Current status and prospects of basic research and clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common and clinically devastating disease that causes respiratory failure. Morbidity and mortality of patients in intensive care units are stubbornly high, and various complications severely affect the quality of life of survivors. The pathophysiology of ARDS includes increased alveolar–capillary membrane permeability, an influx of protein-rich pulmonary edema fluid, and surfactant dysfunction leading to severe hypoxemia. At present, the main treatment for ARDS is mechanical treatment combined with diuretics to reduce pulmonary edema, which primarily improves symptoms, but the prognosis of patients with ARDS is still very poor. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are stromal cells that possess the capacity to self-renew and also exhibit multilineage differentiation. MSCs can be isolated from a variety of tissues, such as the umbilical cord, endometrial polyps, menstrual blood, bone marrow, and adipose tissues. Studies have confirmed the critical healing and immunomodulatory properties of MSCs in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Recently, the potential of stem cells in treating ARDS has been explored via basic research and clinical trials. The efficacy of MSCs has been shown in a variety of in vivo models of ARDS, reducing bacterial pneumonia and ischemia-reperfusion injury while promoting the repair of ventilator-induced lung injury. This article reviews the current basic research findings and clinical applications of MSCs in the treatment of ARDS in order to emphasize the clinical prospects of MSCs.     

环境温度影响蟾蜍卵母细胞成熟能力的机制之实验分析

长年饲养在高温(28—30℃)环境中雌性中华大蟾蜍,它们的卵母细胞可以长足,但经激素处理时,生发泡不破裂,仅显示成熟过程早期阶段的变化。值得注意的是,在孕酮刺激后的高温卵卵质中,出观了一种能诱发低温卵恢复减数分裂的物质,称作为“依赖冬眠因子的促成熟物质”(HF-MPS)。HF-MPS 与MPF 有不少相似之处,如孕酮处理后,它们在卵质中出现的时间相仿,它们的形成均不依赖于转录水平,而是依赖于翻译水平的蛋白质合成活动;但亦存在不同之处,如MPF 诱发低温卵GVBD 时程不受温度影响,而HF-MPS 在10℃环境中,诱发低温卵GVBD 的时间明显延缓;MPF 不仅能诱发低温卵GVBD,而且同样能诱发高温卵GVBD,然而,HF-MPS 只能诱发低温卵GVBD。由此表明,MPF 和HF-MPS 似乎是截然不同的两类活性蛋白质。高温卵缺少低温诱发产生的“冬眠因子”,所以不能恢复cdc 2基因的转录活动,不能实现MPF 自身催化扩增作用,不能保证孕酮处理后的卵母细胞完成正常成熟的全过程变化。足见,低温是中华大蟾蜍卵母细胞恢复减数分裂过程中的必要条件,是导致中华大蟾蜍现有区域分布的内在原因之一。     

Insecticidal and Repellent Effects of the Essential Oils Extract from Zanthoxylum myriacanthum against Three Storage Pests

The co-storage of two or more Chinese herbal medicines can effectively prevent the herbs from the damage by pests. Thus, it is important to protect herbs and crops to study Chinese herbal medicines and their medicinal components against storage pests. This study aimed to assess the insecticidal activities and repellent effect of essential oils (EOs) extracted from fruits at different periods from Zanthoxylum myriacanthum Wall. ex Hook. f. (1 h, 2 h, 3–5 h and 5–7 h), and their major compounds against three kinds of pests (Tribolium castaneum, Lasioderma serricorne, and Liposcelis bostrychophila). The results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometer analysis revealed homomyrtenol (22.56 %, 28.01 %, 28.48 % and 28.41 %, respectively) and p-cymene (30.58 %, 13.95 %, 24.97 % and 6.85 %, respectively) were the common major compounds of the EOs at 1 h, 2 h, 3–5 h, and 5–7 h. m-Cymene contents in EOs of fruits, 1 h, 2 h and 3–5 h were 3.85 %, 0.95 %, 6.71 %, and 6.15 %, respectively. According to Principal component analysis (PCA), the composition of fruits′ EO was significantly different from other EOs due to the different collection times. The bio-assays showed that EOs and major compounds were toxic to all three pests, but the fumigation effect on L. bostrychophila was not noticeable. EOs extracted at different times had a repellent effect on the three pests at the highest concentration (78.63 nL/cm²), but the attractive effects of the EOs of 3–5 h, 5–7 h, and p-cymene were observed at the low concentrations (3.15, 0.63 and 0.13 nL/cm²). Our results suggest that Z. myriacanthum have the potential to be developed as biological insecticides.     

Differences between migrasome,a ‘new organelle’, and exosome

The migrasome is a new organelle discovered by Professor Yu Li in 2015. When cells migrate, the membranous organelles that appear at the end of the retraction fibres are migrasomes. With the migration of cells, the retraction fibres which connect migrasomes and cells finally break. The migrasomes detach from the cell and are released into the extracellular space or directly absorbed by the recipient cell. The cytoplasmic contents are first transported to the migrasome and then released from the cell through the migrasome. This release mechanism, which depends on cell migration, is named ‘migracytosis’. The main components of the migrasome are extracellular vesicles after they leave the cell, which are easy to remind people of the current hot topic of exosomes. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles wrapped by the lipid bimolecular layer. With extensive research, exosomes have solved many disease problems. This review summarizes the differences between migrasomes and exosomes in size, composition, property and function, extraction method and regulation mechanism for generation and release. At the same time, it also prospects for the current hotspot of migrasomes, hoping to provide literature support for further research on the generation and release mechanism of migrasomes and their clinical application in the future.     

Pan-Cancer analyses of Necroptosis-Related genes as a potential target to predict immunotherapeutic outcome

Necroptosis is a unique programmed death mechanism of necrotic cells. However, its role and specific mechanism in cancer remain unclear, and a systematic pan-cancer analysis of necroptosis is yet to be conducted. Thus, we performed a specific pan-cancer analysis using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases to analyse necroptosis expression in terms of cancer prognosis, DNA methylation status, tumour mutative burden, microsatellite instability, immune cell infiltration in different types of cancer and molecular mechanisms. For the first time, we explored the correlation between necroptosis and immunotherapy prognosis. Thus, our study provides a relatively comprehensive understanding of the carcinogenicity of necroptosis in different types of cancer. It is suggested that necroptosis can be used to evaluate the sensitivity of different patients to immunotherapy and may become a potential target for tumour immunotherapy.     

乙烯在绿豆下胚轴不定根形成中的作用

选择易产生不定根的绿豆下胚轴做试验材料,研究乙烯在不定根形成中的作用。试验指出,乙烯利和乙烯气体在低浓度下(1—5mgL~(-1))促进或不抑制不定根的形成,随着浓度增加,抑制作用加强。IBA促进不定根形成的作用十分显著。IBA和乙烯相结合的试验说明,两者的作用似乎是独立的。可以设想,存在一个适于生根的低内源乙烯的界限,超过这个界限,抑制不定根形成。     

Effect of Flowering Stages on the Content of Active Ingredients and Antioxidant Capability of Bletilla striata Flowers

Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Reichb.f. is a perennial herb with abundant active ingredients. Previous research mainly focused on its tubers, however, the study on flowers, especially the variation of active ingredient contents at different flowering stages, was rarely seen. This study analyzed the total phenols, flavonoids, polysaccharides, anthocyanins, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside content of B. striata flowers which were in cultivated in Herb Garden of Zhejiang A&F University and collected in May, 2019, in order to investigate the changes in active ingredients and antioxidant capacity among different flowering stages (bud, initial, and full bloom). Changes in radical scavenging capability of DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical), ABTS (2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate)), and hydroxy were analyzed. Significant differences in active ingredient content of flowers were detected among different flowering stages. The total phenolic content increased continuously during the entire flowering stage. The contents of total flavonoid, total polysaccharide, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside reached peaks at the initial blooming stage and then fell as the flowering process continued. The antioxidant activity in initial stage was the highest than in any other flowering stages. Therefore, we conclude that the initial blooming stage is the best harvesting stage of B. striata flowers. This study provides a robust basis for the harvest and utilization of B. striata flowers in food, medical, and cosmetic industries.     

干旱和盐胁迫诱导甜菜叶中的甜菜碱醛脱氢酶的积累

应用双向免疫扩散方法测定表明,甜菜叶片的甜菜碱醛脱氢酶能与菠菜的甜菜碱醛脱氢酶抗体发生交叉反应。渗透势－０．６５￣－２．６ＭＰａ的甘露醇溶液或２００～３００ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ的ＮａＣｌ溶液,诱导甜茶叶片甜菜碱醛脱氢酶积累明显增加。