Estimation of Interaction Between Human Keratinocytes and Xenogenic Collagen in vitro

This paper describes the interaction observed between human keratinocytes and xenogenic collagen in vitro modified by HCl. Human keratinocytes were cultivated for 3–10 days, on modified and control support. Their growth, morphology and interaction with support were analyzed. It was found that on both control and experimental (modified) collagen cells proliferated in a similar way. Within 3–10 days, the culture became multilayered and mature and differentiation of cells was visible. Using electron microscope elements of basal membrane interacting with support were seen. On modified support processes of cells penetrating the support are occasionally seen. By use of the immunofluorescent, cytochemical techniques was found the presence of: BP-180 (antigen), β₄ integrin, laminin 5 and collagen IV, VII, VIIc. On the modified support the above listed elements appeared between 3 and 7 days of culture, whereas on the control between 7th and 10th days. On 10th day of culture, the presence of elements of basal membranes became less evident. Results give some hope for using xenogenic, modified collagen as support of keratinocytes culture in process of human skin engineering.     

Structural features that predict real-value fluctuations of globular proteins

It is crucial to consider dynamics for understanding the biological function of proteins. We used a large number of molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories of nonhomologous proteins as references and examined static structural features of proteins that are most relevant to fluctuations. We examined correlation of individual structural features with fluctuations and further investigated effective combinations of features for predicting the real value of residue fluctuations using the support vector regression (SVR). It was found that some structural features have higher correlation than crystallographic B‐factors with fluctuations observed in MD trajectories. Moreover, SVR that uses combinations of static structural features showed accurate prediction of fluctuations with an average Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.669 and a root mean square error of 1.04 Å. This correlation coefficient is higher than the one observed in predictions by the Gaussian network model (GNM). An advantage of the developed method over the GNMs is that the former predicts the real value of fluctuation. The results help improve our understanding of relationships between protein structure and fluctuation. Furthermore, the developed method provides a convienient practial way to predict fluctuations of proteins using easily computed static structural features of proteins. Proteins 2012; © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A fruit in hand is worth many more in the bush: steep spatial discounting by free-ranging rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Decision making is one of the principal cognitive processes underlying goal-directed behaviour and thus there is justifiably strong interest in modeling it. However, many of these models have yet to be tested outside of the laboratory. At the same time, field work would benefit from the use of experimental methods developed in the laboratory to determine the causal relationships between environmental variables and behaviour. We therefore adapted a laboratory-derived experimental paradigm to test decision making in the wild. The experiment used an indifference-point procedure to determine the influence of both the amount and distance of food on choice behaviour. Free-ranging rhesus monkeys were given the choice between a smaller amount of food at a closer distance and a larger amount farther away. In four conditions, we held the closer amount constant across trials and varied the farther amount to determine the point at which the monkeys were indifferent to the choice alternatives. For example, in condition one, we used one piece of food at the closer location, and determined how many pieces would be equivalent in the farther location. Four different closer amounts were tested to obtain an indifference point curve, with the indifference amounts at the farther location plotted against the closer amounts. The slope of the obtained linear indifference curve was surprisingly high, suggesting that rhesus monkeys significantly discount food that is farther away. Possible reasons for this steep spatial discounting are discussed.     

Context-dependent decisions among options varying in a single dimension

Contrary to theories of rational choice, adding alternatives to a choice set can change the choices made by both humans and animals. This is usually done by adding an inferior decoy to a choice set of two favoured options that are characterized on two distinct dimensions. We presented wild, free-living rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) with choices between two or three options that varied in a single dimension only. The options varied in concentration, in volume or in corolla length. When the options varied in concentration, the addition of a medium option to a choice set of a low and a high concentration caused birds to increase their preference for the high option. However, they decreased their preference for the high concentration option when a low option was added to a choice set of high and medium concentrations. When the options varied only in volume, the addition of a high volume option to a choice set of low and medium options decreased the birds’ preference for the medium option. We saw no effects of adding a third option when the options varied in corolla length alone. Hummingbirds, then, make context-dependent decisions even when the options vary in only a single dimension although which effect occurs seems to depend on the dimension being manipulated. None of the current theories alone adequately explain these results.     

基于二层特征筛选的HIV-1蛋白酶特异位点预测

在抗艾滋病治疗中,HIV-1蛋白酶抑制剂发挥着重要作用。对于HIV-1蛋白酶裂解作用位点的研究有助于找到新的治疗靶点。为了对HIV-1蛋白酶特异位点进行预测,本研究用氨基酸索引数据库(Amino Acid Index,AAIndex)中的531个氨基酸物理化学性质参数直接表征肽样本的结构,通过二层特征筛选,最终将4248个表征参数降为57个表征参数。分别采取四种核函数进行HIV-1蛋白酶特异位点的支持向量机(SVM)建模,并通过10折交叉验证及外部测试集方法来验证建模的准确性。结果表明选取NormalizePolyKernel核函数进行SVM建模效果优于其他核函数(PolyKernel、PUK、RBFKernel),所建立的模型对于训练集的10组交叉验证预测准确率达到93.947%,对于外部测试集的预测正确率达到93.684%。     

榄香烯联合GP 化疗方案治疗晚期肺腺癌脑转移的临床观察

目的:观察中药制剂榄香烯联合GP化疗方案治疗晚期肺腺癌脑转移的疗效。方法:选取2009年6月28日至2011年5月30日就诊于我院的晚期肺腺癌脑转移患者34例,将34例晚期肺腺癌脑转移患者随机分为两组(A组和B组),A组:治疗组,17例,并给予患者榄香烯静脉滴注和GP化疗方案;B组:对照组,17例,给予患者GP化疗方案;观察两组疗效和安全性,并记录治疗前后相关的指标变化。结果:2个疗程的化疗结束后,A组:10例患者复查脑核磁发现脑转移瘤较前缩小,病灶部分缓解(P R);6例脑转移瘤病灶稳定(SD);1例疾病进展(PD);B组:5例患者复查脑核磁发现脑转移瘤较前缩小,病灶部分缓解(P R);9例脑转移瘤病灶稳定(SD);3例疾病进展(PD)。结论:采用榄香烯联合GP化疗方案治疗晚期肺腺癌脑转移,能有效地改善患者生活质量,疗效满意。     

Physiological implications of pair-bond status in greylag geese

In group-living vertebrates, reliable social allies play a decisive role in dealing with stressors. For example, support by social allies is known to dampen glucocorticoid responses. It remains unknown, however, how social embedding affects the sympatho-adrenergic axis as indicated by heart rate (HR) in non-human animals. We studied the relationships between HR, pair-bond status and distance from the pair-partner in twenty-five free-ranging greylag geese (Anser anser) in a natural social environment. In three individuals, we investigated HR responses following partner loss. Overall, we found a context- and sex-dependent difference in HR between paired and unpaired individuals, paired males having a lower HR during agonistic encounters, and unpaired females having a lower HR during resting. Also, in paired females HR increased with increasing distance from the partner. Our data suggest that HR is modulated by pair-bond status in greylag geese in a context- and sex-dependent manner, which may be representative for social vertebrates in general. Despite the low sample size, the present study indicates that proper social embedding may optimize an individual's physiological investment in the social domain. This reduces individual energy expenditure and may benefit health and reproductive success.     

Expected utility violations evolve under status-based selection mechanisms

The expected utility theory of decision making under uncertainty, a cornerstone of modern economics, assumes that humans linearly weight “utilities” for different possible outcomes by the probabilities with which these outcomes occur. Despite the theory's intuitive appeal, both from normative and from evolutionary perspectives, many experiments demonstrate systematic, though poorly understood, patterns of deviation from EU predictions. This paper offers a novel theoretical account of such patterns of deviation by demonstrating that EU violations can emerge from evolutionary selection when individual “status” affects inclusive fitness. In humans, battles for resources and social standing involve high-stakes decision making, and assortative mating ensures that status matters for fitness outcomes. The paper therefore proposes grounding the study of decision making under uncertainty in an evolutionary game-theoretic framework.     

Egg rejection behaviour in the great reed warbler (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acrocephalus arundinaceus</Emphasis>): the effect of egg type

Egg discrimination in hosts of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus is frequently studied by experimental parasitism, using model cuckoo eggs. We compared egg rejection behaviour of the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus to either model cuckoo eggs made of plastic or painted real host eggs. We simultaneously parasitised host nests by two different egg types to simulate cuckoo parasitism. A previous study revealed very similar, ca. 70%, rejection rates against both of these egg types (beige or bluish background colour maculated with dark brown) when they were used for single parasitism. In the present study we showed 96% average rejection rates against these egg types when they were applied in multiple experimental parasitism, causing a more predictable output for rejection behaviour. Hard plastic eggs and painted real eggs were rejected at similar frequencies, and videotaping revealed that model egg rejection caused extra work for great reed warblers. We revealed a new type of rejection behaviour, when hosts tried to eject hard-shelled model cuckoo eggs: Hosts made little holes in the middle part of these plastic eggs by pecking them several times before ejection, as if seeking the possibility to pierce and hold these eggs in their bills. Painted real eggs were rejected by actually puncturing the eggshell and holding them in the bill during ejection. No instances of grasp ejection were recorded during filming. Most experimental eggs of either type were ejected within 1 day after the introduction of the eggs, indicating that hosts made their rejection decisions quickly. Our observations suggest the lack of plasticity in the mode and timing of ejection behaviour towards experimental cuckoo eggs of different types in great reed warblers.     

Gene expression data classification using consensus independent component analysis

We propose a new method for tumor classification from gene expression data, which mainly contains three steps. Firstly, the original DNA microarray gene expression data are modeled by independent component analysis （ICA）. Secondly, the most discriminant eigenassays extracted by ICA are selected by the sequential floating forward selection technique. Finally, support vector machine is used to classify the modeling data. To show the validity of the proposed method, we applied it to classify three DNA microarray datasets involving various human normal and tumor tissue samples. The experimental results show that the method is efficient and feasible.