Unique Approach for Isolating Rat Bone Marrow Neutrophils with Comparable Capacity.

The primary aim of this research was to develop a reliable and efficient approach for isolating neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) from rat bone marrow. This effort arose due to limitations associated with the traditional method of extracting NETs from peripheral blood, mainly due to the scarcity of available neutrophils for isolation. The study revealed two distinct methodologies for obtaining rat neutrophils from bone marrow: a streamlined one-step procedure that yielded satisfactory purification levels, and a more time-intensive two-step process that exhibited enhanced purification efficiency. Importantly, both techniques yielded a substantial quantity of viable neutrophils, ranging between 50 to 100 million per rat. This efficiency mirrored the results obtained from isolating neutrophils from both human and murine sources. Significantly, neutrophils derived from rat bone marrow exhibited comparable abilities to secrete NETs when compared with neutrophils obtained from peripheral blood. However, the bone marrow-based method consistently produced notably larger quantities of both neutrophils and NETs. This approach demonstrated the potential to obtain significantly greater amounts of these cellular components for further downstream applications. Notably, these isolated NETs and neutrophils hold promise for a range of applications, spanning the realms of inflammation, infection, and autoimmune diseases.

Double-branched stent graft and four-stage deployment in total arch repair: safety and feasibility evaluation in porcine models.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of an innovative double-branched stent graft system employing four-stage deployment technology for aortic arch repair in porcine models. METHODS: The double-branched stent graft system consisted of a proximal polyester artificial blood vessel, the main and double-branched stent grafts and a delivery system. We utilized 12 healthy pigs as experimental animals (6 per group). Postimplantation, samples were collected at 90 and 180 days after the operations. Preoperative and postoperative imaging and intraoperative arterial blood gas analyses were performed. After the pigs were euthanized, the implanted product, surrounding tissue and major organs were collected for pathological analysis. RESULTS: The technical success rate of the stent graft implants was 100% (12/12). All animals survived to the experimental end point. Perioperative assessments showed intact stent grafts, and imaging features at the end of the follow-up period revealed neither endoleak nor device migration. No major adverse cardiovascular events were observed during the postoperative follow-up period. Pathological examinations confirmed the satisfactory biocompatibility of the stent graft. CONCLUSIONS: This innovative double-branched stent graft system with four-stage deployment technology was affirmed as a safe and feasible option for aortic arch repair in accordance with our preclinical evaluation with porcine models.

Case report: Unveiling the unforeseen: a catastrophic encounter of giant aortic aneurysm rupture during re-sternotomy in a patient with bicuspid aortic valve and previous surgical aortic valve replacement.

Due to structural abnormalities in the leaflets, patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) may develop isolated aortic valve disease, such as aortic regurgitation, aortic stenosis, or a combination of both. In addition to valvular pathology, numerous studies have indicated that approximately 40% of BAV patients exhibit aortic pathologies characterized by aortic dilatation. According to guidelines for valvular diseases, patients with BAV who require surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and have a diameter of the aortic sinuses or ascending aorta ≥4.5 cm are recommended to undergo concomitant replacement of the aortic sinuses or ascending aorta. However, we encountered a case in 2020 involving a patient with severe aortic regurgitation due to BAV and an ascending aortic diameter of 4.2 cm. This patient underwent SAVR and ascending aortoplasty surgery at our center. Remarkably, three years postoperatively, the patient's aortic diameter rapidly expanded by nearly threefold, which also suggests the risk of encountering a giant aortic root aneurysm during reoperation. Unfortunately, a fatal rupture of a giant aortic root aneurysm was encountered during re-sternotomy. Fortunately, with adequate preoperative planning, we successfully managed to avert this perilous situation. The patient recovered without complications and was discharged on the 8th day. Individualized surgical plans were formulated based on a comprehensive evaluation of the perioperative conditions.

Early endovascular intervention for unfavorable remodeling of the thoracic aorta after open surgery for acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection: study protocol for a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Total arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk has been developed with promising results for DeBakey type I aortic dissection. However, several problems, such as continuous perfusion of distal false lumen and unfavorable remodeling of distal aorta postoperatively, can seriously affect the long-term outcome. This trial aims to assess the effects of early minimally invasive endovascular repair on distal aortic remodeling and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with dominant false lumen and residual tears in the descending thoracic aorta after total arch replacement and frozen elephant trunk procedure. METHODS: This is a protocol for a two-arm, parallel, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. A total of 154 eligible patients will be recruited from four hospitals in China and randomized on a 1:1 basis either to the experiment group (endovascular repair in addition to routine antihypertensive therapy) or the control group (routine antihypertensive therapy without early surgical treatment). The primary outcome will be the five-year all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes will include re-intervention, ischemic symptoms, organ dysfunction, and stent-related adverse events. DISCUSSION: If early minimally invasive endovascular repair could safely and effectively promote distal aortic remodeling and bring favorable long-term outcomes for patients with dominant false lumen and residual tears in the descending thoracic aorta after total arch replacement and frozen elephant trunk technique, it would improve the treatment strategy for DeBakey type I aortic dissection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, CHiCTR2000030050. Registered on 11 March 2020.

Case report: Multimodality imaging revealing ruptured giant coronary artery aneurysm presenting with hemoptysis.

Giant coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) is a relatively uncommon disease that is defined by a focal dilation of at least 20 mm and characterized by various clinical symptoms. However, cases presenting primarily with hemoptysis have not been reported. A man in his late 20 s suffering from persistent chest pain for over 2 months was transferred to our emergency department for intermittent hemoptysis lasting for 12 h. Bronchoscopy detected fresh blood in the left upper lobe bronchus without a definite bleeding source. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a heterogeneous mass and the high-intensity signals suggested active bleeding. coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography demonstrated a giant ruptured CAA wrapped in a large mediastinal mass Coronary angiography confirmed the CAA originating from the left anterior descending artery. The patient underwent an emergency sternotomy and an enormous hematoma arising from a ruptured CAA densely adhering to the left lung was identified. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged on the 7th day later. The ruptured CAA masquerading as hemoptysis highlights the indispensability of multimodality imaging for accurate diagnosis. Urgent surgical intervention is desirable in such life-threatening conditions.

Management of a giant aortic root aneurysm in a young patient with Marfan syndrome: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a common heritable connective tissue disease involving multiple organs. Even though the clinical manifestations of MFS can be various, aortic root aneurysm is estimated as one of the most serious complications. We herein describe an individualized treatment decision-making process for a 23-year-old male with MFS, suffering from a giant but stable aortic root aneurysm which is extremely rare at his age. CASE: The patient, a 23-year-old male with a family history of MFS, presented to our cardiovascular department because of progressive exertional chest distress, fatigue and occasional precordial pain. Physical examinations revealed 190.5 cm of height, high myopia, and a diastolic murmur at the aortic valve area. Laboratory examinations for systemic vasculitis and infectious diseases were negative. Transthoracic echocardiography and enhanced thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan revealed the existence of a giant aortic root aneurysm (125.1 mm in short-axis), severe aortic valve regurgitation, cardiac dilatation (LV; 99 mm in diastolic diameter) and a poor ejection fraction (EF; 18%). Considering the risk of rupture or dissection of the dilated aortic root, we performed Bentall procedure based on the results of multidisciplinary team discussion and intraoperative exploration. Postoperative thoracic CT scan revealed a normal sized reconstructed aortic root, and the patient was discharged uneventfully 7 days later. CONCLUSION: It is extremely rare to report such a giant aortic root aneurysm in a young patient. In the treatment decision-making process, the patient's specific situation should be taken into consideration. A mechanical Bentall procedure seems to be an acceptable option for some selected cases.

Learning curve for transcatheter aortic valve replacement for native aortic regurgitation: Safety and technical performance study.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a fundamentally new procedure for the treatment of native aortic regurgitation (AR). The number of cases needed to gain proficiency with the procedure is unknown. HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to evaluate the learning curve for TAVR for native AR. METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed a prospective database from 134 consecutive native AR patients who underwent the J-valve TAVR system, which performed by a single team interventional cardiologist. The cumulative sum (CUSUM) method was used to analyze the learning curve. Patients were divided into two groups in chronological order, defined by the surgeon's early (group 1: the first 52 cases) and skilled (group 2: the next 82 cases) experience. Demographic data, intraoperative characteristics, and short-term surgical outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: CUSUM plots revealed decreasing procedure time and fluoroscopy time after patients 52 and 43, respectively. The patient date consistently demonstrated that high-risk scores and major perioperative parameters were comparable between the two groups. The use of contrast dye (group 1, 94.22 ± 30.07 mL; group 2, 70.43 ± 15.02 mL, P<.05), total procedure time (group 1, 84.96 ± 17.76 minutes; group 2, 59.95 ± 12.83 minutes, P<.05), and fluoroscopy time (group 1, 11.52 ± 3.81 minutes; group 2, 6.47 ± 1.53 minutes, P<.05) were significantly reduced in group 2. The overall device success rate in group 1 was 96.2% vs 96.3% in group 2 and remained high (P = 1.0). The overall 30-day mortality was 3.8% in group 2 (group 1, 0 to group 2, 3.8%; P = .16). The complications rate, such as pulmonary hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and coronary artery disease were higher in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: For a surgeon without previous TAVR experience, 52 cases of performance is the minimal requirement to gain the proficiency of TAVR for native AR. The skilled surgeons have been observed with reduced procedural time, fluoroscopy times, radiation exposure dose, and contrast volume usage. However, the overall prognosis was not significantly different between the two groups.

Global longitudinal strain in prosthesis-patient mismatch: relation to left ventricular mass regression and outcomes.

AIMS: Aortic prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) increases left ventricular (LV) afterload and prevents LV mass regression (LVMR) after surgery. This study was designed to investigate the association between the baseline global longitudinal strain (GLS) and the postoperative LVMR, and its relation to adverse outcomes. METHODS: A total of 316 patients with aortic stenosis undergoing isolated mechanical prosthesis implantation were screened, and data from 91 patients with aortic PPM and 165 non-PPM patients were retrospectively collected. All 256 patients underwent measurement of GLS by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography preoperatively, and were followed up for postoperative changes of LV mass index (LVMi) and other clinical outcomes. RESULTS: During the follow-up, LVMi in PPM patients decreased significantly from 139.6 ±â€Š20.8 to 119.6 ±â€Š26.5 g/m (P < 0.001). These patients were divided into two groups according to the median value of the reduction rate of LVMi at final follow-up, and preoperative GLS markedly decreased in PPM patients with insignificant reduction in LVMi. Multivariate analysis identified preoperative GLS (odds ratio 3.45, 95% confidence interval 1.27-11.05, P = 0.002) and preoperative LVMi (odds ratio 2.87, 95% confidence interval 1.21-8.13, P = 0.012) as independently associated with an insignificant LVMR. Moreover, PPM patients with limited reduction in LVMi were at an increased risk of cardiac death and major adverse valve-related events. CONCLUSION: In patients with aortic PPM early after surgery, reduced preoperative GLS could be a novel sensitive risk factor for a limited regression of LV hypertrophy, and this is associated with an increased risk of adverse events in PPM patients.

Unexpected renal hemorrhage after endovascular repair of complicated type B aortic dissection: two cases report.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is the therapeutic choice for type B aortic dissection. One of the most unfavored complications of this procedure is hemorrhage, which has a low incidence but high mortality. Renal hemorrhage (RH) after endovascular aortic repair has been rarely reported. We presented two cases of unexpected RH after TEVAR for complicated type B aortic dissection, and the potential causes, diagnosis and therapeutic management were discussed. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old female developed hypotension and progressively decrease of hemoglobin within 5 h after TEVAR for acute complicated type B dissection. Bedside ultrasonography and abdominal computed tomography angiography revealed a massive right perinephric hematoma. The right renal angiography detected multiple tortuous vascular branches with diffuse perinephric bleeding. The main trunk of right renal artery was embolized. The patient recovered uneventfully and presented with normal renal function 6 months later. Another patient was a 69-year-old male who was admitted for endovascular repair of a chronic complicated type B aortic dissection. The patient presented with hemodynamic instability early after TEVAR. Bedside ultrasonography showed a giant left retroperitoneal hematoma. The abdominal angiography revealed two active bleeding sits located in the distal branches of left renal artery. A super-selective embolization of the two arteries was performed, however the patient developed abdominal compartment syndrome and died of multiple organ failure. CONCLUSIONS: Unexpected RH after endovascular repair of aortic dissection might be associated with iatrogenic and idiopathic factors. Close surveillance and clinician's awareness of this rare complication is crucial for accurate and prompt diagnosis. Renal angiography and subsequent selective embolization of bleeding vessels are effective interventions for treating this fatal condition.

Aortic arch cannulation with the guidance of transesophageal echocardiography for Stanford type A aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND: Aortic arch cannulation for an antegrade central perfusion during the surgery for Stanford type A aortic dissection can be performed within median sternotomy. We summarize the safety and convenient profile of the central cannulation strategy using the guidance of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in comparison to traditional femoral cannulation strategy. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection underwent aortic arch surgery in our hospital. All the patients were operated by the same surgeon. Cannulation was performed in 33 patients through the aortic arch under the guidance of TEE (Group A) and in 29 patients through the femoral artery (Group F). Under moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest, the brain is continuously perfused in an anterograde manner through the brachiocephalic and left common carotid arteries. Preoperative characeristics and surgical information were collected for each patient. Additionally, 30-day mortality rate and the incidence of the temporary neurological dysfunction were recorded as the outcomes. To compare the categorical variables, we used the chi-squared test. Continuous variables were compared using the t-test. RESULTS: Preoperative characteristics were almost similar between the two groups. The mean operation time (7.33 ± 1.14 h vs. 8.93 ± 2.59 h, P = 0.002) and the mean cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time (260.97 ± 45.14 min vs. 298.28 ± 95.89 min, P = 0.024) were significantly shorter in Group A than those in Group F. The 30-day mortality rates were 9.09 and 27.59% in Groups A and F, respectively (P = 0.057). And the incidences of temporary neurological dysfunction were 39.39 and 65.52% in Group A and F, respectively (P = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: Aortic arch cannulation with the guidance of TEE during the aortic arch surgery is a simple, fast, safe, and less invasive technique for establishing cardiopulmonary bypass for Stanford type A aortic dissection.

Attenuation of Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury by Cyclosporine-A via Suppression of Mitochondrial DNA.

BACKGROUND Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is generally associated with sepsis, which causes multiple system injuries and systemic inflammatory response. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is of great importance in mediation of inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective profiles of Cyclosporine-A (CsA) in LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and systemic inflammation by the inhibition of mtDNA and Toll-like receptor. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-four C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to 4 groups: a sham group (n=6); an experiment group (ALI induced through intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/ml LPS, n=6); a low-CsA group (injection of 2.5 mg/kg of CsA 15 min after injection of LPS, n=6); and a high-CsA group (injection of 25 mg/kg of CsA 15 min after injection of LPS, n=6). Lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and blood samples were collected at 6 h for further analyses. RESULTS CsA treatment significantly attenuated LPS-induced lung histopathological changes (P<.05), myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity (P<.05) and lung wet-to-dry weight ratio (P<.05). In addition, injection of CsA decreased total cells (P<.05), neutrophils (P<.05), and total protein (P<.05) in BALF and inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a, P<.05) and interleukin-6 (IL-6, P<.05) in a dose-dependent manner. A significant decrease in mtDNA was observed in the CsA group when compared with controls (P<.05). Furthermore, we demonstrated that there was a significant difference between the high-CsA group and low-CsA group in lung injury score (P<.05), mtDNA (P<.05), and MPO (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS The evidence from this study suggests that CsA attenuated lung inflammation after LPS injection, and the protective mechanism may at least in part involve decreasing the release of inflammatory cytokines and mtDNA.

Epigallocatechin gallate attenuates mitochondrial DNA-induced inflammatory damage in the development of ventilator-induced lung injury.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to investigate the role of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a novel endogenous pro-inflammatory cytokine, in the development of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Moreover, the protective effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on VILI through inhibiting local mtDNA release was examined. METHODS: From March 2015 to March 2016, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from 36 patients with VILI and well-matched 36 patients without VILI after major surgery were consecutively collected. The expression levels of mtDNA and inflammatory cytokines in BALF were tested. SD rats were divided into five groups: control, low tidal volume (7 ml/kg) group, high tidal volume (HTV, 40 ml/kg) group, HTV+low dose EGCG and HTV+high dose EGCG groups. BALF were collected to examine the expression levels of mtDNA and several inflammatory cytokines and the lung tissue was harvested for pathological examinations. In addition, cyclic stretch cell culture was used and culture media was collected to analyze expressions of inflammatory cytokines. Administration of mtDNA in a rat model and in vitro cell culturing were used to confirm its pro-inflammatory properties in the development of inflammatory lung injury. RESULTS: A Significant elevation of mtDNA was detected in BALF from patients with VILI (581 ±â€¯193 vs. 311 ±â€¯137, p < 0.05) and also in rats ventilated with HTV. EGCG could significantly inhibit HTV-induced local mtDNA release and attenuate the level of inflammatory lung injuries (reduced infiltration of local inflammatory cells, lower lung wet/dry ratio and expression levels of inflammatory cytokines). The beneficial effects of EGCG on preventing inflammatory lung injuries were in a concentration-dependent manner. Meanwhile, higher expression levels of mtDNA and inflammatory cytokines were observed in the media of cyclic stretched cell culture compared to those in the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, intra-tracheal administration of mtDNA in rats could lead to a marked increase of local inflammatory cytokines and subsequent inflammatory lung injuries (p < 0.05). And by adding mtDNA into the cell culture, higher level of inflammatory cytokines in the media was detected (p < 0.05). EGCG also showed preventive effects on inflammatory responses on a concentration-dependent manner (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The increased expression level of mtDNA and subsequent inflammatory cytokines overproduction may play an important role in the development of VILI. EGCG may be a potential novel therapeutic candidate for protection against VILI by inhibiting the local release of mtDNA.

A Rare Case of Cardiac Calcified Amorphous Tumor: Multi-Modality Imaging Evaluation.

BACKGROUND Cardiac calcified amorphous tumors (CAT) are rarely presented and featured as calcification and eosinophilic amorphous material in dense collagenous fibrous tissue. CASE REPORT Our case report describes a 47-year-old man presenting cardiac CAT with only chronic cough and occasional dizziness. Preoperative multi-modality imaging was used to evaluate it and postoperative histological study was used to confirm the diagnosis. The mass was resected and the patient was fully recovered and discharged on the 7th postoperative day. In the 1-year follow-up, transthoracic echography showed no further pathological changes. CONCLUSIONS Cardiac CAT is a non-neoplastic cardiac tumor of unknown etiology. The tumor is commonly an incidental finding and the treatment of choice is complete surgical resection. In this case, we found that that multi-modality images were helpful in evaluating and diagnosing the cardiac CAT.

Mitochondrial DNA­induced inflammatory damage contributes to myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rats: Cardioprotective role of epigallocatechin.

Inflammation serves an important role in the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Fragments of endogenous damaged­associated molecular patterns, recently identified as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), have been proven to be a potent pro­inflammatory mediator. Epigallocatechin­3­gallate (EGCG) is able to regulate the expression levels of a series of inflammatory cytokines. However, the involvement of endogenous mtDNA in EGCG­regulated inflammatory activities in the context of myocardial I/R injury remains to be elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the role of mtDNA in EGCG­mediated myocardial protection in a rat I/R model. Significant positive correlations between elevated plasma mtDNA copy numbers and the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukins (IL)­6 and ­8 were observed in the myocardial tissue following an I/R injury (P<0.05). However, EGCG administered prior to reperfusion was able to effectively downregulate the expression levels of plasma mtDNA, TNF and IL­6 and ­8 in the myocardial tissue following an I/R injury (P<0.05). Limited infarct size, reduced severity of myocardial injury and decreased incidence of ventricular arrhythmia were observed in the EGCG­treated group. However, the beneficial effects of EGCG in preventing myocardial I/R injury may be eliminated by a specific phosphoinositide­3­kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. These results suggested that EGCG­mediated cardioprotective effects may be achieved by inhibiting the release of mtDNA from damaged mitochondria and that this protection was at least in part dependent on the PI3K/RAC­α serine/threonine­protein kinase associated signaling pathway.

Obtaining spontaneously beating cardiomyocyte-like cells from adipose-derived stromal vascular fractions cultured on enzyme-crosslinked gelatin hydrogels.

Heart failure often develops after acute myocardial infarction because the injured myocardial tissue fails to recover or regenerate. Stem cell transplantation using adult cell sources, such as adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF), draws extensive attention. In this study, SVF cells were isolated from rat adipose tissue and cultivated on enzyme-crosslinked gelatin hydrogels. Morphological features of cell development and spontaneous beating behavior from these cells were observed and recorded. Cardiac phenotypes were characterized via immunofluorescence staining, and the expression of cardiac-specific genes was measured via RT-PCR. The functional assessment of SVF-derived cardiomyocyte-like cells (SVF-CMs) was performed by detecting cellular calcium transient activities and pharmacological responses. Results showed that most SVF-CMs exhibited elongated myotubule shapes and expressed cardiac troponin I strongly. SVF-CMs expressed cardiac-specific RNA (including transcription factors GATA binding protein 4) and myocyte enhancer factor 2c, as well as the structural proteins, namely, sarcomere actinin alpha 2, cardiac troponin I type 3, cardiac troponin T type 2, and cardiac gap junction protein alpha 1. Their beating mode, calcium activities, and pharmacological responses were similar to those of native CMs. Spontaneously beating SVF-CMs can be derived from adipose tissue-derived SVFs, and enzyme-crosslinked gelatin hydrogel promoted the cardiac differentiation of SVF cells.

Chemotherapy-mediated miR-29b expression inhibits the invasion and angiogenesis of cervical cancer.

Radiotherapy combined with platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard-of-care of locally advanced cervical cancer (CC) patients, while nearly 50% of patients do not respond to standard chemotherapy. Thus, identification of relative molecules participated in chemotherapy might provide new insights in the treatment of CC. In this study, we found a cohort of miRNAs were dysregulated upon treatment with cisplatin, among of which miR-29b was the most upregulated one. We further detected its expression in CC tissues, and found that miR-29b was significantly suppressed in CC and its precancerous lesions, HSIL tissues, and was negatively related with tumor invasion. However, upon treatment with cisplatin, the expression of miR-29b was significantly up-regulated. The biological function assays showed that overexpression of miR-29b suppressed the invasion, EMT procedure and angiogenesis of cervical cancer cells in vitro and inhibited tumor growth and neovascularization in vivo through targeting STAT3 signal pathway. While, inhibition of miR-29b could prevent the cisplatin-induced epithelial features, cell movement and angiogenesis of CC cells, which means miR-29b/STAT3 axis participates in the chemotherapy of cisplatin in CC. Collectively, our data suggest that chemotherapy-mediated miR-29b expression participates in the initiation and progression of cervical cancer through suppressing the proliferation, EMT procedure and angiogenesis of cervical cancer cells by targeting STAT3 signal pathway.

[Effect of different electrical stimulation waves on orientation and alignment of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells].

Objective: To investigate the effect of different electrical stimulation waves on orientation and alignment of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs). Methods: ADSCs were isolated from 5-week-old Sprague Dawley rats (weight, 100-150 g) and cultivated. The cells at passages 3-5 were inoculated to prepare cell climbing slices, subsequently was exposed to direct-current electrical stimulations (ES) at electric field strengths of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 V/cm on a homemade electric field bioreactor (groups A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, and A6); at electric field strength of 6 V/cm, at 50% duty cycle, and at frequency of 1 and 2 Hz (groups B1 and B2) of square wave ES; at electric field strength of 6 V/cm, at pulse width of 2 ms, and at frequency of 1 and 2 Hz (groups C1 and C2) of biphasic pulse wave ES; and no ES was given as a control (group D). The changes of cellular morphology affected by applied ES were evaluated by time-lapse micropho-tography via inverted microscope. The cell alignment was evaluated via average orientation factor ( OF). The cytoske-leton of electric field treated ADSCs was characterized by rhodamine-phalloidin staining. The cell survival rates were assessed via cell live/dead staining and intracellular calcium activities were detected by calcium ion fluorescent staining. Results: The response of ADSCs to ES was related to the direct-current electric field intensity. The higher the direct-current electric field intensity was, the more cells aligned perpendicular to the direction of electric field. At each time point, there was no obvious cell alignment in groups B1, B2 and C1, C2. The average OF of groups A5 and A6 were significantly higher than that of group D ( P<0.05), but no significant difference was found between other groups and group D ( P>0.05). The cytoskeleton staining showed that the cells of groups A5 and A6 exhibited a compact fascicular structure of cytoskeleton, and tended to be perpendicular to the direction of the electric field vector. The cellular survival rate of groups A4, A5, and A6 were significantly lower than that of group D ( P<0.05), but no significant difference was found between other groups and group D ( P>0.05). Calcium fluorescence staining showed that the fluorescence intensity of calcium ions in groups A4, A5, and A6 was slightly higher than that in group D, and no significant difference was found between other groups and group D. Conclusion: The direct-current electric field stimulations with physiological electric field strength (5 V/cm and 6 V/cm) can induce the alignment of ADSCs, but no cell alignment is found under conditions of less than 5 V/cm direct-current electric field, square wave, and biphasic pulse wave stimulation. The cellular viability is negatively correlated with the electric field intensity.

[Expressions of Ras and Sos1 in epithelial ovarian cancer tissues and their clinical significance].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expressions of Ras and Sos1 proteins in human epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) tissues and explore their correlation with the clinicopathological features of the patients. METHODS: The expressions of Ras and Sos1 proteins were detected immunohistochemically in 62 EOC tissues, 5 borderline ovarian cancer tissues, 15 benign epithelial ovarian neoplasm tissues, and 18 normal ovarian tissues. RESULTS: The EOC tissues showed significantly higher expression levels of both Ras and Sos1 than the other tissues tested (P<0.05). In EOC tissues, Ras and Sos1 proteins were expressed mostly on the cell membrane and in the cytoplasm. The expression level of Ras was correlated with pathological types of the tumor (P<0.05) and was the highest in serous cystadenomcarcinoma; Sos1 expression did not show significant correlation with the clinicopathological indexes of the patients. High expressions of both Ras and Sos1 proteins were associated with shorter progression-free survival of the patients, but this association was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Ras and Sos1 protein may participate in in the occurrence and development of EOC. The tissue-specific variation of Ras expression can lend support to a specific diagnosis of ovarian serous adenocarcinoma. The association of Ras and Sos1 protein expression with the tumor-free survival time of the patients awaits further investigation with a larger sample size.