The potential role of telocytes in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.

Research and ideas for potential applications in the field of Tissue Engineering (TE) and Regenerative Medicine (RM) have been constantly increasing over recent years, basically driven by the fundamental human dream of repairing and regenerating lost tissue and organ functions. The basic idea of TE is to combine cells with putative stem cell properties with extracellular matrix components, growth factors and supporting matrices to achieve independently growing tissue. As a side effect, in the past years, more insights have been gained into cell-cell interaction and how to manipulate cell behavior.

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in the Treatment of Oncological Perineal and Genital Defects.

Defects of the perineum may result from ablative procedures of different malignancies. The evolution of more radical excisional surgery techniques resulted in an increase in large defects of the perineum. The perineogenital region per se has many different functions for urination, bowel evacuation, sexuality, and reproduction.

Distal Row Carpectomy-A Possible Salvage Procedure of Severe Carpal Trauma.

Complex fracture dislocations of the wrist often result in posttraumatic arthrosis. In trying to avoid total arthrodesis, alternative treatment strategies have been investigated. For this purpose, we present the case of a 56-year-old male patient who sustained a direct trauma during a circular saw accident, resulting in the destruction of the distal carpal row among other things.

The proteoglycan biglycan regulates expression of the B cell chemoattractant CXCL13 and aggravates murine lupus nephritis.

CXCL13 is a key B cell chemoattractant and marker of disease activity in patients with SLE; however, the mechanism of its induction has not been identified yet. Here, we have shown that the proteoglycan biglycan triggers CXCL13 expression via TLR2/4 in macrophages and dendritic cells. In vivo, levels of biglycan were markedly elevated in the plasma and kidneys of human SLE patients and lupus-prone (MRL/lpr) mice.