Publications by authors named "M Rikkers"
Background: In the care of patients with persevering (‘treatment-resistant’) persistant physical symptoms (PPS), problems are common. With this study, we want to identify starting points for improvement of care, including suggestions for the role of mental health care.
Aim: Using the profile for persevering PPS we will estimate the prevalence, describe characteristics of this patient group and map problems encountered in their care.
In native healthy hyaline cartilage, the chondrocytes are surrounded by a pericellular matrix that has a distinct composition and function compared to the hyaline cartilage extracellular matrix. The chondrocyte together with its pericellular matrix is called a chondron. The type VI collagen, which is the main component of the pericellular matrix, is resistant to enzymatic digestion by pure collagenase and dispase that do digest the extracellular matrix.
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- The study investigates if mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can transfer mitochondria to chondrocytes, which may help in treating articular cartilage defects.
- Researchers used various techniques to visualize and measure mitochondrial transfer between these cell types, finding that this transfer happens within the first 16 hours through different methods.
- After 28 days, chondrocytes receiving MSC mitochondria showed increased DNA and proteoglycan levels, indicating a positive effect on cartilage repair, but the transferred mitochondria could not be detected after a year.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers identified auricular cartilage progenitor cells in both healthy cartilage and in patients with microtia, highlighting their potential in regenerative medicine.
- These cells show a strong ability to proliferate and maintain their differentiation potential while producing cartilage-like matrix when cultured in a gelatin-based hydrogel.
- The ease of obtaining these progenitor cells from non-deforming biopsies makes them a promising solution for improving auricular cartilage tissue engineering.
Viscoelastic hydrogels are gaining interest as they possess necessary requirements for bioprinting and injectability. By means of reversible, dynamic covalent bonds, it is possible to achieve features that recapitulate the dynamic character of the extracellular matrix. Dually cross-linked and double-network (DN) hydrogels seem to be ideal for the design of novel biomaterials and bioinks, as a wide range of properties required for mimicking advanced and complex tissues can be achieved.
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