Diabetes mellitus can be treated with islet transplantation, although there is a scarcity of donors. This study investigated whether human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from umbilical cord stroma could be induced to differentiate into insulin-producing cells and the effects of retro-orbital injection of human insulin-producing cells for the treatment of nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord stroma and induced to differentiate into insulin-producing cells using differentiation medium. Differentiated cells were evaluated by immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR, and real-time PCR. C-peptide release, both spontaneous and after glucose challenge, was measured by ELISA. Insulin-producing cells were then transplanted into NOD mice. Blood glucose levels and body weights were monitored weekly. Human nuclei and C-peptide were detected in mouse livers by immunohistochemistry. Pancreatic β-cell development-related genes were expressed in the differentiated insulin-producing cells. Differentiated cells' C-peptide release in vitro increased after glucose challenge. Further, in vivo glucose tolerance tests showed that blood sugar levels decreased after the cells' transplantation into NOD mice. After transplantation, insulin-producing cells containing human C-peptide and human nuclei were located in the liver. Thus, we demonstrated that differentiated insulin-producing cells from human umbilical cord stromal MSCs transplanted into NOD mice could alleviate hyperglycemia in diabetic mice.
BackgroundAlthough diabetes mellitus (DM) can be treated with islet transplantation, a scarcity of donors limits the utility of this technique. This study investigated whether human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from umbilical cord could be induced efficiently to differentiate into insulin-producing cells. Secondly, we evaluated the effect of portal vein transplantation of these differentiated cells in the treatment of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats.MethodsMSCs from human umbilical cord were induced in three stages to differentiate into insulin-producing cells and evaluated by immunocytochemistry, reverse transcriptase, and real-time PCR, and ELISA. Differentiated cells were transplanted into the liver of diabetic rats using a Port-A catheter via the portal vein. Blood glucose levels were monitored weekly.ResultsHuman nuclei and C-peptide were detected in the rat liver by immunohistochemistry. Pancreatic β-cell development-related genes were expressed in the differentiated cells. C-peptide release was increased after glucose challenge in vitro. Furthermore, after transplantation of differentiated cells into the diabetic rats, blood sugar level decreased. Insulin-producing cells containing human C-peptide and human nuclei were located in the liver.ConclusionThus, a Port-A catheter can be used to transplant differentiated insulin-producing cells from human MSCs into the portal vein to alleviate hyperglycemia among diabetic rats.
The superficial temporal artery is important in head and neck surgery. Ethnologic variation may affect surgical procedure. In this study, we evaluated the variations of the artery in Chinese adults. We measured its bifurcating location, the diameter of its vessels, and its relationship to nearby structures. A total of 26 cadavers with 52 superficial temporal arteries were examined in 3 consecutive years. The superficial temporal artery ran 1.14 cm anteriorly to the bony external auditory canal. The average diameters of the superficial temporal artery, frontal branch, and parietal branch were 2.14, 1.61, and 1.68 mm, respectively. In 45 of 52 cases (86.5 percent), bifurcation of the artery occurred well above the zygomatic arch. The present study thus demonstrated that the superficial temporal artery in the Chinese adult differs from that in the Caucasian and has provided a detailed anatomic distribution analysis of the superficial temporal artery in Chinese adults, which should benefit the clinician in dealing with operation procedures related to this artery.
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