Publications by authors named "Sandra de Mel"
Ulnar-sided wrist injuries are common in sports that require repeated pronosupination, wrist radial/ulnar deviation, axial loading, and gripping equipment. Common anatomic structures affected include the triangular fibrocartilage complex, extensor carpi ulnaris tendon, distal radioulnar and ulnocarpal joints, and hamate bone. Presenting symptoms include pain with activity, swelling, possible snapping or clicking, and reproduction of symptoms with provocative maneuvers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBone-chip system to monitor osteogenic differentiation using optical imaging.
Microfluid Nanofluidics
August 2019
Human organoids and organ-on-chip systems to predict human responses to new therapies and for the understanding of disease mechanisms are being more commonly used in translational research. We have developed a bone-chip system to study osteogenic differentiation in vitro, coupled with optical imaging approach which provides the opportunity of monitoring cell survival, proliferation and differentiation in vitro without the need to terminate the culture. We used the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) line over-expressing bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), under Tet-Off system, and reporter gene under constitutive promoter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Around 80% of adults experience back pain, often linked to the degeneration of intervertebral discs (IVDs), highlighting the need for effective stem cell therapies to address the root causes rather than just symptoms.
- Researchers have aimed to create notochordal-like cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by manipulating normal dermal fibroblasts with specific genetic factors and then inducing differentiation in a lab setting.
- In tests on pigs with induced IVD degeneration, the modified cells maintained characteristics of notochordal cells after being encapsulated and cultured in a supportive hydrogel environment, suggesting potential for future treatments.
Background: A devastating condition that leads to trauma-related morbidity, multiple rib fractures, remain a serious unmet clinical need. Systemic administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown to regenerate various tissues. We hypothesized that parathyroid hormone (PTH) therapy would enhance MSC homing and differentiation, ultimately leading to bone formation that would bridge rib fractures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Previous studies have associated low pH in intervertebral discs (IVDs) with discogenic back pain. The purpose of this study was to determine whether quantitative CEST (qCEST) MRI can be used to detect pH changes in IVDs in vivo.
Methods: The exchange rate k between glycosaminoglycan (GAG) protons and water protons was determined from qCEST analysis.
Article Synopsis
- Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are crucial for bone tissue engineering but have limitations in availability and self-renewal; recent advances in somatic cell reprogramming offer a potential solution using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
- Research identified two iPSC-derived MSC types: early (aiMSCs) with higher osteogenic potential and late (tiMSCs), both of which can differentiate into various cell types for bone regeneration.
- While both aiMSCs and tiMSCs can aid in bone repair, only aiMSCs significantly induce bone formation through ectopic injections, highlighting their superior stem cell characteristics compared to bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs).