Domoic Acid Epileptic Disease

Domoic acid epileptic disease is characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures weeks to months after domoic acid exposure. The potential for this disease was first recognized in a human case study of temporal lobe epilepsy after the 1987 amnesic shellfish-poisoning event in Quebec, and was characterized as a chronic epileptic syndrome in California sea lions through investigation of a series of domoic acid poisoning cases between 1998 and 2006. The sea lion study provided a breadth of insight into clinical presentations, unusual behaviors, brain pathology, and epidemiology. A rat model that replicates key observations of the chronic epileptic syndrome in sea lions has been applied to identify the progression of the epileptic disease state, its relationship to behavioral manifestations, and to define the neural systems involved in these behavioral disorders. Here, we present the concept of domoic acid epileptic disease as a delayed manifestation of domoic acid poisoning and review the state of knowledge for this disease state in affected humans and sea lions. We discuss causative mechanisms and neural underpinnings of disease maturation revealed by the rat model to present the concept for olfactory origin of an epileptic disease; triggered in dendodendritic synapases of the olfactory bulb and maturing in the olfactory cortex. We conclude with updated information on populations at risk, medical diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.     

Ovothiol Isolated from Sea Urchin Oocytes Induces Autophagy in the Hep-G2 Cell Line

Ovothiols are histidine-derived thiols isolated from sea urchin eggs, where they play a key role in the protection of cells toward the oxidative burst associated with fertilization by controlling the cellular redox balance and recycling oxidized glutathione. In this study, we show that treatment of a human liver carcinoma cell line, Hep-G2, with ovothiol A, isolated from Paracentrotus lividus oocytes, results in a decrease of cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The activation of an autophagic process is revealed by phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy, together with the expression of the specific autophagic molecular markers, LC3 II and Beclin-1. The effect of ovothiol is not due to its antioxidant capacity or to hydrogen peroxide generation. The concentration of ovothiol A in the culture media, as monitored by HPLC analysis, decreased by about 24% within 30 min from treatment. The proliferation of normal human embryonic lung cells is not affected by ovothiol A. These results hint at ovothiol as a promising bioactive molecule from marine organisms able to inhibit cell proliferation in cancer cells.     

Production,Characterization and Biocompatibility of Marine Collagen Matrices from an Alternative and Sustainable Source: The Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Collagen has become a key-molecule in cell culture studies and in the tissue engineering field. Industrially, the principal sources of collagen are calf skin and bones which, however, could be associated to risks of serious disease transmission. In fact, collagen derived from alternative and riskless sources is required, and marine organisms are among the safest and recently exploited ones. Sea urchins possess a circular area of soft tissue surrounding the mouth, the peristomial membrane (PM), mainly composed by mammalian-like collagen. The PM of the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus therefore represents a potential unexploited collagen source, easily obtainable as a food industry waste product. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to extract native collagen fibrils from the PM and produce suitable substrates for in vitro system. The obtained matrices appear as a homogeneous fibrillar network (mean fibril diameter 30–400 nm and mesh < 2 μm) and display remarkable mechanical properties in term of stiffness (146 ± 48 MPa) and viscosity (60.98 ± 52.07 GPa·s). In vitro tests with horse pbMSC show a good biocompatibility in terms of overall cell growth. The obtained results indicate that the sea urchin P. lividus can be a valuable low-cost collagen source for mechanically resistant biomedical devices.     

Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activity of Pigment Echinochrome A from Sea Urchin Scaphechinus mirabilis

Echinochrome A (EchA) is a dark-red pigment of the polyhydroxynaphthoquinone class isolated from sea urchin Scaphechinus mirabilis. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are used in the treatment of various neuromuscular disorders, and are considered as strong therapeutic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although EchA is clinically used to treat ophthalmic diseases and limit infarct formation during ischemia/reperfusion injury, anti-AChE effect of EchA is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the anti-AChE effect of EchA in vitro. EchA and its exhausted form which lost anti-oxidant capacity did not show any significant cytotoxicy on the H9c2 and A7r5 cells. EchA inhibited AChE with an irreversible and uncompetitive mode. In addition, EchA showed reactive oxygen species scavenging activity, particularly with nitric oxide. These findings indicate new therapeutic potential for EchA in treating reduced acetylcholine-related diseases including AD and provide an insight into developing new AChE inhibitors.     

Variegatusides: New Non-Sulphated Triterpene Glycosides from the Sea Cucumber Stichopus variegates Semper

Four new triterpene glycosides, variegatusides C–F (1–4), together with three structurally known triterpene glycosides, variegatusides A and B (5, 6), and holothurin B (7), were isolated from the sea cucumber Stichopus variegates Semper (Holothuriidae), collected from the South China Sea. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectral analysis (nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS)) and chemical evidence. Variegatusides C–F exhibit the same structural feature consisting of the presence of a 23-hydroxyl group at the holostane-type triterpene aglycone side chain. Variegatuside C (1) has a double bond (24, 25) in this same chain, while variegatuside D (2) exhibits a 8(9)-ene bond in the holostane-type triterpene aglycone, which has not been extracted from other sea cucumber species. Compound 4 is a native compound from the sea cucumber S. variegates Semper, which has been reported to be desacetylstichloroside B₁. Except for holothurin B, these glycosides have no sulfate group in their sugar chain and show potent antifungal activities in vitro biotests.     

基于开源Web-GIS的县域土壤信息系统设计

土壤学研究和社会生产实践所积累的大量土壤数据,是生产实践和科学研究的宝贵基础性资料,迫切需要依靠信息技术加强土壤信息的管理和应用。但县域尺度土壤信息系统的构建面临着成本高企、维护困难和性能瓶颈等诸多问题。针对以上问题,该文应用低成本的开源Web GIS平台MapGuide Open Source,以吉林省梨树县为研究区,基于第二次土壤普查数据库和《梨树土壤志》等数据,在Visual Studio.Net环境下设计开发了县域土壤信息系统。该系统设计为一个3层架构的Server/Brower开放应用系统,可通过Internet浏览器访问,增强了土壤信息的共享性;系统浏览器端采用了Fusion灵活网页布局方案,具有良好的灵活性、扩展性和响应速度;系统实现了地图导航、地图服务、要素服务和专题图功能,为县域土壤资源和其他相关地学背景资料的查询和展示提供了方便;系统建立了与Google WMS的动态联系,方便切换底图,扩展了系统的可视化效果。系统后台管理集中在一个管理客户端,使得后期系统维护和升级较为便利。运行结果表明,该系统在开发维护成本和性能上达到了一个较好的均衡,为后续应用系统的进一步扩展奠定了基础。     

海胆和海参中microRNAs的研究进展

MicroRNAs(MiRNAs)是一种长度为20 nt左右的内源调控型非编码RNA,主要参与基因的转录后调控,在真核生物的生长发育、细胞分化和免疫防御等过程中发挥重要作用。海胆和海参属棘皮类动物,是高等的海洋无脊椎动物,它们不仅是研究无脊椎动物向脊椎动物进化的重要模式生物,其中的一些种类还是重要的渔业资源,具有较高的经济价值。近年来,探明各类miRNAs在海胆和海参生长发育及生理代谢过程中的调控功能及调控机制已逐渐成为海胆和海参研究领域的热点。本研究中综述了近年来海胆和海参中miRNAs的研究成果和相关进展,以期进一步丰富和完善海胆和海参中miRNAs的基础资料,为系统了解和掌握海胆和海参中miRNAs的序列特点、生物学功能及其参与调控重要生理过程的分子机制提供参考资料。     

华南沿海近江牡蛎体中硫丹残留特征研究

为探讨种植业近年仍在使用的硫丹杀虫剂对沿岸海域的污染状况,以近江牡蛎(Crassostrea rivularis)作指示生物,用气相色谱-微电子捕获检测器测定其软组织中硫丹的含量(按μg·kg-1湿重计),分析硫丹含量的时空分布与组成特征。结果表明,华南沿岸海域牡蛎体中硫丹含量总体呈下降趋势,区域平均值相对高低依次为广东沿岸(2.13μg·kg-1湿重)海南沿岸(1.23μg·kg-1湿重)广西沿岸(0.76μg·kg-1湿重),且在23个观测站间存在不同程度的差异。按牡蛎体中硫丹异构体组成初步推测,近几年华南沿岸地区使用硫丹的可能性依次为广东广西海南岛。共观测样本115份,在检出硫丹的40份样本中,硫丹残留量在1.03~12.2μg·kg-1湿重程度范围内,其中2份略高于欧盟的限量,16份略超过日本的限量,但远低于澳大利亚、加拿大的限量和世界卫生组织评估的人体安全摄取量。     

复水条件对淡干海参复水液中水溶性蛋白质含量的影响

以淡干海参在复水液中水溶性蛋白质含量为指标,通过单因素及正交试验优化淡干海参的复水条件,确定复水条件对其营养价值的影响。结果表明,经85℃热烫10 min,70℃保温40-50 h,淡干海参的水溶性蛋白质损失最少。     

石砌深窄沟长期排水对冷浸田土壤 C、N、P化学计量及酶活性的影响

通过连续30a的冷浸田开沟排水定位平台,研究石砌深窄沟改造冷浸田不同离沟距离的土壤 C、N、P生态化学计量学特征及土壤酶活性。结果表明,离沟5、15、25m 位点土壤,与典型冷浸田位点（离沟75m 位点,CK）相比,土壤全 C、全 P含量均呈下降趋势。离沟5、15、25m 位点土壤 C／N 值分别较 CK 降低2．56、1．03、0．91个单位,差异均显著。过氧化氢酶、转化酶活性变化趋势与 C／N 值一致,5～25m 位点二者分别较CK 降低0．3％～10．0％、36．6％～62．5％;而脲酶、酸性磷酸酶、硝酸还原酶活性与 CK 相比均呈上升趋势,且过氧化氢酶、转化酶活性随着离沟距离的增加而提高,酸性磷酸酶、硝酸还原酶则随离沟距离的增加而降低。土壤 C、N、P含量间存在显著相关性,但三者与土壤酶无显著相关,而土壤 C／N 值与脲酶、磷酸酶及硝酸还原酶呈显著相关。上述说明,C／N 值较单一的有机碳与全 N 指标更能体现土壤酶间的关系,土壤 C／N 值可作为冷浸田改造效果评价的一个参考指标。