毛赤杨沼泽温室气体排放动态影响及其影响因素

利用静态箱-气相色谱法,对小兴安岭轻度火烧毛赤杨沼泽CH4、CO2、N2O生长季排放通量进行研究.结果表明:火烧使毛赤杨沼泽生长季CH4排放通量提高485.2％,CO2和N2O排放通量分别下降45.5％、24.8％.火烧未改变CH4季节性排放规律,但改变了CO2、N2O季节性变化规律.火烧样地CH4排放通量与土壤15cm温度间存在显著正相关性关系而与水位相关性不显著,火烧样地CO2排放与土壤0-30 cm温度呈显著或极显著正相关,与水位极显著负相关.对照样地CO2排放通量与土壤0-15 cm温度呈显著或极显著正相关,与水位极显著负相关,火烧使毛赤杨沼泽CH4排放源的强度增强,CO2、N2O的排放消弱,全球温室潜势下降约为43.34％.     

The effect of different platelet-rich plasma concentrations on proliferation and differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells in vitro

OBJECTIVES: The use of platelets and platelet products has become increasingly popular clinically as a means of accelerating endosseous wound healing. It is likely that growth factors released by activated platelets at the site of injury play a role in periodontal regeneration by regulating cellular activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biological effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primary cultures of hPDLCs were obtained from healthy premolars. PRP was isolated by two-step centrifugation. Two main growth factors present in the thrombin-activated PRP (platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF-AB] and transforming growth factor-beta1 [TGF-beta1]) were evaluated using ELISA assay. Activated PRP or the combination of recombined human TGF-beta1 (rhTGF-beta1) and PDGF-AB (rhPDGF-AB) were added to hPDLCs in different concentrations to assess cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. RESULTS: PRP contained high levels of TGF-beta1 and PDGF-AB. Cell attachment, proliferation and ALP activity were enhanced by addition of PRP or rhTGF-beta1 and rhPDGF-AB combination to the cell cultures, while the stimulatory potency of PRP was much greater than the latter. These stimulatory effects presented in a dose-dependant manner, it seemed that PRP with 50~100 ng/ml TGF-beta1 was an ideal concentration. CONCLUSIONS: PRP can enhance hPDLC adhesion, proliferation and induce the differentiation of hPDLC into mineralized tissue formation cell; thereby contribute to the main processes of periodontal tissue regeneration. For economical and biological reasons, PRP has more clinical beneficial than analogous growth factors.     

甲氰菊酯和辛硫磷及其混剂的土壤微生物降解

The degradation rates of fenpropathrin, phoxim and their mixture in un-sterilized soil were much quicker-than those in sterilized soil, which indicated that soil microorganisms played a significant role in the degradation pro-cessin soil. The half-life (T0.5) in un-sterilized soil was 56.2 d for fenpropathrin, 57.8 d for mixed fen-propathrin, 48.2 d for phoxim, and 41.7 d for mixed phoxim. The corresponding half-life (T0.5) in sterilizedsoil was 135.1 d, 147.3 d, 123.6 d, and 126.2 d, respectively. There were no significant differences for degradation rates between single use and mixed use of fenpropathrin and nhoxirn.     

Effects of acorn masting on population dynamics of three forest-dwelling rodent species in Hokkaido,Japan

The effects of the abundance of acorns of the oak, Quercus crispula, on the population dynamics of three rodent species (Apodemus speciosus, A. argenteus, and Clethrionomys rufocanus) were analyzed using time series data (1992–2006). The data were obtained in a forest in northern Hokkaido, Japan, by live trapping rodents and directly counting acorns on the ground. Apodemus speciosus generally increased in abundance following acorn masting. However, the clear effect of acorn abundance was not detected for the other two rodent species. Acorns of Q. crispula contain tannins, which potentially have detrimental effects on herbivores. Apodemus speciosus may reduce the damage caused by acorn tannins with tannin-binding salivary proteins and tannase-producing bacteria, whereas such physiological tolerance to tannins is not known in the other two rodent species. The differences in the effects of acorns between the three species may be due to differences in their physiological tolerance to tannins.     

中国垫瘿蚊属研究(双翅目：瘿蚊科)

记述了双翅目瘿蚊科一中国新记录属垫瘿蚊属 Conarete Pritchard 的4 种,其中包括2新种： 短须垫瘿蚊 C. brevipalpa Li et Bu, sp. Nov.（模式产地： 海南尖峰岭）和葫茎垫瘿蚊 C. sicyoidea Li et Bu, sp. Nov.（模式产地：海南尖峰岭）; 另外2种为在中国首次记录的种： 米垫瘿蚊 C. mihijamensis Grover （分布：海南尖峰岭）和印垫瘿蚊 C. indorensis Grover（分布：陕西周至板房子）。文中给出了垫瘿蚊属与近缘的短角瘿蚊属Anarete Haliday的区别特征和中国种类分种检索表。模式标本均保存于南开大学生物学系昆虫标本室。     

神农架川金丝猴栖息地植物区系特征及食物资源研究

2008年春季我国南方特大冰雪灾害,给受灾林区的森林生态系统及野生动物造成了巨大影响。神农架是川金丝猴分布的最东端,也是重灾区之一。该文基于灾前两年的实地调查资料,对神农架川金丝猴栖息地植物区系进行分析,以期为灾后生物多样性的检测评估及川金丝猴栖息地恢复建设提供依据。实地调查发现,川金丝猴栖息地内木本植物共有255种,隶属44科105属,其中乔木23科51属129种,灌木22科49属113种,木质藤本7科9属13种;据统计在栖息地内共有31科58属85种川金丝猴的食源植物。该区植物区系中温带分布性质的属占优势,有58个,占属数的56.30%;热带分布性质的属有22个,东亚和中国特有分布成分共有23个属,分别占属数的21.36%和22.33%;显示了该区地处亚热带与温带的过度性质。还统计了栖息地食源植物区系谱,分析了该区域食源植物特点。