[Research progress on the regulation mechanisms of iron metabolism in anemia of chronic disease].

Anemia of chronic disease (ACD), complicated by various chronic inflammatory diseases, is the second most prevalent type of anemia after iron deficiency anemia in the world. ACD significantly reduces the life quality of patients with chronic diseases, and represents an independent poor prognostic factor in certain chronic diseases. A large body of studies has demonstrated that most of anemia is related to abnormal iron metabolism. In the past decade, hepcidin, as a key factor in regulating iron metabolism, has attracted enormous attention due to its important role in the pathogenesis of ACD. This article reviews the research progress on the role and underlying regulatory mechanisms of hepcidin in ACD. We also discuss the potential of hepcidin as an effective therapeutic target for ACD treatment, in order to provide a new maneuver for improving the quality of ACD patients' life.

[Production of porcine blastocysts expressed EGFP by handmade cloning].

Production of transgenic animals via somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has been widely used worldwide. However, the application of SCNT is impeded by overall high costs and low efficiency. Here, we reported a modification of the existing technology in order to overcome some of the disadvantages associated with SCNT. Firstly, a marker gene, enhanced green fluorescent gene (EGFP), was transfected into pig fetal fibroblast cells, and was subsequently screened by fluorescent expression to ensure donor cells expressing EGFP. Porcine embryos expressing EGFP were then produced by a method called handmade cloning (HMC), a simplified method for micromanipulation. To demonstrate the concept, we collected a total of 378 fresh swine oocytes, from which 266 with the nucleus removed, obtained a total of 127 viable recombinant oocytes after fusion with EGFP-expressing cells. In vitro incubation of the 127 recombinant oocytes for approximately 144 hours resulted in successful generation of 65 viable embryos, with an average success rate of 52.1±8.3%. Compared with the traditional SCNT, the method of HMC is not only easy to operate, but also increases the rate of recombinant embryo significantly. Furthermore, the modified method no longer relies on expensive instrument like micromanipulator, facilitating the industrialization of transgenic animal production.