Injection of Ultra-Purified Stem Cells with Sodium Alginate Reduces Discogenic Pain in a Rat Model.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a major cause of low back pain. However, treatments directly approaching the etiology of IVD degeneration and discogenic pain are not yet established. We previously demonstrated that intradiscal implantation of cell-free bioresorbable ultra-purified alginate (UPAL) gel promotes tissue repair and reduces discogenic pain, and a combination of ultra-purified, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant, human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rapidly expanding clones; RECs), and the UPAL gel increasingly enhanced IVD regeneration in animal models.

Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma on Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation for Chondral Defects: Results Using an In Vivo Rabbit Model.

Background: Articular cartilage repair remains challenging despite the availability of techniques, including autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) for repairing large cartilage defects. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, a novel therapy focused on chondrocyte regeneration, needs to be investigated regarding its potential to improve the outcomes of ACI.

Purpose: To examine the effect of PRP therapy on the outcomes of cartilage repair using the ACI procedure in a rabbit model of knee joint cartilage damage.

Safety of Intravenous Autologous Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Cell Transplantation in 5 Patients With Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction.

Although intracardiac injection or intracoronary delivery of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been reported, there have been few studies on the intravenous injection of MSCs, particularly in Japan. Five patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤45% received 1.0×10 MSCs intravenously.

Protein O-mannosylation is necessary for normal embryonic development in zebrafish.

Two distinct cDNAs corresponding to two zebrafish protein O-mannosyltransferase genes, zPOMT1 and zPOMT2, were cloned from early developmental embryos. Gene expression analysis revealed that zPOMT1 and zPOMT2 were expressed in similar patterns during early embryonic development and in all adult tissues. To study the regulation of zPOMT1 and zPOMT2 mRNA distribution during zebrafish embryogenesis, we injected enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) mRNA fused to the 3'untranslated regions of each zPOMT gene.