[The first decade of the DGOU's cartilage register-insights for clinical practice].

Background: Registry data provide valuable epidemiological insights that help to further improve process and outcome quality in patient care. The German Cartilage Registry (KnorpelRegister DGOU) was established in 2013 as an instrument for quality assurance after surgical cartilage regenerative procedures on hip, knee and ankle joints.

Data Collection: Participation in the German Cartilage Registry is optional for hospitals and practices.

The German Arthroscopy Registry DART: what has happened after 5 years?

Purpose: The German Arthroscopy Registry (DART) has been initiated in 2017 with the aim to collect real-life data of patients undergoing knee, shoulder, hip or ankle surgery. The purpose of this study was to present an overview of the current status and the collected data thus far.

Methods: Data entered between 11/2017 and 01/2022 were analyzed.

Cartilage Regeneration with a Cell-free Collagen Type 1 Matrix (Part 2 - Experimental Aspects).

Cartilage regeneration with cell-free matrices has developed from matrix-associated autologous cartilage cell transplantation (MACT) over ten years ago. Adjustments to the legal framework and higher hurdles for cell therapy have led to the procedures being established as an independent alternative to MACT. These procedures, which can be classified as matrix-induced autologous cartilage regeneration (MACR), all rely on the chemotactic stimulus of a cross-linked matrix, which mostly consists of collagens.

The German Arthroscopy Registry (DART).

In Germany, more than 400,000 arthroscopic procedures are performed each year. The DART registry is designed to study the outcome of arthroscopic procedures of the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle joint under everyday clinical circumstances using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). DART aims at identifying patient-specific factors correlated with therapy-associated complications and treatment failure and will help study the influence of concurrent joint diseases and procedures.

Simultaneous anabolic and catabolic responses of human chondrocytes seeded in collagen hydrogels to long-term continuous dynamic compression.

Cartilage repair strategies increasingly focus on the in vitro development of cartilaginous tissues that mimic the biological and mechanical properties of native articular cartilage. However, current approaches still face problems in the reproducible and standardized generation of cartilaginous tissues that are both biomechanically adequate for joint integration and biochemically rich in extracellular matrix constituents. In this regard, the present study investigated whether long-term continuous compressive loading would enhance the mechanical and biological properties of such tissues.

A comparative study of 3 different cartilage repair techniques.

Purpose: The value of cell-free techniques in the treatment of cartilage defects remains under debate. In this study, cartilage repair of full-thickness chondral defects in the knees of Goettinger minipigs was assessed by treatment with a cell-free collagen type-I gel or a collagen type-I gel seeded with autologous chondrocytes. As a control, abrasion arthroplasty was included.

Condensed cellular seeded collagen gel as an improved biomaterial for tissue engineering of articular cartilage.

Three-dimensional autologous chondrocyte implantation based on collagen gel as matrix scaffold has become a clinically applied treatment for focal defects of articular cartilage. However, the low biomechanical properties of collagen gel makes intraoperative handling difficult and creates the risk of early damages to the vulnerable implant. The aim of the study was to create a stabilized form of collagen gel and to evaluate its biomechanical and biochemical properties.

Continuous cyclic compressive loading modulates biological and mechanical properties of collagen hydrogels seeded with human chondrocytes.

Purpose: This study investigated the potential of cyclic compressive loading in the generation of in vitro engineered cartilaginous tissue with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of mechanical preconditioning and its possible role in further optimizing existing matrix-associated cartilage replacement procedures.

Methods: Human chondrocytes were harvested from 12 osteoarthritic knee joints and seeded into a type I collagen (col-I) hydrogel at low density (2 × 10(5) cells/ml gel). The cell-seeded hydrogel was condensed and cultivated under continuous cyclic compressive loading (frequency: 0.

Millicurrent stimulation of human articular chondrocytes cultivated in a collagen type-I gel and of human osteochondral explants.

Background: Here we investigate the effect of millicurrent treatment on human chondrocytes cultivated in a collagen gel matrix and on human osteochondral explants.

Methods: Human chondrocytes from osteoarthritic knee joints were enzymatically released and transferred into a collagen type-I gel. Osteochondral explants and cell-seeded gel samples were cultivated in-vitro for three weeks.

Effects of low concentrated BMP-7 administered by co-cultivation or plasmid transfection on human osteoarthritic chondrocytes.

Introduction: While BMP-7 has proven to be one of the most potent growth factors in cartilage tissue engineering, protein concentration and route of administration remain a matter of debate. Here we investigated the effects of a low concentration of BMP-7 on human osteoarthritic chondrocytes administered by protein co-cultivation and plasmid transfection.

Methods: Freshly released (P0) or in vitro propagated chondrocytes (P2) were cultivated in a collagen type-I gel for 3 weeks in vitro or in nude mice.

A cell-free collagen type I device for the treatment of focal cartilage defects.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential value of a cell-free collagen type I gel plug for the treatment of focal cartilage defects. Cellular migration and proliferation was addressed in vitro, and the formation of repair tissue in a nude mouse-based defect model. A cell-free plug made of collagen type I was placed in the center of an incubation plate.

Assessment of leech therapy for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized study.

Background And Purpose: Symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee with leeches is presently undergoing a renaissance. Previous studies have shown methodical weaknesses. In the present study patients were blinded regarding the treatment, and a control group was included to explore possible differences in various subjective clinical scores and intake of pain medication over time between leech therapy and placebo control.

Measures for reducing ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene wear in total knee replacement: a simulator study.

Wear of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHM-WPE) inlays is associated with aseptic loosening in total knee replacement (TKR). The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro performance of a TKR system that combines several measures to decrease UHMWPE wear. Tests were carried out on a BPK-S Integration system (R&D, P.

In vitro comparison of six different matrix systems for the cultivation of human chondrocytes.

In recent years, a great variety of different matrix systems for the cultivation of chondrocytes have been developed. Although some of these scaffolds show promising experimental results in vitro, the potential clinical value remains unclear. In this comparative study, we propagated human articular chondrocytes precultivated in monolayer culture on six different scaffolds (collagen gels, membranes and sponges) under standardized in vitro conditions.