The relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor and spermatogenesis disturbance in an experimentally-induced unilateral cryptorchidism murine model

Molecular Biology Reports - This study is to explore the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pathological changes in cryptorchidism by using murine model of...     

Excitation of Broadband Surface Plasmons with Dye Molecules

Rhodamine B and Rhodamine 6G molecules were doped in polymethyl methacrylate solution. Then a silver film on the glass substrate was spin coated with the mixed solution to get a multilayer film. Under the irradiation of a 532-nm green laser, broadband surface plasmons (SPs) on the silver film were generated due to the coupling between the broadband fluorescence and the SP modes allowed in the multilayer film. From the back focal plane image of a leakage radiation microscopy, propagation constants of SP waves at different wavelengths were derived. Numerical calculations were also carried out and were consistent with the experimental results.     

Evaluating osteochondral defect repair potential of autologous rabbit bone marrow cells on type II collagen scaffold

The feasibility of using genipin cross-linked type II collagen scaffold with rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (RBMSCs) to repair cartilage defect was herein studied. Induction of RBMSCs into chondrocytic phenotype on type II collagen scaffold in vitro was conducted using TGF-β 3 containing medium. After 3-weeks of induction, chondrocytic behavior, including marker genes expression and specific extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion, was observed. In the in vivo evaluation experiment, the scaffolds containing RBMSCs without prior induction were autologous implanted into the articular cartilage defects made by subchondral drilling. The repairing ability was evaluated. After 2 months, chondrocyte-like cells with lacuna structure and corresponding ECM were found in the repaired sites without apparent inflammation. After 24 weeks, we could easily find cartilage structure the same with normal cartilage in the repair site. In conclusion, it was shown that the scaffolds in combination of in vivo conditions can induce RBMSCs into chondrocytes in repaired area and would be a possible method for articular cartilage repair in clinic and cartilage tissue engineering.     

林业入侵植物假苍耳对Cu^2＋的吸附性

选取林业入侵植物假苍耳（Iva xanthifolia）叶片匀浆体（LSI）和茎匀浆体（SSI）作为生物吸附材料,考察了溶液pH值、吸附时间、Cu^2＋浓度对吸附性能的影响,确定了最佳吸附pH值为6．0-7．0,吸附平衡时间为30分钟,处理水体中的Cu^2＋浓度应不超过800mg·L^-1。采用Langmuir和Freundlich等温吸附模型进行线性拟合,推算出LSI和SSI的饱和吸附率分别为28．68mg·g^-1和13．06mg·g^-1。通过对吸附Cu^2＋前后的LSI和SSI进行傅立叶红外光谱和X射线衍射分析可知,假苍耳参与Cu。’吸附的主要物质是纤维素类和糖类,并且可能是由它们具有的-OH、-CONH2及-C=O等官能团提供结合位点。研究结果显示假苍耳有可能成为一种具有开发潜力的新型重金属生物吸附材料。     

The S100 proteins for screening and prognostic grading of bladder cancer

The S100 gene family, which is composed of at least 24 members carrying the Ca2+ binding EF-hand motif, has been implicated in both intracellular and extracellular functions, including enzyme activities, immune responses, cytoskeleton dynamics, Ca2+ homeostasis, cell growth and cell differentiation. Altered S100 protein levels are associated with a broad range of diseases, including cardiomyopathy, inflammatory and immune disorders, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Although the precise role of S100 protein in carcinogenesis is poorly understood, it seems that formation of homo- and hetero-dimers, binding of Ca2+ and interaction with effector molecules are essential for the development and progression of many cancers. Several studies have suggested that S100 proteins promote cancer progression and metastasis through cell survival and apoptosis pathways. In animal models of bladder cancer, several S100 proteins are differentially expressed in bladder tumors relative to normal urothelium. In human bladder cancer, overexpression of S100A4, S100A8 or S100A11 are associated with stage progression, invasion, metastasis and poor survival. This review summarizes these findings and evaluates their implications for human bladder cancer management.     

Is Mitochondrial tRNAphe Variant m.593T>C a Synergistically Pathogenic Mutation in Chinese LHON Families with m.11778G>A?

Mitochondrial transfer RNA (mt-tRNA) mutations have been reported to be associated with a variety of diseases. In a previous paper that studied the mtDNA background effect on clinical expression of Leber''s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in 182 Chinese families with m.11778G>A, we found a strikingly high frequency (7/182) of m.593T>C in the mitochondrially encoded tRNA phenylalanine (MT-TF) gene in unrelated LHON patients. To determine the potential role of m.593T>C in LHON, we compared the frequency of this variant in 479 LHON patients with m.11778G>A, 843 patients with clinical features of LHON but without the three known primary mutations, and 2374 Han Chinese from the general populations. The frequency of m.593T>C was higher in LHON patients (14/479) than in suspected LHON subjects (12/843) or in general controls (49/2374), but the difference was not statistically significant. The overall penetrance of LHON in families with both m.11778G>A and m.593T>C (44.6%) was also substantially higher than that of families with only m.11778G>A (32.9%) (P = 0.083). Secondary structure prediction of the MT-TF gene with the wild type or m.593T>C showed that this nucleotide change decreases the free energy. Electrophoretic mobility of the MT-TF genes with the wild type or m.593T>C transcribed in vitro further confirmed the change of secondary structure in the presence of this variant. Although our results could suggest a modest synergistic effect of variant m.593T>C on the LHON causing mutation m.11778G>A, the lack of statistical significance probably due to the relatively small sample size analyzed, makes necessary more studies to confirm this effect.     

Association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in RHOB and TXNDC3 with knee osteoarthritis susceptibility: two case-control studies in East Asian populations and a meta-analysis

Introduction

Conflicting findings on the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in RHOB and TXNDC3 with susceptibility to knee osteoarthritis (OA) have been reported in European Caucasians. To examine the associations of these SNPs with OA in East Asian populations and to evaluate their global significance, we conducted two case-control studies in 955 Chinese and 750 Japanese patients.

Methods

We genotyped the previously implicated SNPs rs585017 (in RHOB) and rs4720262 (in TXNDC3) in patients with primary symptomatic knee OA with radiographic confirmation and in matched control individuals, and analyzed their associations. We further conducted a meta-analysis of the study findings together with those of previously reported European studies using the DerSimonian-Laird procedure.

Results

A significant association of RHOB with knee OA was observed in male Chinese patients (P = 0.02). No significant associations were found for RHOB in any other comparisons in the East Asian populations. The association of TXNDC3 was replicated in Chinese female (P = 0.04) and Japanese (P = 0.03) patients, although none of these associations persisted after Bonferroni correction. Significant association (P = 0.02 for the allelic frequency) with nonsignificant heterogeneity was found in the East Asian replication study. No significant association was found in any comparison in the meta-analysis for all studies.

Conclusion

Our study replicates the association, previously reported in European Caucasians, of TXNDC3 with knee OA susceptibility in an East Asian population.