The purpose of this study is to define the appearance of normal epiphyseal and metaphyseal marrow and normal changes of marrow due to fatty conversion on Gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MR Imaging. Unenhanced and enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging were performed in proximal and distal femoral ends of 8 healthy piglets at the ages of 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks, respectively. The changes with age in signal intensity and enhancement ratio of the epiphyseal and metaphyseal marrow with age were examined. The correlation of MRI characteristics with histological findings was studied. Our study showed that marrow of the metaphysis and of periphery of the 2nd ossification center were well vascularized hematopoietic marrow and had great enhancements. The enhancement ratio of metaphysis was greater than that of epiphyseal marrow and both enhancement ratios degraded gradually with age. The central regions of the epiphyseal ossification center and of the diaphysis were of fatty marrow and had little enhancement. It is concluded that on Gd-enhanced MR imaging the hematopoietic marrow of metaphysis and of periphery of the 2nd ossification center had greater enhancement than that of fatty marrow of central region of the 2nd ossification center. All of their enhancements decreased gradually with age.
Epiphyses/*anatomy & histology ; Femur/anatomy & histology ; Femur/*growth & development ; Gadolinium/*diagnostic use ; Growth Plate/*anatomy & histology ; Growth Plate/blood supply ; Growth Plate/growth & development ; Image Enhancement ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Swine ; Swine, Miniature

Neural stem cells were labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) and tracked by MRI in vitro and in vivo after implantation. Rat neural stem cells were labeled with SPIO combined with PLL by the means of receptor-mediated endocytosis. Prussian blue staining and electron microscopy were conducted to identify the iron particles in these neural stem cells. SPIO-labeled cells were tracked by 4.7T MRI in vivo and in vitro after implantation. The subjects were divided into 5 groups, including 5 x 10(5) labeled cells cultured for one day after labeling, 5 x 10(5) same phase unlabeled cells, cell culture medium with 25 mug Fe/mL SPIO, cell culture medium without SPIO and distilled water. MRI scanning sequences included T(1)WI, T(2)WI and T(2)*WI. R(2) and R(2)* of labeled cells were calculated. The results showed: (1) Neural stem cells could be labeled with SPIO and labeling efficiency was 100%. Prussian blue staining showed numerous blue-stained iron particles in the cytoplasm; (2) The average percentage change of signal intensity of labeled cells on T(1)WI in 4.7T MRI was 24.06%, T2WI 50.66% and T(2)*WI 53.70% respectively; (3) T2 of labeled cells and unlabeled cells in 4.7T MRI was 516 ms and 77 ms respectively, R(2) was 1.94 s(-1) and 12.98 s(-1) respectively, and T(2)* was 109 ms and 22.9 ms, R(2)* was 9.17 s(-1) and 43.67 s(-1) respectively; (4) Remarkable low signal area on T(2)WI and T(2)*WI could exist for nearly 7 weeks and then disappeared gradually in the left brain transplanted with labeled cells, however no signal change in the right brain implanted with unlabeled cells. It was concluded that neural stem cells could be labeled effectively with SPIO. R2 and R(2)* of labeled cells were increased obviously. MRI can be used to track labeled cells in vitro and in vivo.

With the development of genomics and the accomplishments of human genomic sequencing, polymorphic markers and their analytic approaches are more and more important, and much attention has been paid to the fact that the analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms utilizing matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF MS) is a high-throughput approach. MALDI-TOF MS can also mini-sequence and genotype short tandem repeat. The approaches to analyzing single nucleotide polymorphisms are primer oligonucleotide base extension, ligase reaction, peptide nucleotide acid, invader assay, and so on.
Genotype ; Humans ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; genetics ; Reproducibility of Results ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; methods

Chromosome Y does not recombine with any other at meiosis except that on pseudoautosomal region. Polymorphic markers on the chromosome Y are paternal inheritance and are haploidly inherited. Variance of the sequences comes from accumulated mutation. These properties make them unique and important not only to anthroponomy and genetics but also to forensic science and medicine.
Forensic Medicine ; Genetic Markers ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Y Chromosome

The purpose of this study is to define the appearance of normal epiphyseal and metaphyseal marrow and normal changes of marrow due to fatty conversion on Gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MR Imaging. Unenhanced and enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging were performed in proximal and distal femoral ends of 8 healthy piglets at the ages of 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks, respectively. The changes with age in signal intensity and enhancement ratio of the epiphyseal and tnetaphyseal marrow with age were examined. The correlation of MRI characteristics with histological findings was studied. Our study showed that marrow of the metaphysis and of periphery of the 2nd ossification center were well vascularized hematopoietic marrow and had great enhancements. The enhancement ratio of metaphysis was greater than that of epiphyseal marrow and both enhancement ratios degraded gradually with age. The central regions of the epiphyseal ossification center and of the diaphysis were of fatty marrow and had little enhancement. It is concluded that on Gd-enhanced MR imaging the hematopoietic marrow of metaphysis and of periphery of the 2nd ossification center had greater enhancement than that of fatty marrow of central region of the 2nd ossification center. All of their enhancements decreased gradually with age.

The Rh blood group system is one of the most complex and important systems known in humans. It has two homologous structure genes in tandem on 1p34.3-36.1 that encode Rh protein. The Rh protein is a membrane in red blood cell that has 12 transmembrane spans. Rh antigens have many variants; there are three genetic polymorphisms in the RhD-negative individual. The Rh blood group system is of great significance in clinical transfusion and hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). Rh PCR genotyping is used for prenatal diagnosis in fetus, but still it has some defects, and in this connection further knowledge about Rh system will be necessary to solve the problem.
Erythroblastosis, Fetal ; blood ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Rh-Hr Blood-Group System ; blood ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo construct a genetic map based on data from the Chinese population in northern part of China and to compare relationship between physical distance and genetic distance on chromosome 22.

METHODSPCR amplification was employed to genotype 6 STR loci on chromosome 22, and pedigree analysis was performed.

RESULTSA genetic map of Chinese Han population in the northern part of China was constructed and a preliminary comparison of the physical and genetic distances between 6 STR loci on chromosome 22 was made.

CONCLUSIONThere is complex relationship between genetic distance and physical distance: the distance between STR loci is related to physical distance but also recombination fraction, and there are differences of the genetic and physical distances on chromosome 22 between Chinese and Caucasian, and between the male and female.

China ; Chromosome Mapping ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22 ; genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Pedigree

Metabolic characteristics of 39 human brain tumor tissues, including 15 astrocytomas, 13 fibroblastic meningiomas and 11 transitional meningiomas from 39 individual patients, have been studied using high resolution magic-angle spinning (HRMAS) 1H NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with principal component analysis (PCA). With rich metabolite information, 1H NMR spectra showed that the tumor-tissuc metabonome was dominated by lipids, lactate, myo-inositol, ereatine, choline metabolites such as choline, phosphocholine and glycerophosphocholine, amino acids such as alanine, glutamate, glutamine, taurine, N-acetyl-aspartate and glutathione. PCA of the tumor NMR spectra clearly showed metabonomic differences between low-grade astrocytomas and meningiomas whereas such differences were more moderate between fibroblastic and transitional meningiomas. Compared with meningiomas, the low-grade astrocytomas had higher levels of glycerophosphocholine, phosphocholine, myo-inositol and creatine but lower levels of alanine, glutamate, glutamine, glutathione and taurine. The N-acetyl-aspartate level was low but detectable in low-grade astrocytomas whereas it was not detectable in meningiomas. It is concluded that tissue metabonomics technology consisting of HRMAS 1H NMR spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis (MVDA) offers a useful tool (1) for distinguishing different types of brain tumors, (2) for providing the metabolic information for human brain tumors, which are potentially useful for understanding biochemistry of tumor progression.

OBJECTIVETo obtain population genetic data at 15 short tandem repeat(STRs) in Shandong Han population.

METHODSFifteen STRs were genotyped in 200 unrelated individuals from Shandong Han population using Identifiler(TM) Kit.

RESULTSIn this Shandong Han population, the observed heterozygosities of the 15 loci ranged from 0.605 to 0.882, and the expected heterozygosities were 0.625-0.862, the polymorphic information contents ranged from 0.57 to 0.85, the discrimination powers ranged from 0.795 to 0.958, and the exclusion probabilities ranged from 0.297 to 0.758. The non-differentiation exact P values at TPOX loci were more than 0.05 between Shandong and Han population of Henan, Jilin, and Jiangsu. The non-differentiation exact P values between Shandong Han population and others populations were more than 0.05 at others loci. The P value at D13S317 was more than 0.05 between Shandong Han population and Ewenki population.

CONCLUSIONThese loci are polymorphic in Shandong Han population, and the discrimination powers and exclusion probabilities were high in the 15 STRs except TPOX and TH01.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Chromosomes, Human ; genetics ; Ethnic Groups ; genetics ; Female ; Forensic Genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genome, Human ; genetics ; Genomics ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic

Neural stem cells were labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) and tracked by MRI in vitro and in vivo after implantation. Rat neural stem cells were labeled with SPIO combined with PLL by the means of receptor-mediated endocytosis. Prussian blue staining and electron microscopy were conducted to identify the iron particles in these neural stem cells. SPIO-labeled cells were tracked by 4.7T MRI in vivo and in vitro after implantation. The subjects were divided into 5 groups, including 5× 105 labeled cells cultured for one day after labeling, 5 × 105 same phase unlabeled cells, cell culture medium with 25 μg Fe/mL SPIO, cell culture medium without SPIO and distilled water. MRI scanning sequences included T1WI, T2WI and T2*WI. R2 and R2* of labeled cells were calculated. The results showed: (1) Neural stem cells could be labeled with SPIO and labeling efficiency was 100%. Prussian blue staining showed numerous blue-stained iron particles in the cytoplasm; (2) The average percentage change of signal intensity of labeled cells on T1WI in 4.7T MRI was 24.06%, T2WI 50.66% and T2*WI 53.70% respectively; (3) T2 of labeled cells and unlabeled cells in 4.7T MRI was 516 ms and 77 ms respectively, R2 was 1.94 s-1 and 12.98 s-1 respectively, and T2* was 109 ms and 22.9 ms, R2* was 9.17 s-1 and 43.67 s-1 respectively; (4) Remarkable low signal area on T2WI and T2*WI could exist for nearly 7 weeks and then disappeared gradually in the left brain transplanted with labeled cells, however no signal change in the right brain implanted with unlabeled cells. It was concluded that neural stem cells could be labeled effectively with SPIO. R2 and R2* of labeled cells were increased obviously. MRI can be used to track labeled cells in vitro and in vivo.