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Objective To assess the value of Super-selective renal arterial embolization for severe renal hemorrhage followed by percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Methods SRAE was performed in 60 patients with severe renal hemorrhage who had failed to respond the conservative management.The clinical data the way of embolization the medication and the follow-up findings were retrospectively analyzed. Results Restrospective analysis in May 2010 to September 2013 in our application SSIE MPCNL postoperative treatment the clinical data of 60 patients with severe renal bleeding.The technical successful rate with single session was 97 % 57/60.Gross hematuria disappeared within1 - 4 days after the treatment. Two patients developed shock after renal embolization and had to receive, surgery after the shock was controlled. Three patients had a recurrence of hematuria the blood urine subsided after SRAE was employed again. A follow-up with a mean period of 37. 4 months was carried out in 32patients and the follow-up checkups showed that the renal function was well preserved in all patients. Conclusion Selective renal arterial angiography and embolization is reliable and effective in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney hemorrhage followed by PCNL and in keeping mainfunction of the kidney. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the curative effect of percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) in treating obstructive jaundice. Methods PTCD was conducted in 438 cases of obstructive jaundice from January 2005 to October 2012 in general surgery department 2, Intervention department of Yan An Hospital of KunMing City and Intervention department of The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, and the therapeutic effect was reviewed. Results 438 cases of PTCD were successfully completed, the success rate of operation was 100%. The symptoms of jaundice and skin itchy were significantly reduced after operation. The life quality of the patients was improved significantly. Conclusion PTCD is an effective palliative treatment for obstructive jaundice, with small trauma, safe, simple, economical advantages, fewer complications, etc, so it is worth popularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To Explore the curative effect and safety of intervention embolization treating for renal hemorrhage after percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Methods From January 2007 to December 2012, intervention embolization for 109 cases with renal hemorrhage after percutaneous nephrolithotomy was performed in the intervention department of the affiliated Yan'an hospital and intervention department of the 2nd affiliated hospital of Kunming Medical University. The therapeutic effects were reviewed. Results 95 cases of 109 cases renal arteriography have found abnormal signs, including contrast medium spillover 52 cases, contrast medium spillover and pseudo aneurysm 10 cases, arteriovenous fistula and pseudo aneurysm 2 case, pseudoaneurysm 26 cases, the pseudoaneurysm with arteriovenous fistula 1 cases, and simple arteriovenous fistula 4 cases. They were performed with embolism hemostatic technique, and all cases were successfully completed. 14 cases with no bleeding signs were treated with intervention perfusion hemostatic of thrombin, and 9 cases were successful. The success rate of operation was 95.4%. There was no recurring hemorrhage in renal in the 1 to 24 months follow-up. Conclusion Intervention embolization treating for renal hemorrhage after percutaneous nephrolithotomy has the advantages of safety, small trauma, effectiveness, good prognosis, stopping bleeding quickly, less complications, quick recovery, etc. It is worth popularizing and applying in the clinic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To observe the curative and side effect of Gefitinib and Docetaxel as the second-line treatment for advanced adenocarcinoma of lung. Methods Atotal of 78 patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of Lung who had failed to previous firstline chemotherapy were randomly divided into two groups : gefitinib group and docetaxel group.In the gefitinib group, patients were given orally 250 mg of gefitinib once daily, maintenance therapy until disease progression or patients could not tolerate the side effects.In the Docetaxel group, patient were given intravenous infusion of 75 mg/m2 of Docetaxel, 1 hour intravenous infusion on the first day, the regimen was repeated every 21 days for at least 2 consecutive cycles. Then the curative and sideeffect was observed. Results Al the 71 ppatients could be evaluated. The overall response rate ( ORR) of single agent Gefitinib group was 40.0% (14/35), and that of combined Docetaxel group was 16.7% (6/36); the difference was significant (P<0.05) . The clinical disease control rate (DCR) of Gefitinib group was 68.6% ( 24/35) , and that of Docetaxel group was 55.6% (20/36), the difference was significant (P<0.05) . The main toxicities included the alimentary tract reaction and bone marrow depression in Docetaxel group; The main toxicities in Gefitinib group were skin rash and diarrhea. Conclusion Gefitinib compared with docetaxel is more safe and effective in teating Advanced Adenocarcinoma of Lung. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate superselective renal arterial embolization (SRAE) in treating severe renal hemorrhage after mPCNL. Methods SRAE was performed in 287 patients with severe renal hemorrhage after mPCNL by using Seldingers method. Using coil and PVA microspheres or coil and gelatin foam, renal arterial embolization was performed. Before embolization, the renal artery angiography could judge the region and degree of arterial injury. Results Two hundred and eighty-two patients artery angiography were positive, and 5 patients artery angiography were negative. After SRAE with single session, the hemorrhage stopped in 257 patients. 26 patients had a recurrence of hematuria, and the blood urine subsided after SRAE was employed again. The blood urine subsided in 1 patient after the third embolization. 3 patients still bled after renal embolization and had to receive surgery. The 6-12 months follow-up was carried out in all patients. There was no haematuia relapses or pyonephrosis occurring. After nephrectomy, blood pressure of 1 patient with a long term hypertension and renal atrophy returned to normal. Conclusion Superselective renal artery catheterization and embolization can maximally preserve renal function and save lives, is a rapid and safe treatment for severe renal hemorrhage after mPCNL. It can provide an effective guarantee for the development of mPCNL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary fibrosis is the pathologic basis for a variety of incurable human chronic lung diseases. IL-17A, a glycoprotein secreted from IL-17-producing cells, has recently been shown to be a proinflammatory cytokine involved in chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease. In this study, we report that IL-17A increased the synthesis and secretion of collagen and promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in alveolar epithelial cells in a TGF-β1-dependent manner. Using in vivo fibrotic models, we found IL-17A expression to be elevated and IL-17A-associated signaling pathways to be activated in fibrotic lung tissues. Neutralization of IL-17A in vivo promoted the resolution of bleomycin-induced acute inflammation, attenuated pulmonary fibrosis, and increased survival. Additionally, IL-17A antagonism inhibited silica-induced chronic inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis. Targeting IL-17A resulted in a shift of the suppressive immune response in fibrotic lung tissue toward a Th1-type immune response, and it effectively induced autophagy, which promoted the autophagic degradation of collagen and autophagy-associated cell death. Moreover, IL-17A was found to attenuate the starvation-induced autophagy, and autophagy modulators regulated collagen degradation in the alveolar epithelial cells in a TGF-β1-independent manner. Administration of 3-methylamphetamine, an autophagy inhibitor, reversed the therapeutic efficacy of IL-17A antagonism in pulmonary fibrosis. Our studies indicate that IL-17A participates in the development and progression of pulmonary fibrosis in both TGF-β1-dependent and -independent manners and that the components of the IL-17A signaling pathway are potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of fibroproliferative lung diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main chemical constituents from Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma were isolated and purified using the macroporous resin,microporous resin(MCI) and octadecylsilyl silica gel(ODS) column chromatography, as well as semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography. Their chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses including mass spectrometry(MS),nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR), ultraviolet(UV), infrared(IR) and circular dichoism(CD) combined with literature data.A total of 11 compounds were isolated and identified, including 4 lignan glycosides, 2 benzyl alcohol glycosides, 4 flavonoid glycosides, and 1 α-tetralone glycoside:(7S,8R)-dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 9-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-9'-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranoside(1),(7S, 8R)-dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 9-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(2),(7S, 8R)-dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol di-9, 9'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(3),(+)-lyoniresinol 3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(4), benzyl alcohol O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside(5), benzyl alcohol O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside(6), 3'-O-methylepicatechin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(7), 3'-O-methylcatechin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(8), apigenin 6-C-β-D-glucopyranosyl-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(9), isoscoparin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(10), and(4R)-8-hydroxy-α-tetralone-4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(11). Compound 1 is a new neolignan glycoside, and compounds 2-5 and 7-11 are isolated from genus Acorus for the first time.

Guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids are a class of terpenoids with [5,7] ring-fused system as the basic skeletal structure composed of three isoprene units, which are substituted by 4,10-dimethyl-7-isopropyl. According to the difference in functional groups and degree of polymerization, they can be divided into simple guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids, sesquiterpene lactones, sesquiterpene dimers, and sesquiterpene trimers. Natural guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids are widely distributed in plants, fungi, and marine organisms, especially in families such as Compositae, Zingiberaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Lamiaceae, and Alismataceae. Guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids have good antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and neuroprotective effects. In this paper, the novel guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids isolated and identified in recent 10 years(2013-2022) and their biological activities were reviewed in order to provide refe-rences for the research and development of guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids.

To investigate the effect of maize/soybean intercropping on rhizosphere soil microbial communities and phosphorus (P) bioavailability, we examined the changes of soil bioavailable P fractions and microbial community characteristics in the monoculture and intercropping systems based on high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that maize/soybean intercropping increased the contents of rhizosphere soil organic matter (SOM), available phosphorus (AP), microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP), and aboveground biomass. The increase of AP was mainly related to the increasing enzyme extracted phosphorus (Enzyme-P) and hydrochloric acid extracted phosphorus (HCl-P) contents. The dominant bacterial phyla under each treatment were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi, while the dominant bacterial genera were Nocardioides , Solirubacter , Sphingomonas and Arthrobacter , with Proteobacteria and Sphingomonas having the highest relative abundance. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Sphingomonas in intercropping maize rhizosphere soil was significantly higher than that in monoculture, and that of Proteobacteria in intercropping soybean rhizosphere soil was significantly higher than monoculture. Soil properties and P fractions were closely related to the rhizosphere soil microbial composition. In all, maize/soybean intercropping could affect the rhizosphere soil P bioavailability by altering the structure of rhizosphere microbial communities.

In order to establish the standardized processing technology of the hot water washing of Euodiae Fructus, this study, based on the traditional processing method of hot water washing of Euodiae Fructus recorded in ancient works and modern processing specifications of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, took the yield of decoction pieces and the content of main components as the indicators and optimized the processing conditions by orthogonal test based on the results of single factor investigation. At the same time, electronic tongue technology was used to analyze the change law of the taste index of Euodiae Fructus during the hot water washing. The results of the single factor investigation showed that the content of the main components in Euodiae Fructus showed some regular changes during the processing. Specifically, the content of chlorogenic acid, hyperin, isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-galactoside, and dehydroevodiamine decreased significantly, with average decreases of-23.75%,-27.80%,-14.04%,-14.03%, and-13.11%, respectively. The content of limonin increased significantly with an average increase of 19.83%. The content of evodiamine, rutaecarpine, evocarpine, and dihydroevocarpine showed fluctuating changes and generally increased, with average variation amplitudes of 0.54%,-3.78%, 2.69%, and 5.13%, respectively. The orthogonal test results showed that the optimum processing parameters for the hot water washing of Euodiae Fructus were as follows: washing time of 2 min, the solid-to-liquid ratio of 1∶10 g·mL~(-1), washing temperature of 80 ℃, washing once, and drying at 50 ℃. After the hot water washing processing, the average yield of Euodiae Fructus pieces was 94.80%. The content of limonin, evodiamine, and rutaecarpine was higher than those of raw pro-ducts, and the average transfer rates were 102.56%, 103.15%, and 105.16%, respectively. The content of dehydroevodiamine was lower than that of the raw products, and the average transfer rate was 83.04%. The results of taste analysis showed that the hot water washing could significantly reduce the salty, astringent, and bitter tastes of Euodiae Fructus. This study revealed the influence of the hot water washing on the content of main components and taste of Euodiae Fructus, and the processing technology of the hot water was-hing of Euodiae Fructus established in this study was stable, feasible, and suitable for industrial production, which laid a foundation for clarifying its processing principle and improving the quality standard and clinical application value of decoction pieces.

Objective: To investigate the effect of dasatinib on the expansion of NK cells in vitro, as well as the subsets, receptor expression and cytotoxic function of NK cells., Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from healthy adult volunteers and cultured with SCGM added IL-2 and IL-15 for expansion of NK cells. In this culture system, dasatinib of different concentrations were added. Cell counting and phenotyping by flow cytometry were used to evaluate the amplification efficiency of NK cells. FCM was used to detect the expression of receptors on the surface of NK cells and the distribution of subsets. Subsequently, degranulation assay and CFSE/7AAD based cytotoxicity assay were used to detect the effects of dasatinib on NK cytotoxicity against leukemia cell line K562 cells., Results: The expansion efficiency of NK cells in vitro could be increased by dasatinib at the concentration range of 5-50 nmol/L, and the expansion efficiency of NK cells reached the peak at 20 nmol/L of dasatinib. The NK cytotoxicity against K562 cells in dasatinib cultured group at the concentration of 20 nmol/L was significantly higher than that in control group. For the cells cultured by disatinib in vitro, the MFI of CD226, NKP46 and NKG2D was up-regulated; the ratio of NKG2A + CD57 - subset was down-regulated, while the ratio of NKG2A - CD57 + subset was up-regulated.The degranulation response of NKG2A - CD57 + NK cells to K562 cells was stronger than that of NKG2A + CD57 - NK cells., Conclusion: The results shows that appropriate dose of dasatinib(20 nmol/L) can increases the amplification efficiency of NK cells, simultaneously up-regulates the expression of NK activating receptors and increases the NKG2A - CD57 + subset, which lead to the enhancement of NK cytotoxicty against leukemia cell lines.

The patient was a male who was found to be abnormal at the age of 4.5 months. He presented with irritability, motor regression and opisthotonus. Brain MRI revealed bilateral abnormality in the lentiform nucleus, thalamus, deutocerebrum and cerebellar hemispheres. Novel compound heterozygous mutations of SLC19A3 gene, c.950G>A(p.G317E) and c.962C>T(p.A321V), were found in the patient. Further study showed that c.950G>A was inherited from his father and c.962C>T came from his mother. Using bioinformatics software analysis, both of the mutations were found to be harmful. His symptoms were improved remarkably after biotin, thiamine and "cocktail" therapy. One month later a brain MRI revealed that the lesions in basal ganglia and cerebellar hemispheres were improved. The patient was definitely diagnosed with biotin-thiamine responsive basal ganglia disease (BTBGD). BTBGD is a treatable autosomal recessive disease and early administration of biotin and thiamine may lead to clinical improvement.

Background: This study aims to observe the outcome and safety of umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) treatment for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients., Methods: A total of 24 CAPD patients, who underwent UC-MSC treatment from June 2011 to December 2012, were selected for this study. These patients were followed up until June 2015., Results: Results revealed a significant increase in hemoglobin, erythropoietin and albumin levels, a decrease in C-reactive protein levels, and marked improvement in cystatin C and urine volume within three months after UC-MSC transplantation; and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). However, the difference in residual glomerular filtration rate, serum creatinine, peritoneal KT/V and remnant kidney KT/V was not statistically significant (P>0.05)., Conclusions: Clinical indicators of patients with CAPD can be partially improved through UC-MSC treatment.

This study aims to explore the therapeutic effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on adriamycin nephrosis, and the potential mechanism. The rat experimental nephropathy model was established by unilateral nephrectomy combined repeated injecting adriamycin (ADR). Thirty adriamycin nephrosis rats were randomly divided into three groups, including ADR (n=10), MSCs transplantation through peripheral veins groups (M-V, n=10), and MSCs transplantation through right renal artery groups (M-A, n=10), and there was another normal control group (N, n=10). This study lasted 8 weeks, 24 hours urine was collected through simple metabolic cage to measure urinary volume and urine protein quantitation in 24 hours. The levels of plasma albumin (ALB), sodium were measured by biochemical analysis. The expressions of AQP1-2 were measured by immuno-histochemistry assay. Kidney medulla ultramicroscopic structure was observed by TEM. The results indicated that the ALB and 24 h urinary volume have significant increased in M-V and M-A group compared to the ADR group (P<0.05). Furthermore, the serum sodium and urine protein quantitation in 24 hours were decreased in M-V and M-A group compared to ADR group (P<0.05). Protein expression of AQP1-2 had been remarkably decreased (P<0.05). It showed degenerative changes of kidney ultra microscopic structures of the ADR rats, while MSCs transplantation could significantly improve the damage. In conclusion, in adriamycin nephropathy rats, MSCs transplantation exerts its therapeutic effects by decrease urinary albumin excretion, increase ALB, decrease sodium and the expression of AQP1-2 in renal tubules.

Chemical constituents of ethyl acetate extract of Sapium sebiferum leaves were isolated and purified by various chromatographic methods, including column chromatographies over silica gel, macroporous adsorption resin, and Sephadex LH-20, as well as preparative TLC and semi preparative HPLC. As a results, 15 compounds were separated from Sapium sebiferum leaves and their structures were examined by spectral analysis including NMR and MS data and identified as( + )-(7R,7'R,7"S,7'"S,8S,8'S,8"S,8'"S)-4", 4"'-dihydroxy-3,3',3",3',5,5'-hexamethoxy-7,9';7',9-diepoxy-4,8";4',8'"-bisoxy-8,8'-dineo-lignan-7",7"',9",9"'-tetraol(1) ,1-(4'- hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-2-[4"-(3-hydroxypropyl) -2", 6"-dimethoxyphenoxy] propane-1, 3-diol (2), Thero-2, 3-bis-(4-hydroxy-3- methoxypheyl)-3-methoxy-propanol(3) , threo-5-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyphenyl propane-8,9-diol (4), boropinol B (5), threo-8S-7-methoxysyringylglycerol(6), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(7), 5-( methoxy-methyl)-1H-pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde (8), quercetin (9) , kaempferol (10), ethyl gallate(11), coniferaldehyde(12), vanillin(13), 7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2H-1-henzopyran-2-one(14),and 1-heptacosanol (15). All compounds except for compounds 9-11,14 were separated from this plant for the first time.

Chemical constituents of ethyl acetate extract of Illicium burmanicum were isolated and purified by various chromatographic methods,including Silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, C18 reverse-phased silica gel, Preparative TLC and Preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by spectral analysis including NMR and MS data. Fourteen compounds were separated from I. burmanicum and their structures were identified as 7S,8R-erythro-4,7,9,9'-tetrahydroxy-3,3'-dimethoxy-8-O-4'-neolignan (1), 7R,8R-threo-4,7, 9,9'-tetrahydroxy-3,3 '-dimethoxy-8-O-4'-neolignan(2) ,polystachyol(3), (-) -massoniresinol(4), angustanoic acid F (5), trans-sobrerol(6), (3S,6R) -6,7-dihydroxy-6,7-dihydrolinalool (7), (3S, 6S) -6,7-dihydroxy-6,7-dihydrolinalool (8), 2,6-dimethoxy-4-allyl-phenol (9), 3,5-dihydroxy4-hydroxy benzaldehyde (10), 3-hydroxy4-methoxybenzaldehyde (11), methyl vanillate (12), shikimic acid ethylester (13) and beta-sitosrerol (14). Except compound 14, the rest thirteen compounds were separated from this plant for the first time.

This study was aimed to investigate the inhibitory mechanism of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (HAMSC) on lymphocyte proliferation and to validate the participation of the nonclassic human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecule (HLA-G) in immunosuppressive action of HAMSC. HAMSC were isolated from fetal membranes of human placentas, and were cultured and expanded. The phenotypes of HAMSC were identified by flow cytometry, at same time the HLA-G levels on membrane surface and in cytoplasm were detected by flow cytometry. The soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) level in HAMSC supernatants was determined by ELISA, MTT assay was used to examine the effect of mixed cultured HAMSC on proliferation of lymphocytes. The results showed that both surface and cytoplasm of HAMSC expressed HLA-G, the average rates of HLA-G expression on surface and in cytoplasm were (16.75 ± 3.871)% and (39.14 ± 4.274)%, respectively. The sHLA-G level in cell culture supernatant was 5.2 ng/ml. After HAMSC and culture supernatants were added in the MLR, the inhibitory rate on lymphocyte proliferation increased obviously, meanwhile the inhibitory rate on lymphocyte proliferation decreased when the HLA-G antibody was added in MLR. It is concluded that the surface and cytoplasm of HAMSC express HAL-G, at same time HAMSC secrete the HLA-G to supernatants of culture. The HLA-G is one of critical factors inhibiting immuno-function of HAMSC. This study contributes to improve the clinical therapeutic trails for using the HAMSC to prevent rejection.

Aim: To investigate the use of multi-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging in diagnosing pancreatic cancer., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 33 cases of pancreatic cancer and 12 cases of benign pancreatic tumors at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from December 2008 to January 2011. The demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, routine magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) features with different b values were reviewed. Continuous data were expressed as mean ± SD. Comparisons between pancreatic cancer and benign pancreatic tumors were performed using the Student's t test. A probability of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Thirty-three patients with pancreatic cancer were identified. The mean age at diagnosis was 60 ± 5.6 years. The male: female ratio was 21:12. Twenty cases were confirmed by surgical resection and 13 by biopsy of metastases. T1 weighted images demonstrated a pancreatic head mass in 16 patients, a pancreatic body mass in 10 cases, and a pancreatic tail mass with pancreatic atrophy in 7 cases. Eight patients had hepatic metastases, 13 had invasion or envelopment of mesenteric vessels, 4 had bone metastases, and 8 had lymph node metastases. DWI demonstrated an irregular intense mass with unclear margins. Necrotic tissue demonstrated an uneven low signal. A b of 1100 s/mm² was associated with a high intensity signal with poor anatomical delineation. A b of 700 s/mm² was associated with apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) that were useful in distinguishing benign and malignant pancreatic tumors (P < 0.05). b values of 50, 350, 400, 450 and 1100 s/mm² were associated with ADCs that did not differentiate the two tumors., Conclusion: Low b value images demonstrated superior anatomical details when compared to high b value images. Tumor tissue definition was high and contrast with the surrounding tissues was good. DWI was useful in diagnosing pancreatic cancer.

The aim of this study was to isolate, cultivate and phenotypically characterize two types of human amnio-tic membrane (HAM)-derived cells, and to analyze their differentiation potential in vitro. Human amnion epithelial cells (hAEC) were derived from the embryonic ectoderm, while human amnion mesenchymal cells (hAMC) were derived from the embryonic mesoderm. The cells were characterized by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence, then immunofluorescence also was performed for the analysis of multipotentiality in differentiation. The results indicated that immunophenotypic characterization of both cell types demonstrated positive for HLA-A, B, C and mesenchymal stem cell markers (CD29, CD73, CD44, CD59, CD90, CD105, CD166), but did not express the hematopoietic markers (CD31, CD34, CD45, HLA-DR) and showed the weak expression of costimulatory molecules (CD40, CD40L, CD80, CD86). Phenotypes of both cell populations were maintained from passages 3 to 7. The immunofluorescence indicated that hAEC expressed cytokeratin 19, but did not express vimentin. On the contrary, hAMC expressed vimentin but did not express cytokeratin 19. The assessment of multilineage potential demonstrated that hAMC showed greater cardiomyocytes potential, while hAEC showed greater neural potential. It is concluded that hAEC and hAMC can be successfully isolated from the HAM. Both cell populations possess similar immunophenotype. However, they differ in cell yield and multipotential for differentiation into the major lineages, hAEC possess a much greater ectodermal differentiation capacity, while hAMC possess a much greater mesodermal differentiation capacity. This conclusion will be important for use of these cells in cell therapy.

Human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G), a kind of non-classical major histocompatibility complex class I antigens, can inhibit inflammatory reaction, assist tumor cells to escape from immune surveillance and promote the immunologic tolerance of the graft. HLA-G, expressed and secreted by human amniotic mesenchymal cells (HAMC), suppresses the functions of NK cells, T cells and B cells and modulates the activity of dendritic cells (DC). These findings provide a theoretical basis for illustrating the mechanism of immunosuppression on HAMC. In this article, the recent advances on not only the gene and the molecular structure of HLA-G, but also the possible mechanisms of HLA-G in immunoregulatory function of HAMC, as well as the relation of HLA-G with HAMC, NK, DC, T and B cells are reviewed.

Pulmonary fibrosis is the pathologic basis for a variety of incurable human chronic lung diseases. IL-17A, a glycoprotein secreted from IL-17-producing cells, has recently been shown to be a proinflammatory cytokine involved in chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease. In this study, we report that IL-17A increased the synthesis and secretion of collagen and promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in alveolar epithelial cells in a TGF-β1-dependent manner. Using in vivo fibrotic models, we found IL-17A expression to be elevated and IL-17A-associated signaling pathways to be activated in fibrotic lung tissues. Neutralization of IL-17A in vivo promoted the resolution of bleomycin-induced acute inflammation, attenuated pulmonary fibrosis, and increased survival. Additionally, IL-17A antagonism inhibited silica-induced chronic inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis. Targeting IL-17A resulted in a shift of the suppressive immune response in fibrotic lung tissue toward a Th1-type immune response, and it effectively induced autophagy, which promoted the autophagic degradation of collagen and autophagy-associated cell death. Moreover, IL-17A was found to attenuate the starvation-induced autophagy, and autophagy modulators regulated collagen degradation in the alveolar epithelial cells in a TGF-β1-independent manner. Administration of 3-methylamphetamine, an autophagy inhibitor, reversed the therapeutic efficacy of IL-17A antagonism in pulmonary fibrosis. Our studies indicate that IL-17A participates in the development and progression of pulmonary fibrosis in both TGF-β1-dependent and -independent manners and that the components of the IL-17A signaling pathway are potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of fibroproliferative lung diseases.

The Co(II) atom in bis(5-aminotetrazole-1-acetato)tetraaquacobalt(II), [Co(C3H4N5O2)2(H2O)4], (I), is octahedrally coordinated by six O atoms from two 5-aminotetrazole-1-acetate (atza) ligands and four water molecules. The molecule has a crystallographic centre of symmetry located at the Co(II) atom. The molecules of (I) are interlinked by hydrogen-bond interactions, forming a two-dimensional supramolecular network structure in the ac plane. The Cd(II) atom in catena-poly[[cadmium(II)]-bis(mu-5-aminotetrazole-1-acetato], [Cd(C3H4N5O2)2]n, (II), lies on a twofold axis and is coordinated by two N atoms and four O atoms from four atza ligands to form a distorted octahedral coordination environment. The Cd(II) centres are connected through tridentate atza bridging ligands to form a two-dimensional layered structure extending along the ab plane, which is further linked into a three-dimensional structure through hydrogen-bond interactions.