内蒙古魏家窝铺遗址陶器内淀粉粒反映的古人类食谱及相关问题

魏家窝铺遗址位于内蒙古赤峰市红山区文钟镇魏家窝铺村,是一处大型的红山文化中期环壕聚落遗址。在2009-2011年发掘出土的陶器中,许多平底器类标本内壁表面都发现有细腻的黑色灰烬,我们对这些灰烬和几件不含灰烬的陶器标本进行了植物残留物提取和鉴定,从六份样品中观测到了植物淀粉粒,这些淀粉粒可根据形态分为四种类型,分别代表了禾本科、植物地下储藏器官、疑似坚果的植物种类和未知种类。大量的禾本科淀粉粒在形态上与粟类(小米)淀粉粒极为相似,加之遗址中出土的大量炭化粟,我们推测,这些陶罐中的黑色灰烬为内部盛装的粟炭化分解所致,这些陶器正是红山文化中的食物储藏器。存在的其他类型淀粉粒表明,尽管魏家窝铺遗址出土的植物遗存已显示了较为确凿的农业经济,但采集经济也仍占有重要地位。     

Purification and characterization of heparin from the Italian clam Callista chione

An unusual heparin (approximately 1.9 mg/g of dry tissue) was isolated from the marine italian bivalve mollusk Callista chione. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed a high content of the fast-moving heparin component (85 +/- 7.6%) and 15 +/- 1.3% of the slow-moving species. An average molecular mass of 10 950 was calculated by PAGE analysis. The anticoagulant properties were measured as APTT (97 +/- 12.1 IU/mg) and anti-Xa activity (52 +/- 7.4 IU/mg). Structural analysis of clam heparin, performed by depolymerizing heparin samples with heparinase (EC 4.2.2.7) and then separating the resulting unsaturated oligosaccharides by SAX-HPLC, revealed the presence of low amounts of the trisulfated disaccharide [DeltaUA2S(1-->4)-alpha-d-GlcN2S6S] and a significant increase of the disaccharides bearing nonsulfated iduronic and glucuronic acids, [-->4)-alpha-l-IdoA(1-->4)-alpha-d-GlcNAc6S(1-->] and [-->4)-alpha-l-IdoA(1-->4)-alpha-d-GlcN2S6S(1-->], and [-->4)-beta-d-GlcA(1-->4)-alpha-d-GlcN2S6S(1-->]. As a consequence, Callista chione heparin is a low-sulfated polysaccharide showing a specific decrease of the sulfatation in position 2 of the uronic acid units.     

Post-transplant Kaposi sarcoma originates from the seeding of donor-derived progenitors

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a vascular tumor that can develop in recipients of solid tissue transplants as a result of either primary infection or reactivation of a gammaherpesvirus, the KS- associated herpesvirus, also known as human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8). We studied whether HHV-8 and the elusive KS progenitor cells could be transmitted from the donor through the grafts. We used a variety of molecular, cytogenetic, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence methods to show that the HHV-8-infected neoplastic cells in post-transplant KS from five of eight renal transplant patients harbored either genetic or antigenic markers of their matched donors. These data suggest the use of donor-derived HHV-8-specific T cells for the control of post-transplant KS.     

非小细胞肺癌的治疗方案及影响预后的重要因素

目的:回顾分析各种非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)的治疗方案及影响其治疗预后的因素,为合理制定个体化的综合治疗方案提供参考。方法:回顾分析近年来NSCLC治疗的研究报道,分析如病理分期、实验室检查结果(VEGF、WBC、Hg等)影响治疗预后的因素,建议相应的治疗对策。结果:1.Ⅰ期、Ⅱ期及部分Ⅲa期NSCLC的患者治疗措施首先以手术治疗为主,同步放化疗比单纯放、化疗及序贯放化疗更能有效改善晚期NSCLC的预后;2.个体相关因素、肿瘤相关因素和治疗相关因素影响NSCLC治疗预后。结论:同步放化疗在晚期NSCLC的治疗中有重要作用,肿瘤的病理分期、血浆VEGF浓度是影响NSCLC预后的独立因素。     

Genetic testing in diffuse parenchymal lung disease

Background

Mutations in SCO2 cause cytochrome c oxidase deficiency (COX) and a fatal infantile cardioencephalomyopathy. SCO2 encodes a protein involved in COX copper metabolism; supplementation with copper salts rescues the defect in patients?? cells. Bezafibrate (BZF), an approved hypolipidemic agent, ameliorates the COX deficiency in mice with mutations in COX10, another COX-assembly gene.

Methods

We have investigated the effect of BZF and copper in cells with SCO2 mutations using spectrophotometric methods to analyse respiratory chain activities and a luciferase assay to measure ATP production..

Results

Individual mitochondrial enzymes displayed different responses to BZF. COX activity increased by about 40% above basal levels (both in controls and patients), with SCO2 cells reaching 75-80% COX activity compared to untreated controls. The increase in COX was paralleled by an increase in ATP production. The effect was dose-dependent: it was negligible with 100 ??M BZF, and peaked at 400 ??M BZF. Higher BZF concentrations were associated with a relative decline of COX activity, indicating that the therapeutic range of this drug is very narrow. Combined treatment with 100 ??M CuCl₂ and 200 ??M BZF (which are only marginally effective when administered individually) achieved complete rescue of COX activity in SCO2 cells.

Conclusions

These data are crucial to design therapeutic trials for this otherwise fatal disorder. The additive effect of copper and BZF will allow to employ lower doses of each drug and to reduce their potential toxic effects. The exact mechanism of action of BZF remains to be determined.     

Association between the JC Polyomavirus Infection and Male Infertility

In recent years the incidence of male infertility has increased. Many risk factors have been taken into consideration, including viral infections. Investigations into viral agents and male infertility have mainly been focused on human papillomaviruses, while no reports have been published on polyomaviruses and male infertility. The aim of this study was to verify whether JC virus and BK virus are associated with male infertility. Matched semen and urine samples from 106 infertile males and 100 fertile males, as controls, were analyzed. Specific PCR analyses were carried out to detect and quantify large T (Tag) coding sequences of JCV and BKV. DNA sequencing, carried out in Tag JCV-positive samples, was addressed to viral protein 1 (VP1) coding sequences. The prevalence of JCV Tag sequences in semen and urine samples from infertile males was 34% (72/212), whereas the BKV prevalence was 0.94% (2/212). Specifically, JCV Tag sequences were detected in 24.5% (26/106) of semen and 43.4% (46/106) of urine samples from infertile men. In semen and urine samples from controls the prevalence was 11% and 28%, respectively. A statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in JCV prevalence was disclosed in semen and urine samples of cases vs. controls. A higher JC viral DNA load was detected in samples from infertile males than in controls. In samples from infertile males the JC virus type 2 strain, subtype 2b, was more prevalent than ubiquitous type 1. JCV type 2 strain infection has been found to be associated with male infertility. These data suggest that the JC virus should be taken into consideration as an infectious agent which is responsible for male infertility.     

Structural basis for polyspecificity in the POT family of proton‐coupled oligopeptide transporters

An enigma in the field of peptide transport is the structural basis for ligand promiscuity, as exemplified by PepT1, the mammalian plasma membrane peptide transporter. Here, we present crystal structures of di‐ and tripeptide‐bound complexes of a bacterial homologue of PepT1, which reveal at least two mechanisms for peptide recognition that operate within a single, centrally located binding site. The dipeptide was orientated laterally in the binding site, whereas the tripeptide revealed an alternative vertical binding mode. The co‐crystal structures combined with functional studies reveal that biochemically distinct peptide‐binding sites likely operate within the POT/PTR family of proton‐coupled symporters and suggest that transport promiscuity has arisen in part through the ability of the binding site to accommodate peptides in multiple orientations for transport.