Concurrent Oncolysis and Neurolesion Repair by Dual Gene-Engineered hNSCs in an Experimental Model of Intraspinal Cord Glioblastoma.

Intramedullary spinal cord glioblastoma (ISCG) is lethal due to lack of effective treatment. We previously established a rat C6-ISCG model and the antitumor effect of F3.CD-TK, an hNSC line expressing CD and TK, via producing cytocidal 5FU and GCV-TP.

Secondary Pituitary Abscess: A Rare Complication of Transsphenoidal Surgery for Pituitary Adenoma - Description of Two New Cases and Review of the Literature.

Pituitary abscess (PA), a rare complication following transsphenoidal (TS) surgery for pituitary adenoma with an incidence of 0.2%, poses a significant risk; carrying potential morbidity, recurrence, and the necessity for reoperation. Timely suspicion, diagnosis, and treatment are imperative.

Safety and efficiency of Wharton's Jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cell administration in patients with traumatic brain injury: First results of a phase I study.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by a disruption in the normal function of the brain due to an injury following a trauma, which can potentially cause severe physical, cognitive, and emotional impairment. Stem cell transplantation has evolved as a novel treatment modality in the management of TBI, as it has the potential to arrest the degeneration and promote regeneration of new cells in the brain. Wharton's Jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) have recently shown beneficial effects in the functional recovery of neurological deficits.

Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells may be a viable treatment modality in cerebral palsy.

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of disorders affecting movement, balance, and posture. Disturbances in motor functions constitute the main body of CP symptoms. These symptoms surface in early childhood and patients are affected for the rest of their lives.

Effects of exosomes from mesenchymal stem cells on functional recovery of a patient with total radial nerve injury: A pilot study.

Background: Peripheral nerve injury can result in significant clinical complications that have uncertain prognoses. Currently, there is a lack of effective pharmacological interventions for nerve damage, despite the existence of several small compounds, peptides, hormones, and growth factors that have been suggested as potential enhancers of neuron regeneration. Despite the objective of achieving full functional restoration by surgical intervention, the persistent challenge of inadequate functional recovery remains a significant concern in the context of peripheral nerve injuries.

Percutaneous Pain Procedures in Patients Who Underwent Lumbar Disc Herniation Surgery: Is It an Important Tool in the Management of Post-Surgical Ongoing Pain?

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous pain interventions in patients who previously underwent lumbar disc herniation surgery.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 48 patients with persistent / recurring complaints who underwent lumbar disc surgery (LDS) and were treated with percutaneous interventions. They were grouped into recurrent disc herniations (RDHs) and other discovertebral pathologies (ODVP).

The Effects of Using Hearing Aids and Hearing Assistive Technologies on Programmable Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt.

Background: To investigate interaction between behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids, hearing assistive technologies, and programmable shunt valve to understand how use of BTE hearing aids in patients who underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) surgery affects the settings of a programmable shunt valve.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the magnetic field (MF) generation of 3 BTE hearing aids made by different companies, 1 frequency modulated system using telecoil technology, and 1 wireless microphone technology and their interactions with 2 programmable shunt valves. All measurements were made in a silent booth using 2 different models.

Metric Evaluation of Reliability and Transparency of the Videos About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Surgery in the Online Platforms: Assessment of YouTube Videos' Content.

Objective: To evaluate the quality and reliability of carpal tunnel syndrome surgery videos on YouTube.

Methods: A keyword set of "carpal tunnel syndrome surgery" was searched on YouTube. The DISCERN scoring system, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) scoring system, and Health on the Net (HON) ranking systems were used to evaluate the quality and reliability of the first 50 videos appeared in the search results.

Feasibility of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells in pediatric hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: Phase I study.

Background: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is one of the leading causes of death and long-term neurological impairment in the pediatric population. Despite a limited number of treatments to cure HIE, stem cell therapies appear to be a potential treatment option for brain injury resulting from HIE.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety of stem cell-based therapies in pediatric patients with HIE.

Phase I study on the safety and preliminary efficacy of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Background: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the adult as well as in the neonate, with limited options for treatment and significant dysfunctionality.

Aim: To investigate the safety and preliminary efficacy of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in HIE patients.

Methods: Patients who had HIE for at least 6 mo along with significant dysfunction and disability were included.

Challenges in the Clinical and Radiological Differential Diagnosis of Cerebrovascular Events and Malignant Primary Brain Tumors: Reports from a Retrospective Case Series.

Aim: To reveal difficulties in differential diagnosis of some cases of cerebrovascular events (CVEs) and malignant primary brain tumors (MBTs) even a multidiciplinary evaluation in grand rounds.

Material And Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the patient archives from January 2017?December 2019. The records of 572 patients discussed in these meetings were examined.

Kyphoplasty in the Early Oncologic Diagnosis and Treatment of Vertebral Fractures: A Clinical Study.

Aim: To elucidate the characteristics of kyphoplasty in correlation with spinal metastasis.

Material And Methods: Data of patients treated by kyphoplasty between January 2017 and December 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. Preoperative prophylactic antibiotics and low-molecular-weight heparin injections were performed.

Physical impacts of PLGA scaffolding on hMSCs: Recovery neurobiology insight for implant design to treat spinal cord injury.

Our earlier work generated a powerful platform technology of polymeric scaffolding of stem cells to investigate and treat the injured or diseased central nervous system. However, the reciprocal sequelae between biophysical properties of the polymer and responses of the stem cell have not been examined in situ in lesioned spinal cords. We postulated that implantable synthetic scaffolds, acting through physical features, might affect donor cell behavior and host tissue remodeling.

Reduction of Inflammation and Enhancement of Motility after Pancreatic Islet Derived Stem Cell Transplantation Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a very serious health problem, usually caused by a trauma and accompanied by elevated levels of inflammation indicators. Stem cell-based therapy is promising some valuable strategies for its functional recovery. Nestinpositive progenitor and/or stem cells (SC) isolated from pancreatic islets (PI) show mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) characteristics.

Updates on Human Neural Stem Cells: From Generation, Maintenance, and Differentiation to Applications in Spinal Cord Injury Research.

Human neural stem cells (hNSCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have been the primary focuses in basic science and translational research as well as in investigative clinical applications. Therefore, the capability to perform reliable derivation, effective expansion, and long-term maintenance of uncommitted hNSCs and hiPSCs and their targeted phenotypic differentiations through applying chemically and biologically defined medium in vitro is essential for expanding and enriching the fundamental and technological capacities of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. In this chapter, we systematically summarized a set of protocols and unique procedures that have been developed in the laboratories of Prof.

Wharton's Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in a Patient with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Pilot Study.

Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) have been introduced as a possible therapy in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). We report a 16-year-old boy who was treated with WJ-MSCs in the course of HIE due to post-cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He received a long period of mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy with spastic quadriparesis.

Cancer Stem Cells or Tumor Survival Cells?

Research endeavors originally generated stem cell definitions for the purpose of describing normally sustainable developmental and tissue turnover processes in various species, including humans. The notion of investigating cells that possess a vague capacity of "stamm (phylum)" can be traced back to the late 19th century, mainly concentrating on cells that could produce the germline or the entire blood system. Lately, such undertakings have been recapitulated for oncogenesis, tumor growth, and cancer cell resistance to oncolytic therapies.

Establishing an Organotypic System for Investigating Multimodal Neural Repair Effects of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Stem Cells.

Human mesenchymal stromal stem cells (hMSCs) hold regenerative medicine potential due to their availability, in vitro expansion readiness, and autologous feasibility. For neural repair, hMSCs show translational value in research on stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI), and traumatic brain injury. It is pivotal to establish multimodal in vitro systems to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying neural actions of hMSCs.

Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation of the Ganglion Impar for Coccydynia Management: Long-Term Effects.

Objective: To investigate the short- and long-term effects of ganglion impar radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) treatment in patients with chronic coccydynia.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients who underwent RFT of the ganglion impar between 2009 and 2011. Pain intensity visual numeric scale (VNS) scores and Euroqol 5D (EQ-5D) index scores were recorded pre-intervention and post-intervention at the first, sixth, and twelfth months.

The Effects of Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation During the Acute and Subacute Phases Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of rat adipose tissue-derived (rAT) mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation on the functional restoration and regeneration of spinal cord injury (SCI).

Material And Methods: Six of 48 Wistar albino rats were sacrificed to obtain MSCs, and the remaining rats were divided randomly into six groups. SCI was performed using the clip compression method.

Biological approaches to treating intervertebral disk degeneration: devising stem cell therapies.

Intervertebral disk (IVD) degeneration is a common, chronic, and complex degeneration process that frequently leads to back pain and disability, resulting in a major public health issue. In this review we describe biological therapies under preclinical or clinical development with an emphasis on stem cell-based multimodal approaches that target prevention and treatment of IVD degeneration. Systematical review of the basic science and clinical literature was performed to summarize the current status of devising biological approaches to treating IVD degeneration.

Spinal nerve root compositions of musculocutaneous nerve: an anatomical study.

Aim: This study was aimed to investigate the variations in the spinal nerve root compositions of musculocutaneous nerve and to confirm which spinal nerve root is the main ingredient in participating amount.

Material And Methods: A total of 20 fresh cadavers were dissected. Brachial plexus and its branches were extracted.

The retrospective analysis of the effect of balloon kyphoplasty to the adjacent-segment fracture in 171 patients.

Study Design: Analysis of the adjacent-segment fractures in 171 balloon kyphoplasty (BK)-performed patients.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors for new symptomatic vertebral compression fractures (VCF) after BK.

Summary Of Background Data: Although there are many studies about the incidence and possible risk factors for occurrence of adjacent-level fractures, there is no consensus on the increased risk of adjacent-level fractures after BK.

Minocycline treatment inhibits lipid peroxidation, preserves spinal cord ultrastructure, and improves functional outcome after traumatic spinal cord injury in the rat.

Study Design: A prospective, randomized experimental research.

Objective: To evaluate the short- and long-term neuroprotective effects of minocycline on the secondary injury process of an experimental traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) model.

Summary Of Background Data: Traumatic SCI is a devastating problem of health that results in high morbidity and mortality rates.