Comprehensive gene expression profiling of human astrocytes treated with a hepatic encephalopathy-inducible factor,alpha 1-antichymotripsin

Astrocytes are major glial cells that play a critical role in brain homeostasis. Abnormalities in astrocytic function, such as hepatic encephalopathy (HE) during acute liver failure, can result in brain death following brain edema and the associated astrocyte swelling. Recently, we have identified alpha 1-antichymotripsin (ACT) to be a biomarker candidate for HE. ACT induces astrocyte swelling by upregulating aquaporin 4 (AQP4); however, the causal connection between these proteins is not clear yet. In this study, we utilized a microarray profile to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in astrocytes treated with ACT. We then performed Gene Ontology, REACTOME, and the comprehensive resource of mammalian protein complexes (CORUM) enrichment analyses of the identified DEGs. The results of these analyses indicated that the DEGs were enriched in pathways activating adenylate cyclase (AC)-coupled G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and therefore were involved in the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling. These results indicate that ACT may act as a ligand of Gs-GPCRs and subsequently upregulate cAMP. As cAMP is known to upregulate AQP4 in astrocytes, these results suggest that ACT may upregulate AQP4 by activating AC GPCRs and therefore serve as a therapeutic target for acute HE.     

Adipose-derived stem cells extract has a proliferative effect on myogenic progenitors

Finding an effective method to regenerate muscle is a growing issue in the orthopedic field. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has recently been considered for therapeutic use due to its capacity to induce proliferation of myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs). Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and its extract are regarded as a promising treatment for various disorders within the orthopedic field but their therapeutic relevance in the muscle regeneration is poorly investigated. In this study, rabbit MPCs were cultured from the supraspinatus of rabbit and characterized by myogenic markers. To investigate the paracrine effect of ASCs on MPCs, coculture experiments were performed. In order to see the anabolic effect of ASC-extracts (ASC-ex) in MPCs, cell proliferation assays were performed and compared with the PRP-added condition. Coculture experiment showed ASCs had an anabolic paracrine effect on proliferation of MPCs. PRP had a positive effect on proliferation of MPCs when compared to the control (100?±?7.4% vs 195.2?±?19.2%, p?p?p?p?相似文献   

Combined use of brushing cytology and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography for the early detection of pancreatic cancer

Seventy-two cases of pancreatic cancer were examined by brushing cytology combined with endoscopic retrograde pancreatography. The results of this combined method were better than those reported for the exfoliative cytologic study of pancreatic fluid. The method detected a minute cancer of the main pancreatic duct that was not detected with any other method. The cells obtained by this technique had very well-preserved cytoplasm and nuclear chromatin, which facilitated making a correct diagnosis. Though this method can be applied only to the main pancreatic duct, it is effective for the diagnosis of ductal cell carcinoma, especially those located at the head of the pancreas, which is the most common site for pancreatic cancer. It is a safe procedure, with no complications seen in this series. The differentiation of carcinoma cells from the benign atypical cells of chronic pancreatitis is illustrated and emphasized.     

Radical Cation–Anion Coupling‐Induced Work Function Tunability in Anionic Conjugated Polyelectrolytes

By coating conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) on metals, the work function (WF) of metals can be tuned by electric dipoles formed through the self‐assembly of cation–anion pairs on the side chains of CPEs. Recently, it has been reported that a pertinent oxidative doping of anionic CPEs results in a reversed direction in the net electric dipoles, thereby yielding opposite WF tunability compared with pristine CPEs. However, the fundamental mechanism of this reversed WF tunability is not clearly understood. Here, through a systematic study of the relationship between the chemical structure of anionic CPEs (n‐type) and the corresponding oxidation‐processed CPEs (p‐type), it is clearly demonstrated that radical cations are generated on the π‐conjugated backbone of the n‐type CPEs and strongly paired with anions on the side chains of the n‐type CPEs, thereby reversing the direction of the total net electric dipoles. Furthermore, it is found that the degree of radical cation–anion coupling in the CPEs is a key factor in determining their WF tunability. It is envisioned that the results will provide a fundamental understanding of CPEs for versatile interface engineering in organic electronics.     

Genetic diversity in a reintroduced swift fox population

Swift fox (Vulpes velox) were historically distributed in southwestern South Dakota including the region surrounding Badlands National Park (BNP). The species declined during the mid-1800s, largely due to habitat loss and poisoning targeted at wolves (Canis lupus) and coyotes (Canis latrans). Only a small population of swift foxes near Ardmore, which is located in Fall River County, South Dakota, persisted. In 2003, a reintroduction program was initiated at BNP with swift foxes translocated from Colorado and Wyoming. Foxes released in the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 were translocated from Colorado (BNP-Colorado) whereas in 2006, released foxes were translocated from Wyoming (BNP-Wyoming). Our objective was to evaluate genetic diversity and structure of the restored swift fox population in the area surrounding BNP compared to source fox populations in an area of Colorado and Wyoming, as well as the local swift fox population neighboring BNP near Ardmore in Fall River County, South Dakota. A total of 400 swift foxes (28 released in 2003, 28 released in 2004, 26 released in 2005, 26 released in 2006, 252 wild-born foxes, 40 individual foxes from the Ardmore area of South Dakota) was genotyped using twelve microsatellite loci. We report mean gene diversity values of 0.778 (SD = 0.156) for the BNP-Colorado population, 0.753 (SD = 0.165) for the BNP-Wyoming population, 0.751 (SD = 0.171) for the BNP population, and 0.730 (SD = 0.166) for the Fall River population. We also obtained F_st values ranging from 0.014 to 0.029 for pair-wise comparisons of fox populations (BNP, Fall River, BNP-Wyoming, BNP-Colorado). We conclude that the reintroduced fox population around BNP has high genetic diversity comparable to its source populations in Colorado and Wyoming. Although genetic diversity indicates that the reintroduction was successful, additional time is necessary to fully evaluate long-term genetic maintenance and interconnectivity among these populations.