To compare the therapy, manifestations (such as body temperature, chest X-ray image and immunologic indexes, etc.) and prognosis in severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients with and without diabetes mellitus. The results suggested that rational use of glucocorticoid is important in curing SARS, and the recovery of cellular immune function and pulmonary lesion is slower in the diabetic SARS patients.

In order to discover the steroid biotransformation ability of filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger TCCC41650, we studied the fermentation of 4-androstene-3,17-dione with A. niger TCCC41650. The transformation product was purified, crystallized and determined as 16β-hydroxy-androst-4-ene-3,17-dione by X-ray single crystal diffraction method. The best fermentation condition was found to be pH 6.0, ethanol amount 2% with a substrate concentration of 1 per thousand, the transformation rate is 85.81% after 72 h. Based on the best of our knowledge, 16β-hydroxylation rarely occurs in microbial transformations of steroid. This study laid the foundation for the research of 16β-hydroxylation steroids
Androstenedione ; metabolism ; Aspergillus niger ; metabolism ; Biotransformation ; Fermentation ; Hydroxylation ; Industrial Microbiology

To improve 3-ketosteroid-△1-dehydrogenase (KSDH) activity and the transformation level for androst-4-ene-3,17-dione,3-ketosteroid-△1 -dehydrogenase gene (ksdD) from Arthrobacter simplex was cloned into plasmid pWB980 and expressed in B. subtilis WB600 under the control of promoter P43. The molecular weight of expressed enzyme was about 55kDa by SDS-PAGE analysis. The activitities assayed by spectrophotometrical method of intracellular and extracellular soluble enzyme were 110 ± 0.5mU and 15 ± 0.6mU per milligram of protein respectively. The transformation rate of androst-4-ene-3,17-dione by the B. subtilis recombinant cells was 45.3%. Compared with Arthrobacter simplex, the enzyme activity of KSDH expressed in B. subtilis was improved about 30 fold, and the transformation level of androst-4-ene-3,17-dione by the B.subtilis recombinant cells was improved about 10 fold. The recombinant B. subtilis cells used in biotransformation of steroids provided a new way for steroid medicines production.

Air pollution and global warming are increasingly deteriorating. Large amounts of polyamides derived from fossil fuel sources are consumed around the world. Cadaverine is an important building monomer block of bio-based polyamides, thus biotechnological processes for these polymers possess enormous ecological and economical potential. Currently, the engineered strains for biological production of cadaverine are Corynebacterium glutamicum and Escherichia coli. We review here the latest research progress of biosynthesis of cadaverine including metabolism of cadaverine in microorganisms, key enzymes and transport proteins in cadaverine synthesis pathway, optimum pathways and cadaverine yields.
Biosynthetic Pathways ; Biotechnology ; Cadaverine ; biosynthesis ; Corynebacterium glutamicum ; metabolism ; Escherichia coli ; metabolism

Objective A new breed of licorice seeds(Wuxin No.1) was selected from wild licorice,Glycyrrhiza uralensis.Methods Its germination rate,content of soluble protein,and peroxidase(POD) activities were investigated and compared with the wild licorice seeds(control group).The leaves of Wuxin No.1 were collected and its genetic polymorphism was analyzed by inter-simple sequence repeat technique(ISSR).Results The results suggested that the seed vitality in Wuxin No.1 was higher than that in the control group.The change of soluble protein and POD activity also demonstrated that the seeds in Wuxin No.1 have the higher vigor.ISSR Analysis showed that among 22 random primers used in this experiment,six primers generated different DNA band types,which meant that there was genetic polymorphism in Wuxin No.1.Conclusion All these changes indicate that Wuxin No.1 is a prospective domestication species of licorice and may be cultivated widely in the future.

Live Yeast Cell Derivative (LYCD) was based on a living cells response to a controlled injury, which stimulated it to produce protective substance to increase cellular respiration and wound healing The experiment suggested that LYCD had the ability to improve cellular respiration, and this ability became strongest after the cell was treated with H 2O 2 for 15min, while the quantity of reduced glutathione (GSH) in LYCD reached the highest at 30min By contrast, almost the same biological activity of LYCD was observed under different stress conditions

OBJECTIVETo substantiate the effects of spaceflight on the glycyrrhizic acid-related gene mutation in Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

METHODLicorice (G. uralensis) seeds were carried by a recoverable satellite for 18 days (the average radiation dose in the flight recovery module was 0. 102 m x d(-1), the orbit semidiameter 350 km, gravity 10(-6)). After returned to the earth, the satellite-flown seeds and the un-flown seeds (ground control) were planted in the fields of experimental farm. The leaves of each group were used for studying the effects of space flight on the glycyrrhizic acid-related gene mutation including ITS sequence and beta-amyrine synthase gene.

RESULTThe ITS sequence of glycyrrhizic acid related gene showed no changes after spaceflight. While beta-amyrine synthase gene had some different points after spaceflight and the different points could get the expression.

CONCLUSIONThe results indicated that spaceflight induce genetic variation in G. uralensis and spaceflight could also have effects on glycyrrhizic acid-related gene mutation in G. uralensis. It may need to further research how the spaceflight induced the mutation of the glycyrrhizic acid related gene. The results suggested that recoverable satellite-flown condition could bring inheritable mutagenic effects on G. uralensis seeds and maybe used as a tool for accelerating the progress in G. uralensis breeding.

Extraterrestrial Environment ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; metabolism ; Mutation ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Space Flight

UNLABELLEDForty SD rats were divided into 5 groups: control group, SP groups (5 microg/kg,10 microg/kg, 20 microg/kg) and spantide II plus SP group. An analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) was used to detect the changes of HRV parameters before and after intravenous injection of SP in order to investigate the effect of substance P on cardiac autonomic nervous function and the corresponding mechanism.

RESULTS(1) There were significant differences in most HRV parameters for the three different doses of SP. Mean heart period (MHP), absolute power of ultra-low frequency and high frequency band (APU, APH), total power (TPV) and ratio of power in ultra-low to high frequency band (RUH) increased, while mean heart rate (MHR) and chaos intensity (HCC) decreased during the 30 minutes. Each peak amplitude of HRV parameters went higher and showed up ahead of the upward doses of SP. (2) Significant change was seen in each of the parameters between spantide II plus SP group and high-dose SP group. These data idicate that, after intravenous injection of different doses of SP, both cardiac sympathetic nervous system activity and parasympathetic nervous system activity increase, and the function of cardiac autonomic nervous becomes instable and unbalanced. The effect of SP may be dose dependent, and it is possibly mediated by neurokinin-1(NK-1) receptor.

Animals ; Autonomic Nervous System ; drug effects ; physiology ; Female ; Heart Conduction System ; drug effects ; physiology ; Heart Rate ; drug effects ; physiology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Neurokinin-1 ; physiology ; Substance P ; pharmacology

Space breeding in medicinal plants is special characteristics in China. Compared with other plants, in spite of a relatively small number, Medicinal plants have more obvious characteristics and advantages. Research on medicinal plants has also been carried into all aspects, such as biological traits, physiology and biochemistry, genomics, as well as differences in chemical composition, and chemical composition analysis is also involved. However, compared with other plants, especially crops and vegetables, biological research is an obvious deficiency, that is mainly reflected in the insufficient genetics and breeding researches, the stability of genetic traits from generation to generation were not followed up and in-depth study in breeding areas was not carried out. If medicinal plants resources from space with the genetic stability good quality were selected, it would address the problem of lack of resources and ease the pressure on wild resources of medicinal plants. It would at the same time play an important role in promoting the development of medicinal botany space breeding and the implementation of modernization of traditional Chinese medicine.
Breeding ; methods ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; physiology ; Space Flight ; Weightlessness