Osteogenic differentiation was not detected in nonvalvular endothelial cells. Regions of osteocalcin expression, a marker of osteoblastic differentiation, were detected along the endothelium of mitral valves that had been subjected in vivo to

mechanical stretch.\n\nConclusion-Mitral valve leaflets contain endothelial cells with multilineage mesenchymal differentiation potential, including osteogenic differentiation. This unique feature suggests that postnatal mitral valvular endothelium harbors a reserve of progenitor cells that can contribute to osteogenic and chondrogenic VICs. (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2011;31:598-607.)”
“An in-house built instrument was used to fabricate a small internal diameter Luminespib (2 mm) artificial vascular prosthesis from biodegradable chitosan. This new artificial vascular prosthesis has shown a good biocompatibility based on the studies of its cell compatibility, inflammatory reaction, and platelet

adhesion. In an animal test, the prosthesis was used to replace a 4-cm-long section of femoral artery SYN-117 mw in each of the seven tested dogs. The patency of the replacement was monitored at regular intervals using Doppler ultrasound diagnostics. Nine months after the implantation, hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemical study, and scanning electron microscope observation were carried out. Complete decomposition of the prosthesis and replacement by a natural blood vessel were observed. The results suggests selleckchem that the artificial vascular prosthesis displays many characteristics of the ideal small-diameter artificial vascular, and have the biocompatibility that can be tailored to match those desired in vascular replacement application. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2012.”
“Association between long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use and increased risk of breast cancer is still under debate.

Functionally relevant genetic variants within the estrogen metabolic pathway may alter exposure to exogenous sex hormones and affect the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. We investigated the associations of common polymorphisms in 4 genes encoding key proteins of the estrogen metabolic pathway, duration of HRT use and their interactions with breast cancer risk. We studied 530 breast cancer cases and 270 controls of the same age and ethnicity participating in a case-control study of postmenopausal women. Duration of HRT use was ascertained through a postal questionnaire. Genotyping was conducted for CYP1B1 (rs1056836), COMT (rs4680), GSTP1 (rs1695) and MnSOD (rs4880) polymorphisms by PCR-based RFLP and TaqMan (R) allelic discrimination method. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using logistic regression analysis.