Prospects of micromass culture technology in tissue engineering

Tissue engineering of bone and cartilage tissue for subsequent implantation is of growing interest in cranio- and maxillofacial surgery. Commonly it is performed by using cells coaxed with scaffolds. Recently, there is a controversy concerning the use of artificial scaffolds compared to the use of a natural matrix. Therefore, new approaches called micromass technology have been invented to overcome these problems by avoiding the need for scaffolds. Technically, cells are dissociated and the dispersed cells are then reaggregated into cellular spheres. The micromass technology approach enables investigators to follow tissue formation from single cell sources to organised spheres in a controlled environment. Thus, the inherent fundamentals of tissue engineering are better revealed. Additionally, as the newly formed tissue is devoid of an artificial material, it resembles more closely the in vivo situation. The purpose of this review is to provide an insight into the fundamentals and the technique of micromass cell culture used to study bone tissue engineering

Treaty of Stralsund and the peak development of the late Gothic church architecture in Western Pomerania: links between politics, economy and demand for building

The article focuses on the role of cities in Western Pomeranian in wars waged by the Hanseatic League against Valdemar IV, King of Denmark, between 1362 and 1370, and the influence of the peace treaty concluded in Stralsund on the development of a demand for building churches in Pomeranian cities that had actively participated in the conflict

Elimination of Tritium-Labelled Hyaluronic Acid from Normal and Osteoarthritic Rabbit Knee Joints

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