Influence of castration-induced testosterone and estradiol deficiency on obesity and glucose metabolism in male Göttingen minipigs

Low testosterone and estradiol concentrations are predictive for the development of the metabolic syndrome in men and women, respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of sex hormone deficiency on food intake, body weight, body composition and glucose metabolism in male Göttingen minipigs.Five adult male Göttingen minipigs were studied before castration (pre-cast), 10-18 days (post-cast 1) and 10-11 weeks (post-cast 2) after castration. Parameters of interest were food intake, body weight, body fat percentage and sex hormone concentrations. Furthermore glucose tolerance, glucagon suppression, insulin resistance, beta cell function and disposition index were evaluated by oral and intravenous glucose tolerance tests.Castration led to almost complete disappearance of circulating testosterone and estradiol and secondarily to increased food intake, body weight and body fat percentage. Ten-eighteen days sex hormone deficiency (post-cast 1) did not significantly change any of the investigated metabolic parameters compared to pre-cast levels. Ten weeks after castration (post-cast 2) significant insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and hyperglucagonemia was found, and the beta cell function and the disposition index both were decreased.In conclusion, castration-induced sex hormone deficiency in male Göttingen minipigs results in hyperphagia, obesity and disturbed glucose metabolism, which are some of the features typical for the human metabolic syndrome.     

Establishment and characterization of an ovarian cell line of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

A cell line BmN-SWU1 was established from the ovarian tissues of 3-day-old fourth instar Bombyx mori larvae of the 21-872nlw variety by performing primary cultures in Grace's medium supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The cell line primarily consisted of short spindle cells and round cells. The frequency of cells with chromosome number 2n = 56 was 80.5%; therefore, the cell line was considered to be a diploid cell line. The population-doubling time (PDT) at 45th passage line was 57.7 h. This cell line was susceptible to the B. mori nuclear polyhedrovirus (BmNPV), and the median tissue culture infective dose (TCID₅₀) at a cell density of 10⁵ cells/ml was 16.3 OBs/ml. The transient expression efficiency of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene in this cell line was 54.8%. We used the BmN-SWU1 cell line to select and establish a GFP transgenic cell line.     

1961—2007年海口市气候环境变化及其对城市发展的响应

基于海口市1961—2007年的气象资料以及1989—2007年的城市化水平,对海口市气候环境变化及其与城市化水平的关系进行了分析.结果表明：与1961—1990年相比,海口市1995—2007年气温呈明显的增高态势,年均增温0.93 ℃;而相对湿度则明显降低,年均湿度降低了3%;海口市年均气温、年均相对湿度与城市化水平分别呈显著和极显著相关,说明城市化较好地解释了近20年来海口市气候要素的变化.海口城市的发展,不仅改变了气候环境要素,而且影响了大气环境质量,使酸雨次数增加、年均酸雨pH值降低.     

温度和CO2浓度升高对荒漠藻结皮光合作用的影响

2007年,对腾格里沙漠东南缘沙坡头地区1956年(51龄)和1981年(26龄)人工植被区及自然植被区的藻结皮净光合速率(P_n)变化,及其与结皮含水量(>100%、40%～60%和<20%)、大气CO₂浓度(360和700 mg·L^-1)和温度(13 ℃、24 ℃ 和28 ℃)的关系进行研究.结果表明：51龄、26龄人工植被区和自然植被区的藻结皮P_n分别为3.4、4.4和3.2 μmol·m^-2·s^-1,且51龄人工植被区藻结皮的P_n显著高于26龄人工植被区和自然植被区;藻结皮含水量对其P_n影响显著,且中等含水量(40%～60%)藻结皮的P_n显著高于低含水量(<20%)和高含水量(>100%);CO₂倍增(700 mg·L^-1)后,中等和高含水量藻结皮的P_n增加了1.8～3.3倍,而低含水量时,藻结皮的P_n变化不明显;高含水量和中等含水量处理时,24 ℃和28 ℃条件下藻结皮的P_n较13 ℃时提高27%～66%,而在低含水量时,不同温度的藻结皮P_n值无显著差异.     

光照和温度对氮饥饿及饱和营养条件下石莼(Ulva lactuca)的硝态氮吸收动力学影响

为探讨海藻养分吸收能力并以高效养分过滤器筛选为目标,以N饥饿和N饱和的石莼为材料,研究了3种光照及温度因子及其交互作用对不同N素营养限制状态下石莼NO3-吸收动力学特征的影响。结果表明:N饱和条件下,随着光照的增强,石莼对NO3-的最大吸收速率也增加;30℃条件下,光照强度的增加虽然使得其最大吸收速率提高,但Vmax/Km在中等光强下最大;20℃最有利于石莼对NO3-的吸收。N饥饿条件下,石莼对NO3-的吸收速率显著大于非饥饿状态。在10℃和20℃条件下,呈现与N饱和条件下相似的规律,但在30℃条件下,中等光强石莼对NO3-的最大吸收速率最高。在10℃和20℃条件下,增加光强促进石莼对NO3-的吸收,但30℃条件下光强的增加并未起到促进作用。饥饿状态下的石莼的NO3-吸收速率较高,当石莼吸收NO3-饱和时,依然可以以较低的速率继续吸收环境中的NO3-。     

自拟益气通阳活血方治疗阿尔茨海默病的临床研究

摘要 目的：分析自拟益气通阳活血方治疗阿尔茨海默病的临床效果。方法：选取2020年10月~2022年4月于中国人民解放军空军军医大学第一附属医院接受治疗的阿尔茨海默病患者104例，依据入院先后顺序编号，按单双号分为对照组（n=52）和研究组（n=52）。对照组进行常规西药治疗，研究组在此基础上进行自拟益气通阳活血方治疗。比较两组临床疗效、治疗前后中医证候积分、日常生活活动能力、认知功能、血清去甲肾上腺素（NE）、多巴胺（DA）、乙酰胆碱转移酶（ChAT）水平、β淀粉样蛋白前体（APP）、β淀粉样蛋白1-42（Aβ1-42）、丙二醛（MDA)、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）水平，并比较两组安全性。结果：治疗后，两组中医证候积分均降低，且研究组显著低于对照组（P<0.05）；研究组总有效率为94.23%，明显高于对照组的78.85%（P<0.05）；治疗后，两组简易智能精神状态检查量表（MMSE）评分与蒙特利尔认知评估量表（MoCA）评分研究组均高于对照组（P<0.05）；治疗后，两组barthel指数评分及日常生活能力量表（ADL）评分研究组均显著高于对照组（P<0.05）；治疗后，两组DA、NE、ChAT水平均升高，且研究组明显高于对照组（P<0.05）；治疗后，两组SOD水平升高，APP、Aβ1-42、MDA水平均降低（P<0.05），且与对照组相比研究组各指标变化更显著（P<0.05）；两组治疗期间的不良反应均较轻微，经对症处理后均缓解，不良反应发生率比较无明显差异（P>0.05）。结论：自拟益气通阳活血方治疗阿尔茨海默病疗效显著，可降低中医证候积分，提高认知功能，调节NE、DA、ChAT水平，抑制APP、Aβ1-42水平，提高其日常生活活动能力，且安全性高。     

beta-Endorphin-induced hyperthermia in the cat

beta-Endorphin was injected into the third cerebral ventricle (ICV) of conscious, unrestrained cats. Hyperthermic response to 50 microgram of this peptide were reduced by 20-100 microgram naloxone given ICV 1 hr later. A dose of 40 microgram beta-endorphin increased body temperature at ambient temperature of 4, 22 and 34 degrees C, with the response being greater the warmer the environment. These results indicate that beta-endorphin acts on a central naloxone-sensitive receptor which is probably the v2 receptor that is activated by low doses of D-Ala2-Met-enkephalinamide to evoke a similar pattern of change in body temperature over a comparable range of ambient temperatures.     

Microsomal polypeptides in sunflower (Helianthus annum). Comparison between normal type before and after cold-induction, and a high oleic acid mutant

Differences in high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis patterns of micro-somal proteins from developing normal sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.) seeds before and after cold-induction, and also from normal and a high oleic sunflower mutant have been studied in order to detect the polypeptides associated with the microsomal Δ^l2-desaturase activity and its regulation by temperature. Proteins were obtained from developing seeds of two isogenic sunflower lines HA-89 (normal) and HA-OL9 (high oleic) which greatly differed in linoleic acid content and "in vitro" oleate desaturase activity. In the high oleic mutant, four polypeptides of about 32 kDa and two of 33 kDa were found to change in position, to the same extent, toward a lower isoelectric point in the high oleic mutant. Also, two polypeptides, of 32 and 49 kDa each, appeared in the mutant. Quantitative differences between cold-induced seeds (10°C, 24 h) and their non-induced controls were found. One polypeptide of 43 kDa decreased in the cold-treated seeds and two others, of 30 and 32 kDa each, increased markedly after cold induction. Some of these polypeptides could be related to oleate desatnrase activity or its regulation by temperature.     

Purification and properties of glutamate dehydrogenase in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) needles

NADH-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH. EC 1. 4. 1.2) was isolated from the needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylverstris L.) grown on a rural and on a heavily polluted industrial area, and it was purified about 500 fold. The purification procedure included salt I'ractionation, ion exchange and affinity chromatography. Miehaelis constants for 2-oxoglularale (1.7 mM). for ammonium sultate (19 mM ) and for NADH (42.5 resp. 53 μM) the pH optimum (8.5) the requirements for Ca²⁺ ions, the temperature dependence ofl the enzyme activity (incubation from 0 to 82°C). and the relation between forest region and electrophoretie isoenzyme pattern were determined. The possible role of GDH in the adaptation of plants to ammonia assimilation (detoxification) under stress conditions, particularly with respect to air pollution, is discussed.     

Activity patterns of reintroduced lion Panthera leo and spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta in the Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa

Africa's large predator guild competes for a limited food resource base. To minimize the degree of competition, we hypothesized that the two largest members of this guild and its fiercest competitors, the lion and the spotted hyaena, would partition their activity patterns to avoid interacting. We used 96‐h continuous follows of focal animal(s) to determine when the six radio‐collared lions and eight radio‐collared spotted hyaenas, reintroduced into Addo Elephant National Park in 2003/2004, were active using a binomial measure of activity which was defined as movements >100 m during each hourly period. Contrary to our predictions, lions and hyaenas did not partition their activity times, probably because of their current low population densities. Both species exhibited a crepuscular activity pattern although hyaenas were far less active during daylight. A sub‐adult lioness minimized competitive interactions by becoming diurnal. This is likely to be a common strategy for lions that have been expelled from their natal pride to become nomadic, as it allows them to minimize kleptoparasitic and agonistic interactions from competitively dominant conspecifics and competitors. The increase in testosterone that occurs in males upon reaching sexual maturity, darkens their pelage and causes them to be more directly impacted by the heat, and thereby affords females an opportunity to escape from males during hot temperatures. Similarly, the longer pelage of young hyaenas restricts their activity to the cooler night‐time.