BACKGROUND: Ethanol chemical damage method can be used to establish thin endometrium rat model. Expression of proliferation-related proteins is decreased in thin endometrium animal model, which contributes to the study of thin endometrium-related mechanism and provides guidance for clinical treatment. OBJECTIVE:To explore the changes in vimentin and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in rat modelsof high concentrations of ethanol-induced thin endometrium. METHODS: 0.3 mL 95% ethanol was slowly injected in the right uterus of female Sprague-Dawley rats to establish rat models of thin endometrium. An equal volume of physiological saline was injected into the left uterus as control sides. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The thickness of endometrium in the injured uterus was significantly thinner than the control ones. Number of glands reduced, structure became disorder, and vimentin and vascular endothelial growth factor expression markedly diminished. These results suggest that 95% ethanol injury can effectively establish rat models of thin endometrium. Proliferation-related protein expression altered in the thin endometrium.

Objective To observe the effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) transplantation on the expression of nerve growth factor(NGF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) in the rat spinal cord with spina bifida,and to investigate the change in cell apoptosis after BMSC transplantation.Methods Spina bifida aperta was induced with a single intragastric injection of all-trans retinoic acid,then the BMSC was microinjected into spina cord of rat embryos on embryo 16 d(E16),BDNF and NGF were tested by immunofluorescence staining,and TUNEL assay were used for investigating cell apoptosis.Results Transplantation of BMSC enhanced the expression of NGF and BDNF,and reduced cell apoptosis in the defective site of spinal cord.Conclusion The transplantation of BMSC may improve the microenvironment of spinal cord and repair the neurological defects by enhancing the expression of neurotrophic factor and reducing the cell apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Islet transplantation is currently considered the most promising method for treating insulin-dependent diabetes. The two most-studied artificial islets are alginate-encapsulated b cells or b cell spheroids. As three-dimensional (3D) models, both artificial islets have better insulin secretory functions and transplantation efficiencies than cells in twodimensional (2D) monolayer culture. However, the effects of these two methods have not been compared yet. Therefore, in this study, cells from the mouse islet b cell line Min6 were constructed as scaffold-free spheroids or alginate-encapsulated dispersed cells. METHODS: MIN6 cell spheroids were prepared by using Agarose-base microwell arrays. The insulin secretion level was determined by mouse insulin ELISA kit, and the gene and protein expression status of the MIN6 were performed by Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot, respectively. RESULTS: Both 3D cultures effectively promoted the proliferation and glucose-stimulated insulin release (GSIS) of MIN6 cells compared to 2D adherent cells. Furthermore, 1% alginate-encapsulated MIN6 cells demonstrated more significant effects than the spheroids. In general, three pancreatic genes were expressed at higher levels in response to the 3D culture than to the 2D culture, and pancreatic/duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX1) expression was higher in the cells encapsulated in 1% alginate than that in the spheroids. A western blot analysis showed that 1% alginate-encapsulated MIN6 cells activated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/serine/threonine protein kinase (AKT)/forkhead transcription factor FKHR (FoxO1) pathway more than the spheroids, 0.5% alginate-, or 2% alginate-encapsulated cells did. The 3D MIN6 culture, therefore, showed improved effects compared to the 2D culture, and the 1% alginate-encapsulated MIN6 cells exhibited better effects than the spheroids. The upregulation of PDX1 expression through the activation of the PI3K/AKT/FoxO1 pathway may mediate the improved cell proliferation and GSIS in 1% alginate-encapsulated MIN6 cells. CONCLUSION This study may contribute to the construction of in vitro culture systems for pancreatic islets to meet clinical requirements.

Objective: “Food addiction” may be one of the drivers of the obesity epidemic. Bariatric surgery-induced weight loss can significantly alleviate food addiction in overweight or obese people. Appetite regulation is part of the feedback control system for energy balance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mobile application-based dietary intervention on weight-loss and food addiction in overweight and obese adults. Methods: A total of 101 overweight or obese people aged over 18 years, who were admitted to the obese multidisciplinary clinic of Ningbo First Hospital from August 2015 to January 2018 were enrolled. All subjects received health education and dietary guidance, and submitted their diet log through the weight management application of their smartphone. Over 12 weeks, a dietitian guided and corrected the subjects who did not meet the diet standards. Interviews, physical examinations, laboratory tests, and the Yale Food Addiction Scale Questionnaire survey were administered before and after the intervention (12 weeks) comparing subjects’ weight, food addiction symptom count, and the proportion of food addiction before and after intervention. Statistical analysis of body composition measurements, blood biochemical parameters, and symptom count scores was performed using paired data t-test, McNemar chi-square test, and Fisher’s exact test. Results: A total of 101 overweight and obese subjects were enrolled, including 31 males and 70 females, with an average age of (30.4±7.3) years, mean body mass index of (32.76±4.46) kg/m², and average body weight of (89.95±17.12) kg. The proportion of food addiction was 26.73%. After 12 weeks of dietary intervention with the mobile application, the number of people with food addiction decreased from 27 to 14, the proportion of food addiction decreased by 12.87%, the proportion of symptom counts ≥3 decreased from 41.58% to 19.80%.（χ²=5.17， 11.26, all P <0.01), and the symptom count decreased from 2.25 ±1.61 to 1.50±1.31 (t=3.64, P<0.001). Simultaneously, body weight, BMI, and waist circumference decreased by (6.54±1.03) kg, (2.35±0.36) kg/m², and (6.50±0.86) cm (t=6.36, 5.62 and 3.78, all P<0.001), respectively, compared with those before the intervention. Metabolic indicators such as fasting glucose, insulin resistance index, and LDL-C cholesterol also significantly improved, with a decrease of (0.38±0.10) mmol/L, 1.83±0.46, (0.22±0.75) mmol/L (t=3.67, 3.59, 2.97, all P<0.01). Conclusion The smartphone application-based dietary intervention can effectively improve blood glucose and lipid levels in overweight and obese people, reduce visceral fat accumulation and reduce insulin resistance, and improve the food addiction status of overweight and obese people.