AIM:To investigate whether Smad pathway participates the process of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) induced the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). METHODS: Human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells (hUASMCs) were divided into four groups: control group, PDGF (platelet derived growth factor) group, ERK blocking agent group and PDGF+ERK blocking agent group. MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation of hUASMCs (A value). Immunohistochemical technique was used to detect the expression of PCNA, phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) and phosphorylated Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) protein in hUASMCs. The expression of Smad2/3 mRNA in hUASMCs was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The proliferation of hUASMCs and the expression of PCNA, p-ERK and p-Smad2/3 proteins in hUASMCs in PDGF group were increased obviously than those in other groups (P

Objective To study high-quality and high efficient meshing methods for skeleton.Methods Based on characteristics of bone structure,the mesh generation technology of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was applied in mesh generation for bone biomechanics.Hexahedron elements and tetrahedron elements were used to simulate cortical bone and cancellous bone,respectively.Results By using CFD mesh generation technology,high-quality hexahedral elements could be obtained,the structure characteristics of skeleton could be preferably simulated,and computer automatic meshing could be implemented.The amount of time for meshing bones by the new method was only about 1/5 of that by the traditional method,and the calculation results obtained from the finite element model were basically consistent with the results from the cadaver experiment.Conclusions The CFD mesh generation technology can be applied in the field of bone biomechanics,which provides an effective approach to reconstruct complex human skeleton.

Objective To study high-quality and high efficient meshing methods for skeleton. Methods Based on characteristics of bone structure, the mesh generation technology of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was applied in mesh generation for bone biomechanics. Hexahedron elements and tetrahedron elements were used to simulate cortical bone and cancellous bone, respectively. Results By using CFD mesh generation technology, high-quality hexahedral elements could be obtained, the structure characteristics of skeleton could be preferably simulated, and computer automatic meshing could be implemented. The amount of time for meshing bones by the new method was only about 1/5 of that by the traditional method, and the calculation results obtained from the finite element model were basically consistent with the results from the cadaver experiment. Conclusions The CFD mesh generation technology can be applied in the field of bone biomechanics, which provides an effective approach to reconstruct complex human skeleton.

The limited treatment options for advanced prostate cancer (PCa) lead to the urgent need to discover new anticancer drugs. Mannose, an isomer of glucose, has been reported to have an anticancer effect on various tumors. However, the anticancer effect of mannose in PCa remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that mannose inhibits the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of PCa cells in vitro, and mannose was observed to have an anticancer effect in mice without harming their health. Accumulation of intracellular mannose simultaneously decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential, increased mitochondrial and cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in PCa cells. Mannose treatment of PCa cells induced changes in mitochondrial morphology, caused dysregulated expression of the fission protein, such as fission, mitochondrial 1 (FIS1), and enhanced the expression of proapoptotic factors, such as BCL2-associated X (Bax) and BCL2-antagonist/killer 1 (Bak). Furthermore, lower expression of mannose phosphate isomerase (MPI), the key enzyme in mannose metabolism, indicated poorer prognosis in PCa patients, and downregulation of MPI expression in PCa cells enhanced the anticancer effect of mannose. This study reveals the anticancer effect of mannose in PCa and its clinical significance in PCa patients.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Male ; Mannose ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Mice ; Mitochondria ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Reactive Oxygen Species