Growth characterization of neo porcine cartilage pellets and their use in an interactive culture model.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth characteristics of freshly isolated porcine chondrocytes in high-density pellet cultures and to preliminary investigate their use in an interactive in vitro model with synovial fibroblast cell lines to study rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Design: 1.8x10(6) chondrocytes/cm2 were seeded in 48-multiwell plates.

Re-endothelialization of punctured ePTFE graft: an in vitro study under pulsed perfusion conditions.

Background: When used as arteriovenous (AV) shunts for haemodialysis, small diameter expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts have a high failure rate in vivo. Attempts to improve graft patency are various, and focus on either improvement of implantation techniques or graft tissue engineering. The tissue engineering approach attempts to reproduce in grafts the properties of pristine vasculature.