Advances in the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into vascular cells

Blood vessels constitute a closed pipe system distributed throughout the body,transporting blood from the heart to other organs and delivering metabolic waste products back to the lungs and kidneys.Changes in blood vessels are related to many disorders like stroke,myocardial infarction,aneurysm,and diabetes,which are important causes of death worldwide.Translational research for new appro-aches to disease modeling and effective treatment is needed due to the huge socio-economic burden on healthcare systems.Although mice or rats have been widely used,applying data from animal studies to human-specific vascular physiology and pathology is difficult.The rise of induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs)provides a reliable in vitro resource for disease modeling,regenerative medicine,and drug discovery because they carry all human genetic information and have the ability to directionally differentiate into any type of human cells.This review summarizes the latest progress from the establishment of iPSCs,the strategies for differentiating iPSCs into vascular cells,and the in vivo trans-plantation of these vascular derivatives.It also introduces the application of these technologies in disease modeling,drug screening,and regenerative medicine.Additionally,the application of high-tech tools,such as omics analysis and high-throughput sequencing,in this field is reviewed.

Effect of double aging on mechanical properties and microstructure of EV31A alloy

To improve the ductility of a commercial Mg−rare earth alloy EV31A(Mg−3Nd−1.5Gd−0.3Zn−0.5Zr),a heat treatment method called double aging is explored,and its effect on mechanical properties and microstructure of the alloy is studied.Ultimate strength and elongation of the alloy can be increased to 288 MPa and 6.6%by the optimum double aging process,compared to 273 MPa and 4.9%after single aging.Time consumption of the aging process is also significantly decreased from 16 h(single aging)to 2 h.HAADF-STEM characterization shows that the primary precipitate isβ'phase,which is similar toβ'phase in Mg−Nd binary alloy.By double aging,theβ'phase is finer and more densely distributed compared with single aging,with approximately double density and half size,which explains the improvement in strength and ductility.

Hot tearing behavior of NZ30K Mg alloy under progressive solidification

Progressive solidification is usually considered an effective strategy to reduce the hot tearing susceptibility of a cast component.In this study,special constrained plate castings with progressive changes in cross-section were designed,which enabled progressive solidification.The hot tearing behavior of a newly developed NZ30 K Mg alloy(Mg-3.0 Nd-0.2 Zn-Zr,wt.%)was studied under progressive solidification using various mold temperature distributions and constraint lengths.Of these,a homogeneous mold temperature distribution is found to be the best option to avoid hot tearing,followed by a local low mold temperature distribution(with a chiller),then a gradient mold temperature distribution.Unexpectedly,compared with the homogeneous mold temperature distribution,adding a chiller does not provide any further reduction in the hot tearing susceptibility of the NZ30 K Mg alloy.A high mold temperature and a short constraint length increase the hot tearing resistance of cast Mg alloys.Progressive solidification is not a sufficient and necessary condition to avoid the formation of hot tearing.The two key factors that determine the occurrence of hot tearing under progressive solidification are the maximum cooling rate and the constraint length.Decreasing these values can reduce the incidence of hot tearing.

Effect of reclaimed sand additions on mechanical properties and fracture behavior of furan no-bake resin sand

In this work, the effects of reclaimed sand additions on the microstructure characteristics, mechanical properties and fracture behavior of furan no-bake resin sand have been investigated systematically within the temperature range from 25 to 600 oC. The addition of 20%-100% reclaimed sand showed dramatic strength deterioration effect at the same temperature, which is associated with the formation of bonding bridges. Both the ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and compressive strength(CS) of the moulding sand initially increase with the increase of temperature, and then sharply decrease with the further increase of temperature, which is attributed to the thermal decomposition of furan resin. The addition amount of reclaimed sand has a remarkable effect on the room temperature fracture mode, i.e., with the addition of 0-20% reclaimed sand, the fracture mode was mainly cohesive fracture; the fracture mode converts to be mixture fracture mode as the addition of reclaimed sand increases to 35%-70%; further increasing the addition to 100% results in the fracture mode of typical adhesive fracture. The fracture surface of the bonding bridge changes from a semblance of cotton or holes to smooth with the increase of test temperature.

A clinical protocol: A double-blinded, randomized controlled trial on the effect of traditional Chinese medicine formula Shoutai Pill in the treatment of threatened abortion

for about 20%of all clinically confirmed pregnancy.It is the main cause of early abortion.Vaginal bleeding is the main clinical manifestation,which seriously affects the mental health and quality of life of pregnant women.Currently,there is effective treatment for this condition.A recent meta-analysis showed that Shoutai Pill(ST Pill),a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)formula,can effectively decrease the rate of threatened abortion.However,high heterogeneity was found among the studies included in the meta-analysis,this conclusion on the efficacy of TCM is not definitive.Although several have been conducted,some of them do not describe randomization and blinding methods.To address these problems,this article proposes an improved clinical treatment scheme based on ST Pill,which is to be tested through a well-designed randomized controlled trial,for the treatment of threatened abortion.Methods:This is a double-blinded,randomized,placebo-controlled trial to be conducted in a public Three-A hospital in China's Mainland.A total of 200 people will be enrolled.Using computer-generated random numbers,the participants will be randomly divided into two groups at a ratio of 1:1(treatment group(treated with ST Pill group)and placebo group).Both groups will receive medication to the end of the 20th gestational week or 1 week after vaginal bleeding stops,depending on which is longer.Participants in the treatment group will be treated with ST Pill(20 pills/time,once a day),and those in the placebo group will receive a placebo drug which is similar in appearance and smell with ST Pill.The main observation index is the live birth rate.Discussion:Although the efficacy of ST Pill in threatened abortion is well-known,no study has tested its efficacy through a double-blinded,randomized trials.Therefore,there is an urgent need for a standardized randomized double-blinded controlled trial to evaluate the clinical efficacy of ST Pill.ST Pill is likely to be a convenient and effective TCM pill for the prevention of threatened abortion.

Efficient Terahertz Photoconductive Emitters with Improved Electrode Structures

We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of two new types of terahertz photoconductive emitters. One has an asymmetric four-contact electrode structure and the other has an arc-shaped electrode structure, which are all modified from a traditional strip line antenna. Numerical simulations and real experiments confirm the good performance of the proposed antennas. An amplitude increase of about 40% is experimentally observed for the terahertz signals generated from the new structures. The special electrode structure and its induced local bias field enhancement are responsible for this radiation efficiency improvement. Our work demonstrates the feasibility of developing highly efficient terahertz photoconductive emitters by optimizing the electrode structure.

Effects of octreotide combined with gabexate on related cytokines in patients with severe acute pancreatitis

Objective:To study the effects of octreotide combined with gabexate on related cytokines in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).Methods:A total of 92 patients with SAP from January 2014 to December 2017 in our hospital were enrolled in this study. According to random number table method, the patients were divided into the control group and the treatment group, each groups has 46 patients. The control group were treated with octreotide, the treatment group were treated with octreotide combined with gabexate. To compare the serum B7-H3, PCT, sICAM-1, NF-κB, sTREM-1, BAFF, SAA, NGAL, ghrelin, hs-CRP, MDA and SOD of the two groups before and after treatment.Results: The serum B7-H3, PCT, sICAM-1, NF-κB, sTREM-1, BAFF, SAA, NGAL, ghrelin, hs-CRP, MDA and SOD of the two groups before treatment have no no significantly differences. The serum B7-H3, PCT, sICAM-1, NF-κB, sTREM-1, BAFF, SAA, NGAL, ghrelin, hs-CRP, MDA of the two groups after treatment were significantly lower than before treatment, the serum SOD of the two groups after treatment were significantly better than before treatment, and that of the treatment group were significantly better than the control group after treatment.Conclusion: Octreotide combined with gabexate for patients with SAP can reduce the serum B7-H3, PCT, sICAM-1, NF-κB, sTREM-1, BAFF, SAA, NGAL, ghrelin, hs-CRP, MDA levels, improve serum SOD levels, and it was worthy clinical application.

Progress in Diagnosing Mitochondrial Myopathy, Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-like Episodes

Objective： Mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes （MELAS） is a progressive, multisystem affected mitochondrial disease associated with a number of disease-related defective genes. M ELAS has unpredictable presentations and clinical course, and it can be commonly misdiagnosed as encephalitis, cerebral infarction, or brain neoplasms. This review aimed to update the diagnosis progress in MELAS, which may provide better understanding of the disease nature and help make the right diagnosis as well. Data Sources： The data used in this review came fi-om published peer review articles from October 1984 to October 2014, which were obtained fiom PubMed. The search term is ＂MELAS＂, Study Selection： lnfornmtion selected from those reported studies is mainly based on the progress on clinical tkatures, blood biochemistry, neuroimaging, muscle biopsy, and genetics in diagnosing MELAS. Results： MELAS has a wide heterogeneity in genetics and clinical manifestations. The relationship between mutations and phenotypes remains unclear. Advanced serial functional magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） can provide directional information on this disease. Muscle biopsy has meaningflil value in diagnosing MELAS, which shows the presence of ragged red fibers and mosaic appearance of cytochrome oxidase negative fibers. Genetic studies have reported that approximately 80% of MELAS cases are caused by the lnutation in.3243A〉G of the mitochondrial transfer RNA （Leu （UU R）） gene （MT-TLI）. Conclusions： MELAS involves multiple systems with variable clinical symptoms and recurrent episodes. The prognosis of MELAS patients depends on timely diagnosis. Therefore, overall diagnosis of MELAS should be based on the maternal inheritance family history, clinical manifestation, and findings from serial MR1, muscle biopsy, and genetics.

Clinical practice guidelines for breast cancer implantable intravenous infusion ports:Chinese Society of Breast Surgery practice guidelines 2021

To standardize the clinical application of implantable intravenous(IV)ports,the Chinese Society of Breast Surgery(CSBrS)of the Chinese Medical Association has identified the key clinical issues through literature research and expert discussion and evaluated the relevant evidence with reference to the grading of recommendations assessment,development,and evaluation.The CSBrS formulated the clinical practice guidelines to provide a reference for physicians specializing in breast cancer and other fields.