The BMP antagonist noggin regulates cranial suture fusion

During skull development, the cranial connective tissue framework undergoes intramembranous ossification to form skull bones (calvaria). As the calvarial bones advance to envelop the brain, fibrous sutures form between the calvarial plates. Expansion of the brain is coupled with calvarial growth through a series of tissue interactions within the cranial suture complex. Craniosynostosis, or premature cranial suture fusion, results in an abnormal skull shape, blindness and mental retardation. Recent studies have demonstrated that gain-of-function mutations in fibroblast growth factor receptors (fgfr) are associated with syndromic forms of craniosynostosis. Noggin, an antagonist of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), is required for embryonic neural tube, somites and skeleton patterning. Here we show that noggin is expressed postnatally in the suture mesenchyme of patent, but not fusing, cranial sutures, and that noggin expression is suppressed by FGF2 and syndromic fgfr signalling. Since noggin misexpression prevents cranial suture fusion in vitro and in vivo, we suggest that syndromic fgfr-mediated craniosynostoses may be the result of inappropriate downregulation of noggin expression.     

纳洛酮对大鼠脑外伤后神经细胞凋亡的影响

目的：采用Feeney法自由落体撞击脑损伤动物模型，观察纳洛酮对脑外伤后神经细胞凋亡和脑水肿的影响。方法：90只大鼠分为实验组及对照组，在损伤后15、60min及24h分别予纳洛酮或生理盐水，损伤后第5d断头处死大鼠，TUNEL法测定神经细胞原位凋亡情况，测定损伤侧大脑半球含水理以及光镜下观察细胞形态学改变。结果：与对照组比较，大鼠脑外伤后15及60min静注纳洛酮可保护神经细胞，减少凋亡率，减轻脑水肿；而外伤后24h给药，神经细胞凋亡率以及脑水肿无显著性差异。结论；研究结果提示纳洛酮作为阿片受体的拮抗剂有保护大鼠脑外伤后神经细胞的作用，但应在外伤后尽早用药。     

Species diversity enhances ecosystem functioning through interspecific facilitation.

Facilitation between species is thought to be a key mechanism by which biodiversity affects the rates of resource use that govern the efficiency and productivity of ecosystems; however, there is no direct empirical evidence to support this hypothesis. Here we show that increasing the species diversity of a functional group of aquatic organisms induces facilitative interactions, leading to non-additive changes in resource consumption. We increased the richness and evenness of suspension-feeding caddisfly larvae (Insecta, Trichoptera) in stream mesocosms and found that the increased topographical complexity of the benthic habitat alters patterns of near-bed flow such that the feeding success of individuals is enhanced. Species diversity reduces 'current shading' (that is, the deceleration of flow from upstream to downstream neighbours), allowing diverse assemblages to capture a greater fraction of suspended resources than is caught by any species monoculture. The fundamental nature of this form of hydrodynamic facilitation suggests that it is broadly applicable to freshwater and marine habitats; in addition, it has several analogues in terrestrial ecosystems where fluxes of energy and matter can be influenced by biophysical complexity. Thus, changes in species diversity may alter the probability of positive species interactions, resulting in disproportionately large changes in the functioning of ecosystems.     

环氧树脂耐候性能的研究

以光稳定剂GW-682、抗氧剂KY-1010、紫外线吸收剂UV-531等抗老化助剂为主,对环氧树脂浇铸体的耐老化性能进行研究,研究其对环氧树脂老化行为的影响,并利用DSC和红外光谱分析手段研究了不同配比的抗老化助剂对环氧树脂浇铸体老化过程的影响,并测定了光老化过程中环氧树脂稳定剂体系物理机械性能,确定了最佳的光稳定剂、抗氧剂、紫外线吸收剂配比。     

疼痛评估量表在体温单上的临床应用

目的探讨疼痛量化记录方法。方法对疼痛评估用数字分级法((NRS)为基础,将评估强度设计绘制在体温单上,并试用于296例术后患者疼痛评估。结果在体温单上获得了准确、系统的疼痛量化曲线图,提高了整体护理意识,并为有效开展疼痛管理工作打下了基础。结论将疼痛量化曲线图绘制在体温单上能直观、明了、动态地反映病人疼痛变化过程及护理干预镇痛或药物镇痛效果。     

疼痛评估量表在体温单上的临床应用

目的 探讨疼痛量化记录方法.方法 对疼痛评估用数字分级法((NRS)为基础,将评估强度设计绘制在体温单上,并试用于296例术后患者疼痛评估.结果 在体温单上获得了准确、系统的疼痛量化曲线图,提高了整体护理意识,并为有效开展疼痛管理工作打下了基础.结论 将疼痛量化曲线图绘制在体温单上能直观、明了、动态地反映病人疼痛变化过程及护理干预镇痛或药物镇痛效果.     

Predation enhances complexity in the evolution of electric fish signals.

Theories of sexual selection assume that predation is a restrictive, simplifying force in the evolution of animal display characters and many empirical studies have shown that predation opposes excessive elaboration of sexually selected traits. In an unexpected turnaround, I show here that predation pressure on neotropical, weakly electric fish (order Gymnotiformes) seems to have selected for greater signal complexity, by favouring characters that have enabled further signal elaboration by sexual selection. Most gymnotiform fish demonstrate adaptations that lower detectability of their electrolocation/communication signals by key predators. A second wave phase added to the ancestral monophasic signal shifts the emitted spectrum above the most sensitive frequencies of electroreceptive predators. By using playback trials with the predatory electric eel (Electrophorus electricus), I show that these biphasic signals are less detectable than the primitive monophasic signals. But sexually mature males of many species in the family Hypopomidae extend the duration of the second phase of their electric signal pulses and further amplify this sexual dimorphism nightly during the peak hours of reproduction. Thus a signal element that evolved for crypsis has itself been modified by sexual selection.     

硒化锌协同真养产碱杆菌的杂化光合系统研究

通过传统的生物发酵方式获得PHB(聚-β-羟基丁酸酯)的研究已经趋于成熟,各项生产条件均有学者进行了优化,但是通过传统生物发酵的方式获得的PHB在成本上仍无法和化学合成的PHB或其他石油化工所得到的高分子材料竞争.该研究提出利用水热法合成闪锌矿结构的ZnSe半导体光催化材料与真养产碱杆菌(Ralstonia eutropha)H16构建杂化光合系统,测试系统中PHB含量变化,结合材料的光催化产氢性能来探究光催化材料在生物杂化光合系统中的作用.结果表明,在单纯材料光催化产氢时,材料在短时间虽有不错的产氢性能表现,但是在长时间循环中表现不佳.在结合细菌后,该生物杂化光合系统有着优秀的表现,相较对照组最高可将PHB产量提升至1.87倍,并且在长时间连续工作的条件下系统保持稳定.材料在高浓度下依然对该系统起到正面的作用.并且通过测定底物消耗和计算效率的方式探讨了光催化材料影响该生物光合杂化系统的具体方式.证明了这种方式合成的ZnSe与Ralstonia eutropha H16相结合在光照下能够有效提升PHB的产量.