On the effects of Dikonirt (sodium salt of 2.4-Dichlorophenoxi-acetic acid) on the mortality and reproduction of Daphnia magna

The effects of sodium salt of 2.4-Dichlorophenoxi-acetic acid (2.4-D-Na) on the mortality and reproduction ofDaphnia magna have been tested.The mortality tests were performed in experiments with duration time of 24, 48 and 96 h at the temperatures of 15 and 20 °C. The toxic effect increased by 11–16 regarding 47% with increasing of temperature and exposure time.This herbicide (Dikonirt) affected adversely the reproduction of daphnids at concentration lower than tenth of LC₅₀ value.     

成纤维细胞生长因子21对糖脂代谢调控的研究进展

成纤维细胞生长因子21(FGF21)是成纤维细胞生长因子(FGF)家族中的一员。由于它在改善能量代谢方面的积极作用,近年来获得了广泛的关注。FGF21可作用于多个组织参与调控糖脂代谢:减轻体重,改善肥胖、糖尿病等病理情况下的高血糖及高血脂;此外,FGF21在调节饥饿等特殊生理状态的能量代谢中也起着重要的作用。本文就FGF21调控糖脂代谢的研究进展作一综述,以便更好地理解其作用机制,为慢性代谢性疾病的防治提供依据。     

抗真菌感染新药研究进展

随着免疫功能缺陷人群的增多,侵袭性真菌感染（invasive fungal infections,IFIs）的发病率和死亡率逐年上升,严重威胁人类健康。目前临床常用抗侵袭性真菌感染药物有三唑类（氟康唑）、多烯类（两性霉素B）、棘白菌素类（卡泊芬净）等,然而这些药物并不能满足临床需要,侵袭性真菌感染的死亡率仍居高不下。因此,本文着重于目前处于临床研究阶段的抗真菌感染新药,根据作用靶点不同依次介绍：作用于细胞壁的新型葡聚糖合成酶抑制剂CD101和SCY-078、几丁质合成酶抑制剂尼可霉素Z、GPI锚定蛋白抑制剂APX001;作用于细胞膜的CYP51抑制剂VT-1161和VT-1129、破坏细胞膜通透性药物CAmB;影响细胞代谢的嘧啶合成抑制剂F901318,以及生物制剂包括细胞表面凝集素样序列3蛋白疫苗（NDV-3）和抗真菌感染抗体Mycograb。本文主要综述了上述新药的研究进展,包括作用机制、体内外活性、临床研究结果等,为相关药物的研发与未来的临床应用提供参考。     

Quantitative Metaproteomics and Activity-based Protein Profiling of Patient Fecal Microbiome Identifies Host and Microbial Serine-type Endopeptidase Activity Associated With Ulcerative Colitis

The gut microbiota plays an important yet incompletely understood role in the induction and propagation of ulcerative colitis (UC). Organism-level efforts to identify UC-associated microbes have revealed the importance of community structure, but less is known about the molecular effectors of disease. We performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing in parallel with label-free data-dependent LC-MS/MS proteomics to characterize the stool microbiomes of healthy (n = 8) and UC (n = 10) patients. Comparisons of taxonomic composition between techniques revealed major differences in community structure partially attributable to the additional detection of host, fungal, viral, and food peptides by metaproteomics. Differential expression analysis of metaproteomic data identified 176 significantly enriched protein groups between healthy and UC patients. Gene ontology analysis revealed several enriched functions with serine-type endopeptidase activity overrepresented in UC patients. Using a biotinylated fluorophosphonate probe and streptavidin-based enrichment, we show that serine endopeptidases are active in patient fecal samples and that additional putative serine hydrolases are detectable by this approach compared with unenriched profiling. Finally, as metaproteomic databases expand, they are expected to asymptotically approach completeness. Using ComPIL and de novo peptide sequencing, we estimate the size of the probable peptide space unidentified (“dark peptidome”) by our large database approach to establish a rough benchmark for database sufficiency. Despite high variability inherent in patient samples, our analysis yielded a catalog of differentially enriched proteins between healthy and UC fecal proteomes. This catalog provides a clinically relevant jumping-off point for further molecular-level studies aimed at identifying the microbial underpinnings of UC.     

放线菌来源活性天然产物发现研究进展

放线菌(Actinomycetes)是抗生素等活性天然产物的重要来源，在临床治疗病原菌感染等重大疾病方面发挥着重要作用。由于抗生素滥用等原因导致临床上出现的以耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA)等为代表的耐药病菌的种类和数量急剧增加，对人类生存造成了重大威胁。结合现代生物技术进展，加大放线菌来源新抗生素的开发力度刻不容缓。本文对新时期放线菌来源抗生素的发现现状、基于生理操作和基因操作的放线菌来源天然产物挖掘的技术方法等进行综述，以期对放线菌来源活性天然产物的发现提供借鉴。     

The modification of cortical reorganization and chronic pain by sensory feedback

Recent neuroscientific evidence has revealed that the adult brain is capable of substantial plastic change in areas such as the primary somatosensory cortex that were formerly thought to be modifiable only during early experience. We discuss research on phantom limb pain as well as chronic back pain that revealed functional reorganization in both the somatosensory and the motor system in these chronic pain states. In phantom limb pain patients, cortical reorganization is correlated with the amount of phantom limb pain; in low back pain patients the amount of reorganizational change increases with chronicity. We present a model of the development of chronic pain that assumes an important role of somatosensory pain memories. In phantom limb pain, we propose that those patients who experienced intense pain prior to the amputation will later likely develop enhanced cortical reorganization and phantom limb pain. We show that cortical plasticity related to chronic pain can be reduced by behavioral interventions that provide feedback to the brain areas that were altered by somatosensory pain memories.     

Fish tongues–surface fine structures and ecological considerations

The surface structures of the tongues of Dissostichus mawsoni, Trematomus bemacchii, f. borchgrevinki (Nototheniidae), Stemoptyx diaphana (Sternoptychidae), Diretmus sp. (Diretmidae), Cataetyx memorabilis (Ophidiidae), Photoblepharon palpebratus (Anomalopidae), Carapus mourlani (Carapidae) and Salmo gairdneri (Salmonidae) were investigated with the scanning electron microscope. The aim of the study was to test the theory that the degree to which gustatory receptors are developed morphologically in different species of fishes is related to the environment, and in particular to the variey of food present in the latter. It was found that in the two mesopelagic species, S. diaphana and Diretmus sp., taste receptors were poorly developed, but in the benthic deep-water fish C. memorabilii , which lives off South West Africa in a biologically rich environment, well-developed taste receptors occurred in large numbers. The three Antarctic species studied had similar tongue surface structures with rather well developed papillae of a moderate density. Photoblepharon palpebratus , in spite of its small tongue, possessed a large number of taste buds on elevated ridges; Carapus mourlani , however, had only very few obvious receptors and is thought to be a poor taster. Undoubtedly the highest degree of taste receptor development is found in the freshwater trout Salmo gairdneri. The results support the hypothesis that taste receptor development and the variety of food types preseni in a fish's environment are correlated.     

An automated differential thermal and potentiometric titration apparatus for binding studies

A differential pH-termal titration apparatus is described which can detect pH differences with a sensitivity of ±0.0001 pH units and a thermal sensitivity of ±0.00002°C at a time constant of 0.1 s. With a reaction which yields 1 kcal mol⁻¹, the current system can detect concentrations as low as 4×10⁻⁶ M or, in a 2 ml volume, a total amount of 40 nmol. With a time constant of 0.1 s, the sensitivity is 20±4 μ°C. The experimental protocol is specified by a microprocessor and three modes of operation are possible: titration at constant rate of reagent addition, titration at variable rates of addition so that the contents of both cells are at either constant pH or at a constant temperature and variable rate when a rate of change is specified. Experimental data are collected in files, corrected for heat loss, initial baseline drift, and changes in volume. The final corrected from the standardized run of 0.01338 M HCl in 0.2 M KCl at 25°C calibrate the pH scale yielded the calorimetric conversion constants and pK_w which are calculated and stored for subsequent corrections for the titration of an unknown acid or the measurement of bindin constants and heats.     

Ablation of Gadd45β ameliorates the inflammation and renal fibrosis caused by unilateral ureteral obstruction

The growth arrest and DNA damage‐inducible beta (Gadd45β) protein have been associated with various cellular functions, but its role in progressive renal disease is currently unknown. Here, we examined the effect of Gadd45β deletion on cell proliferation and apoptosis, inflammation, and renal fibrosis in an early chronic kidney disease (CKD) mouse model following unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Wild‐type (WT) and Gadd45β‐knockout (KO) mice underwent either a sham operation or UUO and the kidneys were sampled eight days later. A histological assay revealed that ablation of Gadd45β ameliorated UUO‐induced renal injury. Cell proliferation was higher in Gadd45β KO mouse kidneys, but apoptosis was similar in both genotypes after UUO. Expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines after UUO was down‐regulated in the kidneys from Gadd45β KO mice, whereas UUO‐mediated immune cell infiltration remained unchanged. The expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in response to LPS stimulation decreased in bone marrow‐derived macrophages from Gadd45β KO mice compared with that in WT mice. Importantly, UUO‐induced renal fibrosis was ameliorated in Gadd45β KO mice unlike in WT mice. Gadd45β was involved in TGF‐β signalling pathway regulation in kidney fibroblasts. Our findings demonstrate that Gadd45β plays a crucial role in renal injury and may be a therapeutic target for the treatment of CKD.