Publications by authors named "Chunfeng Zhao"

While rat models are frequently used to study tendon healing, there is a lack of research comparing various rotator cuff repair methods in this animal model. Determining the most effective method to begin with is pivotal for biological studies focused on healing augmentation. No study to date has shown the superiority of one repair over the other for rotator cuff repair in a rat model.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers examined the effectiveness of a new technique, engineered tendon-fibrocartilage-bone composite (TFBC), for repairing rotator cuff tears in dogs, comparing it to traditional repair methods over a 6-month period.
  • The study included four groups of dogs: one with standard repair, and three with variations of TFBC which included stem cells and mechanical stimulation.
  • Findings revealed that the group receiving TFBC with mechanical stimulation had significantly better strength and healing outcomes compared to the other methods, with a notable failure mode of avulsion fractures.
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Purpose: Adhesion formation is the major complication after tendon repairs that halts functional restoration and causes disability in patients. This study aimed to compare the antiadhesion efficacy of two tendon protector sheets using a previously established turkey flexor tendon model.

Methods: Twenty-four adult Bourbon Red turkeys were randomized into three groups: (1) control, (2) type I collagen-glycosaminoglycan (Collagen-GAG), and (3) hyaluronic acid.

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The significance of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) remnants during reconstruction remains unclear. Co-culturing ACL remnant cells and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) may reduce apoptosis and enhance hamstring tendon activity. This study investigated whether extracellular vesicles (EVs), which facilitate cell-cell interactions, act as the active components, improving graft maturation in this co-culture.

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  • Acute Compartment Syndrome (ACS) is a serious condition caused by high pressure within muscle compartments, traditionally diagnosed using a needle method, which can be difficult and slow, prompting exploration of Shear Wave Ultrasound Elastography (SWE) as a faster, less invasive alternative.
  • A study with 32 turkeys tested the correlation between SWE readings and intra-muscle-compartment pressure by gradually increasing pressure in the muscly while measuring SWE values, muscle function, and gait over time.
  • Results showed a strong correlation (R2 = 0.91) between SWE values and actual pressure, with significant changes in muscle function and histological damage observed in groups subjected to higher pressure for extended periods.
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Objective: To investigate the local cortical morphology and individual-based morphological brain networks (MBNs) changes in children with Rolandic epilepsy (RE).

Methods: Based on the structural MRI data of 56 children with RE and 56 healthy controls (HC), we constructed four types of individual-based MBNs using morphological indices (cortical thickness [CT], fractal dimension [FD], gyrification index [GI], and sulcal depth [SD]). The global and nodal properties of the brain networks were analyzed using graph theory.

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  • Flexor tendon injuries are common and typically require surgery to repair, and the study aimed to assess how the number of suture strands and square knots affect the strength and effectiveness of these repairs.
  • Researchers performed tests on turkey tendons with different configurations, comparing a variety of knot types and repair techniques to evaluate mechanical strength and failure modes.
  • Results showed that more strands and knots generally enhance the strength and stiffness of tendon repairs, but the type of knot and number of strands also influenced their effectiveness, with increasing square knots benefiting certain repair types while having limited impact in six-strand repairs.
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This study aimed to compare the clinically established autologous extrasynovial tendon graft to a newly developed tissue-engineered allograft (Eng-allograft) in terms of functional outcomes following flexor tendon reconstruction in a canine model. The second and fifth flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) tendons from 16 dogs were transected and repaired in Zone II. After 6 weeks of cage activity, the repaired tendons were intentionally ruptured, creating a clinically relevant model for reconstruction.

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Background: Prevention of adhesion formation following flexor tendon repair is essential for restoration of normal finger function. Although many medications have been studied in the experimental setting to prevent adhesions, clinical application is limited due to the complexity of application and delivery in clinical translation.

Methods: In this study, optimal dosages of gelatin and pentamidine were validated by gelatin concentration test.

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Compounding of suitable fillers with PEO-based polymers is the key to forming high-performance electrolytes with robust network structures and homogeneous Li-transport channels. In this work, we innovatively and efficiently prepared AlO nanofibers and deposited an aqueous dispersion of AlO into a membrane vacuum filtration to construct a nanofiber membrane with a three-dimensional (3D) network structure as the backbone of a PEO-based solid-state electrolyte. The supporting effect of the nanofiber network structure improved the mechanical properties of the reinforced composite solid-state electrolyte and its ability to inhibit the growth of Li dendrites.

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Objective: The aim of the work described here was to evaluate the objectivity and reproducibility of non-invasive intra-compartment pressure (ICP) measurement using ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) in a turkey model in vivo and to determine the biological and histologic changes in acute compartment syndrome (ACS).

Methods: Twenty-four turkeys were randomly divided into four groups based on the duration and fasciotomy of ACS created by infusion of up to 50 mm Hg in the tibialis muscle: group 1, ACS 2 h; group 2, ACS 4 h; group 3, ACS 2 h + fasciotomy 2 h; group 4, ACS 4 h + fasciotomy 2 h. For each turkey, the contralateral limb was considered the control.

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the consistency of the changes in the elastic modulus measured with ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) with changes measured through mechanical testing using tendons that were artificially altered by chemical modifications.

Methods: Thirty-six canine flexor digitorum profundus tendons were used for this experiment. To mimic tendon mechanical property changes induced by tendinopathy conditions, tendons were treated with collagenase to soften the tissue by collagen digestion or with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) to stiffen the tissues through chemical crosslinking.

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Purpose: To investigate the gliding resistance dynamics between the supraspinatus (SSP) tendon and the coracoacromial arch, both before and after subacromial decompression (anterolateral acromioplasty) and acromion resection (acromionectomy).

Methods: Using 4 fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders, acromion shapes were classified (2 type I and 2 type III according to Bigliani). Subacromial bursa and coracoacromial ligament maintenance replicated physiologic sliding conditions.

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Article Synopsis
  • Chordae tendineae are heart structures connecting muscles to valves, acting like tendons, and they show remarkable durability against overuse injuries, unlike common issues seen with musculoskeletal tendons.
  • This study aimed to figure out why chordae tendineae are so resistant to injury and to assess their impact on flexor tenocyte biology, which are the cells in tendons.
  • The research found high levels of periostin and FGF7 in chordae tendineae, which when applied to flexor tenocytes in the lab, improved cell growth and stability, suggesting these molecules could help treat tendon injuries.
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Paediatric trigger finger is rare compared to adult trigger finger or paediatric trigger thumb, and the aetiology is unclear. Proposed causes include local trauma, anatomical anomalies and systemic conditions. The aim of the present study was to detail the anatomical causes of surgically treated paediatric trigger fingers and provide an operative algorithm based on the anatomical findings.

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Several tendon and ligament animal models were presented at the 2022 Orthopaedic Research Society Tendon Section Conference held at the University of Pennsylvania, May 5 to 7, 2022. A key objective of the breakout sessions at this meeting was to develop guidelines for the field, including for preclinical tendon and ligament animal models. This review summarizes the perspectives of experts for eight surgical small and large animal models of rotator cuff tear, flexor tendon transection, anterior cruciate ligament tear, and Achilles tendon injury using the framework: "Why, Who, What, Where, When, and How" (5W1H).

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Large skeletal muscle defects owing to trauma or following tumor extirpation can result in substantial functional impairment. Purified exosomes are now available clinically and have been used for wound healing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the regenerative capacity of commercially available exosomes on an animal model of volumetric muscle loss (VML) and its potential translation to human muscle injury.

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Allogenic tendons grafts sourced from intrasynovial tendons are often used for tendon reconstruction. Processing is achieved through repetitive freeze-thaw cycles followed by lyophilization. Soaking the lyophilized tendon in saline (0.

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The objective of this study was to examine the effect of pulling angle on time-zero mechanical properties of intact infraspinatus tendon or infraspinatus tendon repaired with the modified Mason-Allen technique in a canine model in vitro. Thirty-six canine shoulder samples were used. Twenty intact samples were randomly allocated into functional pull (135°) and anatomic pull (70°) groups ( = 10 per group).

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Background: Flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) tendon injury is common in hand trauma, and flexor tendon reconstruction is one of the most challenging procedures in hand surgery because of severe adhesion that exceeds 25% and hinders hand function. The surface properties of a graft from extrasynovial tendons are inferior to those of the native intrasynovial FDP tendons, which has been reported as one of the major causations. Improved surface gliding ability of the extrasynovial graft is needed.

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Background: Nerve injuries can result in detrimental functional outcomes. Currently, autologous nerve graft offers the best outcome for segmental peripheral nerve injury. Allografts are alternatives, but do not have comparable results.

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Background: Childhood hand function is considered to be one of the strongest predictors of the ability to participate in daily activities as children with cerebral palsy (CP) reach adulthood. The manual ability classification system (MACS) is currently the most widely used for grading hand function in children with CP. However, the MACS method is subjective and may be affected by the raters' experience.

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This study was to detect the effects of purified exosome product (PEP) on C28/I2 cells and chondrocytes derived from osteoarthritis patients. Cell viability and apoptosis assays were used to detect the effect of PEP on cells. qRT-PCR and cell fluorescence assays were used to investigate the potential mechanism of PEP on cell chondrogenesis.

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The intrinsic healing following tendon injury is ideal, in which tendon progenitor cells proliferate and migrate to the injury site to directly bridge or regenerate tendon tissue. However, the mechanism determining why and how those cells are attracted to the injury site for tendon healing is not understood. Since the tenocytes near the injury site go through apoptosis or necrosis following injury, we hypothesized that secretions from injured tenocytes might have biological effects on cell proliferation and migration to enhance tendon healing.

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Background: The stability of a suture knot construct has been realized as an important parameter that affects the strength of flexor tendon repairs. A novel 2-strand-overhand-locking (TSOL) knot, which is not commonly used in the clinical setting, recently was reported to increase repair strength and to decrease tendon gliding resistance in a 2-strand repair technique. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of the TSOL knot on tendon repair strength and gliding resistance compared with a typical surgical knot in both 2-strand and 4-strand repair techniques using an in vitro turkey flexor tendon model.

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