基于DUS测试的水稻标准品种形态性状多样性分析

对水稻DUS测试标准品种进行多样性评价,为DUS测试标准品种的选择和优化提供依据。以DUS测试指南中规定的49个水稻标准品种为材料,根据2008年在杭州田间试验对59个形态性状的调查数据,利用PopGen32软件计算了等位变异数、有效等位变异数和Shannon's多样性信息指数,对标准品种的形态性状多样性进行了评价;并根据其多样性参数采用NTSYS软件对标准品种进行了聚类分析。结果表明,59个形态性状在19份籼稻和30份粳稻品种中分别检测到201和262个等位变异,平均每个性状可以检测到3.4068（籼稻）和4.4407(粳稻)个等位变异,籼、粳稻类群中59个性状的平均Shannon's多样性指数分别为0.8318（0~1.7674）和0.9828（0~1.8547）。聚类分析结果表明,籼、粳稻群体内品种间的形态性状相似系数分别介于0.45~0.81和0.36~0.76,取相似系数0.70为阈值,可将19份籼稻和30份粳稻品种分别分为16和27类。多样性分析表明本研究的49个品种形态性状多样性丰富,具有标准品种性状描述的示例和校正作用;根据聚类分析结果,可将现有标准品种的数量减少至43个。本研究为水稻新品种DUS测试中标准品种的选择和优化提供了参考依据,同时也可供研制其他植物的DUS测试标准借鉴。     

骨髓瘤细胞中阿霉素诱导的ATP变化与自噬的关系

目的：检测用阿霉素（doxorubicin DOXO）处理的骨髓瘤细胞株NCI-H929中ATP与自噬表达水平的变化,探讨两者之间的关联。方法：分别以DOXO 2umol/l 24h、DOXO 2umol/l联用自噬抑制剂3MA 10mmol/l 24h处理H-929细胞后,采用MTT法检测细胞存活率;ATP生物发光法检测ATP表达量;Western Blot检测靶细胞自噬标志分子LC3蛋白的表达。结果：各组相对未处理组存活率分别为54%、35%;相对未处理组%ATP分别为400%、150%;DOXO 24h LC3表达显著上调。结论：经DOXO处理H-929细胞系自噬形成,进而ATP上升以保护细胞。     

口服卡介菌治疗实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎的研究

目的:观察口服卡介菌对实验性变态反应性脑脊髓炎(EAE)的治疗效果。方法:制备EAE大鼠模型,随机分为BCG高、中、低剂量组和PBS对照组,每组各15只,对大鼠治疗后的临床症状及病理组织学进行评估,提取脾脏淋巴细胞,流式细胞术检测T淋巴细胞亚群,3H-TdR掺入法检测淋巴细胞增殖能力。结果:BCG组EAE大鼠与对照组相比,临床症状减轻,发病时间延迟,炎性细胞浸润数减少;急性期,口服BCG各组CD4+、CD8+T细胞的数量随剂量增加而增加,缓解期CD4+、CD8+T细胞数量减少;口服BCG可促进EAE大鼠T淋巴细胞增殖能力;高、中剂量组上述变化均较其它分组明显。结论:口服BCG可很好的诱导免疫耐受,延迟EAE发病,减轻炎症反应,改善临床症状。     

Frequent detection of Human Herpes Virus-8 in bone marrow of Jordanian patients of multiple myeloma

The association between Human Herpes Virus-8 (HHV-8), also called Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV), and the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma remains controversial. Many past studies conducting on different populations have come to contradicting conclusions. In this study, we attempted to investigate the presence of HHV-8 in Jordanian multiple myeloma patients. We carried out nucleic acid amplification reactions targeting specific viral DNA sequences on 35 fresh bone marrow aspirate samples from 17 patients with multiple myeloma, 9 patients with various hematological malignancies and 9 normal subjects. HHV-8 specific sequences were detected in 7 out of 17 multiple myeloma patients (41%) using primers specific for the open reading frame region 26 (ORF26). All patients with other hematological malignancies as well as the normal subjects did not harbour the virus. These findings support the previous reports of frequent detection of HHV-8 in bone marrow of multiple myeloma patients.     

Validation of shear wave elastography in skeletal muscle

Skeletal muscle is a very dynamic tissue, thus accurate quantification of skeletal muscle stiffness throughout its functional range is crucial to improve the physical functioning and independence following pathology. Shear wave elastography (SWE) is an ultrasound-based technique that characterizes tissue mechanical properties based on the propagation of remotely induced shear waves. The objective of this study is to validate SWE throughout the functional range of motion of skeletal muscle for three ultrasound transducer orientations. We hypothesized that combining traditional materials testing (MTS) techniques with SWE measurements will show increased stiffness measures with increasing tensile load, and will correlate well with each other for trials in which the transducer is parallel to underlying muscle fibers. To evaluate this hypothesis, we monitored the deformation throughout tensile loading of four porcine brachialis whole-muscle tissue specimens, while simultaneously making SWE measurements of the same specimen. We used regression to examine the correlation between Young′s modulus from MTS and shear modulus from SWE for each of the transducer orientations. We applied a generalized linear model to account for repeated testing. Model parameters were estimated via generalized estimating equations. The regression coefficient was 0.1944, with a 95% confidence interval of (0.1463–0.2425) for parallel transducer trials. Shear waves did not propagate well for both the 45° and perpendicular transducer orientations. Both parallel SWE and MTS showed increased stiffness with increasing tensile load. This study provides the necessary first step for additional studies that can evaluate the distribution of stiffness throughout muscle.     

Curcumin und Multiple Sklerose

Curcumin and Multiple Sclerosis In Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the inflammation caused by the patient's own immune system against the central nervous tissue leads to progressive loss of neurological functions. Reactive oxygenated species and nitric oxid, the latter produced by nitric oxid‐Synthases (NO) destroy axons and myelin sheets. In experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for MS, arginase I expression is upregulated and an inhibition of arginase helps to delay the onset of EAE‐symptoms. Since arginases compete with NO for the substrate arginine, a complex network regulates NO activity. The prevalence of MS in societies, where curcumin is part of the daily diet, is lower than in the northern hemisphere. A specific inhibition of arginases by curcuma extract in vitro and evidence for a direct association of compounds therein with arginases suggests a perspective for the treatment of MS.     

Whole genome amplification of the obligate intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii using multiple displacement amplification

This study demonstrates that whole genome multiple displacement amplification (MDA) is a promising technique for downstream genomic analysis of fastidious obligate intracellular pathogens such as Coxiella burnetii. The MDA technology can help in obtaining sufficient genetic material from highly infectious agent and thus minimizing repeated culturing and associated biohazard.     

Clinical and molecular description of the prenatal diagnosis of a fetus with a maternally inherited microduplication 22q11.2 of 2.5 Mb

Microduplications of 22q11.2 have been recently characterized as a new genomic duplication syndrome showing an extremely variable phenotype ranging from normal or mild learning disability to multiple congenital defects and sharing some overlapping features with DiGeorge/Velocardiofacial syndrome (DGS/VCFS). We report on the prenatal diagnosis of a 22q11.2 microduplication in a fetus with normal development that was referred for chromosomal analysis at 17 weeks of gestation because of advanced maternal age. Pregnancy was the result of an IVF-ICSI attempt after 4 years of infertility, mainly due to severe oligoasthenoteratospermia of the father. Amniocentesis was undertaken and cytogenetic analysis revealed an apparently normal male karyotype. Multiple Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) revealed a microduplication in the 22q11.2 chromosome region. Parental analysis showed that the 22q11.2 microduplication has been inherited from the otherwise healthy mother. Analysis with high resolution array-CGH showed that the size of the microduplication is 2.5 Mb and revealed the genes that are duplicated, including the TBX1 gene. The parents elected to continue with the pregnancy and the infant is now five months old and shows normal development.     

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of MAPK and MAPKK gene family in Malus domestica

MAPK signal transduction modules play crucial roles in regulating many biological processes in plants, which are composed of three classes of hierarchically organized protein kinases, namely MAPKKKs, MAPKKs, and MAPKs. Although genome-wide analysis of this family has been carried out in some species, little is known about MAPK and MAPKK genes in apple (Malus domestica). In this study, a total of 26 putative apple MAPK genes (MdMPKs) and 9 putative apple MAPKK genes (MdMKKs) have been identified and located within the apple genome. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that MdMAPKs and MdMAPKKs could be divided into 4 subfamilies (groups A, B, C and D), respectively. The predicted MdMAPKs and MdMAPKKs were distributed across 13 out of 17 chromosomes with different densities. In addition, analysis of exon–intron junctions and of intron phase inside the predicted coding region of each candidate gene has revealed high levels of conservation within and between phylogenetic groups. According to the microarray and expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis, the different expression patterns indicate that they may play different roles during fruit development and rootstock–scion interaction process. Moreover, MAPK and MAPKK genes were performed expression profile analyses in different tissues (root, stem, leaf, flower and fruit), and all of the selected genes were expressed in at least one of the tissues tested, indicating that the MAPKs and MAPKKs are involved in various aspects of physiological and developmental processes of apple. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a genome-wide analysis of the apple MAPK and MAPKK gene family. This study provides valuable information for understanding the classification and putative functions of the MAPK signal in apple.