715 research outputs found

    Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on neuromuscular rehabilitation setting. Part 2: patients and families' views on the received health care during the pandemic

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    This study explored views of users with muscular dystrophies and their caregivers on staff-user relationships and the treatments provided by a Rehabilitation Centre during the pandemic. Patients and relatives were asked to anonymously complete an open-ended questionnaire exploring their views on these aspects. Fifty-four patients and 40 caregivers gave their informed consent and participated in the survey. Fifty-three patients were adults, 28% suffering from Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy. Patients reported 269 comments on health care services provided during the pandemic, 132 (49%) concerning positive aspects and 137 (51%) negative aspects. The prompt restart of the rehabilitation therapies and the staff closeness over the pandemic were the practical aspects most frequently appreciated (46.9%), while closer family contacts and the perception of being able to rely on the Centre's constant support were the most cited psychological aspects (53.1%). Architectural barriers, difficulties in accessing public health services, economic difficulties, and lack of support from welfare and other agencies were the practical critical points most frequently reported (89%). In addition, social isolation, and loneliness due to fear of contagion were the most negative psychological aspects (10.1%). As regard the caregivers' views, participants reported 151 comments. Of these, 86 (56.9%) were positive and 65 (43.1%) were negative. Among the positive aspects, the psychological ones - such as closer family contacts, not feeling abandoned and counting on the constant Centre's professional support prevailed (53.5%). As for the negative aspects, most caregivers (92.6%) believe that the pandemic exacerbated their financial and bureaucratic difficulties, particularly in poorer families

    A new holistic 3D non-invasive analysis of cellular distribution and motility on fibroinalginate microcarriers using light sheet fluorescent microscopy

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    Cell interaction with biomaterials is one of the keystones to developing medical devices for tissue engineering applications. Biomaterials are the scaffolds that give three-dimensional support to the cells, and are vectors that deliver the cells to the injured tissue requiring repair. Features of biomaterials can influence the behaviour of the cells and consequently the efficacy of the tissue-engineered product. The adhesion, distribution and motility of the seeded cells onto the scaffold represent key aspects, and must be evaluated in vitro during the product development, especially when the efficacy of a specific tissue-engineered product depends on viable and functional cell loading. In this work, we propose a non-invasive and non-destructive imaging analysis for investigating motility, viability and distribution of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) on silk fibroin-based alginate microcarriers, to test the adhesion capacity of the fibroin coating onto alginate which is known to be unsuitable for cell adhesion. However, in depth characterization of the biomaterial is beyond the scope of this paper. Scaffold-loaded MSCs were stained with Calcein-AM and Ethidium homodimer-1 to detect live and dead cells, respectively, and counterstained with Hoechst to label cell nuclei. Time-lapse Light Sheet Fluorescent Microscopy (LSFM) was then used to produce three dimensional images of the entire cells-loaded fibroin/alginate microcarriers. In order to quantitatively track the cell motility over time, we also developed an open source user friendly software tool called Fluorescent Cell Tracker in Three-Dimensions (F-Tracker3D). Combining LSFM with F-Tracker3D we were able for the first time to assess the distribution and motility of stem cells in a non-invasive, non-destructive, quantitative, and three-dimensional analysis of the entire surface of the cell-loaded scaffold. We therefore propose this imaging technique as an innovative holistic tool for monitoring cell-biomaterial interactions, and as a tool for the design, fabrication and functionalization of a scaffold as a medical device

    Mesenchymal stem cell secretome and extracellular vesicles for neurodegenerative diseases: Risk-benefit profile and next steps for the market access

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    Neurodegenerative diseases represent a growing burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promise as a potential therapy due to their neuroregenerative, neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory properties, which are, however, linked to the bioactive substances they release, collectively known as secretome. This paper provides an overview of the most recent research on the safety and efficacy of MSC-derived secretome and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in clinical (if available) and preclinical models of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, acute ischemic stroke, and spinal cord injury. The article explores the biologically active substances within MSCsecretome/EVs, the mechanisms responsible for the observed therapeutic effects, and the strategies that may be used to optimize MSC-secretome/EVs production based on specific therapeutic needs. The review concludes with a critical discussion of current clinical trials and a perspective on potential future directions in translating MSCsecretome and EVs into the clinic, specifically regarding how to address the challenges associated with their pharmaceutical manufacturing, including scalability, batch-to-batch consistency, adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines, formulation, and storage, along with quality controls, access to the market and relative costs, value for money and impact on total expenditure
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