| 1. |
- Han, Jing, et al.
(författare)
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Altered expression of chondroitin sulfate structure modifying sulfotransferases in the articular cartilage from adult osteoarthritis and Kashin-Beck disease
- 2017
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Ingår i: Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. - : Elsevier. - 1063-4584 .- 1522-9653. ; 25:8, s. 1372-1375
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of enzymes involved in chondroitin sulfate (CS) sulfation in the articular cartilage isolated from adult patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and Kashin-Beck disease (KBD), using normal adults as controls.METHODS: Articular cartilage samples were collected from normal, OA and KBD adults aged 38-60 years old, and divided into three groups with six individual subjects in each group. The morphology and pathology grading of knee joint cartilage was examined by Safranin O staining. The localization and expression of enzymes involved in CS sulfation (CHST-3, CHST-11, CHST-12, CHST-13, CHST-15, and UST) were examined by immunohistochemical staining and semi-quantitative analysis.RESULTS: Positive staining rates for anabolic enzymes CHST-3, CHST-12, CHST-15, and UST were lower in the KBD and OA groups than those in the control group. Meanwhile, reduced levels of CHST-11, and CHST-13 in KBD group were observed, in contrast to those in OA and control groups. The expressions of all six CS sulfation enzymes were less detected in the superficial and deep zones of KBD cartilage compared with control and OA cartilage.CONCLUSION: The reduced expression of the CS structure modifying sulfotransferases in the chondrocytes of both KBD and OA adult patients may provide explanations for their cartilage damages, and therapeutic targets for their treatment.
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| 2. |
- Jensen, Christian Fuglesang S., et al.
(författare)
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Results from the first autologous grafting of adult human testis tissue : A case report
- 2024
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Ingår i: Human Reproduction. - 0268-1161. ; 39:2, s. 303-309
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fertility restoration using autologous testicular tissue transplantation is relevant for infertile men surviving from childhood cancer and, possibly, in men with absent or incomplete spermatogenesis resulting in the lack of spermatozoa in the ejaculate (non-obstructive azoospermia, NOA). Currently, testicular tissue from pre-pubertal boys extracted before treatment with gonadotoxic cancer therapy can be cryopreserved with good survival of spermatogonial stem cells. However, strategies for fertility restoration, after successful cancer treatment, are still experimental and no clinical methods have yet been developed. Similarly, no clinically available treatments can help men with NOA to become biological fathers after failed attempts of testicular surgical sperm retrieval. We present a case of a 31-year-old man with NOA who had three pieces of testis tissue (each ∼2 × 4 × 2 mm3) extracted and cryopreserved in relation to performing microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE). Approximately 2 years after mTESE, the thawed tissue pieces were engrafted in surgically created pockets bilaterally under the scrotal skin. Follow-up was performed after 2, 4, and 6 months with assessment of reproductive hormones and ultrasound of the scrotum. After 6 months, all engrafted tissue was extracted and microscopically analyzed for the presence of spermatozoa. Furthermore, parts of the extracted tissue were analyzed histologically and by immunohistochemical analysis. Active blood flow in the engrafted tissue was demonstrated by doppler ultrasound after 6 months. No spermatozoa were found in the extracted tissue. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated graft survival with intact clear tubules and normal cell organization. Sertoli cells and spermatocytes with normal morphology were located near the basement membrane. MAGE-A and VASA positive spermatogonia/spermatocytes were detected together with SOX9 positive Sertoli cells. Spermatocytes and/or Sertoli cells positive for γH2AX was also detected. In summary, following autologous grafting of frozen-thawed testis tissue under the scrotal skin in a man with NOA, we demonstrated graft survival after 6 months. No mature spermatozoa were detected; however, this is likely due to the pre-existing spermatogenic failure.
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| 3. |
- Jensen, Christian Fuglesang Skjødt, et al.
(författare)
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Sertoli and Germ Cells Within Atrophic Seminiferous Tubules of Men With Non-Obstructive Azoospermia
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Endocrinology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-2392. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) have impaired spermatogenesis. Dilated and un-dilated atrophic seminiferous tubules are often present in the testes of these patients, with the highest likelihood of active spermatogenesis in the dilated tubules. Little is known about the un-dilated tubules, which in NOA patients constitute the majority. To advance therapeutic strategies for men with NOA who fail surgical sperm retrieval we aimed to characterize the spermatogonial stem cell microenvironment in atrophic un-dilated tubules. Methods: Testis biopsies approximately 3x3x3 mm3 were obtained from un-dilated areas from 34 patients. They were classified as hypospermatogenesis (HS) (n=5), maturation arrest (MA) (n=14), and Sertoli cell only (SCO) (n= 15). Testis samples from five fertile men were included as controls. Biopsies were used for histological analysis, RT-PCR analysis and immunofluorescence of germ and Sertoli cell markers. Results: Anti-Müllerian hormone mRNA and protein expression was increased in un-dilated tubules in all three NOA subtypes, compared to the control, showing an immature state of Sertoli cells (p<0.05). The GDNF mRNA expression was significantly increased in MA (P=0.0003). The BMP4 mRNA expression showed a significant increase in HS, MA, and SCO (P=0.02, P=0.0005, P=0.02, respectively). The thickness of the tubule wall was increased 2.2-fold in the SCO-NOA compared to the control (p<0.05). In germ cells, we found the DEAD-box helicase 4 (DDX4) and melanoma-associated antigen A4 (MAGE-A4) mRNA and protein expression reduced in NOA (MAGE-A: 46% decrease in HS, 53% decrease in MA, absent in SCO). In HS-NOA, the number of androgen receptor positive Sertoli cells was reduced 30% with a similar pattern in mRNA expression. The γH2AX expression was increased in SCO as compared to HS and MA. However, none of these differences reached statistical significance probably due to low number of samples. Conclusions: Sertoli cells were shown to be immature in un-dilated tubules of three NOA subtypes. The increased DNA damage in Sertoli cells and thicker tubule wall in SCO suggested a different mechanism for the absence of spermatogenesis from SCO to HS and MA. These results expand insight into the differences in un-dilated tubules from the different types of NOA patients.
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| 4. |
- Wu, Xiaofang, et al.
(författare)
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The effects of chondroitin and/or glucosamine on patients with Kashin-Beck disease
- 2016
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Ingår i: Science Insights Medicine. - : Insight Publisher. - 2378-8097. ; 2016
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Kashin-Beck disease (KBD), an endemic disease, is a special type of osteoarthritis (OA). Nowadays, due to prevention and treatment methods including selenium supplements, changing grains and water source as well as health education, the morbidity of KBD is reduced significantly as compared to that in the 1950s. However, many elderly adult KBD patients are still suffering from the degenerative changes of cartilage, pain, stiffness and deformation of joints, which are quite similar or even more serious than OA. Chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine have been widely used as symptomatic slow-acting drugs for the treatment of OA. Although their therapeutic effects, biochemical data, pharmacokinetics, preclinical studies, safety and economic evaluation have been well investigated in OA, they are not clearly studied in KBD. In this review, we will evaluate the clinical evidence (randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials), safeties and cost-effectiveness of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine for the treatment of KBD. Moreover, the therapeutic mechanisms of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine are also discussed in details.
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| 5. |
- Zhan, Lingling, et al.
(författare)
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A Near-Infrared Photoactive Morphology Modifier Leads to Significant Current Improvement and Energy Loss Mitigation for Ternary Organic Solar Cells
- 2018
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Ingår i: Advanced Science. - : WILEY. - 2198-3844. ; 5:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Herein, efficient organic solar cells (OSCs) are realized with the ternary blend of a medium band gap donor (poly[(2,6-(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b]dithiophene))-alt-(5,5-(1,3-di-2-thienyl-5,7-bis(2-ethylhexyl)benzo[1,2-c:4,5-c]dithiophene-4,8-dione)] (PBDB-T)) with a low band gap acceptor (2,2-((2Z,2Z)-(((2,5-difluoro-1,4-phenylene)bis(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b]dithiophene-6,2-diyl))bis(methanylylidene))bis(5,6-difluoro-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indene-2,1-diylidene))dimalononitrile (HF-PCIC)) and a near-infrared acceptor (2,2-((2Z,2Z)-(((4,4,9,9-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)-4,9-dihydro-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b]dithiophene-2,7-diyl)bis(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)thiophene-5,2-diyl))bis(methanylylidene))bis(5,6-difluoro-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indene-2,1-diylidene))dimalononitrile (IEICO-4F)). It is shown that the introduction of IEICO-4F third component into PBDB-T:HF-PCIC blend increases the short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of the ternary OSC to 23.46 mA cm(-2), with a 44% increment over those of binary devices. The significant current improvement originates from the broadened absorption range and the active layer morphology optimization through the introduction of IEICO-4F component. Furthermore, the energy loss of the ternary cells (0.59 eV) is much decreased over that of the binary cells (0.80 eV) due to the reduction of both radiative recombination from the absorption below the band gap and nonradiative recombination upon the addition of IEICO-4F. Therefore, the power conversion efficiency increases dramatically from 8.82% for the binary cells to 11.20% for the ternary cells. This work provides good examples for simultaneously achieving both significant current enhancement and energy loss mitigation in OSCs, which would lead to the further construction of highly efficient ternary OSCs.
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