Ilizarov method in combination with autologous mesenchymal stem cells from iliac crest shows improved outcome in tibial non-union

AbstractAutologous bone grafting and ilizarov technique are the preferred mode of treatment for bone nonunion, studies suggest that bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells can be effective in treatment of tibial non-union where there is length of bone defect. The current study investigates the beneficial clinical outcome of combining the ilizarov procedure with intraosseous injection of autologous mesenchymal stem cells. The open-label study enrolled 25 patients with infected tibial non-union at the Shanghai Fengxian District Central Hospital, Shanghai, China between April 2010 and July 2014. Patients were randomised to undergo the ilizarov procedure with (n=11) or without (n=13) intraosseous injection of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells. All participants were followed prospectively until union was achieved (primary end point). The mean length of the bone defect in the Ilizarov group and Ilizarov group plus MSC group was 6.09 and 5.84cm respectively. The mean time from the original injury to the time of the treatment for tibial non-union was 5–22months (mean 13.5months) for the Ilizarov group and 6–21months (mean 13.5months) for Ilizarov plus MSc group. All 24 patients were followed up for 12–34months (mean 16months). Both groups achieved the primary endpoint of stable union of the tibial fracture. No adverse events were observed in any of the group. Our study demonstrates that using autologous bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cell as an add-on therapy to the ilizarov procedure shows significant clinical benefit in fixation of tibial non-union

Rhodiola rosea L extract shows protective activity against Alzheimer’s disease in 3xTg-AD mice

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of Rhodiola rosea L. extract (RRLE) against Alzheimer's disease in 3xTg-AD mice.Methods: The cognitive function of 3xTg-AD mice was assessed using Morris water maze test. The levels of amyloid beta deposits and NeuN in the hippocampus were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Brain neurotrophic-derived factor (BDNF) and tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) expressions were examined by western blot analysis.Results: RRLE treatment significantly ameliorated learning and memory deficits in AD mice, as shown by increased time spent in the target zone during probe tests. The escape latency in animals treated with 400 mg/kg RRLE (20.5 ± 1.3 s) was significantly increased compared to the untreated mice (12.4 ± 1.3 s, p < 0.01). In addition, RRLE significantly decreased Aβ deposits, increased NeuN-positive cells, and upregulated the expression of BDNF (1.4 ± 0.2, p < 0.05) and TrkB (1.1 ± 0.2, p < 0.05) in the mice.Conclusion: The findings suggest that RRLE treatment may be a useful strategy for treating memory impairment induced by several neurodegenerative diseases.Keywords: Rhodiola rosea L., Alzheimer's disease, Neurodegenerative diseases, Memory impairment, NeuN-positive cells, Amyloid beta deposit

The design of a new fiber optic sensor for measuring linear velocity with pico meter/second sensitivity based on Weak-value amplification

We put forward a new fiber optic sensor for measuring linear velocity with picometer/second sensitivity with Weak-value amplification based on generalized Sagnac effect [Phys. Rev. Lett.\textbf{93}, 143901(2004)].The generalized Sagnac effect was first introduced by Yao et al, which included the Sagnac effect of rotation as a special case and suggested a new fiber optic sensor for measuring linear motion with nanoscale sensitivity. By using a different scheme to perform the Sagnac interferometer with the probe in momentum space, we have demonstrated the new weak measure protocol to detect the linear velocity by amplifying the phase shift of the generalized Sagnac effect. Given the maximum incident intensity of the initial spectrum, the detection limit of the intensity of the spectrometer, we can theoretically give the appropriate pre-selection, post-selection, and other optical structures before the experiment. Our numerical results show our scheme with Weak-value amplification is effective and feasible to detect linear velocity with picometer/second sensitivity which is three orders of magnitude smaller than the result $\nu$=4.8 $\times$ $10^{-9}$ m/s obtained by generalized Sagnac effect with same fiber length.Comment: 3 figures; 9 pages. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2105.1363

Comparative transcriptome analysis and marker development of two closely related Primrose species (Primula poissonii and Primula wilsonii)

BACKGROUND: Primula species are important early spring garden plants with a centre of diversity and speciation in the East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains in Western China. Studies on population genetics, speciation and phylogeny of Primula have been impeded by a lack of genomic resources. In the present study, we sequenced the transcriptomes of two closely related primrose species, Primula poissonii and Primula wilsonii, using short reads on the Illumina Genome Analyzer platform. RESULTS: We obtained 55,284 and 55,011 contigs with N50 values of 938 and 1,085 for P. poissonii and P. wilsonii, respectively, and 6,654 pairs of putative orthologs were identified between the two species. Estimations of non-synonymous/synonymous substitution rate ratios for these orthologs indicated that 877 of the pairs may be under positive selection (Ka/Ks > 0.5), and functional enrichment analysis revealed that significant proportions of the orthologs were in the categories DNA repair, stress resistance, which may provide some hints as to how the two closely related Primula species adapted differentially to extreme environments, such as habitats characterized by aridity, high altitude and high levels of ionizing radiation. It was possible for the first time to estimate the divergence time between the radiated species pair, P. poissonii and P. wilsonii; this was found to be approximately 0.90 ± 0.57 Mya, which falls between the Donau and Gunz glaciation in the Middle Pleistocene. Primers based on 54 pairs of orthologous SSR-containing sequences between the two Primula species were designed and verified. About half of these pairs successfully amplified for both species. Of the 959 single copy nuclear genes shared by four model plants (known as APVO genes), 111 single copy nuclear genes were verified as being present in both Primula species and exon-anchored and intron-spanned primers were designed for use. CONCLUSION: We characterized the transcriptomes for the two Primula species, and produced an unprecedented amount of genomic resources for these important garden plants. Evolutionary analysis of these two Primula species not only revealed a more precise divergence time, but also provided some novel insights into how differential adaptations occurred in extreme habitats. Furthermore, we developed two sets of genetic markers, single copy nuclear genes and nuclear microsatellites (EST-SSR). Both these sets of markers will facilitate studies on the genetic improvement, population genetics and phylogenetics of this rapidly adapting taxon

Development and validation of an ELISA using a protein encoded by ORF2 antigenic domain of porcine circovirus type 2

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The capsid protein (ORF2) is a major structural protein of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). A simple and reliable diagnostic method based on ORF2 protein immunoreactivity would serve as a valuable diagnostic method for detecting serum antibodies to PCV2 and monitoring PCV infection. Here, we reported an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA) by using an antigenic domain (113-147AA) of ORF2-encoded antigen, expressed in <it>E. coli</it>, for diagnosis of PCV infection.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The ELISA was performed on 288 serum samples collected from different porcine herds and compared with an indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA). In total, 262 of 288 samples were positive as indicated by both I-ELISA and IFA. The specificity and sensitivity of I-ELISA were 87.7% and 93.57%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This ELISA is suitable for detection and discrimination of PCV2 infection in both SPF and farm antisera.</p