Differentiation of isolated human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells into neural stem cells

AIM：To investigate whether umbilical cord human mesenchymal stem cell（UC-MSC）was able to differentiate into neural stem cell and neuron.·METHODS：The umbilical cords were o btained from pregnant women with their written consent and the approval of the Clinic Ethnics Committee.UC-MSC were isolated by adherent culture in the medium contains 20%fetal bovine serum（FBS）,then they were maintained in the medium contain 10%FBS and induced to neural cells in neural differentiation medium.We investigated whether UC-MSC was able to differentiate into neural stem cell and neuron by using flow cytometry,reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction（RT-PCR）and immunofluorescence（IF）analyzes.·R ESULTS：A substantial number of UC-MSC was harvested using the tissue explants adherent method at about 2wk.Flow cytometric study revealed that these cells expressed common markers of MSCs,such as CD105（SH2）,CD73（SH3）and CD90.After induction of differentiation of neural stem cells,the cells began to form clusters;RT-PCR and IF showed that the neuron specific enolase（NSE）and neurogenic differentiation 1-positive cells reached 87.3%±14.7%and 72.6%±11.8%,respectively.Cells showed neuronal cell differentiation after induced,including neuron-like protrusions,plump cell body,obviously and stronger refraction.RT-PCR and IF analysis showed that microtubule-associated protein 2（MAP2）and nuclear factor-M-positive cells reached 43.1%±10.3%and 69.4%±19.5%,respectively.·CONCLUSION：Human umbilical cord derived MSCs can be cultured and proliferated and differentiate into neural stem cells,which may be a valuable source for cell therapy of neurodegenerative eye diseases.

Outcomes of simple saline-coupled bipolar electrocautery for hepatic resection

AIM:To evaluate the application of bipolar coagulation(BIP)in hepatectomy by comparing the efficacy of BIP alone,cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator(CUSA)+BIP and conventional clamp crushing(CLAMP).METHODS:Based on our database of patient records,a total of 380 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy at our hospital were retrospectively studied for the efficacy of BIP alone,CUSA+BIP and CLAMP.Of all the patients,75 received saline-coupled BIP(Group A),53 received CUSA+BIP(Group B),and252 received CLAMP(Group C).The pre-,mid-,and postoperative clinical manifestations were compared,and the effects of those maneuvers were evaluated.RESULTS:There was no obvious difference among the preoperative indexes between the different groups.The operative time was longer in Groups A and B than in Group C(P<0.001 for both).The amount of bleeding and the rate of transfusion during the operation were significantly higher in Group C than in Groups A and B(P<0.001 for all).The incidence of postoperative complications in Group C(46.43%)was higher than that in Groups A(30.67%,P=0.015)and B(28.30%,P=0.016).The patients’liver function recovery and postoperative hospital stay were not significantly different.BIP could decrease intraoperative hemorrhage and postoperative complications compared to CLAMP.CONCLUSION:Simple saline-coupled BIP should be considered a safe and reliable technique for liver resection to decrease intraoperative hemorrhage and postoperative complications.

The Essential Role of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinases(PI3Ks)in Regulating Pro-Inflammatory Responses and the Progression of Cancer

Phosphoinositide 3-Kinases （PI3Ks） are proteins coupled to a variety of cell surface receptors and play a key role in signal transduction cascade regulating fundamental cellular functions such as transcription, proliferation, and survival. PI3Ks also are important in disease processes such as inflammation and cancer. The aim of this review is to outline current understandings of the PI3K family, mechanism of their activation, their role in inflammatory responses and the development of malignant tumors.

Effectiveness and Safety of a Novel Approach for Management of Patients with Potential Difficult Mask Ventilation and Tracheal Intubation： A Multi-center Randomized Trial

Background： Patients with potential difficult mask ventilation （DV） and difficult intubation （Dl） are often managed with awake intubation, which can be stressful for patients and anesthesiologists. This prospective randomized study evaluated a new approach, fast difficult airway evaluation （FDAE）. We hypothesized that the FDAE approach would reduce the need for awake intubation. Methods： After obtaining informed consent, 302 patients with potential DV/DI undergoing elective surgeries were randomly assigned to the FDAE group （Group E） and the control group （Group C）. In Group E, patients were gradually sedated, and adequacy of manual mask ventilation during spontaneous breathing was assessed at various sedation levels. Awake intubation was applied in those with inadequate mask ventilation. In Group C, DI was evaluated under local anesthesia. However, the care team could intubate under general anesthesia if the vocal cords were visible. The primary outcome was the rate of awake intubations in both groups and the induction efficiency assessed by the induction time. The secondary outcome was the incidence of serious complications. Results： The rate of awake intubation was significantly lower in Group E than that in Group C （5.81% vs. 36.05%,χ2 = 42.3, P 〈 0.001 ）. The induction time was much shorter in Group E than in Group C （11.85 ± 4.82 min vs. 18.71± 7.85 min, t = 5.39, P 〈 0.001）. There was no significant difl＇erence in the incidence of intubation related complications between the two groups. Patients in Group E had a much lower incidence of recall （9.68% vs. 44.90%, χ2 = 47.68, P 〈 0.001） of the induction process and higher satisfaction levels than patients in Group C （t=15.36, P〈 0.001）. Conclusions： The FDAE significantly reduces the need for awake intubation and improves the efficiency of the intubation process without comprising safety in patients with potential difficult mask ventilation and DI.

Styrene/Butadiene Copolymer Synthesized by Reactive Extrusion

In this study, we present a method to synthesize styrene-butadiene copolymer, using anionic polymerization in a co-rotating closely intermeshing twin-screw extruder. The weight content of polybutadiene in these copolymers was above 50% although in the past studies it had been possible to accomplish levels higher than 30%. ^1H-NMR and GPC show that the molecular structure of the two polymers is different due to different feeding method. In terms of the structure of the polymerized products, the mechanism of polymerization in the bulk polymerization is discussed. TEM and DMA show that two phases in the block copolymer are completely incompatible, leading to sharp phase separation, while the case is complicated in the copolymer through the mixture feeding. Traditionally, styrene-butadiene rubber is mainly synthesized by solution polymerization. Reactive extrusion in this paper provides a possibility to synthesize these products in an environmentally friendly way.