Rheumatoid pleural effusion. A transmission and scanning electron microscopic evaluation

The pathognomonic triad of a rheumatoid pleural effusion (round multinucleated inflammatory giant cells, large elongated cells and a background of granular material) has only rarely been reported, with only one case examined by electron microscopy. This paper present an additional case with emphasis on its ultrastructural features and immunochemical characteristics. Our data support an origin of the components of the effusions in the pleural rheumatoid nodules.     

西藏冷杉原始林林隙对草本植物和灌木树种多样性的影响

研究了西藏东南部亚高山原始冷杉林林隙对草本植物和灌木树种多样性的影响．结果表明,西藏东南部亚高山原始冷杉林林隙与非林隙林分内草本植物和灌木树种的种类组成、数量、密度和物种多样性均存在较大的差异．由于林隙内光照条件的改善,草本植物和灌木树种更加丰富;林隙内有喜光的草本植物和灌木,也有耐荫性较强的草本植物和灌木,而非林隙林分内仅有耐荫和较耐荫的草本植物和灌木;大部分林隙内的草本植物和灌木树种的物种多样性和均匀度大于非林隙林分;林隙内与非林隙林分的群落相似系数较小,表明林隙与非林隙林分草本植物和灌木群落组成存在差异．林隙大小在174．2～562．2m^2之间,群落相似系数与林隙大小无明显关联．林隙促进了草本植物和灌木树种的繁衍,在维持藏东南亚高山原始冷杉林的物种多样性方面起着重要作用．     

西鄂尔多斯高原干旱荒漠灌木群落空间分布格局及其竞争关系分析

对西鄂尔多斯高原干旱荒漠中的四合木(Tetraena mongolica Maxim. )、霸王(Sarcozygium xanthoxylon Bunge)、白刺(Nitraria tangutorum Bobr. )和红砂[Reaumuria songarica (Pall. ) Maxim. ]优势群落(样方面积50 m×50 m)进行调查,并按土壤中根系分布深度(0～30、30～60、60～90和大于90 cm)将4种灌木分为4个灌木组,运用单变量函数g(t)、标记相关函数markcorr(t)和双变量函数g12(t)对4个灌木组内灌木的空间分布格局及竞争关系进行了研究.g(t)函数和markcorr(t)函数分析结果显示,4个灌木组内的灌木在0～25 m尺度上几乎都呈显著的随机分布,只有根系分布深度在地下0～30 cm的灌木在小于1 m的尺度上呈现均匀分布;除根系分布深度大于90 cm的灌木的标记在12～13 m尺度上呈现较显著的负相关关系外,在0～25 m尺度上每个灌木组间的标记都不相关,表明根系分布深度相似的灌木间无显著的排斥关系,灌木个体的大小不受周围灌木的影响.g12(t)函数分析结果显示,除根系分布深度为0～30与30～60 cm、30～60与60～90 cm的灌木组间分别在某一中小尺度上(3.0～3.5 m、小于1.5 m和7.0～7.5 m)呈现显著的正相关关系外,在0～25 m尺度内根系分布深度相邻的各灌木组间几乎无显著的相关关系,表明根系分布深度不同的灌木间并不互相影响.研究结果表明,在西鄂尔多斯高原干旱荒漠灌木群落中,具有不同生态学特性的灌木分别占据各自的土壤层,呈现出对土壤水分和养分的分层利用,不存在对资源的竞争.     

新生儿首次呼吸前后脐带动静脉血液氧和二氧化碳变化探索呼吸调控机制的初步报告I—血液氧和二氧化碳分压脐带动静脉差值的组间分析*

目的: 胎儿没有实际上的呼吸,新生儿出生后才开始呼吸,我们假设人的第一次呼吸主要是由于低氧而触发。本研究对流经主动脉体外周化学感受器后的脐带动脉血液氧分压（PuaO₂）变化规律和下限进行分析以探讨新生儿自主呼吸产生机制。方法: 选择签署知情同意书的正常分娩产妇数十例,仅14例新生儿在自主呼吸开始前成功完成脐带动脉或静脉置管。分别进行逐搏取血及顺序血气分析,计算血气指标的平均值、最高值和最低值,统计比较脐带动静脉的异同。结果: 在14例新生儿自主呼吸开始前完成采集脐带动脉（Pua）样本9例,脐带静脉（Puv）样本8例。就PO₂而言,所有9例PuaO₂随时间（心跳次数）呈逐渐降低倾向,直至在自主呼吸产生大约8~10次心跳后Pua挛缩、基本上无法取得足够的血样。PuaO₂平均值是（25.94±6.79,18.04~37.51）mmHg,最高值是（29.11±6.46,23.00~45.90）mmHg,最低值是（21.34±5.54,14.00~33.60）mmHg;但PuaCO₂变化趋势和规律则不够稳定,PuaCO₂平均值是（47.26 ±7.71） mmHg。PuvO₂随时间（心跳次数）虽也呈逐渐降低趋势,但多数还呈现随母亲呼吸节律的规律性交替升降的倾向,特别是母亲吸氧时。所有8例PuvO₂平均值是（53.35±21.35,32.56~100.73）mmHg,最高值是（90.38±48.44,43.40~153.00）mmHg,最低值是（36.96±14.90,24.80~73.80）mmHg;PuvCO₂平均值是（41.04±6.44)mmHg。虽然有着较大的个体差异,但 PuvO₂平均值、最高值和最低值均显著较PuaO₂高（P<0.05）;PuvCO₂虽略低于PuaCO₂,但无显著差异（P>0.05）。结论: 胎儿娩出为新生儿后自主呼吸前PuaO₂随时间（心跳次数）逐渐降低,在达到触发呼吸的阈值时诱发第一次吸气,从而开始自主呼吸。     

Algorithm for the Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Cross Reactive Immunologic Material-Negative Classic Infantile Pompe Disease: A Step towards Improving the Efficacy of ERT

Objective

Although enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is a highly effective therapy, CRIM-negative (CN) infantile Pompe disease (IPD) patients typically mount a strong immune response which abrogates the efficacy of ERT, resulting in clinical decline and death. This study was designed to demonstrate that immune tolerance induction (ITI) prevents or diminishes the development of antibody titers, resulting in a better clinical outcome compared to CN IPD patients treated with ERT monotherapy.

Methods

We evaluated the safety, efficacy and feasibility of a clinical algorithm designed to accurately identify CN IPD patients and minimize delays between CRIM status determination and initiation of an ITI regimen (combination of rituximab, methotrexate and IVIG) concurrent with ERT. Clinical and laboratory data including measures of efficacy analysis for response to ERT were analyzed and compared to CN IPD patients treated with ERT monotherapy.

Results

Seven CN IPD patients were identified and started on the ITI regimen concurrent with ERT. Median time from diagnosis of CN status to commencement of ERT and ITI was 0.5 months (range: 0.1–1.6 months). At baseline, all patients had significant cardiomyopathy and all but one required respiratory support. The ITI regimen was safely tolerated in all seven cases. Four patients never seroconverted and remained antibody-free. One patient died from respiratory failure. Two patients required another course of the ITI regimen. In addition to their clinical improvement, the antibody titers observed in these patients were much lower than those seen in ERT monotherapy treated CN patients.

Conclusions

The ITI regimen appears safe and efficacious and holds promise in altering the natural history of CN IPD by increasing ERT efficacy. An algorithm such as this substantiates the benefits of accelerated diagnosis and management of CN IPD patients, thus, further supporting the importance of early identification and treatment initiation with newborn screening for IPD.     

Rhodnius prolixus and Rhodnius robustus–like (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) wing asymmetry under controlled conditions of population density and feeding frequency

Habitat change in Rhodnius spp may represent an environmental challenge for the development of the species, particularly when feeding frequency and population density vary in nature. To estimate the effect of these variables in stability on development, the degree of directional asymmetry (DA) and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in the wing size and shape of R. prolixus and R. robustus–like were measured under laboratory controlled conditions. DA and FA in wing size and shape were significant in both species, but their variation patterns showed both inter-specific and sexual dimorphic differences in FA of wing size and shape induced by nutrition stress. These results suggest different abilities of the genotypes and sexes of two sylvatic and domestic genotypes of Rhodnius to buffer these stress conditions. However, both species showed non-significant differences in the levels of FA between treatments that simulated sylvan vs domestic conditions, indicating that the developmental noise did not explain the variation in wing size and shape found in previous studies. Thus, this result confirm that the variation in wing size and shape in response to treatments constitute a plastic response of these genotypes to population density and feeding frequency.     

Hsp90-Cdc37 chaperone complex regulates Ulk1- and Atg13-mediated mitophagy

Autophagy, the primary recycling pathway of cells, plays a critical role in mitochondrial quality control under normal growth conditions and in the response to cellular stress. The Hsp90-Cdc37 chaperone complex coordinately regulates the activity of select kinases to orchestrate many facets of the stress response. Although both maintain mitochondrial integrity, the relationship between Hsp90-Cdc37 and autophagy has not been well characterized. Ulk1, one of the mammalian homologs of yeast Atg1, is a serine-threonine kinase required for mitophagy. Here we show that the interaction between Ulk1 and Hsp90-Cdc37 stabilizes and activates Ulk1, which in turn is required for the phosphorylation and release of Atg13 from Ulk1, and for the recruitment of Atg13 to damaged mitochondria. Hsp90-Cdc37, Ulk1, and Atg13 phosphorylation are all required for efficient mitochondrial clearance. These findings establish a direct pathway that integrates Ulk1- and Atg13-directed mitophagy with the stress response coordinated by Hsp90 and Cdc37.     

Polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation in Streptomyces coelicolor affected by SCO7613 gene region

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is stored as an important carbon and energy source in bacterial cells. For biomedical applications, gram-positive bacteria can be better sources of PHAs, since they lack outer membrane lipopolysaccharide. Although gram-positive Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) has been indicated as a high potential PHA producer, pha C gene that encodes the key enzyme PHA synthase in the metabolic pathway is not determined in its genome. BLAST search results of the GenBank database argued that SCO7613 could specify a putative polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase (PhaC) responsible for PHA biosynthesis. Deduced amino acid sequence of SCO7613 showed the presence of conserved lipase box like sequence, ⁵⁵⁵GASAG⁵⁵⁹, in which serine residue was present as the active nucleophile. Present study describes deletion of putative S. coelicolor pha C gene via PCR dependent method. We showed that SCO7613 is not an essential gene in S. coelicolor and its deletion affected PHA accumulation negatively although it is not ceased. Transcomplementation abolished the mutant phenotype, demonstrating that the decrease in PHA resulted from the deletion of SCO7613.     

环境因子对豆科共生固氮影响的研究进展

环境因子的限制一直是豆科植物一根瘤菌共生固氮体系没有在农业生产中充分发挥作用的重要原因之一。目前,研究涉及的环境因子主要行水分、矿质营养元素、温度、重金属、钠盐、CO2、土壤类型以及pH等。水分胁迫会导致豆科植物根瘤减少和固氮效率低下;矿质元素方面,除氮磷钾外,微量死素对固氮影响也很明显;不适的温度会对豆科植物的结瘤固氮产生一定的限制;重金属能从不同方面直接和间接地影响共生同氮,寻找适合作尾矿先锋植物的豆科植物是当前的一个研究热点。本文除详细阐述了这方面开展的研究以外,还浅析了这方而研究目前国内外存在的一些主要问题和发展趋势。