BACKGROUND: With the development of tissue engineering, more attention has been paid to tooth regeneration. However, the resource of best seed cells is still uncertain. Therefore, alternative sources should be attached to intensive investigation. OBJECTIVE: To review the feasibility of stem cells from umbilical cord blood as seed cells for tooth regeneration. METHODS: A PubMed search was performed for articles published between January 1998 and January 2009. Key words were "tooth regeneration, seed cells, tissue engineering, umbilical cord blood, mesenchymal stem cells". Only studies written in English were included. Simultaneously, databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and VIP published between January 1998 and January 2009 were also retrieved, using the key words of "tooth regeneration, seed cells, tissu engineering, umbilical cord blood, mesenchymal stem cells". Only studies written in Chinese were included. Totally, 40 literatures were included. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Seed cells, such as odontoblasts from dental germ, stem cells from dental pulp and deciduous teeth, and ectomesenchymal cells from the firstbranchial arch showed odontogenic differentiation potential in basic research. However, these cells are not practical to harvest in clinic. Although bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have odontogenic capacity, their differentiation abilities significantly decrease with the increasing age of the donors. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood have many clinical advantages over bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, and exhibited typical mesenchymal stem cells characteristics. Thus, we propose the hypotheses that stem cells from umbilical cord blood could be induced into odontogenic lineage and might be used as suitable seed cells for tooth regeneration to replace the lost tooth.

Objective:To investigate the expression of aromatase of renal tissue in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)model mice.Methods:BALB/c mice were induced SLE with homologuous splenic cell activated with ConA after being ovariectomized,and in the same time administered different doses of benzestrofol.E2 in peripheral blood and renal tissue was detected by ELISA and the expression of mRNA of aromatase in renal tissue was detected by RT-PCR in the 4th,6th,8th and 10th weeks.Results:The level of E2 of peripheral blood and renal tissue of SLE model mice became higher as benzestrofol exogenously administered heightened.Compared with control mice,the level of E2 in SLE model mice increased,and the expression of mRNA of aromatase of renal tissue increased with E2 increment.Conclusion:E2 promotes development of SLE through regulating expression of aromatase mRNA.

Background and purpose:Multiple primary lung cancers (MPLC) is a rare entity, but recently there has been a gradual increase in the number of patients diagnosed with MPLC. The aim of this study is to investigate the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of MPLC through analyzing the clinical data.Methods:Forty-one patients were diagnosed MPLC by Martini-Melamed criteria. Their clinicopathological data were retrospectively reviewed. Results:There were 3 patients with triple primary lung cancer and 38 patients with double primary lung cancer. There were 13 patients with synchronous MPLC, 26 patients with metachronous MPLC, 2 patients with synchronous and metachronous MPLC. Of 85 lesions, the surgical procedures were mainly lobectomy (78.8%, 67/85). Lesions (41.2%, 35/85) were frequently in right upper lobe. Pathological type was mainly adenocarcinoma (70.6%, 60/85),followed by squamous cell carcinoma (17.6%, 15/85). Of 60 adenocarcinoma specimens, the papillary predominant subtype was more common (50%, 30/60). Eighty percent (68/85) of the lesions were stage I. As to the initial cancer and repeated cancer, patients who shared the same pathological type (68.3%, 28/41) were more than the different (31.7%, 13/41), of which adenocarcinoma-adenocarcinoma was most common(82.1%, 23/28). Lesions located in contralateral lobes were in 37 patients (90.2%), and located in ipsilateral different lobes were in 4 patients (9.8%). The 2-year overall survival (OS) of them was 87.8%. Survival analysis showed that the prognosis of patients with same pathological type was better than patients with different pathological type (P=0.037), the prognosis of patients with no lymph node metastasis was better than patients with N1,N2 metastasis (P=0.02).Conclusion:Lesions in patients with multiple primary lung cancers are more frequently in the right upper lobes. The pathology type is mainly adenocarcinoma, of which the papillary predominant subtype was most common. Early diagnosis improves continuously, active treatment with operation can achieve better prognosis.

Background and Purpose:Lung cancer is the most malignant tumour in the world.Its incidence is growing and NSCLC is predominent(80%) in lung cancer.Most patients with lung cancer were diagnosed in late stages.The tumour could be shrunk by neoadjuvant chemotherapy when the case with stage Ⅲ NSCLC was considered not possible for radical operated neoadjuvant chemotherapy may lead to the following,operation could be improved,micrometastasis could be annihilated and survival could be extended.Objective of this paper was to analyse the prognostic factors for survival in patients treated by surgery and chemotherapy for NSCLC.Methods:98 cases of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with surgery for NSCLC,stageⅠ~Ⅲ,were collected retrospectively in our hospital from 1995 to 1997.35 cases were stageⅠ.21 cases were stage Ⅱ.42 cases were stage Ⅲ.83 cases had 1 cycle of chemotherapy pre-operatively.15 cases had 2 cycles chemotherapy pre-operatively.Regimes of chemotherapy were MVP,MOP and MAP et al.Response rate(RR) of chemotherapy was:45 cases had partial response(PR) and 53 cases were stable disease(SD).Operative mode was lobectomy and pneumectomy with lymph nodes dissection.Pathologic type was squamous,adeno,adeno-squamous and others.All the patients were treated by chemotherapy for two or three cycles after surgery except for the patients in stageⅠin 1996~1997.After being followed-up for more than 5 years,data were examined using life table,KaplanMeier method,Log Rank statistic and Cox-mantel test.The possible factors affecting survival were tested with univariate and multivariate analysis.Results:The median followed-up time of 98 cases for NSCLC was 41.2 months.36 cases were alive.62 cases were dead.The 1-,3-,5-year survival rate of 98 cases for NSCLC was 88.78%、49.63% and 18.46%.The 5-year survival rates of stageⅠ、ⅡandⅢ were 33.23%、20.26% and 5.52% respectively(P=0.0002).The 5-year survival rates of N_(0)、N_(1)、N_(2) were 35.49%、19.08% and 4.90% respectively(P=0.0004).In the 98 cases of NSCLC,better prognosis was correlated with earlier stage.The prognosis was better if the period from last chemotherapy before operation to operation was no more than 1 month. The prognosis of lobectomy,lung hila activity,thorax lymph nodes negativity and squamous cancer was better.The prognosis was poorer if the tumor had invaded big vessels,viscera,chest wall,pericardium and quantity bleeding during≥400ml.The prognosis was better if the tumor was fibrotic.The prognosis of 2 cycles of chemotherapy pre-operatively might be better than 1 cycle.The prognosis of tumor necrosis was poorer and the prognosis of chemotherapy post-operatively was better.Conclusions:The main prognostic factors affecting survival in patients treated by surgery and chemotherapy for NSCLC was stage,the period from last chemotherapy before operation to operation,operation mode,lung hila activity,thorax lymph nodes,site of tumor invasion,bleeding quantity,pathologic type,tumor fibrosis and necrotis,cycles chemotherapy pro-operation and chemotherapy post-operation.

BACKGROUNDTo compare the effect and toxicity between gemcitabine and cisplatin (GP) with vinorelbine, ifosfamide and cisplatin (NIP) combined chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSEighty patients received either gemcitabine 1 000 mg/m² on days 1, 8, or 15 plus cisplatin 70-80 mg/m² on day 1, or vinorelbine 25 mg/m² on days 1, 8, ifosfamide 1.2 g/m² on days 1-4 plus cisplatin 70-80 mg/m² on day 1, every 28 days as a cycle.

RESULTSThe objective response rate was 40.0% in GP goup, compared with 52.5% in NIP group (P > 0.05). Median survival time of GP and NIP groups was 13.68 and 15.34 months respectively, and 1-year survival rates were 54.29% and 59.46% respectively (P > 0.05). Leukopenia at grade III+IV was significantly lower in GP arm (27.5%) than that in NIP arm (55.0%) (P < 0.05). Non-hematological toxicities were less frequent in GP group than those in NIP group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAlthough the response rate tends to be higher in three-drug than in two-drug combined chemotherapy, but no significant difference is observed. Three-drug combinations often result in more toxicities. Two-drug combination GP may be the standard protocol for chemotherapy of advanced NSCLC. Three-drug combination NIP should be given to young patients with good performance status.

PURPOSE: Cancer stem cells have recently been thought to be closely related to tumor development and reoccurrence. It may be a promising way to cure malignant glioma by using glioma stem cell-targeted dendritic cells as a tumor vaccine. In this study, we explored whether pulsing dendritic cells with antigens of glioma stem cells was a potent way to induce specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes and anti-tumor immunity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cancer stem cells were cultured from glioma cell line U251. Lysate of glioma stem cells was obtained by the repeated freezing and thawing method. Dendritic cells (DCs) were induced and cultured from the murine bone marrow cells, the biological characteristics were detected by electron microscope and flow cytometry. The DC vaccine was obtained by mixing DCs with lysate of glioma stem cells. The DC vaccine was charactirizated through the mixed lymphocyte responses and cell killing experiment in vitro. Level of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in the supernatant was checked by ELISA. RESULTS: After stimulation of lysate of glioma stem cell, expression of surface molecules of DC was up-regulated, including CD80, CD86, CD11C and MHC-II. DCs pulsed with lysate of glioma stem cells were more effective than the control group in stimulating original glioma cells-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes responses, killing glioma cells and boosting the secretion of IFN-gamma in vitro. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated DCs loaded with antigens derived from glioma stem cells can effectively stimulate naive T cells to form specific cytotoxic T cells, kill glioma cells cultured in vitro.
Animals ; Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology ; Apoptosis ; Brain Neoplasms/*therapy ; Cancer Vaccines/*therapeutic use ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Dendritic Cells/*cytology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Glioma/*therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma/metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Neoplastic Stem Cells/*cytology ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology