Clinical,Virological and Immunological Features from Patients Infected with Re-Emergent Avian-Origin Human H7N9 Influenza Disease of Varying Severity in Guangdong Province

BackgroundThe second wave of avian influenza H7N9 virus outbreak in humans spread to the Guangdong province of China by August of 2013 and this virus is now endemic in poultry in this region.MethodsFive patients with H7N9 virus infection admitted to our hospital during August 2013 to February 2014 were intensively investigated. Viral load in the respiratory tract was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) and cytokine levels were measured by bead-based flow cytometery.ResultsFour patients survived and one died. Viral load in different clinical specimens was correlated with cytokine levels in plasma and broncho-alveolar fluid (BALF), therapeutic modalities used and clinical outcome. Intravenous zanamivir appeared to be better than peramivir as salvage therapy in patients who failed to respond to oseltamivir. Higher and more prolonged viral load was found in the sputum or endotracheal aspirates compared to throat swabs. Upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines IP-10, MCP-1, MIG, MIP-1α/β, IL-1β and IL-8 was found in the plasma and BALF samples. The levels of cytokines in the plasma and viral load were correlated with disease severity. Reactivation of herpes simplex virus type 1(HSV-1) was found in three out of five patients (60%).ConclusionExpectorated sputum or endotracheal aspirate specimens are preferable to throat swabs for detecting and monitoring H7N9 virus. Severity of the disease was correlated to the viral load in the respiratory tract as well as the extents of cytokinemia. Reactivation of HSV-1 may contribute to clinical outcome.     

西南岩溶地区石漠化综合治理研究

我国西南岩溶地区石漠化是人地矛盾作用下生态系统退化的过程或结果,石漠化不仅带来水土流失加剧、旱涝灾害频发、生物多样性降低等生态问题,还会带来贫困落后等一系列社会问题。20世纪80年代开始进行的石漠化治理工作已经成为我国西南岩溶地区生态文明建设的重要举措与必由之路,通过近40年来的石漠化治理使得我国西南岩溶地区石漠化问题恶化的趋势开始得到扭转。面向生态文明新时期的建设目标,石漠化脆弱区仍存在人地矛盾难以全面消除、治理成果可持续性亟待提升等问题,石漠化防治需要从多年来石漠化治理研究与实践探索积累中汲取有益于促进人地和谐、提升生态系统可持续性的治理经验与做法。因此,本文以石漠化治理典型区域调研资料与文献资料为数据基础,从石漠化治理目标、技术、措施和模式四个层面梳理石漠化治理经验与做法,归纳总结出石漠化综合治理四点配置原则:(1)以治理目标与预期周期为导向,确立石漠化治理采取的措施;(2)针对解决的关键生态退化问题,结合区域特征遴选石漠化治理技术;(3)针对石漠化退化阶段的差异,确定石漠化治理途径措施;(4)结合石漠化综合治理模式的共性特征,以小流域为基本单元,因地制宜的选择与构建石漠化综合治理模式。以期通过对实践经验的总结为石漠化治理过程中选择具备区位适宜性和机理明晰性的生态技术提供参考。     

A Potent Anticancer Agent of Shikonin Derivative Targeting Tubulin

In this study, a shikonin ester derivative, compound 3g , was selected to evaluate its anticancer activities and we found that compound 3g exhibited better antitubulin activities against the human HepG2 cell line with an IC₅₀ value of 1.097 μM. Furthermore, the inhibition of tubulin polymerization results indicated that compound 3g demonstrated the most potent antitubulin activity (IC₅₀ = 13.88), which was compared with shikonin and colchicine as positive controls (IC₅₀ = 25.28 μM and 22.56 μM), respectively. Compound 3g was simulated to have good binding site with tubulin and arrested the cell cycle at G2/M phase, which also induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells, in which P53 and members of Bcl‐2 protein family were both involved in the progress of apoptosis revealed by western blot. Confocal microscopy observations revealed compound 3g targeted tubulin and altered its polymerization by interfering with microtubule organization. Based on these results, compound 3g functions as a potent anticancer agent targeting tubulin. Chirality 27:274–280, 2015.. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

核酸适配体介导的多药耐药性肿瘤的治疗

化疗是目前肿瘤治疗最常见的方法。然而,肿瘤细胞的多药耐药（multidrug resistance,MDR）常导致临床化疗失败及患者的死亡。因此,干预和逆转肿瘤多药耐药,提高化疗效果,对于肿瘤的治疗具有重要的意义。核酸适配体是一种短的单链寡核苷酸,通过折叠形成特定空间结构从而与靶标特异性结合。靶向肿瘤的核酸适配体可以选择性地将治疗性物质（抗癌药物,siRNA,miRNA）和药物载体递送至肿瘤中,对肿瘤进行靶向杀伤。利用核酸适配体靶向多药耐药性肿瘤,能够特异性干预甚至逆转肿瘤的多药耐药性。本文概述了核酸适配体介导的干预与逆转肿瘤多药耐药性的研究进展。     

Genome sequence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida versatilis</Emphasis> and comparative analysis with other yeast

The genome of Candida versatilis was sequenced to understand its characteristics in soy sauce fermentation. The genome size of C. versatilis was 9.7 Mb, the content of G + C was 39.74 %, scaffolds of N50 were 1,229,640 bp in length, containing 4711 gene. There were predicted 269 tRNA genes and 2201 proteins with clear function. Moreover, the genome information of C. versatilis was compared with another salt-tolerant yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. C. versatilis and Z. rouxii genome size was close and both smaller than 12.1 for the Mb of S. cerevisiae. Using the OrthoMCL protein, three genomes were divided into 4663 groups. There were about 3326 homologous proteins in C. versatilis, Z. rouxii and S. cerevisiae.     

Endoglucanase enzymatic modification of kraft pulp during recycling

Objective

To investigate the cellulose modification process on kraft pulp during recycling by mono-endoglucanase.

Results

Pichia pastoris expressing endoglucanase, EG1, was grown in a 10 l fermenter yielding a high carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) activity of 340 U mg^?1. EG1-mediated modification of kraft pulp resulted in a paper sheet with the tensile index and burst index increased by 10 and 6.5 %, respectively. The kink index (indicating abrupt bends in fibres) of the enzyme-treated group decreased sharply by 45 % after the first recycling, compared with a reduction of only 1 % in the control group. Furthermore, EG1 treatment decreased the growth of crystallinity from 73.5 to 73.2 % and crystal size from 7.45 to 7.21 nm, which alleviated paper aging.

Conclusion

Endoglucanase EG1 modifies the interfacial properties of fibers, which affects fibre morphology during the recycling process and improves the technical properties of the resulting pulp and paper.

     

Chlorophyll a fluorescence of typical desert plant Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. at two light levels

Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. is exposed to a high-irradiance environment as the main vegetation found in the forelands of the Taklamakan Desert. We investigated chlorophyll a fluorescence emission of A. sparsifolia seedlings grown under ambient (HL) and shade (LL) conditions. Our results indicated that the fluorescence intensity in the leaves was significantly higher for LL-grown plants than that under HL. High values of the maximum quantum yield of PSII for primary photochemistry (φP_o) and the quantum yield that an electron moves further than Q_A - (φE_o) in the plants under LL conditions suggested that the electron flow from Q_A - (primary quinone electron acceptors of PSII) to Q_B (secondary quinone acceptor of PSII) or Q_B - was enhanced at LL compared to natural HL conditions. The efficiency/probability with which an electron from the intersystem electron carriers was transferred to reduce end electron acceptors at the PSI acceptor side and the quantum yield for the reduction of end electron acceptors at the PSI acceptor side were opposite to φP_o, and φE_o. Thus, we concluded that the electron transport on the donor side of PSII was blocked under LL conditions, while acceptor side was inhibited at the HL conditions. The PSII activity of electron transport in the plants grown in shade was enhanced, while the energy transport from PSII to PSI was blocked compared to the plants grown at HL conditions. Furthermore, PSII activity under HL was seriously affected in midday, while the plants grown in shade enhanced their energy transport.