Advances in human stem cell therapies:pre-clinical studies and the outlook for central nervous system regeneration

Cell transplantation has come to the forefront of regenerative medicine alongside the discovery and application of stem cells in both research and clinical settings.There are several types of stem cells currently being used for pre-clinical regenerative therapies,each with unique characteristics,benefits and limitations.This brief review will focus on recent basic science advancements made with embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.Both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells provide platforms for new neurons to replace dead and/or dying cells following injury.Due to their capacity for reprogramming and differentiation into any neuronal type,research in preclinical rodent models has shown that embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells can integrate,survive and form connections in the nervous system similar to de novo cells.Going forward however,there are some limitations to consider with the use of either stem cell type.Ethically,embryonic stem cells are not an ideal source of cells,genetically,induced pluripotent stem cells are not ideal in terms of personalized treatment for those with certain genetic diseases the latter of which may guide regenerative medicine away from personalized stem cell based therapies and into optimized stem cell banks.Nonetheless,the potential of these stem cells in central nervous system regenerative therapy is only beginning to be appreciated.For example,through genetic modification,stem cells serve as ideal platforms to reintroduce missing or downregulated molecules into the nervous system to further induce regenerative growth.In this review,we highlight the limitations of stem cell based therapies whilst discussing some of the means of overcoming these limitations.

The mTORC1 complex in pre-osteoblasts regulates whole-body energy metabolism independently of osteocalcin

Overnutrition causes hyperactivation of mTORC1-dependent negative feedback loops leading to the downregulation of insulin signaling and development of insulin resistance.In osteoblasts(OBs),insulin signaling plays a crucial role in the control of systemic glucose homeostasis.We utilized mice with conditional deletion of Rptor to investigate how the loss of mTORC1 function in OB affects glucose metabolism under normal and overnutrition dietary states.Compared to the controls,chow-fed Rptorob−/−mice had substantially less fat mass and exhibited adipocyte hyperplasia.Remarkably,upon feeding with high-fat diet,mice with pre-and post-natal deletion of Rptor in OBs were protected from diet-induced obesity and exhibited improved glucose metabolism with lower fasting glucose and insulin levels,increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.This leanness and resistance to weight gain was not attributable to changes in food intake,physical activity or lipid absorption but instead was due to increased energy expenditure and greater whole-body substrate flexibility.RNA-seq revealed an increase in glycolysis and skeletal insulin signaling pathways,which correlated with the potentiation of insulin signaling and increased insulin-dependent glucose uptake in Rptorknockout osteoblasts.Collectively,these findings point to a critical role for the mTORC1 complex in the skeletal regulation of wholebody glucose metabolism and the skeletal development of insulin resistance.

极低热量饮食对体外受精结局的影响

Alow-calorie diet in a group of overweight or obese patients for a short period before and during IVF results in variable tolerance to the dietary regime and an unsatisfactory IVF outcome.

Post-marketing Surveillance for Combined Oral Contraceptive Containing Desogestrel(Marvelon~) in Chinese Rural Areas

To assess the side effects and the continuation rate of combined oral contraceptive （COC） containing desogestrel （Marvelon） during 12 months. Methods This was a post-marketing surveillance study on Marvelon COC among 870 healthy rural women in 5 different counties of Jiangsu Province during 12 months. Results About 24.02% of the women who used Marvelon COC experienced side effects during 12 months. Gastrointestinal disorder, bleeding/spotting and chloasma were ranked the first three in the side effects. The rate of side effects of Marvelon COC users during the first 3 months in southern area of Jiangsu was significantly higher than that of users in northern area of Jiangsu. Most of the users did not experience obvious weight changes i.e., loss or increase in weight of more than 5 kg during 12 months. Blood pressure and biochemical indicators of almost 99% among users were within the normal range. The gross cumulative continuation rate for 12 months was 83.14%; the most common medical reason for discontinuation was gastrointestinal disorder. There was an increased risk of discontinuation use among women with lower educational level. Conclusion Marvelon COC brought fewer side effects and was well accepted when applied in Chinese rural women.