新生儿凝血指标及部分生化指标检测参考区间调查

目的:调查分析新生儿凝血指标及部分生化指标检测参考区间。方法:以十所三甲医院2012年1月~2014年6月收治的新生儿2683例为研究对象,其中足月儿1700例,早产儿983例,选择同期十所医院职工健康体检1000例为对照组,通过全自动血凝仪、全自动生化分析仪测定所有对象凝血指标及12项生化指标,并建立相关指标参考区间。结果:足月新生儿PT、TT、APTT凝血指标较对照组延长,Fib较对照组降低,差异均有统计学意义(P=0.000);早产儿PT、TT、APTT较足月儿延长(P=0.000),Fib(P=0.001)降低;足月新生儿Glc水平较对照组低(P=0.000),早产儿Glc水平较足月新生儿更低(P=0.000);足月新生儿血钙水平低于对照组,血清TC、Cr、BUN、ALT含量均在对照组之下(P=0.000),早产儿相对更低(P均0.05);足月新生儿LDH、CK酶活性及K+水平均高于对照组(P均0.05),早产儿水平更高(P0.05);足月儿血清Alb、TP及Na+水平低于对照组(P0.05),早产儿更低(P均0.05)。结论:新生儿凝血表达与成人不同,凝血及部分生化指标参考区间的变化与年龄有联系,有必要为新生儿建立与年龄相关的凝血、生化指标参考区间。     

Prescribed moorland burning meets good practice guidelines: A monitoring case study using aerial photography in the Peak District,UK

Upland moors in the UK have been managed for centuries using rotational prescribed-burning, but in recent years there has been contentious debate over its continuing use due to varying effects on moorland ecosystem services. Prescribed-burning should only be carried out using good-practice codes, which include restrictions on the size, location and frequency of burns. Good burning practice is an indicator of management standards and habitat condition in moorland landscapes. However, there has been little attempt to assess management performance with respect to these restrictions. We investigated prescribed-burning on a case-study estate (Howden Moor) in the Peak District National Park from 1988 to 2009 using management maps and aerial photography. The annual area burned (0.9%) was far below recommendations (10%) and patches were in keeping with the target sizes specified (mean ± se: 2370 ± 70 m²). The risk of a large or escaped fire was very low, with less than 1% of fires greater than 15,000 m². However, only 28.9% of the total burnable area was burned, leaving the rest unmanaged and accumulating fuel. Future guidelines might recommend the application of prescribed-burning across the range of Calluna vulgaris growth phases, to reduce fuel load and promote biodiversity at the landscape scale. We show that vegetation mapping and aerial photography are an effective method for monitoring prescribed-burning practice on moorlands. The information derived from such monitoring studies should lead to greater confidence in the standard of prescribed-burning and adherence to good-practice guidelines and requirements imposed by statutory authorities.     

A methodology to estimate national REDD+ reference levels using the Zero-Sum-Gains DEA approach

REDD+ reference levels directly impact the benefits which a country may receive. However, the existing “Compensation Reduction” (CR) and “Compensated Successful Efforts” (CSE) are only considered from a unilateral perspective of outputs or inputs. The combination of these two approaches is considered to estimate the REDD+ reference levels through the Zero-Sum-Gains Data Envelopment Analysis in this paper. The agricultural labor force and agricultural land area are used as input variables, and the gross agricultural production and carbon emissions from deforestation are considered as output variables. The REDD+ reference levels of 89 countries are calculated and classified through the Zero-Sum-Gains DEA model. The results demonstrate that the REDD+ reference levels are estimated efficiently through the Zero-Sum-Gains DEA model, and all countries with deforestation are in the Zero-Sum-Gains DEA frontier, indicating the overall Pareto optimality has been achieved. The empirical results also indicate that the use of Zero-Sum-Gains DEA model is more beneficial for Latin American and the Caribbean, while the countries that may see a revenue drop in REDD+ are in Africa, Asia and Oceania. Consequently, the final REDD+ reference levels should take into account both efficiency and fairness by selecting the appropriate fairness-efficiency weighting factor.     

Developmental emergence of fear/threat learning: neurobiology,associations and timing

Pavlovian fear or threat conditioning, where a neutral stimulus takes on aversive properties through pairing with an aversive stimulus, has been an important tool for exploring the neurobiology of learning. In the past decades, this neurobehavioral approach has been expanded to include the developing infant. Indeed, protracted postnatal brain development permits the exploration of how incorporating the amygdala, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus into this learning system impacts the acquisition and expression of aversive conditioning. Here, we review the developmental trajectory of these key brain areas involved in aversive conditioning and relate it to pups' transition to independence through weaning. Overall, the data suggests that adult‐like features of threat learning emerge as the relevant brain areas become incorporated into this learning. Specifically, the developmental emergence of the amygdala permits cue learning and the emergence of the hippocampus permits context learning. We also describe unique features of learning in early life that block threat learning and enhance interaction with the mother or exploration of the environment. Finally, we describe the development of a sense of time within this learning and its involvement in creating associations. Together these data suggest that the development of threat learning is a useful tool for dissecting adult‐like functioning of brain circuits, as well as providing unique insights into ecologically relevant developmental changes.     

Epistatic partners of neurogenic genes modulate Drosophila olfactory behavior

The extent to which epistasis affects the genetic architecture of complex traits is difficult to quantify, and identifying variants in natural populations with epistatic interactions is challenging. Previous studies in Drosophila implicated extensive epistasis between variants in genes that affect neural connectivity and contribute to natural variation in olfactory response to benzaldehyde. In this study, we implemented a powerful screen to quantify the extent of epistasis as well as identify candidate interacting variants using 203 inbred wild‐derived lines with sequenced genomes of the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP). We crossed the DGRP lines to P[GT1]‐element insertion mutants in Sema‐5c and neuralized (neur), two neurodevelopmental loci which affect olfactory behavior, and to their coisogenic wild‐type control. We observed significant variation in olfactory responses to benzaldehyde among F₁ genotypes and for the DGRP line by mutant genotype interactions for both loci, showing extensive nonadditive genetic variation. We performed genome‐wide association analyses to identify the candidate modifier loci. None of these polymorphisms were in or near the focal genes; therefore, epistasis is the cause of the nonadditive genetic variance. Candidate genes could be placed in interaction networks. Several candidate modifiers are associated with neural development. Analyses of mutants of candidate epistatic partners with neur (merry‐go‐round (mgr), prospero (pros), CG10098, Alhambra (Alh) and CG12535) and Sema‐5c (CG42540 and bruchpilot (brp)) showed aberrant olfactory responses compared with coisogenic controls. Thus, integrating genome‐wide analyses of natural variants with mutations at defined genomic locations in a common coisogenic background can unmask specific epistatic modifiers of behavioral phenotypes.     

湖北地区健康成人网织红细胞相关参数参考区间的建立

目的:建立湖北地区健康成人网织红细胞相关参数的参考区间,以便更准确为临床提供服务。方法:选取我院体检中心751例健康体检者进行空腹静脉采血,采用迈瑞BC-6800血液分析仪进行网织红细胞相关参数检测,建立网织红细胞百分比(RET%)、网织红细胞绝对值(RET#)、低荧光网织红细胞百分比(LFR%)、中荧光网织红细胞百分比(MFR%)、高荧光网织红细胞百分比(HFR%)和幼稚网织红细胞百分比(IFR%)的参考区间。结果:RET%、RET#、LFR%、MFR%、HFR%和IFR%均呈非正态分布,建立的参考区间分别为:RET%:0.54～1.80;RET#:男0.029～0.098、女0.024～0.093;LFR%:男89.9～98.7、女92.4～98.8;MFR%:男1.3～9.6、女1.2～7.3;HFR%:男0～0.5、女0～0.1;IFR%:男1.3～10.3、女1.2～7.4。健康成人男性LFR%、MFR%、IFR%结果存在年龄组间显著性差异,女性未发现年龄组间存在差异性。结论:湖北地区健康成人网织红细胞6项相关参数的参考区间存在地区特异性、性别差异性以及年龄差异性。不同地区实验室应根据当地调查情况,适当的调整网织红细胞相关参数的参考区间,以便更准确的为临床提供判断标准。     

Identification and validation of stage-specific reference genes for gene expression analysis in Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

In light of a number of recent studies highlighting the increasing research interest in bruchids, it is crucial to validate suitable reference genes that could be used in quantitative gene expression studies. Callosobruchus maculatus is a serious pest of stored grains and field legumes in which reference genes have not been assessed and validated to date. The present study aimed to identify and validate reference genes in different developmental stages of C. maculatus shortlisted from commonly used reference genes such as VATPase, TRIP12, TBP, TF11D, ACTIN, GST, ANNEXIN, PTCD3, RPL32, and β -Tub in various insects. Dedicated algorithms like GeNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper were used to analyze the stability of these candidate genes, which revealed GST for third instar, ANNEXIN and PTCD3 for the fourth instar, TF11D and VATPase for male pupa, RPL32 and β-tub for female pupa, β-tub and TBP for adult male and VATPase and GST for adult females as suitable reference genes for expression studies in C. maculatus. The final comprehensive ranking using RefFinder identified GST and TBP as the best reference genes for all the developmental stages of C. maculatus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report which evaluates and validates stable reference genes in C. maculatus. The information of stage-specific gene expression, generated in this study will be useful for future molecular, physiological, and biochemical studies on C. maculatus and other closely related bruchids.