| BioTime CEO Dr. Michael West to Present Keynote Address at China-USA Scientific Forum of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
September 18, 2009 at 9:54 am
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| HLA-DRB1 among patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease in Saudi Arabia.
September 18, 2009 at 6:31 am
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| | HLA-DRB1 among patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease in Saudi Arabia. Mol Vis. 2009;15:1876-80 Authors: Iqniebi A, Gaafar A, Sheereen A, Al-Suliman A, Mohamed G, Al-Hussein K, Tabbara KF PURPOSE: Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is an immune-mediated disorder with autoimmune insult directed against antigens associated with melanocytes. The genetic predisposition among VKH has not been explored in Saudi Arabia. So, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 alleles to VKH patients and to clarify the molecular genetic mechanism underlying the susceptibility or resistance to VKH disease. METHODS: Genomic DNA from a total of 30 patients with VKH and 29 control subjects was extracted from peripheral blood, and HLA-DRB1 alleles were typed by polymerase chain reaction and sequence based typing (SBT). RESULTS: We found a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of HLA-DRB1 *0405 between the VKH patients and control subjects (p<0.05). Eleven out of thirty (36.6%) patients with VKH had positive HLA-DRB1 *0405 compared to two out of twenty-nine (6.9%) control subjects. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the HLA-DRB1 alleles *01, *0101, *0102, *0301, *04, *0403, *0404, *0701, *1001, *1101, *1112, *1301, *1302, *1303, *1501, and *1502 between the VKH patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with VKH had significantly greater incidence of HLA-DRB1 *0405 when compared to age and sex-matched controls. Consequently, this finding suggests that HLA-DRB1 *0405 allele might play a role in the pathogenesis of VKH disease. PMID: 19756183 [PubMed - in process] |
| Keeping an eye on retinoblastoma control of human embryonic stem cells.
September 18, 2009 at 6:12 am
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| | Keeping an eye on retinoblastoma control of human embryonic stem cells. J Cell Biochem. 2009 Sep 16; Authors: Conklin JF, Sage J Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) hold great promise in regenerative medicine. However, before the full potential of these cells is achieved, major basic biological questions need to be addressed. In particular, there are still gaps in our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying the derivation of hESCs from blastocysts, the regulation of the undifferentiated, pluripotent state, and the control of differentiation into specific lineages. Furthermore, we still do not fully understand the tumorigenic potential of hESCs, limiting their use in regenerative medicine. The RB pathway is a key signaling module that controls cellular proliferation, cell survival, chromatin structure, and cellular differentiation in mammalian cells. Members of the RB pathway are important regulators of hESC biology and manipulation of the activity of this pathway may provide novel means to control the fate of hESCs. Here we review what is known about the expression and function of members of the RB pathway in hESCs and discuss areas of interest in this field. J. Cell. Biochem. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. PMID: 19760644 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] |
| Micro- and nanotechnologies for intelligent and responsive biomaterial-based medical systems.
September 18, 2009 at 6:08 am
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| | Micro- and nanotechnologies for intelligent and responsive biomaterial-based medical systems. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2009 Sep 13; Authors: Caldorera-Moore M, Peppas NA Advances in medical treatments of a wide variety of pathophysiological conditions require the development of better therapeutic agents, as well as a combination of the required therapeutic agents with device-integrated biomaterials that can serve as sensors and carriers. Combination of micro- and nanofabricated systems with intelligent biomaterials that have the ability to sense and respond is a promising avenue for the development of better diagnostic and therapeutic medical systems. Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMs and NEMs) are now becoming a family of potentially powerful new technologies for drug delivery, diagnostic tools, and tissue engineering. Improvements in micro- and nano-fabrication technology have enhanced the ability to create better performing therapeutic systems for numerous pathophysiological applications. More importantly, MEMS and NEMS-based tissue regeneration scaffolds, biosensors, and drug delivery devices provide new opportunities to mimic the natural intelligence and response of biological systems. PMID: 19758574 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] |
| Histological evaluation of alveolar ridge augmentation using injectable calcium phosphate bone cement in dogs.
September 18, 2009 at 6:08 am
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| | Histological evaluation of alveolar ridge augmentation using injectable calcium phosphate bone cement in dogs. J Oral Rehabil. 2009 Oct;36(10):762-9 Authors: Sato I, Akizuki T, Oda S, Tsuchioka H, Hayashi C, Takasaki AA, Mizutani K, Kawakatsu N, Kinoshita A, Ishikawa I, Izumi Y Alveolar ridge augmentation is an important procedure to restore tooth loss. Several types of graft materials have been used for augmenting the alveolar ridge. An injectable calcium phosphate cement (CPC) has been applied to periodontal bone defects and has shown favourable results. Thus, this CPC may work as an effective graft material for alveolar ridge augmentation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the CPC for large-scaled (about 7 x 8 x 6 mm) ridge augmentation in dogs. Alveolar ridge defects were created bilaterally in the maxilla of six beagle dogs. The CPC was applied to one of the bilateral maxillary defects. The untreated defect on the contralateral side served as control. The animals were sacrificed at 6 months after surgery and decalcified histological specimens of the alveolar ridge were prepared histometrically and evaluated under a light microscope. Newly formed and reconstructed alveolar ridges covering the CPC were observed in all experimental sites. In the control sites, only slight newly bone formation was observed. Histomorphometrical analysis indicated that the CPC grafted group exhibited significantly (P = 0.0001) increased area and height in new bone formation compared with those of the control group. The results indicate that the CPC appears to be an effective material for alveolar ridge augmentation and may act as a space maintainer to conduct new bone formation. PMID: 19758411 [PubMed - in process] |
| Opposite responses of cells and bacteria to micro/nanopatterned surfaces prepared by pulsed plasma polymerization and UV-irradiation.
September 18, 2009 at 6:08 am
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| | Opposite responses of cells and bacteria to micro/nanopatterned surfaces prepared by pulsed plasma polymerization and UV-irradiation. Langmuir. 2009 Jul 21;25(14):8161-9 Authors: Ploux L, Anselme K, Dirani A, Ponche A, Soppera O, Roucoules V Chemically and topographically patterned surfaces have high potential as model surfaces for studying cell and bacteria responses to surface chemistry and surface topography at a nanoscale level. In this work, we demonstrated the possibility to combine pulsed plasma polymerization and UV-irradiation to obtain topographical patterns and chemical patterns perfectly controlled at microlateral resolution and sub-micrometer depth level. Biological experiments were conducted using human osteoprogenitor cells and Escherichia coli K12. Proliferation and orientation of cells and bacteria were analyzed and discussed according to the size and the chemistry of the features. This work showed interesting opposite behavior of bacteria compared to eukaryotic cells, in response to the surface chemistry and to the surface topography. This result may be particularly useful on medical implants. From a methodological point of view, it highlighted the importance of working with versatile and well-characterized surfaces before and after sterilization. It also points out the relevance and the necessity of analyzing eukaryotic cell and bacteria adhesion in parallel way. PMID: 19518080 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] |
| Germany Added to CIRM's Stable of Partners
September 18, 2009 at 2:18 am
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| | The California stem cell agency today announced its sixth international agreement – this one with Germany – with the hope that it will lead to joint research in stem cell transplantation and immunology. The agreement is intended to make it easier for researchers in California and Germany to obtain joint funding. As with the other agreements, no California funds are permitted to be spent outside | | | 
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