Ultrasound-controlled nano oxygen carriers enhancing cell viability in 3D GelMA hydrogel for the treatment of myocardial infarction.

Heart failure is a critical and ultimate phase of cardiovascular ailment that leads to a considerable incidence of disability and mortality. Among various factors contributing to heart failure, myocardial infarction is one of the most frequent and significant causes, which is still difficult to manage effectively. An innovative therapeutic strategy, namely a 3D bio-printed cardiac patch, has recently emerged as a promising approach to substitute damaged cardiomyocytes in a localized infarct region.

Developmental toxicity and programming alterations of multiple organs in offspring induced by medication during pregnancy.

Medication during pregnancy is widespread, but there are few reports on its fetal safety. Recent studies suggest that medication during pregnancy can affect fetal morphological and functional development through multiple pathways, multiple organs, and multiple targets. Its mechanisms involve direct ways such as oxidative stress, epigenetic modification, and metabolic activation, and it may also be indirectly caused by placental dysfunction.

Low H3K27 acetylation of SF1 in PBMC: a biomarker for prenatal dexamethasone exposure-caused adrenal insufficiency of steroid synthesis in male offspring.

Dexamethasone is widely used to treat pregnancy disorders related to premature delivery. However, lots of researches have confirmed that prenatal dexamethasone exposure (PDE) could increase the risk of offspring multiple diseases. This study was designed to elucidate the epigenetic mechanism of adrenal developmental programming and explore its early warning marker in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

Fatal cervix rupture due to intraplacental choriocarcinoma triggered by sexual intercourse.

A 27-year-old woman, gravida 1 para 0, died 30 min after intercourse at the 16th week of gestation. The prenatal medical history indicated the placental implantation position at the cervix. The autopsy revealed massive hemoperitoneum and a tumor in the placenta and myometrium on the anterior right side of the cervix.

Serum metabolic profile characteristics of offspring rats before and after birth caused by prenatal caffeine exposure.

Epidemiological investigations have confirmed that prenatal caffeine intake could increase the incidence rate of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and multiple diseases after birth. Based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we analyzed serum metabolic profiles of offspring rats before and after birth in IUGR model induced by prenatal caffeine exposure (PCE). We discovered that differential metabolites in PCE fetuses mainly manifested as amino acids and lipid metabolism.

Views on Careers in Clinical Neurosciences Among Neurosurgeons and Neurologists in China.

Background: China has a large and aging population. The need for physicians with training in clinical neurosciences will grow. There is little known regarding the factors that lead physicians in China to pursue careers in clinical neurosciences.

Negative effects of retinoic acid on stem cell niche of mouse incisor.

The continuous growth of mouse incisors depends on epithelial stem cells (SCs) residing in the SC niche, called labial cervical loop (LaCL). The homeostasis of the SCs is subtly regulated by complex signaling networks. In this study, we focus on retinoic acid (RA), a derivative of Vitamin A and a known pivotal signaling molecule in controlling the functions of stem cells (SCs).

Overexpression of Catalase Enhances Benzo(a)pyrene Detoxification in Endothelial Microsomes.

Unlabelled: We previously reported that overexpression of catalase upregulated xenobiotic- metabolizing enzyme (XME) expression and diminished benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) intermediate accumulation in mouse aortic endothelial cells (MAECs). Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the most active organelle involved in BaP metabolism. To examine the involvement of ER in catalase-induced BaP detoxification, we compared the level and distribution of XMEs, and the profile of BaP intermediates in the microsomes of wild-type and catalase transgenic endothelial cells.

Increase in Blood Glutathione and Erythrocyte Proteins Related to Glutathione Generation, Reduction and Utilization in African-American Old Women with Diabetes.

Data from this report demonstrate that the plasma and erythrocyte levels of total glutathione (TGSH) are significantly lower in nondiabetic old women than in their young counterparts, and significantly higher in diabetic patients than in age-matched nondiabetic controls. The ratio of reduced glutathione (GSH) to oxidized glutathione (GSSG) declines with age and diabetes, and shows an order as follows: nondiabetic young > nondiabetic old > diabetic old women. In addition, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) accumulates in RBCs obtained from diabetic patients but not in those from young and old nondiabetic controls.

A Subregion of Reelin Suppresses Lipoprotein-Induced Cholesterol Accumulation in Macrophages.

Activation of apolipoprotein E receptor-2 (apoER2) and very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR) inhibits foam cell formation. Reelin is a ligand of these receptors. Here we generated two reelin subregions containing the receptor binding domain with or without its C-terminal region (R5-6C and R5-6, respectively) and studied the impact of these peptides on macrophage cholesterol metabolism.

Neuropeptide Y damages the integrity of mitochondrial structure and disrupts energy metabolism in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays an important role in cardiovascular diseases including stress cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, heart failure, diabetic cardiomyopathy, hypertension, and so on. However, inconsistent results related to the role of NPY in the different types of cardiomyopathies make the exact involvement of the peptide elusive. Considering these effects are known to be involved in energy balance, as the hearts energy producer, the mitochondria, should be investigated, and not only mitochondrial structure but also its potential.

Expression profiles of retinoic acid synthetases ALDH1As and metabolic enzymes CYP26s in adult and embryonic zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Retinoic acid (RA) plays a crucial role in cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. The physiological activity of RA begins early in development and continues throughout an organism's life. RA distribution is tightly controlled by the RA synthetases ALDH1As and the metabolic enzymes CYP26s.

Mesenchymal Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Controls Epithelial Stem Cell Homeostasis in Teeth by Inhibiting the Antiapoptotic Effect of Fgf10.

Continuous growth of rodent incisors relies on epithelial stem cells (SCs) located in the SC niche called labial cervical loop (LaCL). Here, we found a population of apoptotic cells residing in a specific location of the LaCL in mouse incisor. Activated Caspase 3 and Caspase 9, expressed in this location colocalized in part with Lgr5 in putative SCs.

An epigenetic mechanism underlying doxorubicin induced EMT in the human BGC-823 gastric cancer cell.

The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key step during embryonic morphogenesis and plays an important role in drug resistance and metastasis in diverse solid tumors. We previously reported that 48 h treatment of anti-cancer drug doxorubicin could induce EMT in human gastric cancer BGC-823 cells. However, the long term effects of this transient drug treatment were unknown.

hTERT promoter activity identifies osteosarcoma cells with increased EMT characteristics.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical step in order for epithelial-derived malignancies to metastasize, however, its role in mesenchymal-derived tumors, i.e., osteosarcoma, remains unclear.

siRNA-mediated knockdown of two tyrosinase genes from Schistosoma japonicum cultured in vitro.

The cross-linking process of eggshell proteins in helminths is dependent on the activities of tyrosinases (TYRs), which can be inhibited by phenol oxidase inhibitors. Two genes encoding TYRs, SjTYR1 and SjTYR2, have been identified in Schistosoma japonicum. In this study, siRNA-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) was performed to silence these two SjTYR genes to evaluate their roles in eggshell formation.

Activation of β-catenin signaling is critical for doxorubicin-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in BGC-823 gastric cancer cell line.

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental process governing morphogenesis in multicellular organisms and has recently been implicated in promoting carcinoma invasion and metastasis. Besides their therapeutic effects, accumulating evidences suggest that chemotherapeutic agents also induced EMT and enhanced the malignancy of treated cancer cells; however, the mechanism(s) still remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of β-catenin signaling in doxorubicin (Dox)-induced EMT in human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823.

Effect of soybean-lecithin as an enhancer of buccal mucosa absorption of insulin.

Objective: Transmucosal delivery is a suitable route for insulin non-injection administration. In order to understand how insulin passes through mucosa with soybean-lecithin as an enhancing absorption.

Methods: The penetration rate of insulin molecular through porcine buccal mucosa was investigated by measuring transbuccal fluxes in the Ussing Chambers.

A novel function of apolipoprotein E: upregulation of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 expression.

Despite the well known importance of apolipoprotein (Apo) E in cholesterol efflux, the effect of ApoE on the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) has never been investigated. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of ApoE on ApoB-carrying lipoprotein-induced expression of ABCA1, a protein that mediates cholesterol efflux. Our data demonstrate that ApoB-carrying lipoproteins obtained from both wild-type and ApoE knockout mice induced ApoAI-mediated cholesterol efflux in mouse macrophages, which was associated with an enhanced ABCA1 promoter activity, and an increased ABCA1 mRNA and protein expression.

Biphasic effect of citral, a flavoring and scenting agent, on spatial learning and memory in rats.

Although some central effects of citral have been reported, cognitive effects on spatial memory have not been investigated. The evidence showed that citral can regulate the synthesis of retinoic acid (RA), which exerts a vital function in the development and maintenance of spatial memory. In this study, we applied Morris water maze to test the effect of citral on animals' spatial learning and memory.

Expression of RALDHs (ALDH1As) and CYP26s in human tissues and during the neural differentiation of P19 embryonal carcinoma stem cell.

Retinoic acid (RA) plays a critical role in embryonic development and function maintenance of vital organs in adult. Subtle regulation of RA signaling is relied on spatio-temporal control of RA synthesis and catabolism. In this study, we investigated the expression patterns of RA synthetases RALDHs and metabolic enzymes CYP26s in multiple human tissues, and this study revealed unique expression pattern for every isoform from these two enzyme families.