全国第一次“植物生态学、地植物学”基础讲习班情况介绍

全国“植物生态学、地植物学”基础讲习班于1982年11月1—23日在河南郑州举办。为了振兴中华,使植物生态学、地植物学更好地服务于农、林、牧、渔各业区划需要,以及提高从事于农、林、牧、渔、环境保护等学科的科技人员,尤其是年青的科技人员的植物生态学、地植物学和生态系统学的基本理论、基础知识和学习有关的工作方法,早在1979年,以侯学煜教授为首的老一辈的科学家倡议,拟在哈尔滨举办这个讲习班,后因被聘请任教的多数教师先后出国考察和工作,讲习班未能如期开办。1981年12月,在河南安阳市召开的全国植被图学术工作会议上决定,1982年第四季度在河南举办。     

Classification of established atopic dermatitis in children with the in vivo imaging methods

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a cutaneous disease resulting from a defective barrier and dysregulated immune response. The severity scoring of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) is used to classify AD. Noninvasive imaging approaches supplementary to SCORAD were investigated. Cr:forsterite laser‐based microscopy was employed to analyze endogenous third‐harmonic generation (THG) and second‐harmonic generation (SHG) signals from skin. Imaging parameters were compared between different AD severities. Three‐dimensional reconstruction of imaged skin layers was performed. Finally, statistic models from quantitative imaging parameters were developed for predicting disease severity. Our data demonstrate that THG signal intensity of lesional skin in AD were significantly increased and was positively correlated with AD severity. Characteristic gray level co‐occurrence matrix (GLCM) values were observed in more severe AD. In the 3D reconstruction video, individual dermal papilla and obvious fibrosis in the upper papillary dermis were easily identified. Our estimation models could predict the disease severity of AD patients with an accuracy of nearly 85%. The THG signal intensity and characteristic GLCM patterns are associated with AD severity and can serve as quantitative predictive parameters. Our imaging approach can be used to identify the histopathological changes of AD objectively, and to complement the SCORAD index, thus improving the accuracy of classifying AD severity.      

Nitrogen addition increases aboveground silicon and phytolith concentrations in understory plants of a tropical forest

Plant and Soil - Silicon (Si) is a beneficial element for plants and plays important roles in the biogeochemical cycle of mineral elements. Yet, few studies have focused on the impact of nitrogen...     

Effects of mutations of D1-R323, D1-N322, D1-D319, D1-H304 on the functioning of photosystem II in Thermosynechococcus vulcanus

Photosynthesis Research - Photosystem II (PSII) has a number of hydrogen-bonding networks connecting the manganese cluster with the lumenal bulk solution. The structure of PSII from...     

Aberrant Expression of Osteopontin and E-Cadherin Indicates Radiation Resistance and Poor Prognosis for Patients with Cervical Carcinoma

Radiotherapy is the first-line treatment for all stages of cervical cancer, whether it is used for radical or palliative therapy. However, radioresistance of cervical cancer remains a major therapeutic problem. Consequently, we explored if E-cadherin (a marker of epithelial-mesenchymal transition) and osteopontin could predict radioresistance in patients with locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma (LACSCC). Patients were retrospectively reviewed and 111 patients divided into two groups (radiation-resistant and radiation-sensitive groups) according to progression-free survival (PFS). In pretreated paraffin-embedded tissues, we evaluated E-cadherin and osteopontin expression using immunohistochemical staining. The percentage of patients with high osteopontin but low E-cadherin expression in the radiation-resistant group was significantly higher than those in the radiation-sensitive group (p<0.001). These patients also had a lower 5-year PFS rate (p<0.001). Our research suggests that high osteopontin but low E-cadherin expression can be considered as a negative, independent prognostic factor in patients with LACSCC ([Hazard ratios (95% CI) 6.766 (2.940, 15.572)], p<0.001).     

Identification and Characterization of the First Cathelicidin from Sea Snakes with Potent Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory Activity and Special Mechanism

Cathelicidins are a family of gene-encoded peptide effectors of innate immunity found exclusively in vertebrates. They play pivotal roles in host immune defense against microbial invasions. Dozens of cathelicidins have been identified from several vertebrate species. However, no cathelicidin from marine reptiles has been characterized previously. Here we report the identification and characterization of a novel cathelicidin (Hc-CATH) from the sea snake Hydrophis cyanocinctus. Hc-CATH is composed of 30 amino acids, and the sequence is KFFKRLLKSVRRAVKKFRKKPRLIGLSTLL. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and structure modeling analysis indicated that Hc-CATH mainly assumes an amphipathic α-helical conformation in bacterial membrane-mimetic solutions. It possesses potent broad-spectrum and rapid antimicrobial activity. Meanwhile, it is highly stable and shows low cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells. The microbial killing activity of Hc-CATH is executed through the disruption of cell membrane and lysis of bacterial cells. In addition, Hc-CATH exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the LPS-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. Hc-CATH directly binds with LPS to neutralize its toxicity, and it also binds to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4/MD2 complex), which therefore inhibits the binding of LPS to TLR4/MD2 complex and the subsequent activation of LPS-induced inflammatory response pathways. Taken together, our study demonstrates that Hc-CATH, the first cathelicidin from sea snake discovered to have both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity, is a potent candidate for the development of peptide antibiotics.     

Rapid DNA detection by interface PCR on nanoparticles

A novel, rapid DNA detection method based on fluorescence quenching of quantum dots (QDs) by gold nanoparticles (GNPs) through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed. In proof-of-concept experiments, the length of the amplicon DNA ranging from 152 to 1003 base pairs (bp) could be determined based on quenched fluorescence intensity with 136 bp as the lower limit of effective range. And the real sample detections were also achieved successfully by this developed method. Therefore, this DNA detection method has the potential to be the powerful gene diagnostic tool.