Cancer treatments transform residual cancer cell phenotype

Background  

Physiologic wound repair and tissue regeneration are associated with distinct cellular behaviors triggered by tissue damage. Normally quiescent stem cells proliferate to regenerate damaged tissue, while relatively immobile epithelial cells can transform into a motile, tissue invasive phenotype through a partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition. These distinct cellular behaviors may have particular relevance to how cancer cells can be predicted to behave after treatments damaging a tumor.     

Proteome analysis of human Wharton's jelly cells during <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> expansion

Background  

The human umbilical cord contains mucoid connective tissue and fibroblast-like cells. These cells named Wharton's jelly cells, (WJCs) display properties similar to mesenchymal stem cells therefore representing a rich source of primitive cells to be potentially used in regenerative medicine.     

High efficient isolation and systematic identification of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Background  

Developing efficient methods to isolate and identify human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) remains to be one of the major challenges in tissue engineering.     

Localization of heat shock protein 20 in swine carotid artery

Background  

The gene expression pattern in tumor cells differs from that in corresponding normal cells. In order to identify differentially expressed genes in colorectal tumors and normal colorectal epithelium, a differential display experiment was used to compare RNA expression in normal and tumor tissue samples.     

Transverse propagation of action potentials between parallel chains of cardiac muscle and smooth muscle cells in PSpice simulations

Background  

The goal of our study is to examine the effect of stimulating a two-dimensional sheet of myocardial cells. We assume that the stimulating electrode is located in a bath perfusing the tissue.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vivo</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> evaluation of an <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acetobacter xylinum</Emphasis> synthesized microbial cellulose membrane intended for guided tissue repair

Background  

Barrier materials as cellulose membranes are used for guided tissue repair. However, it is essential that the surrounding tissues accept the device. The present study histologically evaluated tissue reaction to a microbial cellulose membrane after subcutaneous implantation in mice. Furthermore, the interaction between mesenchymal stem cells and the biomaterial was studied in vitro to evaluate its ability to act as cellular scaffold for tissue engineering.     

Functional neural differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells using bFGF and forskolin

Background  

Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from adipose tissue have the capacity to differentiate into mesenchymal as well as endodermal and ectodermal cell lineage in vitro. We characterized the multipotent ability of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hADSCs) as MSCs and investigated the neural differentiation potential of these cells.     

Endothelial cells influence the osteogenic potential of bone marrow stromal cells

Background  

Improved understanding of the interactions between bone cells and endothelial cells involved in osteogenesis should aid the development of new strategies for bone tissue engineering. The aim of the present study was to determine whether direct communication between bone marrow stromal cells (MSC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EC) could influence the osteogenic potential of MSC in osteogenic factor-free medium.     

Fibroblasts and monocyte macrophages contract and degrade three-dimensional collagen gels in extended co-culture

Background  

Inflammatory cells are believed to play a prominent role during tissue repair and remodeling. Since repair processes develop and mature over extended time frames, the present study was designed to evaluate the effect of monocytes and fibroblasts in prolonged culture in three-dimensional collagen gels.     

Senescent vs. non-senescent cells in the human annulus in vivo: Cell harvest with laser capture microdissection and gene expression studies with microarray analysis

Background  

Senescent cells are well-recognized in the aging/degenerating human disc. Senescent cells are viable, cannot divide, remain metabolically active and accumulate within the disc over time. Molecular analysis of senescent cells in tissue offers a special challenge since there are no cell surface markers for senescence which would let one use fluorescence-activated cell sorting as a method for separating out senescent cells.     

Rheumatoid synovial fluid interleukin-17-producing CD4 T cells have abundant tumor necrosis factor-alpha co-expression,but little interleukin-22 and interleukin-23R expression

Introduction  

Th17 cells have been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to systematically analyse the phenotype, cytokine profile and frequency of interleukin-17 (IL-17) producing CD4-positive T cells in mononuclear cells isolated from peripheral blood, synovial fluid and synovial tissue of RA patients with established disease, and to correlate cell frequencies with disease activity.     

Recurrence of primary extramedullary plasmacytoma in breast both simulating primary breast carcinoma

Background  

Extramedullary myelomas (plasmacytoma) are malignant proliferations of plasma cells in the absence of bone involvement. When they occur in the soft tissue they usually involve the upper respiratory tract and oral cavity. Extramedullary plasmacytomas of breast are uncommon.     

Human infrapatellar fat pad-derived stem cells express the pericyte marker 3G5 and show enhanced chondrogenesis after expansion in fibroblast growth factor-2

Introduction  

Infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) is a possible source of stem cells for the repair of articular cartilage defects. In this study, adherent proliferative cells were isolated from digests of IPFP tissue. The effects of the expansion of these cells in fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) were tested on their proliferation, characterisation, and chondrogenic potential.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Propionibacterium acnes</Emphasis> infection induces upregulation of inflammatory genes and cytokine secretion in prostate epithelial cells

Background  

The immune stimulating bacterium Propionibacterium acnes is a frequent colonizer of benign and malignant prostate tissue. To understand the pathogenesis of the earliest phase of this infection, we examined the P. acnes triggered immune response in cultivated prostate epithelial cells.     

Simultaneous detection of mRNA and protein stem cell markers in live cells

Background  

Biological studies and medical application of stem cells often require the isolation of stem cells from a mixed cell population, including the detection of cancer stem cells in tumor tissue, and isolation of induced pluripotent stem cells after eliciting the expression of specific genes in adult cells. Here we report the detection of Oct-4 mRNA and SSEA-1 protein in live carcinoma stem cells using respectively molecular beacon and dye-labeled antibody, aiming to establish a new method for stem cells detection and isolation.     

Effects of GSK3 inhibitors on in vitro expansion and differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells into adipocytes

Background  

Multipotent stem cells exist within adipose tissue throughout life. An abnormal recruitment of these adipose precursor cells could participate to hyperplasia of adipose tissue observed in severe obesity or to hypoplasia of adipose tissue observed in lipodystrophy. Therefore, pharmacological molecules that control the pool of stem cells in adipose tissue are of great interest. Glycogen Synthase Kinase (GSK) 3 has been previously described as involved in differentiation of preadipose cells and might be a potential therapeutic target to modulate proliferation and differentiation of adipocyte precursors. However, the impact of GSK3 inhibition on human adipose-derived stem cells remained to be investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate GSK3 as a possible target for pharmacological inhibition of stem cell adipogenesis. To reach this goal, we studied the effects of pharmacological inhibitors of GSK3, i.e. lithium chloride (LiCl) and BIO on proliferation and adipocyte differentiation of multipotent stem cells derived from human adipose tissue.     

Monocytes are essential for inhibition of synovial T-cell glucocorticoid-mediated apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction  

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by synovial inflammation with local accumulation of mononuclear cells such as macrophages and lymphocytes. We previously demonstrated that intra-articular glucocorticoids decrease the synovial tissue (ST) T-cell population and therefore aimed to investigate whether this is mediated through modulation of apoptosis.     

Disruption of a Quorum Sensing mechanism triggers tumorigenesis: a simple discrete model corroborated by experiments in mammary cancer stem cells

Background  

The balance between self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells is expected to be tightly controlled in order to maintain tissue homeostasis throughout life, also in the face of environmental hazards. Theory, predicting that homeostasis is maintained by a negative feedback on stem cell proliferation, implies a Quorum Sensing mechanism in higher vertebrates.     

Effect of adiponectin on bovine granulosa cell steroidogenesis,oocyte maturation and embryo development

Background  

Adiponectin is an adipokine, mainly produced by adipose tissue. It regulates several reproductive processes. The protein expression of the adiponectin system (adiponectin, its receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 and the APPL1 adaptor) in bovine ovary and its role on ovarian cells and embryo, remain however to be determined.     

Controlled spatial and conformational display of immobilised bone morphogenetic protein-2 and osteopontin signalling motifs regulates osteoblast adhesion and differentiation <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

Background  

The interfacial molecular mechanisms that regulate mammalian cell growth and differentiation have important implications for biotechnology (production of cells and cell products) and medicine (tissue engineering, prosthetic implants, cancer and developmental biology). We demonstrate here that engineered protein motifs can be robustly displayed to mammalian cells in vitro in a highly controlled manner using a soluble protein scaffold designed to self assemble on a gold surface.