A comparison of plant and animal stem cells can highlight core aspects of stem-cell biology. In both kingdoms, stem cells are defined by their clonogenic properties and are maintained by intercellular signals. The signaling molecules are different in plants and animals stem cell niches, but the roles of argonaute and polycomb group proteins suggest that there are some molecular similarities.
Animals ; Plant Cells ; Signal Transduction ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism

Objective:To investigate the expression of annexin 5 in rat testis after removing submandibular gland in rats. Methods:On day 14,28 and 42 after the operation,the changes of annexin 5 expression in rat testis were analyzed by Western blot and Immunohistochemistry.Results:Western blot showed that there was a 27.5% and a 35.2% significant increase(P

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of aquaporin 1 (AQP1) in endometrium of patients with menorrhagia.

METHODSRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were carried out in twenty women with normal menstrual cycle to confirm the expression of AQP1 in endometrium and locate it. Then 51 women with menorrhagia and 40 women with normal menstrual cycle were included in the study. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the expression of AQP1.

RESULTAQP1 mRNA was expressed in the human endometrium throughout menstruation cycle, which was mainly located in the endothelia of the capillaries and small blood vessels. Quantification of the immunostaining revealed higher density during secretary phase than that in proliferative phase (P<0.01). The staining intensity and density of AQP1-positive microvessel decreased significantly in simple hyperplasia group (P<0.01) and then gradually increased in complex hyperplasia and atypical hyperplasia groups (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONDecreased expression of AQP1 may lead to disturbed endometrial vascular remodeling and may be involved in the occurrence of menorrhagia.

Adult ; Aquaporin 1 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Endometrium ; blood supply ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Menorrhagia ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Rhizoma Pinelliae Fermentata(RPF)wasoneofthecommonlyusedChinesemateriamedica(CMM). According to the ancient and modern literatures on RPF, the historical evolution, fermentation methods, chemical compositions, efficacy and microbes of RPF were systematically summarized in this paper. Through the analysis on existing problems of fermentation strains, effective components, quality standard and fermentation process, the corresponding solutions were proposed. This work may provide an idea and reference for the further study of RPF.

To study the protective effect of Danshen Tongluo capsule on rat hearts in the myocardial infarction (MI) model. After being fed with high fat diets for one month, the SD rats were randomly divided into the sham group and the model group according to the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF). The MI model group was duplicated by ligating coronary artery and then divided into five groups: the model group, the positive control group (model + captopril), the small dose group (model + Danshen Tongluo), the medium dose group (model + Danshen Tongluo) and the high dose group (model + Danshen Tongluo). Four weeks later, changes in myocardium ultra-structure were observed by hemodynamics, cardiac ultrasound and electron microscope. The results showed: (1) All doses of Danshen Tongluo capsule could significantly reduce the left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) (P <0.01), increase the maximum internal pressure of the left ventricle (+ dp/dtmax), and lower the drop rate of left ventricular pressure (- dp/dtmax), with statistical significances in medium and high dose groups; (2) The B ultrasound results showed increase in EF and left ventricular shortening fraction (FS) in all dose groups of Danshen Tongluo capsule; (3) The medium dose group showed significant decrease in myocardial infarction index (P <0.01) and injured and fractured myofilament and sarcomere of ischemic myocardium in myocardial ultra-structure; All of Danshen Tongluo capsule-treated groups revealed reduction in myocardial injury and myocardial infraction area. The study preliminarily proves that Danshen Tongluo capsule can improve hemodynamic function, and has a protective effect on myocardial ischemia.
Animals ; Capsules ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; ultrastructure ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Ventricular Function, Left ; drug effects

Objective To observe the effects of comprehensive measures of changing grain,selenium supplementation,off-site education and resettlement on prevention of children's Kashin-Beck disease in Aba state.Methods Fifty eight villages in Aba Kashin-Beck disease areas were chosen as intervention points in Aba state Sichuan province from 2007 to 2011.Based on the implementation of prevention and control measures,the villages were divided into off-site education + changing grain + selenium supplementation group and resettlement + off-site education + changing grain + selenium supplementation group,Geletuo town of Seda county,Ganzi state was selected as a control point,and right-hand anteroposterior X-ray examination(including the wrist) was carried out on children aged 6-13 from 2007 to 2011 annually.Clinical and X-ray diagnosis of Kashin-Beck disease was made in accordance with the Diagnostic Criteria of Kaschin-Beck Disease(GB 16003-1995).The effects of prevention and control measures were evaluated by comparing the child X-ray detection rate before and after the implementation of the measures.Results The average X-ray positive detectable rate of children in the intervention points was 2.07％(66/3181),2.72％ (69/2540),1.16％ (35/3017),0.56％ (19/3397) and 0.56％ (24/4273),respectively from 2007 to 2011,with a downward trend (x2trend =66.74,P ＜ 0.01).There was a downward trend in the average X-ray positive detectable rate of children in off-site education + changing grain + selenium supplementation group [1.60％(29/1809),2.63％ (39/1484),1.29％ (25/1941),0.64％ (15/2332),0.42％ (10/2379)] and resettlement + off-site education + changing grain + selenium supplementation group [2.70％ (37/1372),2.84％ (30/1056),0.93％(10/1076),0.38％ (4/1065),0.74％(14/1894)] (x2trend=30.97,35.19,all P ＜ 0.01).The average X-ray positive detectable rate of children in the intervention group was 0 from 2007 to 2010,and was 1.61％ (1/62) in 2011.The difference of X-ray positive detectable rate was not statistically significant in the control group in the 5 years from 2007 to 2011.The difference of children's X-ray positive detectable rate was not statistically significant between control group and intervention group.Conclusions The effect of taking changing grain,selenium supplementation,off-site education and resettlement comprehensive measures to prevent children's Kashin-Beck disease is not significant in those places where the state of Kaschin-Beck disease is not active.

OBJECTIVEThe activity of deer serum albumin on proliferation of rat osteogenic-like cells UMR-106 and the IGF-I secretion were investigated in order to elucidate pilose antler's bone-strengthening mechanism.

METHODDeer serum albumin was isolated from freeze-dry pilose antler powder extract. The methods were Sephacryl S-200HR gel filtration, POROS 20QE ion-exchange and TSK G3000SW chromatographies. The effect of deer serum albumin on proliferatio of UMR-106 cells was assaied by MTT, and the secretion of IGF-I of UMR-106 cells was assaied by RIA.

RESULTDeer serum albumin, with the molecular weight of 56.3 kDa, significantly increased the proliferation rate of the osteoblast-like UMR-106 cell and IGF-I secretion. When concentration of deer serum albumin reached 0.149 microg x mL(-1), UMR-106 cell proliferation rate was 241.03% and IGF-I secretion was 66.89 ng x mL(-1).

CONCLUSIONThe concentration of deer serum albumin, from 14.9 ng x mL(-1) to 14.90 microg x mL(-1), significantly increased the proliferation rate of the osteoblast-like UMR-106 cell and IGF- I secretion.

Animals ; Antlers ; chemistry ; Bone Neoplasms ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Deer ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; secretion ; Materia Medica ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Osteoblasts ; metabolism ; pathology ; Osteosarcoma ; pathology ; Rats ; Serum Albumin ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology

When hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were administrated by intravenous infusion (IV), most of them were trapped in some nonhematopoietic organs as like lungs that had abundant blood capillaries. Only a small fraction of injected cells could home to the bone marrow, which reduced the engraftment of HSCs. The purpose of intra-bone marrow (IBM) transplantation was to facilitate the homing of HSCs directly. Based on the established murine model for allogeneic umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) by IBM injection, the objective of this study was to compare the distribution of fetal and neonatal peripheral blood (FNPB) mononuclear cells (MNC) in vivo and the efficacy of HSCT by different routes of administration in mice. BALB/c recipient mice exposed to sublethal dose 60Co gamma-ray were transplanted with FNPBMNCs from C57BL/6 mice. Recipient mice were divided into six groups at random: unilateral-IBM group; bilateral-IBM group; IV group; bilateral-IBM + IV group; irradiated control group and normal group. The distribution of CFSE-labeled FNPBMNCs in the recipients was observed in frozen sections of different organs or by flow cytometry. The survival rate, engraftment level, recovery of hematopoietic function and GVHD of recipient mice were studied. The results showed that infused by IBM route, FNPBMNCs mainly accumulated in the bone marrow (BM) cavity of the injected side tibia. Some of them could enter the BM of noninjected bones via blood circulation and few were trapped in the lung. Though same amount of FNPBMNCs were injected into recipient mice of unilateral and bilateral-IBM group, less cells could leak into peripheral blood or other tissues when transplanted by bilateral-IBM route. Therefore, in term of accelerating hemopoietic recovery, the injection of IBM route was better than IV route, especially bilateral IBM injection of HSCs, which neared the normal level of peripheral blood cells and colony-forming units of bone marrow nucleated cells at day 21 after transplantation, followed by unilateral-IBM group and bilateral-IBM + IV group. The percentages of H-2Db cell subsets in the three IBM groups were much higher than that in IV group. There was no significant difference of the engraftment level in the injected side tibia between the unilateral and bilateral-IBM group. When secondary transplantation was performed, the engraftment level in bilateral-IBM group was still much higher than that in IV group. At day 90, the survival rates of IBM groups were all > or = 80%, while that of IV group was only 50%. It is concluded that bilateral-IBM route can facilitate the homing of more HSCs, accelerate the engraftment of HSCs and hematopoietic reconstitution, which promoted the efficacy of IBM-HSCT.
Animals ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; prevention & control ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; physiology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Random Allocation ; Whole-Body Irradiation

OBJECTIVETo observe the in vivo distribution of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) after administrated by intra-bone marrow (IBM) or intravenous (i.v.), and compare the effects on hematopoiesis reconstitution and GVHD in rat BMT models.

METHODS(1) MSCs from male Wistar rats marked with CFSE were injected into the bone marrow cavity (IBM) or the vein (i.v.) of recipient rats, and observed the distribution of MSCs in vivo. (2) Allogeneic BMT model of Fischer344 rats (RT1A(1)) to Wistar rats (RT1A(u)) was established. The recipient rats were exposed to 8 Gy of gamma irradiation 1 day before transplantation. The 6 groups were (1) IBM group [IBM-injection of MSCs + IV-injection of bone marrow cells (BMC)]; (2) IV group (i.v.-injection of MSCs (i.v.) + i.v.-injection of BMC); (3) BMT group (only i.v.-injection of BMC); (4) MSCs control group (only i.v.-injection of MSC); (5) normal control group and (6) irradiation control group.

RESULTS(1) After i.v.-injection, large numbers of the MSCs lodged in lungs while small numbers in the peripheral blood, liver, thymus and spleen, and a few marked MSCs could be seen in bone marrow. After IBM injection, most cells distributed in long bones and those lungs were less than that in i.v. group. (2) Co-transplantation of MSCs (IBM/IV) could accelerate the recovery of hematopoiesis, including the recovery of WBC, hemoglobin and platelet, and in IBM-injection was more effective in the recovery of hematopoiesis than that in i.v. group. (3) Incidence rate of GVHD in BMT group was 42% (3/7), and no GVHD occurred in co-transplantation groups. (4) Recovery of CFU-Mix and CFU-MSCs could be seen at 21st and 30th day after transplantation in co-transplantation groups, and IBM-injection was more effective than i.v.-injection.

CONCLUSION(1) IBM-injection results in most MSCs distributed in long bones. (2) MSCs improve the survival rate after BMT. (3) Co-transplantation of MSCs accelerates the recovery of hematopoiesis and reduces the morbidity of GVHD. (4) MSC promotes reconstitution of hematopoietic cells and bone marrow MSCs in recipient rates and the effects of MSCs administrated via IBM is more effective than via i.v.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; prevention & control ; Hematopoiesis ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Models, Animal ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Transplantation, Homologous

Lysozyme (LYSO), as an alkalescent protein micromolecule in living organisms, exhibits important pharmacological actions such as antibiosis, anti-inflammatory, antivirus and enhancing immunity. LYSO can combine with many exogenous and endogenous substances and carry many drugs. This essay summarizes interaction between different kinds of active components of natural medicines and lysozymes, which is significant to comprehensively understand pharmacological mechanism of natural drugs and their transfer and metabolic process in organisms, optimize molecule structures of drugs and increase bioavailability and biological effects of natural drugs.
Humans ; Muramidase ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Protein Binding