Cyclamate intake and cyclohexylamine excretion are not related to male fertility in humans

Cyclamate and its metabolite cyclohexylamine affect male fertility in high dose animal studies, but this affect has not been investigated in epidemiological studies. This paper reports the first epidemiological study designed to investigate the possibility of a relationship between cyclamate and cyclohexylamine and male fertility in humans, in which 405 cases of clinically defined infertility in men and 379 controls were surveyed. Semen evaluation, urine analysis for cyclamate and cyclohexylamine and dietary questionnaires were compared between cases and controls. No evidence was found of a significant association between cyclamate intake and male infertility; neither high cyclamate nor high cyclohexylamine excretion were associated with elevated risk. The lack of association remained after adjusting by age, area of residence, education, total energy intake and other variables. No significant correlations were observed between cyclamate intake, metabolism or excretion, and sperm count and motility. The results demonstrate no effect of cyclamate or cyclohexylamine on male fertility at the present levels of cyclamate consumption.     

Environmentally friendly, heterogeneous acid and base catalysis for the methylation of catechol: Chances for the control of chemo-selectivity

The properties of catalysts with (i) Brønsted-type acidity (H-mordenite and Al/P mixed oxide), (ii) Lewis-type acidity (Al trifluoride) or (iii) basic characteristics (Mg/Fe mixed oxide) were investigated in the gas-phase methylation of catechol. When methanol was used as the methylating agent, H-mordenite and AlF₃ gave high selectivities to guaiacol (the product of O-methylation) under mild reaction conditions, that is at very low catechol conversions. An increase in temperature led to the transformation of guaiacol to phenol and cresols, and to considerable catalyst deactivation. The basic catalyst Mg/Fe/O also favored an extensive degradation of guaiacol to phenol. On the mildly acidic catalyst Al/P mixed oxide a stable catalytic performance and a high selectivity to guaiacol at 40% catechol conversion were obtained. When methylformate, a more reactive methylating agent, was used with AlF₃ and Mg/Fe mixed oxide as catalysts, higher catechol conversions and slower deactivation rates could be achieved under mild reaction conditions, with a low extent of guaiacol degradation. However, methylformate rapidly decomposed when temperatures above 350 °C were used. Finally, tests were made by reacting catechol and diethoxymethane with acid catalysts, with the aim of synthesizing methylenedioxybenzene. The latter product was obtained with high selectivity, but with very low yield, due to both catalyst deactivation and decomposition of diethoxymethane.     

Integrated solid-state nanopore devices for third generation DNA sequencing

Third generation DNA sequencing relies on monitoring the ionic current blockage during the DNA molecule’s threading through a nanoscale pore.It is still really tough to attain the single base discrimination on a DNA strand by merely analyzing the ionic current due to speedy DNA translocation and low spatial resolution.More integrated configurations are pursued to present versatile comparative dissimilarities of the four bases by enhancing the spatial resolution within a DNA molecule translocation event,such as transverse tunneling current,local potential change,and capacitance oriented voltage resonance.In this mini review,the insight is provided into the status quo on several functionalized techniques and methodologies for DNA sequencing and furthermore concluding remark and outlook are presented.     

水稻基因组MSAP指纹图谱构建及DNA甲基化修饰位点分离与鉴定

采用EcoR I和Hpa II/Msp I双酶切建立了适合于水稻基因组的甲基化敏感扩增多态性(MSAP)分析体系,在全基因组水平检测了水稻DNA甲基化修饰位点.以12对MSAP引物进行选择性扩增,共检测到甲基化修饰位点120个,"CCGG/GGCC"位点甲基化修饰比例为20.17%.对部分水稻基因组甲基化修饰位点进行回收,最终分离了55条存在甲基化位点变异的DNA序列,通过BLAST比对分析将其联配到水稻基因组序列上.分析表明,这些甲基化修饰位点主要集中于基因启动子区(47%)和第一外显子区(22%),在其侧翼序列中存在类似"CpG island" 典型序列特征的"CpG"二核苷酸成簇富集区.在此基础上,对应用MSAP技术分离水稻基因组DNA甲基化修饰位点的有效性以及水稻基因组序列中"CpG island"类似序列分布特征和生物意义进行了讨论.     

COM+原理与服务

介绍COM+的原理、特点以及结构.讨论了COM+提供的各种新服务.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of protein–DNA interactions

Recent methodological and instrumental advances in solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance have opened up the way to investigating challenging problems in structural biology such as large macromolecular complexes. This review focuses on the experimental strategies currently employed to solve structures of protein–DNA complexes and to analyse their dynamics. It highlights how these approaches can help in understanding detailed molecular mechanisms of target recognition.     

激光辐照对冷冻精子活率和活力的影响

分别用7.48J/cm~2和14.96J/cm~2能量密度的氦氖激光辐照23份液氮冷冻前人的精液,冻贮三个月后复温查精子活率和毛细管穿透高度。结果:经7.48J/cm~2剂量的激光辐照后的精子活率和穿透高度明显提高,分别平均提高10.18％和8.32mm,与未受辐照组比较差异显著(P<0.05)经14.96J/cm~2辐照组,活率较未照组降低。实验结果说明适当剂量的激光辐照能够增强精子对冷冻的耐受力,提高精子的复活率和活动力。     

The polymerase chain reaction: Applications for the detection of foodborne pathogens

Faster methods for the detection of foodborne microbial pathogens are needed. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can amplify specific segments of DNA and is used to detect and identify bacterial genes responsible for causing diseases in humans. The major features and requirements for the PCR are described along with a number of important variations. A considerable number of PCR‐based assays have been developed, but they have been applied most often to clinical and environmental samples and more rarely for the detection of foodborne microorganisms. Much of the difficulty in implementing PCR for the analysis of food samples lies in the problems encountered during the preparation of template DNAs from food matrices; a variety of approaches and considerations are examined. PCR methods developed for the detection and identification of particular bacteria, viruses, and parasites found in foods are described and discussed, and the major features of these reactions are summarized.     

The terminal protein of the linear DNA plasmid pGKL2 shares an N-terminal domain of the plasmid-encoded DNA polymerase

The 36K protein attached at the 5′ end of the linear DNA plasmid pGKL2 from the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis was first purified and characterized. The terminal protein was purified from cells (1 kg wet weight) by ammonium sulphate precipitation and two rounds of centrifugation to equilibrium in CsCl gradients. The pGKL2 was present only in the post-microsomal supernatant. Approximately 10 mg of the purified pGKL2 was recovered and digested with DNase I. The terminal protein (final ca. 0·8 mg) was homogeneous by electrophoresis and we determined the N-terminal amino acid sequence up to ten residues, showing that it existed in the cryptic N-terminal domain of pGKL2-ORF2 (DNA polymerase) sequence.