Degassing a Decellularized Scaffold Enhances Wound Healing and Reduces Fibrosis during Tracheal Defect Reconstruction: A Preliminary Animal Study.

Few efforts have been made regarding the optimization of porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) to improve its biocompatibility. This study aims to evaluate the effect of SIS degassing on the promotion of cell attachment and wound healing. The degassed SIS was evaluated in vitro and in vivo, compared with the nondegassed SIS control.

Engineered Immature Testicular Tissue by Electrospun Mats for Prepubertal Fertility Preservation in a Bioluminescence Imaging Transgenic Mouse Model.

Prepubertal boys with cancer may suffer from reduced fertility and maturity following gonadotoxic chemoradiotherapy. Thus, a viable method of immature testicular tissue (ITT) preservation is required in this cohort. In this study, we used poly-L-lactic acid electrospun scaffolds with two levels of fineness to support the development of ITT transplanted from transgenic donors to wild-type recipient mice.

Immature Testicular Tissue Engineered from Weaned Mice to Adults for Prepubertal Fertility Preservation-An In Vivo Translational Study.

Male pediatric survivors of cancers and bone marrow transplantation often require adjuvant chemoradiation therapy that may be gonadotoxic. The optimal methods to preserve fertility in these prepubertal males are still under investigation. This manuscript presents an in vivo experiment which involved transplantation of immature testicular tissues (ITT) from transgenic donor, to wild-type recipient mice.

Partial Decellularized Scaffold Combined with Autologous Nasal Epithelial Cell Sheet for Tracheal Tissue Engineering.

Decellularization has emerged as a potential solution for tracheal replacement. As a fully decellularized graft failed to achieve its purposes, the de-epithelialization partial decellularization protocol appeared to be a promising approach for fabricating scaffolds with preserved mechanical properties and few immune rejection responses after transplantation. Nevertheless, a lack of appropriate concurrent epithelialization treatment can lead to luminal stenosis of the transplant and impede its eventual success.

Partial Decellularization for Segmental Tracheal Scaffold Tissue Engineering: A Preliminary Study in Rabbits.

In this study, we developed a new procedure for the rapid partial decellularization of the harvested trachea. Partial decellularization was performed using a combination of detergent and sonication to completely remove the epithelial layers outside of the cartilage ring. The post-decellularized tracheal segments were assessed with vital staining, which showed that the core cartilage cells remarkably remained intact while the cells outside of the cartilage were no longer viable.

Development of a poly-L-lactide salivary duct stent.

Obstructive salivary gland diseases are common conditions that arise following the disruption of the secretary ductal system and usually results in the swelling and pain of the affected gland(s). There has been an increase in the use of sialendoscopy for the treatment and diagnosis of obstructive salivary gland infection. If damage occurs to a duct or papilla following sialendoscopy, a stent may be necessary to prevent restenosis and for maintaining the salivary duct open after complete sialendoscopy.

Intraductal injection as an effective drug delivery route in the management of salivary gland diseases.

While conservative approaches for chronic sialoadenitis are in current use, the utility of intraductal injection therapy remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to provide evidence that substances delivered through intraductal injection of the salivary gland are able to be effectively distributed throughout the gland. Methylene blue dye (0.

Determining the critical effective temperature and heat dispersal pattern in monopolar radiofrequency ablation using temperature-time integration.

The radiofrequency ablation (RFA) lesion size is posited to be disproportionate to the total delivered energy, and temperature-time integration (TTI) may have a more critical effect on lesion size. The present study aimed to evaluate this hypothesis by determining the temperature threshold and temperature distribution over tissues during the RFA lesioning process. Using an chicken tissue model and an rabbit model with RFA applied for 2 min under various target temperature settings, the resultant lesions were evaluated histologically using Masson's trichrome stain.

A trans-well-based cellular model for the rapid pre-evaluation of tympanic membrane repair materials.

It is important to have a standardized tympanic membrane (TM) perforation platform to evaluate the various myringoplasty materials that have been studied and developed extensively during recent years. However, currently there are no cellular models specifically designed for this purpose, and animal models remain unsatisfactory. The purpose of this study is to propose an inexpensive, readily available, well-controlled, and easy-to-create cellular model as a substitute for use in the evaluation of TM repairing materials.

Adhesive strength of ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive: how strong is it?

Purpose: We evaluated the adhesive strength of ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate and compared the findings with those of traditional monofilament synthetic sutures. We also investigated the factors that could affect the effectiveness of cyanoacrylate bonding by skin surface modifications at the adhesion site.

Methods: Using a porcine skin model, we measured the maximum load for ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate adhesive under various application conditions.

Larynx decellularization: combining freeze-drying and sonication as an effective method.

Objectives: Ideal methods for the reconstruction of the laryngeal structure and restoration of the laryngeal function once the larynx has been damaged or removed have not yet been developed. Thus, larynx tissue engineering practices have recently been extensively investigated. A scaffold may be generated using biocompatible or artificial materials.

The in vivo antitumor effects on human COLO 205 cancer cells of the 4,7-dimethoxy-5-(2-propen-1-yl)-1,3-benzodioxole (apiole) derivative of 5-substituted 4,7-dimethoxy-5-methyl-l,3-benzodioxole (SY-1) isolated from the fruiting body of Antrodia camphorate.

Context: The compound 4,7-dimethoxy-5-(2-propen-1-yl)-1,3-benzodioxole (apiole) has been isolated from several different plant species, including Petroselinum sativum. Our recent study found that apiole is a chemical derivative of 4,7-dimethoxy-5-methyl-l,3-benzodioxole (SY-1), which has been isolated from dried Antrodia camphorata (AC ) fruiting bodies, a traditional Chinese medicine with antitumor properties.

Aims: Our previous in vitro study demonstrated that apiole inhibits the growth of human colon (COLO 205) cancer cells through the arrest of the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase.

[Not Available].

Objective: Bulb suction drains have long been used in various surgical procedures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate 4 commonly used bulb suction devices in vitro to explore the nonlinear changes in draining ability and efficiency along with the conformation changes of the device throughout the draining processes.

Methods: Under a designed simulated scenario using pure water as the desired draining substance, the relative function of the J-VAC 100 cc (JV100) (Ethicon, Inc, Somerville, USA); the EVACUATOR 125cc (EP125) (Pacific Hospital Supply, Taiwan); the Bulb Reservoir 150 cc (BH150) (Hosmed, Inc, Miami, FL); and the HemoVac 400 cc (HV400) (Zimmer, Inc, Warsaw, IN) drains were compared.

Effect of all-trans retinoic acid on the growth of two nasopharyngeal cancer cell lines and its treatment potential in combination with cisplatin.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of all-trans retinoid acid (ATRA) on two nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) cell lines and to evaluate the synergistic effect of ATRA used in combination with cisplatin, a standard chemotherapeutic agent for NPC. Two NPC cell lines (NPC-TW01 and NPC-TW04) were used, and the MTT assay was used to analyze cell growth inhibition under various concentrations of ATRA and cisplatin. Under low concentrations of ATRA, the growth of both cell lines was significantly inhibited.

Computed tomography image characteristics of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Objective: Metastatic neck nodes are commonly described as "heterogenous" or "inhomogenous" on computed tomographic (CT) images, and this remains a highly subjective issue. The purpose of this study is to justify classical criteria and to develop novel supplemental methods for diagnosing a positive neck node on CT scans.

Methods: Fifty-four patients with H&N SCC were separated into two groups according to their neck nodal status.

Silencing of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) enhances cell migration through the upregulation of vimentin in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Background: Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) plays an important role in embryonic development and cancer progression. However, there is little information regarding the regulation of GRP78 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis.

Methods: We used RNA silencing and cDNA expression vectors to manipulate target gene expression in HCC cells.

Characterizations of chondrocyte attachment and proliferation on electrospun biodegradable scaffolds of PLLA and PBSA for use in cartilage tissue engineering.

The influence of physical characteristics of electrospun three-dimensional (3D) fibrous scaffolds based on polybutylene succinate-co-adipate (PBSA) and poly l-lactic acid (PLLA) on the culture of primary human chondrocytes (PHCs) in terms of cell attachment, proliferation, and re-differentiation was investigated. Physical characteristics assessed for two polymers electrospun at two different delivery rates (PBSA-3, PBSA-16, PLLA-3, and PLLA-16) including average fiber diameter, average pore diameter, porosity, and contact angle. Results demonstrated that 3D fibrous scaffolds are better for PHCs' attachment than two-dimensional (2D) casting films made of the same polymeric materials.

Reduction of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and interleukin-8 levels by ticlopidine in TNF-alpha stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Atherosclerosis and its associated complications represent major causes of morbidity and mortality in the industrialized or Western countries. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is critical for the initiating and developing of atherosclerotic lesions. Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a CXC chemokine, stimulates neutrophil chemotaxis.

In vitro and in vivo study of phloretin-induced apoptosis in human liver cancer cells involving inhibition of type II glucose transporter.

Phloretin (Ph), a natural product found in apples and pears with glucose transporter (GLUT) inhibitory activity, exerts antitumor effects. However, little is known about its effects on human liver cancer. The purpose of this study is to test the cytotoxic effects of Ph on HepG2 cells and to identify the underlying molecular pathways.

SP1-regulated p27/Kip1 gene expression is involved in terbinafine-induced human A431 cancer cell differentiation: an in vitro and in vivo study.

In this study, the differentiation-promoting effects of terbinafine (Lamisil), TB) were investigated in human epithelioid squamous carcinoma (A431) cells. The polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate (poly-HEMA)- and type-I collagen-coated culture plate models were adapted to harvest the TB-induced differentiated cells by agitation of the suspension medium. We demonstrated that p27/Kip1, p21/Cip1 and the keratinocyte differentiation marker, human involucrin (hINV), were induced (>25 microM) in TB-induced differentiated A431 cells.

Residual stress patterns affect cell distributions on injection-molded poly-L-lactide substrate.

The effects of residual intra-substrate stress distribution on cell behavior have not been systematically investigated. Thus, the objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between cell distribution and internal stress patterns. A photoelastic method was used for residual stresses identification.

Checkpoint kinase 1-mediated phosphorylation of Cdc25C and bad proteins are involved in antitumor effects of loratadine-induced G2/M phase cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis.

In this study, we first demonstrated that loratadine (LOR), a promising world widely used oral anti-histamine, effectively inhibits growth of tumors derived from human colon cancer cells (COLO 205) in an in vivo setting. In vitro study demonstrated that the anti-tumor effects of LOR in COLO 205 cells were mediated by causing G(2)/M phase cell growth cycle arrest and caspase 9-mediated apoptosis. Cell-cycle arrest induced by LOR (75 microM, 24 h) was associated with a significant decrease in protein levels of cyclin B1, cell division cycle (Cdc) 25B, and Cdc25C, leading to accumulation of Tyr-15-phosphorylated Cdc2 (inactive form).

Involvement of proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members in terbinafine-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in HL60 cells.

Terbinafine (TB, lamisil), a promising world widely used oral-anti-fungal agent, has been used in the treatment of superficial mycosis. In this study, we found that apoptosis but not cell growth arrest was induced by TB (1 microM, for 24 h) in human promyelocytic leukemia (HL60) cells. The apoptotic effect induced by TB in the HL60 cell was not through the general differentiation mechanisms evidenced by evaluation of three recognized markers, including CD11b, CD33, and morphological features.