Endogenous tissue engineering: PTH therapy for skeletal repair

Based on its proven anabolic effects on bone in osteoporosis patients, recombinant parathyroid hormone (PTH_1-34) has been evaluated as a potential therapy for skeletal repair. In animals, the effect of PTH_1-34 has been investigated in various skeletal repair models such as fractures, allografting, spinal arthrodesis and distraction osteogenesis. These studies have demonstrated that intermittent PTH_1-34 treatment enhances and accelerates the skeletal repair process via a number of mechanisms, which include effects on mesenchymal stem cells, angiogenesis, chondrogenesis, bone formation and resorption. Furthermore, PTH_1-34 has been shown to enhance bone repair in challenged animal models of aging, inflammatory arthritis and glucocorticoid-induced bone loss. This pre-clinical success has led to off-label clinical use and a number of case reports documenting PTH_1-34 treatment of delayed-unions and non-unions have been published. Although a recently completed phase 2 clinical trial of PTH_1-34 treatment of patients with radius fracture has failed to achieve its primary outcome, largely because of effective healing in the placebo group, several secondary outcomes are statistically significant, highlighting important issues concerning the appropriate patient population for PTH_1-34 therapy in skeletal repair. Here, we review our current knowledge of the effects of PTH_1-34 therapy for bone healing, enumerate several critical unresolved issues (e.g., appropriate dosing regimen and indications) and discuss the long-term potential of this drug as an adjuvant for endogenous tissue engineering.     

安全的霍乱活菌苗?

<正> 当前使用的霍乱菌苗有两大类,一是由全菌体加或不加毒素B亚单位组成的死菌苗,给苗途径可肠道外或口服;二是口服活菌苗,由霍乱弧菌基因工程减毒株或由表达霍乱抗原的异源载体菌(即伤寒Tyzla)组成。前一类费钱效果不理想,后一类有反应原性、变异性和稳定性方面的问题。 最近,我们鉴别出了菌毛定居因子(协同调节的毒素菌毛( toxin coregulated pil-usTCP),它可能是审定菌苗可否应用的一种重要的新免疫原。本文介绍TCP菌毛应用于霍乱菌苗研究中的一些初步结果。     

印度瘿蚊六新种(双翅目:瘿蚊科)

本种近似菲律宾一种稷(Panicum carinatum)上的Lasioptera paniculi Felt,但触角的节数不同,雌18节,雄16节;雌触角各节的比例不同而较短;抱器基节中等粗,端节较细。其雌触角18节也相似于印度一种稷Panicum fluitans上的L.flui-tans Felt,但触角第五节远比端节长,产卵器短得多。