Progress about the fibro-adipose vascular anomaly: A review.

Fibro-adipose vascular anomaly (FAVA) is a rare and complex vascular malformation associated with persistent pain, limb contracture, and even restriction of activity. However, the pathophysiology of FAVA remains unclear. Although FAVA is a benign vascular malformation, it is highly misdiagnosed and often thus undergoing repeated surgical resection and interventional sclerotherapy, resulting in worsening of symptoms and irreversible dysfunction. Therefore, aggressive diagnosis and treatment are essential. There are several different treatment options for FAVA, including surgical resection, sclerotherapy, cryoablation, drug therapy, and physical therapy. This article reviews the clinical manifestations, pathological features, pathogenesis, and treatment methods of FAVA.

Characterizing the inherent activity of urinary bladder matrix for adhesion, migration, and activation of fibroblasts as compared with collagen-based synthetic scaffold.

The mechanism of action underlying the intriguing prominent bioactivity of urinary bladder matrix (UBM) for in situ tissue regeneration of soft tissue defects remains to be elucidated. It is speculated that the activity of UBM for cell adhesion, migration, and activation is inherent. The bioactivity of UBM for in situ tissue regeneration and its relation with the structure and intact soluble components of UBM were investigated in comparison to a collagen-based scaffold, PELNAC (PEL). We isolated the soluble component of the two materials with urea buffer, and evaluated the respective effect of these soluble components on the in vitro adhesion and migration of L929 fibroblasts. The spatiotemporal pattern of endogenous-cell ingrowth into the scaffolds and cell activation were investigated using a model of murine subcutaneous implantation. UBM is more capable of promoting the adhesion, migration, and proliferation of fibroblasts than PEL in a serum-independent manner. In vivo, as compared with PEL, UBM exhibits significantly enhanced activity for fast endogenous cell ingrowth and produces a more prominent pro-regenerative and pro-remodeling microenvironment by inducing the expression of TGF-ß1, VEGF, MMP-9, and murine type I collagen. Overall, our results suggest the prominent bioactivity of UBM for in situ tissue regeneration is inherent.

Insight into the role of DPP-4 in fibrotic wound healing.

Wound healing is a complex and long-term process consisting of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation/remodeling. These four stages overlap and influence each other; they affect wound healing in different ways, and if they do not function perfectly, they may cause scarring, proliferative scarring and keloid formation. A therapeutic target affecting wound healing in multiple ways will help the healing process proceed more effectively. DPP-4/CD26 is a multifunctional dimorphic glycoprotein widely distributed on the surface of a variety of cells, including fibroblasts and keratin-forming cells. It has been found to affect periwound inflammation, re-epithelialization, extracellular matrix secretion and skin fibrosis and is a potential target for promoting wound healing and inhibiting scar formation. After presenting a brief introduction of the wound healing process and DPP-4/CD26, this paper summarizes the effects of DPP-4/CD26 on cells involved in different stages of wound healing and discusses the feasibility of DPP-4/CD26 as a multifunctional target for the treatment of wound healing and inhibition of scar formation.

The ASIC3-M-CSF-M2 macrophage-positive feedback loop modulates fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation in skin fibrosis pathogenesis.

Inflammation is one of the main pathological features leading to skin fibrosis and a key factor leading to the progression of skin fibrosis. Acidosis caused by a decrease in extracellular pH is a sign of the inflammatory process. Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are ligand-gated ion channels on the cell membrane that sense the drop in extracellular pH. The molecular mechanisms by which skin fibroblasts are regulated by acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) remain unknown. This study investigated whether ASIC3 is related to inflammation and skin fibrosis and explored the underlying mechanisms. We demonstrate that macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is a direct target of ASIC3, and ASIC3 activation promotes M-CSF transcriptional regulation of macrophages for M2 polarization. The polarization of M2 macrophages transduced by the ASIC3-M-CSF signal promotes the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts through transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1), thereby producing an ASIC3-M-CSF-TGF-ß1 positive feedback loop. Targeting ASIC3 may be a new treatment strategy for skin fibrosis.

CH4/C2H6 dual-gas sensing system based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy using a single near infrared laser.

For sensitive and accurate methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6) simultaneous detection, a near-infrared dual-gas sensing system based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) was developed. A fiber-coupled distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser emitting at 1.684 µm was employed as light source. The scanning and modulation signals applied to the injection current of the laser were designed based on time division multiplexing (TDM) to realize the dual-gas measurement. A White cell with absorption path length of 16 m was utilized. The light intensity signal detected was processed with python based digital quadrature lock-in amplifier to obtain first and second harmonic signals. Allan deviation analysis yielded detection limits of 23.53 ppb for CH4 and 146.4 ppb for C2H6 in an average time of 100 s.

Simultaneous measurement of gas absorption and path length based on the dual-sideband heterodyne phase-sensitive detection of dispersion spectroscopy.

We present a novel approach based on dual-sideband heterodyne phase-sensitive detection of dispersion spectroscopy to realize simultaneous measurement of the gas absorption signal and corresponding path length. The details of heterodyne phase-sensitive detection of dispersion spectroscopy are derived. A standard Mach-Zehnder intensity modulator (MZM) is adopted to generate a spectrum of a carrier and two sidebands. Phase shift of the beatnote signal generated by the two sidebands is detected to retrieve the path length as well as the gas absorption signal. The measurement range of the path length can be adapted by changing the modulation frequency. Proof-of-principle experiments are conducted with methane (CH4) as the absorber which is filled into a gas cell with a variable path length. We also utilize this approach to evaluate the path length of a White cell and meanwhile calibrate the experimental system with different concentrations of methane. The proposed method has a great potential for detecting the path length and gas absorption in multipass cells and the open path environment.

Insights into the role of adipose-derived stem cells: Wound healing and clinical regenerative potential.

The incidence of acute and chronic wound diseases is rising due to various reasons. With complicated pathogenesis, long course, difficult treatment and high disability, wound diseases have become a major burden for patients, their families, and society. Therefore, the focus of research is to identify new ideas and methods for treatment. Fat grafting has gained increased attention because of its effectiveness in wound treatment, and further analysis has uncovered that the stem cells derived from fat may be the main factor affecting wound healing. We summarize the function of adipose stem cells and analyze their possible mechanisms in tissue repair, helping to provide new ideas for the treatment of wound healing.

Acetylene sensing system based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy using a triple-row circular multi-pass cell.

A sensitive acetylene (C2H2) sensing system based on a novel triple-row circular multi-pass cell (CMPC) was demonstrated. This CMPC has an effective optical length of 21.9 m within an extremely small volume of 100.1 mL. We utilized wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) for absorption spectroscopy detection of C2H2. The distance between the two minima of the second harmonic was used to normalize the maximum value of it, which makes the time to obtain stable output for continuous detection shorten dramatically. A fiber-coupled distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser emitting at 1.5316 µm was employed as a light source. An Allan deviation analysis yielded a detection sensitivity of 76.75 ppb with a normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient of 8.8 × 10-10 cm-1 Hz-1/2 during an average time of 340 s. With a fast stable time, reduced size and high detection sensitivity, the proposed sensing system is suitable for trace gas sensing in a weight-limited unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and an exhalation diagnosis for smoking test.

Targeted apoptosis of myofibroblasts by elesclomol inhibits hypertrophic scar formation.

BACKGROUND: Hypertrophic scar (HS) is characterized by the increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis of myofibroblasts. Myofibroblasts, the main effector cells for dermal fibrosis, develop from normal fibroblasts. Thus, the stimulation of myofibroblast apoptosis is a possible treatment for HS. We aimed to explore that whether over-activated myofibroblasts can be targeted for apoptosis by anticancer drug elesclomol. METHODS: 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining, flow cytometry, western blotting, collagen gel contraction and immunofluorescence assays were applied to demonstrate the proapoptotic effect of elesclomol in scar derived myofibroblasts and TGF-ß1 induced myofibroblasts. The therapeutic potential of elesclomol was investigated by establishing rabbit ear hypertrophic scar models. FINDINGS: Both 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining and flow cytometry indicated that elesclomol targets myofibroblasts in vitro. Collagen gel contraction assay showed that elesclomol inhibited myofibroblast contractility. Flow cytometry and western blot analysis revealed that elesclomol resulted in excessive intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS), and caspase-3 and cytochrome c proteins. Moreover, compared with the control group, the elesclomol group had a significantly lower scar elevation index in vivo. Immunofluorescence assays for TUNEL and α-smooth muscle actin indicated that elesclomol treatment increased the number of apoptotic myofibroblasts. INTERPRETATION: The above results indicate that elesclomol exerted a significant inhibitory effect on HS formation via targeted myofibroblast apoptosis associated with increased oxidative stress. Thus, elesclomol is a promising candidate drug for the treatment of myofibroblast-related diseases such as HS.

m6 A facilitates YTHDF-independent phase separation.

N6-methyladenosine (m6 A) is one of the most abundant messenger RNA (mRNA) modifications in eukaryotes and is involved in various key processes of RNA metabolism. In this issue of Nature, Ries et al (2019) described the fundamental features of m6A modification of mRNAs in regulating the composition of the phase-separated transcriptome on the basis of number and distribution, and provide strong evidence that m6A plays a role in regulating phase separation in cells.

[Correlation between magnetic resonance diffusion weighted imaging and cell density in astrocytoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) in magnetic resonance diffusion weighted imaging with echo-planar technique in depicting the tumor cellularity and grading of astrocytoma. METHODS: Thirty-four astrocytoma patients including 18 male and 16 female with age from 10 to 73 years (mean 38.4 years) were examined by MRI and eventually proved by surgical resection and pathological examination. Of them, 26 had low-grade (grade I, II) astrocytoma and 8 high-grade (grade III, IV) astrocytoma. ADC value of astrocytoma was determined on magnetic resonance diffusion weighted images. Cellularity of the astrocytoma was analyzed using Adobe Photoshop 7.0.1 software. RESULTS: The mean ADC value (in units of 10(-4) mm(2)/s) of the high-grade astrocytomas (7.34 +/- 2.95) was significantly lower than that of the low-grade astrocytomas (13.76 +/- 3.31) (t = 4.91, P < 0.001). The mean cellularity of the high-grade astrocytomas (19.81 +/- 9.73)% was significantly higher than that of the low-grade astrocytomas (4.74 +/- 2.96)% (t = 4.32, P = 0.003). ADC value of the astrocytoma was significantly and negatively correlated with its cellularity (r = -0.535, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: ADC value of astrocytoma is significantly and negatively correlated with its cellularity. Magnetic resonance diffusion weighted imaging may well be highly potential in predicting the degree of astrocytoma.