Development and progress of engineering of skeletal muscle tissue

Engineering skeletal muscle tissue remains still a challenge, and numerous studies have indicated that this technique may be of great importance in medicine in the near future. This article reviews some of the recent findings resulting from tissue engineering science related to the contractile behavior and the phenotypes of muscle tissue cells in different three-dimensional environment, and discusses how tissue engineering could be used to create and regenerate skeletal muscle, as well as the extended applications and the related patents concerned with engineered skeletal muscle. © 2009, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.published_or_final_versio

Is Pilocarpine Effective in Preventing Radiation-Induced Xerostomia? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

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Distribution and significance of interstitial fibrosis and stroma-infiltrating B cells in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

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Clinical efficacy and safety of buyang huanwu decoction for acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials

Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BHD) is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal prescription for treating stroke-induced disability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BHD for acute ischemic stroke. A systematic literature search was performed in 6 databases until February 2012. Randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluate efficacy and safety of BHD for acute ischemic stroke were included. Nineteen RCTs with 1580 individuals were identified. The studies were generally of low methodological quality. Only one of the trial included death or dependency as a primary outcome measure. Only 4 trials reported adverse events. Meta-analysis showed the clinical effective rate of neurological deficit improvement favoring BHD when compared with western conventional medicines (WCM), P < 0.001. There is significant difference in the neurologic deficit score between the BHD treatment group and the WCM control group, P < 0.001. In Conclusion, BHD appears to improve neurological deficit and seems generally safe in patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, the current evidence is insufficient to support a routine use of BHD for acute ischemic stroke due to the poor methodological quality and lack of adequate safety data of the included studies. Further rigorously designed trials are required.published_or_final_versio

Risk factors and prognosis for salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma in southern china: A 25-year retrospective study

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Clinical and molecular characterization of a transmitted reciprocal translocation t(1;12)(p32.1;q21.3) in a family co-segregating with mental retardation, language delay, and microcephaly

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chromosome translocation associated with neurodevelopmental disorders provides an opportunity to identify new disease-associated genes and gain new insight into their function. During chromosome analysis, we identified a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 1p and 12q, t(1; 12)(p32.1; q21.3), co-segregating with microcephaly, language delay, and severe psychomotor retardation in a mother and her two affected boys.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), long-range PCR, and direct sequencing were used to map the breakpoints on chromosomes 1p and 12q. A reporter gene assay was conducted in human neuroblastoma (SKNSH) and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines to assess the functional implication of the fusion sequences between chromosomes 12 and 1.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We determined both breakpoints at the nucleotide level. Neither breakpoint disrupted any known gene directly. The breakpoint on chromosome 1p was located amid a gene-poor region of ~ 1.1 Mb, while the breakpoint on chromosome 12q was located ~ 3.4 kb downstream of the ALX1 gene, a homeobox gene. In the reporter gene assay, we discovered that the fusion sequences construct between chromosomes 12 and 1 had a ~ 1.5 to 2-fold increased reporter gene activity compared with the corresponding normal chromosome 12 sequences construct.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings imply that the translocation may enhance the expression of the ALX1 gene via the position effect and result in the clinical symptoms of this family. Our findings may also expand the clinical phenotype spectrum of ALX1-related human diseases as loss of the ALX1 function was recently reported to result in abnormal craniofacial development.</p

Optimisation of UAVs‐SfM data collection in aeolian landform morphodynamics : a case study from the Gonghe Basin, China

UAVs‐SfM (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles‐ Structure from Motion) systems can generate high‐resolution 3D topographic models of aeolian landforms. To explore the optimisation of UAVs‐SfM for use in aeolian landform morphodynamics, this study tested flight parameters for two contrasting aeolian landform areas (free dune and blowout) to assess the 3D reconstruction accuracy of the UAVs survey compared with field point measurements using differential RTK‐GPS (Real‐time Kinematic‐Global Positioning System). The results reveal the optimum UAVs‐SfM flight set‐up at the free‐dune site was: flying height = 74 m, camera tilt angle = ‐90°, photo overlap ratio = 85%/70% (heading/sideways). The horizontal/vertical location error was around 0.028~0.055 m and 0.053‐0.069 m respectively, and a point cloud density of 463/m3 was found to generate a clear texture using these flying parameters. For the <20m deep blowout the optimum set‐up with highest accuracy and the lowest cliff texture distortion was: flying height = 74 m combined camera tilt angle = ‐90° and ‐60°, photo overlap ratio = 85%/70% (heading/sideways), and an evenly distributed GCPs (Ground Control Points) density of 42/km2 using these flying parameters. When the depth of the blowouts exceeded 40 m, the optimum flight/survey parameters changed slightly to account for more challenging cliff texture generation: flying height = 80 m (with ‐90° and ‐60°combined camera tilt angle), GCPs density = 63/km2 to generate horizontal and vertical location error of 0.024 m and 0.050 m respectively, and point cloud density of 2597.11/m3. The main external factors that affect the successful 3D reconstruction of aeolian landforms using UAVs‐SfM are the weather conditions, manipulation errors, and instrument system errors. The UAVs‐SfM topographic monitoring results demonstrate that UAVs provide a viable and robust means for aeolian landform morphodynamics monitoring. Importantly, the rapid and high precision 3D reconstruction processes were significantly advanced using the optimal flight parameters reported here

Screening Level of PAHs in Sediment Core from Lake Hongfeng, Southwest China

Using data from a 25-year retrospective of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment core from Lake Hongfeng, Southwest China, their possible sources and potential toxicologic significance were investigated. The total PAH concentrations (16 priority PAHs as proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency) in sediments ranged from 2936.1 to 5282.3 ng/g and gradually increased from the analyzed deeper sediments to surface sediments. PAHs were dominated by low molecular-weight components, especially phenanthrene (PHEN) and fluorene (FLU). However, a significantly increased number of high molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs was found in upper segments. The temporal trends of individual PAH species suggest that there may have been a change in energy use from low- to high-temperature combustion, especially after approximately 2001. PAH input to Lake Hongfeng originated mainly from domestic coal combustion and biomass burning, whereas fuel combustion characteristics have also been found in recent years. Sediment-quality assessment implied that potential adverse biologic impact could be a probability for most low-ring PAHs (including naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthylene, FLU, PHEN, and anthracene). Nevertheless, more concern should be paid to HMW PAHs in the future due to their rapidly increasing trends in upper sediments. Because only one core was analyzed in this study, more work is needed to confirm the sources and toxicity of PAHs in Lake Hongfeng