DESCRIPTION OF A KUBANOCHOERUS SKULL FROM TONGXIN, NINGXIA

<正> A rich Middle Miocene mammalian fauna was discovered in a gully named Maerzuizi Gou, Tongxin County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in the winter of 1985. Among the fossils is a well preserved skull evidently belonging to Kubanochoerus. It is the third and, as far as we know, the best preserved of its kind so far in the world. A careful study of the skull has enabled us not only to review all the fossils previously discovered and assigned either to Listriodon or to Bunolistriodon in China, but also to clarify in certain degree the evolutionary trend and the classification of that particular group.     

脱细胞羊膜与小肠黏膜下层促进大鼠皮肤缺损修复和血管形成

目的观察脱细胞羊膜(HAM)与小肠黏膜下层(SIS)促进大鼠皮肤缺损修复和血管形成的作用。方法SD大鼠24只,在两侧背部各做1个直径为1.8cm圆形全层皮肤缺损。创面随机分为A组、B组和C组。A组HAM覆盖,B组SIS覆盖,C组纱布覆盖。在2周时处死动物取材,HE染色观察皮肤缺损修复情况。免疫组织化学染色检测K19和VEGF,RT-PCR检测VEGF mRNA的表达。结果A组、B组愈合较好。C组愈合较差。免疫组织化学染色显示,A、B组K19、VEGF阳性细胞显著多于C组,其中A组最多;RT-PCR结果显示,A、B组比C组表达更多的VEGF mRNA其中A组最多,差异显著,有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论HAM和SIS均能增加皮肤创面组织中K19阳性细胞数,上调VEGF mRNA的表达、增加VEGF的分泌,其中HAM具有更强的促进皮肤缺损修复和血管形成作用。     

NOB1在食管鳞状细胞癌中的表达及临床意义

目的研究NOB1基因在食管鳞状细胞癌（Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,ESCC）中的表达及临床意义。方法利用免疫组织化学SP法检测59例ESCC及其相应（50例）的远端正常食管黏膜组织中NOB1的表达。结果 ESCC中NOB1的阳性率为71%,正常食管黏膜鳞状上皮中的阳性率为26%,两组比较,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。NOB1的表达与ESCC的分化程度及淋巴结转移相关,与患者的性别,年龄以及肿瘤浸润深度无关。结论 NOB1在ESCC中表达升高,可能在ESCC发生发展过程中起重要作用。     

FSCB phosphorylation in mouse spermatozoa capacitation

It is generally accepted that spermatozoa capacitation is associated with protein kinase A-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation. In our previous study, we identified the fibrous sheath CABYR binding protein (FSCB), which was phosphorylated by PKA. However, the phosphorylation status of FSCB protein during spermatozoa capacitation should be further investigated. To this aim, in this study, we found that phosphorylation of this 270-kDa protein occurred as early as 1 min after mouse spermatozoa capacitation, which increased over time and remained stable after 60 min. Immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the tyrosine and Ser/Thr phosphorylation of FSCB occurred during spermatozoa capacitation. The extent of phosphorylation and was closely associated with the PKA activity and spermatozoa motility characteristics. FSCB phosphorylation could be induced by PKA agonist DB-cAMP, but was blocked by PKA antagonist H-89.Therefore, FSCB contributes to spermatozoa capacitation in a tyrosine-phosphorylated format, which may help in further elucidating the molecular mechanism of spermatozoa capacitation.     

Reasonable management of perennial planting grassland contributes to positive succession of soil microbial community in Sanjiangyuan of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,China

合理管理多年生人工建植草地有助于中国青藏高原三江源土壤微生物群落的正向演替 摘要：草地重建是缓解青藏高原三江源“黑土滩”的一种主要方法,同时了解如何管理建植草地也至关重要。而哪种人工管理模式更能有效地恢复“黑土滩”退化草地？为恢复“黑土滩”提供科学依据,我们研究了不同管理模式下人工草地植被特性、土壤理化性质和土壤微生物群落结构的变化,并探讨了不同管理模式对人工草地群落的影响。在本研究中,植被特性和土壤理化性质分别通过实地调查和实验室分析等方法得出,并且运用高通量测序技术测定了土壤微生物群落组成。研究结果表明,在不同管理模式下的人工建植草地植被特性、土壤理化性质和土壤微生物群落结构存在明显差异,而且植被植物多样性、地上生物量、土壤有机碳显著控制着放线菌门和担子菌门。当建植一次时Shannon-Wiener指数、地上生物量和土壤有机碳达到峰值,此时放线菌门和担子菌门所被注释的ASVs的相对丰度显著富集。此外,该管理模式下土壤的细菌多样性最高,真菌多样性最低,土壤逐渐成为“细菌型”土壤。由此得出,建植一次的人工草地植被特性和土壤环境更有利于整体群落的正向演替,是恢复“黑土滩”最合理的管理模式。     

Retracted: Propranolol suppresses HUVEC viability,migration, VEGF expression,and promotes apoptosis by downregulation of miR-4295

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is a common benign tumor. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) have the potential of stem cells, which has been widely used in vascular endothelial cell experiments. Oral propranolol was first reported to treat hemangioma in 2008. However, the role of propranolol in IH remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of propranolol on HUVECs in vitro, to explore the underlying mechanism of propranolol in IH. HUVECs were treated with 0.15, 1.5, and 15 μM of propranolol, and transfected with microRNA-4295 (miR-4295) mimic. Cell viability, migration, and apoptosis were examined using Cell Counting Kit-8, transwell assay, and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. In addition, the expressions and concentrations of miR-4295, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF-A, FLT1, FLT2, and FOXF1 were assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that 15 μM of propranolol decreased HUVEC viability the most. Then, cell migration and the concentrations of VEGF and VEGF-A were reduced, and apoptosis was increased when treated with propranolol. Meanwhile, the expressions of VEGF, VEGF-A, FLT1, FLT2, and FOXF1 were downregulated by propranolol exposure. Further study showed that miR-4295 expression was upregulated in IH tissues, and propranolol treatment downregulated miR-4295 expression in HUVECs. MiR-4295 overexpression alleviated the reductions of viability, migration, and factors expression, as well as the increase of apoptosis. Propranolol suppressed HUVEC viability, migration, the expression of VEGF, VEGF-A, FLT1/2, FOXF1, and promoted apoptosis via downregulation of miR-4295. This study lays a foundation for further study of the effect of propranolol on IH.     

Tumidusternus,a new genus of Aspidimerini from China (Coleoptera,Coccinellidae)

Tumidusternus gen. n., along with Tumidusternus fujianensis sp. n. (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae, Aspidimerini) from China is described and illustrated. A key to the tribe Aspidimerini is given.     

Primary Pulmonary Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma: Histopathological and Moleculargenetic Studies of 26 Cases

Introduction

Pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma (PMEC) is an uncommon neoplasm of the lung and the main salivary gland-type lung carcinoma. The aims of this study were to review the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of PMEC and characterize the genetic events in PMEC.

Methods

We reviewed the pathology cases in our hospital and found 34 initially diagnosed PMEC cases, 26 of which were confirmed as PMEC after excluding 8 cases of MEC-like pulmonary carcinoma. The clinicopathological characteristics of the 26 PMEC cases and the 8 cases of MEC-like pulmonary carcinoma were retrospectively reviewed. MAML2 rearrangement was detected by fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH). Immunostains of ALK, calponin, collagen IV, CK7, EGFR, HER2, Ki-67, Muc5Ac, p63, p40, and TTF-1 were performed. DNA was extracted from 23 cases of PMEC. Mutation profiling of the EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, ALK, PIK3CA, PDGFRA, and DDR2 genes were carried out using next-generation sequencing (NGS), Sanger sequencing, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) in 9 successfully amplified cases.

Results

Twenty-six cases of PMEC (18 low-grade, 8 high-grade) included 13 men and 13 women aged 12–79 years. Twenty-two cases had a central/endobronchial growth pattern, and 4 cases had a peribronchial growth pattern. Immunohistochemically, CK7, Muc5Ac, p40, and p63 were positive in all cases (26/26);EGFR was positive in 11 cases (11/26); TTF-1, Calponin, HER2 and ALK were negative in all cases (0/26). MAML2 rearrangement was identified in 12 of 18 PMEC cases. No mutations were detected in any of the 7 genes in the 9 cases that qualified for mutation analysis. Twenty-three PMEC patients had follow-up information with a median interval of 32.6 months. Both the 5- and 10-year overall survival rates (OS) were 72.1%, and a high-grade tumor was an adverse prognostic factor in PMEC. There were 8 cases of MEC-like pulmonary carcinoma aged 36–78 years: 2 cases were located in the bronchus, and 6 cases were located in the lung. p63 and TTF-1 were positive in all cases (8/8), p40 was positive in 5 cases (5/8), and ALK was positive in 5 cases (5/8). No cases of MAML2 rearrangement were detected, but there were 5 cases of ALK rearrangement.

Conclusions

PMEC is a primary malignant pulmonary tumor with a relatively good prognosis that is historically characterized by the presence of mucous cells and a lack of keratinization. There are distinct differences between PMEC and MEC-like pulmonary carcinoma in tumor location preference, immunophenotype, and molecular genetics, and the differential diagnosis is critical due to the therapeutic and prognostic considerations.     

Selection of Genes Associated with Variations in the Circle of Willis in Gerbils Using Suppression Subtractive Hybridization

Deformities in the Circle of Willis (CoW) can significantly increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these deformities have not been understood. Based on our previous studies, variations in the CoW of gerbils are hereditary. A normal CoW is observed in approximately 60% of gerbils, a percentage that also applies to humans. Thus, gerbil is an ideal experimental model for studying variations in the CoW. To study the mechanisms underlying these variations, we selected genes associated with different types of the CoW using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). After evaluating the efficiency of SSH using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) on subtracted and unsubtracted cDNA and Southern blotting on SSH PCR products, 12 SSH libraries were established. We identified 4 genes (CST3, GNAS, GPx4 and PFN2) associated with variations in the CoW. These genes were identified with qPCR and Western blotting using 70 expressed sequence tags from the SSH libraries. Cloning and sequencing allowed us to demonstrate that the 4 genes were closely related to mouse genes. We may assume that these 4 genes play an important role in the development of variations in the CoW. This study provides a foundation for further research of genes related to development of variations in the CoW and the mechanisms of dysmorphosis of cerebral vessels.