Search

Background Several studies probed into the connection between esophageal cancer (EC) risk and PRKAA1 rs13361707 C/T polymorphism, but obtained insignificant findings. Methods In this study, 814 EC cases and 961 controls from Eastern China were recruited to validate the relationship between this polymorphism and EC susceptibility. Results Data suggested rs13361707 C/T polymorphism in PRKAA1 gene was significantly related with a lower risk for EC. Such significant connection was also uncovered in subgroups of males, smokers, drinkers and individuals with age ≥ 60 years. In addition, this polymorphism was linked with the pathological grading, distant metastasis, and histology of EC. Conclusion In summary, PRKAA1 rs13361707 C/T polymorphism is related to the risk and clinical properties of EC patients in East China.

We have investigated {332} twinning and detwinning mechanisms in β-Ti alloys. Microstructure-twinning relations were evaluated in a β-Ti-15Mo (wt.%) alloy by statistical analysis of the evolving twin structure upon deformation by in-situ SEM testing and electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD). We find that most of the primary twins (~80%) correspond to the higher stressed variant and follow Schmid’s law with respect to the macroscopic stress. Detwinning mechanism was evaluated in a multilayered β-Ti-10Mo-xFe (x: 1-3 wt.%) by EBSD. We find that the detwinning process consists of two independent events that occur at two different microstructural regions, i.e. twin tips located at grain interiors and grain boundaries. Both detwinning modes can be explained from a thermodynamic standpoint where the boundary dissociation processes minimize the boundary free energy.

Background Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) were closely associated with asthma. However, there were no perspective studies about the effects of glucocorticoid on ILC2s in asthma patients. Our objective was to perform a perspective study and evaluate the ILC2 activity after glucocorticoid therapy in asthma patients. Methods The asthma and asthma with allergic rhinitis patients were treated with glucocorticoid for 3 months. The circulating ILC2 levels were evaluated. The effects of glucocorticoid on ILC2s and possible signalling pathways were investigated in vitro. Results The patients were well‐controlled, and the high ILC2 levels were significantly decreased at 1 and 3 months after treatment. Peripheral blood monocytes from allergic patients produced dramatic IL‐5, IL‐13 and IL‐9 in response to IL‐25, IL‐33 plus IL‐2, and glucocorticoid significantly decreased their levels. Moreover, ILC2s were identified to be the predominant source of IL‐5, IL‐13 and IL‐9, and glucocorticoid treatment was able to reverse their high levels. STAT3, STAT5, STAT6, JAK3 and MEK signalling pathways were proved to be involved in regulating ILC2 activity under the glucocorticoid treatment. Conclusion The data suggested that glucocorticoid administration could be effective in treating asthma by regulating ILC2s via MEK/JAK‐STAT signalling pathways. This provides a new understanding of glucocorticoid application in regard to allergic diseases.

A bimodal grain structure consisting of fine grains (d ~ 1–2 µm) and coarse grains (d ~ 10–20 µm) was achieved in the biomedical Co–20Cr–15W–10Ni alloy via medium cold rolling (area reduction of 50%) followed by short-term annealing (15 min) at relatively low temperatures (950–1100 °C). The medium cold rolling induced a heterogeneous microstructure featuring the coexistence of severely deformed regions and weakly deformed domains. With short-term annealing at low temperatures, fine and coarse grains were preferentially recrystallized in severely deformed regions and weakly deformed domains, respectively, resulting a bimodal grain size distribution. During tension, dislocations were more rapidly generated in the fine grains, thus increasing the strain hardening, while they glided longer on the {111} planes in the coarse grains, contributing a high ductility. The combination of these two factors provided well-balanced strength–ductility behavior with an ultimate tensile strength of 1278 MPa, a yield strength of 787 MPa, and an elongation to fracture of 53%, making the alloy suitable for surgical implant and stent applications where the strength and ductility are both important to ensure mechanical reliability in a human body.

Objective To investigate the effects of simulated microgravity by rotary cell culture system (RCCS) on expression profiles of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in mouse fibroblasts L929 cell line. Methods L929 cells were cultured in vitro and randomly divided into simulated microgravity (SMG) group and normal gravity (NG) group. Each group had three samples, the rotator axis of SMG group was paralleled to the ground rotation, while the rotator axis of NG group was vertical to the ground rotation, and the speed of rotation was consistent for the two groups. The samples of two groups were collected on 7th day of culture and the total RNAs were extracted, labeled and hybridized in sequence. The lncRNA and mRNA were detected by Agilent Mouse lncRNA Chips respectively. Differentially expressed lncRNA were identified and then validated by RT-qPCR. GO and Pathway analysis were applied to determine the functional distribution of these target genes. The integration predictions of the lncRNA and mRNA co-expression had been proposed to refine the functional lncRNA-mRNA relationships. Results There were 238 differentially ex-pressed lncRNAs including 134 lncRNAs up-regulated and 104 lncRNAs down-regulated, and 237 differentially expressed mRNAs including 53 mRNAs up-regulated and 184 mRNAs down-regulated significantly in mouse fibroblasts L929 cell line under simulated microgravity by RCCS. The RT-qPCR showed a high concordance with chip microarray results in 4 differentially expressed lncRNA. GO analysis showed that the differentially expressed lncRNAs were related to the biological processes such as negative regulation of megakaryocyte differentiation and negative regulation of wound healing. Pathway analysis showed that these target genes were related to the signal pathways of systemic lupus erythematosus and TGF-β. The lncRNA-mRNA co-expression networks were also established. Conclusion The simulated microgravity by RCCS could significantly affect the expression profiles of lncRNA and mRNA in mouse fibroblasts L929. The lncRNA target genes prediction and functional enrichment analysis based on gene chip technology may provide the theoretical basis for illustrating the mechanism and management of weightlessness stress injury. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2017.10.07

Backgrounds: Neratinib is a potent EGFR/HER2 kinase inhibitor. Gastrointestinal complications (i.e. diarrhea, vomiting and nausea) are the most common adverse events. In this study, we aimed to investigate (1) the overall incidence and relative risk (RR) of diarrhea, vomiting and nausea and (2) whether combination neratinib therapy increased the incidence of gastrointestinal complications versus neratinib alone. Methods: Relevant studies were identified from the PubMed database, from abstracts presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual conference and from the Web of Science database. Incidences, RRs, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: The incidences of all-grade diarrhea, vomiting and nausea in the neratinib groups were 89% (95% CI = 77–95%), 31% (95% CI = 25–37%) and 44% (95% CI = 33–55%), respectively. The neratinib arms significantly increased the risk of diarrhea and vomiting in comparison with the control groups (diarrhea: all-grade, RR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.38–3.08, P = 0.0004; grade 3/4, RR = 8.77, 95% CI = 2.91–26.40, P = 0.0001; vomiting: all-grade, RR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.10–3.71, P = 0.02; grade 3/4, RR = 7.10, 95% CI = 3.33–15.15, P Conclusions: Our meta-analysis demonstrates that the neratinib arms are associated with a significantly increased risk of diarrhea and vomiting.

We have studied {332} detwinning mechanism in a bcc-Ti–10Mo–xFe (x = 1–3 wt%) multilayered alloy upon annealing treatment at 900 °C by electron backscatter diffraction and electron channeling contrast imaging. Our analysis reveals that in the present material the detwinning process consists of two independent detwinning events that occur at two different microstructural regions, namely twin tips located at grain interiors and grain boundaries. Boundary dissociation reactions and mobilities were analyzed by tracking the evolution of the twin structure upon thermal annealing. We find that the first detwinning process is characterized by the evolution of incoherent twin boundaries into a Σ3 boundary and its subsequent migration. The second detwinning event is characterized by the detachment of the twin crystal from a grain boundary by the formation and migration of Σ11 {113} incoherent twin boundaries. Both detwinning modes can be explained from a thermodynamic standpoint where the boundary dissociation processes minimize the boundary free energy.

Purpose. To analyze the distribution of the offset between the pupil center and the coaxially sighted corneal light reflex (P-Dist), the effects of 50% and 100% angle kappa adjustments on refractive and visual quality in patients with moderate myopia were investigated. Methods. A randomly selected 254 patients (254 eyes) with moderate myopia who underwent femtosecond laser-combined LASIK were examined. During the operation, the P-Dist of the patients was recorded by the x- and y-axis eyeball-tracking adjustment program of the WaveLight Eagle Vision EX500 excimer laser system. Preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively, the WaveLight® ALLEGRO Topolyzer was used to measure the pupil size and center position, and the wavefront sensor was used to measure the wavefront aberrations. The visual function tester (OPTEC 6500) measured contrast sensitivity. Results. The average P-Dist was 0.220 ± 0.102 mm. When the P-Dist >0.220 mm, the postoperative residual cylinder was 0.29 ± 0.34 D in the group with the 50% adjustment and 0.40 ± 0.32 D in the 100% group, which was significantly higher than the 50% group P = 0.036 . The coma was 0.21 ± 0.17 μm in the 50% adjusted group and 0.34 ± 0.25 μm in the 100% group, which was significantly higher than that in the 50% group P = 0.021 . At the 1.5 c/d spatial frequency, contrast sensitivity in the adjusted 100% group was significantly lower than that in the 50% group under visual glare conditions P = 0.039 . Conclusion. The postoperative visual acuity and spherical equivalent were not affected in the two groups. However, when P-Dist >0.220 mm, the residual astigmatism and coma were lower in the 50% group. Individualized operations for those with moderate myopia and large-angle kappa in which 100% adjustment is chosen may not result in a better visual quality effect than 50%.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is an oncogene found in various types of cancers. However, how PEDF affects the development of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is unknown. This study investigates the role of PEDF in ESCC cell proliferation, migration, and cell cycle both in vitro and in vivo. The PEDF expression was examined in patient tumor samples and ESCC cell lines. Short hairpin RNA technology was used to inhibit the PEDF expression in ESCC EC9706 and KYSE150 cells. In vitro cell proliferation and migration assays were performed. The effects of PEDF on tumor growth and progression were examined in vivo in murine subcutaneous xenograft tumor models. It was found that PEDF was overexpressed in esophageal cancer cells and patient tumor tissues compared to normal control samples. PEDF enhanced cell cycle progression and inhibited cell apoptosis. Knock down of PEDF inhibited esophageal cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Moreover, Inhibition of PEDF significantly reduced tumor growth and tumor size in vivo. These results indicate that PEDF induce tumorigenesis in ESCC and can be a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Background: To investigate the characteristics and distribution of anterior and posterior surface wavefront aberrations in patients suitable for corneal refractive surgery. Methods: A total of 121 myopic patients (121 eyes, 14-46 years old) who underwent corneal refractive surgery were randomly selected by the Pentacam anterior segment analysis system with a spherical equivalent (SE) of -1.50 to -12.00 D. The corneal anterior and posterior aberrations (higher-order aberration, HOA; spherical aberration, SA; Coma; Trefoil) and Q and K values were detected, and a correlation analysis of the relevant parameters was carried out. Results: The root-mean-square (RMS) of the third to sixth order aberrations of the ocular and corneal wave surface aberrations at a 6.0-mm pupil showed a decreasing trend in patients suitable for the corneal refractive surgery, and the RMS of the third order aberrations accounted for 62.92% of the total HOAs. The coma ratio (coma ratio: coma/total cornea higher-order aberrations) was increased with the increasing diopters, while the spherical aberration ratio (spherical aberration/ total cornea higher-order aberrations) was not changed. In addition, the spherical aberration was 0.203± 0.082 μm (range: 0.061 to 0.503 μm), and the Q30 was -0.19±0.03 (range: -0.58 to 0.31). There were significant differences in the coma aberrations of preoperative corneal anterior surface (3, 1) between the low, middle and high myopia groups (P=0.013). The spherical equivalent was positively correlated with the corneal coma of the preoperative anterior corneal surfaces (R=-0.241, P=0.009), and the Q value was positively correlated with the total higher-order aberrations (R=0.326, P

Background To investigate the characteristics and distribution of anterior and posterior surface wavefront aberrations in patients suitable for corneal refractive surgery. Methods Sixty myopic patients (120 eyes, 14-46 years old) who underwent corneal refractive surgery were randomly selected by the Pentacam anterior segment analysis system with a spherical equivalent (SE) of -1.50 to -12.00 D. The corneal anterior and posterior aberrations (higher-order aberration, HOA; spherical aberration, SA; Coma; Trefoil) and Q and K values were detected, and a correlation analysis of the relevant parameters was carried out. Results The root mean square (RMS) values from 3 to 6 (RMS 3 to 6) of the whole eye higher-order wave surface aberrations at a 6.0 mm pupil diameter showed a decreasing trend in patients with corneal refractive surgery, and an RMS value of 3 accounted for 62.92% of the total HOAs. The coma ratio increased with increasing diopter, while the spherical aberration ratio was not changed. In addition, the spherical aberration was 0.203 ± 0.082 μm (range: 0.061 to 0.503 μm), and the Q30 was -0.19 ± 0.03 (range: -0.58 to 0.31), which showed a normal distribution. There were significant differences in coma aberrations (3, 1) in the low, middle and high myopia groups (P=0.013). The spherical equivalent was positively correlated with corneal coma (R = -0.241, P = 0.009), and the Q value was positively correlated with total higher-order as well as spherical aberrations (R = 0.326, P

In order to develop a new titanium alloy with a good combination of strength–ductility–toughness, a near-beta titanium alloy was designed based on the already widely used Ti-1023 alloy. To avoid beta fleck occurring in the microstructure, the new Ti–Al–Fe–V (Cr, Zr) alloy has been made through decreasing the content of Fe, based on molybdenum equivalency and Bo–Md molecular orbital method (a method for new alloy designing based on the molecular orbital calculating). After primary design computation, Ti–Al–Fe–V (Cr, Zr) alloy was optimized as Ti–3Al–4.5Cr–1Fe–4V–1Zr finally. The microstructure and tensile properties of this alloy subjected to several commonly used heat treatments were investigated. The results show that the tensile strength of the alloy after solution treated below the β-transus temperature comes between 850 and 1100 MPa, with elongation in the range of 12.5 %–17.0 %. In solution-treated and solution-aged samples, a low-temperature aging at 500 °C results in the precipitation of finer α phase. With the increase in aging temperature, the secondary α phase becomes coarser and decreases in amount. Thus, it will lead to the increase in tensile ductility, but reduction in strength. Eventually, after modulated aging treatment, the alloy can obtain high-strength level with acceptable ductility. The tensile strength of the alloy can achieve 1273 MPa, with an elongation of 11.0 %. At the same time, the fracture toughness (K IC) of the alloy achieves 83.8 MPa·m1/2. It is obvious that the newly designed alloy has achieved a good blend of strength–ductility–toughness.

Objective: To explore the influence of vascular endothelial function and inflammatory cytokines on patients with transumbilical single-port access laparoscopic cholecystectomy (TSPALC). Methods: A total of 86 cases with laparoscopic cholecystectomy, they were divided into single span treatment group (n=46) and normal group (n=40) according to the treatment. Patients in single span treatment group were treated with TSPALC, while patients in normal group were treated with normal LC. Surgery and postoperative recovery, tested and compared vascular endothelial function index: nitric oxide (NO), endothelin (ET) and inflammation factors: interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) before and after surgery at different time points were compared. Results: VAS score at 6 h after surgery was similar between the two groups, while the VAS score at 12 h, 24 h after surgery in two groups were significantly reduce than 6h after surgery, and the VAS score at same point in single span treatment group were significantly lower than normal group, the difference had statistical significance (P0.05). Conclusions: The vascular endothelial function injury and inflammation stress are similar between normal LC and TSPALC, but TSPALC has small trauma. The postoperative pain is light, it’s worth clinical promotion positively.

Titanium and its alloys have been widely used as implants replacing hard human tissues in biomedical fields. To improve the stability of implants in the surrounding bone tissues, the materials with porous structures were fabricated. In this paper powder metallurgy technique was employed to fabricate porous Ti-39Zr-6Nb (wt.%) alloys. The porous structures and mechanical properties of the porous alloys were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and compressive tests. The results showed that with increasing the sintering temperature the porosity of the alloys decreased and the compressive strength and the elastic modulus increased. The porosity of the alloys was in the range from 20.8% to 23.2%, and the pore sizes mostly centered in 10~30μm. The compressive strength and the elastic modulus were in the range from 110.4 to 292.4MPa and 4.7 to 12.4GPa respectively, which was close to human bone.

The effect of Al addition on ω precipitation and age-hardening behavior of Ti-9.2Mo-2Fe and Ti-2Al-9.2Mo-2Fe alloy during aging treatment was investigated. The results showed that athermal and isothermal ω phase formation in Ti-2Al-9.2Mo-2Fe alloy was suppressed to a certain extent due to Al addition. In addition, a small amount of athermal ω phase was observed in the β matrix with a size of about ~5 nm during water quenching from above the β transus temperature for both alloys. Isothermal ω formation was also found during aging at temperatures ranging from 573 K to 773 K (300 °C to 500 °C) in both alloys, although it had a limited time of stability at 773 K (500 °C). The hardening due to isothermal ω precipitation exhibited no over-aging as long as ω phase existed in both alloys, and ω phase played a more important role in hardening than α phase. And the ω phase in 50 to 100 nm size exhibited the best hardening effect in Ti-9.2Mo-2Fe alloy. Similarly, α phase with 100 to 200 nm in length showed better hardening effects in Ti-2Al-9.2Mo-2Fe alloy. Both the alloys showed stronger age hardening at an intermediate temperature of 673 K (400 °C) and in the first aging stage at a higher temperature of 773 K (500 °C) due to the sufficiently fine size (50 nm), while they exhibited weaker age hardening at a lower temperature of 573 K (300 °C) and long period aging at a higher temperature of 773 K (500 °C) due to incomplete ω formation and/or coarsening of α phase. No over or peak aging stage was found at 573 K and 673 K (300 °C and 400 °C) during the aging for 72 hours, while the peak hardness values of both alloys aged at 773 K (500 °C) were obtained in the first stage of aging. The hardness of the alloys was very sensitive to size and volume fraction of ω phase, which depends on aging temperature, time, and composition of the involved alloys.

The use of selective laser melting (SLM) has become more common with regard to the fabrication of high-strength Ti-6Al-4V components. However, the as-SLMed Ti-6Al-4V alloy parts typically exhibit low ductility because of the formation of acicular and brittle α′ martensites. It is essential to use post-heat treatment to change their microstructures to achieve superior mechanical properties. In this study, a particular multi-step heat treatment (MSHT) was applied to the Ti-6Al-4V alloy samples fabricated via SLM. Conventional post-heat treatments were conducted for comparison. The microstructures and tensile properties of the as-SLMed and heat-treated samples were investigated. The as-SLMed Ti-6Al-4V sample is dominated by plate and acicular α′ martensites, which exhibit high strength (1280 MPa) and low ductility (9.0%). The conventional solution plus aging or stress-relieving treatment cannot result in a good combination of strength and ductility. A single step annealing process at 700 °C for 2 h changes the martensitic structure to a fine lamellar α+β structure, which provides a strong and ductile Ti-6Al-4V with an ultimate tensile strength of 1108 MPa and a total elongation of 17.6%. In contrast, the MSHT process facilitates the globularization of α and, thereby generates a nearly equiaxed structure, resulting in superior ductility (21.8% of total elongation), while maintaining a moderate ultimate tensile strength of 953 MPa.

The present work investigates the microstructural evolution of a biomedical Co-20Cr-15W-10Ni alloy during multi-pass thermomechanical processing (TMP) and clarifies its effect on the tensile properties. The results indicate that multi-pass TMP consisting of repetitive cold groove-rolling followed by annealing is attractive for fabricating the alloy rod for fine wire and mini-tube making. The multi-pass TMP provided significant grain refinement from 100 to 4 μm via five repetition and, can create bimodal grain structures consisting of fine (≈3 μm) and coarse grains (4−16 μm). The bimodal grain structure provided a superior strength-ductility combination, a yield strength of 593−738 MPa and ultimate strength of 1197−1304 MPa with a uniform elongation of 54.7−61.1%. Changing the annealing condition in the final TMP step enables to further refine the grains to 2 μm and also modify the grain size distribution and, the dispersion and fraction of nano-carbides. Thus, the mechanical properties of the Co-20Cr-15W-10Ni alloy can be further optimized, leading to a yield strength of 795−890 MPa and ultimate strength of 1328−1363 MPa with a uniform elongation of 49.4−64.0%.

Background It has been demonstrated previously that induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have immunosuppressive effects on activated T cells. However, the effects of iPSC-MSCs on quiescent T cells are still unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the immunomodulatory role of iPSC-MSCs on resting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from allergic rhinitis (AR) patients. Methods PBMCs were cocultured with iPSC-MSCs without any stimulation, following which lymphocyte proliferation, activation of T cells, TH1/TH2 and regulatory T (Treg) cell differentiation, and Treg cell function were analyzed. The roles of soluble factors and cell–cell contact were examined to investigate the mechanisms involved. Results iPSC-MSCs promoted the proliferation of resting lymphocytes, activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and upregulated and activated Treg cells without any additional stimulation. In addition, iPSC-MSCs balanced biased TH1/TH2 cytokine levels. Cell–cell contact was confirmed to be a possible mechanism involved. NF-κB was identified to play an important role in the immunomodulatory effects of iPSC-MSCs on quiescent T cells. Conclusions iPSC-MSCs activate quiescent T cells and elevate regulatory T-cell response in AR patients, suggesting different immunomodulatory functions of iPSC-MSCs according to the phases of diseases. Therefore, iPSC-MSCs are a potential therapeutic candidate for treating allergic airway inflammation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13287-018-0896-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A novel iminoxyl radical-promoted dichotomous regioselective 5-exo-trig cyclization onto vinylic halogen/1,2-halogen radical shift sequence is developed for the synthesis of halomethyl isoxazoles/cyclic nitrones using β-halo-β,γ- and γ-halo-γ,δ-unsaturated ketoximes as the substrates and PhI(OAc)2/TEMPO as the oxidation system. DFT calculations reveal that a halogen-bridged three-membered ring transition state is involved in the 1,2-Cl-/Br-atom shift, while the 1,2-I atom migration can be taken into account with an elimination/readdition mechanism. The migration ability was indicated to be ranked in the following order: I > Br > Cl.

Accumulating evidence indicates that Nanog plays a central role in modulating the biological behaviors of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we employed transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) to disrupt Nanog expression in HepG2 cells and obtained subcloned cells with diallelic Nanog mutations. Significantly, we found that the expression of pluripotency factors Sox2, Oct4 and Klf4, as well as expression of cancer stem cell (CSC) marker CD133, in the Nanog-targeted HepG2 cells was markedly downregulated. This finding suggests that Nanog may play an important role in maintaining the pluripotency and malignancy of HepG2 cells. We also revealed that Nanog regulated cell proliferation by modulating the expression of cyclin D1/D3/E1 and CDK2, respectively. Additionally, the disruption of Nanog resulted in the downregulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulators Snail and Twist, which contributed to the elevated level of epithelial marker E-cadherin, and to the decreased level of mesenchymal markers N-cadherin and vimentin in the HepG2 cells. In addition, the Nanog-targeted HepG2 cells exhibited reduced ability of invasion, migration and chemoresistance in vitro. In conclusion, the disruption of Nanog expression results in less proliferation, invasiveness, migration, more chemosensitivity and reversal of EMT in HepG2 cells, by which Nanog plays crucial roles in influencing the malignant phenotype of HepG2 cells.

Objective To study the effect of cell-mediated immune suppression effect of rocket kerosene (RK) through dermal application in mice. Methods Skin delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) was used to observe the relation of the RK amount the skin exposed and the cellular immune inhibitory function. Different amount of the undiluted fuel was smeared directly onto the dorsal skin of mice. Mice in negative and positive control groups were treated with acetone. After the last exposure, all the mice except those in negative control group were allergized by evenly smearing with 1% dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) solution on their dorsum. Five days after allergy, 1% DNFB solution was smeared onto right ear of all mice to stimulate the allergic reaction. Twenty-four hours after attack, the auricle swelling, spleen index and thymus index in corresponding mice were determined. In the first series of experiments, different dosages of RK were applied once, and the ICR mice were randomly divided into negative control group, positive control group and experimental group (0.5ml/kg.BW×1, 1ml/kg.BW×1 and 2ml/kg.BW×1 group). In the second series of experiments, the certain and same dosage of RK was applied for different times, and the ICR mice were randomly divided into negative control group, positive control group and experimental group (0.5ml/kg.BW×1, 0.5mL/kg.BW×2, 0.5ml/kg.BW×3, 0.5ml/kg.BW×4 and 0.5mL/kg.BW×5 group). In the third series of experiments, the different dosages of RK were applied more than once, and the ICR mice were randomly divided into negative control group, positive control group and experimental group (0.5ml/kg.BW×5, 1ml/kg.BW×5 and 2ml/kg.BW×5 group). Lymphocyte proliferation experiment in vitrowas conducted to observe the persistent time of the cell-mediated immune suppression in mice by RK dermal exposure. The lymphocyte proliferation induced by concanavalin A (Con A) was analyzed by MTT assay, and T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+) in peripheral blood and spleen lymphocyte cell cycle were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results RK dermal exposure (1ml/kg.BW×1) alleviated the ear edema, suppressed the spleen index elevation and thymus index reduction caused by DNFB sensitization in ICR mice, and the suppression effect increased with exposed dosage and time increasing. RK dermal exposure (1ml/kg.BW×1) suppressed ConAinduced spleen lymphocyte proliferation, and the effect persisted for 20d (P

A study on microstructural evolution and age hardening behavior of a new metastable beta titanium alloy Ti–2Al–9.2Mo–2Fe was undertaken by microscopic observation, Vickers hardness and tensile tests in this research. The result showed that the athermal ω phase was formed in the beta matrix after solution treatment and followed by water quench, but it seemed that the athermal ω phase did not result in a considerable hardening (300 HV in hardness and 670 MPa in YS in ST condition). However, the isothermal ω phases with 10–40 nm and nano-scaled α platelets with 30–100 nm were observed in the alloy aged at lower temperatures (300–450 °C). The nano-scaled ω and α phase led to an attractive hardening effect (400–500 HV in hardness and above 1500 MPa in YS). However, micro-scaled α phase with 0.5–3 μm obtained in the samples aged at temperatures (500–600 °C) showed a moderate hardening (350–450 HV in hardness and 1100–1500 MPa in YS). The hardening went through an under-aging, peak-aging and over-aging due to the continuation of nucleation and growth of the α phases and subsequent coarsening. The coarsen α phases (3–5 μm) and grain boundary α layers (0.1–0.5 μm in thickness) obtained at high temperatures aging (650–750 °C) showed a poor hardening or even a softening (around 300 HV in hardness and below 1000 MPa in YS). The Ti–2Al–9.2Mo–2Fe alloy had a fast aging response, and can be age hardened to high hardness above 400 HV within 30 min at a broad aging temperature region. The age hardening curves can also provide a basic criterion for selecting aging treatment for a given stress level.

The T helper 2 (Th2)-type response was considered the hypostasis of allergic airway diseases, including asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR). However, more recent studies have suggested that allergic airway inflammation also depends on innate immunity and is closely related to group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s). This study evaluated the ILC2 levels of asthma subjects, patients with asthma and AR, and healthy individuals, regarding how to investigate the relationship between clinical data and ILC2 levels. It was found that asthma patients and asthma with AR patients had higher ILC2 levels compared to healthy subjects. ILC2s were positively correlated with the percentage of eosinophils in patients with asthma and AR, but not with pulmonary function. ILC2 levels were higher in mild asthma subjects than in patients with severe asthma. This study provides a new interpretation of the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation and may provide a new direction for the diagnosis and assessment of allergic airway diseases.

Background Asthma is affecting more than 300 million people worldwide, which represents the most common chronic disease among children. We previously found that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) modulated the immune response on Th2-mediated asthma in vivo and in vitro. This study further evaluated the immunomodulatory effects of MSCs from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) on asthma. Methods Multipotent hESC-MSCs were obtained using a feeder-free method. The hESC-MSCs were analysed for the expression of stem cell surface markers by flow cytometry, their differentiation potentials were analysed using in vitro trilineage differentiation methods hESC-MSCs were transplanted into the murine model with ovalbumin (OVA)-induced airway allergic inflammation. The expression levels of allergic related genes were measured by the mRNA PCR arrays. Results The hESC-MSCs expressed classical MSC markers and held the capability of differentiation into multiple mesoderm-type cell lineages. hESC-MSCs were able to suppress allergic inflammation by modulating Th2 cells and eosinophils in the mice, and reversed the reduction of regulatory T cells. By using PCR array, 5 mRNAs- chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 11 (Ccl11), Ccl24, interleukin13 (Il13), Il33 and eosinophil-associated, ribonuclease A family, member 11 (Ear11) were identified the most relevant in murine airway allergic inflammation and hESC-MSCs treatment. Conclusions The therapeutic effects of hESC-MSCs were identified in the murine model of airway allergic inflammation with key mRNAs involved. This study will provide a better understanding regarding the mechanisms underlying hESC-MSCs therapeutic application in airway allergic inflammation.

DNA methylation and demethylation play a critical role in the regulation of the molecular pathogenesis of gliomas. Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (TET1) catalyses the sequential oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, (5hmC) leading to eventual DNA demethylation. It has been reported that TET1 is a tumour suppressor in several cancers. However, whether TET1 plays a role in glioma development is largely unclear. Different glioma specimens and corresponding normal controls were collected to analyse the expression of TET1. At the same time, TET1 of glioma U251 cells was knocked down or overexpressed to observe its effect on glioma cell proliferation and invasion as well as autophagy level. Here, we reported that the expression of TET1 in glioma tissue was significantly lower than the corresponding non-tumour normal tissues, and the concentration of TET1 is negatively correlated with the glioma WHO classification. When TET1 gene in glioma U251 cells was knocked down by CRISPR/Caspase-9 system, the proliferation and invasive ability of U251 increased remarkably. But when TET1 was overexpressed in U251 cells, the proliferation and invasion were impaired. Following the down-expression of TET1, the level of autophagy in U251 cells decreased accordingly.However, when TET1 was overexpressed in U251 cells, the level of autophagy incraesed. Furthermore, bafilomycin A1 (Baf-A1) but not 3-methyladenine (3-MA) could decrease the autophagy level of TET1−/− U251 cells as the wild-type controls. It suggests that the tumour suppressor effect of TET1 seems to be mediated by regulating the level of autophagy, and the regulation of TET1 on autophagy is at an early stage.

The influence of solution and aging parameters on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Ti–8V–1.5Mo–2Fe–3Al alloy was studied through microstructural observation and mechanical property test. It is a newly designed near beta titanium alloy for high strength and toughness on the basis of Ti–10V–2Fe–3Al alloy. According to microstructural observation, the shape and volume fraction of primary α phase is found to be determined by the solution treatment, while aging parameters control the precipitation behavior of secondary α platelets. Moreover, the effect of aging time on tensile properties is slighter compared with that of aging temperature. Tensile test reveals the dependence of mechanical properties on the heat treatment parameters, according to which the tensile strength and elongation can be controlled in a range of 1230–1435 MPa and 9–13%. It is a little superior to the Ti-1023 alloy, the alloy solution treated at 800–820 °C for 1 h and aged at 550–600 °C for 2–8 h has well balanced combination of strength and ductility. At the same strength level, the Ti–8V–1.5Mo–2Fe–3Al alloy has higher toughness and higher ductility than the Ti-1023 alloy, the reason is unknown and should be studied further. Morphological features of the fracture surfaces are consistent with the tensile test result and provide further information on the intragranular fracture behavior when solution treated above the β-transus.

One of the disadvantages of β-Ti alloys is rapidgrain coarsening at elevated temperatures due to accelerated diffusion in the βphase region. Microstructural stability of β-Ti alloys would depend on theirability to maintain refined grains or microstructures at high temperatures. Thebeta grain growth kinetics of a newly designed beta titanium alloy has beensystematically investigated in this research. The grain growth exponent (n) value is at the range of 0.1-0.2,about 0.1 at low temperatures and about 0.2 at high temperatures over 950°C. Itis lower than other beta titanium alloys. The reason of lower n values can be investigated in the viewof the solute and the diffusivity in the titanium matrix.

Ti-6Al-4V plates in thickness of 8 mm were directly hot rolled and then heat treated in various routes by a single electron beam cold hearth melted (EBCHM) ingot, in which the weight percentage of recycled titanium scraps was at least about 50 wt%. The dynamic stress-strain behaviors of the plates with typical microstructures were investigated by Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar system at the strain rates of 2000 s-1~ 3000 s-1. The results show that the dynamic compression properties of EBCHM-ingot Ti-6Al-4V plates are relative to that of commercial VAR-ingot plates. The dynamic properties in normal direction of the plates are not sensitive to variations in the fraction of primary alpha phase.

// Yan Ding 1,2 , Ai Qing Yu 1 , Cheng Lin Li 1 , Juan Fang 1 , Yi Zeng 2 and Dong Sheng Li 1 1 Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China 2 College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China Correspondence: Dong Sheng Li, email: // Yi Zeng, email: // Keywords : Nanog, Hela cell, cervical cancer cell, TALEN, epithelial-mesenchymal transition Received : June 09, 2014 Accepted : July 31, 2014 Published : July 31, 2014 Abstract Emerging evidence suggests that Nanog is involved in cervical tumorigenesis. However, the regulating role of Nanog in tumorigenesis and chemosensitivity are still poorly understood. In this study, Nanog was disrupted by transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) in Hela cells and its expression was significantly decreased in a single-cell derived sub-clone with biallelic mutations. The disruption of Nanog not only induced down regulation of some other core transcription factor genes for cell self-renewal, such as Oct4 , Sox2 and FoxD3 , but also led to the down regulation of some mesenchymal representative genes, vimentin and N-adherin , and up regulation of the epithelial gene, E-cadherin . In addition, the invasiveness and clonogenicity of the Hela cells were obviously affected, and surprisingly their sensitivities to anti-cancer drugs were also significantly increased in vitro . After Xenograft into nude mice, the growth volumes of the neoplasms from the Nanog disrupted Hela cells were significantly smaller compared with those from wild type ones. In conclusion, these results suggest that disruption of Nanog may reverse the status of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which is critical in tumorigenesis, and alleviate chemoresistance, as well as their invasiveness, in cervical cancer cells.

Grain growth behaviors of a beta titanium alloy (Ti–2Al–9.2Mo–2Fe) have been systematically investigated for various temperatures. Quantitative evaluations of the grain growth kinetics over a wide range of temperatures from 820 °C to 1000 °C have been performed. The results showed that the isothermal grain growth kinetics followed the normal growth behavior. The solution-treated alloy at lower temperatures (820–900 °C) exhibited a good uniformity of the grain size. It showed a poor uniformity of the grain size due to the abnormal grain growth at higher temperatures (950–1000 °C). The grain growth exponent values ( n ) were at the range of 0.1–0.2, about 0.1 at lower temperatures and about 0.2 at higher temperatures. They were lower than other beta titanium alloys. The lower exponent values ( n ) and the higher activation energy ( Q ) can be attributed to the solute drag effect and the high Mo content with low diffusivity in Ti matrix.

The present study describes the influence of β stabilizers (namely Fe and Cr) on the microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of Ti–6Al–4V alloy fabricated by direct energy deposition. As the β stabilizer content increases from 1 to 4 wt%, the coarse columnar-grained morphology typical of additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V is significantly refined, with a columnar-to-equiaxed transition. Furthermore, reheating of the deposited layers by the deposition of overlaying layers during fabrication induces an element partitioning effect, resulting in the formation of fine-grained α and isothermal ω. Hence, the heat profile during direct energy deposition resembles conventional solution and aging treatments. In addition, increasing the amount of β stabilizer steadily increases the room temperature strength of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The alloy with 4 wt% Fe showed the maximum strength, of ∼1.5 GPa.

Commercially pure titanium (CP–Ti) has seen major applications in medical and chemical equipment. However, improving its strength in its coarse-grained state is expected to extend its usage in structural applications. This study demonstrated that tailoring bimodal grain structures (in terms of grain size or shape) in CP-Ti offers a new way to enhance its mechanical properties. For this, an extensive effort was made to clarify the relationship between the initial microstructures and the deformation heterogeneities of a CP-Ti (Gr. 2). Samples with initially equiaxed (EQ), bimodal (BM), and lamellar (LM) microstructures were cold-rolled and subjected to annealing at different temperatures. The results showed that variations in initial grain orientation, size, and morphology result in different deformation heterogeneities during the plastic deformation, which in turn play an important role in determining the recrystallization kinetics during annealing as well as the resulting mechanical properties. The initial BM and EQ microstructures yielded better mechanical performances in both their initial and cold-rolled states than the initial LM microstructure. Furthermore, the initial BM microstructure exhibited the best strength–ductility combination in both their partially and fully recrystallized states.

Unfortunately, the acknowledgements were incomplete in the original version of this article.

A series of Ti–Al–V titanium alloy bars with nominal composition Ti–7Al–5V ELI, Ti–5Al–3V ELI, commercial Ti–6Al–4V ELI and commercial Ti–6Al–4V were prepared. These alloys were then heat treated to obtain bimodal or equiaxed microstructures with various contents of primary α phase. Dynamic compression properties of the alloys above were studied by split Hopkinson pressure bar system at strain rates from 2,000 to 4,000 s−1. The results show that Ti–6Al–4V alloy with equiaxed primary α (αp) volume fraction of 45 vol% or 67 vol% exhibits good dynamic properties with high dynamic strength and absorbed energy, as well as an acceptable dynamic plasticity. However, all the Ti53ELI specimens and Ti64ELI specimens with αp of 65 vol% were not fractured at a strain rate of 4,000 s−1. It appears that the undamaged specimens still have load-bearing capability. Dynamic strength of Ti–Al–V alloy can be improved as the contents of elements Al, V, Fe, and O increase, while dynamic strain is not sensitive to the composition in the appropriate range. The effects of primary alpha volume fraction on the dynamic properties are dependent on the compositions of Ti–Al–V alloys.

Currently, the traffic congestion is a significant problem encountered in urban development, which should be resolved depending primarily on the management and deployment under the circumstance that road construction isn't able to keep the pace of automobile growth. WSNs (Wireless sensor networks), made up of numerous sensor nodes, form a multi-hop and self-organizing cellular system by wireless communication, which can realize real-time monitoring and collecting environmental information by cooperation. In this paper, a design of real-time and dynamic city vehicle navigation system is presented based on WSNs, GPS(Global Positioning System), and GPRS(General Packet Radio Service) techniques..

An investigation is given on the influence of heat treatment by the microstructural characteristics and tensile properties of a new high strength alloy Ti–2Al–9.2Mo–2Fe. Both of the α/β and β solution treatment (α/β-ST and β-ST), then aged at temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 600 °C, were prepared. The primary α phases having 2–5 μm are formed during the α/β-ST, and restrain the size of β grains below 10 μm. As a result of the fine β grains, the α/β-ST contributes a higher strength than the β-ST. The co-existence of α″ and athermal ω phase is found in the β-ST and water quenched samples. However, these have little influence on the alloy hardening. After aging, the alloys in the α/β-ST and β-ST condition reveal the phase transformation of β to isothermal ω, and β to α depending on the aging temperature. Although the primary α phase formed during the α/β-ST increases the stability in the β matrix, and the isothermal ω phase also appears to occur during aging at 400 °C and 450 °C for 2 h. These phenomena are less common in beta titanium alloys, when treated in the α/β-ST and aged at lower temperatures. The isothermal ω phase formed in both conditions results in high strength levels (1600 MPa of ultimate strength) with much ductility loss (2.5–4.5% of elongation) as a result of the superior hardening effect and brittleness of ω phase. However, the secondary α phase with the size of 1–3 μm leads to attractive combinations of strength and ductility (1200–1400 MPa of ultimate strength with 7.5–12.5% of elongation). The reason for that is too fine α phase below 1 μm tends to result in ultra-high strength with much ductility loss. As a whole, the alloy can be heat treated to obtain excellent balances of strength and ductility, and provided abundant stress levels with optional ductility as a usable material.

Radiotherapy is an effective treatment for some esophageal cancers, but the molecular mechanisms of radiosensitivity remain unknown. Ubiquitin-like with PHD and ring finger domains 1 (UHRF1) is a novel nuclear protein which is overexpressed in various cancers but not yet examined in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The correlation between UHRF1 and the radioresistance in ESCC is still unclear. In the present study, the expression of UHRF1 was examined by immunohistochemistry in specimens of ESCC patients treated with radiotherapy. The results showed that UHRF1 was significantly overexpressed in ESCC specimens. Overexpression of UHRF1 correlated significantly with advanced T-stage, positive lymph node metastasis and poor differentiation. In addition, UHRF1 was associated with radiotherapy response, in which overexpression of UHRF1 was observed more frequently in the radioresistant group than in the effective group. At the molecular level, inhibition of UHRF1 by lentivirus-mediated shRNA targeting UHRF1 increased the radiosensitivity and apoptosis, while decreased radiation-induced G2/M phase arrest in TE-1 cells. Moreover, inhibition of UHRF1 resulted in higher residual γH2AX expression after irradiation, but not initial γH2AX. Further study showed that inhibition of UHRF1 down-regulated the endogenous expressions of DNA repair protein Ku70 and Ku80 in TE-1 cells, and significantly inhibited the increase of these proteins after irradiation. Above all, our data suggested that UHRF1 might play an important role in radioresistance of ESCC, and inhibition of UHRF1 can increase the radiosensitivity of TE-1 cells by altering cell cycle progression, enhancing apoptosis, and decreasing DNA damage repair capacity.

The effect of solution treatment on microstructural characteristics and tensile properties of a new high strength Ti–6Cr–5Mo–5V–4Al alloy was studied. The microstructure–mechanical property relationship is also discussed. The results show that, the Ti–6Cr–5Mo–5V–4Al alloy in solution treated condition has moderate strength levels (800–1000 MPa) with an excellent ductility (−22% of the elongation and 50–60% of the reduction of area). The alloy in the α/β-solution and aged (α/β-STA) condition shows a more attractive combination of strength and ductility than the alloy in the β-solution and aged condition (β-STA). The α/β-STA results in the occurrence of mixed α precipitates at nano-scale (−100 nm) and at micron-scale (1 μm), which contributes to the high ultimate strength levels (1400–1600 MPa). However, the fine β grains below 10 μm and the primary α phase contribute to good ductility (6–13.5% of the elongation and 22–52% of the reduction of area). The β-ST leads to equiaxed and coarsen β grains (40–100 μm), and subsequent aging contributes to the α phase with the size of 1–5 μm. The β-STA microstructure contributes to 1200–1400 MPa of the ultimate strength with 7–10% of the elongation and 22–28% of the reduction of area, which shows less attractive behavior on the properties than that of the α/β-STA.

Ti-Al-Mo-Fe alloys were developed as low cost beta Ti alloys for automotive springs, and designed based on Molybdenum equivalency and Bo-Md molecular orbital method. Low priced Mo-Fe master alloys were introduced as alloying elements for the cost and elastic modulus reduction. Eight Ti-Al-Mo-Fe alloy candidates were pre-designed according to the Bo-Md method. Primary laboratory scale ingots were thus melted by ISM (Induction Skull Melting). After primary property evaluation, the Ti-2Al-9.2Mo-2Fe alloy was optimized finally and large scale ingot was made by VAR for further property evaluation. Resultantly, it shows that the alloy has lower elastic modulus (60-70 GPa) and good tensile properties in the solution condition, and compares well with the other developed commercial beta alloys.

Objective To investigate the radiosensitizing effect of nitric oxide (NO) combined with radiation on esophageal cancer cell line TE-1. Methods Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to assess the effects of NO and radiation on TE-1 cells regarding inhibition of cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to examine the effect of NO and radiation on cell apoptosis and cycle. Reverse transcription polymerase chine reaction and Western blot were used to evaluete the effect of NO on mRNA and protein expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Results NO inhibited the proliferation of TE-1 cells while significantly enhancing their radiosensitivity. The application of NO combined with radiation significantly increased the apoptosis rate and G2/M phase proportion of TE-1 cells, with substantial decreases in the MnSOD mRNA and protein expression levels. Conclusions NO reduces the MnSOD mRNA and protein expression levels by affecting TE-1 cell cycle, further inhibiting the apoptosis of esophageal cancer cells and enhancing the killing effect of radiation on esophageal cancer cells.

The effect of aging treatment on the microstructures and hardening behavior of a metastable beta Ti–9.2Mo–2Fe alloy, which is new designed on the basis of Bo–Md molecular orbital method (Bo, the bond order; Md, the metal d-orbital energy level), has been investigated using hardness measurement, X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and TEM characterization. The results reveal that, the athermal ω phase with the size of 2–5 nm is found in Ti–9.2Mo–2Fe alloy when solution-treated at 860 °C followed by water quench. The isothermal ω phase is also found when Ti–9.2Mo–2Fe alloy aged at temperatures from 300 °C to 500 °C, although the ω phase has a limited time of stability at 400 °C and 500 °C. The athermal ω phase does not lead to attractive hardening due to its too small size and volume fraction, so the hardness of the solution-treated alloy is about 370 Hv. However, the isothermal ω phase with the size of 5–10 nm shows a moderate hardening (470 Hv), while the ω phase with the size of 50–100 nm contributes the best hardening (∼500 Hv). As well, the hardening due to isothermal ω phase precipitation hardly exhibits over-aging response as long as ω phase exists.

A study on the microstructural characteristics and tensile properties of a new high strength Ti–6Cr–5Mo–5V–4Al alloy were investigated. Both the α/β and β solution treatment and subsequent aging at temperatures ranging from 460 °C to 560 °C were introduced to investigate the microstructural characteristics and microstructure–property relationships. The results show that the primary α phase formed during the α/β solution treatment can increase the stability of the β matrix and then restrain the size of secondary α phase during subsequent aging. In the α/β solution plus aging condition, the secondary α phase with the size of about 1 μm results in a high strength above 1500 MPa with −6% of elongation. The β solution treatment leads to the least stable β matrix and the greatest driving force for secondary α phase, so coarser α phases tend to form during aging. The β solution plus aging does not lead to attractive high strength because of the coarser and non-uniform α phase. And it also leads to a poorer combination of strength and ductility than the α/β solution plus aging. Direct aging exhibits the best strengthening. The ultimate strength of the alloy is about 1600 MPa with acceptable elongations of 6.5–7.5% when direct aged at 500 °C for 2–8 h. It benefits from the mixed microstructure with nano-scale and micron-scale α phases. However, more detailed investigations are needed to improve the ductility. As a whole, the alloy can be heat treatable to obtain an excellent balance of strength and ductility, and provide abundant stress levels with optional ductility (900–1600 MPa in ultimate strength and 6–20% in elongation).

Airway epithelial cell injury is a key triggering event to activate allergic airway inflammation, such as asthma. We previously reported that administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) significantly alleviated allergic inflammation in a mouse model of asthma, and the mmu-miR-21/ACVR2A axis may be involved. However, whether MSCs protect against bronchial epithelial cell injury induced by hypoxia, and the underlying mechanism, remain unknown. In our study, the human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B was induced to undergo apoptosis with a hypoxia mimic of cobalt chloride (CoCl2) damage. Treatment of MSCs derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) significantly decreased apoptosis of BEAS-2B cells. There was high miR-21 expression in injured BEAS-2B cells after MSC treatment. Transfection of the miR-21 mimic significantly decreased apoptosis of BEAS-2B, and transfection of a miR-21 inhibitor significantly increased apoptosis. More importantly, the protective effects of MSCs on injured BEAS-2B were reversed by transfection of the miR-21 inhibitor. Binding sites of human miR-21 were identified in the 3’UTR of human ACVR2A. We further determined that CoCl2 stimulation increased ACVR2A expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, transfection of the miR-21 mimic further up-regulated ACVR2A expression induced by CoCl2, whereas transfection of the miR-21 inhibitor down-regulated ACVR2A expression. In addition, MSCs increased ACVR2A expression in BEAS-2B cells; however, this effect was reversed after transfection of the miR-21 inhibitor. Our data suggested that MSCs protect bronchial epithelial cells from hypoxic injury via miR-21, which may represent an important target. These findings suggest the potentially wide application of MSCs for epithelial cell injury during hypoxia.