Effect of a Rehabilitation Program After Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Transplantation for Advanced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study

Objective: To assess the status of 10 patients with advanced osteonecrosis of the femoral head who underwent mesenchymal stromal cell transplants and a 12-week rehabilitation program 10 years earlier. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University clinical research laboratory. Participants: Patients (N=10) who had undergone mesenchymal stromal cell transplantation and rehabilitation for a single hip osteonecrosis of the femoral head 10 years prior to the current study were recruited by telephone. The average age was 31.7 years and all participants were men; radiographic stages were 3A in 6 patients and 3B in 4 patients before treatment. Intervention: A 12-week rehabilitation program with follow-up once every 1 to 2 years was performed after mesenchymal stromal cell transplantation. Main Outcome Measures: Radiographic analysis, clinical score, timed Up and Go test, hip function (range of motion, muscle strength), and Short Form-36 scores were assessed before treatment and 1 and 10 years after treatment. Results: Upon imaging, 5 hips were found to be stable (stable group) and 5 had progressed (progressed group); 2 of the latter group required a total hip arthroplasty. The pretreatment radiographic stage of the progressed group was more advanced than that of the stable group. Body mass index was higher in the progressed group than in the stable group. Hip function and clinical score at 1 and 10 years after treatment improved in the hips of 8 patients without total hip arthroplasty. There were no severe adverse events during the rehabilitation. Conclusions: The 12-week rehabilitation program and annual follow-up after mesenchymal stromal cell transplantation for osteonecrosis of the femoral head was associated with pain reduction, maintaining hip muscle strength, widening range of motion, and improving quality of life. The level and timing of weight-bearing and social activity should be planned according to the individual's lifestyle and body composition

Prostaglandin E2 receptor type 2-selective agonist prevents the degeneration of articular cartilage in rabbit knees with traumatic instability

[Introduction]Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of disability in older adults. We have previously reported that an agonist for subtypes EP2 of the prostaglandin E2 receptor (an EP2 agonist) promotes the regeneration of chondral and osteochondral defects. The purpose of the current study is to analyze the effect of this agonist on articular cartilage in a model of traumatic degeneration. [Methods]The model of traumatic degeneration was established through transection of the anterior cruciate ligament and partial resection of the medial meniscus of the rabbits. Rabbits were divided into 5 groups; G-S (sham operation), G-C (no further treatment), G-0, G-80, and G-400 (single intra-articular administration of gelatin hydrogel containing 0, 80, and 400 μg of the specific EP2 agonist, ONO-8815Ly, respectively). Degeneration of the articular cartilage was evaluated at 2 or 12 weeks after the operation. [Results]ONO-8815Ly prevented cartilage degeneration at 2 weeks, which was associated with the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) expression. The effect of ONO-8815Ly failed to last, and no effects were observed at 12 weeks after the operation. [Conclusions]Stimulation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) via EP2 prevents degeneration of the articular cartilage during the early stages. With a system to deliver it long term, the EP2 agonist could be a new therapeutic tool for OA

ダイ41ジ ナンキョク チイキ カンソクタイ キショウ ブモン ホウコク 2000

この報告は,第41次南極地域観測隊気象部門が,2000年2月1日から2001年1月31日まで,昭和基地において行った気象観測結果をまとめたものである.観測方法,測器,統計方法等は,第40次隊とほぼ同様である. 越冬期間中,特記される気象現象として,次のものが挙げられる.1) 地上気象観測において,3月には好天が継続し,月平均気温の低い方,月最低気温の低い方,月間日照時間の多い方等の,また,10月には曇天が持続し,月平均雲量の多い方,月間日照時間の少ない方のそれぞれの極値の更新があった.2) 高層気象観測では,9月,10月の50hPaより上の領域で30年平均値に比べて強い西風偏差が現れた.3) オゾン全量観測において,昨年に引き続き大規模なオゾンホールを観測した.オゾンホールの消滅は12月1日で,オゾンホールが継続して大規模に発達している1992年以降では94年に次ぎ2番目に早かった.4) エアロゾルゾンデ観測において,春季南極上空で形成されるオゾンホールの重要要因となっていると思われる極成層圏雲(PSCs)の雲粒子の分布状況を観測した.This report is a collection of results on meteorological observations performed by the 41st Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition from February 1, 2000 through January 31, 2001 at Syowa Station. The measuring instruments and means of compiling statistics were almost the same as those used on the 40th Expedition. Remarkable weather phenomena during the wintering period are as follows.1) In surface weather observations, fine weather continued in March, the minimum monthly mean temperature, monthly lowest temperature, and maximum duration of monthly sunshine were recorded. On the other hand, cloudy weather continued in October, the maximum monthly mean cloud amount and the minimum duration of monthly sunshine were recorded.2) In upper air observations, heavy westerly wind blew above 50hPa compared to a normal year, in September and October.3) The large-scale ozone hole was observed, as in the previous year. The ozone hole disappeared on December 1; the recovery of the total amount of ozone was secondary earliest in the last 9 years.4) In observations using aerosol sondes, we observed variations of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), which are thought to be the most important cause of ozone holes formed in the springtime Antarctic lower stratosphere

Cell therapy for avascular osteonecrosis of femoral head

Avascular osteonecrosis of femoral head causes severe musculoskeletal disability. There is not standard treatment to cure avascular osteonecrosis.? Recently, cell therapy using bone marrow stromal cells has begun for this disease

Meteorological observations at Syowa Station in 2000 by the 41st Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition

This report is a collection of results on meteorological observations performed by the 41st Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition from February 1, 2000 through January 31, 2001 at Syowa Station. The measuring instruments and means of compiling statistics were almost the same as those used on the 40th Expedition. Remarkable weather phenomena during the wintering period are as follows.1) In surface weather observations, fine weather continued in March, the minimum monthly mean temperature, monthly lowest temperature, and maximum duration of monthly sunshine were recorded. On the other hand, cloudy weather continued in October, the maximum monthly mean cloud amount and the minimum duration of monthly sunshine were recorded.2) In upper air observations, heavy westerly wind blew above 50hPa compared to a normal year, in September and October.3) The large-scale ozone hole was observed, as in the previous year. The ozone hole disappeared on December 1; the recovery of the total amount of ozone was secondary earliest in the last 9 years.4) In observations using aerosol sondes, we observed variations of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), which are thought to be the most important cause of ozone holes formed in the springtime Antarctic lower stratosphere

Development of Mine Detection Robot System

The Mine Detection Robot supports the mine removal work in countries where mines are buried, such as Afghanistan. The development started from September, 2003. Considering running on rough terrains, the robot has four crawlers, and hydraulic motors in front and rear were serially connected by piping so that they could rotate synchronously. Two work arms were mounted on the robot, one was a horizontal multi-joint SCARA type with motorized 2-link arm, while the other was a vertical multi-joint manipulator with 6 degrees of freedom. Also, domestic evaluation tests were carried out from February to March, 2005, followed by overseas validation tests in Croatia from February to March, 2006. These tests were conducted with a mine detecting senor mounted on the Robot, and the detection performance was evaluated by its mine detection rate

Influence of Titania Dispersivity on the Conversion Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Titania powder (P25) was dispersed by bead-milling breakdown method, and the dispersivity of TiO2 was controlled by adjusting the mean secondary TiO2 particle size to 45, 56, and 75 nm by changing the dispersion solvent blend ratio of ethanol and terpineol. The transparency of the coated layer increased when the particle size of TiO2 aggregates became smaller than 100 nm. Although the transparency was significantly different according to differences in the size of nanocrystallyne-TiO2 aggregates, the resulting photovoltaic (PV) effect of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was not significantly different between the different aggregate sizes. A double layer structure (transparent TiO2 layer/opaque TiO2 layer) was adopted to improve the PV effect, which resulted in an improvement of the photocurrent and conversion efficiency of 13.2% and 11.1%, respectively, from that for the DSSCs with single-layered TiO2 electrodes

An exploratory clinical trial for idiopathic osteonecrosis of femoral head by cultured autologous multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells augmented with vascularized bone grafts.

Idiopathic osteonecrosis of femoral head (ION) is a painful disorder that progresses to collapse of the femoral head and destruction of the hip joint. Although its precise pathology remains unknown, the loss of blood supply causing the loss of living bone-forming cells is a hallmark of the pathophysiology of osteonecrosis. Transplantation of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is a promising tool for regenerating the musculoskeletal system. The aim of the present study was to assess the safety and efficacy of transplantation of cultured autologous bone marrow-derived MSCs mixed with β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) in combination with vascularized bone grafts for the treatment of advanced stage ION in a clinical trial. Ten patients with stage 3 ION were enrolled in this study. Autologous bone marrow-derived MSCs were cultured with autologous serum, and cells (0.5-1.0×10(8)) were transplanted after mixing with β-TCP granules in combination with vascularized iliac bone grafts. Patients were assessed 24 months after treatment. The primary and secondary endpoints were progression of the radiological stage and changes in bone volume at the femoral head, and clinical score, respectively. Nine of ten patients completed the protocol, seven of whom remained at stage 3, and the remaining two cases progressed to stage 4. The average bone volume increased from 56.5±8.5 cm(3) to 57.7±10.6 cm(3). The average clinical score according to the Japan Orthopaedic Association improved from 65.6±25.5 points to 87.9±19.0 points. One severe adverse event was observed, which was not related to the clinical trial. Although the efficacy of cell transplantation was still to be determined, all procedures were successfully performed and some young patients with extensive necrotic lesions with pain demonstrated good bone regeneration with amelioration of symptoms. Further improvements in our method using MSCs and the proper selection of patients will open a new approach for the treatment of this refractory disease

Analysis of Carbon Dioxide Concentration Prediction Model and Diffusion Tendency of Expiratory by Simultaneous Multipoint Sensing

Recent indoor air quality studies show that even 1000 parts per million (ppm) concentration of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) has an adverse effect on human intellectual activities. Therefore, it is required to keep the CO 2 concentration below a certain value in a room. In this study, in order to analyze the diffusion tendency of carbon dioxide by breathing, we constructed a simultaneous multi-point sensing system equipped with a carbon dioxide concentration sensor to measure indoor environment. Furthermore, it was evaluated whether the prediction model can be effectively used by comparing the prediction value by the model and the actually measured value from the sensor. The experimental results showed that CO 2 by exhaled breathing diffuses evenly throughout the room regardless of the sensor’s relative positions to the human test subjects. The existing model is sufficiently accurate in a room which has above at least a 0.67 cycle/h ventilation cycle. However, there is a large gap between the measured and the model’s predicted values in a room with a low ventilation cycle, and that suggests a measurement with a sensor still is necessary to precisely monitor the indoor air quality