乙肝患者肝纤维化血清标志物表达水平及其临床意义

目的探讨乙肝患者肝纤维化血清标志物表达水平及其与病情、病程的关系。方法用R IA方法对135例乙肝患者进行血清透明质酸酶(HA)、层粘连蛋白(LN)、Ⅲ型胶原前体(PⅢC)、Ⅳ型胶原(ⅣC)检测。结果乙肝患者血清中HA、LN、PⅢC和ⅣC水平分别为(338.7±122.6)、(226.2±43.3)、(152.8±33.7)和(132.6±41.1)μg/L。其中,急性黄疸肝炎、慢性肝炎轻度、慢性肝炎中度、慢性肝炎重度、肝硬变代偿期、肝硬变失代偿期、肝癌和肝硬变+肝癌患者HA、LN、PⅢC和ⅣC水平分别为(134.2±101.4)、(185.1±104.5)、(373.5±147.1)、(445.5±123.6)、(477.3±186.0)、(653.7±98.5)、(597.5±91.3)和(723.6±110.4)μg/L;(106.7±31.3)、(179.5±28.5)、(234.6±66.1)、(287.3±57.0)、(294.8±66.4)、(345.6±61.2)、(322.1±71.0)和(357.8±88.3)μg/L;(103.5±19.2)、(108.6±21.4)、(145.3±37.3)、(194.5±41.7)、(188.8±39.5)、(247.6±48.0)、(251.3±37.3)和(286.7±35.8)μg/L;(49.6±14.7)、(83.4±15.3)、(134.5±50.5)、(178.7±61.4)、(183.2±61.3)、(256.8±72.4)、(217.7±64.5)和(281.1±57.0)μg/L。结论肝癌、肝硬化、肝硬变+肝癌和慢性肝炎重度患者存在明显的肝纤维化征象,急性黄疸肝炎、慢性肝炎轻度患者肝纤维化程度较轻,在一定范围内肝纤维化程度与肝病的病情、病程关系密切。     

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci from the pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Thirteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed from an enriched partial genomic library for the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), one of the most important cotton pests in the world. The total number of alleles ranged from two to 12 for a sample of 50 individuals and the expected heterozygosity at these loci ranged from 0.042 to 0.830. Although the presence of null alleles in some loci is suspected, these polymorphic markers are likely to provide useful tools for the population genetic studies of this species.     

Interspecific Infanticide and Infant‐Directed Aggression by Spider Monkeys (Ateles hybridus) in a Fragmented Forest in Colombia

Interspecific aggression amongst nonhuman primates is rarely observed and has been mostly related to scenarios of resource competition. Interspecific infanticide is even rarer, and both the ultimate and proximate socio‐ecological factors explaining this behavior are still unclear. We report two cases of interspecific infanticide and five cases of interspecific infant‐directed aggression occurring in a well‐habituated primate community living in a fragmented landscape in Colombia. All cases were initiated by male brown spider monkeys (Ateles hybridus) and were directed toward infants of either red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus: n = 6 cases) or white‐fronted capuchins (Cebus albifrons: n = 1 case). One individual, a subadult spider monkey male, was involved in all but one case of interspecific infanticide or aggression. Other adult spider monkeys participated in interspecific aggression that did not escalate into potentially lethal encounters. We suggest that competition for food resources and space in a primate community living in high population densities and restricted to a forest fragment of ca. 65 ha might partly be driving the observed patterns of interspecific aggression. On the other hand, the fact that all but one case of interspecific infanticide and aggression involved the only subadult male spider monkey suggests this behavior might either be pathological or constitute a particular case of redirected aggression. Even if the underlying principles behind interspecific aggression and infanticide are poorly understood, they represent an important factor influencing the demographic trends of the primate community at this study site. Am. J. Primatol. 74:990‐997, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Photosynthetic limitations and volatile and non‐volatile isoprenoids in the poikilochlorophyllous resurrection plant Xerophyta humilis during dehydration and rehydration

We investigated the photosynthetic limitations occurring during dehydration and rehydration of Xerophyta humilis, a poikilochlorophyllous resurrection plant, and whether volatile and non‐volatile isoprenoids might be involved in desiccation tolerance. Photosynthesis declined rapidly after dehydration below 85% relative water content (RWC). Raising intercellular CO₂ concentrations during desiccation suggest that the main photosynthetic limitation was photochemical, affecting energy‐dependent RuBP regeneration. Imaging fluorescence confirmed that both the number of photosystem II (PSII) functional reaction centres and their efficiency were impaired under progressive dehydration, and revealed the occurrence of heterogeneous photosynthesis during desiccation, being the basal leaf area more resistant to the stress. Full recovery in photosynthetic parameters occurred on rehydration, confirming that photosynthetic limitations were fully reversible and that no permanent damage occurred. During desiccation, zeaxanthin and lutein increased only when photosynthesis had ceased, implying that these isoprenoids do not directly scavenge reactive oxygen species, but rather protect photosynthetic membranes from damage and consequent denaturation. X. humilis was found to emit isoprene, a volatile isoprenoid that acts as a membrane strengthener in plants. Isoprene emission was stimulated by drought and peaked at 80% RWC. We surmise that isoprene and non‐volatile isoprenoids cooperate in reducing membrane damage in X. humilis, isoprene being effective when desiccation is moderate while non‐volatile isoprenoids operate when water deficit is more extreme.