Recent Advances in Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds Containing Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Modern day tissue engineering and cellular therapies have gravitated toward using stem cells with scaffolds as a dynamic modality to aid in differentiation and tissue regeneration. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the most studied stem cells used in combination with scaffolds. These cells differentiate along the osteogenic lineage when seeded on hydroxyapatite containing scaffolds and can be used as a therapeutic option to regenerate various tissues.

Recommendations on the use of biosimilars by the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology, Brazilian Society of Dermatology, Brazilian Federation of Gastroenterology and Brazilian Study Group on Inflammatory Bowel Disease--Focus on clinical evaluation of monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

The Brazilian Societies of Rheumatology (SBR) and Dermatology (SBD), the Brazilian Federation of Gastroenterology (FBG) and the Brazilian Study Group on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (GEDIIB) gathered a group of their respective specialists on the topic of interest to discuss the most relevant issues regarding the clinical use of biosimilar medicines in Brazil. The main aim of that meeting was to prepare a document with recommendations to guide medical specialists and to help the national regulatory and policy-making agencies as concerns the authorization for marketing biosimilars used in autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and ulcerative colitis. In addition to considerations on the typical differences between innovator medicines and biosimilars, the specialists established a set of seven recommendations on regulatory advances related to clinical studies, indication extrapolation, nomenclature, interchangeability, automatic substitution and pharmacovigilance.

[Review of the actions in prevention of infections in total arthroplasty of hip].

The prophylactic use of antibiotics when a hip replacement procedure is performed has been subject of intense debate. Prevention of such an infection is complex, with many unresolved issues that require considerable investigation. The attentive application of reasonable principles of infection control with the goals of optimization of the wound environment, augmentation of the host response, and minimization of bacterial contamination in the preoperative, and postoperative time-period is essential to that overall reduction of the frequency of infection.

Chloroquine-induced bull's eye maculopathy in rheumatoid arthritis: related to disease duration?

Chloroquine diphosphate has been used in the treatment of various rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. The most important of its side effects is retinopathy. If not diagnosed early, this lesion can evolve into irreversible bull's eye maculopathy and visual loss.

The frequency of high/moderate lipoprotein risk factor for coronary artery disease is significant in juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus.

To determine the prevalence of dyslipoproteinemia on a large juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) cohort, we selected 40 patients after rigorous exclusion criteria. Lipoprotein levels were determinated after 12 hours fast and risk levels for CAD were defined by standards of the Brazilian Guidelines for dyslipoproteinemia according to US-NCEP. All individuals were under steroid therapy and chloroquine and 43% had active disease.