BACKGROUND:Bioactive glass, a multi-phase composite material, has good biological activity, bone conductivity and biocompatibility, but as a bone repair material it cannot be completely degraded, and has low mechanical strength that is insufficient.
OBJECTIVE:To design a kind of bioactive glasses/chitosan composite scaffold, and to investigate its physicochemical properties and cellcompatibility.
METHODS:Hydrochloric acid solution containing 2.0%chitosan was mixed withβ-glycerophosphate at a radio of 7:1 to prepare chitosan solution. Bioactive glasses of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 g were added into the prepared chitosan solution, and the mass ratios of chitosan and bioactive glass were 2:1, 1:1, and 1:1.5 respectively. The composite materials were immersed and mineralized in simulated body fluid for 7 days.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Scanning electron microscopy showed that the composite scaffold had an interconnected porous structure with the porosity of 89%and the pore size of 100-300μm;bioactive glasses dispersed in a needle shape between the chitosan scaffolds, arranged evenly, and were ful y wrapped tightly by the scaffolds. With the increase in mass of bioactive glass, the porosity of the composites decreased, but the fracture strength gradual y increased. There was a positive correlation between the composite porosity and fracture strength. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that the composite scaffold appeared to have no changes in the nature of single materials, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed no mass loss at normal body temperature. After 3 days of mineralization, hydroxyapatite forming on the material surface gradual y grew up as a vil ous shape, and also significantly increased in number. After 7 days of mineralization, hydroxyapatite changed from a vil ous shape to a needle shape, the amount of hydroxyapatite was increased further, and many mineralized products were in a spherical shape.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of CD44 (intron 9) and CD44v6 in brain neoplasm.

METHODSCD44 (intron 9) and CD44v6 were detected in malignant meningoma, encephalic glioma, and normal encephalic tissues around the brain noeplasm respectively by using RT-PCR.

RESULTSThe positive expression rate of CD44v6 was 92.86% (26/28) in malignant meningoma and 88.0% (22/25) in encephalic glioma. They were significantly higher than 5.0% (1/20) in normal encephalic tissues (P < 0.01). Mass values of malignant meningoma and encephalic glioma were higher than that of normal encephalic tissues (P < 0.01). The expression of CD44 (intron 9) was higher in malignant meningoma and encephalic glioma than in normal encephalic tissues (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSDetection of CD44 (intron 9) and CD44v6 might be helpful to the diagnosis of malignant cerebroma.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Brain Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Glycoproteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Humans ; Hyaluronan Receptors ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Introns ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis

Objective To investigate the acute toxicology and intervention effect of Panacis Majoris Rhizoma on rats with chronic pharyngitis.Methods A single,maximum dose of Panacis Majoris Rhizoma(74.4 g·kg-1)was administered to Kunming mice to evaluate its toxicity,involving the assessment of the survival status of the mice,organ indices,morphological changes in major organs,blood routine,and biochemical indicators.SD rats were randomly divided into the control group,model group,prednisone group(6.25 mg·kg-1),and low-,medium-,and high-dose Panacis Majoris Rhizoma groups(0.58,1.16,and 2.32 g·kg-1).All rats received the corresponding drugs(or normal saline)via intragastric administration once daily for a duration of 30 days.Except the control group,chronic pharyngitis was induced in rats of the other groups by using β-hemolytic streptococcus.Following euthanasia,serum inflammatory levels of interleukin-6(IL-6),cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1),C-reactive protein(CRP),tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α),monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1),and prostaglandin E2(PGE2)were measured.Additionally,pharyngeal tissues were stained with HE and pathological characteristics were observed.Results Toxicological studies have demonstrated that the administration of Panacis Majoris Rhizoma resulted in significant increase in plasma alanine transaminase levels and spleen index of mice,along with corresponding tissue pathological alterations.Nevertheless,no noteworthy pathological changes were observed in other organs,and there were no notable changes in blood routine and plasma biochemical indicators.Pharmacodynamic investigations have revealed that Panacis Maioris Rhizoma effectively reduces the serum levels of inflammatory factors and improves pathological changes in pharyngeal tissues.Conclusion Panacis Maioris Rhizoma alleviated β-hemolytic streptococcus-induced CP by inhibiting inflammatory responses,and may show potential toxicity to the spleen.

Objective To discuss the clinical diagnosis,treatment and prognosis of malignant melanoma of urinary system.Methods The clinical data of 5 patients with primary malignant melanoma of urinary system were retrospectively analyzed.There were 2 cases of primary melanona of the urethra,3 cases of primary malignant melanoma of the bladder.The diameter of the tumor ranged from 0.9 to 5.1 cm with an average of 3.1 cm.Results Two cases of urethral patients underwent radical resection of urethra.Among 3 cases of bladder,1 cases were in poor condition,and underwent laparoscopic partial cystectomy.In 1 young men,radical resection was refused and only transurethral resection of the bladder tumor was performed.Radical resection of bladder was done in 1 cases.Postoperative pathology showed that the tumor cells of 4 cases were fusiform under microscope,1 case was polygonal.5 cases showed melanin in the cytoplasm and diffuse proliferation of tumor cells,with obvious heterogeneity,cell proliferation index Ki-67 10％-30％.During the follow-up period of 7-30 months (median 19 months),3 patients died of metastasis.Conclusions Malignant melanona of urinary system is rare,with high malignancy and poor prognosis.Targeted therapy and immune therapy has become a new treatment option,which could improve the prognosis of patients.

We constructed the CS1-targeted second- and third-generation CAR-T cells with genetic engineered 4-1BB or/and ICOS as a costimulatory signaling molecule by use of lentiviral platform. The CS1-targeted second-generation CAR-T cells with ICOS or 4-1BB had similar anti-neoplastic activity. When effector/target ratio was 1:1, the CAR-T cells with ICOS showed better killing effect on IM9-lucgfp cells than those with 4-1BB. However, The CS1-targeted third-generation CAR-T cells exihibited lower cytolytic capacity against IM9-lucgfp cells than the CS1-targeted second-generation CAR-T cells when the ratio of effector/target was 1:1, 2:1 or 5:1. When the ratio of effector/target was 10:1, the killing efficacy of both the second- and third-generation CAR-T cells against IM9-lucgfp cells was more than 85%, significantly higher than that of the control T cells. Taken together, both the CS1-targeted second- and third-generation CAR-T cells with ICOS or/and 4-1BB could efficiently kill CS1-positive multiple myeloma cells, but the CS1-targeted second-generation CAR-T cells had more potent killing effect on CS1-positive multiple myeloma cells than the CS1-targeted third-generation CAR-T cells.
4-1BB Ligand/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Genetic Engineering ; Humans ; Inducible T-Cell Co-Stimulator Protein/metabolism* ; Multiple Myeloma/therapy* ; Signal Transduction ; T-Lymphocytes/chemistry* ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Objective:To delve into the intricate relationship between common genetic variations across the entire genome and the risk of non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate(NSCL/P).Methods:Utilizing summary statistics data from genome-wide association studies(GW AS),a thorough investigation to evaluate the impact of common variations on the genome were undertook.This involved assessing single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)heritability across the entire genome,as well as within specific genomic regions.To ensure the robustness of our analysis,stringent quality control measures were applied to the GWAS summary statistics data.Criteria for inclusion encompassed the absence of missing values,a minor allele frequency≥1％,P-values falling within the range of 0 to 1,and clear SNP strand orientation.SNP meeting these stringent criteria were then meticulously included in our analy-sis.The SNP heritability of NSCL/P was calculated using linkage disequilibrium score regression.Addi-tionally,hierarchical linkage disequilibrium score regression to partition SNP heritability within coding re-gions,promoters,introns,enhancers,and super enhancers were employed,and the enrichment levels within different genomic regions using LDSC(v1.0.1)software were further elucidated.Results:Our study drew upon GWAS summary statistics data obtained from 806 NSCL/P trios,comprising a total of 2 418 individuals from the Chinese population.Following rigorous quality control procedures,490 593 out of 492 993 SNP were deemed suitable for inclusion in SNP heritability calculations.The observed SNP heritability of NSCL/P was 0.55(95％CI:0.28-0.82).Adjusting for the elevated disease pre-valence within our sample,the SNP heritability scaled down to 0.37(95％CI:0.19-0.55)based on the prevalence observed in the general Chinese population.Notably,our enrichment analysis unveiled significant enrichment of SNP heritability within enhancer regions(15.70,P=0.04)and super enhan-cer regions(3.18,P=0.03).Conclusion:Our study sheds light on the intricate interplay between common genetic variations and the risk of NSCL/P in the Chinese population.By elucidating the SNP heritability landscape across different genomic regions,we contribute valuable insights into the genetic basis of NSCL/P.The significant enrichment of SNP heritability within enhancer and super enhancer re-gions underscores the potential role of these regulatory elements in shaping the genetic susceptibility to NSCL/P.This paves the way for further research aimed at uncovering novel genetic pathogenic factors un-derlying NSCL/P pathogenesis.

One of the most common birth defects is cleft palate only (CPO) of which non-syndromic cleft palate only (NSCPO) accounts for 50%. NSCPO is a complex disease where multiple genes and environmental factors contribute to its risk. Unlike non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P), previous genome-wide association studies only identified a few common genetic variations achieving genome-wide significance. This review summarizes the recent findings on genetic epidemiology of NSCPO. According to the current evidence, the candidate genes are divided into three categories: candidate genes with strong evidence, candidate genes with suggestive evidence, and candidate genes with inadequate evidence. The findings of epigenetic studies, the next generation sequencing studies, interaction analysis on NSCPO are also reviewed.

Objective:To explore the association between polymorphisms of transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)signaling pathway and non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate(NSCL/P)among Asian populations,while considering gene-gene interaction and gene-environment interaction.Methods:A total of 1 038 Asian NSCL/P case-parent trios were ascertained from an international consortium,which conducted a genome-wide association study using a case-parent trio design to investigate the genes affec-ting risk to NSCL/P.After stringent quality control measures,343 single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)spanning across 10 pivotal genes in the TGF-β signaling pathway were selected from the original genome-wide association study(GWAS)dataset for further analysis.The transmission disequilibrium test(TDT)was used to test for SNP effects.The conditional Logistic regression models were used to test for gene-gene interaction and gene-environment interaction.Environmental factors collected for the study in-cluded smoking during pregnancy,passive smoking during pregnancy,alcohol intake during pregnancy,and vitamin use during pregnancy.Due to the low rates of exposure to smoking during pregnancy and al-cohol consumption during pregnancy(＜3％),only the interaction between maternal smoking during pregnancy and multivitamin supplementation during pregnancy was analyzed.The threshold for statistical significance was rigorously set at P=1.46 × 10-4,applying Bonferroni correction to account for multiple testing.Results:A total of 23 SNPs in 4 genes yielded nominal association with NSCL/P(P＜0.05),but none of these associations was statistically significant after Bonferroni's multiple test correction.How-ever,there were 6 pairs of SNPs rs4939874(SMAD2)and rs1864615(TGFBR2),rs2796813(TGFB2)and rs2132298(TGFBR2),rs4147358(SMAD3)and rs1346907(TGFBR2),rs4939874(SMAD2)and rs1019855(TGFBR2),rs4939874(SMAD2)and rs12490466(TGFBR2),rs2009112(TGFB2)and rs4075748(TGFBR2)showed statistically significant SNP-SNP interaction(P＜1.46 × 10-4).In contrast,the analysis of gene-environment interactions did not yield any significant results after being cor-rected by multiple testing.Conclusion:The comprehensive evaluation of SNP associations and interac-tions within the TGF-β signaling pathway did not yield any direct associations with NSCL/P risk in Asian populations.However,the significant gene-gene interactions identified suggest that the genetic architec-ture influencing NSCL/P risk may involve interactions between genes within the TGF-β signaling path-way.These findings underscore the necessity for further investigations to unravel these results and further explore the underlying biological mechanisms.

Objective: Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is a common birth defect with its genetic evidence widely explored. This study explored the potential the parent-of-origin (PoO) effect of WNT pathway on the risks of NSCL/P, using a case-parent trio design. Methods: Data on the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of WNT genes were selected from a genome-wide association study (GWAS). A total of 806 Chinese non-syndromic cleft lip patients, with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) case-parent trios, were gathered from an international consortium. PoO effect of WNT pathway genes and its haplotypes were explored by log-linear models. Additional Wald tests were performed to assess: a) the heterogeneity of PoO effect between different maternal exposures, b) the interaction between PoO effect, c) maternal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and d) multivitamin supplementation during pregnancy. The threshold for statistical significance was adjusted as 3.47×10^-4, according to Bonferroni correction. Results: After quality control, a total of 144 SNPs within seven genes were included for analyses, among which 8 SNPs were of potential PoO effect (P<0.05). However, none of them achieved the statistical significance after Bonferroni correction. The haplotype rs4074668-rs12725747 (T-A) on WNT9A showed significant PoO effect, based on the haplotype test for PoO (P=2.74×10^-4). In addition, no statistically significant interaction was found in further exploration of this haplotype under environmental exposures as ETS or multivitamin supplementation. Conclusions Genes in the WNT pathway may influence the NSCL/P risks through the potential PoO effect. Particularly, the haplotype rs4074668-rs12725747 (T-A) on WNT9A presented significant PoO effect on NSCL/P, statistically. From this current study, findings on WNT pathway related risks among the NSCL/P, need to be further validated by independent samples in the future.

ObjectiveTo investigate the inhibitory effect of hederasaponin B on gastric cancer HGC-27 cell and the mechanism. MethodMethyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） assay， hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， 4'，6-diamidino-2-phenylindote （DAPI） staining， colony formation assay， scratch assay， and flow cytometry were employed for the analysis of apoptosis and cell cycle. Thereby， the inhibitory effect of hederasaponin B on gastric cancer HGC-27 cell was investigated. Then the Pharm Mapper， UniProt， Swissdock， STRING， and Metascape were used for target screening， gene annotation， molecular docking， protein-protein interaction （PPI） network construction， Gene Ontology （GO） term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway analysis to explore the mechanism. ResultHederasaponin B （15， 30， 60， 120 μmol·L^-1） can significantly reduce the survival rate of HGC-27 cell （P<0.01） in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner compared with the blank group. It had no significant toxicity to normal GES-1 cell at concentration below 120 μmol·L^-1. Compared with the blank group， hederasaponin B （30， 60， 120 μmol·L^-1） induced cytoplasmic vacuolization， and nuclear deformation and karyopyknosis， inhibited the migration of HGC-27 cell （P<0.01）， and brought about the apoptosis （P<0.05， P<0.01） and cell cycle arrest of HGC-27 cell （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Hederasaponin B （10， 20， 30 μmol·L^-1） also suppressed the independent survival ability and proliferation ability of HGC-27 cell （P<0.01）. The possible action targets were kinesin-like protein KIF11， cGMP-specific 3，5 cyclic phosphodiesterase， caspase-3， serine/threonine protein kinase Chk1， proto-oncogene tyrosine protein kinase， epidermal growth factor receptor， and mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） 8. The mechanism may be related to MAPK signaling pathway （pathways in cancer）， adhesion connection， focal adhesion and proteoglycans in cancer （epithelial cell signaling pathways in Helicobacter pylori infection）. ConclusionHederasaponin B exerts significant inhibitory effect on gastric cancer HGC-27 cell through multiple targets and multiple pathways.