“Carea”——日本养老新构想

日本拥有完善的养老保障系统,文章介绍了日本"Secomfort"品牌的两家养老院蓟野养老院和六甲养老院提出的名为"Carea"的新构想,以解决老人复杂的生理和心理在生命发展变化过程中产生矛盾的问题,为社会养老系统的发展趋势输入了新的理念和提示。

Influence of heme oxygenase-1 gene transfer on the viability and function of rat islets in in vitro culture

AIM. To investigate the influence of heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） gene transfer on the viability and function of cultured rat islets in vitro. METHODS： Islets were isolated from the pancreata of Sprague-Dawley rats by intraductal collagenase digestion, and purified by discontinuous Ficoll density gradient centrifugation. Purified rat islets were transfected with adenoviral vectors containing human HO-1 gene （Ad- HO-1） or enhanced green fluorescent protein gene （Ad- EGFP）, and then cultured for seven days. Transfection was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy and Western blot. Islet viability was evaluated by acridine orange/ propidium iodide fluorescent staining. Glucose-stimulated insulin release was detected using insulin radioimmunoassay kits and was used to assess the function of islets. Stimulation index （SI） was calculated by dividing the insulin release upon high glucose stimulation by the insulin release upon low glucose stimulation. RESULTS： After seven days culture, the viability of cultured rat islets decreased significantly （92% ± 6% vs 52% ± 13%, P 〈 0.05）, and glucose-stimulated insulin release also decreased significantly （6.47 ± 0.55 mIU/ L/30IEO vs 4.57 ± 0.40 mIU/L/3OIEO., 14.93 ± 1.17 mIU/L/30IEQ vs 9.63 ± 0.71 mIU/L/30IEQ, P 〈 0.05）. Transfection of rat islets with adenoviral vectors at an 1±10 of 20 was efficient, and did not impair islet function. At 7 d post-transfection, the viability of Ad-HO-1 transfected islets was higher than that of control islets（71% ± 15% vs 52% ± 13%, P 〈 0.05）. There was no significant difference in insulin release upon low glucose stimulation （2.8 mmol/L） among Ad-HO-1 transfected group, Ad-EGFP transfected group, and control group （P 〉 0.05）, while when stimulated by high glucose （16.7 mmol/L） solution, insulin release in Ad-HO-1 transfected group was significantly higher than that in Ad-EGFP transfected group and control group, respectively （12.50 ±2.17 mIU/L/30IEQ vs 8.87 ± 0.65 mIU/L/30IEQ, 12.50 ± 2.17 mIU/L/30IEQ vs 9.63 ± 0.71 mIU/L/30IEQ, P 〈 0.05）. The SI of Ad-HO-1 transfected group was also significantly higher than that of Ad-EGFP transfected group and control group, respectively （2.21 ± 0.02 vs 2.08 ± 0.05; 2.21 ± 0.02 vs 2.11 ± 0.03, P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The viability and function of rat islets decrease over time in in vitro culture, and heine oxygenase-1 gene transfer could improve the viability and function of cultured rat islets.

Structure and Function of the Digestive System of Solen Grandis Dunker

Structure and function of the digestive system of a bivalve mollusc, Solen grandis, were studied using light microscopy and histochemical methods. The wall of digestive tube consists of four layers: the mucosal epithelium, connective tissue, muscular and fibrosa or serosa (only in the portion of rectum) from the inner to the outer. The ciliated columnar epithelial cells, dispersed by cup-shaped mucous cells, rest on a thin base membrane. There are abundant blood spaces in connective tissue layer. The digestive diverticula are composed of multi-branched duct and digestive tubules. The digestive tubules are lined with digestive and basophilic secretory cells, and surrounded by a layer of smooth muscle fibers and connective tissues. Activities of acid and alkaline phosphatases, esterase and lipase are detected in the digestive cells, and the epithelia of stomach and intestine, suggesting that these cells are capable of intracellular digesting of food materials and absorbing.Besides, acid phosphatase and esterase activities are present in the posterior portion of esophagus. Phagocytes are abundant in blood spaces and the lumens of stomach and intestine, containing brown granules derived from the engulfed food materials. The present work indicates that phagocytes play important roles in ingestion and digestion of food materials, which is supported as well by the activities of acid phosphatase, esterase and lipase detected in blood spaces.

Stem cells modified by brain-derived neurotrophic factor to promote stem cells differentiation into neurons and enhance neuromotor function after brain injury

Objective： To promote stem cells differentiation into neurons and enhance neuromotor function after brain injury through brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） induction. Methods： Recombinant adenovirus vector was applied to the transfection of BDNF into human-derived umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells （UCMSCs）. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to determine the secretion phase of BDNF. The brain injury model of athymic mice induced by hydraulic pressure percussion was established for transplantation of stem cells into the edge of injury site. Nerve function scores were obtained, and the expression level of transfected and non-transfected BDNF, proportion of neuron specific enolase （NSE） and glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP）, and the number of apoptosis cells were compared respectively. Results： The BDNF expression achieved its stabilization at a high level 72 hours after gene transfection. The mouse obtained a better score of nerve function, and the proportion of the NSE-positive cells increased significantly （P〈0.05）, but GFAP-positive cells decreased in BDNF- UCMSCs group compared with the other two groups （P〈0.05）. At the site of high expression of BDNF, the number of apoptosis cells decreased markedly. Conclusion： BDNF gene can promote the differentiation of the stem cells into neurons rather than glial cells, and enhance neuromotor function after brain injury.

Role of long non-coding RNAs in normal and malignant hematopoiesis

Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)are defined as a class of nonprotein-coding transcripts greater than 200 nucleotides in length,which have diverse functions in development and diseases including hematopoiesis.Recent advances have revealed that lncRNAs regulate hematopoietic development at almost every stage,including differentiation of the myelocyte,lymphocyte,and erythrocyte.Abnormal regulation of the lncRNAs may block aspects of blood development,which can lead to different types of hematopoietic disorders.These findings highlight the role of lncRNAs as potential therapeutic tools in malignant hematopoiesis.In this review,we summarize recent progress in the study of functional lncRNAs associated with blood development,as well as dysregulated lncRNAs involved in diverse blood diseases by interacting with crucial susceptibility genes in different pathways.In addition,we discuss genome-wide studies on lncRNAs,which are helpful for genome screening and in-depth functional study of lncRNAs associated with blood development and disease.