BackgroundEndometrial regenerative cells (ERCs) are mesenchymal-like stem cells that can be non-invasively obtained from menstrual blood and are easily grown /generated at a large scale without tumorigenesis. We previously reported that ERCs exhibit unique immunoregulatory properties in vitro, however their immunosuppressive potential in protecting the colon from colitis has not been investigated. The present study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of ERCs in mediating immunomodulatory functions against colitis.MethodsColitis was induced by 4% dextran-sulfate-sodium (DSS, in drinking water) in BALB/c mice for 7 days. ERCs were cultured from healthy female menstrual blood, and injected (1 million/mouse/day, i.v.) into mice on days 2, 5, and 8 following colitis induction. Colonic and splenic tissues were collected on day 14 post-DSS-induction. Clinical signs, disease activity index (DAI), pathological and immunohistological changes, cytokine profiles and cell populations were evaluated.ResultsDSS-induced mice in untreated group developed severe colitis, characterized by body-weight loss, bloody stool, diarrhea, mucosal ulceration and colon shortening, as well as pathological changes of intra-colon cell infiltrations of neutrophils and Mac-1 positive cells. Notably, ERCs attenuated colitis with significantly reduced DAI, decreased levels of intra-colon IL-2 and TNF-α, but increased expressions of IL-4 and IL-10. Compared with those of untreated colitis mice, splenic dendritic cells isolated from ERC-treated mice exhibited significantly decreased MHC-II expression. ERC-treated mice also demonstrated much less CD3+CD25+ active T cell and CD3+CD8+ T cell population and significantly higher level of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated novel anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects of ERCs in attenuating colitis in mice, and suggested that the unique features of ERCs make them a promising therapeutic tool for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is spreading rapidly in Asia. This virus is transmitted by the Asian longhorned tick ( Haemaphysalis longicornis ), which has parthenogenetically and sexually reproducing populations. Parthenogenetic populations were found in ≥15 provinces in China and strongly correlated with the distribution of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome cases. However, distribution of these cases was poorly correlated with the distribution of populations of bisexual ticks. Phylogeographic analysis suggested that the parthenogenetic population spread much faster than bisexual population because colonization is independent of sexual reproduction. A higher proportion of parthenogenetic ticks was collected from migratory birds captured at an SFTSV-endemic area, implicating the contribution to the long-range movement of these ticks in China. The SFTSV susceptibility of parthenogenetic females was similar to that of bisexual females under laboratory conditions. These results suggest that parthenogenetic Asian longhorned ticks, probably transported by migratory birds, play a major role in the rapid spread of SFTSV.
This paper focuses on the load frequency control (LFC) for a multi-area interconnected microgrid power system with the introduction of communication networks, a robust sliding mode control strategy based on the adaptive event-triggered mechanism is proposed against the frequency deviation caused by power unbalance or time delays. First, a three-area power system attached to renewable energies and energy storage is considered, the corresponding LFC model is established. Second, the networked control is introduced into the LFC scheme, and the adaptive trigger mechanism which can adaptively adjust the event-triggered threshold is designed to improve the data transmission efficiency, the LFC scheme with network induced delays is formulated. Third, the Luenberger observer is designed to estimate the state errors and to facilitate the design of the sliding surface, the overall closed-loop system asymptotically stable and robust performance are analyzed by solving linear matrix inequalities. Then the control law is proved that the system state trajectory can be driven into the designed sliding surface in a limited time. Finally, some simulation experiments are given, and the results show that the proposed method is effective and has excellent robust performance. INDEX TERMS Microgrid power system, load frequency control, event-triggered control, robust performance, sliding mode observer.
Interleukin 35 (IL-35) is a relatively newly identified cytokine required for the regulatory and suppressive functions of regulatory T cells (Treg), playing an important role in the prevention of autoimmune diseases. This study used mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as the gene-delivery vehicles for IL-35 gene therapy and investigated their protective effects in Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced autoimmune hepatitis. Results showed that IL-35 gene modified MSCs (IL-35-MSCs) can specifically migrate to the injured liver tissues and significantly narrow the necrosis areas of injured livers. IL-35-MSCs prevented hepatocyte apoptosis by reducing the FASL expression by mononuclear cells. Although MSC treatment can alleviate liver injury to some extent, IL-35-MSCs showed a stronger protective effect, which means some novel mechanisms exist. The results show that IL-35-MSCs could decrease the level of interferon gamma secreted by liver mononuclear cells through the JAK1-STAT1/STAT4 signal pathway. In summary, this study thus demonstrates a novel and efficient treatment for Con A-induced fulminant hepatitis through negatively regulating the secretion of interferon gamma, thus providing a novel therapeutic approach for this devastating liver disease.
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