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.     

山西省异爪蝗属二新种（直翅目：网翅蝗科）

本文记述在晋南地区采到的异爪蝗属二新种,黑条异爪蝗Euchorthippus nigiliineatus sp.nov.及曲线异爪蝗Eochorthippus sinucarinatus sp.nov.     

简介《关于啮齿类进化关系的多学科分析》

<正> 啮齿类是在生存竞争中最成功的一类哺乳动物.它们一直受到实验和进化生物学家的特别关注.最近几十年来,有关现生和化石啮齿类的新资料急剧增加.特别是关于啮齿目起源,进化以及它和其它有关门类的系统关系,许多有关学科(如古生物学、胚胎学、比较解剖学、分子生物学、遗传学、细胞发生学等)从各自不同的角度提出了许多意想不到的新见解、新设想,使关于啮齿类的研究呈现出一片生气勃勃的景