background: mesenchymal stem cells (mscs) are multipotent cells, capable of differentiating into different cell lines.they can sense their surrounding biochemical and biophysical factors, which play major roles in their differentiation toward different phenotypes. therefore, the exposure of these cells to endothelial growth factor (vegf) as well as hemodynamic biomechanical forces, which act on...

Alport syndrome (AS) is a hereditary disease that leads to kidney failure and is caused by mutations in the COL4A3, COL4A4, and COL4A5 genes that lead to the absence of collagen α3α4α5 (IV) networks in the mature kidney glomerular basement membrane. Approximately 80% of AS is X-linked because of mutations in COL4A5, the gene encoding the alpha 5 chain of type IV collagen. To investigate the pat...

Testicular tissue cryopreservation is the only potential option for fertility preservation in pre-pubertal boys exposed to gonadotoxic treatment. Completion of spermatogenesis after in vitro maturation is one of the future uses of harvested testicular tissue. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin A on in vitro maturation of fresh and frozen-thawed mouse pre-pub...

Renal tubular acidosis type 1, also called distal renal tubular acidosis, is characterized by hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia, hypercalciuria, hypocitraturia, and low urinary NH4. Its etiology is variable and includes sporadic, hereditary, and acquired forms. It should be differentiated from other forms of RTA and other causes of metabolic acidosis. Long-term alkali therapy is th...

Hypertension is a risk factor for renal impairment. While treatment of hypertension provides significant renal protection, there is still an unmet need requiring further exploration of additional pathogenetic mechanisms. We have found that the hypertension-related, calcium-regulated gene (HCaRG/COMMD5) is involved in renal repair. HCaRG is a small intracellular protein of 225 amino acids and it...

Insufficient myocardial repair after pathological processes contributes to cardiovascular disease, which is a major health concern. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate the proliferation and differentiation of cardiac myocytes will aid in designing therapies for myocardial repair. Models are needed to delineate these molecular mechanisms. Here we report the development of a mode...

Ultrastructural study of the prothoracic glands of silkworms (Antheraea pernyi and Bombyx mori) at the last two larval stages has shown that the essential modifications which take place during each intermolt affect the chondriome of secretory cells. A description is given of the differentiation of macromitochondria from typical mitochondria by a general swelling, a clearing of the matrix, and t...

Renal tubular acidosis type 1, also called distal renal tubular acidosis, is characterized by hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia, hypercalciuria, hypocitraturia, and low urinary NH4. Its etiology is variable and includes sporadic, hereditary, and acquired forms. It should be differentiated from other forms of RTA and other causes of metabolic acidosis. Long-term alkali therapy is th...

BACKGROUND Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common inherited human kidney disease and is caused by germline mutations in PKD1 (85%) or PKD2 (15%). It has been estimated that around 1% of tubular cells give rise to cysts, and cell hyperproliferation has been noted to be a cardinal feature of cystic epithelium. Nevertheless, it is uncertain whether the increase in ...