三大支柱与纺织品贸易

对于中国和欧盟来说,刚刚过去的5月份实在是太不寻常了:中欧建交30周年;法荷两国否决“欧宪”使欧盟陷入极度困境中;中欧纺织品贸易摩擦热度烫人。这几件事,足以吸引全世界的眼球。当然,人们也会探寻其间的关联……6月7日,由中国人民外交学会、《世界知识》杂志和欧盟驻华代表团共同主办的“中欧经贸论坛2005”在北京钓鱼台大酒店举行。本栏目的大部分文章来自于论坛上的发言(有所删节)。其余精彩发言我们将陆续刊出。———编者     

海龟与大堡礁

在旅游与环境保护之间,大堡礁已被确认为环境保护方面的楷模。它取得了微妙的平衡。尽管如此,澳大利亚当局仍保持着警惕……大海龟总算接近了她漫长旅途的终点。     

Nras loss induces metastatic conversion of Rb1-deficient neuroendocrine thyroid tumor

Mutations in the gene encoding the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor predispose humans and mice to tumor development. Here we have assessed the effect of Nras loss on tumor development in Rb1 heterozygous mice. Loss of one or two Nras alleles is shown to significantly reduce the severity of pituitary tumors arising in Rb1(+/-) animals by enhancing their differentiation. By contrast, C-cell thyroid adenomas occurring in Rb1(+/-) mice progress to metastatic medullary carcinomas after loss of Nras. In Rb1(+/-)Nras(+/-) animals, distant medullary thyroid carcinoma metastases are associated with loss of the remaining wild-type Nras allele. Loss of Nras in Rb1-deficient C cells results in elevated Ras homolog family A (RhoA) activity, and this is causally linked to the invasiveness and metastatic behavior of these cells. These findings suggest that the loss of the proto-oncogene Nras in certain cellular contexts can promote malignant tumor progression.     

金在深海铁锰结核中的分布

从世界各大洋区采来的170块铁锰结核样品,将它送往几个试验室,利用中子活化法、液相光谱法。吸收光谱法和原子吸收法,对其中的含金量进行测定。太平洋结核中的含金量分别为0.1—11、2—8、2—13和2—11毫克/吨,其平均含量为2、4、5和5毫克/吨。金在单体结核中的分布是不均匀的,这一点取决于它的自然形态。金与所研究的结核中的造岩组分和金属组分无关。结核中的金重新回到周围各种沉积物里进行聚集的系数浮动在0.5—1.5之间。这就说明金在结核的形成过程中是具有惰性的。     

Understanding the importance of selenium and selenoproteins in muscle function

Selenium is an essential trace element. In cattle, selenium deficiency causes dysfunction of various organs, including skeletal and cardiac muscles. In humans as well, lack of selenium is associated with many disorders, but despite accumulation of clinical reports, muscle diseases are not generally considered on the list. The goal of this review is to establish the connection between clinical observations and the most recent advances obtained in selenium biology. Recent results about a possible role of selenium-containing proteins in muscle formation and repair have been collected. Selenoprotein N is the first selenoprotein linked to genetic disorders consisting of different forms of congenital muscular dystrophies. Understanding the muscle disorders associated with selenium deficiency or selenoprotein N dysfunction is an essential step in defining the causes of the disease and obtaining a better comprehension of the mechanisms involved in muscle formation and maintenance. Received 13 July 2005; received after revision 9 September 2005; accepted 4 October 2005     

长生不老的公式

(接上期)艾伯特驱车来到卡勃列小镇,碰上一个上了年纪的胖神甫。他向神甫打听沙乌里家的情况。后来得知,米吉娅其实是一个弃婴,16年前被两位年轻的先生送到沙乌里家。神甫赶到沙乌里家,想给孩子做洗礼,却遭到其中一位先     

Biological weapons

Anthrax has been a major cause of death in grazing animals and an occasional cause of death in humans for thousands of years. Since the late 1800s there has been an exceptional international history of anthrax vaccine development. Due to animal vaccinations, the rate of infection has dropped dramatically. Anthrax vaccines have progressed from uncharacterized whole-cell vaccines in 1881, to pXO2-negative spores in the 1930s, to culture filtrates absorbed to aluminum hydroxide in 1970, and likely to recombinant protective antigen in the near future. Each of these refinements has increased safety without significant loss of efficacy. The threat of genetically engineered, antibiotic and vaccine resistant strains of Bacillus anthracis is fueling hypothesis-driven research and global techniques--including genomics, proteomics and transposon site hybridization--to facilitate the discovery of novel vaccine targets. This review highlights historical achievements and new developments in anthrax vaccine research.