CEBPB/POU2F2 modulates endothelin 1 expression in prehypertensive SHR vascular smooth muscle cells.

The pathogenesis of hypertension is not fully understood; endothelin 1 (EDN1) is involved in developing essential hypertension. EDN1 can promote vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation or hypertrophy through autocrine and paracrine effects. Proliferating smooth muscle cells in the aorta are 'dedifferentiated' cells that cause increased arterial stiffness and remodeling.

Perceptions of the CanMEDS Competencies of Faculty and Students in Different Curriculum Systems of a Medical School in China.

Introduction: The Ottawa-Shanghai Joint School of Medicine (OSJSM) has adopted the uOttawa's undergraduate medical education (UGME) program vertically integrated (VI) curriculum.However, limited information is available regarding whether the VI and non-VI curricula foster different perspectives on necessary competencies.

Methods: This study included 167 undergraduate medical students and 142 faculty members from different curricula at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

Search for clinical predictors of good glycemic control in patients starting or intensifying oral hypoglycemic pharmacological therapy: A multicenter prospective cohort study.

Aims: Our aim was to search for clinical predictors of good glycemic control in patients starting or intensifying oral hypoglycemic pharmacological therapy.

Methods: A multicenter, prospective cohort of 499 diabetic subjects was enrolled in this study: patients with newly diagnosed diabetes (NDM group) or poor glycemic control with oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) (PDM group). All subjects then started or intensified OADs therapy and followed up for 91 days.

The Characteristics of Human Resources and Related Research Activities among Basic Stem Cell Research Groups in China.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of faculty and research activities of basic stem cell research groups in China.

Methods: A questionnaire was administered to persons who knew the information among 46 basic stem cell research groups in China. Multiple linear regression models and repeated-measures analyses of variance were used.

The declined levels of inflammatory cytokines related with weaning rate during period of septic patients using ventilators.

Introduction: Approximately 50% of patients with sepsis-induced acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome require mechanical ventilation. Patients with extended mechanical ventilator use routinely develop reinfections, which increases hospital stay, mortality, and health care cost. Some studies have pointed out inflammatory factors concentrations can affect ventilator weaning, but do not indicate changed inflammatory factors related to ventilator weaning during using ventilators.

p53 acts as a co-repressor to regulate keratin 14 expression during epidermal cell differentiation.

During epidermal cell differentiation, keratin 14 (K14) expression is down-regulated, p53 expression varies, and the expression of the p53 target genes, p21 and 14-3-3σ, increases. These trends suggest that the relative transcriptional activity of p53 is increased during epidermal cell differentiation. To determine the relationship between K14 and p53, we constructed K14 promoters of various sizes and found that wild-type p53 could repress the promoter activity of all of the K14 promoter constructs in H1299 cells.

A half-site of the p53-binding site on the keratin 14 promoter is specifically activated by p63.

Three members of p53 family, p53, p63 and p73, can transactivate their specific target genes through a p53 consensus sequence-binding motif which consists with direct repeats of PuPuPuC(T/A)(T/A)GPyPyPy as a whole-site of p53-binding site. p63, an epidermal stem cells marker, can regulate epidermal development and differentiation, but p53 has no similar biological activity. One isoform of p63, TAp63α, can active an epidermal basal cell marker, keratin 14.

Functional four-base A/T gap core sequence CATTAG of P53 response elements specifically bound tetrameric P53 differently than two-base A/T gap core sequence CATG bound both dimeric and tetrameric P53.

The consensus sequence of p53 is repeated half sites of PuPuPuC(A/T)(A/T)GPyPyPy. GtAGCAttAGCCCAGACATGTCC is a 14-3-3sigma promoter p53 regulation site; the first core sequence is CAttAG, and the second is CATG. Both mutants GtAGgAttAGCCCAGACATGTCC and GtAGCAttAGCCCAGACATcTCC can be activated by p53 as a 1.

A method for quantifying melanosome transfer efficacy from melanocytes to keratinocytes in vitro.

Several different in vivo and in vitro bioassays are used to evaluate melanosome transfer efficacy from melanocytes to keratinocytes. However, these methods are complicated and time consuming. Here, we report on a simple, rapid, direct, and reliable in vitro method for observing the process of melanosome transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes.

Autocrine effects of endothelin on in vitro proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats.

According to previous studies, endothelin-1 (ET-1) is the most potent growth factor in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). To evaluate if the dominant effect of ET-1-induced VSMC proliferation is achieved by autocrine regulation, aortic smooth muscle cells from four-week-old SHR and WKY (Wistar-Kyoto) rats were cultured in 24-well dishes, and the effects of ET-1 on VSMC proliferation were determined by (a) 3H-thymidine incorporation assays with different ET-1 blocking treatments, including a specific anti-ET-1 antibody; BQ-123, an ETA receptor blocker; and BQ-788, an ETB receptor blocker; and (b) examining the ET-1 blockade on the effects of treatment with other growth factors, including thrombin and angiotension II (AT-II). These results demonstrated that the anti-ET-1 antibody, BQ-123, BQ-788, and BQ-123 plus BQ-788 all caused dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation.

Coculture of vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The effect of endothelium-released vasoactive factors on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation was studied in a coculture system. Isolated aortic endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells from 4-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were cocultured. After coculture, the VSMC proliferation rate was examined by 3H-thymidine incorporation assay and the levels of the vasoactive factors in medium were determined by enzyme immunoassay (EIA).

The Presence of Intramitochondrial Yolk-crystals in Oocytes of Hypophysectomized Bullfrog Tadpoles*: (intramitochondrial yolk-crystal/tadpole oocyte (Rana)/hypophysectomized tadpole).

Ovaries of hypophysectomized Rana catesbeiana tadpoles. weighing I to 14 g, were prepared for electron microscopic study. The oocytes are at the growth phase, ranging from 50 to 190 μm in diameter.