Paediatric and adolescent traumatic gastrointestinal injuries: results of a European multicentre analysis.

Aim: Paediatric gastrointestinal injuries (GIIs) are rare, and the aim of this multicentre study was to evaluate their outcomes in a large cohort.

Methods: Hospital databases of 10 European paediatric surgical centres were reviewed for paediatric traumatic GIIs managed between 2000-2010.

Results: Ninety-seven patients with a median age of 9 years (0-17 years) were identified, with 72 blunt and 25 penetrating GIIs.

Expression of matrix metalloproteinases in human growth plate chondrocytes is enhanced at high levels of mechanical loading: A possible explanation for overuse injuries in children.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), responsible for extracellular matrix remodelling and angiogenesis, might play a major role in the response of the growth plate to detrimental loads that lead to overuse injuries in young athletes. In order to test this hypothesis, human growth plate chondrocytes were subjected to mechanical forces equal to either physiological loads, near detrimental or detrimental loads for two hours. In addition, these cells were exposed to physiological loads for up to 24 hours.

BMP-6 and BMPR-1a are up-regulated in the growth plate of the fractured tibia.

Bone overgrowth is a known phenomenon occurring after fracture of growing long bones with possible long-term physical consequences for affected children. Here, the physeal expression of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) was investigated in a fracture-animal model to test the hypothesis that a diaphyseal fracture stimulates the physeal expression of these known key regulators of bone formation, thus stimulating bone overgrowth. Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 4 weeks old), were subjected to a unilateral mid-diaphyseal tibial fracture.

Behaviour of human physeal chondro-progenitorcells in early growth plate injury response in vitro.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the proliferation and differentiation behaviour of a defined cell population gained from the human growth plate, namely, chondro-progenitorcells (CPCs), in the initial inflammatory phase of growth plate injury response in vitro.

Methods: Growth plate cells were sorted via FACS and differentiated along adipogenic and osteogenic lineage to confirm their progenitor features. To mimic the inflammatory phase of injury response at the growth plate they were treated with IL-1β and exposed to cyclic mechanical loading.

The spatial and temporal expression of VEGF and its receptors 1 and 2 in post-traumatic bone bridge formation of the growth plate.

Injuries to growth plates may initiate the formation of reversible or irreversible bone-bridges, may leading to bone length discrepancy or axis deviation. As vascular invasion is essential for the formation of bone tissue, the aim of our study was to investigate the kinetic expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and its receptors R1 and R2 and the ingrowth of vessels in the formation of bone bridges in a rat physeal injury model. Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction was performed for VEGF and its receptors.