Protector Role of Intraocular Lenses under Artificial Light Conditions.

Introduction: The aim of this work was to analyze, in an in vitro model, the possible protective effects of ultraviolet- (UV-) or UV/blue-filtering intraocular lens (IOL) under light-emitting diode (LED) lighting conditions.

Methods: Ten models of IOLs were evaluated. Light transmission spectrum was recorded from 300 to 800 nm, in steps of 1 nm.

Plasma Rich in Growth Factors Promotes Autophagy in ARPE19 Cells in Response to Oxidative Stress Induced by Blue Light.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes the degeneration of photoreceptors and retinal cells leading to vision loss in older subjects. Among possible exogenous risk factors, it has been recently proposed that long-term exposure to blue light could aggravate the course of AMD. In the search for therapeutic options, plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) has been shown to enhance cell antioxidant pathways and protect photoreceptors against the harm produced by blue light, although its mechanism of action remains unknown.

Transcriptomic Analysis of a Diabetic Skin-Humanized Mouse Model Dissects Molecular Pathways Underlying the Delayed Wound Healing Response.

Defective healing leading to cutaneous ulcer formation is one of the most feared complications of diabetes due to its consequences on patients' quality of life and on the healthcare system. A more in-depth analysis of the underlying molecular pathophysiology is required to develop effective healing-promoting therapies for those patients. Major architectural and functional differences with human epidermis limit extrapolation of results coming from rodents and other small mammal-healing models.

Plasma Rich in Growth Factors Enhances Cell Survival after in Situ Retinal Degeneration.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGFs) under blue light conditions in an in vivo model of retinal degeneration.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were exposed to dark/blue light conditions for 9 days. On day 7, right eyes were injected with saline and left eyes with PRGF.

A new aggressive xenograft model of human colon cancer using cancer-associated fibroblasts.

Background: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death. Almost half of the patients present recurrence within 5 years after the treatment of the primary tumor, the majority, with metastasis. On the other hand, in the search for new animal models that simulate metastatic cancer, it has been suggested that fibroblasts immersed in the peritumoral stroma (cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs)), play a relevant role in the development of cancer.

Antioxidant Role of PRGF on RPE Cells after Blue Light Insult as a Therapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Oxidative stress has a strong impact on the development of retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) is a novel therapeutic approach in ophthalmological pathologies. The aim of this study was to analyze the antioxidant effect of PRGF in retinal epithelial cells (EPR) in in vitro and ex vivo retinal phototoxicity models.

Human plasma gels: Their preparation and rheological characterization for cell culture applications in tissue engineering.

Tissue engineering is one of the fields of clinical medicine that has forged ahead in recent years, especially because of its role as a potential alternative to organ transplantation. The main aim of this study has been the development of biocompatible materials to form extracellular matrix (ECM) structures in order to provide the necessary conditions for the settlement, proliferation and differentiation of dermal cells such as fibroblasts. To this end, human plasma gels were synthesized with the addition of increasing concentrations of transglutaminase (TGase), which catalyses the formation of covalent bonds between Lys and Glu residues.

Ectopic bone formation during tissue-engineered cartilage repair using autologous chondrocytes and novel plasma-derived albumin scaffolds.

Purpose: The aims of this study were twofold: first, to evaluate the production of cartilaginous tissue in vitro and in vivo using a novel plasma-derived scaffold, and second, to test the repair of experimental defects made on ears of New Zealand rabbits (NZr) using this approach.

Materials And Methods: Scaffolds were seeded with chondrocytes and cultured in vitro for 3 months to check in vitro cartilage production. To evaluate in vivo cartilage production, a chondrocyte-seeded scaffold was transplanted subcutaneously to a nude mouse.

Feeder Layer Cell Actions and Applications.

Cultures of growth-arrested feeder cells have been used for years to promote cell proliferation, particularly with low-density inocula. Basically, feeder cells consist in a layer of cells unable to divide, which provides extracellular secretions to help another cell to proliferate. It differs from a coculture system because only one cell type is capable to proliferate.

Overexpression of COL11A1 by cancer-associated fibroblasts: clinical relevance of a stromal marker in pancreatic cancer.

Background: The collagen11A1 (COL11A1) gene is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer. The expression of COL11A1 protein could be involved in desmoplastic events in pancreatic cancer, but an antibody that specifically stains the COL11A1 protein is not currently available.

Methods And Findings: A total of 54 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC), 23 chronic pancreatitis (CP) samples, and cultured peritumoral stromal cells of PDAC (passages 3-6) were studied.

A functional polymorphism in MMP1 could influence osteomyelitis development.

Osteomyelitis (OM) is a bone infection characterized by necrosis and new formation of bone. Because matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) play an important role in bone extracellular matrix remodeling, we investigated the role of some MMP polymorphisms in OM patients. A total of 118 OM patients and 300 blood donors were genotyped for the polymorphisms of MMP1 (-1607 1G/2G) and MMP13 (-77A/G).

Plasma-fibroblast gel as scaffold for islet transplantation.

The transplant of pancreatic islets into the liver can restore normal blood glucose levels in patients with type I diabetes. However, long-term results have indicated that the site and method of transplantation still need to be optimized to improve islet engraftment. This study was designed to assess the efficiency of the use of clotted blood plasma containing fibroblasts ("plasma-fibroblast gel") as a scaffold for subcutaneous islet transplantation in diabetic athymic mice.

Local loperamide inhibits thermal hyperalgesia but not mechanical allodynia induced by intratibial inoculation of melanoma cells in mice.

The stimulation of peripheral opioid receptors counteracts thermal hyperalgesia produced by the intratibial inoculation of NCTC 2472 cells in mice, through the activation of the nitric oxide/cGMP/ATP-sensitive K+-channels (NO/cGMP/K(+) (ATP)) cascade (Menéndez et al. 2007, Neuropharmacology 53:71-80). We aimed to elucidate whether this peripheral opioid antihyperalgesic effect is exclusive to this model or might also occur in other types of bone neoplastic processes.