Prevalence, biotypes, plasmid profile and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter isolated from wild and domestic animals from northeast Portugal.

The incidence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in wild and producing animals has been studied to evaluate their importance as potential reservoirs of campylobacter infection. These organisms were isolated from: 59 chicken (60.2%), 65 swine (59.1%), 31 black rats (57.4%), 61 sparrows (45.5%), 21 ducks (40.5%), 32 cows (19.5%) and 27 sheep (15.3%). Biotypes, plasmid and resistance profiles were studied in order to characterize the isolates. Biotypes I and II of C. jejuni were predominant in all reservoirs except swine, where C. coli I was more frequent. Plasmid prevalence was higher in strains isolated from swine (53.8%) and rats (45.5%). The size of the plasmids ranged from 1.3 to 82 MDa. A 2.3 MDa plasmid was the most frequent, detected in all the reservoirs except ducks. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that 5.5% of the strains were resistant to ampicillin, 5.5% to tetracycline, 12.6% to erythromycin and 23.5% to streptomycin. Resistance to erythromycin (26.2%) and to streptomycin (58.4%) was particularly high in isolates from swine. Tetracycline resistance was encoded by a 33 or a 41 MDa plasmid and transferred by conjugation.     

湖南沅江鼎城段河蚬的性别组成与精子形态特征

本研究以湖南沅江鼎城段河蚬(Corbicula fluminea)为研究对象,在进一步验证该群体性别组成的基础上,分析壳长组成与性别比例之间关系,探讨该群体雄性、雌性和雌雄同体之间关系;同时以单鞭毛精子为参照,分析比较双鞭毛精子的形态特征,以期为我国河蚬的性别发生及生殖适应策略研究提供基础资料。结果显示：沅江鼎城段河蚬(n = 770)雄性、雌性和雌雄同体最小性成熟壳长分别为2.92 mm、5.66 mm和5.30 mm。697只性成熟河蚬中雄性、雌性和雌雄同体的比例近似1︰1︰6。雌雄同体的平均壳长[(22.55 ± 0.33)mm,n = 517]显著大于雄性[(20.44 ± 1.03)mm,n = 95]和雌性[(19.79 ± 0.99)mm,n = 85](P < 0.05),但雄性与雌性的平均壳长之间差异不显著(P > 0.05)。河蚬可以产生单鞭毛和双鞭毛两种类型的精子,单鞭毛精子头长范围4.93 ~ 21.79 μm,平均值(14.27 ± 0.82)μm(n = 30),双鞭毛精子头长范围10.29 ~ 22.04 μm,平均值(15.62 ± 0.62)μm(n = 26)。单、双鞭毛精子头长差异不显著(P > 0.05)。双鞭毛精子(n = 26)长尾的平均长度[(38.07 ± 1.44)μm]显著大于其短尾[(31.08 ± 1.60)μm]和单鞭毛精子(n = 30)尾部长度[(30.15 ± 1.75)μm](P < 0.01),但其短尾与单鞭毛精子的尾部平均长度之间无显著性差异(P > 0.05)。结果表明：湖南沅江鼎城段河蚬为雄性先熟,且可能存在雄性和(或)雌性向雌雄同体转换现象。河蚬具有单鞭毛型和双鞭毛型2种类型的精子,且双鞭毛精子的2个尾部不等长。同域共存河蚬的单鞭毛与双鞭毛精子在运动及受精能力方面的差异值得深入研究。     

Ant versus bird exclusion effects on the arthropod assemblage of an organic citrus grove

1. Predation‐exclusion experiments have highlighted that top‐down control is pervasive in terrestrial communities, but most of these experiments are simplistic in that they only excluded a single group of predators and the effect of removal was evaluated on a few species from the community. The main goal of our study was to experimentally establish the relative effects of ants and birds on the same arthropod assemblage of canopy trees. 2. We conducted 1‐year long manipulative experiments in an organic citrus grove intended to quantify the independent effects of bird and ant predators on the abundance of arthropods. Birds were excluded with plastic nets whereas ants were excluded with sticky barriers on the trunks. The sticky barrier also excluded other ground dwelling insects, like the European earwig Forficula auricularia L. 3. Both the exclusion of ants and birds affected the arthropod community of the citrus canopies, but the exclusion of ants was far more important than the exclusion of birds. Indeed, almost all groups of arthropods had higher abundance in ant‐excluded than in control trees, whereas only dermapterans were more abundant in bird‐excluded than in control trees. A more detailed analysis conducted on spiders also showed that the effect of ant exclusion was limited to a few families rather than being widespread over the entire diverse spectrum of spiders. 4. Our results suggest that the relative importance of vertebrate and invertebrate predators in regulating arthropod populations largely depends on the nature of the predator–prey system.     

T Cell Activation and Cytokine Profile of Tuberculosis and HIV-Positive Individuals during Antituberculous Treatment and Efavirenz-Based Regimens

Introduction

The profile of immune activation markers in tuberculosis and HIV-infected patients is already known. The impact of simultaneous infections on the immune parameters is still not fully explored.

Methods

We conducted a prospective study to estimate trajectories of activated T cell subsets and the profile of anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines in a group of HIV-TB individuals, previously naïve for HAART, recruited from a randomized clinical trial during TB treatment and first antiretroviral therapy with efavirenz. Patients were evaluated according to the immunosuppression levels at baseline as group 1 (CD4<200 cells/mm³) and group 2 (CD4>200 cells/mm³). These parameters were measured at the time of HAART initiation (started about 30 days after the onset of TB treatment) and at the follow-up visits after 30, 60, 90 and 180 days. Trajectories were estimated using least squares estimates of the coefficients of a restricted cubic spline function in time after adjusting for subject effects, bootstrapping it 500 times.

Results

Increase of CD4 T cell counts and suppression of HIV viral load were observed for all patients under HAART and TB treatment. Descendent trajectories were observed for the activated CD8⁺/CD38⁺ and CD3⁺/HLA-DR⁺ T cell subsets, and for plasma concentration of gamma- interferon (IFN-γ). Except for TNF-α and IL-2 discrete variations were observed for the other cytokines. Differences in the trajectories of these parameters were observed for groups 1 and 2. Higher values of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10 were observed for group 1 from the baseline to two months after treatment initiation, whereas reduced levels of TNF-α were observed for this group between 60 and 120 days of HAART.

Conclusion

Independent of the immunosuppression profile at baseline, HIV-TB patients under HAART were able to recover the CD4⁺ T cell counts, and control viral replication and immune activation parameters over time.     

Death receptors and mitochondria: Two prime triggers of neural apoptosis and differentiation

Background

Stem cell therapy is a strategy far from being satisfactory and applied in the clinic. Poor survival and differentiation levels of stem cells after transplantation or neural injury have been major problems. Recently, it has been recognized that cell death-relevant proteins, notably those that operate in the core of the executioner apoptosis machinery are functionally involved in differentiation of a wide range of cell types, including neural cells.

Scope of review

This article will review recent studies on the mechanisms underlying the non-apoptotic function of mitochondrial and death receptor signaling pathways during neural differentiation. In addition, we will discuss how these major apoptosis-regulatory pathways control the decision between differentiation, self-renewal and cell death in neural stem cells and how levels of activity are restrained to prevent cell loss as final outcome.

Major conclusions

Emerging evidence suggests that, much like p53, caspases and Bcl-2 family members, the two prime triggers of cell death pathways, death receptors and mitochondria, may influence proliferation and differentiation potential of stem cells, neuronal plasticity, and astrocytic versus neuronal stem cell fate decision.

General significance

A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying key checkpoints responsible for neural differentiation as an alternative to cell death will surely contribute to improve neuro-replacement strategies.     

Dual on-off and off-on switchable oligoaziridine biosensor

A water-soluble biocompatible aziridine-based biosensor with pendant anthracene units was synthesized by radicalar polymerization of N-substituted aziridines in supercritical carbon dioxide. The binding ability of the sensor towards a series of metal ions was examined by comparing the fluorescence intensities of the solutions before and after the addition of 100 equivalents of a solution of the metal ion chloride salt. A fast, simple and highly optical sensitive dual behavior, "off-on" and "on-off" response, was observed after the biosensor was exposed to the metal cations in aqueous solution. Zinc presented the highest fluorescence enhancement (turn-on) and copper presented the highest fluorescence quenching (turn-off). The response time was found to be instantaneous and the detection limit was achieved even in the presence of excess metal cation competitors. By using immunofluorescence microscopy it was also shown that oligoaziridine acts as an "on-off" probe through highly sensitive (detection limit of 1.6nM), selective and reversible binding to copper anions under physiologic conditions using living Human Fibroblast cells. The stoichiometry for the reaction of the biosensor with Cu(2+) was determined by a Job plot and indicates the formation of an oligoaziridine-Cu(2+) 1:2 adduct.     

PCR反应混合液的冻干处理及其应用

本研究将除模板DNA以外的PCR反应混合液,经过真空浓缩冻成干粉状后,分别置于室温和4℃贮存,经过一定的贮藏时间后进行PCR反应,发现经冻干处理的样品能在较长的贮存时间内保持扩增活性,这将给实际工作带来很大的便利。 Abstract:In this paper we introduce a new storage method of PCR ingredient.PCR mixture except DNA template has been frozen to dry powder by the DNA-Plus system.This kind of powder was stored at room temperature or 4℃.PCR has been run in different period of storage.It was discovered that the samples of lyophilization could keep activity for a long time.