A Collagen-Based Scaffold for Promoting Neural Plasticity in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury.

In spinal cord injury (SCI) therapy, glial scarring formed by activated astrocytes is a primary problem that needs to be solved to enhance axonal regeneration. In this study, we developed and used a collagen scaffold for glial scar replacement to create an appropriate environment in an SCI rat model and determined whether neural plasticity can be manipulated using this approach. We used four experimental groups, as follows: SCI-collagen scaffold, SCI control, normal spinal cord-collagen scaffold, and normal control.

Correction to: Osteogenic prospective of deriving human dental stem cells in collagen matrix boost.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The country was incorrect in the authors affiliations. It should read as "ROC".

High correlation between skin color based on CIELAB color space, epidermal melanocyte ratio, and melanocyte melanin content.

Background: To treat skin color disorders, such as vitiligo or burns, melanocytes are transplanted for tissue regeneration. However, melanocyte distribution in the human body varies with age and location, making it difficult to select the optimal donor skin to achieve a desired color match. Determining the correlations with the desired skin color measurement based on CIELAB color, epidermal melanocyte numbers, and melanin content of individual melanocytes is critical for clinical application.

Osteogenic prospective of deriving human dental stem cells in collagen matrix boost.

Stem cells derived from oral tissue represent a highly attractive alternative source for clinical bone regeneration because they can be collected by non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures. Herein, we describe the human dental stem cells (DSCs) deriving from buccal fat pads (BFP), dental pulp (DP) of impacted teeth, and periodontal ligaments (PDL) to obtain BFPSCs, DPSCs, and PDLSCs, respectively. Cells were purified with selected medium and expanded through passages in stem cell culture medium.

Transneuronal Degeneration of Thalamic Nuclei following Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in Rats.

Objective. Postinfarction transneuronal degeneration refers to secondary neuronal death that occurs within a few days to weeks following the disruption of input or output to synapsed neurons sustaining ischemic insults. The thalamus receives its blood supply from the posterior circulation; however, infarctions of the middle cerebral arterial may cause secondary transneuronal degeneration in the thalamus.

Histochemical and functional improvement of adipose-derived stem cell-based tissue-engineered cartilage by hyperbaric oxygen/air treatment in a rabbit articular defect model.

Cartilage is exposed to compression forces during joint loading. Therefore, exogenous stimuli are frequently used in cartilage tissue engineering strategies to enhance chondrocyte differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion. In this study, human adipose-derived stem cells were seeded on a gelatin/polycaprolactone scaffold to evaluate the histochemical and functional improvement of tissue-engineered cartilage after hyperbaric oxygen/air treatment in a rabbit articular defect model.

siRNA-targeting transforming growth factor-β type I receptor reduces wound scarring and extracellular matrix deposition of scar tissue.

Hypertrophic scarring is related to persistent activation of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad signaling. In the TGF-β/Smad signaling cascade, the TGF-β type I receptor (TGFBRI) phosphorylates Smad proteins to induce fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition. In this study, we inhibited TGFBRI gene expression via TGFBRI small interfering RNA (siRNA) to reduce fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition.

The effects of microenvironment on wound healing by keratinocytes derived from mesenchymal stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent cells that can differentiate into various cell types, including keratinocyte-like cells, within suitable microniches. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of culture media, cell coculture, and a tissue-engineering biocomposite on the differentiation of mouse ESCs (MESCs) into keratinocyte-like cells and applied these cells to a surgical skin wound model. MESCs from BALB/c mice (ESC26GJ), which were transfected using pCX-EGFP expressing green fluorescence, were used to track MESC-derived keratinocytes.

Effects of interleukin-15 on neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells.

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) signaling has pleiotropic actions in many cell types during development and has been best studied in cells of immune system lineage, where IL-15 stimulates proliferation of cytotoxic T cells and induces maturation of natural killer cells. A few reports have indicated that IL-15 and the IL-15 receptor are expressed in central nervous system tissues and neuronal cell lines. Because this aspect of IL-15 action is poorly studied, we used cultured rat neural stem cells (NSCs) to study IL-15 signal transduction and activity.

Validation of 4-[18F]-ADAM as a SERT imaging agent using micro-PET and autoradiography.

Serotonin transporters (SERTs) have been implicated in various neuropsychiatric disorders. We aim to validate 4-[(18)F]-ADAM (N,N-dimethyl-2-(2-amino-4-[(18)F]fluorophenylthio)benzylamine) as a SERT imaging agent in rats using micro-positron emission tomography (micro-PET) and autoradiography. Sixty to ninety min after injecting 4-[(18)F]-ADAM, specific uptake ratios (SURs) were determined by micro-PET measurements in various brain regions of normal control rats.

Analysis of anatomic morphometry of the pedicles and the safe zone for through-pedicle procedures in the thoracic and lumbar spine.

Posterior instrumentation through the pedicle is a common surgery. Understanding the morphometry of the pedicle and the anatomy of adjacent neural structures should help decrease the risk of postoperative complications. T1-L5 segments from 15 sets of human vertebrae were separated into individual vertebrae and the morphometric characteristics of the thoracic and lumbar spine and the safe zone of the pedicle were analyzed.

Horseradish peroxidase localization of sympathetic postganglionic and parasympathetic preganglionic neurons innervating the monkey heart.

The localization of the sympathetic postganglionic and parasympathetic preganglionic neurons innervating the monkey heart were investigated through retrograde axonal transport with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). HRP (4 mg or 30 mg) was injected into the subepicardial and myocardial layers in four different cardiac regions. The animals were euthanized 84-96 hours later and fixed by paraformaldehyde perfusion via the left ventricle.