Cartilage

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease that currently has no cure. There are numerous studies showing that carnosine and hyaluronic acid (HA) have a positive pharmacological action during joint inflammation. For this reason, the goal of this research was to discover the protective effect of a new carnosine conjugate with hyaluronic acid (FidHycarn) on the inflammatory response and on the cartilage degradation in an in vivo experimental model of OA. This model was induced by a single intra-articular (i.ar.) injection of 25 µL of normal saline with 1 mg of monosodium iodoacetate solution (MIA) in the knee joint of rats. MIA injection caused histological alterations and degradation of the cartilage, as well as behavioral changes. Oral treatment with FidHycarn ameliorated the macroscopic signs, improved thermal hyperalgesia and the weight distribution of the hind paw, and decreased histological and radiographic alterations. The oxidative damage was analyzed by evaluating the levels of nitroty...

Trochleas obtained from fresh surgical specimens, autopsy material, and cadavers were studied by means of dissection, light microscopy, and electron microscopy (scanning and transmission). A bursa-like structure that has not previously been described lines the ...

Undifferentiated arthritis (UA) is a label applied to patients with joint complaints which cannot be classified according to current criteria, which implies a need for precision diagnostic technologies. We studied serum galectin-3, a proinflammatory mediator, and seromarkers of structural joint elements in patients with early, UA and their associations with disease profile and biochemical and imaging findings. One hundred and eleven UA patients were followed-up for at least 12 months and reclassified according to appropriate criteria (TUDAR). At baseline, demographics and laboratory and clinical disease measures, as well as wrist magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) synovitis, erosion, and bone marrow edema scorings, were recorded. Galectin-3, the type IIA collagen N-terminal propeptide (PIIANP), which is a marker of regenerative cartilage formation, and hyaluronan (HYA), which is prevalent in synovial tissue swellings, were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Receive...

An experimental study was made of 20 dogs in order to compare various surgical techniques used to correct eversion of the third eyelid, namely resection of most of the cartilage, resection of the central portion of the cartilage, and cartilage homotransplantation. An analysis was made of histological results obtained 45 days after operation, the most satisfactory result being recorded for homotransplantation of the third eyelid cartilage.

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the long-term hearing results of using costal cartilage prostheses in ossicular chain reconstruction procedures in subjects operated on for a middle ear cholesteatoma with an intact canal wall tympanoplasty. Thirty-six patients (four with bilateral disease) followed up for 10 years who underwent an ossiculoplasty with a cartilage prostheses between January 1987 and December 1989 constituted the population studied. All the subjects underwent a staged intact canal wall tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy. Ossiculoplasty with total or partial chondroprosthesis was performed during the second stage. The long-term outcome was evaluated in terms of hearing according to the guidelines of the Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium (1995), and in terms of complications (anatomical and functional). In 18 patients a partial cartilage ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP) was used, while in 22 a total cartilage ossicular replacement prosthesis (TORP) was used. In the PORP group the mean preoperative air–bone gap (ABG) was 22.4 dB hearing level (HL); before the second stage the ABG was 37.9 dB HL, at 2 years it was 12.1 dB HL, at 5 years 15.3 dB HL and at 10 years 15.8 dB HL. In the TORP group the mean preoperative ABG was 31.6 dB HL; before the second stage the ABG was 41.1 dB HL, at 2 years it was 14.4 dB HL, at 5 years 17 dB HL and at 10 years 18.5 dB HL. In both groups the number of cases with a postoperative ABG of < 20 dB HL remained stable (P > 0.05) over time. The failure rate was 17.5%, but only in 5% of cases was a functional revision needed. No cases of extrusion of the prostheses were encountered. The use of a chondroprosthesis is associated with functional results similar to those obtained by other authors. The efficacy of the prostheses remains stable over time and is associated with a very low rate of complications and failures. In this series no extrusion occurred and in no case did an infectious disease develop after cartilage transplantation.

The ability to repair tissue via percutaneous means may allow interventional pain physicians to manage a wide variety of diseases including peripheral joint injuries and osteoarthritis. This review will highlight the developments in cellular medicine that may soon permit interventional pain management physicians to treat a much wider variety of clinical conditions and highlight an interventional case study using these technologies To determine if isolated and expanded human autologous mesenchymal stem cells could effectively regenerate cartilage and meniscal tissue when percutaneously injected into knees. Case Study Private Interventional Pain Management practice. An IRB approved study with a consenting volunteer in which mesenchymal stem cells were isolated and cultured ex-vivo from bone marrow aspiration of the iliac crest. The mesenchymal stem cells were then percutaneously injected into the subject&#39;s knee with MRI proven degenerative joint disease. Pre- and post-treatment su...

 An exceptional case of a duplicate Meckel’s cartilage in a human fetus, with a C-R length of 57 mm, is studied. Another small cartilage, isolated from Meckel’s, of rounded morphology, was observed in a small region between the temporomandibular joint and the middle ear. This cartilage was only present on the right side.

ABSTRACT. A recent investigation into the myxozoan fauna of common gobies, Pomatoschistus microps, from the Forth Estuary in Scotland, revealed numerous myxosporean cysts within the gill cartilage. They were composed of polysporous plasmodia containing myxobolid spores that were morphologically different from the other known species of Myxobolus and from the myxosporeans previously recorded from this host (i.e. the ceratomyxid Ellipsomyxa gobii, infecting the gall bladder, and the kudoid Kudoa camarguensis, infecting the muscle tissues). Spores were ovoid, 9.4 × 9.1 μm with a thickness of 6.6 μm, with two pyriform polar capsules, the polar filaments of which had four to five turns. Molecular analysis of the parasite's small subunit rDNA region, based upon a contiguous sequence of 1,558 base pairs, discriminated it from other myxosporean species that have been characterized so far. A comparison of the spore morphology and the molecular sequences determined for this new isolate with other myxozoans described to date, confirmed its identity as a previously unknown myxobolid supporting the proposal that this isolate be elevated to the species level as a new species within the genus Myxobolus. A phylogenetic analysis places this new myxobolid, Myxobolus albi n. sp., in a basal position of a clade containing the majority of Henneguya spp. sequenced to date and various Myxobolus spp.

Cartilage reconstruction is a crucial issue for tissue engineering because of high damage frequency in connection with low regenerative capacity. Microfractures and shaving are the oldest and most commonly used practices. The newest techniques are: Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation, Matrix Associated Chondrocytes Implantation and their derivatives. Dedifferentiation of chondrocytes due to low proliferation rate and phenotype loss makes isolation and in vitro culture of normal human chondrocytes very complex. Therefore, obtaining mesenchymal stem cells from various sources and differentiating them into chondrocytes is another interesting approach.

Over the last decade DLW employing ultrafast pulsed lasers has become a well-established technique for the creation of custom-made free-form three-dimensional (3D) microscaffolds out of a variety of materials ranging from proteins to biocompatible glasses. Its potential applications for manufacturing a patient&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s specific scaffold seem unlimited in terms of spatial resolution and geometry complexity. However, despite few exceptions in which live cells or primitive organisms were encapsulated into a polymer matrix, no demonstration of an in vivo study case of scaffolds generated with the use of such a method was performed. Here, we report a preclinical study of 3D artificial microstructured scaffolds out of hybrid organic-inorganic (HOI) material SZ2080 fabricated using the DLW technique. The created 2.1 × 2.1 × 0.21 mm(3) membrane constructs are tested both in vitro by growing isolated allogeneic rabbit chondrocytes (Cho) and in vivo by implanting them into rabbit organisms for one, three and six months. An ex vivo histological examination shows that certain pore geometry and the pre-growing of Cho prior to implantation significantly improves the performance of the created 3D scaffolds. The achieved biocompatibility is comparable to the commercially available collagen membranes. The successful outcome of this study supports the idea that hexagonal-pore-shaped HOI microstructured scaffolds in combination with Cho seeding may be successfully implemented for cartilage tissue engineering.

Cartilage tissue engineering (CTE) applications are focused towards the use of implantable biohybrids consisting of biodegradable scaffolds combined within vitrocultured cells. Hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) were identified as the most potent prochondrogenic factors used to design new biomaterials for CTE, while human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) were proved to display high chondrogenic potential. In this context, our aim was not only to build novel 3D porous scaffolds based on natural compounds but also to evaluate theirin vitrobiological performances. Therefore, for prospective CTE, collagen-sericin (Coll-SS) scaffolds improved with HA (5% or 10%) and CS (5% or 10%) were used as temporary physical supports for ASCs and were analyzed in terms of structural, thermal, morphological, and swelling properties and cytotoxic potential. To complete biocompatibility data, ASCs viability and proliferation potential were also assessed. Our studies revealed that Coll-SS...

There is a growing interest in repairing joint injuries, especially cartilage tissue. Traditionally, the problem has been addressed leaving the injury to evolve and heal in time, at times proceeding to joint replacements or prescribing drugs with no promise of positive results.

Three experimental techniques based on automatic swept-frequency network and impedance analysers were used to measure the dielectric properties of tissue in the frequency range 10 Hz to 20 GHz. The technique used in conjunction with the impedance analyser is described. Results are given for a number of human and animal tissues, at body temperature, across the frequency range, demonstrating that good agreement was achieved between measurements using the three pieces of equipment. Moreover, the measured values fall well within the body of corresponding literature data.

A parametric model was developed to describe the variation of dielectric properties of tissues as a function of frequency. The experimental spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz was modelled with four dispersion regions. The development of the model was based on recently acquired data, complemented by data surveyed from the literature. The purpose is to enable the prediction of dielectric data that are in line with those contained in the vast body of literature on the subject. The analysis was carried out on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Parameters are given for 17 tissue types.

Background: Dorsal hump reduction is a critical step in rhinoplasty. Most of the reasons behind revisional procedures are related to incorrect hump reduction.Methods: The authors used a modified dorsal hump reduction method in their primary cases, the steps of which are as follows: 1) dissection of the nasal vault; 2) bilateral submucoperichondrial dissections to free the cartilaginous septum; 3) separation of the upper lateral cartilages from the cartilaginous septum; 4) partial dissection of the upper lateral cartilages from the inner surfaces of the nasal bones bilaterally; 5) separation of the bony septum from the nasal bones bilaterally; 6) reduction of the partially isolated nasal bones; 7) en bloc cartilaginous and bony septum removal. The authors have operated on 68 primary cases over a 2 year period (30 mo).Results: In the great majority of cases, the results were satisfactory. No revisions were performed in this patient group.Conclusions: This method is a good alternative to traditional techniques in noses with a high and narrow roof, thin skin, and weak middle nasal vault. Revision could be performed more easily when required. Initially, wide noses may not seem good candidates for this procedure; however, careful case-based preoperative planning may overcome this difficulty.