Intravenous SRS-induced increases in tracheal mucous gel layer thickness: Evidence for thromboxane involvement

Intravenous (IV) slow reacting substance (SRS) challenge produces bronchoconstriction that can be reduced by cyclooxygenase inhibitors. This report shows that IV SRC challenge also produces significant increases in tracheal mucous gel thickness and that the increases are inhibited by pretreatment with indomethacin (4 mg/kg, PO) or imidazole (10 mg/kg, IV). The increase in gel thickness is preceded by increases in plasma thromboxane B₂ (TXB₂) levels and the inhibition of gel thickening by imidazole is paralleled by decreases in plasma TXB₂ levels. Aerosolized SRS produces increases in tracheal mucous gel thickness which are not inhibited by either indomethacin or imidazole, but are significantly inhibited by FPL-55712. These findings indicate that SRS acts, not only directly to stimulate mucous secretion but also indirectly through an indomethacin and imidazole sensitive mechanism.     

湖南省城市群生态网络构建与优化

大型生境斑块为区域生物多样性保护提供了重要的空间保障。然而,快速城市化使得大型生境斑块变得日益破碎化、岛屿化,连接性不断下降,且日益受到周边土地利用变化的强烈影响,已严重威胁着区域生物多样性的保护。通过生态廊道建立或修复破碎生境斑块之间的连接,将非常有利于生态网络生态服务功能的有效发挥。基于景观生态学和保护生物学的相关原理,以湖南省城市群为例,在RS和GIS技术的支撑下,采用最小费用路径和情景分析方法,定量模拟了研究区的潜在生态廊道,基于重力模型对重要生态廊道进行了识别与提取,并就消费面模型对潜在生态网络结果产生的影响进行了分析,在此基础上有针对性地提出了生态网络优化的对策。研究结果表明,林地和耕地是组成研究区生态网络的优势景观要素类型;不同生境斑块间的相互作用强度差异显著,总体上西高东低,南高北低;消费面模型能够在较大程度上影响到生态网络的分析结果,因而进行情景分析十分重要和必要。研究结果可为研究区生态网络的构建和优化提供科学依据,同时可为其他城市群区域生态网络的构建提供参考和借鉴。     

千岛湖社鼠种群遗传现状及与生境面积的关系

以千岛湖地区13个岛屿上的社鼠(Niviventer confucianus)种群为研究对象,利用13个微卫星位点分析了13个社鼠种群的遗传现状,并探讨了种群遗传现状与岛屿面积大小之间的关系。研究结果显示,13个社鼠种群的平均观测等位基因数(Na)与平均有效等位基因数(Ne)分别为7.385,5.952,平均期望杂合度(He)与平均观测杂合度(Ho)分别为0.819,0.930,平均多态信息含量(PIC)为0.760,说明13个社鼠种群均具有较高的遗传多样性。13个种群间的分化系数(Fst)为0.053,表明种群间的遗传分化较小。3个面积较大且相近岛屿上社鼠种群,即高仙阁种群 (Gaoxiange Island,G);乌石T岛种群 (Wushi T Island,WT);东门岛种群 (Dongmen Island,DM)间的Fst值均小于0.05,表明种群间无分化,而小岛种群与大岛种群间的分化却比较明显。此外,一元回归结果显示,多态信息含量(PIC)和Shannon多样性指数(I)与岛屿面积大小之间均存在显著地正相关关系。以上结果说明,在社鼠种群进化过程中,生境面积的缩小可能使种群的遗传结构发生改变,并有可能导致种群的快速进化。     

无瓣海桑与乡土红树植物混交对林地大型底栖动物的影响

选择广东省雷州市附城镇和珠海市淇澳岛沿海1年生无瓣海桑人工林,分别在林下混种乡土红树植物红海榄或木榄幼苗,对混交林和无瓣海桑纯林林地大型底栖动物群落进行比较,探讨无瓣海桑与乡土红树植物混交对林地大型底栖动物的影响。结果显示,混交林和无瓣海桑纯林之间大型底栖动物群落的优势种存在差异;相似性分析检验(One-Way ANOSIM)、等级聚类和非参数多变量标序结果均表明1年无瓣海桑+红海榄混交林、1年无瓣海桑+木榄混交林和1年无瓣海桑纯林之间大型底栖动物群落结构差异显著。研究还发现在无瓣海桑人工林林下混交红海榄或木榄这两种乡土红树植物,可提高林地底栖动物的生物量和物种多样性。BIOENV分析说明大型底栖动物分布与红海榄或木榄这两种混交的乡土树种的凋落物量密切相关,这进一步证实了混交乡土红树植物对林地底栖动物多样性和分布的影响。两个研究地实验结果均显示,在无瓣海桑林下种植木榄的效果要优于红海榄,表现在木榄的平均苗高、凋落物量、凋落物量占群落凋落物总量百分比和幼苗成活率均高于红海榄,其对提高林地大型底栖动物生物量和物种多样性的效果也明显优于红海榄。     

Amplification of lncRNA PVT1 promotes ovarian cancer proliferation by binding to miR-140

Mammalian Genome - Gene deletion or gene amplification acts as a driving factor of onset, progress, and metastasis in various cancers, including ovarian cancers. By mining the whole genome data of...     

Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel molecules with a diphenyl ether nucleus as potential antitubercular agents

A series of compounds with a diphenyl ether nucleus were synthesized by incorporating various amines into the diphenyl ether scaffold with an amide bond. Their antitubercular activities were evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)Rv by a microdilution method, with MIC values ranging from 4 to 64μg/mL. Through structure-activity relationship studies, the two chlorine atoms at 3 and 4 positions in the phenyl ring of R(2) group were found to play a significant role in the antitubercular activity. The most potent compound 6c showed an MIC value of 4μg/mL and a good safety profile in HepG2 cell line by the MTT assay. Compound 6c was further found to be effective in a murine model of BCG infection, providing a good lead for subsequent optimization.     

基于红外相机技术的黑麂活动节律

动物的活动节律是行为生态学中的一个重要内容,它主要研究动物在不同时间内的活动强度及变化规律(原宝东和孔繁繁,2011).黑麂(Muntiacus crinifron)隶属偶蹄目(Artiodactyla)鹿科(Cervidae)麂属(Muntiacus),属国家一级保护动物,其分布范围十分狭小,目前该种群仅存于安徽、浙江、江西和福建4省,且栖息地成小种群岛屿状分布(盛和林,1987).     

The effect of delayed host self-regulation on host-pathogen population cycles in forest insects

Delayed host self-regulation using a Beverton-Holt function and delayed logistic self-regulation are included in a host-pathogen model with free-living infective stages (Anderson and May's model G) with the purpose of investigating whether adding the relatively complex self-regulations decrease the likelihood of population cycles. The main results indicate that adding delayed self-regulation to the baseline model increases the likelihood of population cycles. The dynamics display some of the key features seen in the field, such as cycle peak density exceeding the carrying capacity and a locally stable equilibrium coexisting with a stable cycle (bistability). Numerical studies show that the model with more complex forms of self-regulation can generate cycles which match most aspects of the cycles observed in nature.     

Detection of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Planta by a Real-time PCR Assay

Stem rot caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a very serious disease on oilseed rape worldwide. In this study, a pair of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers was designed based on the nucleotide sequence of a DNA region amplified by a microsatellite primer M13. The primer pair amplified a 252-bp fragment from all S. sclerotiorum isolates collected from oilseed rapes at different locations in different years, but not from any other fungus tested. Using this pair of primers, a real-time PCR assay was developed to rapidly detect early infection of S. sclerotiorum on petals of oilseed rape. The real-time PCR assay developed in this study could help growers make a timely decision on fungicide application.     

Oral supplementation with l-aspartate and l-glutamate inhibits atherogenesis and fatty liver disease in cholesterol-fed rabbit

Previous studies have shown that dietary supplementation with l-aspartate and l-glutamate inhibits fatty streak initiation in cholesterol-fed rabbit. The present study investigates the role of dicarboxylic amino acids on the progression of fatty streaks and the development of fatty liver disease, which were caused in New Zealand White rabbits after a 0.5% w/w cholesterol diet for 7 weeks. A group of animals additionally received a combination of 12.5 mM l-aspartate and 12.5 mM l-glutamate per day through drinking water. Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoproteins cholesterol (HDLC), non-HDLC and triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations were measured in plasma. Serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities were also determined. At the end of dietary intervention, animals were sacrificed. Aortic, hepatic and brain lesions were evaluated after staining with hematoxylin and eosin. Supplementation with dicarboxylic amino acids inhibited the progression of aortic intima thickness (P < 0.05) and the development of liver lesions (P < 0.05). TC, non-HDLC and TAG were similarly increased in both cholesterol-fed groups. Serum γ-GT and AST activities elevated during the study in all cholesterol-fed animals but the elevation of γ-GT was milder and significantly lower in rabbits treated with l-aspartate and l-glutamate (P < 0.05). ALT activity was not affected by cholesterol feeding. In conclusion, oral supplementation with l-aspartate and l-glutamate inhibits the progression of atherogenesis and the development of fatty liver disease in the animal model of cholesterol-fed rabbit. The beneficial effects of dicarboxylic amino acids reflect the limited elevation of serum γ-GT activity.