Enzyme-Cleaved Bone Marrow Transplantation Improves the Engraftment of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is a promising approach to curing bone diseases and disorders. In treating genetic bone disorders, MSC therapy is local or systemic transplantation of isolated and in vitro proliferated MSC rather than bone marrow transplantation. Recent evidence showed that bone marrow MSC engraftment to bone regeneration has been controversial in animal and human studies.

Polymeric Materials, Advances and Applications in Tissue Engineering: A Review.

Tissue Engineering (TE) is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses materials science in combination with biological and engineering sciences. In recent years, an increase in the demand for therapeutic strategies for improving quality of life has necessitated innovative approaches to designing intelligent biomaterials aimed at the regeneration of tissues and organs. Polymeric porous scaffolds play a critical role in TE strategies for providing a favorable environment for tissue restoration and establishing the interaction of the biomaterial with cells and inducing substances.

Chronic Stress Induces Type 2b Skeletal Muscle Atrophy via the Inhibition of mTORC1 Signaling in Mice.

Chronic stress induces psychological and physiological changes that may have negative sequelae for health and well-being. In this study, the skeletal muscles of male C57BL/6 mice subjected to repetitive water-immersion restraint stress to model chronic stress were examined. In chronically stressed mice, serum corticosterone levels significantly increased, whereas thymus volume and bone mineral density decreased.

Significance of cancer stroma for bone destruction in oral squamous cell carcinoma using different cancer stroma subtypes.

Stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) can regulate the progression of numerous types of cancer; however, the bone invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has been poorly investigated. In the present study, the effect of verrucous SCC‑associated stromal cells (VSCC‑SCs), SCC‑associated stromal cells (SCC‑SCs) and human dermal fibroblasts on bone resorption and the activation of HSC‑3 osteoclasts were examined by hematoxylin and eosin, AE1/3 (pan‑cytokeratin) and tartrate‑resistant acid phosphatase staining. In addition, the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)9, membrane‑type 1 MMP (MT1‑MMP), Snail, receptor activator of NF‑κB ligand (RANKL) and parathyroid hormone‑related peptide (PTHrP) in the bone invasion regions of HSC‑3 cells were examined by immunohistochemistry.

Preparation of Absorption-Resistant Hard Tissue Using Dental Pulp-Derived Cells and Honeycomb Tricalcium Phosphate.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the treatment of bone defects using undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in vivo. Recently, dental pulp has been proposed as a promising source of pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can be used in various clinical applications. Dentin is the hard tissue that makes up teeth, and has the same composition and strength as bone.

Geometrical Structure of Honeycomb TCP to Control Dental Pulp-Derived Cell Differentiation.

Recently, dental pulp has been attracting attention as a promising source of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for various clinical applications of regeneration fields. To date, we have succeeded in establishing rat dental pulp-derived cells showing the characteristics of odontoblasts under in vitro conditions. We named them Tooth matrix-forming, GFP rat-derived Cells (TGC).

Involvement of miR-140-3p in Wnt3a and TGFβ3 signaling pathways during osteoblast differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells.

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling and TGFβ signaling pathways play a key role in osteoblast differentiation. The miRNAs play important roles in regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level through fine-tuning of protein-encoding gene expression. However, involvement of miRNAs is not established for Wnt3a and TGFβ signaling pathways in osteoblast differentiation.

Effect of vitamin K2 on the development of stress-induced osteopenia in a growing senescence-accelerated mouse prone 6 strain.

Vitamin K2 (VK2) has been used as a therapeutic agent for osteoporosis, since it has been suggested to be able to reduce the frequency of fractures by improving bone quality; however, bone turnover is strictly regulated by various cytokines and hormones. In the present study, the effect of menaquinone-4 (MK-4) on bone turnover was investigated using the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 6 (SAMP6) strain. Since water-immersion restraint stress (WRS) causes a significant decrease in bone mineral density (BMD), WRS was used as the bone resorption model in the SAMP6 strain.

Does methamphetamine affect bone metabolism?

There is a close relationship between the central nervous system activity and bone metabolism. Therefore, methamphetamine (METH), which stimulates the central nervous system, is expected to affect bone turnover. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of METH in bone metabolism.

Alterations in bone turnover by isoflavone aglycone supplementation in relation to estrogen receptor α polymorphism.

Soybean isoflavones have structural similarity to estrogen and have attracted much attention due to their prevention of postmenopausal symptoms. It is critical for women to maintain a high bone mineral density (BMD) prior to menopause to prevent osteoporosis. In the present study, the effect of isoflavone aglycone (IA) supplementation on bone turnover was examined in relation to the estrogen receptor α (ERα) polymorphism.

Association between estrogen receptor alpha polymorphisms and equol production, and its relation to bone mass.

To investigate the relationship between estrogen receptor polymorphisms and equol production and its effect on bone turnover, 139 workers (mean age 38.3+/-11.1 years) in Japan were recruited.

17beta-Estradiol inhibits chondrogenesis in the skull development of zebrafish embryos.

17beta-Estradiol (E2) plays important roles in the development and differentiation of the gonad and central nervous systems, but little is known regarding the effects of exogenous E2 on chondrogenesis in skeletal development. In the present study, we found that treatment with E2 1-5 days post-fertilization (dpf) at concentrations above 1.5x10(-5)M increased the mortality rate in zebrafish embryos.

5HTT polymorphisms are associated with job stress in Japanese workers.

Recently, the number of workers who suffer from job stress was increasing in Japan because of a prolonged recession, increasing number of elderly workers, and structural reorganization of companies. On the other hand, polymorphism associated with depression or alcoholism was detected. Relationship between job stress and these polymorphisms were investigated.

Association between serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms and depressed mood caused by job stress in Japanese workers.

To estimate the genetic factors influencing depressed mood caused by job stress, a total of 243 employees at a manufacturing company and a local hospital in Japan (mean age 40.8+/-10.3 years) were recruited with informed consent.

Immunohistochemical distribution of cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptors in the mouse central nervous system: comparison with that of cation-independent mannose 6-phophate receptors.

Most mammalian cells express two types of mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) receptors (MPRs), which are involved in the sorting of lysosomal enzymes within the cells. They are referred to as cation-dependent (CD-) MPR and cation-independent (CI-) MPR/insulin-like growth factor II receptor (IGF-IIR), based on their divalent cation requirements and the ability to bind IGF-II. The complementary actions of these two related but distinct MPRs in the sorting function suggest that they have different immunohistochemical distributions.

Menaquinone-7 regulates the expressions of osteocalcin, OPG, RANKL and RANK in osteoblastic MC3T3E1 cells.

Epidemiological studies show that dietary intake of natto, which contains significant amount of vitamin K(2), reduces the risk of bone formation loss. However, many confounding factors, such as calcium and isoflavone, are found in natto, because it is made from soybeans. In this study, the direct effects of MK-7, a vitamin K(2) analogue, were assessed in osteoblasts.

Expression of insulin-like growth factors in remyelination following ethidium bromide-induced demyelination in the mouse spinal cord.

Insulin-like growth factors, IGF-I and IGF-II, play important roles in development and myelination in the CNS, but little is known about the response of IGF after demyelination. The present study investigated the expression of IGF and their cognitive receptors in the process of remyelination following ethidium bromide (EBr)-induced demyelination in the adult mouse spinal cord. The present results, in a quantitative real-time PCR, showed significant increases in the levels of the mRNA for both IGF-I and IGF-II during both the demyelination and remyelination stages.

The reaction of glial progenitor cells in remyelination following ethidium bromide-induced demyelination in the mouse spinal cord.

The present study investigated how glial progenitor cells participated in the process of remyelination following ethidium bromide (EBr)-induced demyelination in the adult mouse spinal cord. In situ hybridization techniques for detecting mRNA for platelet-derived growth factor alpha receptor (PDGFalphaR) and proteolipid protein (PLP) were employed to identify glial progenitor cells and mature oligodendrocytes, respectively. During the demyelination stage and early stage of remyelination, large cells strongly expressing PDGFalphaR mRNA were observed in the border of the demyelinating lesion, and with immunohistochemistry they exhibited positive labeling of the astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).