昆明、武定地区早寒武世关山动物群的双瓣壳节肢动物

报道采自昆明、武定地区下寒武统沧浪铺阶乌龙箐组下部黄绿色页岩层中的双瓣壳节肢动物Tuzoia和Isoxys,讨论Tuzoia和Isoxys两属的特征和种群、地质、地理分布、软体附肢、分类位置、古生态及其演化趋势。详细描述关山动物群中Tuzoia和Isoxys的3种(其中2新种):TuzoiasinensisP’an,1957,T.tylodesaLuoetHusp.nov.,IsoxyswudingensisLuoetHusp.nov.,和I.sp.。     

Electrochemical investigation on interaction between DNA with quercetin and Eu-Qu3 complex

The interactions of quercetin (Qu) and Eu-Qu3 complex with calf thymus DNA were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and double potential step chronocoulometry (DPSCC) at glass carbon electrode (GCE) for the surface method. The method is simple, convenient, reliable, reagent saving. Information such as intrinsic binding constant (K), and binding numbers (n) of bound species per DNA (bp), ratio (K(Ox)/K(Red)) of the binding constants for the oxidized and reduced forms of a bound species and interaction mode was obtained using dsDNA-modified GCE. Quercetin and Eu-Qu3 can both bind to DNA, but quercetin binds to DNA mainly by electrostatic attraction and the complex bind to DNA by both intercalation and electrostatic attraction. For the quercetin/dsDNA-modified GCE systems, a K of (3.80+/-0.3) x 10(4) M(-1), saturation coverage value (Gammas) of (2.28+/-0.2) x 10(-10) mol/cm2 and n of 1.2 were obtained. For the complex system, a saturation coverage value (Gammas) of 1.65 x 10(-10) mol/cm2 and n of 1.8 were obtained.     

福建淡水枝角类及其区系

本文记录了福建淡水枝角类７科２５属７１种,其中２５种为福建新记录,文章分析了福建淡水枝角类的区系特点,并与邻近地区进行了比较。     

Environmental controls over carbon exchange of three forest ecosystems in eastern China

Net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was continuously measured using the eddy covariance (EC) technique from 2003 to 2005 at three forest sites of ChinaFLUX. The forests include Changbaishan temperate mixed forest (CBS), Qianyanzhou subtropical coniferous plantation (QYZ), and Dinghushan subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forest (DHS). They span wide ranges of temperature and precipitation and are influenced by the eastern Asian monsoon climate to varying extent. In this study, we estimated ecosystem respiration (RE) and gross ecosystem productivity (GEP). Comparison of ecosystem carbon exchange among the three forests shows that RE was mainly determined by temperature, with the forest at CBS exhibiting the highest temperature sensitivity among the three ecosystems. The RE was highly dependent on GEP across the three forests, and the ratio of RE to GEP decreased along the North–South Transect of Eastern China (NSTEC) (i.e. from the CBS to the DHS), with an average of 0.77 ± 0.06. Daily GEP was mainly influenced by temperature at CBS, whereas photosynthetic photon flux density was the dominant factor affecting the daily GEP at both QYZ and DHS. Temperature mainly determined the pattern of the interannual variations of ecosystem carbon exchange at CBS. However, water availability primarily controlled the interannual variations of ecosystem carbon exchange at QYZ. At DHS, NEP attained the highest values at the beginning of the dry seasons (autumn) rather than the rainy seasons (summer), probably because insufficient radiation and frequent fog during the rainy seasons hindered canopy photosynthesis. All the three forest ecosystems acted as a carbon sink from 2003 to 2005. The annual average values of NEP at CBS, QYZ, and DHS were 259 ± 19, 354 ± 34, and 434 ± 66 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively. The slope of NEP that decreased with increasing latitude along the NSTEC was markedly different from that observed on the forest transect in the European continent. Long‐term flux measurements over more forest ecosystems along the NSTEC will further help verify such a difference between the European forest transect and the NSTEC and provide insights into the responses of ecosystem carbon exchange to climate change in China.     

Th17细胞的分化、调节及其主要细胞因子和功能

近几年来以分泌白介素17(interleukin 17,IL-17)为特征的辅助性T细胞Th17(T help cell 17,Th17)细胞被认为是有区别于Th1(T help cell 1,Th1)、Th2(T help cell 2,Th2)新型的细胞亚群,它的发现改变了以往人们只将Th细胞分为Th1、Th2的传统分类认识。Th17细胞参与了自身免疫疾病、肿瘤的发生及机体各种炎症的发病机制,其分泌的细胞因子在生物学功能中发挥了极其重要的作用。同时Th17细胞的活化需要各种转化生长因子、IL-6(interleukin 6,IL-6)、IL-23(interleukin 23,IL-23)等细胞因子的参与,活化的Th17细胞同时再进一步的促进各种细胞因子的分泌,以通过分泌IL-17、IL-21(interleukin 21,IL-21)、IL-22(interleukin22,IL-22)、IL-26(interleukin 26,IL-26)、肿瘤坏死因子(tumor necrosis factor,TNF)α等细胞因子导致机体炎症等各种疾病的发生。     

Associations of Polymorphisms in WNT9B and PBX1 with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome in Chinese Han

Background

Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a rare syndrome that is characterized by congenital aplasia of the uterus and the upper portion (2/3) of the vagina. Previous attempts to identify causal mutations of MRKH syndrome have primarily resulted in negative outcomes. We investigated whether these reported variants are associated with MRKH syndrome (types I and II) in a relatively large sample size of Chinese Han patients, and whether any gene-gene epistatic interactions exist among these variants.

Methods

This study included 182 unrelated Chinese women with MRKH syndrome (155 with type I and 27 with type II) and 228 randomized female controls. Seventeen candidate loci in the AMH, PBX1, WNT4, WNT7A, WNT9B, HOXA10, HOXA11, LHXA1 and GALT genes were genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX platform. Single-marker association, additive effects and multifactor interactions were investigated.

Results

The gene frequency distributions of MRKH type 1 and type 2 were similar. Rs34072914 in WNT9B was found to be associated with MRKH syndrome (P = 0.024, OR = 2.65, 95%CI = 1.14–6.17). The dominant models of rs34072914 and rs2275558 in WNT9B and PBX1, respectively, were significantly associated with MRKH syndrome risk in the Chinese Han patients. Additive gene-gene interaction analyses indicated a significant synergetic interaction between WNT9B and PBX1 (RERI = 1.397, AP = 0.493, SI = 4.204). Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analysis revealed novel dimensional epistatic four-gene effects (AMH, PBX1, WNT7A and WNT9B) in MRKH syndrome.

Conclusions

This association study successfully identified two susceptibility SNPs (WNT9B and PBX1) associated with MRKH syndrome risk, both separately and interactively. The discovery of a four-gene epistatic effect (AMH, PBX1, WNT7A and WNT9B) in MRKH syndrome provides novel information for the elucidation of the genetic mechanism underlying the etiology of MRKH syndrome.     

Incidence of Pituitary Apoplexy and Its Risk Factors in Chinese People: A Database Study of Patients with Pituitary Adenoma

Background

There are few studies of the incidence and clinical characteristics of pituitary apoplexy (PA) in pituitary adenoma patients, and the findings have been inconsistent.

Objective

The aim of the study was to retrospectively assess the incidence, clinical presentation, surgical management and postoperative complications of PA in pituitary adenoma patients.

Methods

A database was specifically designed to collect clinical, therapeutic, prognostic and histological information about pituitary adenoma patients. Using multivariate logistic regression, odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to identify associated factors.

Results

A total of 2021 pituitary adenoma patients were recruited. 97 (4.8%) patients had PA. The incidence of PA was 10.11% in patients with pituitary macroadenoma, and 0.36% in patients with microadenoma. Variables for the logistic regression model independently associated with PA were sex (male vs. female, OR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.59~4.07), tumor type (negative staining vs. positive staining, OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.29~3.23), and tumor size (macroadenoma vs. microadenoma, OR = 26.46, 95% CI = 9.66~72.46). Headache, visual deterioration, and vomiting were the most common symptoms in patients with pituitary adenoma. Patients with and without PA had similar frequency of visual deterioration, head trauma, acromegalic appearance, galactorrhoea, cold intolerance and Cushingoid appearance, but headache, vomiting, ptosis, diplopia, fever and blindness were significantly more common in patients with PA. Pearson Chi-Square tests revealed a significant difference in surgical approach between patients with and without PA (95.88% vs. 85.57%, P = 0.01).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that PA is not a rare event. Male sex, non-functioning tumor, and macroadenoma are associated with an increased risk of PA. Compared with pituitary adenoma patients without PA, patients with PA have more severe symptoms.     

Association between BMP15 Gene Polymorphism and Reproduction Traits and Its Tissues Expression Characteristics in Chicken

BMP15 (Bone morphogenetic protein 15) is an oocyte-secreted growth factor required for ovarian follicle development and ovulation in mammals, but its effects on reproduction in chickens are unclear. In this study, the association between BMP15 polymorphisms and reproduction traits were analyzed, and its expression characteristics in different tissues were explored in LaiWu Black chickens. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in four hundred LaiWu Black chickens. One SNP (NC_006091.3:g.1773T>C) located in exon 2 which was significantly associated with egg weight at first egg (EWFE) (P = 0.0389), was novel. Diplotypes based on the three SNPs were found to be significantly associated with egg weight at age of 43W (EW43) (P = 0.0058). The chickens with H3H3 diplotype had their first egg 0.57 days later than chickens with H5H5 diplotype and 1.21 days-3.96 days earlier than the other five diplotype chickens. The egg production at age of 43W (E43), egg production at age of 46W (E46) and egg production at age of 48W (E48) for chickens with H3H3 diplotype were the highest among all the chickens, and the E48 of chickens with H3H3 diplotype had 11.83 eggs higher than chickens with H1H5 diplotype. RT-qPCR results showed that the expression level of BMP15 gene in ovarian follicle was in the order of 4 mm>6 mm -8 mm> 15 mm -19 mm> 23 mm -29 mm > 33 mm -34 mm in diameter. The mRNA level in follicles of 4 mm and 6–8 mm in diameter were significantly higher than that in the other follicles (P<0.01). In the same week, the highest mRNA level was found in the ovary, and it was significantly different from that found in the liver and oviduct (P<0.01). Our results indicate that BMP15 plays a vital role in the development of ovary and follicles, especially in the development of primary follicles. H3H3 may be an potential advantageous molecular marker for improving reproduction traits in chickens.     

A Novel Adeno-Associated Virus–Based Genetic Vaccine Encoding the Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4 Protein Exhibits Immunogenic Properties in Mice Superior to Those of an NS3-Protein-Based Vaccine

More than 170 million individuals worldwide are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and up to an estimated 30% of chronically infected individuals will go on to develop progressive liver disease. Despite the recent advances in antiviral treatment of HCV infection, it remains a major public health problem. Thus, development of an effective vaccine is urgently required. In this study, we constructed novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors expressing the full-length NS3 or NS3/4 protein of HCV genotype 1b. The expression of the NS3 or NS3/4 protein in HepG2 cells was confirmed by western blotting. C57BL/6 mice were intramuscularly immunised with a single injection of AAV vectors, and the resultant immune response was investigated. The AAV2/rh32.33.NS3/4 vaccine induced stronger humoral and cellular responses than did the AAV2/rh32.33.NS3 vaccine. Our results demonstrate that AAV-based vaccines exhibit considerable potential for the development of an effective anti-HCV vaccine.