Phenotypic, trophic, and regenerative properties of mesenchymal stem cells from different osseous tissues.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have broad-based therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine. However, a major barrier to their clinical utility is that MSCs from different tissues are highly variable in their regenerative properties. In this study, we defined the molecular and phenotypic identities of different MSC populations from different osseous tissue sites of different patients and, additionally, determined their respective regenerative properties.

Home Invasion Homicide Offenders: An Analysis of Subsequent Prison Rule Violations.

This study adds to the small body of research on home invasion by describing the circumstances surrounding home invasions that resulted in the death of a resident. The 2 most common types of home invasion homicides (HIHs) involved "drug ripoffs" and robberies of older adults for money and property. The study also examined subsequent rule-violating behavior of 132 HIH inmates while incarcerated.

Assaults on Inmates and Staff by Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Homicide: An Examination of Competing Hypotheses.

The current study presents the results of an analysis of serious and assaultive prison rule violating behavior among male perpetrators of intimate partner homicide (IPH). Data on prison rule violations were collected from a sample of 189 inmates convicted of IPH in a large, southern prison system. The study focused on the degree of continuity in violent behavior among IPH offenders from the community to the prison setting.

Dual-phase osteogenic and vasculogenic engineered tissue for bone formation.

Minimally invasive, injectable bone tissue engineering therapies offer the potential to facilitate orthopedic repair procedures, including in indications where enhanced bone regeneration is needed for complete healing. In this study, we developed a dual-phase tissue construct consisting of osteogenic (Osteo) and vasculogenic (Vasculo) components. A modular tissue engineering approach was used to create collagen/fibrin/hydroxyapatite (COL/FIB/HA) hydrogel microbeads containing embedded human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSC).

Protease-sensitive PEG hydrogels regulate vascularization in vitro and in vivo.

Forming functional blood vessel networks in engineered or ischemic tissues is a significant scientific and clinical hurdle. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogels are adapted to investigate the role of mechanical properties and proteolytic susceptibility on vascularization. Four arm PEG vinyl sulfone is polymerized by Michael-type addition with cysteine groups on a slowly degraded matrix metalloprotease (MMP) susceptible peptide, GPQG↓IWGQ, or a more rapidly cleaved peptide, VPMS↓MRGG.

Effects of hydroxyapatite on endothelial network formation in collagen/fibrin composite hydrogels in vitro and in vivo.

Co-culture of endothelial cells (EC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) results in robust vascular network formation in constrained 3-D collagen/fibrin (COL/FIB) composite hydrogels. However, the ability to form endothelial networks is lost when such gels are allowed to compact via cell-mediated remodeling. In this study, we created co-cultures of human EC and human MSC in both constrained and unconstrained COL/FIB matrices and systematically added nanoparticulate hydroxyapatite (HA, 0-20 mg ml(-1)), a bone-like mineral that has been shown to have pro-vasculogenic effects.

Stem cells derived from tooth periodontal ligament enhance functional angiogenesis by endothelial cells.

In regenerative medicine approaches involving cell therapy, selection of the appropriate cell type is important in that the cells must directly (differentiation) or indirectly (trophic effects) participate in the regenerative response. Regardless of the mode of action of the cells, angiogenesis underlies the success of these approaches. Stem cells derived from tooth tissues, specifically the periodontal ligament of teeth (periodontal ligament stem cells [PDLSCs]), have recently been identified as a good source of multipotent cells for cell therapies.

Effect of substrate stiffness on pulmonary fibroblast activation by TGF-β.

Peptide crosslinkers containing the sequence C-X-CG (X represents various adhesive peptides) were incorporated into poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel networks with different mechanical properties. Pulmonary fibroblasts (PFs) exhibit increased adhesion to rigid hydrogels modified with X=RGDS, DGEA and IKVAV (0.5 and/or 5 mM) compared with a scrambled control (X=HRPNS).

Life and death in the Lone Star State: three decades of violence predictions by capital juries.

The accuracy of three decades of Texas jury predictions of future violence by capital defendants was tested through retrospective review of the disciplinary records of former death row (FDR) inmates in Texas (N = 111) who had been sentenced to death under this "special issue" and subsequently obtained relief from their death sentences between 1989 and 2008. FDR inmates typically had extended tenures on death row (M = 9.9 years) and post-relief in the general prison population (M = 8.

Death row inmate characteristics, adjustment, and confinement: a critical review of the literature.

This article reviews and summarizes research on death row inmates. The contributions and weaknesses of death row demographic data, clinical studies, and research based on institutional records are critiqued. Our analysis shows that death row inmates are overwhelmingly male and disproportionately Southern.

Relaxation training tapes: preferences and effects of gender and background.

Relaxation training tapes vary in voice gender and background, but little has been published regarding the preferences and effects of these parameters. Four classes, totalling 40 male and 36 female undergraduates, listened to parts of two commercially available sets of relaxation tapes. Both sets offered progressive relaxation and autogenic training in a choice of a male or a female voice.