Comparative study between the free radicals and tumor markers in patients with gastrointestinal tumors

The tumorous processes, increased level of tumor markers and the change of free radical status are associated in patents with gastrointestinal tumors. The aim of this study was to examine free radical status and tumor markers in patients with gastrointestinal tumors. Two hundered and thirteen patients with gastrointestinal tumor were examined. In the control group 44 non-tumorous patients were examined. The tumor markers (CEA, CA 19-9, CA 72-4, AFP, TPA, AGP) and free radical status (total scavenger capacity) were diagnosed using venal blood (obtained by LIA-kits and chemiluminescent methods, LIA-mAT and the Lumat Berthold instrument). It has been found that: (1) The results showed that the tumor markers, TPA and AGP are the best indicators for the tumorous process; (2) The AGP serum level was in the operable case 91.56+/-38.29 mg/dl meanwhile its value was, 128.46+/-47.62 mg/dl (P<0.001) in the inoperable case; and (3) The TPA value was 118.37+/-155.47 mg/dl in the operable case, (P<0.001) while its value was 227.32+/-244.39 mg/dl in inoperable cases. The significantly high levels of the plasma Chemiluminescent Light Intensity (CLI)=28.12+/-25.96; was obtained in patients with rectal tumors vs. in the control cases CLI= 4.27+/-5.12 RLU% (Relative Light Unit; mean+S.D.; P<0.005). In six of these cases, the free radical status examination indicated the presence of the tumor, even though the level of tumor markers was normal. It has been concluded that the testing of both regular tumor markers and free radical status has an important role in the diagnosis and monitoring of the patients with gastrointestinal tumors.     

Development of nuclear microsatellite markers for the threatened wetland plant Geranium soboliferum var. kiusianum (Geraniaceae)

Nuclear microsatellite markers were developed for the threatened plant Geranium soboliferum var. kiusianum, which has decreased its population size as a result of loss of its wetland habitat in Kyushu, Japan. Utilizing RNA‐seq data obtained by next‐generation sequencing techniques, 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers with 3–16 alleles in a nuclear genome were developed and characterized. Two to 15 alleles were observed in G. soboliferum. These markers will be used to investigate the genetic circumstance of remnant populations of G. soboliferum var. kiusianum and their phylogenetic relationship with G. soboliferum.     

Inhibitory effects of Eucalyptus globulus on understorey plant growth and species richness are greater in non‐native regions

Aim

We studied the novel weapons hypothesis in the context of the broadly distributed tree species Eucalyptus globulus. We evaluated the hypothesis that this Australian species would produce stronger inhibitory effects on species from its non‐native range than on species from its native range.

Location

We worked in four countries where this species is exotic (U.S.A., Chile, India, Portugal) and one country where it is native (Australia).

Time period

2009–2012.

Major taxa studied

Plants.

Methods

We compared species composition, richness and height of plant communities in 20 paired plots underneath E. globulus individuals and open areas in two sites within its native range and each non‐native region. We also compared effects of litter leachates of E. globulus on root growth of seedlings in species from Australia, Chile, the U.S.A. and India.

Results

In all sites and countries, the plant community under E. globulus canopies had lower species richness than did the plant community in open areas. However, the reduction was much greater in the non‐native ranges: species richness declined by an average of 51% in the eight non‐native sites versus 8% in the two native Australian sites. The root growth of 15 out of 21 species from the non‐native range were highly suppressed by E. globulus litter leachates, whereas the effect of litter leachate varied from facilitation to suppression for six species native to Australia. The mean reduction in root growth for Australian plants was significantly lower than for plants from the U.S.A., Chile and India.

Main conclusions

Our results show biogeographical differences in the impact of an exotic species on understorey plant communities. Consistent with the novel weapons hypothesis, our findings suggest that different adaptations of species from the native and non‐native ranges to biochemical compounds produced by an exotic species may play a role in these biogeographical differences.     

Association study between of Tie2/Angiopoietin-2 and VEGF/KDR pathway gene polymorphisms and vascular malformations

Vascular malformations (VMs) are common congenital and neonatal dysmorphogenesis. VMs mostly occur sporadically with a few exceptions of inheritability. Tie2/angiopoietins-2 (Ang-2) and VEGF/KDR pathways are known to be involved in normal and pathogenic angiogenesis. Our study was aimed to test the contribution of these pathway gene variants to VMs. A total of 8 variants were found among 103 VM patients and 142 healthy controls. These variants comprised rs638203, rs639225, rs80338908 and rs80338909 in Tie2 gene, rs1870377 and rs2305949 in KDR gene, rs79337921 and rs34590960 in ANTXR1 gene. Our results indicated that rs638203 (p = 0.029) and rs639225 (p = 0.018) in Tie2 gene were associated with VM. A further bioinformatics analysis suggested the rs638203-G and rs639225-G might cause an abnormal splicing of Tie2 gene into to a defective protein. Our results identified two novel Tie2 gene polymorphisms with genetic susceptibility to VMs, although future functional validation of the two polymorphisms is warranted in the future.     

Development of SCAR markers for the DNA-based detection of the Asian long-horned beetle,Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky)

DNA markers were identified for the molecular detection of the Asian long-horned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Mot.), based on sequence characterized amplified regions (SCARs) derived from random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fragments. A 2,740-bp DNA fragment that was present only in ALB and not in other Cerambycids was identified after screening 230 random primers in a PCR-based assay system. Three pairs of nested 22-mer oligonucleotide primers were designed on the basis of the sequence of this fragment and were used to perform diagnostic PCR. The first pair of primers (SCAR1) amplified a single 745-bp fragment of ALB DNA, but this did not differentiate ALB from other species. The other two pairs of SCAR primers (SCAR2 and SCAR3) amplified bands of 1,237- and 2,720-bp, respectively, that were capable of differentiating ALB from other closely related non-native and native Cerambycids, such as A. chinensis (Forster), A. malasiaca (Thomson), A. nobilis (Ganglbauer), Monochamus scutellatus (Say), Plectrodera scalator (Fab), Saperda tridentata (Olivier), and Graphisurus fasciatus (Degeer). The latter two SCAR markers could be amplified using DNA extracted from body parts of ALB such as the wing, the leg, and the antennae as well as tissues from all the developmental stages including the egg, larva, pupa, and adult. These markers were also capable of identifying ALB using the DNA extracted from frass. Our results demonstrate that the SCAR markers we have identified can be used for unambiguously identifying ALB from other closely related Cerambycids using a simple PCR procedure.     

Cytoprotective role of DL-α-Lipoic acid in cyclophosphamide induced myocardial toxicity

Cyclophosphamide (CP), a potent antitumor drug is known to cause severe cardiotoxicity. The present study is aimed at evaluating the cardioprotective role of lipoic acid in CP induced toxicity. Male albino rats of Wistar strain were divided into four groups and treated as follows: Group I served as control, Group II received a single dose of CP (200 mg/kg b.wt., i.p.), Group III received lipoic acid (25 mg/kg b.wt., orally) for 10 days, Group IV received CP immediately followed by lipoic acid for 10 days. In CP administered rats, the activities of tissue marker enzymes (creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase) were significantly (p<0.001) reduced, ATPases suffered loss in enzyme activity and thiols were depleted. Histopathological observations were also in agreement with the above abnormal changes. Lipoic acid effectively reverted these abnormal biochemical changes and minimized the histopathological lesions in heart. These observations highlight the protective role of lipoic acid in CP induced cardiac injury. (Mol Cell Biochem 276: 39–44, 2005)     

Trophic transfer and trophic modification of fatty acids in high Arctic lakes

1. A comparative study of fatty acid (FA) profiles in particulate matter (seston) and the key grazer Daphnia was performed in six high Arctic ponds (79°N, Svalbard). The ponds were all small and shallow, but followed a strong gradient with respect to nutrient content and optical properties. 2. A distinct locality‐specific pattern was detected by principal component analysis of FA profiles, where samples from each locality clustered both with regard to seston and Daphnia. Linear discriminant analysis using nine sestonic fatty acids as discriminant functions gave on average a correct prediction of the Daphnia lake membership in 47% of cases, with very high predictability in some lakes but poor predictability in others. 3. No significant correlation was detected between FA and nutrient concentration or levels of dissolved organic carbon. The major determinant of FA profiles as judged from a redundancy analysis was the taxonomic composition of phytoplankton communities, notably the biomass of Chlorophyceae. 4. The FA profiles of Daphnia were for some FAs strongly enriched relative to the seston, while diluted for others. Among the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), a pronounced magnification of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20 : 5 n‐3), and to some extent 18 : 3 n‐3 and 20 : 4 n‐6 was found, while docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22 : 6 n‐3) contributed in general less to FAs in Daphnia than in seston and was hardly detectable in Daphnia from most localities. 5. The overall content of PUFAs in Daphnia was consistently high, close to 40% of total FA in all investigated localities, despite major differences in seston PUFA content. Daphnia thus acts as a regulator with regard to overall PUFAs, reflecting its physiological constraints and relatively fixed demands for PUFAs in general. The distinct locality‐specific profiles in Daphnia strongly suggest a kind of FA‐fingerprint, but our data do not allow strict statements on the use of specific FAs as trophic markers.     

On the use of large marker panels to estimate inbreeding and relatedness: empirical and simulation studies of a pedigreed zebra finch population typed at 771 SNPs

In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the availability of high density genetic marker data for both model and non‐model organisms. A potential application of these data is to infer relatedness in the absence of a complete pedigree. Using a marker panel of 771 SNPs genotyped in three generations of an extensive zebra finch pedigree, correlations between pedigree relatedness and seven marker‐based estimates of relatedness were examined, as was the relationship between heterozygosity and inbreeding. Although marker‐based and pedigree relatedness were highly correlated, the variance in estimated relatedness was high. Further, the correlation between heterozygosity and inbreeding was weak, even though mean inbreeding coefficient is typical of that seen in wild vertebrate pedigrees; the weak relationship was in part due to the small variance in inbreeding in the pedigree. Our data suggest that using marker information to reconstruct the pedigree, and then calculating relatedness from the pedigree, is likely to give more accurate relatedness estimates than using marker‐based estimators directly.     

花生分子标记的研究进展

国内外对花生的研究特别是在分子水平上的研究相对水稻、油菜等农作物比较薄弱。近些年,分子标记技术迅速发展,在花生上也得到广泛的应用。本文从花生属起源、种质资源的遗传多样性、抗性基因的标记和指纹图谱等方面,综述了国内外花生分子标记的研究进展。