Highlights • We built a APP/PS1/nestin-GFP triple transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. • The two main areas where neurogenesis was seen are the DG-SGZ and LV-SVZ. • AD temporally impairs ...hippocampal neurogenesis.
Sperm-associated antigen 5 (SPAG5) is involved in various biological processes. However, the roles of SPAG5 in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC) are unknown. This study showed that upregulation of ...SPAG5 was detected frequently in primary BUC tissues, and was associated with significantly worse survival among the 112 patients that underwent radical cystectomy (RC). Up and downregulating the expression of SPAG5 enhanced or inhibited, respectively, the proliferation of BUC cells in vitro and in vivo, and suppressed or enhanced, respectively, apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, SPAG5 increased the resistance of BUC cells to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Mechanistic investigations showed that SPAG5 promotes proliferation and suppresses apoptosis in BUC at least partially via upregulating Wnt3 through activating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. The importance of the SPAG5/AKT-mTOR/Wnt3 axis identified in BUC cell models was confirmed via immunohistochemical analysis of a cohort of human BUC specimens that underwent RC. Collectively, our data suggested that in patients with BUC who underwent RC, high SPAG5 expression is associated with poor survival. In addition, targeting SPAG5 might represent a novel therapeutic strategy to improve the survival of patients with BUC.
To evaluate the diagnostic performance of 2-18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in TA diagnosis and Takayasu arteritis (TA) activity ...assessment.
This retrospective study included patients with TA diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria and undergoing 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging from October 2010 to July 2022. TA activity was assessed through 18F-FDG PET/CT (maximum standard uptake value SUVmax, vascular SUVmax/mean standard uptake value SUVmean of liver (SUV ratio), and PET vascular activity score PETVAS) using physician global assessment (PGA) as the reference standard, and the results of these assessments were compared against the clinical activity scores (National Institutes of Health NIH and Indian Aortitis Disease Activity ITAS-A scores), acute-phase reactants (APR), and white blood cell and platelet counts.
Twenty 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations from 19 patients were included in the study, nine were performed in the active phase and 11 in the inactive phase. The involved vessels showed segmental and tubular FDG uptake in the active group. The average SUVmax, SUV ratio, and PETVAS was 6.3 ± 2.7 (range 3.4–12), 4.2 ± 1.7 (range 2.1–7.5), and 22.7 ± 11.2 (range 6–39), respectively, in the active group and 1.7 ± 0.9 (0.9–3.1), 1.1 ± 0.6 (range 0.6–2.4), and 3.5 ± 5.5 (range 0–18), respectively, in the inactive group. The sensitivity, specificity of SUVmax, SUV ratio, and PETVAS for TA activity assessment were 100%, 100%; 100%, 90.9%; and 88.9, 90.9%, respectively. After ROC curve analysis, a new SUVmax cut-off was obtained. Based on the new cut-off value, SUVmax 3.3 and SUV ratio 1.9 had a more perfect assessment performance.
18F-FDG PET/CT is an alternative imaging technique for TA.
•18F-FDG PET/CT has advantages in TAK activity assessment.•Arterial SUVmax and SUV target/background ratio are important parameters for TAK activity assessment.•18F-FDG PET/CT allows for a more accurate classification of TAK.•PET/CT can better evaluate TAK efficacy
Background
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) possess remarkable self‐renewal capacity and the potential to differentiate into novel cell types, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). ...iPSC‐MSCs have been shown to enhance tissue regeneration and attenuate tissue ischaemia; however, their contribution to the immune regulation of Th2‐skewed allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma remains unclear.
Objective
This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of iPSC‐MSCs and bone marrow‐derived MSCs (BM‐MSCs) on lymphocyte proliferation, T‐cell phenotypes and cytokine production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with AR, and investigated the possible molecular mechanisms underlying the immunomodulatory properties of iPSC‐MSCs.
Methods
In co‐cultures of PBMCs with iPSC‐MSCs or BM‐MSCs, lymphocyte proliferation was evaluated using 3H‐thymidine (3H‐TdR) uptake, carboxyfluorescein diacetate, succinimidyl ester (CFDA‐SE) assays; the regulatory T‐cell (Treg) phenotype was determined by flow cytometry, and cytokine levels were measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The immunomodulatory properties of both MSCs were further evaluated using NS398 and transwell experiments.
Results
Similar to BM‐MSCs, we determined that iPSC‐MSCs significantly inhibit lymphocyte proliferation and promote Treg response in PBMCs (P < 0.05). Accordingly, the cytokine milieu (IFN‐γ, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐10 and IL‐13) in the supernatants of PBMCs changed significantly (P < 0.05). The immunomodulatory properties of iPSC‐MSCs and BM‐MSCs were associated with prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production and cell–cell contact.
Conclusions
These data demonstrate that iPSC‐MSCs are capable of modulating T‐cell phenotypes towards Th2 suppression through inducing Treg expansion, suggesting that iPSC‐MSCs can be used as an alternative candidate to adult MSCs to treat allergic airway diseases.
Non-basal precipitates have been fabricated via alloying addition in Mg–Sn alloy to enhance the aging hardening response, while only a small number of precipitates obtained by this method contribute ...limited strengthening effect. In this work, a large number of lath-shaped Mg2Sn precipitates were produced in Mg–Sn alloy with the habit planes (HPs) purposely transformed from basal plane to prismatic plane. As a result, the strength and toughness were simultaneously enhanced. Specifically, the compressive yield strength (CYS) and compression to failure (CF) were increased by 137% and 75%, respectively. It is attributed to the appreciable impediment effect of the abundant prismatic laths on basal slip and twinning.
This study was conducted to determine the effect of tea polyphenols (TP) on production performance, egg quality, and hepatic-antioxidant status of laying hens in vanadium-containing diets. A total of ...300 Lohman laying hens (67 wk old) were used in a 1 plus 3 × 3 experiment design in which hens were given either a diet without vanadium and TP supplementation (control) or diets supplemented with 5, 10, or 15 mg V/kg and TP (0, 600, 1,000 mg/kg) diets for 8 wk, which included 2 phases: a 5-wk accumulation phase and a 3-wk depletion phase. During the accumulation phase, dietary vanadium addition decreased (linear, P < 0.01) albumen height and Haugh unit (HU), and TP supplementation mitigated (linear effect, P < 0.01) this reduction effect induced by vanadium. Eggshell thickness (linear, P < 0.01), redness (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05), and yellowness (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) were decreased by vanadium and increased by the effect of TP when a vanadium-containing diet was fed. In the depletion phase, the bleaching effect on eggshells induced by vanadium disappeared one wk after vanadium withdrawal. Eggshell thickness, eggshell strength, albumen height, and HU were lower (P < 0.05) in the 15 mg/kg vanadium group compared with the control diet until 2 wk post vanadium challenge, but hens fed 15 mg/kg vanadium and 600 mg/kg TP showed no difference from the control diet only after 1 wk withdrawal. In the liver, the activity of glutathione S-transferases and glutathione peroxidase was increased (linear, P < 0.01) with the TP addition at 5 wk in the accumulation phase in the vanadium-containing diet; the malondialdehyde content increased (linear effect, P = 0.02) with the addition of vanadium. The results indicate that supplementation of 10 and 15 mg/kg vanadium resulted in reduced albumen quality, bleaching effect on eggshell color, and antioxidant stress in the liver. The effect of TP addition can prevent laying hens from the adverse effect of vanadium on egg quality, liver antioxidant stress and shorten the recovery time.
A study was conducted to determine the influence of dietary energy and protein concentrations on growth performance and carcass traits of Pekin ducks from 15 to 35 d of age. In experiment 1, 14-d-old ...ducks were randomly assigned to 3 dietary metabolizable energy (11.8, 12.8, and 13.8 MJ/kg) and 3 crude protein concentrations (15, 17, and 19%) in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement (6 replicate pens; 66 ducks/pen). Carcass characteristics were evaluated on d 28, 32, and 35. In Experiment 2, 15-d-old ducks (6 replicate cages; 6 ducks/cage) were randomly allotted to the 9 diets that were remixed with 0.5% chromic oxide. Excreta were collected from d 17 to 19, and ileal digesta was collected on d 19 to determine AMEn and amino acid digestibility. In Experiment 1, there were interactions (P < 0.05) between dietary metabolizable energy and crude protein (CP) on body weight (BW) gain and feed intake, wherein BW gain increased more to increasing dietary CP as dietary metabolizable energy increased. However, feed intake was only influenced by dietary crude protein at 11.8 MJ ME/kg and not 12.8 or 13.8 MJ/kg. As dietary CP increased from 15 to 19%, breast meat yield increased by 10.8% on d 35 (P < 0.01). Conversely, increasing metabolizable energy from 11.8 to 13.8 MJ/kg increased dressing percentage, breast skin, and subcutaneous fat, but decreased breast meat yield (% but not weight) on d 35 (P < 0.01). In Experiment 2, the determined AMEn for diets formulated to contain 11.8, 12.8, or 13.8 MJ ME/kg were 11.66, 12.68, and 13.75 MJ/kg, respectively; determined standardized ileal digestible Lys was 0.95, 1.00, and 1.21% for diets formulated to contain 15, 17, or 19% crude protein, respectively. The best body weight gain and feed conversion ratio was obtained when ducks were fed a high dietary AMEn (13.75 MJ/kg) and high CP (19%, 1.21% SID Lys). These results provide a framework for subsequent modeling of amino acid and energy inputs and the corresponding outputs of growth performance and carcass components.
To analysis the projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China in the fields of occupational health (code H2602) and occupational diseases (code H2402) from 2008 to 2019, to ...provide a reference for the project application of scientific researchers in the field of occupational diseases in China.
In October 2021, the information of all National Natural Science Foundation projects in the field of occupational health and occupational diseases from 2008 to 2019 was collected through LetPub website. It mainly analyzes the types of funded projects, the types of supporting units, the occupational disease hazard factors of the funded projects, the types of occupational injuries and representative research directions.
From 2008 to 2019, the National Natural Science Foundation of China funded a total of 282 projects in the field of occupational health and occupational diseases, with a total funding of 113.902 million yuan. Among them, 138 projects (48.94%) were funded, 96 (34.04%) were funded by you
Glass forming ability (GFA) is critically important for large-scale applications of bulk metallic glasses with maximized functionalities at low costs in materials and processing. Traditionally, ...excellent glass formers usually have compositions in eutectic regions where liquid phases have high stability and low liquid temperatures while GFA of off-eutectic alloys is largely limited by primary crystallization. In this study we reported that the GFA of Ni-based off-eutectic alloys can be dramatically improved by manipulating the primary crystallization reaction through minor alloying. As a result, a novel Ni60Pd20P14Si2B4 metallic glass with excellent GFA is developed by substituting P in Ni60Pd20P20 using 2 at.% Si and 4 at.% B. The minor alloying leads to the transition of the primary crystallization from a tetragonal (Ni, Pd)3P phase to a chemically modulated complex monoclinic phase. The enhanced GFA results in the largest achievable processing diameter (25 mm) of Ni-based bulk metallic glasses, which is more than four times larger than that of Ni60Pd20P20. The complex crystal structure of the primary crystalline phase with chemical modulation and a large unit cell leads to slow crystal growth, and hence the improved stability of supercooled liquid for better GFA.
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In order to gain further insight into the seroepidemiology of Bordetella pertussis infection and immunity against diphtheria in Chongqing, China, the concentrations of antibodies to pertussis toxin ...(PT) and diphtheria toxin (DT) were investigated in a healthy population.
Cross-sectional study.
In total, 1080 healthy people were recruited into this study. Sera antibodies to DT and PT were measured quantitatively using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Age-specific incidence of infection with B. pertussis was estimated and compared with notified cases of pertussis.
The mean concentration of anti-DT IgG was 0.71 IU/ml (95% confidence interval CI = 0.60–0.82), with a positive rate (>0.01 IU/ml) of 97.41% (1052/1080). The mean concentration of anti-PT IgG was 7.65 IU/ml (95% CI = 6.65–8.65), with a positive rate (>100 IU/ml) of 1.17% (11/944). The estimated pertussis infection rate was 7290/100,000, which was far higher than the reported incidence of 1.29/100,000 in 2015. The peaks of estimated incidence of infection were found in subjects aged 7–14 years (9971/100,000) and ≥20 years (13,898/100,000).
B. pertussis infection occurs frequently in young infants and adolescents/adults; the latter are often responsible for the transmission of pertussis to young infants. The existing surveillance system may underestimate the true incidence of pertussis in older age groups in Chongqing, and the immunisation programme should be improved to provide protection against pertussis for adolescents and young adults.
•Seroepidemiology of pertussis in Chongqing indicated that the reported incidence was far more underestimated.•Bordetella pertussis infection occur frequently both in young infants and adults.•The existing surveillance system was inadequate of notifying minor pertussis of adults.•Vaccinating adults/adolescents in close contact with infants would be efficient to prevent the transmission.
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