Adipocyte-secreted microvesicle-derived miR-148a regulates adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation by targeting Wnt5a/Ror2 pathway.

Aims: Adipocyte-secreted microvesicles (MVs)-derived microRNAs (miRNAs) are relevant to adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Our aims are to investigate the mechanism of adipocyte-derived MVs-miR-148a in ONFH.

Materials And Methods: Adipocyte-derived MVs were identified via transmission electron microscopy and specific markers expression.

Water sources of dominant species in three alpine ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau, China.

Plant water sources were estimated by two or three compartment linear mixing models using hydrogen and oxygen isotope (deltaD and delta18O) values of different components such as plant xylem water, precipitation and river water as well as soil water on the Tibetan Plateau in the summer of 2005. Four dominant species (Quercus aquifolioides, Pinus tabulaeformis, Salix rehderiana and Nitraria tangutorum) in three typical ecosystems (forest, shrub and desert) were investigated in this study. Stable isotope ratios of the summer precipitations and the soil water presented variations in spatial and temporal scales.

Anti-apoptotic effect of insulin in the control of cell death and neurologic deficit after acute spinal cord injury in rats.

Recent studies confirmed that the new cell survival signal pathway of Insulin-PI3K-Akt exerted cyto-protective actions involving anti-apoptosis. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential neuroprotective effects of insulin in the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury (SCI) and evaluate its therapeutic effects in adult rats. SCI was produced by extradural compression using modified Allen's stall with damage energy of 40 g-cm force.

Interleukin-6 protects annulus fibrosus cell from apoptosis induced by interleukin-1 beta in vitro.

Objective: To investigate the effect of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on the apoptosis of annulus fibrosus (AF) cell induced by interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta).

Methods: Cultured AF cells were divided into 6 groups and treated with no drug, 10 ng/mL IL-6, 10 ng/mL IL-1beta, 10 ng/mL IL-1beta and Z-VAD-FMK (a caspase-9 inhibitor), 10 ng/mL IL-1beta and 10 ng/mL IL-6, 10 ng/mL IL-1beta and 100 ng/mL IL-6, respectively. After three days of culture, the apoptosis rate, the positive rates of caspase-3, -8, and -9 of AF cells were detected with flow cytometry.

Effects of basic fibroblast growth factor on biological characteristics of osteoblasts.

Objective: To elucidate the effects of exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on biological characteristics of rat osteoblasts cultured in vitro.

Methods: The osteoblasts isolated from a Sprague-Dawley rat and cultured in vitro were treated with different concentrations of bFGF (5-50 ng/ml) respectively. At 24 hours after treatment, the proliferating cell nuclear antigen was measured with immunocytochemistry, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was determined and the expression of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta(1)) was detected to observe the effects of bFGF on growth and differentiation of osteoblasts.

[Study of rat osteoblasts transfected by transforming growth factor-beta 1 gene].

Objective: To investigate the effect of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) gene transfer on the biological characteristics of osteoblasts.

Methods: The expression of TGF-beta 1 in the transfected osteoblasts was detected by in situ hybridization and assay of TGF-beta 1 activity in the supernatant (mink lung epithelium cell growth-inhibition test). The effects of gene transfer and supernatant of the transfected osteoblasts on the proliferation and alkaline phosphatase(ALP) activity of osteoblasts were detected by 3H-TdR and MTT.