Polysorbate 80 as a possible allergenic component in cross-allergy to docetaxel and fosaprepitant: A literature review.

OBJECTIVE: Patients had allergies to both fosaprepitant and docetaxel with similar signs and symptoms. To explore the possible causes of allergy and whether there is cross-allergy between fosaprepitant and docetaxel, we conducted a literature review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. METHODS: A systematic search of the following databases was performed: Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and Taylor & Francis. The final search was on 12 November 2022. Two investigators independently selected eligible studies and extracted data according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and assessed the methodological quality of included studies. Any disagreement was resolved by a third researcher. RESULTS: The main cause of fosaprepitant and docetaxel allergy is polysorbate 80. Fosaprepitant and docetaxel have similar allergic symptoms, mainly facial flushing (19.0%, 18.5%); erythema/dermatitis (17.2%, 1.9%); fluid retention (17.2%, 22.2%); and dyspnea, bronchospasm, shortness of breath and coughing (15.5%, 16.7%). Hypotension (1.7%, 7.4%) and decreased oxygen saturation (1.7%, 1.9%) are rare. The treatments for both allergies are similar: stop injection, oxygen, glucocorticoid, antihistamines and symptomatic treatments. CONCLUSION: Polysorbate 80 is the same allergenic component of docetaxel and fosaprepitant. The symptoms and treatments caused by the two drugs are similar. Most allergic reactions are not serious. Medications containing the same allergy ingredient need to be used with caution for patients with severe allergies to polysorbate 80.

Inactivation of Shigella flexneri by 405-nm Light-Emitting Diode Treatment and Possible Mechanism of Action.

Shigella flexneri, a common Gram-negative foodborne pathogen, is widely distributed in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, unpasteurized milk, and food processing environments. The aims of this study were to evaluate the antibacterial effects of 405-nm light-emitting diode (LED) treatment on S. flexneri and to investigate the possible mechanism. The results showed that LED irradiation (360 min) reduced the number of S. flexneri in phosphate-buffered saline by 3.29 log colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL (initial bacterial count: 6.81 log CFU/mL). The cells in reconstituted infant formula, cells on fresh-cut carrot slices, and biofilm-associated cells on stainless steel surfaces were reduced by 1.83 log CFU/mL, 7.00 log CFU/cm2, and 4.35 log CFU/cm2 following LED treatment for 360, 120, and 120 min, respectively. LED treatment damaged both DNA and cell wall of S. flexneri and changed cell morphology and cell membrane permeability. In addition, LED treatment decreased total cell protein concentration of S. flexneri. These results indicated that 405-nm LED treatment effectively controlled S. flexneri contamination of foods and food contact surfaces and that the bacterial inactivation may be the result of damage to multiple cellular components. These findings highlight the potential of LED technology in controlling S. flexneri during food processing, storage, and preparation.

Programmable Self-Assembly of DNA-Protein Hybrid Hydrogel for Enzyme Encapsulation with Enhanced Biological Stability.

A DNA-protein hybrid hydrogel was constructed based on a programmable assembly approach, which served as a biomimetic physiologic matrix for efficient enzyme encapsulation. A dsDNA building block tailored with precise biotin residues was fabricated based on supersandwich hybridization, and then the addition of streptavidin triggered the formation of the DNA-protein hybrid hydrogel. The biocompatible hydrogel, which formed a flower-like porous structure that was 6.7 ± 2.1 µm in size, served as a reservoir system for enzyme encapsulation. Alcohol oxidase (AOx), which served as a representative enzyme, was encapsulated in the hybrid hydrogel using a synchronous assembly approach. The enzyme-encapsulated hydrogel was utilized to extend the duration time for ethanol removal in serum plasma and the enzyme retained 78% activity after incubation with human serum for 24 h. The DNA-protein hybrid hydrogel can mediate the intact immobilization on a streptavidin-modified and positively charged substrate, which is very beneficial to solid-phase biosensing applications. The hydrogel-encapsulated enzyme exhibited improved stability in the presence of various denaturants. For example, the encapsulated enzyme retained 60% activity after incubation at 55 °C for 30 min. The encapsulated enzyme also retains its total activity after five freeze-thaw cycles and even suspended in solution containing organic solvents.

Poly(ε-Caprolactone)-Methoxypolyethylene Glycol (PCL-MPEG)-Based Micelles for Drug-Delivery: The Effect of PCL Chain Length on Blood Components, Phagocytosis, and Biodistribution.

Background: The main challenge of polymeric micelles as drug delivery systems is that the actual delivery efficiency is not as high as expected, which is closely related with the interactions with the complex biological environments such as blood components, phagocytosis, and biodistribution. Herein, we expect to understand these concerns for the clinically relevant micelles that composed of methoxypolyethylene glycol (MPEG) with identical chain length And poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with tunable chain length (PCLn-MPEG) (n=20, 30, and 40) wherein doxorubicin was encapsulated as a model drug. Methods: The doxorubicin-loaded PCLn-MPEG micelles were prepared by a dialysis method and characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The surface PEG density and chain conformation were investigated by dissipative particle dynamics simulation. The stability of the micelles was detected by nanoparticle tracking analysis. The effects of PCL chain length on the blood components, phagocytosis, and biodistribution were assayed in vitro and in vivo. Results: The micelles exhibited spherical morphology with a diameter about 30nm. The PEG chain conformation from "mushroom-like" to "brush-like" was evident. The micelles have no remarkable effect on the red blood cells, blood coagulation, and platelet activation. Interestingly, the protein adsorption was affected and dependent on the chain conformation, with lowest adsorption for PCL30-MPEG, which also has the loWest phagocytosis. The stability of the micelles was in the order of PCL40-MPEG>PCL30-MPEG>PCL20-MPEG which was dependent on the PCL chain length. The micelles mainly accumulated in liver, with the order consistent with their stability, indicating that, besides the phagocytosis, the stability of the micelle plays an important role in biodistribution as well. The related mechanisms were proposed and discussed. Conclusion: Manipulating the PEG/PCL ratio of the micelle is an effective approach to modulate the protein adsorption, phagocytosis, and biodistribution, which may be a prerequisite for clinical applications.

Microfluidic-Based Holonomic Constraints of siRNA in the Kernel of Lipid/Polymer Hybrid Nanoassemblies for Improving Stable and Safe In Vivo Delivery.

A safe and efficient delivery system is critical for clinical application of siRNA. However, the conventional electrostatic interaction-based siRNA nanoplexes with bulk mixing preparation were always unsatisfactory for its stability and safety. In this study, the new core-shell lipid/PCL-PEI/siRNA nanoparticles (LPS NPs) endowing holonomic constraint of siRNA in the inner core were prepared by microfluidic technology. On the microfluidic chip, siRNAs were completely compressed into the inner hydrophilic core of reverse PCL-PEI micelles at a low N/P ratio of 5, followed by coating a neutral lipid membrane to form core-shell nanoparticles, which had a uniform size (120.2 ± 1.4 nm) and a negative charge (-8.8 ± 1.6 mV). Compared to bulk mixing-based LMS NPs, the lower usage of cationic PCL-PEI materials and stronger protection of siRNA in serum were found in the microfluidic-based LPS NPs. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the LPS NPs exhibited significant downregulation of EGFR mRNA and protein expression level both in vitro and in vivo, and showed significant inhibition of tumor growth following systemic administration along with no obvious systemic toxicity. These findings demonstrated that the microfluidic-based lipid/polymer hybrid nanoassemblies would offer a promising siRNA delivery system for clinical application.

Preparation and bioapplication of high-quality, water-soluble, biocompatible, and near-infrared-emitting CdSeTe alloyed quantum dots.

A facile method is developed for the preparation of high-quality, water-soluble, and near-infrared (NIR)-emitting CdSeTe alloyed quantum dots (AQdots) with L-cysteine as the capping agent. By changing the size and the composition of AQdots the photoluminescent quantum yield (QY) can reach as high as 53% and the emission color can be tuned between visible and NIR regions (580-814 nm). Furthermore, the prepared NIR-emitting AQdots have been successfully applied for HL-60 cell imaging and glucose and cholesterol assay, which demonstrates the great potential of the AQdots for biological applications.

[Acupuncture combined with herbal-cake partitioned moxibustion is superior to routine acupuncture in the treatment of peripheral facial paralysis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture combined with herbal-cake (Qianzhengsan) partitioned moxibustion at Xiaguan (ST7), Qianzheng (EX-HN), etc. for patients with peripheral facial paralysis. METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with peripheral facial paralysis (within 7 days) were divided into acupuncture plus moxibustion (Acu-Moxi) group and routine acupuncture (control) group (n＝38 cases in each). Patients of the control group were treated by routine acupuncture of unilateral or bilateral Yangbai (GB14), Sibai (ST2), Taiyang (EX-HN5), Quanliao (SI18), Jiache (ST6), Dicang (ST4), Yifeng (SJ17), Hegu (LI4) and Zusanli (ST36), and those of the Acu-Moxi group were treated by routine acupuncture of the above-mentioned acupoints in combination with herbal-cake-partitioned moxibustion at ST7 and EX-HN. The treatment was conducted once daily for 20 days. The House-Brackmann facial grading scale (H-B FGS) was used to assess the degree of facial nerve palsy (Ⅰ－Ⅵ grades), the modified Portmann scale used to assess the severity of facial paralysis including the situations of movement of eyebrow raising, eye closing, cheek bulging, pouting, teeth showing and nostril widening, and symmetry during resting state (20 points in total) and the facial disability index (FDI) used to rate the physical function (FDIP) and social life function (FDIS) (5－30 points in total). The clinical efficacy of each group was evaluated after the treatment. RESULTS: After the treatment, the number of patients with H-B FGS grade IV and V and FDIS scores were significantly decreased, and patients' number of H-B FGS grade I and II , Portmann scale and FDIP scores were significantly increased in both control and Acu-Moxi groups in comparison with their own pre-treatment (P<0.01), suggesting an improvement of facial nerve function after treatment. The patients' number of H-B FGS grade I and II and Portmann scores of the Acu-Moxi group was significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01), but no significant differences were found between two groups in the FDIP and FDIS scores (P>0.05). Of the two 38 patients in the control group and Acu-Moxi group, 8 (21.05%) and 15 (39.47%) were cured, 7 (18.42%) and 8 (21.05%) experienced marked improvement, 14 (36.84%) and 13 (34.21%) were effective, and 9 (23.68%) and 2 (5.26%) invalid, with the effective rates being 76.32% and 94.74%, respectively. The therapeutic effect of the Acu-Moxi group was evidently superior to that of the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The acupuncture combined with Qianzhengsan-partitioned moxibustion is considerably superior to routine acupuncture in improving clinical symptoms and signs of peripheral facial paralysis patients.

Ultrathin NiS/Ni(OH)2 Nanosheets Filled within Ammonium Polyacrylate-Functionalized Polypyrrole Nanotubes as an Unique Nanoconfined System for Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensors.

Ultrathin two-dimensional NiS/Ni(OH)2 nanosheets (NiS/Ni(OH)2 NSs) were successfully filled within the hollow interiors of ammonium polyacrylate-functionalized polypyrrole nanotubes (NH4PA/PPyNTs) by a simple solvothermal method. This kind of novel hierarchical nanostructures with typical structural features of a nanoconfined system, denoted by NiS/Ni(OH)2/NH4PA/PPyNTs, were prepared by two main sections: polyacrylic acid (PAA) was first polymerized on PPyNTs containing vinyl groups, and the obtained PAA/PPyNTs exhibited a typical Janus structure, whose external surface was covered with carboxyl groups and the internal surface was still covered with PPy chains; second, Ni2+ ions as a precursor were facilely combined with -NH- segments in PPy chains by the coordination interaction under the solvothermal environment; therefore, NiS/Ni(OH)2 NSs (<1 nm) were well distributed on the internal surface of NH4PA/PPyNTs by the in situ growth. Because of the synergistic effects of ionizable NH4PA, PPy with good conductivity, NiS and Ni(OH)2 with electrocatalytical activity, as well as the nanoconfinement effect, the obtained NiS/Ni(OH)2@NH4PA/PPyNTs exhibited excellent electrocatalytic performance for detecting glucose. Sufficiently thin shells composed of ionizable NH4PA and good conductive PPyNTs can not only promote the electronic transmission effectively during the electrochemical detection of glucose but also hardly limit the transport of glucose and products. In addition, ultrathin NiS/Ni(OH)2 NSs may further enhance the electrocatalytic performance for glucose because of the more exposed active sites with the large surface area. Therefore, NiS/Ni(OH)2@NH4PA/PPyNTs can be applied as a good electrode material with stability and sensitivity for building a nonenzymatic glucose sensor.

[Clinical Analysis of EB Virus Infection Complicated with Hemophagocytic Syndrome and Hodgkin's Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and outcome of parhents with EBV infection conbined with hemophagocytic syndrome and Hodgkin's lymphoma. METHODS: The morphotogy of bone marrow cells was observed by bone marrow smear and light microscopy, the pathologic changes of bone marrow ware analyzed by bone marrow biopsy and immunohistochemistry methord, the pathologic changes of lymphonudes ware detected by immunohistochemical methord, the paticnts were treated with ABVD （epirubicin, bleomycin, vincristine and dacarbazine） chemotherapeutic regimen. RESULTS: Fever complicatid with pancytopenia, obvious increase of ferritin and sCD25, hypofibrinogenemia, hemophogocytic phenomen of bone marrow, increase of EBV-DNA copy number ware observed, which all accorded with the criteria EBV righted hemophagocytic syndrome. The curative efficacy of amtiinfective treatmatnt was poor, After treatment with HLH-2004 regimen, the fever symptome and the laboratory indicaters such as whole blood cells, ferritin and fibrinogen all were recovered to normal levels. Left mandibular lymphadenctasis was confirmed as Hodgkin's lymphoma （mixed cell type） by pathological examination. The patient achieved complete molecular remission after 1 course chemotherapy with ABVD regimen. The level of EBV-DNA copy number were also decreased. As the reshlt, the patient's hemophagocytic syndrome had bean effectively controlled, and the Hodgkin's lymphoma is still in complete remission. CONCLUSION: Epstein-Barr virus-ratated hemophagocytic syndrome and Hodgkin's lymphoma are rare, and their long-term prognosis needs to be further explored.

Simultaneous ammonia and nitrate removal in an airlift reactor using poly(butylene succinate) as carbon source and biofilm carrier.

In this study, an airlift inner-loop sequencing batch reactor using poly(butylene succinate) as the biofilm carrier and carbon source was operated under an alternant aerobic/anoxic strategy for nitrogen removal in recirculating aquaculture system. The average TAN and nitrate removal rates of 47.35±15.62gNH4-Nm(-3)d(-1) and 0.64±0.14kgNO3-Nm(-3)d(-1) were achieved with no obvious nitrite accumulation (0.70±0.76mg/L) and the dissolved organic carbon in effluents was maintained at 148.38±39.06mg/L. Besides, the activities of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium and sulfate reduction activities were successfully inhibited. The proteome KEGG analysis illustrated that ammonia might be removed through heterotrophic nitrification, while the activities of nitrate and nitrite reductases were enhanced through aeration treatment. The microbial community analysis revealed that denitrifiers of Azoarcus and Simplicispira occupied the dominate abundance which accounted for the high nitrate removal performance. Overall, this study broadened our understanding of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification using biodegradable material as biofilm carrier.

Systemic delivery of siRNA by T7 peptide modified core-shell nanoparticles for targeted therapy of breast cancer.

Systemic delivery of siRNA is the most challenging step to transfer RNAi to clinical application for breast cancer therapy. In this study, the tumor targeted, T7 peptide modified core-shell nanoparticles (named as T7-LPC/siRNA NPs) were constructed to achieve effective systemic delivery of siRNA. The core-shell structure of T7-LPC/siRNA NPs enables them to encapsulate siRNA in the core and protect it from RNase degradation during circulation. In vitro cellular uptake and gene silencing experiments demonstrated that T7-LPC/siEGFR NPs could deliver EGFR siRNA into breast cancer cells through receptor mediated endocytosis and effectively down-regulate the EGFR expression. In vivo distribution study proved the T7-LPC/siRNA NPs could deliver fluorescence labeled siRNA to the tumor site more efficiently than the non-targeted PEG-LPC/siRNA NPs after intravenous administration. Furthermore, the experiments of in vivo tumor therapy confirmed that intravenous administration of T7-LPC/siEGFR NPs led to an effective EGFR down-regulation and an obvious inhibition of breast tumor growth, with little activation of immune responses and negligible body weight loss. These results suggested that T7-LPC/siRNA NPs could be an effective and safe systemic siRNA delivery system for RNAi-based breast cancer therapy.

Biological denitrification using poly(butylene succinate) as carbon source and biofilm carrier for recirculating aquaculture system effluent treatment.

Nitrate removal is essential for the sustainable operation of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). This study evaluated the heterotrophic denitrification using poly(butylene succinate) as carbon source and biofilm carrier for RAS wastewater treatment. The effect of varied operational conditions (influent type, salinity and nitrate loading) on reactor performance and microbial community was investigated. The high denitrification rates of 0.53 ± 0.19 kg NO3(-)-N m(-3) d(-1) (salinity, 0‰) and 0.66 ± 0.12 kg NO3(-)-Nm(-3) d(-1) (salinity, 25‰) were achieved, and nitrite concentration was maintained below 1mg/L. In addition, the existence of salinity exhibited more stable nitrate removal efficiency, but caused adverse effects such as excessive effluent dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissimilation nitrate reduce to ammonia (DNRA) activity. The degradation of PBS was further confirmed by SEM and FTIR analysis. Illumina sequencing revealed the abundance and species changes of functional denitrification and degradation microflora which might be the primary cause of varied reactor performance.

A study on biomineralization behavior of N-methylene phosphochitosan scaffolds.

Biomimetic growth of calcium phosphate over natural polymer may be an effective approach to constituting an organic/inorganic composite scaffold for bone tissue engineering. In this work, N-methylene phosphochitosan (NMPCS) was prepared via formaldehyde addition and condensation with phosphoric acid in a step that allowed homogeneous modification without obvious deterioration in chitosan (CS) properties. The NMPCS obtained was characterized by using FT-IR and elemental analysis. The macroporous scaffolds were fabricated through a freeze-drying technique. A comparative study on NMPCS and CS scaffold biomimetic mineralization was carried out in different media, i.e, a simulated body fluid (SBF) or alternative CaCl(2) and Na(2)HPO(4) solutions respectively. Apatite formation within NMPCS and CS scaffolds was identified with FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffractometery (XRD). The results revealed alternate soaking of the scaffolds in CaCl(2) and Na(2)HPO(4) solutions was better than soaking in SBF solution alone in relation to apatite deposition on the scaffold pore walls. Biomineralization provides an approach to improve nature derived materials, e.g., chitosan derivative NMPCS properties e.g., compressive modulus, etc. SEM image of a NMPCS/apatite composite scaffold.

Branched polyethylenimine-based PKCα-responsive gene carriers.

We examined in vitro performance of the branched polyethylenimine (bPEI)-based gene carriers which respond to cancer-specific activation of protein kinase Cα (PKCα) to express plasmid DNA. The carriers were synthesized straightforward by using amide bond formation between a peptide terminal carboxyl and a primary amine group of bPEI. To examine the effect of the peptide contents in the carrier, we prepared several carriers with various peptide contents. The obtained polymers form polyplexes with tighter condensation of plasmid DNA than our previous gene carriers. After internalization of the polyplexes via endocytosis, the polyplexes effectively escaped from the endosome into cytosol. Then, the polyplexes showed a clear-cut response to PKCα to release plasmid DNA for gene expression. We determined the optimum contents of the peptides in carriers as 5 mol% to achieve the clear-cut response to PKCα.

Stabilization of cancer-specific gene carrier via hydrophobic interaction for a clear-cut response to cancer signaling.

Here, we developed a new gene carrier, comprising a linear polyethylenimine (LPEI) grafted with a hydrophobically modified cationic peptide containing a long alkyl chain, for use in cancer-specific gene delivery. The cationic peptide is a substrate of protein kinase Cα (PKCα), which is known to be activated specifically in cancer cells. The hydrophobically modified LPEI-peptide conjugate (LPEI-C10-peptide) could form a polyplex with DNA through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between the anionic DNA strands and the cationic peptide substrate. The hydrophobic modification of the peptide did not affect the reactivity of the peptide toward PKCα, while the polyplex showed improved intracellular uptake. Because of the efficient endosomal escape and enhanced stability, the polyplex significantly improved the transgene regulation responding to intracellular PKCα activity.

Absorption of 10-hydroxycamptothecin on Fe3O4 magnetite nanoparticles with layer-by-layer self-assembly and drug release response.

In this paper, the structural and zeta potential properties of 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) were investigated by FT-IR and zeta potential analyzer under different pH. The anticancer drug HCPT as a model drug was used to prepare a high-performance and relatively easy-to-fabricate system on Fe(3)O(4) magnetite nanoparticles by using a polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) and HCPT interlayer self-assembly method. The results obtained from FT-IR and XRD confirmed that HCPT was molecularly dispersed into the nanoparticles. The method holds not only environment-friendly characteristics and the ability to mimic the self-organization process in biological systems but also greatly decreases adjuvant polymers. In addition, the system has an ideal drug payload for the delivery of insoluble HCPTs.

Synergistic effect of chemo-photothermal therapy using PEGylated graphene oxide.

Graphene has shown great potential both in photothermal therapy and drug delivery. Herein, we developed doxorubicin-loaded PEGylated nanographene oxide (NGO-PEG-DOX) to facilitate combined chemotherapy and photothermal therapy in one system. In this work, we studied the ablation of tumor both in vivo and in vitro by the combination of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy using this functional graphene oxide. The ability of the NGO-PEG-DOX nanoparticle to combine the local specific chemotherapy with external near-infrared (NIR) photothermal therapy significantly improved the therapeutic efficacy of cancer treatment. Compared with chemotherapy or photothermal therapy alone, the combined treatment demonstrated a synergistic effect, resulting in higher therapeutic efficacy. Furthermore, lower systematic toxicity of NGO-PEG-DOX than DOX was proved by the pathologic examination of main organs in our toxicity study.

Ultrasensitive Cu2+ sensing by near-infrared-emitting CdSeTe alloyed quantum dots.

The near-infrared (NIR)-emitting CdSeTe alloyed quantum dots (AQdots) that capped with L-cysteine were applied for ultrasensitive Cu(2+) sensing. The sensing approach was based on the fluorescence of the AQdots selectively quenched in the presence of Cu(2+). Experimental results showed a low interference response towards other metal ions. The possible quenching mechanism was discussed on the basis of the binding between L-cysteine and the metal ions. In addition, biomolecules have low effect on the fluorescence due to the minimized interferences in NIR region. The response of the NIR optical sensor was linearly proportional to the concentration of Cu(2+) ranging from 2 x 10(-8) to 2 x 10(-6) mol L(-1). Furthermore, it has been successfully applied to the detection of Cu(2+) in vegetable samples.

Cartilage repair using hyaluronan hydrogel-encapsulated human embryonic stem cell-derived chondrogenic cells.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the potential to offer a virtually unlimited source of chondrogenic cells for use in cartilage repair and regeneration. We have recently shown that expandable chondrogenic cells can be derived from hESCs under selective growth factor-responsive conditions. In this study, we explore the potential of these hESC-derived chondrogenic cells to produce an extracellular matrix (ECM)-enriched cartilaginous tissue construct when cultured in hyaluronic acid (HA)-based hydrogel, and further investigated the long-term reparative ability of the resulting hESC-derived chondrogenic cell-engineered cartilage (HCCEC) in an osteochondral defect model. We hypothesized that HCCEC can provide a functional template capable of undergoing orderly remodeling during the repair of critical-sized osteochondral defects (1.5 mm in diameter, 1 mm depth into the subchondral bone) in a rat model. In the process of repair, we observed an orderly spatial-temporal remodeling of HCCEC over 12 weeks into osteochondral tissue, with characteristic architectural features including a hyaline-like neocartilage layer with good surface regularity and complete integration with the adjacent host cartilage and a regenerated subchondral bone. By 12 weeks, the HCCEC-regenerated osteochondral tissue resembled closely that of age-matched unoperated native control, while only fibrous tissue filled in the control defects which left empty or treated with hydrogel alone. Here we demonstrate that transplanted hESC-derived chondrogenic cells maintain long-term viability with no evidence of tumorigenicity, providing a safe, highly-efficient and practical strategy of applying hESCs for cartilage tissue engineering.

[Cloning and characterization of genes differentially expressed in human dental pulp cells and gingival fibroblasts].

OBJECTIVE: To study the biological properties of human dental pulp cells (HDPC) by cloning and analysis of genes differentially expressed in HDPC in comparison with human gingival fibroblasts (HGF). METHODS: HDPC and HGF were cultured and identified by immunocytochemistry. HPDC and HGF subtractive cDNA library was established by PCR-based modified subtractive hybridization, genes differentially expressed by HPDC were cloned, sequenced and compared to find homogeneous sequence in GenBank by BLAST. RESULTS: Cloning and sequencing analysis indicate 12 genes differentially expressed were obtained, in which two were unknown genes. Among the 10 known genes, 4 were related to signal transduction, 2 were related to trans-membrane transportation (both cell membrane and nuclear membrane), and 2 were related to RNA splicing mechanisms. CONCLUSION: The biological properties of HPDC are determined by the differential expression of some genes and the growth and differentiation of HPDC are associated to the dynamic protein synthesis and secretion activities of the cell.