The immune responses of mucus from the skin of turbot, Scophthalmus maximus, were studied in relation to changing water temperature. Groups of fish were exposed to a programmed increase of 3 °C per 48 h, until the experimental water temperatures of 16, 20, 23, 25, 27 or 28 °C were reached. After 48 h at the relevant temperature, the expressions of immune-related factors were determined, including immunoglobulin M (IgM), IL-1β, hepcidin, transferrin, lysozyme, acid/alkaline phosphatase and superoxide dismutase using RT-PCR and spectrophotometric methods. Significant changes in mucus immunity were observed, which paralleled with those previously reported for serum in other fish species. Hence, it is suggested that the serum and mucus immune system of turbot have a similar regulatory system. This information could be useful in better understanding the role of the mucus as a component of the innate immune system.

ABSTRACT. The Timaliidae, a diverse family of oscine passerine birds, has long been a subject of debate regarding its phylogeny. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene has been used as a powerful marker for identification and phylogenetic studies of animal species. In the present study, we analyzed the COI barcodes of 71 species from 21 genera belonging to the family Timaliidae. Every bird species possessed a barcode distinct from that of other bird species. Kimura two-parameter (K2P) distances were calculated between barcodes. The average genetic distance between species was 18 times higher than the average genetic distance within species. The neighborjoining method was used to construct a phylogenetic tree and all the species could be discriminated by their distinct clades within the phylogenetic tree. The results indicate that some currently recognized babbler genera might not be monophyletic, with the COI gene data supporting the hypothesis of polyphyly for Garrulax, Alcippe, and Minla. Thus, DNA barcoding is an effective molecular tool for Timaliidae species identification and phylogenetic inference.

ABSTRACT. The current study aimed at evaluating the association between GSTM1 null/present, GSTT1 null/present, and GSTP1 IIe105Val polymorphisms and clinical response to chemotherapy and treatment outcome of breast cancers patients. Genotyping of GSTP1 rs1695, GSTT1 deletion, and GSTM1 deletion was performed by Polymerase Chain Reaction Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. We found that patients with GG genotype of GSTP1 IIe105Val and null genotype of GSTM1 were more likely to have a poorer response to chemotherapy than homozygotes of the most frequent genotype; the ORs(95%CI) were 0.37(0.18-0.74) and 0.59(0.36-0.97), respectively. By the Cox proportional hazards model, patients with the GG genotype of GSTP1 IIe105Val and null genotype of GSTM1 were found to be correlated with shorter overall survival of breast cancer; the adjusted HR (95%CI) were 2.51(1.17-5.32) and 2.00(1.15-3.48), respectively. Thus, our findings provided statistical evidence that the variants of GSTP1 and GSTM1 polymorphisms could influence the response to chemotherapy and overall survival in breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.

Objective: To evaluate the role of rhubarb in treating infantile cholestatic hepatitis syndrome (ICHS), Methods: Forty-four patients of the treatment group were treated with rhubarb taken orally and (or) by duodenal infusion, 20 cases of the control group were treated with general liver protecting therapy such as inosine, vitamin C and glucose. Serum bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase and 7-glutamyl transpeptidase level, bilirubin in duodenal juice and liver size were observed before and after treatment. Resnlts: In the treatment group, 18 cases were markedly effective, 21 effective, 3 ineffective and 2 deteriorated, while in the control group, the respective numbers were 0, 4, 13 and 3. Conclusion: Rhubarb was markedly effective in cholagoging and abating jaundice, it could promote the recovery of liver function, dredge the cholestasis in cholangiole and micro-cholangiole so as to promote the bile secretion. KEY WORDS rhubarb, infantile hepatitis syndrome, cholestasis