Characterization of integrin engagement during defined human embryonic stem cell culture.

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells are pluripotent, capable of differentiating into any cell type of the body, and therefore have the ability to provide insights into mechanisms of human development and disease, as well as to provide a potentially unlimited supply of cells for cell-based therapy and diagnostics. Knowledge of the adhesion receptors that hES cells employ to engage extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins is of basic biological interest and can enhance the design of cell culture and implantation systems to enable these biomedical applications. Although hES cells express a variety of cell surface receptors, little is known about which integrins are involved during subculture and passage. Matrigel is broadly used as a cell adhesive matrix for hES cell culture. Here, we sought to identify which integrins hES cells exploit for adhesion to Matrigel-coated surfaces in defined medium conditions. Using RT-PCR, flow cytometry, and fluorescence immunochemistry, we found that numerous integrins were expressed by H1 hES cells; however, antibody blocking assays indicated that only alpha(v)beta(3), alpha(6), beta(1), and alpha(2)beta(1) played a significant role in the initial adhesion of the hES cells to Matrigel in defined medium conditions. We subsequently identified a cohort of synthetic peptides that, when adsorbed to the culture surface, promoted H1 hES cell attachment and proliferation, as well as maintained a pluripotent phenotype. Peptides designed to engage with alpha(v)beta(3), alpha(6), beta(1), and alpha(2)beta(1) integrins and syndecan-1 were tested both individually and in various combinations. A combination of two integrin-engaging peptides (AG-10, C-16) and one syndecan-engaging peptide (AG-73) was sufficient to promote hES cell adhesion, maintenance, and proliferation. We propose that a specific integrin "fingerprint" is necessary for maintenance of hES cell self-renewal, and synthetic culture systems must capture this engagement profile for hES cells to remain undifferentiated.-Meng, Y., Eshghi, S., Li, Y. J., Schmidt, R., Schaffer, D. V., Healy, K. E. Characterization of integrin engagement during defined human embryonic stem cell culture.

The nursing of skin metastasis on the puncture site of peripherally inserted central catheter in a patient with lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of lung cancer metastasizing to skin from peripherally inserted central catheter puncture and to analyze the causes and treatment of this event. METHODS: In August 2016, one patient with lung cancer developed a nodule on the puncture site of peripherally inserted central catheter. The nodule was 1 cm × 1 cm in size and soft in texture, whose color was similar to that of the skin; the surface was smooth and integral without tenderness, bleeding, or exudates. After removing the catheter, the nodule ruptured and was liable to bleeding on touching and grew up gradually ever since. Cytological examination of the nodule revealed tumor cells infiltration, after which nodule resection was performed. RESULT: The patient's wound healed up well, and no other masses were found on the skin surface around the whole body. The pathological examination of the surgical specimen suggested metastatic pulmonary adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: The case of lung cancer metastasizing to skin from peripherally inserted central catheter puncture is rare and may be attributed to the aggressiveness of tumor, the age of the patient, and the duration and location of peripherally inserted central catheter. Active treatment of distant metastasis could improve the life quality and prolong the survival of the patients.

Hydrogels as artificial matrices for human embryonic stem cell self-renewal.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the potential to differentiate into all cell types in the body and hold great promise for regenerative medicine; however, large-scale expansion of undifferentiated hESCs remains a major challenge. Self-renewal of hESCs requires culturing these cells on either mouse or human fibroblast cells (i.e., a feeder layer of cells), or on artificial extracellular matrices (ECMs) while supplementing the media with soluble growth factors. Here we report a completely synthetic ECM system composed of a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (sIPN), a polymer hydrogel, which was designed to allow the independent manipulation of cell adhesion ligand presentation and matrix stiffness. In the short term, hESCs that were cultured on the sIPN adhered to the surface, remained viable, maintained the morphology, and expressed the markers of undifferentiated hESCs. This was the first demonstration that a completely synthetic ECM can support short-term self-renewal of hESCs.

Nerve damage secondary to removal of fractured PICC fragment.

PURPOSE: To increase awareness of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) fracture and necessary nursing assessment to identify development of nerve injury after removal of the PICC fracture. METHODS: This is a case review of a cancer patient with fractured PICC and the postoperative symptoms leading to nerve injury. RESULTS: The reason for PICC fracture is the fragility of silicon. Secondary surgical intervention of a PICC fragment resulted in nerve damage from a hematoma placing pressure on the median nerve in the arm. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to use power injectable polyurethane PICCs. It is vital to have a clear understanding of signs and symptoms of nerve impingement in the arm when monitoring a post-operative patient. Assessment of neurological status, circulation, swelling and patient complaints of pain are all necessary functions of the nurse in caring for this type of patient.

Effects of short-term recovery periods on fluid-induced signaling in osteoblastic cells.

It is well known that cyclic mechanical loading can produce an anabolic response in bone. In vivo studies have shown that the insertion of short-term recovery periods (10-15 s) into mechanical loading profiles led to an increased osteogenic response compared to continuous cyclic loading of bone. Although this is suggestive of temporal processing at the bone cell level, there is little evidence to support such a hypothesis. Therefore, the current study investigated the cellular mechanism of bone's response to rest inserted vs. continuous mechanical loading. Cell responses to rest inserted mechanical loading were quantified by applying oscillatory fluid flow (OFF) to osteoblastic cells and quantifying real-time intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) release, and osteopontin (OPN) mRNA levels. Cells were exposed to OFF (1 Hz) at shear stresses of 1 and 2 Pa with rest periods of 5, 10, and 15s inserted every 10 loading cycles. The insertion of 10 and 15s rest periods into the flow profile resulted in multiple [Ca2+]i responses by individual cells, increased [Ca2+]i response magnitudes, and increased overall percent of cells responding compared to continuously loaded control groups. We determined the source of the multiple calcium responses to be from intracellular stores. In addition, rest inserted OFF led to similar levels of PGE2 release and increased levels of relative OPN mRNA compared to cells exposed to continuous OFF. Our study suggests that the cellular mechanism of bone adaptation to rest inserted mechanical loading may involve modulation of intracellular levels of calcium (frequency, magnitude, percent of cells responding).

Epitope mapping and functional analysis of sigma A and sigma NS proteins of avian reovirus.

We have previously shown that avian reovirus (ARV) sigmaA and sigmaNS proteins possess dsRNA and ssRNA binding activity and suggested that there are two epitopes on sigmaA (I and II) and three epitopes (A, B, and C) on sigmaNS. To further define the location of epitopes on sigmaA and sigmaNS proteins and to further elucidate the biological functions of these epitopes by using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 62, 1F9, H1E1, and 4A123 against the ARV S1133 strain, the full-length and deletion fragments of S2 and S4 genes of ARV generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were cloned into pET32 expression vectors and the fusion proteins were overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 strain. Epitope mapping using MAbs and E. coli-expressed deletion fragments of sigmaA and sigmaNS of the ARV S1133 strain, synthetic peptides, and the cross reactivity of MAbs to heterologous ARV strains demonstrated that epitope II on sigmaA was located at amino acid residues 340QWVMAGLVSAA350 and epitope B on sigmaNS at amino acid residues 180MLDMVDGRP188. The MAbs (62, 1F9, and H1E1) directed against epitopes II and B did not require the native conformation of sigmaA and sigmaNS, suggesting that their binding activities were conformation-independent. On the other hand, MAb 4A123 only reacted with complete sigmaNS but not with truncated sigmaNS fusion proteins in Western blot, suggesting that the binding activity of MAb to epitope A on sigmaNS was conformation-dependent. Amino acid sequence analysis and the binding assays of MAb 62 to heterologous ARV strains suggested that epitope II on sigmaA was highly conserved among ARV strains and that this epitope is suitable as a serological marker for the detection of ARV antibodies following natural infection in chickens. On the contrary, an amino acid substitution at position 183 (M to V) in epitope B of ARV could hinder the reactivity of the sigmaNS with MAb 1F9. The sigmaNS of ARV with ssRNA-binding activity could be blocked by monoclonal antibody 1F9. The epitope B on sigmaNS is required for ssRNA binding because its deletion fully abolished the ssRNA binding activity of sigmaNS.

Rapid characterization of avian reoviruses using phylogenetic analysis, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme fragment length polymorphism.

A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction is described, which amplified the full-length sigmaC-encoding and sigmaNS-encoding genes of avian reovirus (ARV). DNA fragments of 1022 and 1152 base pairs were amplified among ARV isolates, respectively, indicating that there were no apparent deletions or insertions in these regions. Fragments amplified from vaccine strains and field isolates were digested with five different restriction enzymes Bcn I, Hae III, Taq I, Dde I, and Hinc II, respectively. Restriction fragment profiles observed on polyacrylamide gels showed heterogeneity between vaccine and Taiwanese isolates. All ARV isolates tested showed different restriction enzyme cleavage patterns and could be clearly distinguished. The strain-typing based on the cleavage sites in the sigmaC-encoding gene of ARV showed that viruses could be classified into four distinct groups. A phylogenetic tree based on the nucleotide sequences of the sigmaC-encoding gene revealed that Taiwanese ARV isolates were classified into four distinct groups, indicating that the genotyping is consistent with typing based on restriction enzyme fragment length polymorphism of the sigmaC-encoding gene of ARV. The results suggested that polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction enzyme analysis provided a simple and rapid approach for characterization of ARV isolates. Also, it is possible to determine whether a new variant strain has been introduced into a flock or a given virus strain has spread from one flock to another.