How fast is protein hydrophobic collapse?

One of the most recurring questions in protein folding refers to the interplay between formation of secondary structure and hydrophobic collapse. In contrast with secondary structure, it is hard to isolate hydrophobic collapse from other folding events. We have directly measured the dynamics of protein hydrophobic collapse in the absence of competing processes. Collapse was triggered with laser-induced temperature jumps in the acid-denatured form of a simple protein and monitored by fluorescence resonance energy transfer between probes placed at the protein ends. The relaxation time for hydrophobic collapse is only approximately equal to 60 ns at 305 K, even faster than secondary structure formation. At higher temperatures, as the protein becomes increasingly compact by a stronger hydrophobic force, we observe a slowdown of the dynamics of collapse. This dynamic hydrophobic effect is a high-temperature analogue of the dynamic glass transition predicted by theory. Our results indicate that in physiological conditions many proteins will initiate folding by collapsing to an unstructured globule. Local motions will presumably drive the following search for native structure in the collapsed globule.     

河北省儿童医院住院患儿EB病毒感染流行病学特征

目的了解河北省儿童医院住院患儿EB病毒(EBV)感染的流行病学特征,为儿童EBV感染的诊断和预防提供科学依据。方法收集2017年1—12月河北省儿童医院0~14岁EBV感染住院患儿的全血样本,采用酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测其EBV衣壳抗原(VCA)IgG及IgM抗体,抗早期抗原(EA)IgG抗体和抗核抗原1(NA1)IgG抗体,以检测结果为研究样本的抗体谱。根据4种EBV抗体的检测结果分为现症感染(抗VCA-IgM抗体阳性,抗NA1-IgG抗体阴性、抗VCA-IgG抗体、抗EA-IgG抗体阳性或阴性)、亚急性感染(抗VCA-IgG抗体阳性,抗VCA-IgM抗体、抗NA1-IgG抗体、抗EA-IgG抗体阳性或阴性)、既往感染(抗NA1-IgG抗体阳性,抗VCA-IgG抗体阳性或阴性,其他抗体均为阴性)和未感染(4种抗体均阴性)。按照患儿年龄、检出月份和性别分析各组的阳性率。结果共纳入符合要求的样本4 451例,其中3 257例(73.17%)抗体谱提示EBV感染,包括现症感染380例(8.54%)、亚急性感染616例(13.84%)、既往感染2 261例(50.80%)。不同年龄组原发阳性检出率差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),其中学龄前(>3岁)组的阳性检出率最高(P<0.05);不同检出月份组阳性检出率差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),7月份阳性检出率高于其他月份(P<0.05);男性患儿与女性患儿EBV感染率差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。380例现症感染患儿的疾病谱以血液系统疾病[传染性单核细胞增多症、急性粒细胞缺乏症、血小板减少性紫癜、EBV相关嗜血细胞综合征]为主,其中传染性单核细胞增多症为临床常见疾病;其次是呼吸系统疾病(急性支气管炎、疱疹性咽峡炎、急性扁桃体炎);其他疾病谱包括神经系统疾病及血流感染、肾病综合征、川崎病。结论河北省儿童医院住院患儿EBV阳性检出率有年龄和检出月份差异,现症感染以血液系统疾病患儿为主,医院应根据流学病学特征制定相应预防措施。     

流式细胞术的培训实践及技术平台建设探讨

流式细胞分析技术(flow cytometry,FCM),又称流式细胞术,是一种在功能水平上对单细胞或其他生物粒子进行定量分析和分选的技术,具有广泛的科研应用价值.采用理论与实践并举,结合讨论的教学方式,在教师队伍开设针对性的培训课程,对深刻理解并在科研工作中有效利用该技术具有及其重要意义.同时以教学促科研,以科研促技...     

Biological resurfacing of the knee: a review of surgical management

Lesions of the articular surfaces of the knee have been managed by various techniques over the last 50 years. Surgical management has involved: excising the damaged area, refashioning the underlying bone to produce a fibrous response, and introducing allograft, autograft and synthetic materials to encourage a repair matrix. The techniques and their pitfalls are reviewed and discussed, and suggestions made as to the direction of future studies for the repair of osteochondral lesions in the painful knee.     

Comparison of isolation of Haemophilus vaginalis (Corynebacterium vaginale) from peptone-starch-dextrose agar and Columbia colistin-nalidoxic acid agar.

A total of 447 cervical or vaginal specimens were inoculated in parallel onto peptone-starch-dextrose (PSD) and Columbia colistin (10 mg/ml)-nalidixic acid (15 mug/ml) (CNA) agar and were incubated for 48 h at 35 degrees C in an atmosphere with 2 to 10% CO2. One hundred (22.4%) of the cultures were positive for Haemophilus vaginalis. Forty-eight of the isolates were recovered from both PSD and Columbia CNA agar, five from PSD only, and 47 from Columbia CNA agar only (P less than 0.001). On Columbia CNA agar, 76 of the isolates were detected after 24 h of incubation, and the remainder were detected within 4 days of incubation.     

Increased circulatory dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate in first-episode schizophrenia: relationship to gender, aggression and symptomatology

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a major circulating neurosteroid in humans and its administration has demonstrated efficacy in the improvement of mood, with increased energy, interest, confidence and activity levels. Since recent findings have suggested the role of neurosteroids in general, and DHEA in particular, in the symptomatology and pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia patients with chronic illness, we investigated DHEA and DHEA-S blood levels in individuals in their first-episode of psychosis in order to exclude effects of age, chronic illness, long-term treatment and institutionalization. Blood levels for DHEA, DHEA-S and cortisol were obtained for 37 first-episode schizophrenia subjects and 27 normal age- and sex-matched controls and correlated with a range of clinical and side-effect rating scales. Baseline DHEA and DHEA-S levels were significantly higher in schizophrenia patients (p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively). No gender differences were noted in DHEA levels; however, DHEA-S levels were significantly higher in male patients. DHEA-S levels inversely correlated with severity of illness (p<0.05) and aggressive behavior (p<0.05). Patients with higher DHEA-S levels tended to have shorter hospitalizations. Results suggest that individuals in their first-episode of schizophrenia psychosis may develop a neurosteroid response to the first onset of psychosis, which may be associated with a reduction in various adverse clinical features including aggression. Such a putative mechanism may become desensitized with the onset of chronic illness. While preliminary, these results further imply the role of these neurosteroids in the pathophysiology and management of schizophrenia.