Discrimination of Type 2 diabetic patients from healthy controls by using metabonomics method based on their serum fatty acid profiles

Metabonomics, the study of metabolites and their roles in various disease states, is a novel methodology arising from the post-genomics era. This methodology has been applied in many fields, including work in cardiovascular research and drug toxicology. In this study, metabonomics method was employed to the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) based on serum lipid metabolites. The results suggested that serum fatty acid profiles determined by capillary gas chromatography combined with pattern recognition analysis of the data might provide an effective approach to the discrimination of Type 2 diabetic patients from healthy controls. And the applications of pattern recognition methods have improved the sensitivity and specificity greatly. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface pigments,algal biomass profiles,and potential production of the euphotic layer:Relationships reinvestigated in view of remote-sensing applications

Maps of surface chlorophyllous pigment (Chl a + Pheo a) are currently produced from ocean color sensors. Transforming such maps into maps of primary production can be reliably done only by using light-production models in conjuction with additional information about the column-integrated pigment content and its vertical distribution. As a preliminary effort in this direction. $\ticksim 4,000$ vertical profiles pigment (Chl a + Pheo a) determined only in oceanic Case 1 waters have been statistically analyzed. They were scaled according to dimensionless depths (actual depth divided by the depth of the euphotic layer, $Z_e$) and expressed as dimensionless concentrations (actual concentration divided by the mean concentration within the euphotic layer). The depth $Z_e$ generally unknown, was computed with a previously develop bio-optical model. Highly sifnificant relationships were found allowing $\langle C \rangle_tot$, the pigment content of the euphotic layer, to be inferred from the surface concentration, $\bar C_pd$, observed within the layer of one penetration depth. According to their $\bar C_pd$ values (ranging from $0.01 to > 10 mg m^-3$), we categorized the profiles into seven trophic situations and computed a mean vertical profile for each. Between a quasi-uniform profile in eutrophic waters and a profile with a strong deep maximum in oligotrophic waters, the shape evolves rather regularly. The wellmixed cold waters, essentially in the Antarctic zone, have been separately examined. On average, their profiles are featureless, without deep maxima, whatever their trophic state. Averaged values their profiles are featureless, without deep maxima, whatever their trophic state. Averaged values their profiles are featureless, without deep maxima, whatever their trophic state. Averaged values of $ρ$, the ratio of Chl a tp (Chl a + Pheo a), have also been obtained for each trophic category. The energy stored by photosynthesizing algae, once normalized with respect to the integrated chlorophyll biomass $\langle C \rangle _tot $ is proportional to the available photosythetic energy at the surface via a parameter $ψ∗$ which is the cross-section for photosynthesis per unit of areal chlorophyll. By tanking advantage of the relative stability of $ψ∗.$ we can compute primary production from ocean color data acquired from space. For such a computation, inputs are the irradiance field at the ocean surface, the "surface" pigment from which $\langle C \rangle _tot$ can be derived, the mean $ρ value pertinent to the trophic situation as depicted by the $\bar C_pd or $\langle C \rangle _tot$ values, and the cross-section $ψ∗$. Instead of a contant $ψ∗.$ value, the mean profiles can be used; they allow the climatological field of the $ψ∗.$ parameter to be adjusted through the parallel use of a spectral light-production model.

Growth rates of different polymorphs from interspherulitic boundary profiles

Quantitative data on the crystallization kinetics of polymorphic polymers can be derived from the investigation of gross spherulitic morphology formed in isothermal conditions. Depending on distance between centers, and the time lag between their formation and relative growth rates, various types of boundary lines can be generated by the impinging of two spherical bodies whose radii increase linearly with time, In polymorphic polymers, different types of spherulites often develop simultaneously at different rates from sporadic or predetermined nuclei. In same cases, the so-called growth transformation, in which a nucleus of the fast growing specie is formed at the tip of an advancing lamella of the slower crystal form, provides an alternative mode of nucleation, It is shown that if only one event of growth transformation takes place at the front of a slow growing body, the fast growing spherulite swallows the parent one and the resultant shape of interspherulitic boundary is described by two symmetrical logarithmic spirals whose parameters can be extracted from micrographs taken at the end of crystallization. These concepts are applied to determine the radial growth rate of gamma form spherulites of polypivalolactone in a wide range of temperatures through analysis of the alpha/gamma interspherulitic profiles formed in isothermal conditions and direct measurement of the growth rate of the alpha counterparts at the same temperature.

Comparative proteomic profiles of the hepatopancreas in Fenneropenaeus chinensis response to hypoxic stress

Hypoxia, as one suboptimal environmental condition, can affect the physiological state of shrimp during pond aquaculture. To better understand the mechanism of response to hypoxic stress in Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis, proteome research approach was utilized. Differentially expressed proteins of hepatopancreas in adult Chinese shrimp between the control and hypoxia-stressed groups were screened. By 2-DE analysis, 67 spots showed obvious changes after hypoxia. Using LC-ESI-MS/MS, 51 spots representing 33 proteins were identified including preamylase, arginine kinase, phosphopyruvate hydratase, citrate synthase, ATP synthase alpha subunit, chymotrypsin BI, chitinase, ferritin, C-type lectin receptors, transketolase, formylglutathione hydrolase, formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, glutathione peroxidase, cytosolic manganese superoxide dismutase, protein disulfide isomerase, beta-actin, oncoprotem nm23, crustacyanin-Cl and so on. These proteins could be functionally classified into several groups such as proteins related to energy production, metabolism-related proteins, immune-related proteins, antioxidant proteins, chaperones, cytoskeleton proteins and ungrouped proteins. The transcription levels of ten selected genes encode the identified proteins were analyzed by real-time PCR at different sampling times of hypoxia. This study is the first analysis of differentially expressed proteins in the hepatopancreas of shrimp after hypoxia and provides a new insight for further study in hypoxic stress response of shrimp at the protein level.

Expression profiles of penaeidin from Fenneropenaeus chinensis in response to WSSV and vibrio infection by real-time PCR

Penaeidin from Chinese shrimp (Fenneropenaeus chinensis) has proved to be one of the most important antimicrobial peptides in the bodies of animals. The relative quantitative real-time PCR method is developed to study through time, the mRNA expression profile of penaeidin in the muscle and haemocyte tissue of Chinese shrimp infected with vibrio (Vibrio anguillarum) and WSSV (white spot syndrome virus). Research results showed that the same pathogens infection experiments produced similar gene expression profile in different tissues while different expression profiles appeared in the same tissues infected by different exterior pathogens. In vibrio infection experiments, a "U" Re expression profile resulted. Expression levels of penaeidin increased and surpassed the non-stimulated level, indicating that penaeidin from Chinese shrimp has noticeable antimicrobial activities. In WSSV infection experiments, the expression profile appeared as an inverse "U" with the expression of penaeidin gradually decreasing to below baseline level after 24 h. The expression of antimicrobial peptides gene in mRNA level in response to virus infection in shrimp showed that international mechanisms of virus to haemocytes and microbial to haemocytes are completely different. Decline of penaeidins expression levels may be due to haemocytes being destroyed by WSSV or that the virus can inhibit the expression of penaeidins by yet undiscovered modes. The expression profiles of penaeidin in response to exterior pathogen and the difference of expression profiles between vibrio and WSSV infection provided some clues to further understanding the complex innate immune mechanism in shrimp.

Comparison of Gene Expression Profiles of Fenneropenaeus chinensis Challenged with WSSV and Vibrio

Microarray technique was used to analyze the gene expression profiles of shrimp when they were challenged by WSSV and heat-inactivated Vibrio anguillarum, respectively. At 6 h post challenge (HPC), a total of 806 clones showed differential expression profile in WSSV-challenged samples, but not in Vibrio-challenged samples. The genes coding energy metabolism enzyme and structure protein were the most downregulated elements in 6 h post WSSV-challenged (HPC-WSSV) tissues. However, a total of 155 clones showed differential expression in the Vibrio-challenged samples, but not in WSSV-challenged samples. Serine-type endopeptidase and lysosome-related genes were the most upregulated elements in tissues 6 h post Vibrio challenge (HPC-Vibrio). Totally, 188 clones showed differential expression in both 6 and 12 HPC-WSSV and HPC-Vibrio samples. Most of the differentially expressed genes (185/188) were downregulated in the samples of 12 HPC-WSSV, whereas upregulated in the samples at 6 and 12 HPC-Vibrio and 6 HPC-WSSV. The expression profiles of three differentially expressed genes identified in microarray hybridization were analyzed in hemocytes, lymphoid organ, and hepatopancreas of shrimp challenged by WSSV or Vibrio through real-time PCR. The results further confirmed the microarray hybridization results. The data will provide great help for us in understanding the immune mechanism of shrimp responding to WSSV or Vibrio.