1,213 research outputs found
Effect of all-trans retinoic acid on the proliferation and differentiation of brain tumor stem cells
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To investigate the effect of all-trans retinoic acid(ATRA) on the proliferation and differentiation of brain tumor stem cells(BTSCs) <it>in vitro</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Limiting dilution and clonogenic assay were used to isolate and screen BTSCs from the fresh specimen of human brain glioblastoma. The obtained BTSCs, which were cultured in serum-free medium, were classified into four groups in accordance with the composition of the different treatments. The proliferation of the BTSCs was evaluated by MTT assay. The BTSCs were induced to differentiate in serum-containing medium, and classified into the ATRA group and control group. On the 10<sup>th </sup>day of induction, the expressions of CD133 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the differentiated BTSCs were detected by immunofluorescence. The differentiated BTSCs were cultured in serum-free medium, the percentage and the time required for formation of brain tumor spheres (BTS) were observed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><b>BTSCs </b>obtained by limiting dilution were all identified as CD133-positive by immunofluorescence. In serum-free medium, the proliferation of BTSCs in the ATRA group was observed significantly faster than that in the control group, but slower than that in the growth factor group and ATRA/growth factor group, and the size of the BTS in the ATRA group was smaller than that in the latter two groups(<it>P </it>< 0.01). In serum-containing medium, the expression percentages of CD133 and GFAP in the differentiated BTSCs were (2.29% ± 0.27%) and (75.60% ± 4.03%) respectively in the ATRA group, and (7.05% ± 0.49%) and (12.51% ± 0.77%) respectively in the control group. The differentiation rate of BTSCs in the ATRA group was significantly higher than that in the control group (<it>P </it>< 0.05), but there was still CD133 expressed in the ATRA group. The differentiated BTSCs could re-form BTSs in serum-free medium. The percentage of BTS formation in the ATRA group was(4.84% ± 0.32%), significantly lower than that in the control group (17.71% ± 0.78%) (<it>P </it>< 0.05), and the time required for BTS formation in the ATRA group was (10.07 ± 1.03)d, significantly longer than that in the control group (4.08 ± 0.35)d (<it>P </it>< 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><b>ATRA </b>can promote the proliferation and induce the differentiation of BTSCs, but the differentiation is incomplete, terminal differentiation cannot be achieved and BTSs can be formed again.</p
Topological magnons in one-dimensional ferromagnetic Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model with anisotropic interaction
Topological magnons in a one-dimensional (1D) ferromagnetic (FM)
Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model with anisotropic exchange interactions are
investigated. Apart from the inter-cellular isotropic Heisenberg interaction,
the intercellular anisotropic exchange interactions, i.e. Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya
interaction (DMI) and pseudo-dipolar interaction (PDI), also can induce the
emergence of the non-trivial phase with two degenerate in-gap edge states
separately localized at the two ends of the 1D chain, while the intracellular
interactions instead unfavors the topological phase. The interplay among them
has synergistic effects on the topological phase transition, very different
from that in the two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnet. These results demonstrate
that the 1D magnons possess rich topological phase diagrams distinctly
different from the electronic version of the SSH model and even the 2D magnons.
Due to the lower dimensional structural characteristics of this 1D topological
magnonic system, the magnonic crystals can be constructed from bottom to top,
which has important potential applications in the design of novel magnonic
devices.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure
Strong quantum fluctuation of vortices in the new superconductor
By using transport and magnetic measurement, the upper critical field
and the irreversibility line has been determined. A
big separation between and has been found showing the
existence of a quantum vortex liquid state induced by quantum fluctuation of
vortices in the new superconductor . Further investigation on the
magnetic relaxation shows that both the quantum tunneling and the thermally
activated flux creep weakly depends on temperature. But when the melting field
is approached, a drastic rising of the relaxation rate is observed.
This may imply that the melting of the vortex matter at a finite temperature is
also induced by the quantum fluctuation of vortices.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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Targeting Lactobacillus johnsonii to reverse chronic kidney disease.
Accumulated evidence suggested that gut microbial dysbiosis interplayed with progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, no available therapy is effective in suppressing progressive CKD. Here, using microbiomics in 480 participants including healthy controls and patients with stage 1-5 CKD, we identified an elongation taxonomic chain Bacilli-Lactobacillales-Lactobacillaceae-Lactobacillus-Lactobacillus johnsonii correlated with patients with CKD progression, whose abundance strongly correlated with clinical kidney markers. L. johnsonii abundance reduced with progressive CKD in rats with adenine-induced CKD. L. johnsonii supplementation ameliorated kidney lesion. Serum indole-3-aldehyde (IAld), whose level strongly negatively correlated with creatinine level in CKD rats, decreased in serum of rats induced using unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) and 5/6 nephrectomy (NX) as well as late CKD patients. Treatment with IAld dampened kidney lesion through suppressing aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signal in rats with CKD or UUO, and in cultured 1-hydroxypyrene-induced HK-2 cells. Renoprotective effect of IAld was partially diminished in AHR deficiency mice and HK-2 cells. Our further data showed that treatment with L. johnsonii attenuated kidney lesion by suppressing AHR signal via increasing serum IAld level. Taken together, targeting L. johnsonii might reverse patients with CKD. This study provides a deeper understanding of how microbial-produced tryptophan metabolism affects host disease and discovers potential pathways for prophylactic and therapeutic treatments for CKD patients
The LAMOST Survey of Background Quasars in the Vicinity of the Andromeda and Triangulum Galaxies -- II. Results from the Commissioning Observations and the Pilot Surveys
We present new quasars discovered in the vicinity of the Andromeda and
Triangulum galaxies with the LAMOST during the 2010 and 2011 observational
seasons. Quasar candidates are selected based on the available SDSS, KPNO 4 m
telescope, XSTPS optical, and WISE near infrared photometric data. We present
509 new quasars discovered in a stripe of ~135 sq. deg from M31 to M33 along
the Giant Stellar Stream in the 2011 pilot survey datasets, and also 17 new
quasars discovered in an area of ~100 sq. deg that covers the central region
and the southeastern halo of M31 in the 2010 commissioning datasets. These 526
new quasars have i magnitudes ranging from 15.5 to 20.0, redshifts from 0.1 to
3.2. They represent a significant increase of the number of identified quasars
in the vicinity of M31 and M33. There are now 26, 62 and 139 known quasars in
this region of the sky with i magnitudes brighter than 17.0, 17.5 and 18.0
respectively, of which 5, 20 and 75 are newly-discovered. These bright quasars
provide an invaluable collection with which to probe the kinematics and
chemistry of the ISM/IGM in the Local Group of galaxies. A total of 93 quasars
are now known with locations within 2.5 deg of M31, of which 73 are newly
discovered. Tens of quasars are now known to be located behind the Giant
Stellar Stream, and hundreds behind the extended halo and its associated
substructures of M31. The much enlarged sample of known quasars in the vicinity
of M31 and M33 can potentially be utilized to construct a perfect astrometric
reference frame to measure the minute PMs of M31 and M33, along with the PMs of
substructures associated with the Local Group of galaxies. Those PMs are some
of the most fundamental properties of the Local Group.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures, AJ accepte
Long-term safety and outcome of a temporary self-expanding metallic stent for achalasia: a prospective study with a 13-year single-center experience
To prospectively evaluate the long-term clinical safety and efficacy of a newly designed self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) in the treatment of patients with achalasia. Seventy-five patients with achalasia were treated with a temporary SEMS with a 30-mm diameter. The SEMSs were placed under fluoroscopic guidance and removed by gastroscopy 4–5 days after stent placement. Follow-up data focused on dysphagia score, technique and clinical success, clinical remissions and failures, and complications and was performed at 6 months, 1 year, and within 3 to 5 years, 5 to 8 years, 8 to 10 years, and >10 years postoperatively. Stent placement was technically successful in all patients. Complications included stent migration (n = 4, 5.33%), chest pain (n = 28, 38.7%), reflux (n = 15, 20%), and bleeding (n = 9, 12%). No perforation or 30-day mortality occurred. Clinical success was achieved in all patients 1 month after stent removal. The overall remission rates at 6 months, 1, 1–3, 3–5, 5–8, 8–10, and >10 year follow-up periods were 100%, 96%, 93.9%, 90.9%, 100%, 100%, and 83.3%, respectively. Stent treatment failed in six patients, and the overall remission rate in our series was 92%. The median and mean primary patencies were 2.8 ± 0.28 years (95% CI: 2.25–3.35) and 4.28 ± 0.40 years (95% CI: 3.51–5.05), respectively. The use of temporary SEMSs with 30-mm diameter proved to be a safe and effective approach for managing achalasia with a long-term satisfactory clinical remission rate
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