阴道微生态与高危型人乳头瘤病毒感染及宫颈病变的相关性

目的 探究阴道微生态与高危型人乳头瘤病毒(HR HPV)感染以及宫颈病变之间的相关性,为后续研究提供参考。 方法 选择2018年1月至2019年6月就诊于石河子大学医学院第一附属医院妇科门诊,同时行爱必维(细菌性阴道病五项联合测定试剂盒)检测、HR HPV检测及宫颈组织病理检查的343名妇女作为研究对象,分析相关检测数据并探究阴道微生态与HR HPV感染以及宫颈病变的相关性。 结果 过氧化氢阳性、唾液酸苷酶阳性、白细胞酯酶阳性、乳杆菌数量减少及阴道清洁度3~4度的妇女感染HR HPV及发生宫颈病变的可能性显著大于过氧化氢阴性、唾液酸苷酶阴性、白细胞酯酶阴性、乳杆菌数量较多及阴道清洁度1~2度的妇女,差异均有统计学意义(均P结论 阴道微生态失衡与HR HPV感染以及宫颈病变有一定关联,纠正阴道微生态失衡可一定程度上预防HR HPV感染及宫颈病变。     

Origin of human chromosome 2 revisited

Similarities in chromosome banding patterns and hornologies in DNA sequence between chromosomes of the great apes and humans have suggested that human chromosome 2 originated through the fusion of two ancestral ape chromosomes. A lot of work has been directed at understanding the nature and mechanism of this fusion. The recent availability of the human chrornosome-2-specific alpha satellite DNA probe D2Z and the human chromosome-2p-specific subtelomeric DNA probe D2S445 prompted us to attempt cross-hybridization with chromosomes of the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) to search for equivalent locations in the great apes and to comment on the origin of human chromosome 2. The probes gave different results. No hybridization to the chromosome-2-specific alpha satellite DNA probe was observed on the presumed homologous great ape chromosomes using both high-stringency and low-stringency post-hybridization washes, whereas the subtelomeric-DNA probe specific for chromosome 2p hybridized to telomeric sites of the short arm of chromosome 12 of all three great apes. These observations suggest an evolutionary difference in the number of alpha satellite DNA repeat units in the equivalent ape chromosomes presumably involved in the chromosome fusion. Nevertheless, complete conservation of DNA sequence of the subtelomeric repeat sequence D2S445 in the ape chromosomes is demonstrated.     

Fruit Flies in Biomedical Research

Many scientists complain that the current funding situation is dire. Indeed, there has been an overall decline in support in funding for research from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Within the Drosophila field, some of us question how long this funding crunch will last as it demotivates principal investigators and perhaps more importantly affects the long-term career choice of many young scientists. Yet numerous very interesting biological processes and avenues remain to be investigated in Drosophila, and probing questions can be answered fast and efficiently in flies to reveal new biological phenomena. Moreover, Drosophila is an excellent model organism for studies that have translational impact for genetic disease and for other medical implications such as vector-borne illnesses. We would like to promote a better collaboration between Drosophila geneticists/biologists and human geneticists/bioinformaticians/clinicians, as it would benefit both fields and significantly impact the research on human diseases.     

Expression of the Centrosomal Colon Cancer Autoantigen Gene during Spermatogenesis in the Maturing Rat Testis

We analyzed the gene and protein expression of serologically defined colon cancer antigen 8. Gene expression was upregulated in the maturing rat testis, and was localized to the spermatocytes. Protein was detected in the spermatids and at the sites of mRNA expression. Specific expression of colon cancer antigen 8 was observed in the maturing rat testis.     

Metabolomics: building on a century of biochemistry to guide human health

Medical diagnosis and treatment efficacy will improve significantly when a more personalized system for health assessment is implemented. This system will require diagnostics that provide sufficiently detailed information about the metabolic status of individuals such that assay results will be able to guide food, drug and lifestyle choices to maintain or improve distinct aspects of health without compromising others. Achieving this goal will use the new science of metabolomics – comprehensive metabolic profiling of individuals linked to the biological understanding of human integrative metabolism. Candidate technologies to accomplish this goal are largely available, yet they have not been brought into practice for this purpose. Metabolomic technologies must be sufficiently rapid, accurate and affordable to be routinely accessible to both healthy and acutely ill individuals. The use of metabolomic data to predict the health trajectories of individuals will require bioinformatic tools and quantitative reference databases. These databases containing metabolite profiles from the population must be built, stored and indexed according to metabolic and health status. Building and annotating these databases with the knowledge to predict how a specific metabolic pattern from an individual can be adjusted with diet, drugs and lifestyle to improve health represents a logical application of the biochemistry knowledge that the life sciences have produced over the past 100 years.     

Chimeric contribution of human extended pluripotent stem cells to monkey embryos ex vivo

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Determination of the pH dependence,substrate specificity,and turnovers of alternative substrates for human ornithine aminotransferase

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary cancer of the liver and occurs predominantly in patients with underlying chronic liver diseases. Over the past decade, human ornithine aminotransferase (hOAT), which is an enzyme that catalyzes the metabolic conversion of ornithine into an intermediate for proline or glutamate synthesis, has been found to be overexpressed in HCC cells. hOAT has since emerged as a promising target for novel anticancer therapies, especially for the ongoing rational design effort to discover mechanism-based inactivators (MBIs). Despite the significance of hOAT in human metabolism and its clinical potential as a drug target against HCC, there are significant knowledge deficits with regard to its catalytic mechanism and structural characteristics. Ongoing MBI design efforts require in-depth knowledge of the enzyme active site, in particular, pKa values of potential nucleophiles and residues necessary for the molecular recognition of ligands. Here, we conducted a study detailing the fundamental active-site properties of hOAT using stopped-flow spectrophotometry and X-ray crystallography. Our results quantitatively revealed the pH dependence of the multistep reaction mechanism and illuminated the roles of ornithine α-amino and δ-amino groups in substrate recognition and in facilitating catalytic turnover. These findings provided insights of the catalytic mechanism that could benefit the rational design of MBIs against hOAT. In addition, substrate recognition and turnover of several fragment-sized alternative substrates of hOATs, which could serve as structural templates for MBI design, were also elucidated.