Induction and Analysis of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is essential for proper morphogenesis during development. Misregulation of this process has been implicated as a key event in fibrosis and the progression of carcinomas to a metastatic state. Understanding the processes that underlie EMT is imperative for the early diagnosis and clinical control of these disease states. Reliable induction of EMT in vitro is a useful tool for drug discovery as well as to identify common gene expression signatures for diagnostic purposes. Here we demonstrate a straightforward method for the induction of EMT in a variety of cell types. Methods for the analysis of cells pre- and post-EMT induction by immunocytochemistry are also included. Additionally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of this method through antibody-based array analysis and migration/invasion assays.     

粘弹剂在不同眼球破裂伤手术中的应用

目的：分析粘弹剂在不同眼球破裂伤手术中的有效作用。方法：回顾并分析27例不同程度眼球破裂伤患者的治疗,其中包括复杂角膜裂口并虹膜脱出修复术、摘出前房异物、瞳孔区非磁性异物、虹膜根部断离,晶体损伤或脱位等。术中应用粘弹剂固定异物、充填前房及玻璃体腔。观察术后6个月的眼球形态、视力等指标。结果：术后观察最少6个月。27例眼球全部保留,24例有视力。3例因继发视网膜脱离复住2次手术失败而失明,后眼球萎缩,植入义眼。11例白内障现代囊外摘除或PHACO术后植入人工晶体,3例晶体脱位者摘除晶体后缝线植入人工晶体。11眼视力在0．5以上。无眼内炎及交感性眼炎发生。单纯前节手术10人中均有术后轻度眼压增高,但很快恢复正常。3例因伴有视网膜脱离患者术后眼压低,术后失明。结论：不同重度眼外伤后眼内容大量丢失。眼球形态政变。应用粘弹刑可为手术提供方便,也能为保全眼球并恢复视能提供机会。在前房异物取出时能有效固定异物,为异物的取出创造是好的基础。     

64层螺旋CT对胸部创伤的诊断价值

目的:评价64层螺旋CT相对于CR片在胸部创伤诊断中的价值。方法:我院2006年1月～2008年3月收治81例胸部创伤,全部患者在伤后10min至5h进行了64层螺旋CT检查,其中58例在初次检查后12～38h内进行了CR或床旁CR检查,CT扫描采用GE LightSpeed 64层螺旋CT机,层厚0.625 mm,螺距为0.984:1。结果:81例中诊断肋骨骨折72例,肺挫裂伤65例,气胸36例,血胸53例,血气胸31例,锁骨骨折12例,肩胛骨骨折13例,皮下及纵隔积气18例,右横膈破裂2例。在同时进行过CR检查的患者中,非错位性及撕脱性肋骨、肋软骨骨折在CR上常显示不佳,而在64层螺旋CT多平面或三维重建图像上显示非常清晰。结论:64层螺旋CT多平面及三维重建对胸部创伤各种病变的检测明显优于x线平片,对临床急救计划的制定有重要的指导意义。     

Ability of Clonostachys rosea to Establish and Suppress Sporulation Potential of Botrytis cinerea in Deleafed Stems of Hydroponic Greenhouse Tomatoes

The ability of Clonostachys rosea to establish and persist in deleafed tomato stems and to suppress sporulation potential of Botrytis cinerea was investigated in plots of hydroponic tomatoes in commercial greenhouses. Leaves near lower fruit clusters were removed according to standard practice and deleafed portions of the stems were treated with C. rosea , iprodione or water. Inoculum of B. cinerea was from natural infections. Stem lesions were not produced by the pathogen during the trials. Development of C. rosea and B. cinerea in stems was estimated indirectly by quantifying sporulation on excised stem tissues that were incubated on an agar medium containing paraquat. Incidence and area of sporulation of C. rosea on tissue pieces were high (76-99%) and moderately high (33-79%), respectively, when stems were treated with the agent at 0, 6, 24 or 48 h after deleafing and sampled 11 to 75 days later. In various instances, the agent also sporulated on tissues from water controls and iprodione treatments, apparently after interplot transmission. In most instances, incidence and area of sporulation of B. cinerea on tissue pieces were high (83-100%) and moderate to high (35-76%), respectively, in the water controls, but moderate (31-44%) and moderate to low (5-34%), respectively, for stems treated with C. rosea at 0 to 48 h after deleafing and sampled after 11-75 days. Without exception, C. rosea suppressed B. cinerea as or more effectively than iprodione. Correlations between inoculum density of C. rosea (0-10 6 conidia mL -1 ) and sporulation potential of B. cinerea in deleafed stems were strongly negative in each of three tests ( r = -0.95 to -0.99). Conidial suspensions and a talc formulation of C. rosea were of similar effectiveness against B. cinerea . We conclude that C. rosea persisted and suppressed sporulation potential of B. cinerea in deleafed tomato stems for at least 11 weeks after application.     

On the Use of Infinite Elements for the Determination of Optimal Closure Patterns based on Stress Analysis

Solid infinite elements are used in conjunction with finite elements to compute the stress and displacement distribution resulting from the suturing of wounds of symmetric and nonsymmetric shapes in orthotropic, abdominal human skin. The optimal pattern of suturing of wounds are investigated from a stress perspective. Highly accurate, quantitative and qualitative improvements over the use of finite elements to approximate distant boundaries are obtained. Numerical results quantitatively agree with analytic results computed using complex analysis techniques. The technique used and the results obtained will aid surgeons in closing nonsymmetrical wounds on regions of the body that exhibit orthotropy.     

Induction of Specific MicroRNAs Inhibits Cutaneous Wound Healing

Chronic nonhealing wounds, such as venous ulcers (VUs), are a widespread and serious medical problem with high morbidity and mortality. The molecular pathology of VUs remains poorly understood, impeding the development of effective treatment strategies. Using mRNA expression profiling of VUs biopsies and computational analysis, we identified a candidate set of microRNAs with lowered target gene expression. Among these candidates, miR-16, -20a, -21, -106a -130a, and -203 were confirmed to be aberrantly overexpressed in a cohort study of 10 VU patients by quantitative PCR and in situ hybridizations. These microRNAs were predicted to target multiple genes important for wound healing, including early growth response factor 3, vinculin, and leptin receptor (LepR). Overexpression of the top up-regulated miRNAs, miR-21 and miR-130a, in primary human keratinocytes down-regulated expression of the endogenous LepR and early growth response factor 3. The luciferase reporter assay verified LepR as a direct target for miR-21 and miR-130a. Both miR-21 and miR-130a delayed epithelialization in an acute human skin wound model. Furthermore, in vivo overexpression of miR-21 inhibited epithelialization and granulation tissue formation in a rat wound model. Our results identify a novel mechanism in which overexpression of specific set of microRNAs inhibits wound healing, resulting in new potential molecular markers and targets for therapeutic intervention.     

A transgenic tropical maize line generated by the direct transformation of the embryo-scutellum by <Emphasis Type="Italic">A. tumefaciens</Emphasis>

An efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system, from which transgenic tropical maize plants were directly generated without previous crosses with laboratory or temperate lines, was established. Experimental evaluations were focused on two main issues: (i) establishment of appropriate tissue culture conditions, which induced somatic embryogenesis from the scutellum-cells, and (ii) the delivery of T-DNA toward these cells. High rates of embryogenic-calli, mainly generated from the embryo-scutellum, were obtained when 15 mg l⁻¹ AgNO₃ were included into the N6-based induction medium; rates up to 19 plants per gram were regenerated from these induced calli. Regarding the Agrobacterium strains evaluated for their transformation capability on the tropical maize line LPC13 used here, best results were obtained from the EHA105 cells when applied at OD_{550 nm} = 0.5–1.0. Physical microwounds before the Agro-infection proved to be an excellent way to promoting both the T-DNA transferring toward the embryo-scutellum and the increasing of rates of transient GUS expression. The highest frequencies of transient GUS expression corresponding to the scutellum-cells as well as the regeneration of whole transgenic plants emerged from them, were obtained using immature embryos wounded by bombarding at 80 lb/in² followed for vacuum infiltration before and during the Agro-infection, respectively, or using embryos wounded by 5 s-sonication (without vacuum infiltration) before the Agro-infection. Transformation frequencies up to 5.41% and 6.82% were obtained from the Agro-infected embryos wounded by particle-bombardment and sonication, respectively. Analyses of the progenies confirmed the sexual transmission of the introduced genes and their stable expression.     

miR-152-3p调控Notch1/DLL4通路对家兔深II度烧伤创面血管生成的影响

摘要 目的：探究微小核糖核酸（miR）-152-3p调控果蝇Notch同源物1（Notch1）/Delta样配体4（DLL4）通路对家兔深II度烧伤创面血管生成的影响。方法：将50只新西兰家兔随机分为对照组、模型组、miR-152-3p拮抗剂（antagomir）组、miR-152-3p antagomir阴性对照+空载组、miR-152-3p antagomir+Notch1敲低组,每组10只,除对照组外其余各组家兔构建深II度烧伤模型,分组给药处理后,实时荧光定量聚合酶链式反应（qRT-PCR）检测各组家兔创面组织miR-152-3p与Notch1、DLL4 mRNA表达;检测各组家兔创面愈合率及微循环血流灌注值（MPD）;免疫组织化学染色检测各组家兔创面微血管密度（MVD）;酶联免疫吸附反应（ELISA）检测各组家兔血清血管内皮细胞生长因子（VEGF）及促血管生成素1（Ang1）水平;免疫印迹检测各组家兔创面组织VEGF、Ang1与Notch1/DLL4通路蛋白表达;双荧光素酶报告基因实验检测兔脐静脉内皮细胞中miR-152-3p对Notch1及DLL4的靶向调节。结果：与对照组相比,模型组家兔创面组织miR-152-3p与Notch1、DLL4 mRNA表达升高（P<0.05）,创面MPD及MVD、血清VEGF及Ang1水平、创面组织VEGF与Ang1蛋白表达降低（P<0.05）。与模型组相比,miR-152-3p antagomir组家兔创面组织miR-152-3p mRNA表达降低（P<0.05）,创面愈合率、创面MPD及MVD、血清VEGF及Ang1水平、创面组织Notch1、DLL4 mRNA及蛋白表达、创面组织VEGF与Ang1蛋白表达升高（P<0.05）;miR-152-3p antagomir阴性对照+空载组家兔各指标无明显差异（P＞0.05）;与miR-152-3p antagomir组相比,miR-152-3p antagomir+Notch1敲低组家兔创面组织miR-152-3p mRNA表达无明显差异（P＞0.05）,创面愈合率、创面MPD及MVD、血清VEGF及Ang1水平、创面组织Notch1、DLL4 mRNA及蛋白表达、创面组织VEGF与Ang1蛋白表达降低（P<0.05）。miR-152-3p可靶向下调兔脐静脉内皮细胞中Notch1及DLL4的表达。结论：敲低miR-152-3p可通过上调Notch1/DLL4通路而增强家兔深II度烧伤创面血管生成,进而促进其创面愈合。     

Murine Model of Wound Healing

Wound healing and repair are the most complex biological processes that occur in human life. After injury, multiple biological pathways become activated. Impaired wound healing, which occurs in diabetic patients for example, can lead to severe unfavorable outcomes such as amputation. There is, therefore, an increasing impetus to develop novel agents that promote wound repair. The testing of these has been limited to large animal models such as swine, which are often impractical. Mice represent the ideal preclinical model, as they are economical and amenable to genetic manipulation, which allows for mechanistic investigation. However, wound healing in a mouse is fundamentally different to that of humans as it primarily occurs via contraction. Our murine model overcomes this by incorporating a splint around the wound. By splinting the wound, the repair process is then dependent on epithelialization, cellular proliferation and angiogenesis, which closely mirror the biological processes of human wound healing. Whilst requiring consistency and care, this murine model does not involve complicated surgical techniques and allows for the robust testing of promising agents that may, for example, promote angiogenesis or inhibit inflammation. Furthermore, each mouse acts as its own control as two wounds are prepared, enabling the application of both the test compound and the vehicle control on the same animal. In conclusion, we demonstrate a practical, easy-to-learn, and robust model of wound healing, which is comparable to that of humans.