Study of the cytological features of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from patients with neuromyelitis optica.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a refractory autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system without an effective cure. Autologous bone marrow‑derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM‑MSCs) are considered to be promising therapeutic agents for this disease due to their potential regenerative, immune regulatory and neurotrophic effects. However, little is known about the cytological features of BM‑MSCs from patients with NMO, which may influence any therapeutic effects. The present study aimed to compare the proliferation, differentiation and senescence of BM‑MSCs from patients with NMO with that of age‑ and sex‑matched healthy subjects. It was revealed that there were no significant differences in terms of cell morphology or differentiation capacities in the BM‑MSCs from the patients with NMO. However, in comparison with healthy controls, BM‑MSCs derived from the Patients with NMO exhibited a decreased proliferation rate, in addition to a decreased expression of several cell cycle‑promoting and proliferation‑associated genes. Furthermore, the cell death rate increased in BM‑MSCs from patients under normal culture conditions and an assessment of the gene expression profile further confirmed that the BM‑MSCs from patients with NMO were more vulnerable to senescence. Platelet‑derived growth factor (PDGF), as a major mitotic stimulatory factor for MSCs and a potent therapeutic cytokine in demyelinating disease, was able to overcome the decreased proliferation rate and increased senescence defects in BM‑MSCs from the patients with NMO. Taken together, the results from the present study have enabled the proposition of the possibility of combining the application of autologous BM‑MSCs and PDGF for refractory and severe patients with NMO in order to elicit improved therapeutic effects, or, at the least, to include PDGF as a necessary and standard growth factor in the current in vitro formula for the culture of NMO patient‑derived BM‑MSCs

Characterization of Laser-Resistant Port Wine Stain Blood Vessels Using In Vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy.

Background and objectivesPort wine stain (PWS) is a congenital vascular malformation of the human skin. Laser is the treatment of choice for PWS. Laser-resistant PWS is one crucial factor accounting for inadequate treatment outcome, which needs to be fully characterized. This study aims to quantitatively characterize the morphology of laser-resistant PWS blood vessels in the upper papillary dermis using in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM).Study design/materials and methodsA total of 42 PWS subjects receiving laser treatment from August 2016 through July 2018 were enrolled into this study. Thirty-three subjects had facial PWS; nine had extremity PWS. All subject's PWS received multiplex 585/1,064 nm laser treatment. RCM images were taken before and after treatment. The density, diameter, blood flow, and depth of PWS blood vessels were analyzed.ResultsWe found 44.4% PWS on the extremities (four out of nine subjects) were laser-resistant, which was significantly higher (P < 0.001) when compared with those PWS on the face (15.2%, 5 out of 33 subjects). The laser-resistant facial PWS blood vessels had significantly higher blood flow (1.35 ± 0.26 U vs. 0.89 ± 0.22 U, P < 0.001), larger blood vessel diameters (109.60 ± 18.24 µm vs. 84.36 ± 24.04 µm, P = 0.033) and were located deeper in the skin (106.01 ± 13.87 µm vs. 87.82 ± 12.57 µm, P < 0.001) in the skin when compared with laser-responsive PWS on the face. The average PWS blood vessel density (17.01 ± 4.63/mm2 vs. 16.61 ± 4.44/mm2 , P = 0.857) was not correlated to the laser resistance.ConclusionsLaser-resistant PWS blood vessels had significantly higher blood flow, larger diameters, and were located deeper in the skin. RCM can be a valuable tool for a prognostic evaluation on laser-resistant lesions before treatment, thereby providing guidance for tailored laser treatment protocols, which may improve the therapeutic outcome. The limitations for this study include relative small sample size and acquisitions of different blood vessels before and after 2 months of treatment. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Microstructure Effects on Electrochemical Characteristics for Plasma Spray Deposited LiFePO4 Films

The electrochemical behavior of composite electrodes used in Li ion batteries is influenced by factors such as microstructural characteristics (e.g. particle size, crystallinity, porosity etc.) and composition. For optimal performance of electrodes these factors are of utmost concern and serve as motivation for research in this field. In this report, we investigated LiFePO4 films synthesized by a novel plasma spray deposition method, which has capability for direct deposition of LiFePO4 films with carbon. This enables electrode characterizations to be carried out at the film level, without recourse to steps involving powder material handling. In this report microstructure and electrochemical properties of LiFePO4 films were investigated to elucidate their unique characteristics. Our studies show that factors such as porosity and microstructure of the films affect the electrochemical properties. The mechanical compression and thermal annealing experiments are shown to affect the electrochemical characteristics of LiFePO4 films. We show that annealing treatment leads to a drastic improvement in impedance and charge-discharge capacities for the LiFePO4 films. These treatments could serve to improve the electrode properties of porous film based materials for Li ion batteries and help us develop new film based materials for energy storage applications

Normal Red Blood Cell Count Reference Values in Chinese Presenile Women Given by Geographical Area

Background/PurposeWe aimed to standardize the normal reference value of red blood cell (RBC) counts in Chinese presenile women using an underlying scientific basis.MethodsThis research was conducted to study the relationship between the normal reference value of 31,405 RBC samples from presenile women in eight different geographical areas in China. RBC counts were determined using a microscopic counting method.ResultsThere was a significant correlation between geographical factors and the normal reference RBC value in presenile women (F = 187.82, p = 0.000). Using stepwise regression analysis, one regression equation was obtained.ConclusionIf geographical values are obtained in a certain area, the normal RBC reference value in presenile women in this area can be obtained using the regression equation

VCP/p97, Down-Regulated by microRNA-129-5p, Could Regulate the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Valosin containing protein (VCP)/p97 plays various important roles in cells. Moreover, elevated expression of VCP in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is correlated with increased incidence of recurrence. But the role of VCP in HCC progression in vitro and in vivo is unclear. And there are few reports about the regulation mechanism on the expression of VCP in HCC. In this study, it was identified that the level of VCP was frequently increased in human HCC tissues. In addition, down-regulation of VCP with siRNAs could dramatically suppress the genesis and progression of tumor in vivo. It was found that miR-129-5p directly inhibited the expression of VCP in several HCC cell lines. Meanwhile, the level of VCP in HCC tissues was negatively associated with the level of miR-129-5p. Our further investigation showed that the enhanced expression of miR-129-5p also suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, it was revealed that miR-129-5p could inhibit the degradation of IκBα and increase the apoptosis and reduce the migration of HCC cells by suppressing the expression of VCP. Our results revealed that the expression of VCP was directly regulated by miR-129-5p and this regulation played an important role in the progression of HCC

Rice Hypersensitive Induced Reaction Protein 1 (OsHIR1) associates with plasma membrane and triggers hypersensitive cell death

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In plants, HIR (Hypersensitive Induced Reaction) proteins, members of the PID (Proliferation, Ion and Death) superfamily, have been shown to play a part in the development of spontaneous hypersensitive response lesions in leaves, in reaction to pathogen attacks. The levels of HIR proteins were shown to correlate with localized host cell deaths and defense responses in maize and barley. However, not much was known about the HIR proteins in rice. Since rice is an important cereal crop consumed by more than 50% of the populations in Asia and Africa, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms of disease responses in this plant. We previously identified the rice HIR1 (OsHIR1) as an interacting partner of the OsLRR1 (rice Leucine-Rich Repeat protein 1). Here we show that OsHIR1 triggers hypersensitive cell death and its localization to the plasma membrane is enhanced by OsLRR1.</p> <p>Result</p> <p>Through electron microscopy studies using wild type rice plants, OsHIR1 was found to mainly localize to the plasma membrane, with a minor portion localized to the tonoplast. Moreover, the plasma membrane localization of OsHIR1 was enhanced in transgenic rice plants overexpressing its interacting protein partner, OsLRR1. Co-localization of OsHIR1 and OsLRR1 to the plasma membrane was confirmed by double-labeling electron microscopy. Pathogen inoculation studies using transgenic <it>Arabidopsis thaliana </it>expressing either OsHIR1 or OsLRR1 showed that both transgenic lines exhibited increased resistance toward the bacterial pathogen <it>Pseudomonas syringae </it>pv. <it>tomato </it>DC3000. However, <it>OsHIR1 </it>transgenic plants produced more extensive spontaneous hypersensitive response lesions and contained lower titers of the invading pathogen, when compared to <it>OsLRR1 </it>transgenic plants.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The OsHIR1 protein is mainly localized to the plasma membrane, and its subcellular localization in that compartment is enhanced by OsLRR1. The expression of OsHIR1 may sensitize the plant so that it is more prone to HR and hence can react more promptly to limit the invading pathogens' spread from the infection sites.</p

LncRNA Expression Profiling of Ischemic Stroke During the Transition From the Acute to Subacute Stage

Ischemic stroke induces profound effects on the peripheral immune system, which may participate the infectious complications. However, the exact function and mechanism of immune reaction in stroke development are not well-elucidated. Recently, several long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are reported to affect ischemic stroke process, especially the immunological response after stroke. In the present study, we investigated the profile of LncRNAs in human ischemic stroke during the transition from the acute to subacute stage, when the state of the peripheral immune system changes from activation to systemic immunosuppression. In this study, we analyzed the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets obtained at two time points (24 h and 7 days) from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of ischemic patients. Vascular risk factor-matched healthy adults were enrolled as controls. A total of 3,009 LncRNAs and 3,982 mRNAs were identified as differentially expressed 24 h after stroke. Furthermore, 2,034 LncRNAs and 1,641 mRNAs were detected to be differentially expressed on day 7. Bioinformatics analyses, including GO, KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and network analysis, were performed for the identified dysregulated genes. Our study reveals that ischemic stroke can influence the expression of LncRNAs and mRNAs in the peripheral blood at both the acute and subacute stages; the level of LncRNAs in the antigen processing and presentation pathway was clearly upregulated at 24 h and had recovered to normal levels on day 7 after stroke. Moreover, inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels and GABAergic synapses were two specifically downregulated pathways on day 7 after stroke. Our findings provide a valuable resource for further study of the role of LncRNAs in peripheral immune system changes following ischemic stroke

The Effect of the Crosstalk between Photoperiod and Temperature on the Heading-Date in Rice

Photoperiod and temperature are two important environmental factors that influence the heading-date of rice. Although the influence of the photoperiod on heading has been extensively reported in rice, the molecular mechanism for the temperature control of heading remains unknown. This study reports an early heading mutant derived from tissue culture lines of rice and investigates the heading-date of wild type and mutant in different photoperiod and temperature treatments. The linkage analysis showed that the mutant phenotype cosegregated with the Hd1 locus. Sequencing analysis found that the mutant contained two insertions and several single-base substitutions that caused a dramatic reduction in Hd1mRNA levels compared with wild type. The expression patterns of Hd1 and Hd3a were also analyzed in different photoperiod and temperature conditions, revealing that Hd1 mRNA levels displayed similar expression patterns for different photoperiod and temperature treatments, with high expression levels at night and reduced levels in the daytime. In addition, Hd1 displayed a slightly higher expression level under long-day and low temperature conditions. Hd3a mRNA was present at a very low level under low temperature conditions regardless of the day-length. This result suggests that suppression of Hd3a expression is a principle cause of late heading under low temperature and long-day conditions