Mechanisms of cellular invasion by intracellular parasites

Numerous disease-causing parasites must invade host cells in order to prosper. Collectively, such pathogens are responsible for a staggering amount of human sickness and death throughout the world. Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, toxoplasmosis, and malaria are neglected diseases and therefore are linked to socio-economical and geographical factors, affecting well-over half the world’s population. Such obligate intracellular parasites have co-evolved with humans to establish a complexity of specific molecular parasite–host cell interactions, forming the basis of the parasite’s cellular tropism. They make use of such interactions to invade host cells as a means to migrate through various tissues, to evade the host immune system, and to undergo intracellular replication. These cellular migration and invasion events are absolutely essential for the completion of the lifecycles of these parasites and lead to their for disease pathogenesis. This review is an overview of the molecular mechanisms of protozoan parasite invasion of host cells and discussion of therapeutic strategies, which could be developed by targeting these invasion pathways. Specifically, we focus on four species of protozoan parasites Leishmania, Trypanosoma cruzi, Plasmodium, and Toxoplasma, which are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality.     

More on the need for circadian,circaseptan and circannual optimization of cyclosporine therapy

Summary Cyclosporine chronotherapy of pancreas-allotransplanted rats revealed, beyond a circadian stage-dependence of equal daily doses, further gain in graft function from doses varying from day to day with an about 7-day periodicity, the first highest dose being given on the 3rd or 5th day after surgery.     

A specific requirement for PDGF-C in palate formation and PDGFR-alpha signaling

PDGF-C is a member of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) family, which signals through PDGF receptor (PDGFR) alphaalpha and alphabeta dimers. Here we show that Pdgfc(-/-) mice die in the perinatal period owing to feeding and respiratory difficulties associated with a complete cleft of the secondary palate. This phenotype was less severe than that of Pdgfra(-/-) embryos. Pdgfc(-/-) Pdgfa(-/-) embryos developed a cleft face, subepidermal blistering, deficiency of renal cortex mesenchyme, spina bifida and skeletal and vascular defects. Complete loss of function of both ligands, therefore, phenocopied the loss of PDGFR-alpha function, suggesting that both PDGF-A and PDGF-C signal through PDGFR-alpha to regulate the development of craniofacial structures, the neural tube and mesodermal organs. Our results also show that PDGF-C signaling is a new pathway in palatogenesis, different from, and independent of, those previously implicated.     

滨南油田低渗欠注井酸化增注技术研究与应用

提出了一种针对滨南低渗油田欠注井酸化增注的系统实验研究方法。根据储层特征分析了注污水和重复酸化对地层的损害及对酸化液的选取原则。根据长岩心酸化流动模拟实验进行了酸化工艺参数优选及其评估分析。现场施工证明该酸化液体系适应性较好 ,工艺参数合理 ,能够较好地解除地层中有机物和无机物堵塞 ,提高注水量 ,降低泵注压力 ,在低渗油田注水井中具有推广价值。     

Insurance-based advantage to helpers in a tropical hover wasp

The origin and maintenance of eusociality is a central problem in evolutionary biology. Eusocial groups contain individuals that forfeit their own reproduction in order to help others reproduce. In facultatively eusocial taxa, offspring can choose whether to found new nests or become helpers in their natal groups. In many facultatively eusocial insects, offspring need continuous care during development, but adult carers have life expectancies shorter than the developmental period. When a lone foundress dies, her partly reared brood are usually doomed. Here, we show that helpers in a tropical hover wasp (Liostenogaster flavolineata) have an insurance-based advantage over lone foundresses because after a helper dies, most of the brood that she has partly reared will be brought to maturity by surviving nest-mates. After some of the helpers are experimentally removed from a multi-female nest, the reduced group is left with more brood than it would normally rear. We found that larger, more valuable extra brood were reared through to maturity, but not smaller, less valuable brood. Smaller brood may be sacrificed to feed larger brood, and reduced groups probably benefited from increased short-term helper recruitment. Rearing extra brood did not increase adult mortality or brood development time.     

云南保山盆地生物气源岩生物标志化合物特征

通过对保山盆地气源岩有机质饱和烃色谱、三环萜烷、四环萜烷、五环三萜烷及甾烷分布特征的研究,发现气源岩有机质碳数分布存在比较明显的奇碳优势,结合R.数据,认为该区气源岩成熟度很低;可溶有机质生物标志化合物中的三环萜烷、四环萜烷含量低,五环三萜烷中有含量十分丰富的生物藿烷,表明源岩成熟度低;还检测出与细菌作用有关的C<,3...     

The mental wealth of nations

Countries must learn how to capitalize on their citizens' cognitive resources if they are to prosper, both economically and socially. Early interventions will be key.