Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising tools for the treatment of diseases such as infarcted myocardia and strokes because of their ability to promote endogenous angiogenesis and neurogenesis via a variety of secreted factors. MSCs found in the Wharton’s jelly of the human umbilical cord are easily obtained and are capable of transplantation without rejection. We isolated MSCs from Wharton’s jelly and bone marrow (WJ-MSCs and BM-MSCs, respectively) and compared their secretomes. It was found that WJ-MSCs expressed more genes, especially secreted factors, involved in angiogenesis and neurogenesis. Functional validation showed that WJ-MSCs induced better neural differentiation and neural cell migration via a paracrine mechanism. Moreover, WJ-MSCs afforded better neuroprotection efficacy because they preferentially enhanced neuronal growth and reduced cell apoptotic death of primary cortical cells in an oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) culture model that mimics the acute ischemic stroke situation in humans. In terms of angiogenesis, WJ-MSCs induced better microvasculature formation and cell migration on co-cultured endothelial cells. Our results suggest that WJ-MSC, because of a unique secretome, is a better MSC source to promote in vivo neurorestoration and endothelium repair. This study provides a basis for the development of cell-based therapy and carrying out of follow-up mechanistic studies related to MSC biology.

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Heterogeneous wireless sensor network (heterogeneous WSN) consists of sensor nodes with different ability, such as different computing power and sensing range. Compared with homogeneous WSN, deployment and topology control are more complex in heterogeneous WSN. In this paper, a deployment and topology control method is presented for heterogeneous sensor nodes with different communication and sensing range. It is based on the irregular sensor model used to approximate the behavior of sensor nodes. Besides, a cost model is proposed to evaluate the deployment cost of heterogeneous WSN. According to experiment results, the proposed method can achieve higher coverage rate and lower deployment cost for the same deployable sensor nodes.

Blends of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene‐propylene rubber (EPR) and blends of polystyrene (PS) and styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR) were prepared in a laboratory‐scale internal mixer at various blend compositions and rotor rates. Blend morphology was studied by means of electron microscopy. For each blend pair under the given processing conditions, the phase inversion process occurred progressively with respect to the variation in blend composition; it is within this composition range of phase inversion that dual‐phase continuity was observed. In addition, Characteristic torque values of blends were found to deviate negatively from a linear additivity rule; the composition range of maximum deviation from linear additivity corresponded approximately to the composition range where dual‐phase continuity was observed. Sperling's predictive scheme was found to yield acceptable (although not completely satisfactory) estimates for compositions of dual‐phase continuity in the present systems. It was also observed that partial cross‐linking of SBR during the mechanical blending process, as suggested by the appearance of a cure peak in the torque curve and supported by infrared spectroscopic evidence, resulted in morphological features drastically different from those of the uncured blends.

Grafting of maleic anhydride (MAH) onto ethylene‐propylene rubber (EPR) of apppoximately unitary ethylene/propylene molar ratio was performed by melt mixing in a laboratory‐scale internal mixer with the addition of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as an initiator. Concurrent with the graft reaction, the simultaneous presence of DCP and MAH enhanced the cross‐linking of EPR chains as suggested by the emergence of a cure peak in the mixing torque, curve and supported by dynamic rheological evidence; the DCP‐induced chain scission, however, remained important. The height of the cure peak increased consistently with the amounts of DCP and MAH in the reaction mixture. At the end of ca. 30 min of melt mixing, the gel content (determined via xylene extraction) of the functionalized EPR increased with the height of cure peak but then levelled off in the vicinity of ca. 50 wt%. The limited gel content was attributed to the competition from DCP‐initiated scission reaction. This competition resulted in a wide distribution of chain connectivity, ranging from highly degraded short chains to partially cross‐linked chains. At low DCP levels, the extent of grafting (estimated by means of Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy) increased with the MAH content and then remained at a plateau value; at higher DCP levels, the plateau appeared to have already been reached even at the lowest MAH content (i.e., 0.5 phr) here. The limited extent of grafting was attributed to the immiscible nature and the low diffusion rate of MAH in EPR.

Cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed primarily of type II collagen (COL II) and large, networks of proteoglycans (PGs) that contain glycosaminoglycans such as hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS). Since cartilage shows little tendency for self-repair, injuries are kept unhealed for years and can eventually lead to further degeneration. During the past decades, many investigations have pursued techniques to stimulate articular cartilage repair or regeneration. The current study assessed the effects of exogenous glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) including CS-A, CS-B, CS-C, heparan sulfate and HA, administration on human chondrocytes in terms of proliferation and matrix synthesis, while the cells were seeded and grown on the genipin-crosslinked collagen type II (COL II) scaffold. DNA content was measured by Hoechst dye intercalation, matrix deposition was evaluated by DMMB dye. Expression of collagen II and aggrecan mRNAs was assessed by RT-PCR, followed by gel electrophoresis. In a 28-day in vitro culture, administration of 5 microg/ml CS-A, 50 microg/ml CS-B, 50 microg/ml CS-C, 5 microg/ml HS, and 500 kDa HA led to significant increase in biosynthesis rate of PGs. Gene expression of aggrecan and collagen II were upregulated by CS-A, CS-C and HA. These results showed considerable relevance of GAGs to the issue of in vitro/ex vivo neo-cartilage synthesis for tissue engineering and regenerative medical applications.