“Second-generation” stem cells for cardiac repair

Over the last years, stem cell therapy has emerged asan inspiring alternative to restore cardiac function after myocardial infarction. A large body of evidence has been obtained in this field but there is no conclusive data on the efficacy of these treatments. Preclinical studies and early reports in humans have been encouraging and have fostered a rapid clinical translation, but positive results have not been uniformly observed and when present, they have been modest. Several types of stem cells, manufacturing methods and delivery routes have been tested in different clinical settings but direct comparison between them is challenging and hinders further research. Despite enormous achievements, major barriers have been found and many fundamental issues remain to be resolved. A better knowledge of the molecular mechanisms implicated in cardiac development and myocardial regeneration is critically needed to overcome some of these hurdles. Genetic and pharmacological priming together with the discovery of new sources of cells have led to a "second generation" of cell products that holds an encouraging promise in cardiovascular regenerative medicine. In this report, we review recent advances in this field focusing on the new types of stem cells that are currently being tested in human beings and on the novel strategies employed to boost cell performance in order to improve cardiac function and outcomes after myocardial infarction.     

Thoughts of a Travelling Ecologist 1 Human impacts, invasions and urbanisation

At the start of our new Journal of Biosafety, I was prompted by my Co-Editors-in-Chief, Professor Wan and Professor You, to provide regular reviews or updates on biosafety for our readers, given that I mostly reside outside China, and have many international connections. That is a very big task, and I was not sure that I could do it as the journal demands. However, I had thought that in a lighter way, I could attempt to present my thoughts on some issues that I feel are of importance today. China is very...     

A Special Issue on Stem Cell Research

Stem cells possess the remarkable ability of extensive self-renewal and differentiation into specific celllineages,and they play essential roles in development and adult tissue homeostasis.Due to their criticalimportance in normal physiology and the promise for use in regenerative medicine to treat a variety ofdiseases,stem cells have attracted extensive research interest in recent years.As China's premium in-ternational journal with a broad scope in cell and molecular biology,Cell Research has witnessed moreand more submissions on stem cell research.Indeed,along with the traditional strengths of the journal inmolecular immunology,cancer biology,and plant molecular physiology,stem cell research has graduallyand naturally evolved into a new growth point of Cell Research.Reflecting the growing interest of bothour readers and authors in this exciting and expanding field,we are pleased to present this Special Issueon Stem Cell Research.     

The Birth of Redox Regulation

When we obtained evidence for redox regulation in 1967, I would never have imagined that those experiments would lay the foundation for a field that was destined to embrace all types of living cells. The possibility that the early experiments with chloroplast ferredoxin （Fdx） would prompt the publication of a Special Issue on ＇Redox and Photosynthesis＇ was equally far-fetched. In view of these unforeseen developments, I think it is timely to introduce this Special Issue by briefly describing how the field of thiol-based redox regulation started. In the interest of space, my recounting of events leading to the discovery of the mechanism is brief. Most noticeably, the names of collaborators, who were so critical in this research, have been left out. Their names and other details are given in the earlier, more complete accounts listed in the References.     

编者按: 纳米酶：新一代人工模拟酶

The nanozyme is a new concept that has been included in the Encyclopedia of China. It is defined as a type of nanomaterial that possesses intrinsic enzyme-like activity. Nanozymes were first conceptualized by Chinese scientists in interdisciplinary fields of material science, chemistry, biology and medicine. Since the original work was published in Nature Nanotechnology in 2007, 2: 577-583, it has been cited over 1480 times and has drawn significant attention worldwide. To date, over 130 laboratories across 22 countries have contributed to research on nanozymes. The application of nanozymes has been extended to biology, medicine, agriculture, national defense and many other fields, and has gradually transferred from diagnosis to therapeutics of human diseases. Nanozyme research is an emerging field bridging nanotechnology and biology. By using their multi-functionality, including enzymatic activity and other specific nanoscale properties, nanozymes will likely continue to facilitate the development of state-of-the-art technologies and products to improve human health and quality of life. As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the discovery of nanozymes, I humbly accepted to organize this “nanozyme special edition”. I would like to convey my gratefulness to the editor and all the authors, who have done extraordinary amount of work for their reviews, this project would not have been possible without them.     

Research Progress of Microbial Diversity in Recent Three Years

The general situation and latest research trends in the research field of microbial diversity were summarized in this article, including the number of articles in different years, in different databases, in and different research objects which the researchers prefer to select. The papers are categorized into different research emphasis and detailed the corresponding research content in recent 3 years. This review provides us insights into the broader framework of microbial diversity in recent years and represents the research emphasis in this field. The purpose of this article is to provide a research basis for scholars to choose research direction and determine their research content.     

中国珊瑚枝属地衣的特殊种

Stereocaulon incrustatum, a new record in China, and St. massartianum and St. sorediiferum have several special chemical races, and the absence of atranorin in the genus is reported for the first time. Investigation results show that chemistry is not very important in taxonomy of the genus. Evolutionally, the cephalodia of St. incrustatum are possibly a transition characteristic from poorly developed cortex to protosacculate cephalodia.     

Special Issue on “RNA Epigenetics”

正We are very pleased to announce a special issue,to be published in Summer 2017,on "RNA Epigenetics" in the journal Genomics,ProteomicsBioinformatics(GPB).RNAs are life's essential molecules with diverse functions.The identification and functional studies of multiple types of non-coding RNAs have been a major focus of life science research during the past decade.Moreover,diversified chemical modifications as well as structural