A novel strictly anaerobic, halophilic and fermentative strain, designated E2R(T), was isolated from the sediments of Xiaokule salt lake in Xinjiang province of China. The cells were straight to slightly curved, Gram-positive staining rods that were motile with flagella and formed endospores. The strain was moderately halophilic and grew optimally in the presence of 7.5 % NaCl, pH 8.0 and 32 degrees C. Substrates used include yeast extract, casamino acids, tryptone, fructose, sucrose, xylose, ribose, lactate and tartrate. Thiosulfate could be used as accessory electron acceptor and stimulated growth. The main fermentation products from fructose were formate and acetate. The predominant fatty acids that can be determinated were the branched iso-C(15:0) and iso-C(13:0). Similarity analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain E2R(T) was most closely related to members of the genus Alkaliphilus with 95.5-91.1% sequence similarity. The G+C content was 28.5 mol%. Strain E2R(T) differs from its closest relatives in its halophilic property and its lower DNA G+C content. Besides, the phylogenic analysis, the substrate utilization pattern, as well as the elevated amounts of iso-C(15:0) indicate that strain E2R(T) represents a novel species of the genus, for which the name Alkaliphilus halophilus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is E2R(T)(= CGMCC 1.5124(T)= JCM 16124(T)).

The endangered Yangtze finless porpoise is found in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and its adjoining big lakes. To explore the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genetic diversity and allelic distribution patterns across its range, we investigated variation at DQB exon 2. From 76 porpoises, we identified 18 DQB sequences. The freshwater Yangtze populations had much higher allelic diversity than marine populations. Among these freshwater populations, the middle-reach population had higher allelic diversity than the lower-reach population. The high DQB diversity level, relative to that of a neutral mtDNA locus, suggests that balancing selection is acting at the DQB gene and that rapid evolution and local positive selection play critical roles in generating and retaining high MHC diversity in the freshwater population. As the balancing selection might be driven by environmental pathogens, we suggest that maintaining MHC variation should be a high priority in the conservation and management of this endangered population, especially as an ex situ conservation strategy.

Sarcandracoumarin (1), the first coumarin having a 1-phenylethyl substituent at the C-3 position, was isolated along with eleven known phenolic compounds from the water extract of Sarcandra glabra. Its structure was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. Compound 1 exhibited moderate or weak cytotoxicity against several tumor cell lines.

A facultatively anaerobic, alkaliphilic, spore-forming and Gram-positive staining rods, designated Y1(T), was isolated under strictly anaerobic conditions from the sediments of a soda lake in Jilin province of China. The strain was not dependent on Na(+), but highly halotolerant and grew optimally in medium JY with 0.5 M Na(+)(0.06 M NaHCO(3) and 0.44 M NaCl). The optimum pH for growth was 9.0, with a range of 7.5-10.5. No growth occurred at pH 7.0 or 11.0. Mesophilic and the range of temperatures was 15-45 degrees C with optimum growth at 32 degrees C. Be capable of utilizing certain mono- and oligosaccharides. Soluble starch and casein can be hydrolyzed. Methyl red test, Voges-roskauer test, catalase and oxidase activities were negative. The predominant fatty acids were branched anteriso- and iso-C(15:0). Comparative 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed 93.4-96.8 % sequence similarity to members of the genus Amphibacillus. The G+C content was 37.7 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness for strain Y1(T) with respect to A. tropicus DSM 13870(T) and A. sediminis DSM 21624(T) were 48 and 37 %, respectively. On the basis of phylogenic position, DNA-DNA relatedness data as well as its physiological and biochemical properties, strain Y1(T) represents a novel species of the genus Amphibacillus, for which the name Amphibacillus jilinensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Y1(T)(= CGMCC 1.5123(T)= JCM 16149(T)).

Microbial diversity of sediments from the northern slope of the South China Sea was studied by constructing bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Fourteen bacterial phylogenetic groups were detected, including Gammaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Alphaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Nitrospirae, candidate divisions OP8 and OP11, and an unknown group. Gammaproteobacteria was the predominant group in bacterial libraries with the percentage ranging from 31.8% to 63.2%. However, archaeal libraries had relatively lower diversity, with most clones belonging to marine archaeal group capital I, Ukrainian uncultured Crenarchaeota. In addition, two novel euryarchaeal clones were detected not to match any culture-dependent or -independent isolates. Compared with other gas hydrate-rich ecosystems and different areas of the South China Sea, a distinct microbial community was revealed in this study.

A Gram-positive, neutrophilic and rod-shaped bacterium, strain A1g(T), was isolated from activated sludge of a bioreactor and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic characterization. This isolate grew in the presence of 0-17.0 %(w/v) NaCl and at pH 6.0-9.0; optimum growth was observed with 3.0-5.0 %(w/v) NaCl and at pH 7.0. Strain A1g(T) was motile, formed cream colonies, catalase- and oxidase-positive, and was capable to hydrolyze aesculin, Tween 40 and Tween 60. Chemotaxonomic analysis showed menaquinone-7 as predominant respiratory quinone, and anteiso-C(15:0), anteiso-C(17 : 0), iso-C(16 : 0) and iso-C(15 : 0) as major fatty acids. The genomic DNA G + C content was 36.3 mol%. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate belongs to the genus Oceanobacillus. Strain A1g(T) exhibited the closest phylogenetic affinity to the type strain of Oceanobacillus oncorhynchi subsp. incaldanensis (97.9 % sequence similarity) and O. oncorhynchi subsp. oncorhynchi (97.5 %), but less than 97 % sequence similarity with respect to other described Oceanobacillus species with known 16S rRNA gene sequence. The DNA-DNA reassociation values between strain A1g(T) and reference strains O. oncorhynchi subsp. incaldanensis DSM 16557(T), O. oncorhynchi subsp. oncorhynchi JCM 12661(T) and Oceanobacillus iheyensis DSM 14371(T) were 29 %, 45 % and 38 %, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic data, strain A1g(T) represents a novel species of the genus Oceanobacillus, for which the name Oceanobacillus neutriphilus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is A1g(T)(= CGMCC 1.7693(T)= JCM 15776(T)).

A strictly aerobic, Gram-negative, non-pigmented bacterial strain, designated LMEB 39(T), was isolated from a seawater sample collected from the Yangtze River estuary near the East China Sea and was examined physiologically, chemotaxonomically and phylogenetically. The novel isolate was motile by a single polar flagellum, positive for nitrate reduction and casein, gelatin, Tween 20 and Tween 80 decomposition and negative for indole production. Chemotaxonomic analysis showed ubiquinone-8 as predominant respiratory quinone and phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol as major polar lipids. The major fatty acids were C(16:1)omega7c/iso-C(15:0) 2OH, C(16:0), C(18:1)omega7c, C(12:0) 3OH, C(17:1)omega8c and C(17:0). The genomic DNA G + C content was 42.3 mol%. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate belongs to the genus Pseudoalteromonas. Strain LMEB 39(T) exhibited the closest phylogenetic affinity to Pseudoalteromonas byunsanensis JCM 12483(T)(97.4 % sequence similarity). The DNA-DNA reassociation values between strain LMEB 39(T) and P. byunsanensis JCM 12483(T) and Pseudoalteromonas undina DSM 6065(T)(97.2 % sequence similarity) were 31.7 and 30.3 %, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic data, strain LMEB 39(T) represents a novel species of the genus Pseudoalteromonas, for which the name Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica sp. nov.(type strain LMEB 39(T)= CGMCC 1.8499(T)= JCM 15903(T)) is proposed.

Kinase suppressors of Ras 1 and 2 (KSR1 and KSR2) function as molecular scaffolds to potently regulate the MAP kinases ERK1/2 and affect multiple cell fates. Here we show that KSR2 interacts with and modulates the activity of AMPK. KSR2 regulates AMPK-dependent glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and glycolysis in a neuronal cell line. Disruption of KSR2 in vivo impairs AMPK-regulated processes affecting fatty acid oxidation and thermogenesis to cause obesity. Despite their increased adiposity, ksr2(-/-) mice are hypophagic and hyperactive but expend less energy than wild-type mice. In addition, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp studies reveal that ksr2(-/-) mice are profoundly insulin resistant. The expression of genes mediating oxidative phosphorylation is also downregulated in the adipose tissue of ksr2(-/-) mice. These data demonstrate that ksr2(-/-) mice are highly efficient in conserving energy, revealing a novel role for KSR2 in AMPK-mediated regulation of energy metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of Flos Magnoliae volatile oil nano-liposome nasal drops (FMO) in treating pediatric allergic rhinitis (PAR). METHODS: Adopting parallel controlled method, the 191 patients with PAR were randomized into two groups. The observation group was treated with FMO, and the control group with Cetirizine. The clinical efficacy, main symptoms, signs, syndromes scores of Chinese medicine, and peripheral eosinophil (EOS) count were observed after 3-week treatment. RESULTS: In the observation group, the total effective rate was 94.84%, which was higher than that in the control group (78.72%); the effective rate on alleviating main symptoms (sneezing, nasal obstruction), signs (nasal mucosa edema, pallor) and the EOS count were significantly lowered, all were better than those in the control group (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: FMO has some positive effects on PAR, it might be realized by lowering the peripheral EOS.

Hedistin is an antimicrobial peptide isolated from the coelomocytes of Nereis diversicolor, possessing activity against a large spectrum of bacteria including the methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio alginolyticus. The three dimensional structure of hedistin in both aqueous solution and deuterated dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles was examined using circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. And, the early events of the antibacterial process of hedistin were simulated using palmitoyl-oleoyl- phophatidylcholine (POPC) lipid bilayers and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods. Hedistin lacks secondary structure in aqueous solution, however, in DPC micelles, it features with a heterogeneous helix-turn-helix moiety and exhibits obvious amphipathic nature. The turn region (residues Val9-Thr12) in the moiety is a four-residue hinge, lying in between the first N-terminal alpha-helix (residues Leu5-Lys8) and the second alpha-helix (residues Val13-Ala17) regions and causing an approximately 120 degrees angle between the axes of the two helices. The segmental and nonlinear nature of hedistin structure is referred to as the heterogeneity of its helix-turn-helix motif which was found to be corresponding to a kind of discrete dynamics behavior, herein coined as its dynamical heterogeneity, at the early stage (0-50 ns) of the MD simulations. That is, the first helix segment, prior to (at 310 K) or following (at 363 K) the second helix, binds to the lipid head-group region and subsequently permeates into the hydrophobic lipid tail region, and the hinge is the last portion entering the lipid environment. This result implies that hedistin may adopt a "carpet" model action when disrupting bacterial membrane.

An Undergraduate Nurse Employment Demonstration Project (UNDP) was implemented in four Health Service Areas in British Columbia with a concurrent evaluation study. This demonstration project comprised the development and implementation of a new position in the BC healthcare system. The position enabled third- and fourth-year nursing students to be employed at their level of education. The purposes of the evaluation were to explore the feasibility and outcomes of this type of paid undergraduate student nurse employment. The three-year project and evaluation included both implementation and outcome analysis. The implementation evaluation design was descriptive and prospective, involving multiple data sources. The outcome evaluation design was quasi-experimental, with intervention and comparison groups. Learning outcomes for undergraduate nurses were increased confidence, organizational ability, competency and ability to work with a team. Workplace outcomes were increased unit morale, help with workload and improved patient care. New graduates with undergraduate nurse experience reported less time required for orientation and transition than other graduates who did not have this experience, and workplace nurses viewed these new graduates as more job-ready than other new graduates. After 21 months, new graduates with undergraduate nurse experience were less likely to move to other employment than other new graduates. Results from the four Health Service Areas indicated that the paid undergraduate nurse position was feasible and that outcomes benefited students, new graduates and workplaces. The undergraduate nurse position is now being implemented throughout all Health Service Areas in British Columbia.By 2000, concerns in British Columbia about the nursing workforce, workplace and patient safety had escalated to the point where diverse stakeholder groups were prepared to work together in new ways to prepare nursing graduates to be more job-ready, to recruit and retain new graduates and to retain existing nurses. Stakeholder groups were administrators, labour organizations, professional associations, educators and government. One idea to support job readiness and retention focussed on the feasibility of implementing cooperative education for nursing students. The effort was unsuccessful owing to lack of funding, but resulted in a review of the literature on cooperative education and other work-study programs. Cooperative education connects classroom learning with paid work experience for the purpose of enhancing students' education (Fitt and Heverly 1990; Heinemann and De Falco 1992; Ryder 1987). Reported benefits for students were improved job preparation and graduate retention (Ishida et al. 1998), additional staffing and reduction in orientation time (Cusack 1990; Ishida et al. 1998), increased practice judgment (Cusack 1990; Siedenberg 1989) and better workload management (Ross and Marriner 1985). A work-study model reported in the literature offered benefits similar to those of cooperative education, with greater flexibility in design. An example was the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston's collaborative work-study scholarship program with local hospitals (Kee and Ryser 2001). Students in second clinical semesters were employed as unlicensed personnel by hospitals. The students, as unlicensed personnel, worked to the level of their nursing preparation. Reported benefits for students were academic credit, financial assistance, interaction with multidisciplinary teams, opportunity to refine clinical skills, understanding of nurses' roles and guaranteed interview for positions on graduation (Kee and Ryser 2001). Benefits for practice organizations were skilled help, the opportunity to recruit new nurses and increased interaction with a university nursing program. While nurse education stakeholders in British Columbia were exploring options, the concept of undergraduate student nurse employment was initiated by a group of fourth-year students at the University of Victoria who were completing the course "Nurses Influencing Change." The students were concerned about having enough practice experience to meet increasing nursing competency requirements and their survival as new graduates given workplace realities. Debt load also was a concern because extensive student practicum time limited opportunities for paid employment during the nursing education program. Students found that the idea of paid undergraduate nurse positions, based on the student employment model in Alberta, was supported by nurse leaders, many practising nurses and nursing faculty who also were concerned about meeting patient care standards and adequately preparing nursing students. In 2000, the BC Ministry of Health Services funded an Undergraduate Nurse Demonstration Project (UNDP)- one type of paid employment for undergraduate student nurses - in four Health Service Areas linked with four schools of nursing. A concurrent three-year evaluation study examined the feasibility and outcomes of the UNDP (Gamroth et al. 2004). This paper summarizes the findings of the evaluation. Evaluation Research An Undergraduate Nurse Employment Demonstration Project (UNDP) was implemented in four Health Service Areas in British Columbia with a concurrent evaluation study. This demonstration project comprised the development and implementation of a new position in the BC healthcare system. The position enabled third- and fourth-year nursing students to be employed at their level of education. The purposes of the evaluation were to explore the feasibility and outcomes of this type of paid undergraduate student nurse employment. The three-year project and evaluation included both implementation and outcome analysis. The implementation evaluation design was descriptive and prospective, involving multiple data sources. The outcome evaluation design was quasi-experimental, with intervention and comparison groups. Learning outcomes for undergraduate nurses were increased confidence, organizational ability, competency and ability to work with a team. Workplace outcomes were increased unit morale, help with workload and improved patient care. New graduates with undergraduate nurse experience reported less time required for orientation and transition than other graduates who did not have this experience, and workplace nurses viewed these new graduates as more job-ready than other new graduates. After 21 months, new graduates with undergraduate nurse experience were less likely to move to other employment than other new graduates. Results from the four Health Service Areas indicated that the paid undergraduate nurse position was feasible and that outcomes benefited students, new graduates and workplaces. The undergraduate nurse position is now being implemented throughout all Health Service Areas in British Columbia. By 2000, concerns in British Columbia about the nursing workforce, workplace and patient safety had escalated to the point where diverse stakeholder groups were prepared to work together in new ways to prepare nursing graduates to be more job-ready, to recruit and retain new graduates and to retain existing nurses. Stakeholder groups were administrators, labour organizations, professional associations, educators and government. One idea to support job readiness and retention focussed on the feasibility of implementing cooperative education for nursing students. The effort was unsuccessful owing to lack of funding, but resulted in a review of the literature on cooperative education and other work-study programs. Cooperative education connects classroom learning with paid work experience for the purpose of enhancing students' education (Fitt and Heverly 1990; Heinemann and De Falco 1992; Ryder 1987). Reported benefits for students were improved job preparation and graduate retention (Ishida et al. 1998), additional staffing and reduction in orientation time (Cusack 1990; Ishida et al. 1998), increased practice judgment (Cusack 1990; Siedenberg 1989) and better workload management (Ross and Marriner 1985). A work-study model reported in the literature offered benefits similar to those of cooperative education, with greater flexibility in design. An example was the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston's collaborative work-study scholarship program with local hospitals (Kee and Ryser 2001). Students in second clinical semesters were employed as unlicensed personnel by hospitals. The students, as unlicensed personnel, worked to the level of their nursing preparation. Reported benefits for students were academic credit, financial assistance, interaction with multidisciplinary teams, opportunity to refine clinical skills, understanding of nurses' roles and guaranteed interview for positions on graduation (Kee and Ryser 2001). Benefits for practice organizations were skilled help, the opportunity to recruit new nurses and increased interaction with a university nursing program. While nurse education stakeholders in British Columbia were exploring options, the concept of undergraduate student nurse employment was initiated by a group of fourth-year students at the University of Victoria who were completing the course "Nurses Influencing Change." The students were concerned about having enough practice experience to meet increasing nursing competency requirements and their survival as new graduates given workplace realities. Debt load also was a concern because extensive student practicum time limited opportunities for paid employment during the nursing education program. Students found that the idea of paid undergraduate nurse positions, based on the student employment model in Alberta, was supported by nurse leaders, many practising nurses and nursing faculty who also were concerned about meeting patient care standards and adequately preparing nursing students.

OBJECTIVE: The educational objectives for this self-assessment module are for the participant to exercise, self-assess, and improve his or her understanding of clinical and cross-sectional imaging features of diseases of the retroperitoneum. CONCLUSION: A wide variety of disorders can affect structures in the retroperitoneum. Clinical and imaging findings help narrow the differential diagnosis.

The educational objectives of this self-assessment module are for the reader to exercise, self-assess, and improve his or her skills in diagnostic radiology with regard to imaging of the infertile man.

The use of dental implants has become a widely accepted and well-documented treatment option offering to both patients and dentists an alternative to traditional treatment modalities and at the same time opening a brand new area in dental postgraduate education. As such, it is necessary to define the competencies that the graduate student/dentist will need at the different levels of clinical practice in Implant Dentistry and the educational pathways that are required to convey those competencies in a structured manner. The present position paper provides an initial suggestion for the knowledge, skills and behaviour necessary for a graduate student to practice implant dentistry at the different levels of clinical complexity. An outline of the necessary competencies and structure of various levels of postgraduate university courses is provided together with different educational approaches to support them. The present paper should be evaluated as a platform for discussion for future development of postgraduate curricula in implant dentistry rather than a manual on how to design and operate such curricula.

Videoconferencing has been widely used to provide distant advice in many healthcare specialties across the world. However, videoconferencing has been further extended to support distance learning and has been evaluated through a number of educational projects. The use of the technology has been integrated as a core method of delivering training and education at all levels in dentistry. Advances in systems, services and standards have produced equipment and telecommunications links that are user-friendly, reliable, affordable and offer better quality image resolution. In addition, a wide range of peripheral devices can be connected to basic videoconferencing equipment to introduce a variety of teaching aids and material into a session. Projects such as PROVIDENT (Postgraduate Regional Online Videoconferencing in Dentistry) and DUET (Dental Undergraduate Education by Teleconferencing) have demonstrated that videoconferencing teaching sessions are as effective as traditional face-to-face lectures in both on-campus and off-campus teaching and reduce travel time and costs for both tutors and students. This paper describes how videoconferencing systems and services have developed and their benefits and applications in dentistry. It then goes on to describe the PROVIDENT and DUET projects as case studies.

As digital dental images become widely available, a new Electronic MR system (EMR) will be critical for the success of applying new technology to dental care. This project is designed an image-based and spatially-oriented EMR for dental surgery. A new panoramic image-based annotation model will be developed, which will complement dental charting precisely locating specific spatial findings for each patient. A spatially-oriented, multilayered data model for dental EMR will be developed using Geographic Information System (GIS) methods. This project will explore the possibility of applying head and neck images from VHP into a spatially-oriented EMR system.

Despite the fact that oral cancer is usually diagnosed with the naked eye, dental radiology can play a significant role in the process of diagnosis, treatment planning, assessment of response to treatment, and prognosis. This paper will discuss a prototype tele-educational system to support dental radiology training programs, which will help dental students get the skills necessary for interpreting dental tumor images. The system consists of a central database, an online case annotation tool and a case demonstration tool. The annotation tool allows dental faculty to integrate image findings with related clinical information, and to prepare high-quality teaching cases. The tele-educational system can improve and reinforce dental students' and dentists' skills in analyzing dental tumor images. The design of tele-educational system could serve as a model for self-evaluation of interpreting skills in dental tumor images as part of Continuous Medical Education (CME) in the future.