家禽市场污水来源的H5N1亚型禽流感病毒NS基因分析

对长沙市家禽市场污水来源的H5N1亚型禽流感病毒(Avian influenza viruses,AIV)的非结构蛋白(Non-structural,NS)基因进行进化和分子特征分析,探讨污水中H5N1病毒的传播风险。9份家禽市场环境污水H5N1亚型AIV标本进行NS基因TA克隆测序,测序结果利用Lasergene和Mega5软件进行氨基酸(amine acid,aa)比对和进化树分析。共得到8个阳性克隆,进化树构建显示8个H5N1的NS基因均属于A亚群,其编码的NS1和NS2蛋白与A亚群代表株(A/chicken/Hubei/w h/1999)aa同源性分别为90.1%～92.5%和91.0%～92.6%,8个H5N1的NS1和NS2aa之间的同源性分别为93.8%～100.0%和98.4%～100.0%。8个H5N1的NS1蛋白均具有缺失80～84位aa、C末端携带有ESEV的PL基序和第92位aa为E的高致病性分子特征。家禽市场污水来源的H5N1亚型AIV的NS基因具有高致病性的分子特征,这种基因特征表明污水可能传播H5N1病毒。     

Phenolic compounds detected in rice blast lesions

Salicylic,p-coumaric, and ferulic acids were detected in the acetone-insoluble cell fraction, presumably protein, extracted from the brown discoloured tissues of rice (Oryza sativa L.) leaves infected withPyricularia oryzae Cav. but not from healthy leaves. It is proposed that these phenolic acids are oxidizedin vivo in blast diseased rice leaves, and forms a protein-quinone complex.     

Metabolism in 1,3‐propanediol fed‐batch fermentation by a D‐lactate deficient mutant of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Klebsiella pneumoniae HR526, a new isolated 1,3‐propanediol (1,3‐PD) producer, exhibited great productivity. However, the accumulation of lactate in the late‐exponential phase remained an obstacle of 1,3‐PD industrial scale production. Hereby, mutants lacking D ‐lactate pathway were constructed by knocking out the ldhA gene encoding fermentative D ‐lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of HR526. The mutant K. pneumoniae LDH526 with the lowest LDH activity was studied in aerobic fed‐batch fermentation. In experiments using pure glycerol as feedstock, the 1,3‐PD concentrations, conversion, and productivity increased from 95.39 g L^?1, 0.48 and 1.98 g L^?1 h^?1 to 102. 06 g L^?1, 0.52 mol mol^?1 and 2.13 g L^?1 h^?1, respectively. The diol (1,3‐PD and 2,3‐butanediol) conversion increased from 0.55 mol mol^?1 to a maximum of 0.65 mol mol^?1. Lactate would not accumulate until 1,3‐PD exceeded 84 g L^?1, and the final lactate concentration decreased dramatically from more than 40 g L^?1 to <3 g L^?1. Enzymic measurements showed LDH activity decreased by 89–98% during fed‐batch fermentation, and other related enzyme activities were not affected. NADH/NAD⁺ enhanced more than 50% in the late‐exponential phase as the D ‐lactate pathway was cut off, which might be the main reason for the change of final metabolites concentrations. The ability to utilize crude glycerol from biodiesel process and great genetic stability demonstrated that K. pnemoniae LDH526 was valuable for 1,3‐PD industrial production. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 965–972. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Molecular mechanism for osmolyte protection of creatine kinase against guanidine denaturation.

The effects of osmolytes, including dimethysulfoxide, sucrose, glycine and proline, on the unfolding and inactivation of guanidine-denatured creatine kinase were studied by observing the fluorescence emission spectra, the CD spectra and the inactivation of enzymatic activity. The results showed that low concentrations of dimethysulfoxide (< 40%), glycine (< 1.5 m), proline (< 2.5 m) and sucrose (< 1.2 m) reduced the inactivation and unfolding rate constants of creatine kinase, increased the change in transition free energy of inactivation and unfolding (Delta Delta G(u)) and stabilized its active conformation relative to the partially unfolded state with no osmolytes. In the presence of various osmolytes, the inactivation and unfolding dynamics of creatine kinase were related to the protein concentrations. These osmolytes protected creatine kinase against guanidine denaturation in a concentration-dependent manner. The ability of the osmolytes to protect creatine kinase against guanidine denaturation decreased in order from sucrose to glycine to proline. Dimethysulfoxide was considered separately. This study also suggests that osmolytes are not only energy substrates for metabolism and organic components in vivo, but also have an important physiological function for maintaining adequate rates of enzymatic catalysis and for stabilizing the protein secondary and tertiary conformations.     

Malaria in Pregnancy Is a Predictor of Infant Haemoglobin Concentrations during the First Year of Life in Benin,West Africa

Background

Anaemia is an increasingly recognized health problem in Africa, particularly in infants and pregnant women. Although malaria is known to be the main risk factor of anaemia in both groups, the consequences of maternal factors, particularly malaria in pregnancy (MiP), on infant haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations during the first months of life are still unclear.

Methods

We followed-up a cohort of 1005 Beninese pregnant women from the beginning of pregnancy until delivery. A subsample composed of the first 400 offspring of these women were selected at birth and followed until the first year of life. Placental histology and blood smear at 1^st clinical antenatal visit (ANC), 2^nd ANC and delivery were used to assess malaria during pregnancy. Infant Hb concentrations were measured at birth, 6, 9 and 12 months of age. A mixed multi-level model was used to assess the association between MiP and infant Hb variations during the first 12 months of life.

Results

Placental malaria (difference mean [dm] = - 2.8 g/L, 95% CI [-5.3, -0.3], P = 0.03) and maternal peripheral parasitaemia at delivery (dm = - 4.6 g/L, 95% CI [-7.9, -1.3], P = 0.007) were the main maternal factors significantly associated with infant Hb concentrations during the first year of life. Poor maternal nutritional status and malaria infection during infancy were also significantly associated with a decrease in infant Hb.

Conclusion

Antimalarial control and nutritional interventions before and during pregnancy should be reinforced to reduce specifically the incidence of infant anaemia, particularly in Sub-Saharan countries.     

Adipose-derived exosomes deliver miR-23a/b to regulate tumor growth in hepatocellular cancer by targeting the VHL/HIF axis

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - Adipose tissue has long been considered to be involved in tumor progression. However, the adipocyte-secreted molecular determinants that regulate...     

Mechanical Design with Experimental Verification of a Lightweight Exoskeleton Chair

In this study,a human-chair model was developed as the basis for a wearable-chair design.Aprototype chair,HUST-EC,based on the model was fabricated and evaluate...