Alterations and Mechanism of Gut Microbiota in Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

To explore the role of gut microbiota in Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). Seventy fecal samples were collected, including 27 patients with GD, 27 with HT, and 16 samples from healthy volunteers. Chemiluminescence was used to detect thyroid function and autoantibodies (FT3, FT4, TSH, TRAb, TGAb, and TPOAb); thyroid ultrasound and 16S sequencing were used to analyze the bacteria in fecal samples; KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) and COG (Clusters of Orthologous Groups) were used to analyze the functional prediction and pathogenesis. The overall structure of gut microbiota in the GD and HT groups was significantly different from the healthy control group. Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria contents were the highest in the HT group. Compared to the control group, the GD and HT groups had a higher abundance of Erysipelotrichia, Cyanobacteria, and Ruminococcus_2 and lower levels of Bacillaceae and Megamonas. Further analysis of KEGG found that the “ABC transporter” metabolic pathway was highly correlated with the occurrence of GD and HT. COG analysis showed that the GD and HT groups were enriched in carbohydrate transport and metabolism compared to the healthy control group but not in amino acid transport and metabolism. Our data suggested that Bacillus, Blautia, and Ornithinimicrobium could be used as potential markers to distinguish GD and HT from the healthy population and that “ABC transporter” metabolic pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of GD and HT.     

Battling for Ribosomes: Translational Control at the Forefront of the Antiviral Response

In the early stages of infection, gaining control of the cellular protein synthesis machinery including its ribosomes is the ultimate combat objective for a virus. To successfully replicate, viruses unequivocally need to usurp and redeploy this machinery for translation of their own mRNA. In response, the host triggers global shutdown of translation while paradoxically allowing swift synthesis of antiviral proteins as a strategy to limit collateral damage. This fundamental conflict at the level of translational control defines the outcome of infection. As part of this special issue on molecular mechanisms of early virus–host cell interactions, we review the current state of knowledge regarding translational control during viral infection with specific emphasis on protein kinase RNA-activated and mammalian target of rapamycin-mediated mechanisms. We also describe recent technological advances that will allow unprecedented insight into how viruses and host cells battle for ribosomes.     

Following the recovery of naso-pharyngeal cancer patients by trace elements in hair using statistical pattern recognition methods

This article describes a study where the recovery of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients was traced by trace elements (TEs) in hair of these patients. These patients whose concentrations of TEs in hair were studied are volunteers who were divided into three groups B, C, and D. Group B was made up of volunteers who had just been diagnosed as having NPC, group C and group D were made up of volunteers who had been diagnosed as having NPC after 3 and 6 mo, respectively, of treatment. For comparison, a control group, namely group A, which was made up of volunteers from healthy persons was added to this study. By implementation of statistic pattern recognition methods, it has been found that the concentrations of TEs in hair can remarkably reflect different recovery phases of NPC patients.     

铁线莲属单性铁线莲组修订

对毛茛科铁线莲属Clematis L.的单性铁线莲组sect. Aspidanthera Spach s.l.进行了全面修订,确定此组共含72种和15变种,这些被归类于6个亚组中,其中包括首次描述的1系、5种和2变种,以及做出的2新等级。对单性铁线莲组的分类学简史和地理分布做了介绍。写出了组、亚组、系的形态特征和地理分布,分亚组检索表及各亚组的分种检索表;以及各种植物的形态描述、地理分布、生长环境等,并附有多幅插图。在研究了此组全部种类的标本之后,观察到此组几个重要形态特征的演化趋势：(1)萼片在数目上由     

Ants impact the composition of the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities of a myrmecophytic tank bromeliad

In an inundated Mexican forest, 89 out of 92 myrmecophytic tank bromeliads (Aechmea bracteata) housed an associated ant colony: 13 sheltered Azteca serica, 43 Dolichoderus bispinosus, and 33 Neoponera villosa. Ant presence has a positive impact on the diversity of the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities (n = 30 bromeliads studied). A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the presence and the species of ant are not correlated to bromeliad size, quantity of water, number of wells, filtered organic matter or incident radiation. The PCA and a generalized linear model showed that the presence of Azteca serica differed from the presence of the other two ant species or no ants in its effects on the aquatic invertebrate community (more predators). Therefore, both ant presence and species of ant affect the composition of the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in the tanks of A. bracteata, likely due to ant deposition of feces and other waste in these tanks.     

Interactive singing of a male Mueller's gibbon with a simulated neighbor

This study provides evidence for interactive singing, or countersinging, in the dawn song of a male Mueller's gibbon. Tape-recorded answering calls from a simulated neighbor were initiated at the subject's baseline rate (every 18 sec), then successively at every 14 sec, 10 sec, 18 sec, 22 sec, and 26 sec. Two types of evidence for interactive singing were considered. First, the subject's initiation rate significantly increased when the initiation rate of the simulated neighbor increased (but did not decrease when the simulated neighbor's rate decreased). Second, the subject's rate of interruption of the simulated neighbor's vocalizations remained at the same low level regardless of the initiation rate of the simulated neighbor; these interruption rates were, in all cases, significantly lower than would have been expected by chance if interactive singing were not occurring. Evolutional value of interactive singing is considered in relation to demonstration of individual fitness and achievement of clear communication between neighboring groups.     

生态能质(eco-exergy)在水生生态系统建模和评价中的应用

生态能质(eco-exergy)是指系统从给定状态达到热力学平衡状态所做的功,可以度量生态系统的复杂生物化学组分及生态结构。系统具有的能质越大,有序化程度越高,稳定性也越强。生态能质和比生态能质(specific eco-exergy)指标能够评价水生生态系统健康状况,对水生生态系统演替阶段具有指示作用。本文阐述了生态能质的定义、生态学意义以及生态能质值和权重因子fi值的计算方法。对生态能质作为功能函数在水生生态系统结构动力学模型(structural dynamic models,SDMs)中以及作为生态指标在生态系统健康评价、生态恢复研究中的实际应用进行了总结。最后探讨了生态能质指标的局限性以及未来的发展。此外,文中建议将eco-exergy和specific eco-exergy统一翻译为生态能质和比生态能质。     

Subjecting the theory of the small‐island effect to Ockham’s razor

Species–area curves from islands and other isolates often differ in shape from sample‐area curves generated from mainlands or sections of isolates (or islands), especially at finer scales. We examine two explanations for this difference: (1) the small‐island effect (SIE), which assumes the species–area curve is composed of two distinctly different curve patterns; and (2) a sigmoid or depressed isolate species–area curve with no break‐points (in arithmetic space). We argue that the application of Ockham’s razor – the principle that the simplest, most economical explanation for a hypothesis should be accepted over less parsimonious alternatives – leads to the conclusion that the latter explanation is preferable. We hold that there is no reason to assume the ecological factors or patterns that affect the shapes of isolate (or island) curves cause two distinctly different patterns. This assumption is not required for the alternative, namely that these factors cause a single (though depressed) isolate species–area curve with no break‐points. We conclude that the theory of the small‐island effect, despite its present standing as an accepted general pattern in nature, should be abandoned.     

Tat-MANF融合蛋白的制备及生物活性研究

目的：构建用于表达具有Tat序列的新型神经营养因子MANF（mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor）融合蛋白（Tat-MANF）的重组质粒;利用原核细胞表达系统表达该重组蛋白,并检测其生物学活性。方法：以MANF cDNA为模板,利用PCR技术在上下游分别添加TAT序列和His标签及合适的限制性酶切位点,构建TAT-MANF融合基因。插入表达载体Pet22b⁺后,转化大肠杆菌BL21进行表达和纯化,用SDS-PAGE及Western印迹鉴定表达的重组蛋白。为了验证Tat-MANF的生物学活性,用30μmol/L浓度的6-羟多巴胺（6-OHDA）对神经母胶质瘤细胞（SH-SY5Y）进行毒性诱导,同时加入2μg/ml的TAT-MANF及对照MANF蛋白,24h后用流式细胞仪检测细胞的凋亡率。用脑微血管内皮细胞（B-endo3）体外模拟血脑屏障,与FITC标记的Tat-MANF共孵育4h,荧光显微镜下观察。结果：成功构建TAT-MANF融合基因,表达产物与目的蛋白大小相符,能与MANF抗体发生结合反应。重组蛋白可减少由6-OHDA导致的SH-SY5Y细胞凋亡,Tat-MANF-FITC与B-end3细胞共孵育4h后,可见细胞内明显荧光。结论：获得的重组蛋白Tat-MANF具有神经细胞保护作用及跨膜功能,为进一步开展帕金森症的体内治疗研究奠定了物质基础。     

C4-dicarboxylates sensing mechanism revealed by the crystal structures of DctB sensor domain

C₄-dicarboxylates are the major carbon and energy sources during the symbiotic growth of rhizobia. Responses to C₄-dicarboxylates depend on typical two-component systems (TCS) consisting of a transmembrane sensor histidine kinase and a cytoplasmic response regulator. The DctB-DctD system is the first identified TCS for C₄-dicarboxylates sensing. Direct ligand binding to the sensor domain of DctB is believed to be the first step of the sensing events. In this report, the water-soluble periplasmic sensor domain of Sinorhizobium meliloti DctB (DctBp) was studied, and three crystal structures were solved: the apo protein, a complex with C₄ succinate, and a complex with C₃ malonate. Different from the two structurally known CitA family of carboxylate sensor proteins CitA and DcuS, the structure of DctBp consists of two tandem Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domains and one N-terminal helical region. Only the membrane-distal PAS domain was found to bind the ligands, whereas the proximal PAS domain was empty. Comparison of DctB, CitA, and DcuS suggests a detailed stereochemistry of C₄-dicarboxylates ligand perception. The structures of the different ligand binding states of DctBp also revealed a series of conformational changes initiated upon ligand binding and propagated to the N-terminal domain responsible for dimerization, providing insights into understanding the detailed mechanism of the signal transduction of TCS histidine kinases.