The efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in Asian patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis: A Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor.

Objective: This study assessed tofacitinib efficacy and safety vs placebo in Asian patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis.

Methods: Patients from China mainland, Taiwan, and Korea were randomized 2:2:1:1 to tofacitinib 5mg (N=88), tofacitinib 10mg (N=90), placebo→5mg (N=44), or placebo→10mg (N=44), twice daily (BID) for 52 weeks.

Detection of Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaques in Experimental Atherosclerosis with the USPIO-Enhanced MRI.

This study's goal was to assess the diagnostic value of the USPIO-(ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide) enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detection of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques in abdominal aorta in experimental atherosclerosis. Thirty New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into two groups, Group A and Group B. Each group comprised 15 animals which were fed with high cholesterol diet for 8 weeks and then subjected to balloon-induced endothelial injury of the abdominal aorta.

Efficiently tracking of stem cells in vivo using different kinds of superparamagnetic iron oxide in swine with myocardial infarction.

Background: Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles have shown much promise as a means to visualize labeled cells using molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Micrometer-sized superparamagnetic iron oxide (MPIO) particles and nanometer-sized ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) are two kinds of SPIO widely used for monitoring stem cells migration. Here we compare the efficiency of two kinds of SPIO during the use of stem cells to treat acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Detection of quantitative trait loci affecting haematological traits in swine via genome scanning.

Background: Haematological traits, which consist of mainly three components: leukocyte traits, erythrocyte traits and platelet traits, play extremely important role in animal immune function and disease resistance. But knowledge of the genetic background controlling variability of these traits is very limited, especially in swine.

Results: In the present study, 18 haematological traits (7 leukocyte traits, 7 erythrocyte traits and 4 platelet traits) were measured in a pig resource population consisting of 368 purebred piglets of three breeds (Landrace, Large White and Songliao Black Pig), after inoculation with the swine fever vaccine when the pigs were 21 days old.

[Effects of autologous mesenchymal stem cells transfected with heme oxygenase-1 gene transplantation on ischemic Swine hearts].

Objective: To observe the effect of intracoronary transfer of autologous HO-1 overexpressed MSCs in porcine model of myocardial ischemia (1 h)/reperfusion.

Methods: Apoptosis was assayed and cytokine concentrations in supernatant were measured in cells exposed to hypoxia-reoxygen in vitro. In vivo, Chinese male mini-pigs were allocated to the following treatment groups: control group (saline), MSCs group (MSCs), MSCs transfected with pcDNA3.

[Therapeutic effects of magnetically labeled mononuclear and mesenchymal stem cells transplantation in a swine myocardial infarction model assessed by magnetic resonance imaging].

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of magnetically labeled mononuclear stem cells (MR-MNC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MR-MSC) transplantation in a swine acute myocardial infarction (AMI) model by MR imaging.

Methods: AMI model was established in swines by balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery, 10(7) autologous MR-MSC (n = 7), MR-MNC (n = 6) or PBS (n = 6) were delivered via intracoronary infusion within 1 week after AMI [(4.8 +/- 1.

Transplantation of magnetically labeled mesenchymal stem cells improves cardiac function in a swine myocardial infarction model.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation provides a new approach for myocardial repair. However, many important fundamental questions about MSCs transplantation remain unanswered. There is an urgent need to identify MSCs from the beating heart and analyze the efficacy of this new approach.

Identification and differentiation of magnetically labeled mesenchymal stem cells in vivo in swines with myocardial infarction.

We aim to track mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) after magnetically labeling and test the ability of these cells differentiate into cardiomyocytes in vivo. Therefore, 20 swines were divided into four groups, sham-operated group (n=3); acute myocardial infarction (AMI) transplanted with PBS (n=3); labeled MSCs (n=7) and unlabeled MSCs (n=7) group. 10(7) labeled or unlabeled cells were intracoronary delivered after MI (4.

[MR imaging of injected magnetically labeled stem cells in myocardial infarction: experiment with pigs].

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in tracking bone marrow derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles.

Methods: BM-MNCs were isolated from the bone marrow of 14 pigs. These 14 pigs underwent occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) to establish myocardial infarction (MI) models and then randomly divided into 2 groups: experimental group (n = 9) to be injected with BM-MNCs labeled with SPIO intracoronarily under X-ray fluoroscopy, and control group (n = 5), to be injected with unlabelled BM-MNCs MRI was performed with a 1.

[Expression of human HSF in E. coli and its effects on mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells in rhesus monkeys].

Objective: To study the expression of hHSF in E. coli and its effect on the mobilization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells.

Methods: The hHSF gene was obtained by overlapping PCR and cloned into the vector pET30a to yield pET30a-hHSF, which was transformed into E.