Bone growth

Embryonic growth and bone development depend on placental Ca2+ transport across the feto-maternal barrier to supply minerals to the fetus. The individual factors and cellular mechanisms that regulate placental Ca2+ transfer, however, are only beginning to emerge. We find that the Ca2+ -selective transient receptor potential vanilloid 6 (TRPV6) channel is expressed in trophoblasts of the fetal labyrinth, in the yolk sac, and in the maternal part of the placenta. Lack of functional TRPV6 channels in the mother leads to a reduced Ca2+ content in both placenta and embryo...

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of phytase (PHY), alone or in combination with citric acid (CA), on growing Japanese quails under moderate and severe phosphorus (P) restriction. For this, 504 one-day-old female quails were distributed in a completely randomised design with seven treatments and six replications. Treatments consisted of the following diets: (a) positive control (PC): formulated according to quails nutritional requirements; (b) negative control 40% (NC40 ): PC with 40% less aP; (c) NC40 +PHY; (d) NC40 +PHY+CA; (e) negative control 65% (NC65 ): PC with 65% less aP; (f) NC65 +PHY; (g) NC65 +PHY+CA...

Hypoxia-induced excessive pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation plays an important role in the pathology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Berberine (BBR) is reported as an effective antiproliferative properties applied in clinical. However, the effect of BBR on PAH remains unclear. In the present study, we elucidated the protective effects of BBR against abnormal PASMC proliferation and vascular remodeling in chronic hypoxia-induced hearts. Furthermore, the potential mechanisms of BBR were investigated...

Previous studies have demonstrated that proper concentration of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) treatment was advantageous to decrease DNA methylation level, but the relationships between 5-aza-CdR treatment and methylation status of imprinted genes are seldom detected. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of low concentration 5-aza-CdR treatment on the methylation status of imprinted gene Xist in different genders of buffalo bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). BMSCs were isolated and the cell gender was identified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR)...

Much of the vertebrate skeleton develops from cartilage templates that are progressively remodeled into bone. Lineage tracing studies in mouse suggest that chondrocytes within these templates persist and become osteoblasts, yet the underlying mechanisms of this process and whether chondrocytes can generate other derivatives remain unclear. We find that zebrafish cartilages undergo extensive remodeling and vascularization during juvenile stages to generate fat-filled bones. Growth plate chondrocytes marked by sox10 and col2a1a contribute to osteoblasts, marrow adipocytes, and mesenchymal cells within adult bones...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with the capacity for self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types, exhibit the property of homing towards tumor sites and immunosuppression and have been used as tumor-tropic vectors for tumor therapy. However, few studies have investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms that link MSCs to targeted tumor cells. In this study, we elucidated the inhibitory effects and mechanisms of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) on human glioma U251 cells using a co-culture system in vitro...

Stem cell therapy represents a promising therapeutic avenue for cardiac disorders, including heart failure. Although stem cell transplantation showed encouraging preliminary results, the outcomes of clinical studies are still unsatisfactory. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of two therapeutic approaches, in vivo co-delivery of sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS) concomitant with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation and in vitro preconditioning of BMSCs with NaHS, both of which are intended to promote the success of stem cell therapy in rats with isoprenaline-induced heart failure...

OBJECTIVE: To provide data on specific growth rates (SGRs) of primary tumours (PT-SGR) and largest pathological cervical lymph nodes (LN-SGR) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). To explore PT-SGR's and LN-SGR's correlation with selected biomarkers epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Ki67 and CD44. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study performed at a tertiary oncological referral centre in Innsbruck, Austria. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients with incident HNSCC treated with primary radiotherapy (RT) or radiochemotherapy (RCT)...

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a B cell malignancy for which new treatments are urgently needed. The B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is a lineage-restricted differentiation protein highly expressed on myeloma. Recombinant immunotoxins (RITs) are proteins composed of the Fv or Fab portion of an antibody fused to a bacterial toxin. We previously treated H929 myeloma s.c. tumors with anti-BCMA immunotoxins, very active on killing cultured cells, and observed tumor growth inhibition but not complete tumor responses...

OBJECTIVES: Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. Its predominant manifestations include exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, bone marrow failure and skeletal abnormalities. Patients frequently present failure to thrive and susceptibility to short stature. Average birth weight is at the 25th percentile; by the first birthday, >50% of patients drop below the third percentile for height and weight.The study aims at estimating the growth charts for patients affected by SDS in order to give a reference tool helpful for medical care and growth surveillance through the first 8 years of patient's life...

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a ubiquitous serine/threonine kinase that regulates anabolic and catabolic processes, in response to environmental inputs. The existence of mTOR in numerous cell compartments explains its specific ability to sense stress, execute growth signals, and regulate autophagy. mTOR signaling deregulation is closely related to aging and age-related disorders, among which progeroid laminopathies represent genetically characterized clinical entities with well-defined phenotypes...

Tortoise Picornavirus (ToPV) commonly known as Virus "X" was recently discovered in juvenile European tortoises suffering from soft carapace and plastron as well as kidney disease. Therefore, this virus was a potential candidate to be a causative agent for these disease patterns. Spur thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca) seemed to be more susceptible to establish clinical symptoms than other European species like T. hermanni. Thus this trial investigated the role of ToPV in the described syndrome. Two groups of juvenile European tortoises (T...

Cell therapy using bone marrow concentrate (BMC) or purified and expanded mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown to have a promising osteogenic capacity. However, few studies have directly compared their relative osteogenic ability. The aim of this study was to compare the osteogenic ability of BMC isolated by density gradient centrifugation with bone marrow-derived MSCs in vitro using the cells of 3-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats. The isolated cells were seeded onto 24-well plates (1 × 105  cells/well) and cultured in control growth media, osteogenic media with dexamethasone, or media without dexamethasone (which simulated the in vivo tissue environment)...

Osteosarcoma is a malignant primary bone tumor, which often associates with pulmonary metastasis. The radical surgery of osteosarcoma often requires internal orthopedic implants. Therefore, implants with antitumor properties should be developed. Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys possess great potential as orthopedic materials, given their biodegradable properties, superior osteogenesis performance, and antitumor features. However, problems arise with their uncontrolled degradation rates and their unknown antitumor mechanisms...

BACKGROUND: Indoxyl sulfate (IS) has been reported not only to increase with the severity of impaired renal function, but also possibly to be a factor associated with bone abnormalities linked to fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) in humans with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is not yet known whether this correlation between IS and FGF-23 holds true for cats with CKD. HYPOTHESIS: Accumulation of IS is related to FGF-23 secretion in cats with CKD. ANIMALS: Twenty clinically healthy cats and 73 cats with CKD cases were evaluated retrospectively...

The postembryonic growth of skeletal muscle in teleost fish involves myoblast proliferation, migration and differentiation, encompassing the main events of embryonic myogenesis. Ascorbic acid plays important cellular and biochemical roles as an antioxidant and contributes to the proper collagen biosynthesis necessary for the structure of connective and bone tissues. However, whether ascorbic acid can directly influence the mechanisms of fish myogenesis and skeletal muscle growth remains unclear. The aim of our work was to evaluate the effects of ascorbic acid supplementation on the in vitro myoblast proliferation and migration of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus)...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The cellular and extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions that regulate adipose tissue homeostasis are incompletely understood. Proteoglycans (PGs) and their sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) provide spatial and temporal signals for ECM organization and interactions with resident cells by impacting growth factor and cytokine activity. Therefore, PGs and their GAGs could be significant to adipose tissue homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of ECM sulfated GAGs in adipose tissue homeostasis...

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D-dependent rickets is rare in animals and humans. Several types of this condition are associated with genetic variants related to vitamin D metabolism. This is the first report of type 1B vitamin D-dependent rickets in a cat. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we describe the case of a 3-month-old female domestic short-haired cat previously fed on commercial kitten food that presented at our clinic with seizures, lethargy, and generalized pain. Serum and ionized calcium concentrations and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in this cat were low, and radiographs showed skeletal demineralization and abnormally wide growth plates on the long bones...

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma strikes hundreds of people each year, of both advanced and younger ages, and is often terminal. Like many tumor types, these bone tumors will frequently undergo a neuroendocrine transition, utilizing autocrine and/or paracrine hormones as growth factors and/or promoters of angiogenesis to facilitate progression and metastasis. While many of these factors and their actions on tumor growth are characterized, some tumor-derived neuropeptides remain unexplored. METHODS: Using validated canine osteosarcoma cell lines in vitro, as well as cells derived from spontaneous tumors in dogs, we explored the autocrine production of two neuropeptides typically found in the hypothalamus, and most closely associated with reproduction: gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and kisspeptin (Kiss-1)...

A bizarre parosteal osteochondromatous proliferation (BPOP) is a rare, benign, osseous tumor that presents as an exophytic cortical growth consisting of bone, cartilage, and fibrous tissue. However, the identification of BPOP by preoperative imaging along with appropriate diagnosis and treatment without recurrence is challenging, particularly for BPOPs that rarely develop in certain parts of the body. Herein, we report a rare case involving a BPOP at the sesamoid bone of the hallux that was first suspected on preoperative computed tomography imaging...