非那雄胺原料药中7种元素的ICP-MS分析

建立电感耦合等离子体质谱（ICP-MS）法测定非那雄胺原料药中7种元素（As、Cd、Cr、Hg、Pb、Pd、Se）。样品经微波消解后，根据待测元素的特性，选用标准模式测定Se、选用碰撞模式（氦模式）测定其余元素，根据各元素的质量数选择相应元素作为内标，采用ICP-MS进行测定。积分时间为50 ms，射频功率为1 550 W，作为载气的氩气流量为1.0 L/min，作为碰撞气的氦气流量为4.3 L/min，等离子体气流量为16.0 L/min，雾化器流量为1.0 L/mim；样品扫描20次，重复次数3次，使用Syngistix软件进行采集并分析数据。结果显示：As、Cd、Cr、Pb、Pd、Se的检测质量浓度线性范围均为1—20 ng/mL（r≥0.999 5）、Hg的检测质量浓度线性范围为0.1—2.0 ng/mL（r=0.999 8）；检出限为1—30 μg/kg，定量限为2—100 μg/kg；回收率为92.0%—103.9%；精密度、稳定性试验的RSD均小于3.9％。该方法操作简便、灵敏度高、分析速度快、准确度好，适用于测定非那雄胺原料药中各元素的含量，对完善其质量标准具有参考意义。     

Nest architecture in polydomous grass-cutting ants (Acromyrmex balzani)

Acromyrmex balzani is a grass-cutting ant species frequently found in Cerrado areas. However, little is known about the architecture of the polydomous nests of this ant. Fifteen A. balzani nests located in a cerrado region in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil, were studied. The polydomous nests were studied in three ways. First, we investigated the architecture in nests moulded with cement and without moulding. Second, we performed an aggressiveness test among workers in different subnests and nests. Third, we excavated the nest and collected the colony to measure the population, verifying the existence or not of a queen in all nests. A cement mould was made of seven nests to permit better visualization of internal structures such as chambers and tunnels. Eight nests were excavated without moulding and white neutral talc was used to highlight the parts of the nests. After excavation, the depth and dimensions (length, width and height) of the chambers were measured. The results showed that the nests had a single entrance hole whose structure consisted of straw and other plant residues in winter. Mounds of loose soil, if present, were found 6–48 cm from the hole. The number of chambers containing fungus ranged from one to five, with the first being found a few centimetres beneath the ground surface (4 cm) and the last up to a maximum depth of 160 cm. The length of the tunnels ranged from 12 to 28 cm. These tunnels were built in a vertical or inclined position, leading to the chambers. No waste chambers were found, with the waste being deposited externally. Additionally, the polydomous nests contained one to eight subnests. In the aggressiveness test, when concolonial workers were confronted, no aggressiveness was observed. In contrast, when allocolonial workers were confronted, there was a high incidence of aggression among them. Excavation of polydomous nests showed only one queen for each polydomous nest, i.e. subnests with a single queen. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the so far unknown nest architecture of the polydomous grass-cutting ant A. balzani.     

Critical role of extracellular vesicles in modulating the cellular effects of cytokines

Under physiological and pathological conditions, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are present in the extracellular compartment simultaneously with soluble mediators. We hypothesized that cytokine effects may be modulated by EVs, the recently recognized conveyors of intercellular messages. In order to test this hypothesis, human monocyte cells were incubated with CCRF acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line-derived EVs with or without the addition of recombinant human TNF, and global gene expression changes were analyzed. EVs alone regulated the expression of numerous genes related to inflammation and signaling. In combination, the effects of EVs and TNF were additive, antagonistic, or independent. The differential effects of EVs and TNF or their simultaneous presence were also validated by Taqman assays and ELISA, and by testing different populations of purified EVs. In the case of the paramount chemokine IL-8, we were able to demonstrate a synergistic upregulation by purified EVs and TNF. Our data suggest that neglecting the modulating role of EVs on the effects of soluble mediators may skew experimental results. On the other hand, considering the combined effects of cytokines and EVs may prove therapeutically useful by targeting both compartments at the same time.     

六钛酸钾纳米晶须的水热反应相转变行为

以偏钛酸为钛源,与无水碳酸钾混合,利用高温固相法成功制备了六钛酸钾(K2Ti6O13)纳米晶须,并通过不同的水热反应条件考察了K2Ti6O13晶须相转变过程.利用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)等测试手段表征了K2Ti6O13水热反应过程中的物相转变与形貌变化.结果表明:在不同酸介质水热反应条件下,K2Ti6O13发生相转变,并可控得到锐钛矿相TiO2纳米颗粒、纳米棒及纺锤体金红石TiO2,这种相转变过程可归结为K2Ti6O13风洞结构的溶解-重组机制;在浓NaOH作用下,K2Ti6O13通过剥离与重组作用,向Na2Ti3O7相转变.此外,考察了酸介质水热产物的催化性能,可见光条件下,1mol/LHCl、130℃保温12h得到锐钛矿纳米TiO2颗粒具有优异的光催化性能.     

Transient dynamics of Aβ contribute to toxicity in Alzheimer’s disease

The aggregation and deposition of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in the brain has been linked with neuronal death, which progresses in the diagnostic and pathological signs of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The transition of an unstructured monomeric peptide into self-assembled and more structured aggregates is the crucial conversion from what appears to be a harmless polypeptide into a malignant form that causes synaptotoxicity and neuronal cell death. Despite efforts to identify the toxic form of Aβ, the development of effective treatments for AD is still limited by the highly transient and dynamic nature of interconverting forms of Aβ. The variability within the in vivo “pool” of different Aβ peptides is another complicating factor. Here we review the dynamical interplay between various components that influence the heterogeneous Aβ system, from intramolecular Aβ flexibility to intermolecular dynamics between various Aβ alloforms and external factors. The complex dynamics of Aβ contributes to the causative role of Aβ in the pathogenesis of AD.     

金融数据变结构波动性模型的综述及研究进展

分别从马尔可夫转换模型、马尔可夫混合模型及马尔可夫与ARCH类模型的联合,对变结构金融数据波动性模型进行了综述;这种变结构的波动模型克服了传统波动性模型（ARCH类）波动持续性被高估及无法实现体制（状态）间的转换的不足。