Non-nodulating pink-pigmented facultative Methylobacterium sp. with a functional nifH gene

Among the 250 Methylobacterium isolates studied, 11 were able to grow in Nitrogen-free methanol mineral salts medium. Out of the eleven isolates, except MV10, 10 isolates had the nodA gene. ARA and presence of nifH gene confirmed the ability of isolate MV10 to fix biological nitrogen. Plant infection tests conducted with Crotalaria sp. confirmed the inability of isolate MV10 to nodulate Crotalaria sp. The presence of a functional nifH gene and absence of a nodA gene differentiate this isolate from the other 15 species so far described in the genus Methylobacterium and suggest that it is a new species.     

不同类型性诱剂诱芯及诱捕器组合对草地贪夜蛾诱集效果评价

本研究通过评价诱芯、诱捕器和诱芯组合的诱集效果,筛选出对草地贪夜蛾雄蛾诱捕效果最佳的诱芯和诱捕器组合,为草地贪夜蛾综合防控提供技术支持。诱芯优化筛选试验中,9种诱芯中编号为3-4、4-2、4-3的3种诱芯对草地贪夜蛾雄蛾诱捕效果最好,专一性强。诱捕器筛选试验中,5种市面上常见诱捕器里,桶型诱捕器是其他型诱捕器的诱捕效果2倍以上,效果最佳。诱芯筛选试验中,在使用桶型诱捕器及小夜蛾诱捕器的条件下,翔林3-3诱芯对草地贪夜蛾雄蛾的诱虫效果都为最佳。此研究为我国草地贪夜蛾的综合防治提供新途径。     

Schistosoma japonicum: Immediate hypersensitivity reactions to egg antigen in humans and rodents

Immediate hypersensitivity reactions in schistosoma japonicum infections were examined in both man and experimental animals. In man higher reaction to soluble egg antigen than to adult worm antigen was detected by the use of the radioallergosorbent test (RAST). Blood-collecting filter paper can be used in RAST for seroepidemiological study in place of a skin test. Reaginic antibody formation against egg antigen was detected at the approximate time of egg deposition in strains of mice, Mongolian gerbils, cotton rats, and laboratory rats by the use of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis or Prausnitz-Küstner-type skin tests. At the same time circumoval precipitin tests were positive. Results with athymic nude mice suggest that these reactions are T-cell dependent. No detectable reagin synthesis against adult worm antigen was found in the animals so far examined, confirming stronger allergenic reaction to egg antigen than to that of adult worms in S. japonicum infections in man and animals.     

绝经前后细菌性阴道病厌氧菌群及耐药性分析

目的了解绝经前后细菌性阴道病患者标本中优势厌氧菌群,检测厌氧菌分离株对5-硝基咪唑类和林可霉素类抗生素的耐药性。方法采集165例未绝经和125例绝经阴道病患者以及84例未绝经和68例绝经正常妇女的阴道分泌物,测定其pH。采用选择性厌氧培养基分离类杆菌、梭杆菌、乳杆菌、优杆菌、消化链球菌和消化球菌,将分离的厌氧菌株鉴定至种。同时采用二倍平皿稀释法,测定塞克硝唑、替硝唑、甲硝唑、林可霉素和克林霉素对760株厌氧菌的最低抑菌浓度。结果100%细菌性阴道病患者、97.6%未绝经和98.5%绝经正常妇女的阴道分泌物中分离出厌氧菌。阴道炎患者标本中,类杆菌属、普氏菌属和紫质单胞菌属厌氧菌分离率高于相应对照组(P<0.05;P<0.01),其中以多毛类杆菌、腐败类杆菌、脆弱类杆菌、产黑普氏菌、不解糖紫质单胞菌为优势菌群;梭杆菌属、优杆菌属、消化球菌属和消化链球菌属厌氧菌分离率与相应对照组比较差异无显著性(P>0.05);乳杆菌属分离率明显低于相应对照组(P<0.01)。未绝经正常妇女和患者及绝经正常妇女和患者阴道分泌物pH分别为4.5±0.2、5.5±0.8、6.5±0.3和6.5±1.0。塞克硝唑、替硝唑和甲硝唑对355株革兰阴性厌氧菌M IC90值为1~8μg/m l,林可霉素和克林霉素则为4~16μg/m l;塞克硝唑、替硝唑和甲硝唑对405株革兰阳性厌氧菌M IC90值为8~32μg/m l,林可霉素和克林霉素则为4~16μg/m l。     

Tests for Homogeneity of Variances Using Robust Weighted Likelihood Estimates

The classical normal-theory tests for testing the null hypothesis of common variance and the classical estimates of scale have long been known to be quite nonrobust to even mild deviations from normality assumptions for moderate sample sizes. Levene (1960) suggested a one-way ANOVA type statistic as a robust test. Brown and Forsythe (1974) considered a modified version of Levene's test by replacing the sample means with sample medians as estimates of population locations, and their test is computationally the simplest among the three tests recommended by Conover , Johnson , and Johnson (1981) in terms of robustness and power. In this paper a new robust and powerful test for homogeneity of variances is proposed based on a modification of Levene's test using the weighted likelihood estimates (Markatou , Basu , and Lindsay , 1996) of the population means. For two and three populations the proposed test using the Hellinger distance based weighted likelihood estimates is observed to achieve better empirical level and power than Brown-Forsythe's test in symmetric distributions having a thicker tail than the normal, and higher empirical power in skew distributions under the use of F distribution critical values.     

Glutamine synthetase (GS) expression is reduced in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type

Glutamine synthetase (GS), a metabolic marker of the mature astrocyte, was investigated in the temporal neocortex of postmortem brain samples of 8 cases, either not demented or affected by senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. A negative correlation between the GS protein level and the density of both classical A4 deposits and senile plaques was evidenced. Such a correlation for GS underlies a dysfunction of the astroglial metabolism and particularly of the glutamate and ammonia neutralization. Since GS is sensitive to oxidative lesioning, the changes in GS level that were observed, occurring at the posttranslational stage, might reflect oxidative damage and have severe consequences on the pathological cascade of events.     

木麻黄原生境种子萌发及幼苗存活的影响因素分析

木麻黄无法天然更新已严重影响了海南岛木麻黄海防林发挥其永续的防护效能。该文以海口木麻黄海防林为原生境试验基地,采用5因素2水平的因子试验设计方法,共设计36个处理组合,探究木麻黄种子萌发及幼苗存活的影响因素及障碍因子。结果表明：(1)木麻黄种子发芽率最高的处理组合为林窗-不浇水-沙土-保水-盖土(GJ0SBM),发芽率为37.33%,显著高于其他处理组合(P<0.05);平均株高最高的处理组合为林窗-浇水-红土-不保水-不盖土(GJRB0M0),平均株高为6.43 cm/53 d,显著高于其他处理组合(P<0.05);存活率最高的组合为林窗-浇水-沙土-保水-盖土(GJSBM),存活率为79.00%/73 d,显著高于其他处理组合(P<0.05)。(2)林分光照条件和盖土方式是木麻黄种子发芽率及发芽势的影响因素,保水方式对种子发芽速度有显著影响。(3)林分光照条件是影响木麻黄幼苗株高的影响因素。(4)浇水方式是影响木麻黄幼苗存活率的主要影响因素。综上所述,木麻黄自身无法天然更新的障碍机制不在于种子萌发,而是因为木麻黄幼苗在海南旱季因缺乏必要的水分而无法存活,从而导致其...     

Results and recommendations

In the first phase of a collaborative study by the International Programme on Chemical Safety (PRCS), four coded chemicals, i.e. azidoglycerol (AG, 3-azido-1,2-propanediol), methyl nitrosurea (MNU), sodium azide (NaN₃) and maleic hydrazide (MH), and ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) as a positive control were tested in four plant bioassays, namely the Arabidopsis embryo and chlorophyll mutation assay, the Tradescantia stamen hair assay (Trad-SH assay), the Tradescantia micronucleus assay (Trade-MCN), and the Vicia faba root tip assay. Seventeen laboratories from diverse regions of the world participated with four to six laboratories each using one plant assay. For the Arabidopsis assay, laboratories were in agreement with MNU and AG giving positive responses and NaN₃ giving a negative response. With the exception of one laboratory which reported MH as weakly mutagenic, no mutagenic response was reported for MH by the other laboratories. For the Vicia faba assay, all laboratories reported a positive response for MNU, AG, and MH, whereas two of the six laboratories reported a negative response for NaN₃. For the Trad-SH assay, MH was reported as giving a positive response and a positive response was also observed for MNU with the exception of one laboratory. NaN₃, which exhibited a relatively high degree of toxicity, elicited a positive response in three of the five laboratories. AG was found positive in only one of the two laboratories which tested this chemical. For the Trad-MCN assay, MNU and MH were reported as positive by all laboratories, while four out of five laboratories reported NaN₃ to be positive. Only one of three laboratories reported AG to be positive. The major sources of variability were identified and considered to be in the same range as found in similar studies on other test systems. Recommendations were made for minor changes in methodology and for initiating the second phase of this study.     

Genetic fingerprinting for determining the mode of reproduction in Paspalum notatum, a subtropical apomictic forage grass

 Paspalum is an important genus of the family Gramineae that includes several valuable forage grasses. Many of the species are polyploid and either obligate or facultative apomicts. Cyto-embryological observations of several tetraploid genotypes of P. notatum were performed to determine their mode of reproduction. Afterwards, selfed progenies of the genotypes F131, Q3664 and Q4117 were analysed using RFLP and RAPD genetic fingerprints to identify maternal and non-maternal (aberrant) plants, and to establish the degree of apomictic reproduction. Five maize clones and six primers were used for detecting genetic deviations from the maternal profile. Maize clones umc379, umc384 and umc318 and primers OPG10 and OPI4 were the most informative for discriminating between maternal and aberrant individuals within the progenies of F131 and Q3664. The combined results of three RFLP clones or 4–6 RAPD primers were necessary to ascertain the mode of reproduction in plants F131 and Q3664. The results obtained with the RFLP and RAPD markers were in agreement with the cyto-embryological studies in ascertaining the mode and degree of apomictic reproduction. Plant F131 showed a completely sexual reproductive behaviour, Q3664 an elevated expression of sexuality, while Q4117 was highly apomictic. A fingerprint analysis of an outcrossing population, aimed at the identification of hybrid plants, was also performed. Maize clones um318 and umc379 and primers OPC2 and OPC9 were used. The presence of specific bands belonging to the male parent permitted a rapid and easy detection of hybrids. The methodology described here can be applied both for the characterisation of P. notatum populations and to identify hybrid progenies in Paspalum breeding programs. Received: 5 March 1997 / Accepted: 13 May 1997     

鞘内注射孤啡肽对大鼠足底注入蜜蜂毒诱致长时程自发痛、痛敏和炎症的不同效果

为进一步了解孤啡肽在脊髓水平是否具有抗伤害及抗炎作用,本实验在具有多种痛行为表现的蜜蜂毒模型上观察了鞘内注射孤啡肽对大鼠一侧后足底注入蜜蜂毒所诱致的同侧自发缩足反射、原发热和机械性痛敏以及注射部位炎症反应的影响,同时观察了新的高选择性孤啡肽受体拮抗剂CompB的作用.结果表明与生理盐水对照组比较,鞘内注射孤啡肽(3、10、30 nmol/10μl)对蜜蜂毒诱发的自发缩足反射次数的抑制作用随剂量提高而增大,抑制率分别为37±7,43±6and57±11%(三个剂量vs对照,P＜0.05);而对蜜蜂毒诱发的注射部位炎症反应(爪体积、爪背腹厚度和蛋白渗出的增加)无显著影响.CompB(30 nmo1)可完全翻转10 nmol孤啡肽对自发缩足反射的抑制作用.鞘内单次或重复注射孤啡肽(10 nmol/10μl)对蜜蜂毒诱致的原发性热和机械性痛敏的发生和维持均无作用.本实验结果提示,外源性孤啡肽在脊髓通过孤啡肽受体的介导产生一定的镇痛作用,但是它可能仅对持续性自发痛有抑制作用,而对热和机械性痛敏及炎症反应均无影响.