A Prognostic Model to Predict Recovery of COVID-19 Patients Based on Longitudinal Laboratory Findings

Virologica Sinica - The temporal change patterns of laboratory data may provide insightful clues into the whole course of COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate longitudinal change patterns of key...     

干旱胁迫下叶面喷施褪黑素对滁菊幼苗生理生化特性的影响

以滁菊品种"金玉"幼苗为材料,通过日光温室内盆栽实验,在中度干旱胁迫条件下(土壤田间持水量的40%),研究叶面喷施外源褪黑素(MT,100μmol·L-1)对滁菊幼苗生长及生理生化特性的影响,探讨提高滁菊耐干旱性的新途径。结果表明:(1)与对照相比,干旱胁迫处理降低了滁菊叶片叶绿素含量、净光合速率和水分利用效率,提高了可溶性蛋白质、可溶性糖和脯氨酸含量,而叶片MDA含量和相对电导率显著增加,显著抑制了滁菊幼苗的生长。(2)在干旱胁迫条件下,外源MT可显著提高滁菊幼苗叶片脯氨酸、可溶性蛋白质和可溶性糖的含量,并显著降低了叶片相对电导率和MDA含量,使幼苗保持较高叶绿素含量和净光合速率。(3)与干旱胁迫处理相比,外源MT处理的滁菊地上部和根系干重、鲜重均显著增加。研究发现,外源褪黑素(MT)在一定程度上可通过促进滁菊幼苗渗透调节物质的积累,有效降低干旱胁迫对其细胞膜的伤害,维持其正常的细胞膜功能,保持其较高的光合速率和水分利用效率,从而增加其对干旱环境的适应性。     

蔬菜腌制过程中的氨基酸组成变化

在腌制过程中,芥菜的精氨酸和组氨酸等碱性氨基酸含量和氨基酸总量逐渐减少,酸性氨基酸和疏水性氨基酸含量增加。在各种氨基酸中,苏氨酸含量最高,占４４．７４％,其次是谷氨酸和丙氨酸。在腌制后,芥菜的氨基酸组成发生了显著的变化,苏氨酸下降幅度最大,而蛋氨酸、苯丙氨酸、亮氨酸、异亮氨酸、缬氨酸和赖氨酸等必需氨基酸摩尔组分显著提高。理想氨基酸模式谱的相关系数腌制前为０．０６０１７,腌制２１６小时后增到０．４９９７８,表明腌制加工可显著提高蔬菜蛋白质的营养效价。     

RP-HPLC同时测定喙果绞股蓝中芦丁和槲皮素的含量

目的:建立RP-HPLC同时测定喙果绞股蓝中芦丁和槲皮素含量的方法,并揭示其含量动态变化规律。方法:采用大连依利特SinoChromODS-APC18色谱柱(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm),流动相:甲醇-0.4%磷酸水溶液梯度洗脱,流速:1 mL/min,检测波长:364 nm,柱温:30℃。结果:芦丁在0.1525～3.8120μg范围内线性关系良好,r=0.9998,平均回收率为98.2%(RSD=2.0%);槲皮素在0.0589～1.4720μg范围内线性关系良好,r=0.9999,平均回收率为97.7%(RSD=2.3%)。含量测定结果表明芦丁和槲皮素的含量具季节性动态变化,芦丁8月份含量高,平均质量分数达6.31 mg/g,槲皮素9月份含量最高,平均质量分数达0.86 mg/g。结论:该方法简单,准确度高,为喙果绞股蓝的质量控制提供实验依据,芦丁和槲皮素含量动态变化规律为其开发利用提供参考。     

Non-linear response of stomata in Pinus koraiensis to tree age and elevation

Knowledge on variations in stomata is useful in reflecting leaf physiological characteristics of CO₂ uptake and water transpiration, and predicting the responses of plants to future climate change. Stomatal density and number of stomatal rows (current-year, 1- and 2-year-old needles) in relation to tree age (ranging from 25 to 320 years old), elevation (ranging from 738 to 1,380 m a.s.l.), and sun exposure (sun and shade exposure) were investigated in Pinus koraiensis trees. Stomatal density and number of stomatal rows in relation to tree age and elevation showed a humped curve with the maximum values at intermediate levels of tree age (210 years old) and elevation (1,050 m a.s.l.), respectively. Needle age but not sun exposure significantly affected the stomatal density across tree ages and elevations. Our results suggest that variations in stomatal density of Pinus koraiensis needles are related to ontogenetic growth and environmental factors.     

Breast feeding, parity and breast cancer subtypes in a Spanish cohort

Background

Differences in the incidence and outcome of breast cancer among Hispanic women compared with white women are well documented and are likely explained by ethnic differences in genetic composition, lifestyle, or environmental exposures.

Methodolgy/Principal Findings

A population-based study was conducted in Galicia, Spain. A total of 510 women diagnosed with operable invasive breast cancer between 1997 and 2010 participated in the study. Data on demographics, breast cancer risk factors, and clinico-pathological characteristics were collected. The different breast cancer tumor subtypes were compared on their clinico-pathological characteristics and risk factor profiles, particularly reproductive variables and breastfeeding. Among the 501 breast cancer patients (with known ER and PR receptors), 85% were ER+/PR+ and 15% were ER-&PR-. Among the 405 breast cancer with known ER, PR and HER2 status, 71% were ER+/PR+/HER2- (luminal A), 14% were ER+/PR+/HER2+ (luminal B), 10% were ER−/PR−/HER2- (triple negative breast cancer, TNBC), and 5% were ER−/PR−/HER2+ (non-luminal). A lifetime breastfeeding period equal to or longer than 7 months was less frequent in case patients with TNBC (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.08–0.68) compared to luminal A breast cancers. Both a low (2 or fewer pregnancies) and a high (3–4 pregnancies) number of pregnancies combined with a long breastfeeding period were associated with reduced odds of TNBC compared with luminal A breast cancer, although the association seemed to be slightly more pronounced among women with a low number of pregnancies (OR = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.005–0.54).

Conclusions/Significance

In case-case analyses with the luminal A cases as the reference group, we observed a lower proportion of TNBC among women who breastfed 7 or more months. The combination of longer breastfeeding duration and lower parity seemed to further reduce the odds of having a TNBC compared to a luminal A breast cancer.     

Monogenea of Chinese marine fishes. VII. A new species and two new records of the Tetraonchoididae from fishes of the South China and East China Seas

This paper reports a new species and two new records of the Tetraonchoididae collected from fishes of the South China and East China Seas. Pseudotetraonchoides halichoeres n. sp. was obtained from the gills of Halichoeres poecilopterus collected at Dongshan (23°42' N, 117°24' E). The new species is similar to P. bleekeriae Bychowsky, Gussev & Nagibina, 1965 in the structure of the haptor, but differs in the sizes of the hamuli, the transverse bar and the supplementary plate, and also in details of the supplementary plate. Both Heteropavlovskioides synodontis Machida, 1978 from Trachinocephalus myops and Tetraonchoides japonicus Bychowsky, 1951 from Uranoscopus japonicus are recorded for the first time off China.     

华癸根瘤菌7653R hfq基因突变株的构建及其生物学特性

【目的】研究hfq基因在Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R抵抗外界不利环境和共生固氮中的功能特性。【方法】利用pK19mob同源重组方法构建7653R hfq基因的插入失活突变株7653RΔhfq,并构建互补菌株7653RΔhfq-C,对hfq在压力胁迫和共生固氮中的功能特性进行研究。【结果】与野生型7653R相比,突变株7653RΔhfq的生长速率降低,热激处理后致死率升高;hfq突变影响了7653R中部分sRNA的表达;在4.5%乙醇和50 mmol H_2O_2生长胁迫下,突变株适应性明显较野生型差。另外,接种突变株的紫云英结瘤能力和固氮酶活性都明显降低。【结论】hfq基因作为重要的转录后调控因子,在7653R抵御外界胁迫环境和与宿主紫云英的共生固氮中发挥了重要作用。     

Cardiac Wnt5a and Wnt11 promote fibrosis by the crosstalk of FZD5 and EGFR signaling under pressure overload

Progressive cardiac fibrosis accelerates the development of heart failure. Here, we aimed to explore serum Wnt5a and Wnt11 levels in hypertension patients, the roles of Wnt5a and Wnt11 in cardiac fibrosis and potential mechanisms under pressure overload. The pressure overload mouse model was built by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Cardiac fibrosis was analyzed by Masson’s staining. Serum Wnt5a or Wnt11 was elevated and associated with diastolic dysfunction in hypertension patients. TAC enhanced the expression and secretion of Wnt5a or Wnt11 from cardiomyocytes (CMs), cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), and cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs). Knockdown of Wnt5a and Wnt11 greatly improved cardiac fibrosis and function at 4 weeks after TAC. In vitro, shWnt5a or shWnt11 lentivirus transfection inhibited pro-fibrotic effects in CFs under mechanical stretch (MS). Similarly, conditional medium from stretched-CMs transfected with shWnt5a or shWnt11 lentivirus significantly suppressed the pro-fibrotic effects induced by conditional medium from stretched-CMs. These data suggested that CMs- or CFs-derived Wnt5a or Wnt11 showed a pro-fibrotic effect under pressure overload. In vitro, exogenous Wnt5a or Wnt11 activated ERK and p38 (fibrotic-related signaling) pathway, promoted the phosphorylation of EGFR, and increased the expression of Frizzled 5 (FZD5) in CFs. Inhibition or knockdown of EGFR greatly attenuated the increased FZD5, p-p38, and p-ERK levels, and the pro-fibrotic effect induced by Wnt5a or Wnt11 in CFs. Si-FZD5 transfection suppressed the increased p-EGFR level, and the fibrotic-related effects in CFs treated with Wnt5a or Wnt11. In conclusion, pressure overload enhances the secretion of Wnt5a or Wnt11 from CMs and CFs which promotes cardiac fibrosis by activation the crosstalk of FZD5 and EGFR. Thus, Wnt5a or Wnt11 may be a novel therapeutic target for the prevention of cardiac fibrosis under pressure overload.Subject terms: Heart failure, Translational research     

不同年份油桃园三种主要害虫与其天敌的关系

为了科学施药,合理保护和利用自然天敌进行油桃害虫的综合防治,用灰色系统分析方法、生态位分析方法和空间格局聚集强度指数分析方法,对2008年及2009年春-夏季油桃园桃蚜、小绿叶蝉和山楂叶螨与其主要捕食性天敌在数量、时间和空间格局等方面关系进行分析,两年春-夏季综合排序的结果是,桃蚜主要捕食性天敌依次是黑带食蚜蝇、异色瓢虫、三突花蟹蛛;小绿叶蝉主要捕食性天敌依次为三突花蟹蛛、锥腹肖蛸和草间小黑蛛;山楂叶螨主要捕食性天敌依次为草间小黑蛛、八斑球腹蛛和三突花蟹蛛。2008年秋季桃蚜的主要天敌依次是八斑球腹蛛、中华草蛉和锥腹肖蛸;小绿叶蝉的主要天敌依次是草间小黑蛛、锥腹肖蛸和黑带食蚜蝇;山楂叶螨的主要天敌依次为八斑球腹蛛、异色瓢虫和中华草蛉。两年春-夏季之间3种害虫及天敌数量差异均不显著。