Advances in short bowel syndrome: an updated review

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) continues to be an important clinical problem due to its high mortality and morbidity as well as its devastating socioeconomic effects. The past 3 years have witnessed many advances in the investigation of this condition, with the aim of elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of intestinal adaptation. Such information may provide opportunities to exploit various factors that act as growth agents for the remaining bowel mucosa and may suggest new therapeutic strategies to maintain gut integrity, eliminate dependence on total parenteral nutrition, and avoid the need for intestinal transplantation. This review summarizes current research on SBS over the last few years.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47168/1/383_2005_Article_1500.pd

Directing the Self-assembly of Tumour Spheroids by Bioprinting Cellular Heterogeneous Models within Alginate/Gelatin Hydrogels

"Human tumour progression is a dynamic process involving diverse biological and biochemical events such as genetic mutation and selection in addition to physical, chemical, and mechanical events occurring between cells and the tumour microenvironment. Using 3D bioprinting we have developed a method to embed MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cells, and IMR-90 fibroblast cells, within a cross-linked alginate/gelatin matrix at specific initial locations relative to each other. After 7 days of co-culture the MDA-MB-231 cells begin to form multicellular tumour spheroids (MCTS) that increase in size and frequency over time. After similar to 15 days the IMR-90 stromal fibroblast cells migrate through a non-cellularized region of the hydrogel matrix and infiltrate the MDA-MB-231 spheroids creating mixed MDA-MB-231/IMR-90 MCTS. This study provides a proof-of-concept that biomimetic in vitro tissue coculture models bioprinted with both breast cancer cells and fibroblasts will result in MCTS that can be maintained for durations of several weeks.