多育赛多孢菌性鼻窦炎1例——致病菌的鉴定和体外抗真菌药物敏感性研究

目的报告国内首例多育赛多孢菌致鼻窦炎,并探讨致病菌的鉴定及其对抗真菌药物体外敏感性。方法取患者左侧上颌窦分泌物进行真菌培养和形态学鉴定,分离菌株β-球蛋白、rDNAITS序列分析确切鉴定,对分离菌进行7种抗真菌药体外药敏试验。结果根据菌株的形态学特点和基因序列结果鉴定为多育赛多孢菌。体外药敏试验显示该菌对7种抗真菌药物耐药。结论多育赛多孢菌所致的真菌病较少见,其确切鉴定靠形态学特征和基因分析。该菌株对多种抗真菌药物耐药。     

Determination of myoseverin embryotoxic potential by using FETAX

BACKGROUND: Since MYS is a microtubular poison with a reversible activity, Xenopus blastulae were exposed to MYS to verify the eventual drug-related developmental suspension and the reversibility of this effect. METHODS: Lethal and teratogenic effects of myoseverin (MYS) were evaluated using the FETAX. Embryos were exposed to different MYS concentrations from stage 8 to stage 47. RESULTS: Probit analysis gave 12.14 microM LC50 and 7.67 microM TC50 from which 1.58 T.I. is derived. Several malformations were observed such as facial abnormalities, abnormal tail flexure, heart ventricle chamber enlargement and external appendix. MYS led to an arrest of living embryo development. Before MYS removing, exposed blastulae showed the lack of mitotic spindles along with different nuclei alterations. Living embryos, moved in control solution, mainly died around the hatching showing severe malformations likely ascribable to the altered planes of newly occurring mitosis. CONCLUSION: In spite of the low T.I, MYS has to be considered a highly teratogenic compound.     

Lipid-protein stoichiometries in a crystalline biological membrane: NMR quantitative analysis of the lipid extract of the purple membrane.

The lipid/protein stoichiometries of a naturally crystalline biological membrane, the purple membrane (PM) of Halobacterium salinarum, have been obtained by a combination of (31)P- and (1)H-NMR analyses of the lipid extract. In total, 10 lipid molecules per retinal were found to be present in the PM lipid extract: 2-3 molecules of phosphatidylglycerophosphate methyl ester (PGP-Me), 3 of glycolipid sulfate, 1 of phosphatidylglycerol, 1 of archaeal glycocardiolipin (GlyC), 2 of squalene plus minor amounts of phosphatidylglycerosulfate (PGS) and bisphosphatidylglycerol (archaeal cardiolipin) (BPG) and a negligible amount of vitamin MK8.The novel data of the present study are necessary to identify the lipids in the electron density map, and to shed light on the structural relationships of the lipid and protein components of the PM.     

A rat mammary gland cancer cell with stem cell properties of self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation

The cancer stem cell hypothesis posits that tumors are derived from a single cancer-initiating cell with stem cell properties. The task of identifying and characterizing cancer-initiating cells with stem cell properties at the single cell level has proven technically difficult because of the scarcity of the cancer stem cells in the tissue of origin and the lack of specific markers for cancer stem cells. Here we show that a single LA7 cell, derived from rat mammary adenocarcinoma has: the ability to serially re-generate mammospheres in long-term non-adherent cultures, the differentiation potential to generate all the cell lineages of the mammary gland and branched duct-like structures that recapitulate morphologically and functionally the ductal–alveolar-like architecture of the mammary tree. The properties of self-renewal, extensive capacity for proliferation, multi-lineage differentiation and the tubular-like structure formation potential suggest that LA7 cells is a cancer stem model system to study the dynamics of tumor formation at the single cell level. Cinzia Cocola, Sveva Sanzone and Simonetta Astigiano have contributed equally to this work.     

Synthesis of one diastereomeric couple of the mucolytic drug domiodol [(4S, 2R,S)-2-iodomethyl-4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolane] from D-mannitol as chiral starting material

The acid-catalyzed reaction of D-mannitol 4 with bromoacetaldehyde diethyl acetal followed by periodate cleavage of the corresponding diacetal 5 afforded (4S, 2R, S)-2-bromomethyl-4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolane 3c in good yields, from which the title compound 1 is obtained by displacement of the bromine with lithium iodide. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Effects of starvation on the fighting ability of invasive and autochthonous ants

Ants are widespread in all terrestrial habitats, and competitive interactions between species are common. Although redistribution of food within a colony may buffer the negative effects of temporary resource shortages, colony functionality can be compromised when famine is prolonged. One of the possible effects of famine is impairment of the fighting ability of species, with cascade effects on community. Here, we investigated whether food shortage alters the fighting ability of workers of three dominant species in the Mediterranean area: the invasive alien species, Lasius neglectus and Linepithema humile, and one highly polydomous autochthonous species belonging to the Tapinoma nigerrimum complex. We performed laboratory tests of interspecific one-on-one aggression and pairwise group contests between species, with all possible combinations of artificially satiated and starved groups. Results showed that starvation had a scarce effect on the individual aggressiveness in all three species. Similarly, the outcomes of the group fights were only lightly affected, but with an important exception. The positions of species in the fighting hierarchies were in most cases clear and linear, with L. neglectus at the top. However, we found that L. humile and L. neglectus showed equal mortality when one of the two species was starved and the other satiated. Although we investigated only one aspect of competition, that is, fighting ability, our results provide a piece of the complex jigsaw of competitive interactions of ants, and suggest that food deprivation can be a determinant that alters the relationships between ants and promotes or hampers the coexistence of dominant species.