Identification of up-regulated genes in human uterine leiomyoma by suppression subtractive hybridization

In searching for differentially expressed genes in human uterine leiomyomas (ULs), suppression subtractive hybridization was used to construct an UL up-regulated library, which turned out to represent 88 genes. After two rounds of screening by reverse Northern analysis, twenty genes were proved to be up-regulated, including seventeen known genes and three genes with unknown function. All these genes were firstly associated with UL. Three genes with notable difference were selected for Northern confirmation. Our results proved the authenticity of the twenty genes. One gene named Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) showed up-regulation in 4/6 of the patients and investigation of tissue distribution indicated that it had obvious expression in prostate, testis, liver, heart and skeletal muscle.     

Acoustic detection of termite infestations in urban trees

A portable, low-frequency acoustic system was used to detect termite infestations in urban trees. The likelihood of infestation was rated independently by a computer program and an experienced listener that distinguished insect sounds from background noises. Because soil is a good insulator, termite sounds could be detected easily underneath infested trees, despite the presence of high urban background noise. Termite sounds could be detected also in trunks, but background noise often made it difficult to identify termite signals unambiguously. High likelihoods of termite infestation were predicted at four live oak (Quercus virginiana Mill, Fagacae), two loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L., Pinacae), and two baldcypress (Taxodium distichum Rich. Pinacae) trees that wood-baited traps had identified as infested with Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Infestations also were predicted at two pine trees with confirmed recoveries of Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). Low likelihoods of infestation were predicted in four oak trees where no termites were found. Additional tests were conducted in anechoic environments to determine the range of acoustic detectability and the feasibility of acoustically estimating termite population levels. There was a significant regression between the activity rate and the number of termites present in a wood trap block, with a minimum detectable number of approximately 50 workers per liter of wood. The success of these field tests suggests that currently available acoustic systems have considerable potential to detect and monitor hidden infestations of termites in urban trees and around building perimeters in addition to their present uses to detect and monitor termite infestations in buildings.     

Reducing the vascular delay period in latissimus dorsi muscle flaps for use in cardiomyoplasty

Although the mechanism by which vascular delay benefits skin flaps is not completely understood, this topic has been extensively studied and reported on in the literature. In contrast, little has been documented about the effects of vascular delay in skeletal muscle flaps. Recent animal studies tested the effectiveness of vascular delay to enhance latissimus dorsi muscle flap viability for use in cardiomyoplasty and found that it prevented distal flap necrosis. However, these studies did not define the optimal time period necessary to achieve this beneficial effect. The purpose of this study was to determine how many days of "delay" can elicit the beneficial effects of vascular delay on latissimus dorsi muscle flaps. To accomplish this, 90 latissimus dorsi muscles of 45 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly subjected to vascular delay on one side or a sham procedure on the other. After predetermined delay periods (0, 3, 7, 10, and 14 days) or a sham procedure, all latissimus dorsi muscles were elevated as single pedicled flaps based only on their thoracodorsal neurovascular pedicle. Latissimus dorsi muscle perfusion was measured using a Laser Doppler Perfusion Imager just before and immediately after flap elevation. The muscles were then returned to their original vascular beds, isolated from adjacent tissue with Silastic film, sutured into place to maintain their original size and shape, and left there for 5 days. After 5 days, the latissimus dorsi muscle flaps were dissected free, scanned again (Laser Doppler Perfusion Imager-perfusion measurements), and the area of distal necrosis was measured using digitized planimetry of magnified images. The authors' results showed that delay periods of 3, 7, 10, and 14 days significantly increased (p < 0.05) blood perfusion and decreased (p < 0.05) distal flap necrosis when compared with sham controls. On the basis of these findings, the authors conclude that in their rat latissimus dorsi muscle flap model the beneficial effects of vascular delay are present as early as 3 days. If these findings also hold true in humans, they could be useful in cardiomyoplasty by allowing surgeons to shorten the amount of time between the vascular delay procedure and the cardiomyoplasty procedure in these very sick patients.     

Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis on chicken extracelluar fatty acid binding protein gene and its associations with fattiness trait

Fattiness is an important parameter to estimate meat quality, which has high heritability. In this experiment, F₂ chickens derived from Broilers crossing to Silky were used to study the effect of extracellular fatty acid binding protein (EX-FABP) gene on abdominal fat accumulation. 1.6 kb of the 5′ region of the gene was amplified by six pairs of primers, and then single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected by the technique of single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and then confirmed by sequencing. There were four nucleotides variations found, A-G at-1807, C-A at -1805, T-C at -1011 and a C insertion at -1000 respectively. The result of least square analysis suggests that the birds with BB genotype defined by the second pair of primer have a higher abdominal fat weight and abdominal fat percentage than the birds with the other genotypes (AA and AB). It implied that EX-FABP gene could be a candidate locus or linked to a major gene to significantly affect abdominal fat traits in chicken.     

Evidence for the production of chemical compounds analogous to nod factor by the silicate bacterium Bacillus circulans GY92

Silicate bacteria are generally placed in the species Bacillus circulans and are widely used in biological fertilisers and biological leaching. The bacteria can form conspicuous amounts of extracellular polysaccharides in nitrogen-free media or in the presence of substrates with large C/N ratios. Using high performance liquid chromatography, we have shown that B. circulans produced a new peak/compound when induced with the plant-to-bacteria signal molecule genistein. This material co-eluted with the lipo-chitooligosaccharide (Nod Bj-V (C18:1, MeFuc)) of Bradyrhizobium japonicum. This compound exhibited root hair deformation activity on soybean, which is characteristic of lipo-chitooligosaccharides (LCOs). We propose that this might be an LCO or closely related compound with similar biological activity.     

高原鼢鼠对低氧高二氧化碳环境适应的相关血液生理指标的季节变化

高原鼢鼠是终生生活于地下封闭洞道中的一种啮齿动物。为了探讨高原鼢鼠对低氧和高二氧化碳环境的适应机制,对春、夏和秋三季高原鼢鼠血液生理指标以及心肌和骨骼肌肌红蛋白含量进行了测定。春、夏和秋季高原鼢鼠动脉血和静脉血pH值分别为7.44±0.09、7.44±0.05、7.51±0.07和7.17±0.05、7.29±0.07、7.35±0.08,动脉血pH在不同季节没有显著性差异,静脉血pH春季显著低于夏季和秋季。动脉和静脉血二氧化碳分压(Pco2)分别为47.81±14.50mmHg、55.10±13.50mmHg、53.00±10.81mmHg和75.17±31.09mmHg、75.40±20.21mmHg、80.00±17.44mmHg,没有季节性差异;动脉和静脉血氧分压(Po2)分别为76.17±33.24mmHg、78.90±16.61mmHg、88.67±24.94mmHg和7.34±4.07mmHg、10.60±2.76mmHg、10.33±3.56mmHg,没有季节性差异;动脉和静脉血血氧饱和度(SaO2)分别为92.71%±5.00%、94.70%±3.65%、96.00%±4.38%和4.27%±3.03%、9.01%±5.26%、9.67%±6.02%,动脉血SaO2没有季节性差异,而静脉血SaO2春季显著低于夏季和秋季。血液红细胞数(RBC)、血红蛋白(Hb)和红细胞压积(HCT),从春季到冬季依次增加,并具有显著性差异,血清诱导型一氧化氮合成酶(iNOS)活力随着夏季洞道中二氧化碳浓度的增加而显著提高。心肌和骨骼肌肌红蛋白(Mb)含量春季显著高于夏季和秋季,红细胞内2,3-二磷酸甘油酸(2,3-DPG)含量秋季显著高于春季和夏季。上述结果表明:随着洞道中氧气和二氧化碳浓度的季节波动,高原鼢鼠通过调节氧转运有关的功能蛋白含量以及氧代谢有关的生理机制维持组织的氧平衡。     

Inhibition and enhancement by organic compounds of luminol-KIO4-H2O2 chemiluminescence.

The effects of 36 organic compounds on luminol-KIO(4)-H(2)O(2) chemiluminescence (CL) were studied. It was found that most of the tested compounds could inhibit or enhance the CL intensity. The activities of such inhibitors or enhancers were related to the pH of the CL system and the number and position of functional groups such as -OH and -NH(2) on aromatic rings. The mechanism of the CL inhibition and enhancement was considered. Based on the CL inhibition or enhancement, the possibility of analytical applications was explored. The results demonstrated that numerous compounds were detectable at the ng/mL level using the CL system.     

高活性厌氧颗粒污泥微生物特性和形成机理的研究

选择了几种生产废水和人工配水形成的厌氧颗粒污泥,进行了其微生物形态,特性和组成研究.成熟的颗粒表面电镜扫描观察表明,产甲烷索氏丝状菌是形成颗粒的主要细菌,在生长的后期相互缠绕形成拟颗粒状的菌团;八叠球菌在颗粒形成的初期也起到了一定的作用.本研究对人工配水颗粒污泥形成五阶段的污泥微生物组成和运行特点,以及“241”网状中空载体核对细菌的粘附作用等进行了初步观察.讨论了厌氧颗粒污泥形成必要的条件.     

弱激光对改善血红蛋白携氧功能的机理研究

本文用群论分析了卟啉的对称结构,并用量子力学导出激光－铁卟啉相互作用系统的自由能,改进了文献「２」的工作,对激光血管内照射能增强血液携氧能力的现象进行诠释。