[Progress on strategies to promote vascularization in bone tissue engineering].

With the continuous development of bone tissue engineering, a variety of emerging bone graft materials provided various methods for repairing bone defects. Early and rapid accomplishment of revascularization of materials interior after implantation of bone transplantation materials is a difficulty faced to bone tissue engineering. Blood vessels ingrowth provides the requisite netritional support for the regeneration reconstruction of bone tissue, for this reason, vascularization plays a significant role in bone tissue engineering. However,there is not a golden standard strategy of vascularization at present. Scaffold materials, cells and growth factors still are three indispensable elements in tissue engineering, and are cardinal points of the promoting vascularization strategies. Multiple growth factors or multiple cells combined with scaffolds, which are hot spots, have obtained excellent vascularization. This review focused on the comprehensive strategies for promoting the successful vascularization of tissue engineered scaffolds.

Highly elevated serum CA-125 levels in patients with non-malignant gynecological diseases.

PURPOSES: To identify patients with highly elevated serum CA-125 levels and analyze their clinical characteristics. METHODS: Patients with non-malignant gynecologic disease (NMGDs, n = 41), in whom serum CA-125 levels were over 1,000 IU/ml were retrospectively enrolled in the study. Seventy-one patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), in whom, serum CA-125 levels were over 1,000 IU/ml were included as the comparison group. Clinical parameters were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In NMGDs group, 43.90% of the patients had endometriosis. The median of serum CA-125 level in NMGDs was much lower than that of EOC subjects (P < 0.001). Compared to EOC group, the patients in NMGDs group were much younger (P < 0.001) and had fewer histories of pelvic masses (P < 0.001) but had more clinical complaints such as acute abdominal symptoms (P < 0.001) and/or abnormal vaginal bleeding (P = 0.022). Clinical progresses of these two groups were correlated with changes of serum CA-125 levels by follow-up for up to 386 days. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of serum CA-125 were found not only in the EOC, but also in some NMGDs, especially in the reproductive patients with complaints of acute abdomen symptoms or abnormal vaginal bleeding.

[Sensitivity of PTEN gene-transfected endometrial carcinoma cell line to doxorubicin-induced apoptosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether PTEN can increase sensitivity of Ishikawa cells, an endometrial carcinoma cell line, to doxorubicin. METHODS: Ishikawa cells transfected by PTEN gene or not were separately treated with serial concentrations of doxorubicin. The sensitivity of cells to doxorubicin was determined by MTT assay. The cells were stained with Hoechst 33258 and examined under fluorescence microscope to determine cell apoptosis. Immunoprecipitation and Western blotting analysis were performed to evaluate the effects of doxorubicin on phosphorylation of Bad and Akt/PKB. RESULTS: Doxorubicin induced cell death of the PTEN-transfected and non-transfected Ishikawa cells in a dose-dependent manner, but the cell death was more significant in PTEN-expressing clones than in parental Ishikawa cells. A low concentration of doxorubicin (0.1 micromol/L) did not affect cell apoptosis in PTEN-null Ishikawa cells, but it induced cell apoptosis in PTEN-expressing clones. A high concentration of doxorubicin (1 micromol/L) induced cell apoptosis in both cell lines. However, the percentage of apoptotic cells was higher in PTEN-expressing clones than that in parental Ishikawa cells. In the PTEN-expressing clones, expression of phospho-Akt/PKB and phospho-Bad (Ser-136) was down regulated. Doxorubicin reduced the levels of phospho-Akt/PKB and phospho-Bad (Ser-136) in both cell lines, but the most significant reduction occurred in the PTEN-expressing clones. CONCLUSION: PTEN significantly enhances chemosensitivity of Ishikawa cells to doxorubicin. With PTEN expression, doxorubicin may exert apoptosis-induction activity by downregulation of the PI3k/Akt/PKB signaling pathway in Ishikawa cells.

[Tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells in epithelial ovarian carcinoma and correlation with the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the density and activation status of tumor infiltrating dendritic cells (TIDC) in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) and correlation with the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). METHODS: Streptavidin-peroxidase (SP) and Picture two-step immunohistochemistry methods were used to detect S-100(+), CD(83)(+) TIDC and the expression of VEGF in 57 primary EOCs, 32 benign ovarian tumors (benign control) and 16 normal ovarian tissues (normal control). RESULTS: (1) Two types of heterogeneous distribution pattern of TIDC in EOC were observed under the microscope. The number of S-100(+) TIDC in EOC [median 4.3 cells/high power field (HPF)], was significantly higher than that in benign controls (median 1.8 cells/HPF) and normal controls (median 2.0 cells/HPF, P = 0.000 and 0.015). The number of S-100(+)DC in early stage was significantly higher than that in advanced stage (median 6.0 and 3.8 cells/HPF, P = 0.026). Few CD(83)(+) TIDCs infiltrated tumor stromal tissue in EOC (median 0). (2) The expression of VEGF was significantly higher in EOC than in controls (P = 0.000). (3) The number of S-100(+) DC in EOC was negatively correlated to the expression of VEGF in tumor cells (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: (1) The number of S-100(+) TIDC increases significantly in EOC. Ovarian carcinoma cells may stimulate recruitment of TIDC in EOC, but TIDC can be suppressed by VEGF. (2) Maturation of TIDC in EOC is severely inhibited.

[Efficacy and side effects of methotrexate in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy].

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy and side effects of methotrexate with different protocols in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy (EP). METHODS: Total of 648 patients who had EP and were treated only with MTX were analysed. Patients were divided into six groups according to protocol: Group 1, 100 mg intravenously (IV); Group 2, 100 mg, IV, followed by citrovorum factor; Group 3, 20 mg, IV every day for five days; Group 4, 20 mg intramusculary (IM) every day for five days; Group 5, 75 mg, IV; Group 6, 75 mg, IM. RESULTS: The rates of repeated MTX injection in group 1 - 6 because of inadequate decrease of hCG were 23.3%, 25.0%, 21.4%, 20.6%, 24.4% and 22.4% respectively. Success rates were 87.4%, 85.4%, 90.5%, 92.6%, 86.3% and 91.4% respectively. Rates of liver dysfunction were 10.3%, 8.3%, 64.3%, 69.1%, 8.7% and 31.0%. CONCLUSION: Single-dose of 75 mg MTX IV injection may be the best regimen in the treatment of EP because of the same efficacy but the least side effects.