Publications by authors named "N P Willett"
Many studies have explored different loading and rehabilitation strategies, yet rehabilitation intensity and its impact on the local strain environment and bone healing have largely not been investigated. This study combined implantable strain sensors and subject-specific finite element models in a 2 mm rodent segmental bone defect model. After injury animals were underwent high or low intensity rehabilitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground Aims: Oral wound healing involves hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and tissue remodeling. The oral cavity is a complex wound healing environment because of the presence of saliva, a high bacterial burden and ongoing physical trauma from eating. The inflammatory component of wound healing balances the polarization of macrophages in healing tissues between M1 inflammatory macrophages and M2 anti-inflammatory macrophages.
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- Orofacial clefts are the most common birth defects affecting the face, and improper healing after cleft palate surgery can result in oronasal fistulas (ONFs), which are troublesome connections between the mouth and nose.
- Current treatments using human tissue grafts for ONF repair are effective but carry risks like infection and rejection, leading to the need for further surgery.
- A new approach using an FDA-approved drug, FTY720, aims to improve healing by modifying immune responses and has shown promising results in laboratory mice, indicating potential for better treatment options in children with cleft palate issues.
Article Synopsis
- - Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease affecting various tissues, and animal models, particularly the rat medial meniscus transection (MMT) model, are used to study its progression and test potential treatments.
- - In the MMT model, significant changes to articular cartilage, subchondral bone, and formation of osteophytes were observed as early as 3 weeks post-surgery, with cartilage thickening initially, followed by thickening of subchondral bone and eventual cartilage degradation.
- - Extending the study period of the MMT model to 6- and 12-weeks is crucial, as it provides a better representation of severe osteoarthritis and helps in assessing the efficacy of new therapies for
Severe tissue loss resulting from extremity trauma, such as volumetric muscle loss (VML), poses significant clinical challenges for both general and military populations. VML disrupts the endogenous tissue repair mechanisms, resulting in acute and unresolved chronic inflammation and immune cell presence, impaired muscle healing, scar tissue formation, persistent pain, and permanent functional deficits. The aberrant healing response is preceded by acute inflammation and immune cell infiltration which does not resolve.
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