我国巴拉巴按蚊形态描述

白踝按蚊种团是由很多形态近似的蚊种组成,其中巴拉巴按蚊和白踝按蚊均为东南亚一带的重要传疟媒介。我国过去资料均记载为白踝按蚊,但未从形态上详细鉴定。为了确定该种的分类地位,1963年作者等在海南岛万宁县兴隆附近山林区采集“白踝按蚊”全套标本10批共150多套,1971年后从云南省采集少数标本进行形态鉴定,发现其与Colless(1956,1957)所描述的白踝按蚊Anopheles leucosphyrus leucosphyrus Donitz(1901)有很明显的差别,而与巴拉巴按蚊A.balabacensis balabacensis Balsas(1936)除某些特征略有差异外,余均完全一致。按Colless的分类法,过去我国记载的“白踝按蚊”,应鉴定为巴拉巴按蚊A.balabacensis balabacensis Baisas。     

Rational design of a more stable yeast iso-1-cytochrome c.

Yeast iso-1-cytochrome c is one of the least stable mitochondrial cytochromes c. We have used a coordinated approach, combining the known functional and structural properties of cytochromes c, to engineer mutations into yeast iso-1-cytochrome c with the goal of selectively increasing the stability of the protein. The two redox forms of the native protein and six different mutant forms of yeast iso-1-cytochrome c were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The relative stability, expressed as the difference in the Gibb's free energy of denaturation at a given temperature between the native and mutant forms (DeltaDeltaG(Tref)), was determined for each of the proteins. In both oxidation states, the mutant proteins C102T, T69E/C102T, T96A/C102T, and T69E/T96A/C102T were more stable than the wild-type protein, respectively. The increased stability of the mutant proteins is proposed to be due to the removal of a rare surface cysteine and the stabilization of two distorted alpha-helices.     

Evidence of Pervasive Biologically Functional Secondary Structures within the Genomes of Eukaryotic Single-Stranded DNA Viruses

Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses have genomes that are potentially capable of forming complex secondary structures through Watson-Crick base pairing between their constituent nucleotides. A few of the structural elements formed by such base pairings are, in fact, known to have important functions during the replication of many ssDNA viruses. Unknown, however, are (i) whether numerous additional ssDNA virus genomic structural elements predicted to exist by computational DNA folding methods actually exist and (ii) whether those structures that do exist have any biological relevance. We therefore computationally inferred lists of the most evolutionarily conserved structures within a diverse selection of animal- and plant-infecting ssDNA viruses drawn from the families Circoviridae, Anelloviridae, Parvoviridae, Nanoviridae, and Geminiviridae and analyzed these for evidence of natural selection favoring the maintenance of these structures. While we find evidence that is consistent with purifying selection being stronger at nucleotide sites that are predicted to be base paired than at sites predicted to be unpaired, we also find strong associations between sites that are predicted to pair with one another and site pairs that are apparently coevolving in a complementary fashion. Collectively, these results indicate that natural selection actively preserves much of the pervasive secondary structure that is evident within eukaryote-infecting ssDNA virus genomes and, therefore, that much of this structure is biologically functional. Lastly, we provide examples of various highly conserved but completely uncharacterized structural elements that likely have important functions within some of the ssDNA virus genomes analyzed here.     

Subinhibitory arsenite concentrations lead to population dispersal in Thiomonas sp

Biofilms represent the most common microbial lifestyle, allowing the survival of microbial populations exposed to harsh environmental conditions. Here, we show that the biofilm development of a bacterial species belonging to the Thiomonas genus, frequently found in arsenic polluted sites and playing a key role in arsenic natural remediation, is markedly modified when exposed to subinhibitory doses of this toxic element. Indeed, arsenite [As(III)] exposure led to a considerable impact on biofilm maturation by strongly increasing the extracellular matrix synthesis and by promoting significant cell death and lysis within microcolonies. These events were followed by the development of complex 3D-biofilm structures and subsequently by the dispersal of remobilized cells observed inside the previously formed hollow voids. Our results demonstrate that this biofilm community responds to arsenite stress in a multimodal way, enhancing both survival and dispersal. Addressing this complex bacterial response to As(III) stress, which might be used by other microorganisms under various adverse conditions, may be essential to understand how Thiomonas strains persist in extreme environments.     

非小细胞肺癌的治疗方案及影响预后的重要因素

目的:回顾分析各种非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)的治疗方案及影响其治疗预后的因素,为合理制定个体化的综合治疗方案提供参考。方法:回顾分析近年来NSCLC治疗的研究报道,分析如病理分期、实验室检查结果(VEGF、WBC、Hg等)影响治疗预后的因素,建议相应的治疗对策。结果:1.Ⅰ期、Ⅱ期及部分Ⅲa期NSCLC的患者治疗措施首先以手术治疗为主,同步放化疗比单纯放、化疗及序贯放化疗更能有效改善晚期NSCLC的预后;2.个体相关因素、肿瘤相关因素和治疗相关因素影响NSCLC治疗预后。结论:同步放化疗在晚期NSCLC的治疗中有重要作用,肿瘤的病理分期、血浆VEGF浓度是影响NSCLC预后的独立因素。     

Influence of Biological Factors on Connectivity Patterns for Concholepas concholepas (loco) in Chile

In marine benthic ecosystems, larval connectivity is a major process influencing the maintenance and distribution of invertebrate populations. Larval connectivity is a complex process to study as it is determined by several interacting factors. Here we use an individual-based, biophysical model, to disentangle the effects of such factors, namely larval vertical migration, larval growth, larval mortality, adults fecundity, and habitat availability, for the marine gastropod Concholepas concholepas (loco) in Chile. Lower transport success and higher dispersal distances are observed including larval vertical migration in the model. We find an overall decrease in larval transport success to settlement areas from northern to southern Chile. This spatial gradient results from the combination of current direction and intensity, seawater temperature, and available habitat. From our simulated connectivity patterns we then identify subpopulations of loco along the Chilean coast, which could serve as a basis for spatial management of this resource in the future.