Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Biocompatible Alloy, Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta-Sn.

Many current-generation biomedical implants are fabricated from the Ti-6Al-4V alloy because it has many attractive properties, such as low density and biocompatibility. However, the elastic modulus of this alloy is much larger than that of the surrounding bone, leading to bone resorption and, eventually, implant failure. In the present study, we synthesized and performed a detailed analysis of a novel low elastic modulus Ti-based alloy (Ti-28Nb-5Zr-2Ta-2Sn (TNZTS alloy)) using a variety of methods, including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and tensile test.

Update on Novel Non-Operative Treatment for Osteoarthritis: Current Status and Future Trends.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of pain and disability which results in a reduced quality of life. Due to the avascular nature of cartilage, damaged cartilage has a finite capacity for healing or regeneration. To date, conservative management, including physical measures and pharmacological therapy are still the principal choices offered for OA patients.

A simple method for decellularizing a cell-derived matrix for bone cell cultivation and differentiation.

The extracellular matrix regulates cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. In vitro two-dimensional cell experiments are typically performed on a plastic plate or a substrate of a single extracellular matrix constituent such as collagen or calcium phosphate. As these approaches do not include extracellular matrix proteins or growth factors, they fail to mimic a complex cell microenvironment.

The relationship between healthy lifestyles and bone health: A narrative review.

Background: Bone health, especially osteoporosis among ageing populations, has become an important topic for both clinical and basic researchers. The relationship between bone health and healthy lifestyles has been frequently discussed. The present study focuses on the relationship between bone health and healthy lifestyles among older adults, based on a global comparison.

Bisphosphonates Reduce Smoking-Induced Osteoporotic-Like Alterations by Regulating RANKL/OPG in an Osteoblast and Osteoclast Co-Culture Model.

Co-culture models have become mandatory for obtaining better insights into bone homeostasis, which relies on the balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Cigarette smoking (CS) has been proven to increase the risk of osteoporosis; however, there is currently no proven treatment for osteoporosis in smokers excluding cessation. Bisphosphonates (BPs) are classical anti-osteoclastic drugs that are commonly used in examining the suitability of bone co-culture systems in vitro as well as to verify the response to osteoporotic stimuli.

Increasing Age, the Existence of Comorbidities, and Corticosteroid Treatment in Combination With Antiviral Therapy Prolongs the Recovery of SARS-COV-2-Infected Patients, Measured as the Conversion From Positive to Negative rtPCR: A 239 Patients' Retrospective Study.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2), has become a global pandemic in the past months. An overall defined treatment has not yet been established. Therefore, it is important to summarize and report treatment experiences and identify patient groups that have a significantly higher risk of an adverse clinical outcome.

Bio-impedance measurement allows displaying the early stages of neutrophil extracellular traps.

Neutrophils are the most abundant immune cells in the blood. Besides common immune defense mechanisms, releasing their DNA covered with antimicrobial proteases and histones represent another strong defense mechanism: neutrophil extracellular traps. the two most common inducers of these, so called, NETs are calcium ionophores (CI) and PMA (Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate).

Assessment of tobacco heating system 2.4 on osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and primary human osteoblasts compared to conventional cigarettes.

Background: Cigarette smoking (CS) is the most common method of consuming tobacco. Deleterious effects on bone integrity, increased incidence of fractures, and delayed fracture healing are all associated with CS. Over 150 of the 6500 molecular species contained in cigarette smoke and identified as toxic compounds are inhaled by CS and, the bloodstream, reach the skeletal system.

Pseudo paralysis of the shoulder and increased C-reactive protein are predictive factors for septic shoulder in children superior to other clinical symptoms: a retrospective case series of 25 patients.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate predictable parameters with the highest sensitivity used in the diagnosis of children septic shoulder arthritis.

Methods: All children treated in our paediatric orthopaedic hospital between 2000 and 2017 with intraoperative verified septic arthritis of the shoulder were included in this retrospective study. Diagnostic procedures e.

Bone marrow fat fraction assessment in regard to physical activity: KORA FF4-3-T MR imaging in a population-based cohort.

Objectives: To establish the effect of different degrees and kinds of physical activity on bone marrow fat (BMAT) content at different anatomical locations in a population-based cohort study undergoing whole-body MR imaging.

Methods: Subjects of the KORA FF4 study without known cardiovascular disease underwent BMAT fat fraction (FF) quantification in L1 and L2 vertebrae and femoral heads/necks (hip) via a 2-point T1-weighted VIBE Dixon sequence. BMAT-FF was calculated as mean value (fat image) divided by mean value (fat + water image).

Tissue Engineering in Liver Regenerative Medicine: Insights into Novel Translational Technologies.

Organ and tissue shortage are known as a crucially important public health problem as unfortunately a small percentage of patients receive transplants. In the context of emerging regenerative medicine, researchers are trying to regenerate and replace different organs and tissues such as the liver, heart, skin, and kidney. Liver tissue engineering (TE) enables us to reproduce and restore liver functions, fully or partially, which could be used in the treatment of acute or chronic liver disorders and/or generate an appropriate functional organ which can be transplanted or employed as an extracorporeal device.

Translational Insights into Extremely Low Frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (ELF-PEMFs) for Bone Regeneration after Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery.

The finding that alterations in electrical potential play an important role in the mechanical stimulation of the bone provoked hype that noninvasive extremely low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (ELF-PEMF) can be used to support healing of bone and osteochondral defects. This resulted in the development of many ELF-PEMF devices for clinical use. Due to the resulting diversity of the ELF-PEMF characteristics regarding treatment regimen, and reported results, exposure to ELF-PEMFs is generally not among the guidelines to treat bone and osteochondral defects.

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy Improves Osseous Consolidation after High Tibial Osteotomy in Elderly Patients-A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial.

Extremely low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field (ELF-PEMF) therapy is proposed to support bone healing after injuries and surgical procedures, being of special interest for elderly patients. This study aimed at investigating the effect of a specific ELF-PEMF, recently identified to support osteoblast function in vitro, on bone healing after high tibial osteotomy (HTO). Patients who underwent HTO were randomized to ELF-PEMF or placebo treatment, both applied by optically identical external devices 7 min per day for 30 days following surgery.

Identification of the Secreted Proteins Originated from Primary Human Hepatocytes and HepG2 Cells.

The liver plays a pivotal role in whole-body carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. One of the key regulators of glucose and lipid metabolism are hepatokines, which are found among the liver secreted proteins, defined as liver secretome. To elucidate the composition of the human liver secretome and identify hepatokines in primary human hepatocytes (PHH), we conducted comprehensive protein profiling on conditioned medium (CM) of PHH.

Intervertebral Disc Nucleus Repair: Hype or Hope?

Chronic back pain is a common disability, which is often accredited to intervertebral disc degeneration. Gold standard interventions such as spinal fusion, which are mainly designed to mechanically seal the defect, frequently fail to restore the native biomechanics. Moreover, artificial implants have limited success as a repair strategy, as they do not alter the underlying disease and fail to promote tissue integration and subsequent native biomechanics.

The continuous downgrading of malnutrition in the German DRG system: possible effects on the treatment of patients at risk for malnutrition.

It has been internationally recognized that malnutrition is an independent risk factor for patients' clinical outcome. A new mandatory fixed price payment system based on diagnosis-related groups (G-DRG) went into effect in 2004. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the importance of carefully coding the secondary diagnosis of "malnutrition" in the G-DRG system and to highlight how the economic relevance of malnutrition in the G-DRG system has changed from 2014 to 2016.

Isocaloric Substitution of Dietary Carbohydrate Intake with Fat Intake and MRI-Determined Total Volumes of Visceral, Subcutaneous and Hepatic Fat Content in Middle-Aged Adults.

The present study investigated the association of carbohydrate intake and isocaloric substitution with different types of fat with visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and hepatic fat content as determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Data from 283 participants (mean age 56.1 ± 9.

Prenatal liver stromal cells: Favorable feeder cells for long-term culture of hepatic progenitor cells.

Clinical and pharmaceutical applications of primary hepatocytes (PHs) are limited due to inadequate number of donated livers and potential challenges in successful maintenance of PHs in culture. Freshly isolated hepatocytes lose their specific features and rapidly de-differentiate in culture. Bipotent hepatoblasts, as liver precursor cells that can differentiate into both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes (Alb- and Ck19-positive cells, respectively), could be used as an alternative and reliable cell source to produce enough PHs for drug discovery or possible clinical applications.

Circulating growth/differentiation factor 15 is associated with human CD56 natural killer cell dysfunction and nosocomial infection in severe systemic inflammation.

Background: Systemic inflammation induced by sterile or infectious insults is associated with an enhanced susceptibility to life-threatening opportunistic, mostly bacterial, infections due to unknown pathogenesis. Natural killer (NK) cells contribute to the defence against bacterial infections through the release of Interferon (IFN) γ in response to Interleukin (IL) 12. Considering the relevance of NK cells in the immune defence we investigated whether the function of NK cells is disturbed in patients suffering from serious systemic inflammation.

Exogenous Delivery of Link N mRNA into Chondrocytes and MSCs-The Potential Role in Increasing Anabolic Response.

Musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis and intervertebral disc degeneration are causes of morbidity, which concomitantly burdens the health and social care systems worldwide, with massive costs. Link N peptide has recently been described as a novel anabolic stimulator for intervertebral disc repair. In this study, we analyzed the influence on anabolic response, by delivering synthetic Link N encoding mRNA into primary human chondrocytes and mesenchymal stromal cells (SCP1 cells), Furthermore, both cell types were seeded on knitted titanium scaffolds, and the influence of Link N peptide mRNA for possible tissue engineering applications was investigated.

How does a novel knitted titanium nucleus prosthesis change the kinematics of a cervical spine segment? A biomechanical cadaveric study.

Background: Total disc replacement is a possible treatment alternative for patients with degenerative disc disease, especially in the cervical spine. The aim is to restore the physiological flexibility and biomechanical behavior. A new approach based on these requirements is the novel nucleus prosthesis made of knitted titanium wires.

Transfection of Peripheral Blood Monocytes with Enhances Multipotency, Proliferation, and Redifferentiation into Neohepatocytes and Insulin-Producing Cells.

Following a several-day incubation in medium containing IL-3 and M-CSF to generate a more plastic intermediate "reprogrammed multipotent cells of monocytic origin (RMCMO)," peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) can be efficiently converted to hepatocyte-like cells (neohepatocytes) and insulin-producing cells. However, continuous efforts are devoted to enhancing the proliferative capacity of these multipotent cells while maintaining or further increasing their redifferentiation potential. In the present work, PBMCs were transfected with one pluripotency gene () and the resulting RMCMO compared to standard RMCMO with respect to cell viability, proliferative activity, and redifferentiation potential.

cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (cGKI) modulates human hepatic stellate cell activation.

Background: The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) plays a crucial role in liver fibrosis, however the role of HSCs is less understood in hepatic insulin resistance. Since in the liver cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (cGKI) was detected in HSC but not in hepatocytes, and cGKI-deficient mice that express cGKI selectively in smooth muscle but not in other cell types (cGKI-SM mice) displayed hepatic insulin resistance, we hypothesized that cGKI modulates HSC activation and insulin sensitivity.

Materials And Methods: To study stellate cell activation in cGKI-SM mice, retinol storage and gene expression were studied.

Characteristics and associated risk factors of diverticular disease assessed by magnetic resonance imaging in subjects from a Western general population.

Objectives: Diverticular disease represents an increasing pathology and healthcare burden worldwide. Our aim was to study the prevalence, extent and distribution of asymptomatic diverticular disease assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a sample of a Western population.

Methods: Subjects from a population-based cohort study who underwent 3-T MRI were analyzed for the prevalence and extent of diverticula of the colon using an isotropic VIBE-Dixon gradient-echo sequence.

From the Clinical Problem to the Basic Research-Co-Culture Models of Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts.

Bone tissue undergoes constant remodeling and healing when fracture happens, in order to ensure its structural integrity. In order to better understand open biological and clinical questions linked to various bone diseases, bone cell co-culture technology is believed to shed some light into the dark. Osteoblasts/osteocytes and osteoclasts dominate the metabolism of bone by a multitude of connections.