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Both bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) have a strong anti-inflammatory capacity in stroke. But their relationship has not been well addressed. In this study, we investigated how intravenous BM-MSC transplantation in rats effected the expression of TGF-β1 48 h post cerebral ischemia, and we analyzed the main cells that produce TGF-β1.
We used a distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO) model in twenty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The rats were randomly divided into two groups the ischemic control group and the postischemic BM-MSC transplantation group. One hour after the dMCAO model was established, the rats were injected in the tail vein with either 1 ml saline or 1×10
BM-MSCs suspended in 1 ml saline. ELISAs were used to detect TGF-β1 content in the brain infarct core area, striatum and the plasma at 48 h after cerebral infarction. Immunofluorescent staining of brain tissue sections for TGF-β1, Iba-1, CD68 and NeuN was performed to determine the nun immune-regulation, but reduces the TGF-β1 content in the infarcted area and in the plasma at 48 h after cerebral infarction.There is considerable epidemiological evidence indicating that air pollution has adverse effects on human health and is closely related to respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These effects, which can be divided into short- and long-term effects, can manifest as an exacerbation of existing symptoms, impaired lung function, and increased hospitalization and mortality rates. Long-term exposure to air with a high concentration of pollutants may also increase the incidence of COPD. The combined effects of different pollutants may become more complex in the future; hence, there is a need for more intensive research on specific at-risk populations, and formulating corresponding protective strategies is crucial. We aimed to review the epidemiological evidence on the effect of air pollution on COPD, the possible pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this effect, as well as protective measures against the effects of air pollutants in patients with COPD.Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and environmental degradation are leading global health problems of our time. Recent studies have linked exposure to heavy metals to the risks of CVD and diabetes, particularly in populations from low- and middle-income countries, where concomitant rapid development occurs. In this review, we 1) assessed the totality, quantity, and consistency of the available epidemiological studies, linking heavy metal exposures to the risk of CVD (including stroke and coronary heart disease); 2) discussed the potential biological mechanisms underlying some tantalizing observations in humans; and 3) identified gaps in our knowledge base that must be investigated in future work. An accumulating body of evidence from both experimental and observational studies implicates exposure to heavy metals, in a dose-response manner, in the increased risk of CVD. The limitations of most existing studies include insufficient statistical power, lack of comprehensive assessment of exposure, and cross-sectional design. Given the widespread exposure to heavy metals, an urgent need has emerged to investigate these putative associations of environmental exposures, either independently or jointly, with incident CVD outcomes prospectively in well-characterized cohorts of diverse populations, and to determine potential strategies to prevent and control the impacts of heavy metal exposure on the cardiometabolic health outcomes of individuals and populations.Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2 inhibitors) are a new type of drug for the treatment of diabetes, and they have been proven to have a good hypoglycemic effect. Several lines of clinical evidence have shown that SGLT2 inhibitors can significantly reduce the risks of atherosclerosis, hospitalization for heart failure, cardiovascular death, and all-cause mortality and delay the progression of chronic kidney disease. Because of the protective effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on the heart and kidney, they are being studied for the treatment of heart failure and chronic kidney disease in patients without diabetes. Therefore, it is necessary for cardiologists, patients with diabetes, and nephrologists to fully understand this type of drug. In this review, we summarize the following three aspects of SGLT2 inhibitors the recent clinical evidence of their cardiovascular benefits, their mechanisms of action, and their safety.Cardiomyopathies are diseases of the cardiac muscle and are often characterized by ventricular dilation, hypertrophy, and cardiac arrhythmia. Patients with cardiomyopathies often experience sudden death and cardiac failure and require cardiac transplantation during the course of disease progression. Early diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and genetic consultation depend on imaging techniques, genetic testing, and new emerging diagnostic tools such as serum biomarkers. The molecular genetics of cardiomyopathies has been widely studied recently. The discovery of mechanisms underlying heterogeneity and overlapping of the phenotypes of cardiomyopathies has revealed the existence of disease modifiers, and this has led to the emergence of novel disease-modifying therapy. This 2018-2019 state-of-the-art review outlines the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiomyopathies in China.As a privileged motif, tetrazoles can be widely found in pharmaceuticals and materials science. CCT241533 Herein, a five-component reaction of cycloketone oxime esters, alkynes, DABCO·(SO2)2, and two molecules of trimethylsilyl azide under iron catalysis is developed, giving rise to a range of cyano-containing sulfonylated tetrazoles in moderate to good yields. This multicomponent reaction exhibits excellent selectivity and enables the formation of multiple new chemical bonds in one pot. A possible mechanism involving azidosulfonylation of alkynes, C-C bond cleavage of both cycloketone oxime esters and alkynes, and [3 + 2] cycloaddition of trimethylsilyl azide and the nitrilium cation intermediate is proposed. Additionally, the potential of terminal alkynes acting as powerful synthons for the synthesis of tetrazoles in a radical initiated process is demonstrated for the first time.Boron-containing compounds represent a promising class of molecules with proven efficacy against a wide range of pathogens, including apicomplexan parasites. Following lead optimization, the benzoxaborole AN13762 was identified as a preclinical candidate against the human malaria parasite, yet the molecular target remained uncertain. Here, we uncovered the parasiticidal mechanisms of AN13762, by combining forward genetics with transcriptome sequencing and computational mutation discovery and using Toxoplasma gondii as a relevant model for Apicomplexa. AN13762 was shown to target TgCPSF3, the catalytic subunit of the pre-mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation complex, as the anti-pan-apicomplexan benzoxaborole compound, AN3661. However, unique mutations within the TgCPSF3 catalytic site conferring resistance to AN13762 do not confer cross-protection against AN3661, suggesting a divergent resistance mechanism. Finally, in agreement with the high sequence conservation of CPSF3 between Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium, AN13762 shows oral efficacy in cryptosporidiosis mouse model, a disease for which new drug development is of high priority.Among laboratory mouse strains many genes are differentially expressed in the same cell population. As consequence, gene targeting in 129-derived embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and backcrossing the modified mice onto the C57BL/6 background can introduce passenger mutations in the close proximity of the targeted gene. Here, we demonstrate that several transgenic mice carry a P2rx7 passenger mutation that affects the function of T cells. By the example of P2rx4tm1Rass we demonstrate that P2X4ko T cells express higher levels of P2X7 and are more sensitive toward the P2X7 activators ATP and NAD+, rendering these cells more vulnerable toward NAD-induced cell death (NICD) compared with wild type (WT). The enhanced NICD sensitivity confounded functional assays e.g. cytokine production and cell migration. Our results need to be considered when working with P2rx4tm1Rass mice or other 129-based transgenic strains that target P2rx7 neighboring genes.Lithium metal batteries have recently emerged as alternative energy storage systems beyond lithium-ion batteries. However, before this kind of batteries can become a viable technology, the critical issues of the Li anodes, like dendrites growth and low Coulombic efficiency (CE), need to be conquered. Herein, lithiophilic Cu-metal-organic framework thin layer (Cu-MOF TL) is in situ grown on the surface of Cu foil by a facile immersion strategy to construct a multifunctional current collector. Profiting from the high electrical conductivity and unique porous structure, the Cu-MOF TL with high affinity to electrolyte can provide uniform nucleation sites and promote homogeneous Li+ flux, as a result, radically restrain the Li dendrite growth, leading to stable Li plating/striping behaviors. The modified current collector enables Li plating/stripping with a prominent CE (∼97.1%) and a stable lifetime (∼2500 h). Importantly, the synthesis method can be easily large-scale production in a series of organic solvents.The plant cell wall, a form of the extracellular matrix, is a complex and dynamic network of polymers mediating a plethora of physiological functions. How polysaccharides assemble into a coherent and heterogeneous matrix remains mostly undefined. Further progress requires improved molecular-level visualization methods that would gain a deeper understanding of the cell wall nanoarchitecture. dSTORM, a type of super-resolution microscopy, permits quantitative nanoimaging of the cell wall. However, due to the lack of single-cell model systems and the requirement of tissue-level imaging, its use in plant science is almost absent. Here we overcome these limitations; we compare two methods to achieve three-dimensional dSTORM and identify optimal photoswitching dyes for tissue-level multicolor nanoscopy. Combining dSTORM with spatial statistics, we reveal and characterize the ultrastructure of three major polysaccharides, callose, mannan, and cellulose, in the plant cell wall precursor and provide evidence for cellulose structural re-organization related to callose content.The silk glands of silkworms produce large quantities of fibroin, which is a protein that can be physically processed and used as a biodegradable carrier for cell growth factors in tissue engineering applications. Meanwhile, protein microcrystals known as polyhedra, which are derived from cypovirus 1, have been used as a vehicle to protect and release encapsulated cell growth factors. We report the generation of transgenic silkworms that express recombinant fibroblast growth factor-7 (FGF-7) fused with the polyhedron-encapsulating signal in polyhedra produced in the middle (MSG) and posterior (PSG) silk glands. Immunofluorescence showed that polyhedra from silk glands are associated with FGF-7. The MSG and PSG from transgenic silkworms were processed into fine powdery materials, from which FGF-7 activity was released to stimulate the proliferation of human keratinocyte epidermal cells. Powders from PSGs exhibited higher FGF-7 activity than those from MSGs. Moreover, PSG powder showed a gradual release of FGF-7 activity over a long period and induced keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation in 3D culture to promote the formation of stratified epidermis expressing positive differentiation marker proteins.