Monocyte subsets in blood correlate with obesity related response of macrophages to biomaterials in vitro

Macrophages play a key role in the foreign body response. In this study it was investigated whether obesity affects th

Intra-articular Injections of Platelet-Rich Plasma Releasate Reduce Pain and Synovial Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Osteoarthritis

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease leading to pain and disability for which no curative treatment exists. A promising biological treatment for OA is intra-articular administration of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). PRP injections in OA joints can relieve pain, although the exact working mechanism is unclear. Purpose: To examine the effects of PRP releasate (PRPr) on pain, cartilage damage, and synovial inflammation in a mouse OA model. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: OA was induced unilaterally in the knees of male mice (n = 36) by 2 intra-articular injections of collagenase at days –7 and –5. At day 0, pain was measured by registering weight distribution on the hindlimbs, after which mice were randomly divided into 2 groups. Mice received 3 intra-articular injections of PRP or saline in the affected knee. Seven mice per group were euthanized at day 5 for assessment of early synovial inflammation and cartilage damage. Pain in the remaining mice was registered for a total of 3 weeks. These mice were euthanized at day 21 for assessment of cartilage damage and synovial inflammation on histological evaluation. Antibodies against iNOS, CD163, and CD206 were used to identify different subtypes of macrophages in the synovial membrane. Results: Mice in the PRPr group increased the distribution of weight on the affected joint in 2 consecutive weeks after the start of the treatment (P <.05), whereas mice in the saline group did not. At day 21, PRPr-injected knees had a thinner synovial membrane (P <.05) and a trend toward less cartilage damage in the lateral joint compartment (P =.053) than saline-injected knees. OA knees treated with saline showed less anti-inflammatory (CD206+ and CD163+) cells at day 5 than healthy knees, an observation that was not made in the PRPr-treated group. A higher level of pain at day 7 was associated with a thicker synovial membrane at day 21. The presence of CD206+ cells was negatively associated with synovial membrane thickness. Conclusion: In a murine OA model, multiple PRPr injections reduced pain and synovial thickness, possibly through modulation of macrophage subtypes. Clinical Relevance: PRPr injections in early OA or shortly after joint trauma can reduce pain and synovial inflammation and may inhibit OA development in patients

Macrophage phenotypes and monocyte subsets after destabilization of the medial meniscus in mice

Macrophages play an important role in the development and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to identify macrophage phenotypes in synovium and monocyte subsets in peripheral blood in C57BL/6 mice by destabilizing the medial meniscus (DMM

Effects of adipose stem cell sheets on colon anastomotic leakage in an experimental model: Proof of principle

The most dreaded complication of colorectal surgery is anastomotic leakage. Adipose tissue-derived stem cell sheets (ASC sheets) prepared from temperature-responsive culture surfaces can be easily transplanted onto tissues. These sheets are proposed to improve cell transplant efficiency and enhance wound healing. The aim of this study was to investigate whether application of ASC sheets could prevent leakage of sutured colorectal anastomoses. Insufficient suturing of colorectal anastomoses was performed in Wistar rats to create a colorectal anastomotic leakage model. Rats were randomized to ASC sheet application or control group. Leakage, abscess formation, adhesion formation, anastomotic bursting pressure (ABP), and histology were evaluated on postoperative day 3 or 7. ASC shee

Combination Pressure : The Paid Work–Family Balance of Men and Women in European Countries

People today lead busy, hurried lives with competing time claims between the spheres of paid work and the household. The aim of this article is to provide more insight into the way men and women experience the multiple claims on their time and to attempt to understand the differences between European countries in this respect. Are we able to draw a sharp line in the work–family balance experienced in eastern and western Europe? Expectations are formulated at the individual level (work and home-related factors) and at the contextual level (gender culture and family policy). Data were gathered in 2001 within the international research programme ‘Households, Work and Flexibility’, financed by the European Union. The eight countries included in the analyses are Sweden, the Netherlands, UK, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria, and hypotheses are tested using multivariate regression analyses. At the contextual level, results reflect more support for the gender culture hypothesis than for the family friendly policy hypothesis. The multiplicity of options in western European countries due to the emancipation process causes time pressure. Individual factors are especially important in explaining combination pressure in the three western European countries: long working hours, overtime work, demanding job and having young children all add to the pressure men and women experience.