Status,challenges,and future prospects of stem cell therapy in pelvic floor disorders

Pelvic floor disorders(PFDs)represent a group of common and frequentlyoccurring diseases that seriously affect the life quality of women,generally including stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.Surgery has been used as a treatment for PFD,but almost 30%of patients require subsequent surgery due to a high incidence of postoperative complications and high recurrence rates.Therefore,investigations of new therapeutic strategies are urgently needed.Stem cells possess strong multi-differentiation,self-renewal,immunomodulation,and angiogenesis abilities and they are able to differentiate into various cell types of pelvic floor tissues and thus provide a potential therapeutic approach for PFD.Recently,various studies using different autologous stem cells have achieved promising results by improving the pelvic ligament and muscle regeneration and conferring the tissue elasticity and strength to the damaged tissue in PFD,as well as reduced inflammatory reactions,collagen deposition,and foreign body reaction.However,with relatively high rates of complications such as bladder stone formation and wound infections,further studies are necessary to investigate the role of stem cells as maintainers of tissue homeostasis and modulators in early interventions including therapies using new stem cell sources,exosomes,and tissueengineering combined with stem cell-based implants,among others.This review describes the types of stem cells and the possible interaction mechanisms in PFD treatment,with the hope of providing more promising stem cell treatment strategies for PFD in the future.

Fenton-like oxidation of azo dye in aqueous solution using magnetic Fe3O4-MnO2 nanocomposites as catalysts

In order to overcome the drawback of the low degree of separation from an aqueous solution of MnO_2, Fe_3 O_4-MnO_2 core-shell nanocomposites were used as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts for the removal of acid orange 7. On the basis of the catalyst characterization, the catalytic ability of the as-synthesized nanocomposites was examined. The results showed that Fe304-Mn02 core-shell nanocomposites had greater catalytic ability than Fe_3 O_4 or MnO_2 used alone. Meanwhile, the catalyst dosage, H_2 O_2 dosage, temperature, and initial pH had significant effects on the removal of acid orange 7. A high degree of stability and reusability were exhibited by Fe_3 O_4-MnO_2 core-shell nanocomposites. Both HO· and HO_2· were generated in the reaction and HO· was the main radical for the removal of acid orange 7. A mechanism for H_2 O_2 catalytic decomposition using Fe_3 O_4-MnO_2 core-shell nanocomposites to produce HO·is proposed.

Doping effect on the structure and physical properties of quasi-one-dimensional compounds Ba_(9)Co_(3)(Se_(1−x)S_(x))_(15)(x=0-0.2)

A series of samples of Ba_(9)Co_(3)(Se_(1−x)S_(x))_(15)(x=0,0.05,0.1,0.15,0.2)with quasi-one-dimensional(1D)structure were successfully synthesized under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions.The influence of partial substitution of S for Se on the structure,electronic transport,and magnetic properties of Ba_(9)Co_(3)(Se_(1−x)S_(x))_(15) has been investigated in detail.The x-ray diffraction data shows that the lattice constant decreases linearly with increasing S-doping level,which follows the Vegrad’s law.The doped S atoms preferentially occupy the site of Se atoms in CoSe6 octahedron.Physical properties measurements indicate that all the samples of Ba_(9)Co_(3)(Se_(1−x)S_(x))_(15) are semiconducting and display spin glass behavior.As the replacement of Se by smaller size S,although the inter-chain distance decreases,the electronic hopping between CoSe/S6 chains is weakened and leads to an increase of band gap from 0.75 eV to 0.86 eV,since the S-3p electrons are more localized than Se-4p ones.Ba_(9)Co_(3)(Se_(1−x)S_(x))_(15) exhibits 1D conducting chain characteristic.

Prokaryotic expression, purification of a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene FUS1 and characterization of its polyclonal antibodies

FUS1 is a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene identified in human chromosome 3p21.3. Its expression showed significantly reduction or even loss in lung cancer and other types of cancers. In order to further investigate the biological function of FUS1 protein, FUS1 cDNA from MRC-5 cells was amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into prokaryotic expression vector pQE-30. The recombinant expression plasmids were transformed into M15 strain and grown at 20℃ or 37℃. SDS–PAGE analysis revealed that the accumulation of the recombinant protein FUS1 (rFUS1) in inclusion body forms reached maxium amount when induced with 0.5 mM IPTG for 5 h at 37℃. The inclusion bodies were solubilized in 2M urea and purified by a 6 ×His tagged affinity column under denaturing condition. The purified rFUS1 was identified by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and tested for purity by HPLC chromatography. The purified rFUS1 proteins were then used to immunize rabbits to obtain anti-human FUS1 polyclonal antibodies, which were suitable to detect both the recombinant exogenous FUS1 and the endogenous FUS1 from tissues and cells by western blot and immunohistochemistry, Available purified rFUS1 proteins and self-prepared polyclonal antibodies against FUS1 may provide effective tools for further studies on biological function and application of FUS1.

Precipitant-free solvothermal construction of spindle-like CoCO3/reduced graphene oxide hybrid anode toward high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Recently,CoCO3 has attracted enormous attention as anodes for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),benefiting from its high theoretical capacity and simple synthesis.However,the modest electronic conductivity and structural instability over cycling hinder its wider applications.To well address the intrinsic issues,we explored a precipitantfree hydrothermal methodology for mass production of spindle-like CoCO3/reduced graphene oxide(S-CoCO3/rGO)toward advanced LIBs as a hybrid anode.The dimethylformamide plays a significant role of"two birds(i.e.,solvent and precipitant)with one stone"in the formation of the S-CoCO3/rGO,greatly improving its practical applicability.The purposeful introduction of rGO nanosheets as a two-dimensional flexible conductive network enhances the conductivity and stability of the S-CoCO3.It is the structural and compositional merits for LIBs that endow the S-CoCO3/rGO with remarkable lithium-storage performance in terms of enhanced interfacial storage capacity,high-rate reversible capacities(803 mAh·g-1 at 2.0 A·g-1)and long-duration capacity retention of 82.1%over 2000 consecutive cycles at 2.0 A·g-1.More significantly,the simple yet efficient avenue here promises enormous commercial prospect of the S-CoCO3/rGO in next-generation LIBs.

High-capacity potassium ion storage mechanisms in a soft carbon revealed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Carbon materials are crucially important for the realization of potassium-ion batteries.However,the potassium storage mechanisms in various carbon materials are incompletely understood.Herein,solid-state ^(13)C nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopy coupled with Raman and X-ray diffraction(XRD) techniques are employed to study the reaction mechanism in a soft carbon quantitatively.It is revealed that the insertion of potassium ions into the soft carbon firstly induces a transformation of the disordered region to short-range ordered stacking,involving both the pristine local unorganized and organized carbon layers.Subsequently,potassium ions intercalate into the rearranged carbon structure,finally producing the nano-sized KC_(8).Moreover,a remarkable c apacity of 322 mAh·g^(-1) with a low mid potassiation voltage of <0.3 V is present for the prepared soft carbon,which is on account of the underlying potassium storage sites,including the disordered stacking carbon as a main component of the soft carbon.These results suggest that regulating the disordered stacking region in the turbostratic structure of soft carbon is a critical issue for further improving the potassium storage performance.

Synthesis of vanadium and chromium carbides(V_8C_7–Cr_3C_2) nanocomposite via an in situ precursor method

In situ synthesis method was used to prepare V8C7–Cr3C2nanocomposite.Ammonium vanadate, ammonium dichromate and nanometer carbon black were used as raw materials.The products were characterized by X-ray diffractometry(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry(TGDSC) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) techniques.The results show that V8C7–Cr3C2nanocomposite with an average crystallite size of 25.4 nm can be synthesized at 1200 °C for 1 h.The synthesis temperature required by the method is at least 200 °C lower than that required by the conventional approaches for preparing vanadium and chromium carbides.The powders show good dispersion and are mainly composed of spherical or nearly spherical particles with a mean diameter of about 30 nm.The weight loss ratio of the precursor throughout the reaction process reaches 58 wt%.Three exothermic peaks and four endothermic peaks occur during the reaction.The surface of the specimen is mainly composed of V, Cr, C and O elements.

Multivariate statistical analysis for the surface water quality of the Luan River,China

In order to analyze the characteristics of surface water resource quality for the reconstruction of old water treatment plant,multivariate statistical techniques such as cluster analysis and factor analysis were applied to the data of Yuqiao Reservoir-surface water resource of the Luan River,China.The results of cluster analysis demonstrate that the months of one year were divided into 3 groups and the characteristic of clusters was agreed with the seasonal characteristics in North China.Three factors were derived from the complicated set using factor analysis.Factor 1 included turbidity and chlorophyll,which seemed to be related to the anthropogenic activities;factor 2 included alkaline and hardness,which were related to the natural characteristic of surface water;and factor 3 included Cl and NO2-N affected by mineral and agricultural activities.The sinusoidal shape of the score plots of the three factors shows that the temporal variations caused by natural and human factors are linked to seasonality.

Factors influencing the formation of chlorination brominated trihalomethanes in drinking water

The formation of brominated trihalomethanes (THMs-Br) which is proved more carcinogenic than their chlorinated analogues reported was very different at various water qualities.This study was performed to assess the effects of water quality parameters (bromide concentration,pH value and ammonia concentration),chlorination conditions (chlorine dose,reaction time) and ratios of Br-/DOC and Br-/Cl2 consumption on the formation and distribution of THMs-Br in chlorination.The results showed good correlation between the bromine incorporation factor (BIF) n(Br) and Br-/Cl2 consumption ratio.The formation of total THM (TTHM) was found to decrease with increasing ammonia concentration but to increase with bromide concentration and pH value.The n(Br) trends were significantly affected by the presence of bromide concentration.The effects on the molar yields of THMs were more strongly influenced by bromide concentration and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration than pH value and natural organic matter (NOM) source.High Br-/DOC and Br-/Cl2 favor the formation of THMs-Br over chlorinated THMs (THMs-Cl).The experimental data including the main parameters such as bromide,DOC,ammonia,pH and reaction time were used for developing the predictive model for THMs-Br.