Neurospheres from rat adipose-derived stem cells could be induced into functional Schwann cell-like cells in vitro

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Schwann cells (SC) which are myelin-forming cells in peripheral nervous system are very useful for the treatment of diseases of peripheral nervous system and central nervous system. However, it is difficult to obtain sufficient large number of SC for clinical use, so alternative cell systems are desired.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using a procedure similar to the one used for propagation of neural stem cells, we could induce rat adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) into floating neurospheres. In addition to being able to differentiate into neuronal- and glial-like cells, neurospheres could be induced to differentiate into SC-like cells. SC-like cells were bi- or tri-polar in shape and immunopositive for nestin and SC markers p75, GFAP and S-100, identical to genuine SC. We also found that SC-like cells could induce the differentiation of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells efficiently, perhaps through secretion of soluble substances. We showed further that SC-like cells could form myelin structures with PC12 cell neurites in vitro.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings indicated that ADSC could differentiate into SC-like cells in terms of morphology, phenotype and functional capacities. SC-like cells induced from ADSC may be useful for the treatment of neurological diseases.</p

Bone injury imaging in knee and ankle joints using fast-field-echo resembling a CT using restricted echo-spacing MRI: a feasibility study

PurposeTo explore the consistency of FRACTURE (Fast-field-echo Resembling A CT Using Restricted Echo-spacing) MRI and X-Ray/computerized tomography (CT) in the evaluation of bone injuries in knee and ankle joints.MethodsFrom Nov. 2020 to Jul. 2023, 42 patients with knee joint or ankle joint injuries who underwent FRACTURE MRI examinations were retrospectively collected. 11 patients were examined by both X-Ray and FRACTURE examinations. 31 patients were examined by both CT and FRACTURE examinations. The fracture, osteophyte, and bone destruction of the joints were evaluated by two radiologists using X-Ray/CT and FRACTURE images, respectively. Kappa test was used for consistency analysis.ResultsThe evaluation consistency of fracture, osteophyte and bone destruction via X-Ray and FRACTURE images by radiologist 1 were 0.879, 0.867 and 0.847 respectively, and for radiologist 2 were 0.899, 0.930, and 0.879, respectively. The evaluation consistency of fracture, osteophyte and bone destruction via CT and FRACTURE images by radiologist 1 were 0.938, 0.937 and 0.868 respectively, and for radiologist 2 were 0.961, 0.930, and 0.818, respectively.ConclusionFor fracture, osteophyte, and bone destruction of knee and ankle joints. FRACTURE MRI showed a high consistency with X-Ray/CT examinations

Efficacy and safety of short-term spinal cord stimulation and pulsed radiofrequency in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia: a meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of short-term Spinal Cord Stimulation (stSCS) and Pulsed Radiofrequency (PRF) in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).MethodsWe searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, China Biological Medicine Database (CBM-disk), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the establishment of the database to August 1, 2024. Review Manager 5.4 and Stata 18.0 were used for the meta-analysis.ResultsIn total, eight randomized controlled trials comprising 479 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that compared with PRF, stSCS had better pain relief (p &lt; 0.01), lower Pain Rating Index Affective (PRI-A) score (p &lt; 0.01), lower Pain Rating Index Sensory (PRI-S) score (p = 0.002), better sleep quality (p = 0.02), higher effective rate (p &lt; 0.01), and lower incidence of postoperative complications (p = 0.007). However, complete remission rate (p = 0.24) after the two treatment methods were similar between the two groups. Moreover, stSCS treatment is more expensive.ConclusionIn general, stSCS is a more effective and safe method for the treatment of PHN, but its high cost is an unavoidable problem. Each method has advantages and disadvantages that should be considered comprehensively in clinical practice.Systematic review registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42024576536

Evaluating soil erosion and sediment deposition rates by &amp;#160;137Cs fingerprinting technique at different karst hillslope positions &amp;#160;in Yunnan Province, southwest China

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In karst environments, soil erosion is a &amp;amp;#160;prominent environmental issue that can cause many other problems. Researching the erosion and deposition rates at the hillslope scale in small watersheds is important for designing efficient soil and water conservation measures for the small watersheds even the large scale areas. In our research, the closed watershed, a representative depression in karst gabin basin, located in the Yunnan province, Southwest China, was selected to assess the soil erosion and sediment mobilisation at different hillslope positions using the &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;137&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;Cs tracing technique. The results showed that the soil erosion rates in the shoulders, backslopes and footslopes were 0.87, 0.35 and 0.49 cm a&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;, respectively, meanwhile the soil sediment rate in depression bottom was 2.68 cm a&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;. The average annual soil erosion modulus of the complete hillslope was 632 t km&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-2&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;a&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;-1&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;, which confirmed the serious gradation according to karst soil erosion standards. The sediment delivery ratio would summarize 0.82 in the whole catchment according to the square of hillslope and depression bottom. To identify which factor could play the most important role in influencing the estimations using &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;137&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;Cs, a linear correlation and Principal Component Analysis were conducted. The results showed &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;137&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;Cs concentration of different soil depth at different hillslope positions were significantly correlated with soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen (TN) (P&amp;lt;0.05). As the typical karst geomorphological types, these findings are expected to provide data support for the whole watershed soil erosion management and ecological restoration in &amp;amp;#160;fragile karst ecosystem.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</jats:p

Composite learning sliding mode control of uncertain nonlinear systems with prescribed performance

This paper explores the prescribed performance tracking control problem of nonlinear systems with triangular structure. To obtain the desired transient performance and precise estimations of uncertain terms, the techniques of neural network control, sliding mode control and composite learning control are incorporated into the proposed control method. The presented control strategy can ensure the tracking error converges to a prescribed small residual set. Compared with the persistent excitation condition required in the conventional adaptive control, the interval excitation condition needed in the proposed control approach is weak, which guarantees that the radial basis function neural networks approximate the unknown nonlinear terms more accurately. Finally, two simulation examples are exploited to manifest the effectiveness of the proposed approach.</jats:p