Application of vascular endothelial cells in stem cell medicine.

Stem cell medicine is gaining momentum in the development of therapy for various end-stage diseases. The search for new seed cells and exploration of their application prospects are topics of interest in stem cell medicine. In recent years, vascular endothelial cells (VECs) have attracted wide attention from scholars. VECs, which form the inner lining of blood vessels, are critically involved in many physiological functions, including permeability, angiogenesis, blood pressure regulation, immunity, and pathological development, such as atherosclerosis and malignant tumors. VECs have significant therapeutic effects and broad application prospects in stem cell medicine for the treatment of various refractory diseases, including atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, diabetic complications, hypertension, coronavirus disease 2019, and malignant tumors. On the one hand, VECs and their extracellular vesicles can be directly used for the treatment of these diseases. On the other hand, VECs can be used as therapeutic targets for some diseases. However, there are still some obstacles to the use of VECs in stem cell medicine. In this review, advances in the applications and challenges that come with the use of these cells are discussed.

Porcine deltacoronavirus infection alters bacterial communities in the colon and feces of neonatal piglets.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is a novel enteropathogenic coronavirus that causes watery diarrhea in piglets. Little is known regarding the alteration of the gut microbiota in PDCoV-induced diarrhea piglets. In this study, 5-day-old piglets were experimentally infected with PDCoV strain CH-01, and all piglets developed typical clinical disease, characterized by acute and severe watery diarrhea. Histologic lesions were limited to the villous epithelium of the duodenum and ileum. Gut microbiota profiles in the colon and feces of piglets inoculated with PDCoV were investigated using 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that PDCoV infection reduced bacterial diversity and significantly altered the composition of the microbiota from the phylum to the genus level in the colon and feces of piglets. Firmicutes (phylum), Lactobacillaceae (family), and Lactobacillus (genus) were significantly increased (p < .01), while the abundance of Bacteroidetes (phylum) was markedly reduced in the colon and feces of the PDCoV-infected piglets (p < .01) when compared to those of the healthy piglets. Furthermore, microbial function prediction indicated that the changes in the intestinal flora also affected the nucleotide transport and metabolism, defense, translation, and transcription function of the intestinal microbiota. The current study provides new insight into the pathology and physiology of PDCoV.

Combined effects of six cytokine gene polymorphisms and SNP-SNP interactions on hepatocellular carcinoma risk in Southern Guangxi, China.

Cytokine gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are involved in the genesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We hypothesized that combined effects of cytokine gene SNPs and SNP-SNP interactions are associated with HCC risk. Six SNPs in cytokine genes (IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-10) were genotyped in a study of 720 Chinese HCC cases and 784 cancer-free controls. Although none of these SNPs individually had a significant effect on the risk of HCC, we found that the combined effects of these six SNPs may contribute to HCC risk (OR=1.821, 95% CI=1.078-3.075). This risk was pronounced among smokers, drinkers, and hepatitis B virus carriers. A SNP-SNP interaction between IL-2-330 and IFN-γ-1615 was associated with an increased HCC risk (OR=1.078, 95% CI=1.022-1.136). In conclusion, combined effects of SNPs and SNP-SNP interactions in cytokine genes may contribute to HCC risk.

Two 3D triazolate-tricarboxylate-bridged Cu(II/I) frameworks by one-pot hydrothermal synthesis exhibiting spin-canted antiferromagnetism and strong antiferromagnetic couplings.

Two 3D coordination polymers with the same components but different structures, [Cu(II)(2)Cu(I)(trz)(3)(Hbtc)](n) (1) and [Cu(4)(Htrz)(2)(mu(3)-OH)(2)(btc)(2)](n) (2), were obtained together by a one-pot hydrothermal reaction of Cu(OAc)(2).H(2)O, 1,2,4-triazole (Htrz), and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (H(3)btc). Complex 1 is a mixed-valence Cu(I/II) honeycomb built from wavy Cu(II)-trz-carboxylate layers and Cu(I) nodes with doubly deprotonated Hbtc(2-) ligands covalently filled in the channels. In contrast, 2 is a tetranuclear [Cu(4)(Htrz)(2)(mu(3)-OH)(2)](6+) cluster-based framework extended by a fully deprotonated btc(3-) ligand, displaying a 3,6-connected topological network. More interestingly, spin-canted antiferromagnetism and overall strong antiferromagnetic couplings up to -147.1 cm(-1) are respectively observed for 1 and 2, which are significantly due to the antisymmetric magnetic exchange in the wavy Cu(II)-trz-carboxylate sublayer of 1 and the cooperative 4-fold heterobridges within the tetranuclear cluster of 2.