Uniqueness of the Gossypium mustelinum Genome Revealed by GISH and 45S rDNA FISH

Gossypium mustelinum [(AD)4] is one of five tetraploid species in Gossypium.Three pairs of nucleolar organizer regions(NOR) in(AD)4 were detected by FISH with 45S rDNA as a probe,they also were observed with genomic DNA(gDNA) from Gossypium D genome species as probes.Of

CORRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CELLULAR DNA AND AgNOR PROTEIN CONTENT IN THE DEVELOPING COURSE OF COLORECTAL ADENOCARCINOMA

Cellular NDA and AgNOR Protein contents were evaluated byautomatic image analysis in tissue sections stained hy combined Feulgen-AgNOR staining method in 9 normal colonic mucosae, 45 colorectal adenomas and 27 adenocarcinomas. The results indicated that during the course that the normal colonical mucosa developed to colorectal adenocarcinoma via adenoma the DNA and AgNOR protein contents increased gradually and there were very significant correlationships between the DNA and the AgNOR protein contents of adenoma group and adenocarcinoma group. However, there were considerahle overlaping in the DNA or AgNOR Protein content and considerahle overlaping cases between adenoma and normal colonic mucosa groups and between adenoma and adenocarcinoma groups. But the overlaping scope in NDA and AgNOR Protein content and the number of overlaping cases were reduced significantly by assessing the correlationship between the DNA and AgNOR protein content. Therefore, it is much more reliable to distinguish colorectal adenomas from adnocarcinomas by using the correlationship between the cellular DNA and the AgNOR Protein contents in the same specimens.

NUCLEOLAR ORGANIZER REGIONS IN CUTANEOUS T CELL LYMPHOMAS

The present work studied the application of AgNOR count to differential diagnosis between cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) and cutaneous pseudolymphoma (CPL). Paraffin sections from 50 mycosis fungoides (22 MFI-Premycotic stage, 24 MF Ⅰ infiltrative stage and 4 MF Ⅲ - tumor stage), 2 nonepidermotropic cutaneous T cell lymphoma (NECTCL) and 9 CPL were investigated. In each case, 200 cells randomly selected were examined using a × 100 oil immersion lens. The mean number, standard deviation and standard error of the mean of AgNOR counts were as follows: MFⅠ 1.17±0.09, SEM = 0.01; MⅡ 1.17±0.01, SEM = 0.01; MF Ⅲ. 3.55±0.87, SEM = 0.43; NECTCL 4.5±0.28, SEM -0.199; CPL 1.17±0.1, SEM ± 0.03. The results revealed a highly significant difference between CTCL (MFⅢ+NECTCL) and CPL (t = 4.75, P<0.001), tumor stage (MF Ⅲ) and pretumor stage (MFI, MF Ⅱ) of mycosis fungoides (t = 4.75, P<0.001). Thus. AgNOR count is valuable in differential diagnosis.

Argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region in MIB-1 positive cells in non-small cell lung cancer: clinicopathological significance and survival

Objective： To evaluate the relation between argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region （AgNOR）-associated proteins and clinicopathological parameters and survival in non-small-cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods： A total of 207 surgical specimens diagnosed as NSCLC were included in this study. Double-staining procedures were performed using antigen Ki-67 （clone MIB-1） and silver nitrate by immunohistochemical and AgNOR-staining methods. Results： The AgNOR area in MIB-l-positive cells of NSCLC is related to clinicopathological parameters under the TNM （tumor, node, and metastasis） system. The survival of patients with small AgNOR area in MIB-1-positive cells is better than that of patients with large AgNOR area. Molecular, biological （AgNOR area in MIB-l-positive cells）, and clinicopathological （greatest tumor dimension, metastases to regional lymph nodes, histology, and differentiation） parameters are independent prognostic factors of NSCLC.Conclusion： The AgNOR area in MIB- 1-positive cells is related to clinicopathological parameters and survival in NSCLC.

Interferon plus ribavirin and interferon alone in preventing hepatocellular carcinoma: A prospective study on patients with HCV related cirrhosis

AIM:To determine the role of interferon(IFN)with or withoutribavirin in preventing or delaying hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)development in patients with hepatitis C virus(HCV)related cirrhosis.Data on the preventive effect of IFN plusribavirin treatment are lacking.METHODS:A total of 101 patients(62 males and 39 females,mean age 55.1±1.4 years)with histologically proven HCVrelated liver cirrhosis plus compatible biochemistry andultrasonography were enrolled in the study.Biochemistryand ultrasonography were performed every 6 mo.Ultrasoundguided liver biopsy was performed on all detected focallesions.Follow-up lasted for 5 years.Cellular proliferation,evaluated by measuring Ag-NOR proteins in hepatocytesnuclei,was expressed as AgNOR-Proliferative index(AgNOR-PI)(cut-off=2.5).Forty-one patients(27 males,14 females)were only followed up after the end of anyearly treatment with IFN-alpha2b(old treatment controlgroup=OTCG).Sixty naive patients were stratified accordingto sex and AgNOR-PI and then randomized in two groups:30 were treated with IFN-alpha2b+ribavirin(treatmentgroup=TG),the remaining were not treated(control group=CG).Nonresponders(NR)or relapsers in the TG receivedfurther IFN/ribavirin treatments after a 6 mo of withdrawal.RESULTS:AgNOR-PI was significantly lowered by IFN(P<0.001).HCC incidence was higher in patients withAgNOR-PI>2.5(26% vs3%,P<0.01).Two NR in the OTCG,none in the TG and 9 patients in the CG developed HCCduring follow-up.The Kaplan-Mayer survival curves showedstatistically significant differences both between OTCG andCG(P<0.004)and between TG and CG(P<0.003).CONCLUSION:IFN/ribavirin treatment associated with re-treatment courses of NR seems to produce the best resultsin terms of HCC prevention.AgNOR-PI is a useful markerof possible HCC development.

STUDIES OF NUCLEOLAR ORGANIZER REGIONS AND MUCIN HISTOCHEMISTRY IN ULCERATIVE COLITIS

The argyrophil method for nucleolar organizer regions (AgNOR) known as the AgNor technique and mucin histochemical stain were applied to Investigate the dysplasia and cancaration in ulcerative colitis Including 58 cases of biopsy specimens and three cases operative specimens. The numbers of AgNOR have been gradully increased with the grades of dasplasls. Similarly the percentage of sialomucin having vicinal diols on side chain of sialic acid also gradully Increased with the grades of dysplasia. The AgNOR reflects rDNA transcriptional activity responsible for degrees of differentiation of cell. Epithelial cells secreting a heterogeneous mucin, could be taken as a signal of abnormal cellular differentiation. AgNOR and mucln chages might be assumed as a criteria In representing malignant transformation.

ORGANIZING MACRO ECONOMIC REGIONS AND ENHANCING INTER-PROVINCIAL COORDINATION AND PLANNING IN CHINA

This paper elaborates upon the purpose of macro economicroponalization and inter-provincial planning and coordination under thesocialist market system. It descnbes the characteristics and orgarnzationalforms of macro economic regions and the principle of macro economic regionalization. The six macro economic regions-Northeast China, NorthChina, Northwest China, Middle-East China, Southwest China and South China-are divided in the paper. At the end, the paper describes somemajor programs, which requires cooperation among various involvedprovinces.

MEMBER PRIVILEGES——Each of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization members finds its own national interests served within the regional organization

Facing common security threats, leaders of six countries-Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan-established the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in June 2001 to maintain regional stability and security, fight terrorism and extremism, prevent conflicts and enhance economic cooperation. The SCO's primary goals are economic cooperation and fighting terrorism.

Uniqueness of the Gossypium mustelinum Genome Revealed by GISH and 45S rDNA FISH

Gossypium mustelinum （（AD）4） is one of five disomic species in Gossypium. Three 45S ribosomal DNA （rDNA） loci were detected in （AD）4 with 45S rDNA as probe, and three pairs of brighter signals were detected with genomic DNA （gDNA） of Gossypium D genome species as probes. The size and the location of these brighter signals were the same as those detected with 45S rDNA as probe, and were named GISH-NOR. One of them was super-major, which accounted for the fact that about one-half of its chromosome at metaphase was located at chromosome 3, and other two were minor and located at chromosomes 5 and 9, respectively. All GISH-NORs were located in A sub-genome chromosomes, separate from the other four allopolyploid cotton species. GISH-NOR were detected with D genome species as probe, but not A. The greatly abnormal sizes and sites of （AD）4 NORs or GISH-NORs indicate a possible mechanism for 45S rDNA diversification following （AD）4 speciation. Comparisons of GISH intensities and GISH-NOR production with gDNA probes between A and D genomes show that the better relationship of （AD）4 is with A genome. The shortest two chromosomes of A sub-genome of G. mustelinum were shorter than the longest chromosome of D sub-genome chromosomes. Therefore, the longest 13 chromosomes of tetraploid cotton being classified as A sub-genome, while the shorter 13 chromosomes being classified as D sub-genome in traditional cytogenetic and karyotype analyses may not be entirely correct.

Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Soybean

Cytosine methylation is an important mechanism for dynamical regulation of gene expression and trans- posable element （TE） mobility during plant developmental processes. Here, we identified the transcription start sites of genes using high-throughput sequencing and then analyzed the DNA methylation status in soybean roots, stems, leaves, and cotyledons of developing seeds at single-base resolution. Profiling of DNA methylation in different organs revealed 2162 differentially methylated regions among organs, and a portion of hypomethylated regions were correlated with high expression of neighboring genes. Because of the different distribution of class I TEs （retrotransposons） and class II TEs （DNA transposons）, the promoters of the lowest-expressed genes showed higher levels of CG and CHG methyla- tion but a lower level of CHH methylation. We further found that the CHH methylation level of class II TEs was higher than class I TEs, possibly due to the presence of more smRNAs in class II TEs. In cotyledons of developing seeds, smRNA abundance was roughly positively correlated with hypermethylated regions but negatively related to hypomethylated regions. These studies provide significant insights into the complicated interplays among DNA methylation, smRNA abundance, TE distribution, and gene expression in soybean.

Synergistic impacts of anthropogenic and biogenic emissions on summer surface O_3 in East Asia

A factor separation technique and an improved regional air quality model （RAQM） were applied to calculate synergistic contributions of anthropogenic volatile organic compounds （AVOCs）,biogenic volatile organic compounds （BVOCs） and nitrogen oxides （NOx） to daily maximum surface O3（O3DM） concentrations in East Asia in summer （June to August 2000）.The summer averaged synergistic impacts of AVOCs and NOx are dominant in most areas of North China,with a maximum of 60 ppbv,while those of BVOCs and NOx are notable only in some limited areas with high BVOC emissions in South China,with a maximum of 25 ppbv.This result implies that BVOCs contribute much less to summer averaged O3DM concentrations than AVOCs in most areas of East Asia at a coarse spatial resolution （1×1） although global emissions of BVOCs are much greater than those of AVOCs.Daily maximum total contributions of BVOCs can approach 20 ppbv in North China,but they can reach 40 ppbv in South China,approaching or exceeding those in some developed countries in Europe and North America.BVOC emissions in such special areas should be considered when O3 control measures are taken.Synergistic contributions among AVOCs,BVOCs and NOx significantly enhance O3 concentrations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan region and decrease them in some areas in South China.Thus,the total contributions of BVOCs to O3DM vary significantly from day to day and from location to location.This result suggests that O3 control measures obtained from episodic studies could be limited for long-term applications.

Nucleolar Organizer Regions in Oreochromis nilotica Chromosomes

The nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) in the mitotic chromosomes of tilapia Oreochromis niloticus were analyzed using silver nitrate staining Ag detected NORs(Ag NORs) in the chromosomes of the tilapia exhibited heteromorphism. Individual Ag NORs sizes varied on different chromosomes, and the number of Ag NOR per cell varied from three to six. Among the examined 100 cells, 71% of the gnomes carried four Ag NORs, 12% carried 3,11% carried 5, and 6% carried 6. The variance occurred not only among different cells but also among different cells from the same source. The satellite association between homologous chromosomes in No 7 was also observed in 27% of the metaphase chromosome preparations. The heteromorphic properties of Ag NORs were discussed.

Objectifying Research on Special Region Corresponding to Five Internal Organs in Colour Inspections of Chinese Medicine

Objective：To study the differences in a special region（SR） corresponding to five internal organs between the young and the elderly and to verify the effectiveness of a developed system for objectifying research in colour inspections of Chinese medicine（CICM）.Methods：An image acquisition device imitating daylight to meet the requirement of CICM was designed.Image processing software based on CICM theory was developed.A total of 83 normal people were sampled and assigned to two groups.The first group（Group I）included 30 people with an average age of 24 ±2,and the second group（Group Ⅱ） included 53 people with an average age of 74 ±4.After image processing,the chromaticity of 10 SRs corresponding to five internal organs was calculated.R,G,and B represent the chromaticity of color red,green,and blue,L indicates color brightness,whereas a and b denote red and yellow respectively.The difference between the young and the elderly was analyzed.Results：（1） The chromaticity of each SR corresponding to five organs was obtained.The average R,G,B,L,a,and b of the sample were 194.4,147.6,119.3,65.2,15.5,and 22.3,respectively.（2） The R,G,B,and L of the young were greater than those of the elderly,but the a and b of the young were less than those of the elderly.（3） A statistically significant difference in each SR was found between the young and the elderly（P0.05）.The total differences for the Lung（Fei）,Heart（Xin）,Liver（Gan）,Spleen（Pi）,and Kidney（Shen） were 50%（3/6）,66.7%（4/6）,66.7%（4/6）,83.3%（5/6）,and 91.7%（33/36）,respectively.However,the Kidney SR had the greatest statistical discrepancy.Conclusion：The old Chinese saying that human Kidney deficiency worsens with age was verified by the results.The objectifying system used to examine CICM was effective.Thus,this system may be used as a basis for further research.

Euro Experience and the Possibility of Financial&Monetary Integration in Arab Gulf Countries

Based on the theories of Optimum Currency Areas and Impossible Triangle,this article considers the practice analysis of the Euro and European Central Bank,and proposes the possibility of monetary integration in Arab Gulf countries.The author argues that at this stage,member states must collaborate closely,and coordinate fully among various conflicts.Only by doing this will they be able to create necessary conditions for upgrading the level of financial and monetary integration in Arabic Gulf countries.

From Southeast Asia to the Gulf:Analysis of the Prospect of Indian Ocean Integration

The Indian Ocean is not only a geographic unit,but also a sub-system of the international system constructed within the interactions among the coastal countries.This article chooses the regional organizations as a variable to analyze the interactions among Indian Ocean coastal countries.With the empirical studies on the regional cooperation organizations,this article discloses the dynamics behind the regional integration between costal countries along the Indian Ocean Region.Six most representative regional cooperation organizations have been analyzed by this article,which are respectively the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf(GCC),South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC),Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN),Southern African Development Community(SADC),and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa(COMESA),as well as Indian Ocean Rim Association(IORA).They could make purposive and rational decisions within the institutional constraints.Based on case studies and comparative analysis,this article suggests that there are four significantly different cooperation models among the coastal countries,and suggests not simply estimate the likely regional powers or organizations that would lead the construction of the regional cooperation,but the great importance of building the linkage among various regional cooperation institutions.