http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Researchers at Micro Orthopaedics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, led by Dr. Ai-xi Yu, have suggested that articular cartilage defects can be repaired by a novel thermo-sensitive injectable hydrogel engineered with gene modified bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs). The chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol composite hydrogel containing hTGFβ-1 gene modified BMSCs was injected into rabbits with defective articular cartilage. Sixteen weeks later the defected cartilage regenerated and was proven to be hyaline cartilage. This work can be found in the January 2013 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-articular-cartilage-defects-gel-gene.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:44:40 EST news285947076 New research in animals triggered by a combination of serendipity and counterintuitive thinking could point the way to treating fractures caused by rapid bone loss in people, including patients with metastatic cancers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-steroids-reverse-rapid-bone-loss.html Medical research Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:00:01 EST news279305366 Using mesenchymal stromal cells derived from adipose (fat) tissues, genetically modified to express a bioluminescent marker, researchers in Italy have tracked cells after transplantation. The cells were followed from their injection into the spleen of mice modeling liver disease, to their characterization as "hepatic precursors," and to their subsequent migration through the spleen before engrafting at regenerating sites in the liver by bioluminescent imaging. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-transplanted-genetically-modified-adipose-cells-potential.html Medical research Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:50:01 EST news275244596 Donated umbilical cord blood establishes a new blood supply in patients more quickly after transplantation when it is first expanded in the lab on a bed of cells that mimics conditions in the bone marrow, researchers report in the Dec. 13 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-pre-transplant-umbilical-cord-blood-expansion.html Medical research Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:59:40 EST news274553968 For Ottawa scientist and neonatologist Dr. Bernard Thébaud, even a major paper that answers five significant questions still doesn't seem quite enough in his determined path to get his laboratory breakthrough into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Dr. Thébaud's proposed therapy would use stem cells from umbilical cords to treat a disease previously thought to be untreatable—bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or BPD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-big-lung-disease-tiniest-patients.html Medical research Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:20:01 EST news273780321 Eye experts and scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered specific cells in the eye which could lead to a new procedure to treat and cure blinding eye conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-cells-people-sight.html Ophthalmology Thu, 08 Nov 2012 11:47:28 EST news271597638 Researchers may have discovered a new explanation as to why obese patients with cancer often have a poorer prognosis compared with those who are lean. The potential explanation is based on data reported in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-link-obesity-higher-incidence-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 15 Oct 2012 06:16:05 EST news269500558 Tumor growth is dependent on interactions between cancer cells and adjacent normal tissue, or stroma. Stromal cells can stimulate the growth of tumor cells; however it is unclear if tumor cells can influence the stroma. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-ovarian-cancer-cells-hijack-tissues.html Cancer Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:00:16 EST news265962735 A research team in the Netherlands has found that cells from burn eschar, the non-viable tissue remaining after burn injury and normally removed to prevent infection, can be a source of mesenchymal cells that may be used for tissue engineering. Their study compared the efficacy of those cells to adipose (fat)-derived stem cells and dermal fibroblasts in conforming to multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) criteria. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-cells-derived-debrided-tissue.html Medical research Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:42:42 EST news261240145 (Medical Xpress) -- A new technique for improving delivery of stem cells may lead to better and faster tissue repair, a breakthrough with promise for sports medicine and military populations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-method-transplant-cell-delivery.html Medical research Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:40:48 EST news252661228 Stromal cells, as distinct from hematopoietic cells, are an essential component of the bone marrow microenvironment and are necessary for the long-term maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vitro. Previous studies have shown that stromal cells regulate the proliferation and differentiation of HSCs through the production of diffusible hematopoietic regulatory factors and extracellular matrix, and through physical cell-cell interactions involving adhesion molecules and gap junction-mediated cell communication. However, the ability of stromal cells to support the expansion of HSCs and to maintain their self-renewal potential has generally been investigated in long-term, two-dimensional (2D) bone marrow culture systems (BMCS), and most of the reports have shown a decline in HSCs within 4𔃆 weeks in culture. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-d-long-term-bone-marrow-culture.html Medical research Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:20:01 EST news239428808 Regenerative medicine in spinal cord injuries (SCI) is proving to help the human body create new cell and nerve connections that are severed during this type of injury. In a review of current scientific research for stem cell treatment in SCI published this month in the Springer journal Neurotheraputics, Dr. Michael Fehlings and Dr. Reaz Vawda from the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital in Ontario, Canada, provide evidence that supports researchers moving beyond the lab to conduct human clinical trials for stem cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-clinical-trials-stem-cell-therapy.html Neuroscience Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:46:27 EST news238157180