Growth-related micromorphological characteristics of the porcine common carotid artery.

The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge about the micromorphology of the porcine common carotid artery (CCA) during the period of growth over the bodyweight range of 10-40 kg. CCA samples from German landrace pigs (DL) aged either 2 or 3 months (DL-2 and DL-3) were compared with samples from Göttingen minipigs (GM) aged either 18 or 40 months (GM-18 and GM-40) using transmitted light (phase-contrast mode) and transmission electron microscopy. The GM-18, GM-40 and the DL-3 groups had typical muscular artery histological characteristics.

Growth-related micromorphological characteristics of the porcine femoral artery.

Background: In cardiovascular research small pigs breeds like Göttingen® minipigs (GM) are established animal models, but systematic data about the micromorphology of the GM vasculature at different ages are scarce.

Objective: The study was aimed at gaining knowledge about the micromorphology of the femoral artery (FA) from German Landrace pigs (DL) and GM during the period of growth over a body weight range of 10-40 kg.

Methods: FA samples from DL aged two or three months were compared to GM ones, aged 18 or 40 months using transmitted light microscopy.

CBE1 Is a Manchette- and Mitochondria-Associated Protein With a Potential Role in Somatic Cell Proliferation.

Ciliated bronchial epithelium 1 (CBE1) is a microtubule-associated protein localized to the manchette and developing flagellum during spermiogenesis and is associated with sperm maturation arrest in humans. It was hypothesized that CBE1 functions in microtubule-mediated transport mechanisms and sperm tail formation. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed Cbe1 expression and localization during spermiogenesis, and in mouse inner medullary collecting duct-3 (IMCD3) cells as a model of ciliogenesis.

Immunolocalization of DMRTB1 in human testis with normal and impaired spermatogenesis.

Background: The transcription factor DMRTB1 plays a pivotal role in coordinating the transition between mitosis and meiosis in murine germ cells. No reliable data are available for human testis.

Objectives: The present study aims to examine the testicular expression pattern of DMRTB1 in men showing normal and impaired spermatogenesis.

Interaction of different Chlamydiae species with bovine spermatozoa.

Background: Interaction of spermatozoa and Chlamydiae spp. might contribute to reduced fertility in cattle. To proof this hypothesis, bovine semen was incubated with viable or heat inactivated Chlamydia (C.

Histological and functional comparisons of four anatomical regions of porcine skin with human abdominal skin.

Because of the shortage of human skin for research purposes, porcine skin has been used as a model of human skin. The aim of this study was to identify the region of German Landrace pig skin that could be used as the best possible substitute for human abdominal skin. Porcine samples were collected from the ear, flank, back and caudal abdomen; human abdominal skin samples were excised during plastic surgery.

Human and equine endothelial cells in a live cell imaging scratch assay in vitro.

Background: Human and equine patients are known to frequently develop vascular complications, particularly thrombosis both in veins and arteries as well as in the microvasculature.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the angiogenic response of human and equine endothelial cells to lesions in an in vitro scratch assay.

Methods: Endothelial cells from human umbilical vein (HUVEC), abdominal aorta (HAAEC) and dermal microvasculature (HDMEC) as well as equine carotid artery (EACEC) and jugular vein (EVJEC) were cultured and an elongated defect was created (scratch or "wound").

Visfatin alters the cytokine and matrix-degrading enzyme profile during osteogenic and adipogenic MSC differentiation.

Objectives: Age-related bone loss is associated with bone marrow adiposity. Adipokines (e.g.

Generation of full-thickness skin equivalents using hair follicle-derived primary human keratinocytes and fibroblasts.

Skin equivalents are increasingly used as human-based test systems for basic and preclinical research. Most of the established skin equivalents are composed of primary keratinocytes and fibroblasts, isolated either from excised human skin or juvenile foreskin following circumcisions. Although the potential of hair follicle-derived cells for the generation of skin equivalents has been shown, this approach normally requires microdissections from the scalp for which there is limited subject compliance or ethical approval.

Bone marrow-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells from horses after euthanasia.

Allogeneic equine multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (eMSCs) have been proposed for use in regenerative therapies in veterinary medicine. A source of allogeneic eMSCs might be the bone marrow from euthanized horses. The purpose of this study was to compare characteristics of equine bone marrow derived eMSC (eBM-MSCs) from euthanized horses (eut-MSCs) and from narcotized horses (nar-MSCs).

Transporter for sulfated steroid hormones in the testis - expression pattern, biological significance and implications for fertility in men and rodents.

In various tissues, steroid hormones may be sulfated, glucuronidated or otherwise modified. For a long time, these hydrophilic molecules have been considered to be merely inactive metabolites for excretion via bile or urine. Nevertheless, different organs such as the placenta and breast tissue produce large amounts of sulfated steroids.

Expression of ciliated bronchial epithelium 1 during human spermatogenesis.

Objective: To define the precise cellular localization of ciliated bronchial epithelium 1 (CBE1) in the human testis and test its relationship to impaired spermatogenesis.

Design: Gene expression analysis, and histologic and immunohistochemical evaluation.

Setting: University research laboratories and andrologic outpatient clinic.

Expression of adipokines in osteoarthritis osteophytes and their effect on osteoblasts.

Objective: Osteophyte formation in osteoarthritis (OA) is mediated by increased osteoblast activity, which is -in turn- regulated by the Wnt signaling pathway. Obesity is regarded a risk factor in OA, yet little is known about the interaction between adipose tissue-derived factors, the adipokines, and bone formation, although adipokines are associated with the pathogenesis of OA. Therefore, the effect of adipokines on bone and cartilage forming cells and osteophyte development was analyzed.

In Situ Hybridization of Estrogen Receptors α and β and GPER in the Human Testis.

In situ hybridization (ISH) is an excellent method for detecting RNA in histological sections, both to detect gene expression and to assign gene expression to a distinct cell population. Therefore, ISH may be used in basic cell biology to detect the expression of certain genes within a tissue containing various cell populations. Here, we describe the detection and cellular localization of three estrogen receptors, both isoforms of the genomic estrogen receptor (ERα and ERβ) as well as the membrane-bound G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) in the human testis.

The effect of endothelialization on the epidermal differentiation in human three-dimensional skin constructs - A morphological study.

Introduction: Inducing vascularization in three-dimensional skin constructs continues to be difficult. In this study, two variations of human full-thickness skin constructs were examined. Type KCFB consists of keratinocytes (epidermal equivalent) and fibroblasts that were embedded in a collagen matrix (dermal equivalent).

Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry of bone-Impact of sample preparation and measurement conditions.

Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) enables the simultaneous detection of organic and inorganic ions and fragments with high mass and spatial resolution. Due to recent technical developments, ToF-SIMS has been increasingly applied in the life sciences where sample preparation plays an eminent role for the quality of the analytical results. This paper focusses on sample preparation of bone tissue and its impact on ToF-SIMS analysis.

Isolation of equine endothelial cells and life cell angiogenesis assay.

Arterial or venous thromboses are frequent clinical complications with the risk of fatal progression. Recent studies suggest the disruption of angiogenesis in the course of thrombus resolution as the underlying pathomechanism. Very similar to the situation in human patients, equine vessels have been described to be particularly susceptible to thrombosis.

Three-dimensional anatomy of equine incisors: tooth length, enamel cover and age related changes.

Background: Equine incisors are subjected to continuous occlusal wear causing multiple, age related changes of the extragingival crown. It is assumed that the occlusal wear is compensated by continued tooth elongation at the apical ends of the teeth. In this study, μCT-datasets offered the opportunity to analyze the three-dimensional appearance of the extra- and intraalveolar parts of the enamel containing dental crown as well as of the enamel-free dental root.

Porcine intestinal mast cells. Evaluation of different fixatives for histochemical staining techniques considering tissue shrinkage.

Staining of mast cells (MCs), including porcine ones, is critically dependent upon the fixation and staining technique. In the pig, mucosal and submucosal MCs do not stain or stain only faintly after formalin fixation. Some fixation methods are particularly recommended for MC staining, for example the fixation with Carnoy or lead salts.

Membrane transporters for sulfated steroids in the human testis--cellular localization, expression pattern and functional analysis.

Sulfated steroid hormones are commonly considered to be biologically inactive metabolites, but may be reactivated by the steroid sulfatase into biologically active free steroids, thereby having regulatory function via nuclear androgen and estrogen receptors which are widespread in the testis. However, a prerequisite for this mode of action would be a carrier-mediated import of the hydrophilic steroid sulfate molecules into specific target cells in reproductive tissues such as the testis. In the present study we detected predominant expression of the Sodium-dependent Organic Anion Transporter (SOAT), the Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide 6A1, and the Organic Solute Carrier Partner 1 in human testis biopsies.

Effects of a murine germ cell-specific knockout of Connexin 43 on Connexin expression in testis and fertility.

Connexin 43 (Cx 43)--expressed by germ cells (GC), Sertoli cells (SC) and Leydig cells--is one of at least eleven Cx in the murine testis. A general knockout (KO) of Cx 43 in mice results in perinatal death and a SC-specific KO of Cx 43 (SCCx43KO) causes infertility of male mice by preventing the initiation of spermatogenesis. To further elucidate the role of Cx 43 in the testis, a new mouse model with a GC-specific KO of Cx 43 (GCCx43KO) was created by using the Cre/loxP recombination system.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-1, FGF2, FGF7 and FGF receptors are uniformly expressed in trophoblast giant cells during restricted trophoblast invasion in cows.

The bovine placenta is characterized by a limited invasion of trophoblast giant cells (TGC). In contrast to mononuclear trophoblast cells (MTC), TGC are non-polarized cells, which migrate and fuse with single uterine epithelial cells throughout gestation. Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) were shown to be associated with the migratory activity of cells, cell differentiation and angiogenesis, and due to its localization in trophoblast cells were proposed as important regulating factors in hemochorial placentae of rodents and humans, and the (syn)epitheliochorial placenta of pig and sheep.

Round spermatids show normal testis-specific H1t but reduced cAMP-responsive element modulator and transition protein 1 expression in men with round-spermatid maturation arrest.

During spermiogenesis, histones are replaced by transition proteins, which in turn are replaced by protamines. The TNP1 gene-encoding TP1 (transition protein 1) protein contains a cAMP-responsive element (CRE) that serves as binding site for the CRE modulator (CREM). To gain further insight into the complex regulation of nucleoprotein exchanges in haploid spermatids and its potential role for spermatogenic impairment, we studied the gene expression of testis-specific histone H1t, CREM, and TNP1 in testicular biopsies from men with normal spermatogenesis (n = 20) and with round spermatid maturation arrest (n = 16).

Glycobiology of the olfactory system.

The olfactory system is a highly plastic region of the nervous system. Continuous remodeling of neuronal circuits in the olfactory bulb takes place throughout life as a result of constant turnover of primary sensory olfactory neurons in the periphery. Glycoconjugates are very important in olfactory development, regeneration and function.