Effect of Transient Inactivation of Ventral Tegmental Area on the Expression and Acquisition of Nicotine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Rats

Background:

Nicotine can activate dopaminergic neurons within the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, there is no evidence about complete inhibition of VTA on nicotine reinforcement.

Methods:

in the present study, we used conditioned-place preference (CPP) method to study the effect of transient inhibition of left and/or right side of the VTA by lidocaine on nicotine reward properties. Male Wistar rats seven days after recovery from surgery and cannulation were conditioned to nicotine (1.5 mg/kg) in an unbiased designed CPP apparatus. Five min before each nicotine injection in conditioning phase, lidocaine (2%) was administered either uni- or bi-laterally into the VTA (0.5µl/rat).

Results:

results revealed that lidocaine administration into the left but not right side of the VTA reduced nicotine CPP significantly. The reduction was potentiated when lidocaine injected in to both sides of the VTA. In addition, the number of compartment crossing was reduced when lidocaine injected in both side of VTA as well as left side. On the other hand, rearing was reduced when lidocaine injected to the right but not left side of VTA. At last, sniffing was reduced only in the group in which received lidocaine in both side of VTA. Sniffing and rearing increased in the group in which received lidocaine in right side.

Conclusion:

It is concluded that the right and left side of VTA play different role in nicotine-induced activity and reward.     

八株芽孢杆菌的鉴定及其生物活性差异比较

已有研究显示同为芽孢杆菌其抑菌作用机制存在着显著不同,本文通过16S rRNA序列和gyrB基因序列等方法鉴定了8株芽孢杆菌,分析了其生物活性。结果表明,8株芽孢杆菌均为解淀粉芽孢杆菌Bacillus amyloliquefaciens;表型及生物活性分析显示,8株解淀粉芽孢杆菌在菌落形态、菌体大小、芽孢形成等方面存在差异;菌株JT261和T455具有较强的分泌蛋白酶能力、菌株JT84具有较强的分泌嗜铁素能力;菌株JT81和T429形成生物膜能力较强;菌株JT81具有较强的抑菌活性,菌株T455分泌物质具有较强的抑菌活性;本研究为从分子遗传学角度解析同为解淀粉芽孢杆菌生物活性差异提供了研究基础。     

New Cyclic Lipopeptides of the Iturin Class Produced by Saltern-Derived Bacillus sp. KCB14S006

Salterns, one of the most extreme natural hypersaline environments, are a rich source of halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms, but they remain largely underexplored ecological niches in the discovery of bioactive secondary metabolites. In continued efforts to investigate the metabolic potential of microbial populations from chemically underexplored sites, three new lipopeptides named iturin F₁, iturin F₂ and iturin A₉ (1–3), along with iturin A₈ (4), were isolated from Bacillus sp. KCB14S006 derived from a saltern. The structures of the isolated compounds were established by 1D-, 2D-NMR and HR-ESIMS, and their absolute configurations were determined by applying advanced Marfey’s method and CD spectroscopy. All isolates exhibited significant antifungal activities against various pathogenic fungi and moderate cytotoxic activities toward HeLa and src^ts-NRK cell lines. Moreover, in an in vitro enzymatic assay, compound 4 showed a significant inhibitory activity against indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase.     

酵母重复基因在蛋白质互作网络中的分歧进化

【目的】分析全基因组重复后,蛋白质互作网络对重复基因分歧模式的作用机制。【方法】结合高精度的蛋白质互作数据集和具有相同进化年代的重复基因数据集,在全基因组范围关联分析拷贝间进化距离与网络结构的相关性,并通过对拷贝间连接水平的差异程度分类,分析不同阶段网络结构对基因功能的影响。【结果】重复基因两拷贝间的进化距离与其祖先基因在网络中的连接水平呈显著负相关,与重复基因间的连接度差异率呈显著正相关;网络结构完全歧化的重复基因间的非同义替换均值,较未完全歧化的重复基因显著高出30.2%。【结论】网络结构对重复基因的进化起调节作用,网络系统在保持核心稳定的同时,使外围组分发生了更大变化;重复基因在网络结构改变的前期为基因组提供功能冗余,但在网络结构差别较大后,显著增加的突变更有利于基因新功能的产生。     

怀九河小型水体生态修复工程效果研究

随着我国经济社会的发展,河流生态问题也愈发突显,河流的生态治理和恢复已经成为一个热点。为研究欧盟面向小型水体的生态修复技术在我国的实际应用效果,选取了北京市怀九河的生态修复河段,从2010—2014年进行了为期5a的动态监测研究。监测内容包括河流水文地貌形态、河流水质和物种多样性,其中河流水文地貌形态调查采用实地观测法每年1次,河流水质调查选取12个监测断面每年7月进行,物种多样性采用样方法、电捕法、浮游生物网法等每年7月一次。研究结果显示:河段施工完成后,河流水文地貌形态有逐年变好的趋势,说明河段的小型水体生态修复工程措施对河流水文地貌形态的恢复具有促进作用;从河水浊度、氨氮含量和化学需氧量三个方面分析得出河流水质5a内持续改善;5a内物种多样性持续上涨,说明小型水体生态修复工程能够提高物种多样性;数据显示2013—2014年各项研究数据变化不显著,综合研究结果认为小型水体生态修复措施对河流生态系统的修复效果在完工后的5a左右趋于稳定。     

Diagnostic significance of serum glycated albumin in diabetic dogs

Measurements of serum fructosamine, glycated hemoglobin, and glycated albumin (GA) are increasingly used to complement serum glucose concentration for better management of diabetes mellitus. Fructosamine tests are currently not performed in veterinary medicine in Japan. As such, the measurement of GA may serve as a replacement test. Therefore, in the current study, serum GA and fructosamine were evaluated for a positive correlation in dogs, and, depending on the correlation, a reference range of GA percentage would also be determined from healthy control dogs. The degree of glycemic control in diabetic dogs was determined by fructosamine concentration. A positive correlation between GA and fructosamine was observed with both normal and diabetic animals. In addition, the reference interval of serum GA percentage in control dogs was determined to be 11.4-11.9% (95% confidence interval). Interestingly, no significant difference in serum GA percentages was observed between samples from diabetic dogs with excellent glycemic control and control dogs. However, good, fair, and poor glycemic control diabetic dogs resulted in a significant increase in serum GA percentages in comparison with control dogs. These results suggest that serum GA may be a useful diagnostic indicator, substituting for fructosamine, to monitor glycemic control in diabetic dogs.     

A Study on the Effect of Nitrogen Spray at Different Times on Color and Yield Parameters of Grape <Emphasis Type="Italic">cv. Pykany</Emphasis>

In order to study the effect of nitrogen spray at different times on color and yield parameters of grape cv. Pykany, an experiment was carried out in factorial based on randomized complete block design with four replications in Khalil Abad County in 2015. The treatments included three concentrations of nitrogen (0, 5 and 10?ppm) and three spray times (Late April, before bloom stage, and after pollination and fruit set stage). Color parameters such as brightness rate (L), redness (a) and yellowness (b), chroma, hue angle and browning index were evaluated in this experiment. The results of variance analysis and means comparison showed that the effect of treatment containing spray at concentration of 10?ppm on yield was significant at 1%. There were not significant differences among treatments of urea concentrations and spray times on L and b but different concentrations of urea had significant effect on a* at the level of 1%, so that the highest amount of significant difference was due to the treatment of urea spray at the concentration of 10?ppm and the lowest amount was due to the control treatment. Furthermore, the interaction effect of concentration and different times of nitrogen application on color intensity index was significant at the level of 5%. Based on the results, the effect of different concentrations of urea spray on hue angle was significant at 1% so that the highest level of significant difference was due to the concentration of 10?ppm and the lowest was related to control treatment.     

Role of small-scale fishing in Kompong Thom Province, Cambodia

ABSTRACT:   Household surveys of small-scale fishing were conducted in Svay Ear and Srey Rangit villages in Kompong Thom Province, Cambodia. Data were collected from 104 of 183 households and 105 of 140 households in Svay Ear and Srey Rangit, respectively. In both villages, almost all households conducted rice cultivation and approximately 75% of them also conducted fishing. Three fishing groups: (i) inside lake; (ii) around lake; and (iii) around village were observed in both villages, according to their main fishing grounds. The inside lake group conduct fishing only in Tonle Sap Lake which is located 30 km away from the villages. The around lake group fish in lakes, marshes and flooded forests adjacent to Tonle Sap Lake, which are more than 5 km from the villages. The around village group collects fish from rice fields and ponds located inside the villages and also in some streams, rivers and lakes adjacent to the villages. The distance to the fishing grounds is less than 5 km from the villages. Most fishing groups were the inside and around lake groups, which occupied 76.0 and 65.7% of Svay Ear and Srey Rangit, respectively. These two groups produced 80.6 and 69.7% of the respective village annual total fish catches. These two groups sold a large portion of their fish catches. Although previous reports indicated that small-scale fishing is for subsistence, present results indicated that small-scale fishing was commercially conducted and fishing was important as an income source.