Chemically modified electrospun silica nanofibers for promoting growth and differentiation of neural stem cells.

In this study, pure silica nanofibers (SNFs) were fabricated by the electrospinning technique. Subsequently, the as-prepared SNFs were modified with (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTS) for applications in neural tissue engineering. The structure and properties of the as-prepared SNFs and the modified SNFs (SNF-APxM, x = 1-3) were evaluated with FTIR, TGA, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, and SEM.

Correlation between the overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor and mesenchymal makers in endometrial carcinoma.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on the expression of epithelial cell markers (E-cadherin and α-catenin) and mesenchymal cell markers (N-cadherin and vimentin) in endometrial carcinoma.

Methods: The expression of all 4 markers was evaluated in EGFR overexpressing Ishikawa cells, control Ishikawa cells, and KLE cells using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. The expression of these 4 markers was also determined in cancerous tissues of patients with endometrial carcinoma using immunohistochemical staining.

[Effect of electroacupuncture of "Chize" (LU 5) and "Shangjuxu" (ST 37) on mesenteric microcirculation and vasoactive intestinal peptide levels in the lung, colon and hypothalamus in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases].

Objective: To observe the influence of electroacupuncture (EA) of "Chize" (LU 5, He-sea acupoint) and "Shangjuxu" (ST 37, lower He-sea acupoint) on mesenteric microcirculation, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) levels in the lung, colon and hypothalamus tissues in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), so as to investigate its mechanism underlying improvement of lung derived intestinal disorders in clinical practice.

Methods: Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control, model, EA-Chize (LU 5, EA-LU 5) and EA-Shangjuxu (ST 37, EA-ST 37) groups, with 8 rats being in each group. COPD model was established by intratracheal infusion of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 mg/mL, 0.