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Objective To investigate the expression of HOXB4 gene in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes ( MDS ) and its clinical significance in disease progression. Methods mRNA expression of HOXB4 gene in bone marrow mononuclear cells was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and the difference in HOXB4 expression was compared between 49 patients with MDS (MDS group) and 35 patients without MDS (group C). The relationship of mRNA expression of HOXB4 with disease characteristics and clinical prognosis was explored in MDS patients. Results mRNA expression level of HOXB4 gene was higher in MDS group than that in group C (P < 0.05). The patients were divided into a high- and a low-expression group according to the median expression level of HOXB4. Leukocyte count was lower in the high-expression group in the low-expression group at the time of initial diagnosis. The proportion of patients with subtypes of primitive cellular hyperplasia, poor prognostic staging and leukemic transformation was higher in the high-expression group than in the low-expression group. Conclusions mRNA expression level of HOXB4 gene has certain relation with AML transformation in MDS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore primarily the reconstruction of biological tissue engineered blood vessel in vitro, the decellularised scaffolds were obtained from swine common carotid arteries by enzyme digestion, and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were isolated from canine thoracic aorta and subcultured and purified. The VSMCs were seeded into the inner surface of scaffolds and they were cocultured in vitro for 4 weeks. Histological staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe the growth of canine VSMCs on swine decellularized arterial scaffolds. The results showed the seeded VSMCs grew well on the decellularized scaffold throughout the duration of 4 weeks, which suggests that the method in this article is practicable for reconstructing complete biological tissue engineering blood vessel.

To explore the biological effects of shear stress on intact artery and the change of growth factor during stress-induced vascular remodeling, we established an artery organ-cultured system under stress in vitro, and the common carotid arteries of pigs were cultured under shear stress of 20, 5 and 0 dyn/cm2. PDGF-A synthesis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) cultured for 1, 4 and 7 days were studied by immunohistochemical and computer image processing methods, and PDGF-B secretion of endothelial cells (ECs) cultured within 12 h were studied by ELISA. Results showed that PDGF-B increased obviously under shear stress of 5 dyn/cm2, and reached the highest point at about 3 h; PDGF-A synthesis also obviously increased under low shear stress in 7 days. Increasing of PDGF synthesis promotes phenotype switch and proliferation of VSMC. It may have important influence on artery remodeling under low shear stress.

The construction and amount of fibronectin (Fn), laminin (Ln) and collagen type IV (ColIV) in the extracellular matrix of endothelial cells (EC) co-cultured with vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) under shear stress were studied by immuno-fluoro-cytochemistry, laser confocal scanning microscopy and image analysis methods to detect the effect of shear stress on adhesion of EC for vascular tissue engineering. One group of EC was maintained under static conditions as a control. In the control, both Fn and Ln exhibited as a granular pattern in perinuclear area and a fibrillar pattern localized underneath EC, and Col IV exhibited mainly as the granular in the perinuclear area, but the fibrillar was fewer. On exposure of EC to shear stress in physiological range, Fn grouped into fibril tracts, and there was a tendency for some of these tracts of fibrils to align with direction of shear stress. Ln and Col IV also grouped into fibril tracts, which, in contrast to Fn, were randomly oriented, Simultaneously, all contents of the extracellular matrix had different quantitative alterations. These results suggest that the capability of adhesion of EC co-cultured with VSMC may be strengthened under shear stress.