克氏原螯虾原肌球蛋白的纯化及过敏原性分析

以13份甲壳类动物过敏患者血清的Western—blotting分析,确定克氏原螯虾主要过敏原为36ku蛋白质．通过盐析、等电点沉淀及热处理等方法纯化该蛋白质,以兔抗拟穴青蟹原肌球蛋白（Tropo-myosin,TM）多克隆抗体的Western—blotting分析,确定该蛋白质为TM．同源性分析表明,克氏原螯虾TM与南美白对虾TM、拟穴青蟹的氨基酸序列相似性较高（〉90％）．酶切位点预测显示,它分别有49个胰蛋白酶和6个胰凝乳蛋白酶的酶切位点．模拟胃肠液消化实验结果显示,纯化TM不易被胃蛋白酶降解,易于被胰蛋白酶和胰凝乳蛋白酶降解,进一步的Western—blotting和抑制性ELISA分析结果显示,其消化产物仍具有一定的免疫活性．采用蒸煮处理可降低TM的消化稳定性及免疫活性,且蒸煮处理时间越长,效果越显著．说明。TM为克氏原螯虾主要过敏原．与其他甲壳娄动物TM的序列相似件较高．     

The effects of scale and resolution in developing percentile maps of critical loads for the UK

Critical loads are estimated in the UK by the Department of Environment's Critical Loads Advisory Group and sub-groups. The Mapping and Data Centre at ITE Monks Wood acts as the National Focal Centre for the UNECE programme for mapping critical loads. The centre is responsible for the generation of UK data sets and their application for national and European purposes. To make effective use of these data, it is necessary to draw upon other environmental data and examine the issues of scale, uncertainty and the way that data are presented. This paper outlines the methodologies which have been employed to derive national maps. Early critical load maps were not vegetation specific, but now critical loads for acidity and for nutrient nitrogen for soils, critical levels maps for ozone and sulphur dioxide, and sulphur deposition maps, have been generated on a vegetation or ecosystem specific basis. These have been used to derive a number of different types of critical load and exceedance maps. The results show the importance of the method selected and the data used for the interpretation. The visualisation of critical loads and the corresponding exceedance data is an important aspect in producing information for pollution abatement strategies.     

Dystocia and Fetotomy Associated with Cerebral Aplasia in a Greater One‐horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)

The captive greater one‐horned rhinoceros population consists of 176 animals. Since 1971, a total of 226 calves were born into this captive population. However, 24% of the offspring born were either stillborn or did not survive the first 3 months. The causes for this high rate of stillbirth and neonate mortality have not yet been documented. Here, we report on the veterinary management of a dystocia and foetotomy resulting from a malpositioned greater one‐horned rhinoceros foetus. The dead foetus presented with a forelimb flexed at the shoulder joint, with all other joints extended. The foetus was dissected into five parts and extracted during two anaesthesias on two consecutive days. The dam recovered fully and came into oestrous 31 days after surgery. Post‐mortem and CT examination of the malformed foetal head revealed cranioschisis with cerebral aplasia and cerebellar hypoplasia. The cerebral aplasia presented here and in other recent cases suggests that neural tube defects and cranial malformations may be associated with more captive rhinoceros stillbirths than previously considered. Epidemiologic studies of these phenomena and possible nutritional deficiencies or hereditary defects are warranted.     

Administration of Thyroxine Affects the Morphometric Parameters and VEGF Expression in the Uterus and Placenta and the Uterine Vascularization but does Not Affect Reproductive Parameters in Gilts During Early Gestation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of thyroxine administration on morphometric parameters, expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascularization in the uterus and placenta and reproductive parameters in gilts at 70 days of gestation. At 150 days of age, i.e., before first heat, 20 gilts were randomly divided into two experimental groups: treated (n = 10) and control (n = 10). The treated group received a daily dose of 400 μg of l ‐thyroxine (T₄) in their diet until slaughter and the control group received only typical meals. Before artificial insemination, blood was collected to determine plasma total T₄. The gilts were inseminated in the second oestrus and slaughtered at 70 days of gestation. The foetal thyroid follicular epithelium height, number, size and weight of foetuses; foetal myogenesis, corpora lutea number, embryonic mortality rate, uterine weight, placental weight and placental fluid volume were measured. Histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analysis of uterus and placenta were determined. The averages of all variables were compared by the Student’s t‐test. The gilts treated with thyroxine showed significant increase of plasma total T₄. At 70 days of gestation, the heights of the trophoblastic epithelium, endometrial epithelium and endometrial gland epithelium were significantly higher in the group treated with T₄. The expression of cytoplasmatic and nuclear VEGF in trophoblastic cells and the number of blood vessels per field in endometrial stroma were significantly higher in the gilts treated with T₄. No other significant differences between groups were obtained with respect to other parameters (p > 0.05). We conclude that oral administration of T₄ up to 70 days of pregnancy in gilts affects the morphometric parameters, the expression of placental VEGF and the uterine vascularization but does not affect reproductive parameters in gilts during early gestation.     

长沙市1997～2010年土地利用总体规划实施可持续利用评价

以长沙市为例,运用生态足迹的方法对长沙市上轮土地利用总体规划的可持续利用情况进行了全面评价,为更好地修编新一轮土地利用总体规划提供依据,同时提出保持土地可持续利用应采取的措施。     

Investigation of diabetes mellitus in Burmese cats as an inherited trait: a preliminary study

AIM: To investigate, in a pilot study, a possible genetic component to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in Burmese cats in New Zealand by analysing pedigree data.

METHODS: Pedigrees were obtained for 305 Burmese cats living in New Zealand; diabetes was diagnosed in 19 of these due to presence of polyuria and polydipsia, persistent concentrations of glucose in plasma >16?mmol/L and glucosuria prior to insulin treatment. Pedigrees were also submitted for 16 cats with no clinical signs of T2D. The remaining 270 cats were unobserved relatives of these individuals. Inbreeding coefficients and heritability were calculated, and a single major locus model segregation analysis was conducted using pedigree analysis software.

RESULTS: Nineteen cats were diagnosed with T2D. Males (n = 14) and females (n = 5) were both affected, suggesting that the gene or genes causing diabetes are autosomal rather than sex-linked. Examination of the pedigree revealed few signs of fully penetrant dominant gene action: diabetes was ostensibly rarely seen in sequential generations and nearly always skipped at least one and often more generations; apparently unaffected offspring of apparently unaffected parents sometimes produced affected progeny. The mean relatedness of the affected animals within the core pedigree (16 diabetic cats) was 0.049, and mean inbreeding 0.033. Based on 100,000 permutations of the trait values, the expected relatedness of a random sample of 16 animals taken from the phenotyped animals would be 0.013 (SD 0.007) (permutation p = 0.0009). The observed inbreeding was also significant (permutation p= 0.02).

Heritability was estimated to be 9 (95% CI = 0–57)% assuming all animals with unknown status were unaffected. The best fitting genetic model was a major gene model with dominant expression with the risk allele frequency at 15% with 60% penetrance.

CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study the increased inbreeding in the cases, lack of likely sampling bias, the increased frequency of T2D in Burmese, and small number of breed founders are consistent with the involvement of a major locus in diabetes in Burmese cats with a significant risk allele prevalence. However, low case numbers meant this could not be unambiguously confirmed. A genome-wide association study may be useful for investigating the genetic cause of T2D.