Validation of the Alzheimer's disease-resemblance atrophy index in classifying and predicting progression in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Automated tools for characterising dementia risk have the potential to aid in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we examined a novel machine learning-based brain atrophy marker, the AD-resemblance atrophy index (AD-RAI), to assess its test-retest reliability and further validate its use in disease classification and prediction.

Methods: Age- and sex-matched 44 probable AD (Age: 69.

Screening high-quality fetal bovine serum for porcine oocyte maturation in vitro.

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is widely used in cell cultures due to its high stability and easy access. It was also used as a substitute for porcine follicular fluid (PFF) in previous studies. However, FBS components are unclear, and the presence of FBS in culture media may introduce a variation from batch to batch.

Icaritin enhances mESC self-renewal through upregulating core pluripotency transcription factors mediated by ERα.

Utilization of small molecules in modulation of stem cell self-renewal is a promising approach to expand stem cells for regenerative therapy. Here, we identify Icaritin, a phytoestrogen molecule enhances self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Icaritin increases mESCs proliferation while maintains their self-renewal capacity in vitro and pluripotency in vivo.

Enhanced Hematopoietic Stem Cell Self-Renewal-Promoting Ability of Clonal Primary Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem cells Versus Their Osteogenic Progeny.

Long-term self-renewing hematopoietic stem cell (LT-HSC) homeostasis within the bone marrow (BM) of adult mammals is regulated by complex interactions between LT-HSC and a number of niche-associated cell types including mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC), osteoblasts (OB), macrophage, and neuronal cells in close proximity with the vasculature. Here, we cloned and functionally characterized a murine BM MSC subpopulation that was uniformly Nestin Lepr Sca-1 CD146 and could be stably propagated with high colony-forming unit fibroblast re-cloning efficiency. MSC synergized with SCF and IL-11 to support a 20-fold expansion in true LT-HSC after 10-days of in vitro coculture.

Flavonoid Compound Icariin Activates Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α in Chondrocytes and Promotes Articular Cartilage Repair.

Articular cartilage has poor capability for repair following trauma or degenerative pathology due to avascular property, low cell density and migratory ability. Discovery of novel therapeutic approaches for articular cartilage repair remains a significant clinical need. Hypoxia is a hallmark for cartilage development and pathology.

EPO promotes bone repair through enhanced cartilaginous callus formation and angiogenesis.

Erythropoietin (EPO)/erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) signaling is involved in the development and regeneration of several non-hematopoietic tissues including the skeleton. EPO is identified as a downstream target of the hypoxia inducible factor-α (HIF-α) pathway. It is shown that EPO exerts a positive role in bone repair, however, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

Insulin exerts direct, IGF-1 independent actions in growth plate chondrocytes.

Insufficient insulin production or action in diabetic states is associated with growth retardation and impaired bone healing, while the underling mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we sought to define the role of insulin signaling in the growth plate. Insulin treatment of embryonic metatarsal bones from wild-type mice increased chondrocyte proliferation.

Concise review: multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells in blood.

Peripheral blood-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells circulate in low number. They share, most although not all, of the surface markers with bone marrow-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells, possess diverse and complicated gene expression characteristics, and are capable of differentiating along and even beyond mesenchymal lineages. Although their origin and physio-pathological function are still unclear, their presence in the adult peripheral blood might relate to some interesting but controversial subjects in the field of adult stem cell biology, such as systemic migration of bone marrow-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells and the existence of common hematopoietic-mesenchymal precursors.

Allogenic peripheral blood derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) enhance bone regeneration in rabbit ulna critical-sized bone defect model.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were demonstrated to exist within peripheral blood (PB) of several mammalian species including human, guinea pig, mice, rat, and rabbit. Whether or not the PB derived MSCs (PBMSCs) could enhance the regeneration of large bone defects have not been reported. In this study, rabbit MSCs were obtained from mononuclear cells (MNCs) cultures of both the PB and bone marrow (BM) origin.

Osteoclastogenesis in the nonadherent cell population of human bone marrow is inhibited by rhBMP-2 alone or together with rhVEGF.

During bone development and repair, angiogenesis, osteogenesis, and bone remodeling are closely associated processes that share some common mediators. In the present study nonadherent human bone marrow mononuclear cells under the induction of sRANKL and M-CSF, differentiated into osteoclasts with TRAP-positive staining, VNR expression, and Ca-P resorptive activity. The effects of various combinations of rhBMP-2 (0, 3, 30, and 300 ng/mL) and rhVEGF (0 and 25 ng/mL) on osteoclastogenesis potentials were examined in this experimental system.

Nonadherent cell population of human marrow culture is a complementary source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

To obtain enough quantity of osteogenic cells is a challenge for successful cell therapy in bone defect treatment, and cell numbers were usually achieved by culturing bone marrow cells in a relatively long duration. This study reports a simple and cost-effective method to enhance the number of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by collecting and replating the nonadherent cell population of marrow MSCs culture. Bone marrow MSCs were isolated from 11 patients, cultured at a density of 1 x 10(5)/cm(2) to 1 x 10(6)/cm(2) in flasks.