Solely lung-involved IgG4-related disease : a case report and review of the literature.

By analyzing the clinical data of 1 case of IgG4-related lung disease(IgG4-RLD) and the review of literature, the author investigated the clinical characteristics of IgG4-RLD. IgG4-RLD is a rare disease characterized by significant elevation of serum IgG4 and infiltration of a large number of IgG4+ plasma cells. The clinical manifestations of the disease were nonspecific, and the imaging features were mixed with several types.

Single mammalian cell encapsulation by in situ polymerization.

Encapsulation of single mammalian cells with biocompatible and protective materials has important applications in biomedical and single-cell biology research. To date, single mammalian cells have generally been encapsulated by physical approaches including hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. However, the cytotoxicity of the used materials, short sustained period, and especially loose structure of the encapsulation layer have limited the application of the encapsulated cells.

Insight into the interactions between nanoparticles and cells.

Multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used in biomedical applications because of their versatile properties. The properties of NPs should be well designed and controlled according to various applications because they may directly affect the functions and performances of NPs in biological systems. Cellular uptake is a prerequisite for the success of NP-based biomedical applications.

Silencing SlGID2, a putative F-box protein gene, generates a dwarf plant and dark-green leaves in tomato.

In plant, F-box protein participates in various signal transduction systems and plays an important role in signaling pathways. Here, a putative F-box protein, namely SlGID2, was isolated from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Bioinformatics analyses suggested that SlGID2 shows high identity with F-box proteins from other plant species.

Rrp15 affects cell cycle, proliferation, and apoptosis in NIH3T3 cells.

Riken 2810430M08 (hereinafter referred to as Rrp15) is a newly identified and reported gene from the mouse genome. In our previous work, we found that the gene had a relationship with the proliferation and activation of T cells. Rrp15 protein is highly homologous with RRP15 (budding yeast), which has an important role in ribosomal RNA processing.

Morphological and Mechanical Properties of Osteosarcoma Microenvironment Cells Explored by Atomic Force Microscopy.

Cell mechanical properties that depend on cytoskeleton architecture are critical to the mechanotransduction process, and have great potential for cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this study, the morphological and mechanical properties of typical osteosarcoma microenvironment cells, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), normal human osteoblast cells (NHOst) and osteosarcoma cells (MG-63), were compared using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The MG-63 cells were smaller and thicker than the MSC and NHOst cells.

Preparation of gelatin/FeO composite scaffolds for enhanced and repeatable cancer cell ablation.

Various nanomaterials have been extensively investigated for photothermal ablation of cancer cells because of their high photothermal conversion efficiency. However, the poor targeting specificity and low repeated heating efficiency of nanomaterials restrict their applications in the clinic. In this work, porous gelatin/iron oxide (Gel/FeO) composite scaffolds were prepared by a facile ice particulate templating method for efficient and repeatable cancer cell ablation.

Effects of wall suction/blowing on two-dimensional flow past a confined square cylinder.

A numerical simulation is conducted to study the laminar flow past a square cylinder confined in a channel (the ratio of side length of the square to channel width is fixed at 1/4) subjected to a locally uniform blowing/suction speed placed at the top and bottom channel walls. Governing equations with boundary conditions are resolved using a finite volume method in pressure-velocity formulation. The flow patterns relevant to the critical spacing values are investigated.

3D Culture of Chondrocytes in Gelatin Hydrogels with Different Stiffness.

Gelatin hydrogels can mimic the microenvironments of natural tissues and encapsulate cells homogeneously, which makes them attractive for cartilage tissue engineering. Both the mechanical and biochemical properties of hydrogels can affect the phenotype of chondrocytes. However, the influence of each property on chondrocyte phenotype is unclear due to the difficulty in separating the roles of these properties.

Discriminating the Independent Influence of Cell Adhesion and Spreading Area on Stem Cell Fate Determination Using Micropatterned Surfaces.

Adhesion and spreading are essential processes of anchorage dependent cells involved in regulation of cell functions. Cells interact with their extracellular matrix (ECM) resulting in different degree of adhesion and spreading. However, it is not clear whether cell adhesion or cell spreading is more important for cell functions.

[APPLICATION OF DIRECT LATERAL INTERBODY FUSION FOR LUMBAR DEGENERATIVE DISEASES].

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of direct lateral interbody fusion (DLIF) for lumbar degenerative diseases.

Methods: A retrospective study was done on 25 cases of lumbar degenerative diseases treated with DLIF between May 2013 and May 2014. There were 15 males and 10 females with an average age of 61.

TCF7L2 involvement in estradiol- and progesterone-modulated islet and hepatic glucose homeostasis.

To evaluate the role of TCF7L2, a key regulator of glucose homeostasis, in estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4)-modulated glucose metabolism, mouse insulinoma cells (MIN6) and human liver cancer cells (hepG2 and HUH7) were treated with physiological concentrations of E2 or P4 in the up- and down-regulation of TCF7L2. Insulin/proinsulin secretion was measured in MIN6 cells, while glucose uptake and production were evaluated in liver cancer cells. E2 increased insulin/proinsulin secretion under both basal and stimulated conditions, whereas P4 increased insulin/proinsulin secretion only under glucose-stimulated conditions.

Evaluation of Distal Hemodynamic Changes of Lower Extremity after Endovascular Treatment: Correlation between Measurements of Color-Coded Quantitative Digital Subtraction Angiography and Ankle-Brachial Index.

Purpose: To confirm the feasibility of using time-to-peak (TTP) measurements derived from color-coded digital subtraction angiography (ccDSA) imaging to assess improvements in distal circulation in relation to the ankle-brachial index (ABI).

Materials And Methods: Nineteen patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and/or stent placement (in 20 lower extremities) were evaluated. A region of interest (ROI) at the proximal superficial femoral artery (SFA) was selected for a reference TTP for quantitative assessments.

Influence of cell size on cellular uptake of gold nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have shown great potential for biomedical applications because of their unique physical and structural properties. A critical aspect for their clinical applications is cellular uptake that depends on both particle properties and the cell mechanical state. Despite the numerous studies trying to disclose the influencing factors, the role of cell size on cellular uptake remains unclear.

Overexpression of SlUPA-like induces cell enlargement, aberrant development and low stress tolerance through phytohormonal pathway in tomato.

upa20 induces cell enlargement and hypertrophy development. In our research, overexpression of SlUPA-like, orthologous to upa20, severely affected the growth of vegetative and reproductive tissues. Wilted leaves curled upwardly and sterile flowers were found in transgenic lines.

Gold nanoparticle size and shape influence on osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been extensively explored for biomedical applications due to their advantages of facile synthesis and surface functionalization. Previous studies have suggested that AuNPs can induce differentiation of stem cells into osteoblasts. However, how the size and shape of AuNPs affect the differentiation response of stem cells has not been elucidated.

Anthocyanins and flavonols are responsible for purple color of Lablab purpureus (L.) sweet pods.

Lablab pods, as dietary vegetable, have high nutritional values similar to most of edible legumes. Moreover, our studies confirmed that purple lablab pods contain the natural pigments of anthocyanins and flavonols. Compared to green pods, five kinds of anthocyanins (malvidin, delphinidin and petunidin derivatives) were found in purple pods by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and the major contents were delphinidin derivatives.

Cold stress improves the production of artemisinin depending on the increase in endogenous jasmonate.

Previous publications reported that the artemisinin level was increased in Artemisia annua following a night-frost period. However, the molecular mechanism was not clear. In this study, we found that exogenous jasmonate (JA) effectively enhanced the freezing tolerance of A.

[Phylogenetic Analysis of the VP1 Region of Coxsackievirus A16 Strains Isolated in Anhui Province, 2014].

To study on the phylogenetic characterization of the VP1 genes of coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) causing hand-food-mouth disease (HFMD) isolated from Anhui province in 2014. A total of 413 throat swab specimens from HFMD patients were collected during January to November, 2014 for the isolation and identification of enteroviruses using real-time RT-PCR assays. The VP1 regions of CVA16 isolates were amplified using RT-PCR and sequenced.

Matrices secreted during simultaneous osteogenesis and adipogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells affect stem cells differentiation.

Unlabelled: The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a pivotal role in regulating stem cell functions. The ECM dynamically changes during tissue development. It remains a great challenge to mimic the dynamically changing ECM.

The tomato floral homeotic protein FBP1-like gene, SlGLO1, plays key roles in petal and stamen development.

MADS-box transcription factors play important role in plant growth and development, especially floral organ identities. In our study, a MADS-box gene SlGLO1- tomato floral homeotic protein FBP1-like gene was isolated. Its tissue-specific expression profile analysis showed that SlGLO1 was highly expressed in petals and stamens.

Decellularized Extracellular Matrix as an In Vitro Model to Study the Comprehensive Roles of the ECM in Stem Cell Differentiation.

Stem cells are a promising cell source for regenerative medicine. Stem cell differentiation must be regulated for applications in regenerative medicine. Stem cells are surrounded by extracellular matrix (ECM) in vivo.

Regulating the stemness of mesenchymal stem cells by tuning micropattern features.

There is increasing evidence that microstructures play an important role in the maintenance of the multipotency of stem cells. However, it is not clear how micropatterns affect the stemness of stem cells. We prepared micropatterns of different sizes, shapes and aspect ratios and used them for the culture of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from human bone marrow to investigate their influence on the stemness of MSCs at the single cell level.

Gelatin Scaffolds with Controlled Pore Structure and Mechanical Property for Cartilage Tissue Engineering.

Engineering of cartilage tissue in vitro using porous scaffolds and chondrocytes provides a promising approach for cartilage repair. However, nonuniform cell distribution and heterogeneous tissue formation together with weak mechanical property of in vitro engineered cartilage limit their clinical application. In this study, gelatin porous scaffolds with homogeneous and open pores were prepared using ice particulates and freeze-drying.

Fabrication of multi-biofunctional gelatin-based electrospun fibrous scaffolds for enhancement of osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells.

Biofunctional scaffolds that support the adhesion, proliferation, and osteo-differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are critical for bone tissue engineering. In this study, a simple in situ UV-crosslinking strategy was utilized to fabricate gelatin electrospun fibrous (GEF) scaffolds with multiple biosignals, including cell adhesive Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide, osteo-conductive hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles, and osteo-inductive bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2). The adhesion and proliferation of MSCs on the GEF scaffolds were improved by the incorporation of RGD.