An investigation of tendon fibroblast responses to tensile loading in vitro

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Free radial forearm flap after partial glossectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue

Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue is a highly malignant condition and results in high mortality and morbidity in patients despite its early detection (1). Early surgical interventions have been found to reduce mortality but in many reports, tongue reconstructions using live grafts have been found to reduce normal tongue function of speech, swallow and taste. In contrast, our report using free radial forearm flap (FRFF) to reconstruct the defect left over after a radical tongue resection in a 38-year-old gentleman with oral cancer has shown promising results. This type of reconstruction has left the patient with a functional and cosmetically acceptable tongue with minimal alteration in recognizable speech

A systematic review on peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a therapy for cartilage repair

Comprehensive analysis showed that the popularity of research peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells for knee cartilage repair is still lacking, as they peripherally exist at a very low level. Despite its small cell number, peripheral blood is yet one of the most convenient sources of mesenchymal stem cells due to its less invasive method to harvest. This study aimed to systematically review the current evidence of peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells towards the repair of articular cartilage defect. A comprehensive literature search was performed to identify all in vivo studies reporting the structural outcome of articular cartilage repair in the knee following electronic databases: PubMed, WOS and SCOPUS. The in vitro characterizations of peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells were evaluated to enable quality assessment. Literature from 1934 to 2019 showed 4822 of total articles with only three findings related to pre-clinical studies were included in the analysis. The selection of animal model, type of transplantation, mobilization of the peripheral blood, in vitro culture condition, type of scaffold, assessments on the cartilage defect, and the outcome measures were heterogeneous. Evidence showed that mobilized peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells were more superior in repairing articular cartilage compared to those that were non-mobilized. These cells also showed a comparable capability in repairing articular cartilage than the commonly used bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Overall, more progress is needed to expand the usage of peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells from basic biological science to the translational studies in clinical practice

Gallium-Containing Mesoporous Bioactive Glass with Potent Hemostatic Activity and Antibacterial Efficacy

Haemorrhage remains the leading cause of potentially survivable death in both military and civilian populations. Although a large variety of hemostatic agents have been developed, many of them have an inadequate capacity to induce hemostasis and are not effective in killing bacteria. In recent years, mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) were found to be effective in inducing hemostasis. However, the materials may not be considered as ideal hemostats since they do not offer antimicrobial activity. The gallium ion (Ga+3) not only exhibits antibacterial properties but also accelerates the blood coagulation cascade. The aim of this study was to develop MBGs containing various concentrations of Ga2O3 (1, 2 & 3 mol%) via the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process and investigate whether the addition of Ga3+ would induce both hemostatic and antibacterial effects. The results indicated that the incorporation of lower Ga2O3 content (1 mol%) into the MBG system improved structural properties including the specific surface area, mesopore size and pore volume as well as the release of silicon and calcium ions. The bioactive glass was found to stimulate blood coagulation, platelet adhesion and thrombus generation and exerted an antibacterial effect against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Likewise, Ga-doped MBGs showed excellent cytocompatibility even after 3 days, with the 1% Ga2O3-containing MBG attaining the best biocompatibility that render them safe hemostatic agents for stopping bleeding. This study demonstrated that the lowest Ga2O3-substituted MBG can be a potent candidate for controlling haemorrhage and wound infection

Screening the Beach – Probing the Past: The Baltic Sea in Contemporary German Cinema

Since the fall of the Wall, unification and the subsequent re-invention of the nation, filmmakers have revisited the German Heimat film / homeland film cinematic tradition with a view to placing themselves creatively in the context of its intellectual and artistic heritage. However, German directors like Ute Badura, Wolfgang Koepp, Andreas Dresen, Peter Welz and Andreas Kleinert, who, in their work and autobiographies, bring East and West together, choose an Eastern setting for their films – rather than alpine or heath-landscapes – as they ascribe symbolic value to the Baltic Region and former German territories in the East. In many instances their films culminate at the sea which stands for the rough elements of nature as experienced in numerous maritime disasters in the untamed tidal waters of Germany’s limited coastline. The ocean drives home the message that the only certainty in life is change. But why did they choose the contested Eastern German territories and the Baltic Sea? Is this re-orientation and paradigm shift in the Heimat genre from the west to the east a rapprochement or, rather, a territorial claim? Are the shores of the Baltic Sea perhaps expressing a yearning for former German territories further east that were lost after 1945? This article will probe several interpretations of the Baltic shore as a cinematic motif