Early diagnosis of neural impairment in seropositive leprosy household contacts: The experience of a reference center in Brazil.

Introduction: Leprosy is an infectious disease that remains with a high number of new cases in developing countries. Household contacts have a higher risk for the development of the disease, but the neural impairment in this group is not well elucidated yet. Here, we measured the chance of occurrence of peripheral neural impairment in asymptomatic leprosy household.

Transcription factor SOX3 upregulated pro-apoptotic genes expression in human breast cancer.

Background: Sex-determining region Y-box 3 (SOX3) protein, a SOX transcriptions factors group, has been identified as a key regulator in several diseases, including cancer. Downregulation of transcriptions factors in invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) can interfere in neoplasia development, increasing its aggressiveness. We investigated SOX3 protein expression and its correlation with apoptosis in the MDA-MB-231 cell line, as SOX3 and Pro-Caspase-3 immunoexpression in paraffin-embedded invasive ductal carcinoma tissue samples from patients (n = 27).

Clinical correlation of apoptosis in human granulosa cells-A review.

The quality of oocytes depends on interactions with surrounding granulosa cells. Granulosa cells are essential in normal follicular maturation process since they produce steroidal hormones and growth factors, and they play a crucial role in follicular atresia. The success in reproductive biology and medicine depends on reliable assessment of oocyte and embryo viability which presently mainly bases on oocyte and embryo morphology.

LepR+ cells dispute hegemony with Gli1+ cells in bone marrow fibrosis.

Bone marrow fibrosis is a reactive process, and a central pathological feature of primary myelofibrosis. Revealing the origin of fibroblastic cells in the bone marrow is crucial, as these cells are considered an ideal, and essential target for anti-fibrotic therapy. In 2 recent studies, Decker et al.

Endothelial Cells as Precursors for Osteoblasts in the Metastatic Prostate Cancer Bone.

Prostate cancer cells metastasize to the bones, causing ectopic bone formation, which results in fractures and pain. The cellular mechanisms underlying new bone production are unknown. In a recent study, Lin and colleagues, by using state-of-the-art techniques, including prostate cancer mouse models in combination with sophisticated in vivo lineage-tracing technologies, revealed that endothelial cells form osteoblasts induced by prostate cancer metastasis in the bone.

Identity of Gli1 cells in the bone marrow.

Bone marrow fibrosis is a critical component of primary myelofibrosis in which normal bone marrow tissue and blood-forming cells are gradually replaced with scar tissue. The specific cellular and molecular mechanisms that cause bone marrow fibrosis are not understood. A recent study using state-of-the-art techniques, including in vivo lineage tracing, provides evidence that Gli1 cells are the cells responsible for fibrotic disease in the bone marrow.

Lung as a Niche for Hematopoietic Progenitors.

Platelets are released from megakaryocytes. The bone marrow has been proposed to be the major site where this process occurs. Lefrançais et al.

How Plastic Are Pericytes?

Pericytes are defined by both their anatomical location and molecular markers. Numerous publications have reported their role as stem cells, contributing to the formation of tissues other than blood vessels. However, using cell-lineage tracing in a new transgenic mouse model, a recent study shows that in the context of aging and some pathologies, Tbx18+ pericytes do not function as stem cells in vivo.

Pericytes are heterogeneous in their origin within the same tissue.

Pericytes heterogeneity is based on their morphology, distribution, and markers. It is well known that pericytes from different organs may have distinct embryonic sources. Yamazaki et al.