INTRODUCTION Auxins are hormones that regulate plant growth and development. To accurately quantify the low levels of auxins present in plant and soil samples, sensitive detection methods are needed. In this study, the design and construction of two different whole cell auxin bioassays is illustrated. Both use the auxin responsive element HpaA as an input module but differ in output module. The...

It had been indicated in the previous studies that acupuncture relieved the excessive excitation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis (HPAA) function induced by stress stimulation. But the changes in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) induced by acupuncture have not been detected clearly. The objective of the study was to observe the impacts of acupuncture on the protein expressions of corti...

Four different DNA loci were assessed for the detection of H. pylori by PCR on gastric biopsy specimens. PCR, with a primer specific 860 bp DNA fragment, was the most sensitive, with a detection limit of 0.02 pg H. pylori DNA, corresponding to approximately 10 organisms. Nested-PCR of the 860-bp DNA fragment was 10-fold more sensitive than single-step PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of the...

Triplet nucleotide repeats are ubiquitous and rapidly evolving sequences in eucaryotic genomes. They are sporadically found in coding regions of transcription regulators where they become translated in different homopolymeric aminoacid (HPAA) stretches, depending on the local frame. Poly(CAG) yields three different HPAAs (poly Gln, Ser or Ala). Current sequence databases indicate a clear bias i...

Infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) occurs in 50% of the world population, and is associated with the development of ulcer and gastric cancer. Serological diagnostic tests indicate an H. pylori infection by detecting antibodies directed against H. pylori proteins. In addition to line blots, multiplex assay platforms provide smart solutions for the simultaneous analysis of antibody re...

Nonpolymeric aminomethylenephosphonates are widely used as powerful scale inhibitors in the petroleum industry. However, most of these have certain drawbacks, such low biodegradability and incompatibilities with high calcium brines. Therefore, there is a great need to explore more biodegradable phosphonated oilfield affording calcium-ion tolerance. In this project, known new nitrogen-free phosp...