Cell-based tissue engineering strategies used in the clinical repair of articular cartilage

One of the most important issues facing cartilage tissue engineering is the inability to move technologies into the clinic. Despite the multitude of review articles on the paradigm of biomaterials, signals, and cells, it is reported that 90% of new drugs that advance past animal studies fail clinical trials (1). The intent of this review is to provide readers with an understanding of the scientific details of tissue engineered cartilage products that have demonstrated a certain level of efficacy in humans, so that newer technologies may be developed upon this foundation. Compared to existing treatments, such as microfracture or autologous chondrocyte implantation, a tissue engineered product can potentially provide more consistent clinical results in forming hyaline repair tissue and in filling the entirety of the defect. The various tissue engineering strategies (e.g., cell expansion, scaffold material, media formulations, biomimetic stimuli, etc.) used in forming these products, as collected from published literature, company websites, and relevant patents, are critically discussed. The authors note that many details about these products remain proprietary, not all information is made public, and that advancements to the products are continuously made. Nevertheless, by fully understanding the design and production processes of these emerging technologies, one can gain tremendous insight into how to best use them and also how to design the next generation of tissue engineered cartilage products

Collective Bargaining: A Management View

In the area of grievance and arbitration machinery, unions are demanding protection against damage claims and court actions and insisting that arbitration be the sole and exclusive remedy for all disputes. Not only are unions insisting upon arbitration of grievances arising under the contract, but they are also insisting upon arbitration of other types of disputes growing out of the relationship between the parties, whether covered by the contract or not. Unions also seek immunity from damage claims in the event of so-called wildcat strikes and fiercely resist provisions which would enable management to obtain relief from courts when no-strike clauses are violated. Management is faced with the problem of finding an accommodation between its objectives of operating efficiently, remaining competitive, paying fair wages, granting reasonable fringe benefits,remaining strike-free, and the objectives of the union in getting more pay for employees, protecting jobs and job opportunities, making the union more secure, and obtaining a voice in the running of the business. In a recent negotiation in which the writer was involved, it took two months to settle the so-called non-money issues and only two days to agree upon money matters. It will be the purpose of this article to discuss some of the changes that unions are now seeking and will continue to seek in forthcoming contract negotiations and to suggest some approaches which management may take