萨满医术:北方民族精神医学

治病是北方少数民族萨满的主要职能之一。在信仰萨满教的民族中萨满往往充当民间医生的角色。萨满医术是一种精神医术和心灵医术。萨满主要是治心因性的精神疾病,其主要治疗手段也是一种心理治疗。在萨满医术中包含着现代精神医学中使用的一些治疗方法和治愈机制。萨满的精神医术之本质在于通过各种方式使患者的心理得到平衡,与此同时让患者振作起来,对自己的病情持乐观的态度,确立战胜病魔的信心。萨满精神医术就是一种典型的宗教性心理——生理调控术。对萨满医术,应从心理人类学、医学人类学、宗教人类学等多种角度进行研究,这样才能够得出比较全面而相对正确的结论。     

Sex ratio adjustment and kin discrimination in malaria parasites

Malaria parasites and related Apicomplexans are the causative agents of the some of the most serious infectious diseases of humans, companion animals, livestock and wildlife. These parasites must undergo sexual reproduction to transmit from vertebrate hosts to vectors, and their sex ratios are consistently female-biased. Sex allocation theory, a cornerstone of evolutionary biology, is remarkably successful at explaining female-biased sex ratios in multicellular taxa, but has proved controversial when applied to malaria parasites. Here we show that, as predicted by theory, sex ratio is an important fitness-determining trait and Plasmodium chabaudi parasites adjust their sex allocation in response to the presence of unrelated conspecifics. This suggests that P. chabaudi parasites use kin discrimination to evaluate the genetic diversity of their infections, and they adjust their behaviour in response to environmental cues. Malaria parasites provide a novel way to test evolutionary theory, and support the generality and power of a darwinian approach.     

安哥拉山羊及其杂种羊DNA指纹图谱分析

应用寡苷酸探针(CA/GATA/TCC)     

Pfiesteria shumwayae kills fish by micropredation not exotoxin secretion

Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae reportedly secrete potent exotoxins thought to cause fish lesion events, acute fish kills and human disease in mid-Atlantic USA estuaries. However, Pfiesteria toxins have never been isolated or characterized. We investigated mechanisms by which P. shumwayae kills fish using three different approaches. Here we show that larval fish bioassays conducted in tissue culture plates fitted with polycarbonate membrane inserts exhibited mortality (100%) only in treatments where fish and dinospores were in physical contact. No mortalities occurred in treatments where the membrane prevented contact between dinospores and fish. Using differential centrifugation and filtration of water from a fish-killing culture, we produced 'dinoflagellate', 'bacteria' and 'cell-free' fractions. Larval fish bioassays of these fractions resulted in mortalities (60-100% in less than 24 h) only in fractions containing live dinospores ('whole water', 'dinoflagellate'), with no mortalities in 'cell-free' or 'bacteria'-enriched fractions. Videomicrography and electron microscopy show dinospores swarming toward and attaching to skin, actively feeding, and rapidly denuding fish of epidermis. We show here that our cultures of actively fish-killing P. shumwayae do not secrete potent exotoxins; rather, fish mortality results from micropredatory feeding.     

安哥拉山羊及其杂种羊父权认定的DNA指纹图分析

应用ＤＮＡ指纹技术对安哥拉山羊作亲子鉴定,结果发现子代个体的ＤＮＡ指纹图中,谱带均分别来自父亲和母亲,没有新带出现。父权概率为０．９８８９,表明（ＣＡ／ＧＡＴＡ／ＴＣＣ）５探针能有效地应用于安哥拉山羊及其杂种后代的遗传分析。     

Whole-genome analysis informs breast cancer response to aromatase inhibition

To correlate the variable clinical features of oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer with somatic alterations, we studied pretreatment tumour biopsies accrued from patients in two studies of neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy by massively parallel sequencing and analysis. Eighteen significantly mutated genes were identified, including five genes (RUNX1, CBFB, MYH9, MLL3 and SF3B1) previously linked to haematopoietic disorders. Mutant MAP3K1 was associated with luminal A status, low-grade histology and low proliferation rates, whereas mutant TP53 was associated with the opposite pattern. Moreover, mutant GATA3 correlated with suppression of proliferation upon aromatase inhibitor treatment. Pathway analysis demonstrated that mutations in MAP2K4, a MAP3K1 substrate, produced similar perturbations as MAP3K1 loss. Distinct phenotypes in oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer are associated with specific patterns of somatic mutations that map into cellular pathways linked to tumour biology, but most recurrent mutations are relatively infrequent. Prospective clinical trials based on these findings will require comprehensive genome sequencing.     

Comparison of intradermal pigeon crop-sac bioassay and double antibody radioimmunoassay for rat prolactin

Summary On an absolute basis, the intradermal pigeon crop-sac bioassay (PCA) gave results that were 20.5% higher than the radioimmunoassay (RIA) in rat anterior pituitary (AP) preparations. A highly significant correlation (r=0.87) was obtained between RIA (in g) and PCA (in Reece-Turner units) when 58 medium samples obtained by culturing rat APs in vitro were assayed for prolactin (PRL) content.Supported by the Charles and Johanna Busch Memorial Fund and by Hatch Amended Funds, Rutgers University-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA.The authors acknowledge the generous supply of rat PRL reference preparation and iodination material for the RIA by NIAMDD, NIH.     

Effects of anthropogenic land use on Odonata in playas of the Southern High Plains

Playas are ephemeral wetlands that are the only source of aboveground freshwater in the southern Great Plains, making them of vital importance to aquatic and amphibious animals. Playas are also highly threatened from anthropogenic land use (chiefly agriculture, which decreases hydroperiod through increased sedimentation). We examined community structure of adult odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) in playas differing in the 2 main regional forms of surrounding land use (cropland vs. grassland). Analysis of odonate diversity revealed high overlap between cropland and grassland playas. Traditional species-area theory did not fit observed patterns, as there appears to be a threshold playa size that supports maximal odonate diversity; this nonlinear response may reflect a tradeoff between hydroperiod and availability of emergent vegetation that is required for perching and oviposition. Since agriculture effectively reduces playa depth but not size of the overall playa watershed, this may mean that cropland playas serve as "ecological traps." This property has important implications for regional odonate diversity.     

A Kind of Systems Methodology——The SPIPRO Principle

This paper deals with the Self-Increasing-Difficulty system (SIDIS) separated from general systems, with emphasis on the relevant methodology based on the Spiral Combining Propulsion Principle (SPIPRO principle in short). The system feature and its causative factors are analysed, and the implications and mechanism of the SPIPRO principle are discussed. Finally, the application possibilities of this methodology are illustrated with some examples.