Ultra-Widefield Optical Coherence Tomography Beyond the Ora Serrata in Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Importance: Capturing high-quality images of the entire peripheral retina while minimizing the use of scleral depression could increase the quality of examinations for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) while reducing neonatal stress.

Objective: To evaluate whether an investigational handheld ultra-widefield optical coherence tomography (UWF-OCT) device without scleral depression can be used to document high-quality images of the peripheral retina for use in ROP examinations.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study in the neonatal intensive care unit at a single academic medical center.

NCBI RefSeq: reference sequence standards through 25 years of curation and annotation.

Reference sequences and annotations serve as the foundation for many lines of research today, from organism and sequence identification to providing a core description of the genes, transcripts and proteins found in an organism's genome. Interpretation of data including transcriptomics, proteomics, sequence variation and comparative analyses based on reference gene annotations informs our understanding of gene function and possible disease mechanisms, leading to new biomedical discoveries. The Reference Sequence (RefSeq) resource created at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) leverages both automatic processes and expert curation to create a robust set of reference sequences of genomic, transcript and protein data spanning the tree of life.

Development and intra-renal delivery of renal progenitor organoids for effective integration in vivo.

Renal progenitor organoids have been proposed as a source of tissue for kidney regeneration; however, their clinical translatability has not been demonstrated due to an inability to mass-produce comprehensive renal progenitor organoids and the lack of an effective intra-renal delivery platform that facilitates rapid integration into functionally meaningful sites. This study addresses these shortcomings. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells were differentiated into renal progenitor cells using an established protocol and aggregated using a novel assembly method to produce high yields of organoids.

Identification and characterization of stem cell secretome-based recombinant proteins for wound healing applications.

Stem cells have been introduced as a promising therapy for acute and chronic wounds, including burn injuries. The effects of stem cell-based wound therapies are believed to result from the secreted bioactive molecules produced by stem cells. Therefore, treatments using stem cell-derived conditioned medium (CM) (referred to as secretome) have been proposed as an alternative option for wound care.

Enhanced method to select human oogonial stem cells for fertility research.

Alternative methods to obtain mature oocytes are still needed for women with premature ovarian failure (POF). Oogonial stem cells (OSCs), found in adult ovaries, have provided insight into potential paths to treating infertility. Previously, the DDX4 antibody marker alone was utilized to isolate OSCs; however, extensive debate over its location in OSCs versus resulting oocytes (transmembrane or intracytoplasmic) has raised doubt about the identity of these cells.

Regenerative Medicine Approaches in Bioengineering Female Reproductive Tissues.

Diseases, disorders, and dysfunctions of the female reproductive tract tissues can result in either infertility and/or hormonal imbalance. Current treatment options are limited and often do not result in tissue function restoration, requiring alternative therapeutic approaches. Regenerative medicine offers potential new therapies through the bioengineering of female reproductive tissues.

Optimized culture system to maximize ovarian cell growth and functionality in vitro.

Ovaries are the primary physiological source of female sex hormones, which play a crucial role in maintaining ovarian cycle, determining secondary sexual characteristics and preparing the endometrium for implantation. In vitro follicle engineering has been used to investigate follicle development, including ovarian hormone production and gamete maturation. To engineer functional follicles, culture and expansion of the primary ovarian cells are essential.

Engineering Functional Rat Ovarian Spheroids Using Granulosa and Theca Cells.

Although menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is the most effective approach to managing the loss of ovarian activity, serious side effects have been reported. Cell-based therapy is a promising alternative for MHT. This study constructed engineered ovarian cell spheroids and investigated their endocrine function.

Author Correction: Multicellular 3D Neurovascular Unit Model for Assessing Hypoxia and Neuroinflammation Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Administration of secretome from human placental stem cell-conditioned media improves recovery of erectile function in the pelvic neurovascular injury model.

Human placental stem cells (PSCs) enhance histological and functional recovery in a rodent erectile dysfunction (ED) model. We tested the hypothesis that bioactive factors secreted by PSC (i.e.

Multicellular 3D Neurovascular Unit Model for Assessing Hypoxia and Neuroinflammation Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a dynamic component of the brain-vascular interface that maintains brain homeostasis and regulates solute permeability into brain tissue. The expression of tight junction proteins between adjacent endothelial cells and the presence of efflux proteins prevents entry of foreign substances into the brain parenchyma. BBB dysfunction, however, is evident in many neurological disorders including ischemic stroke, trauma, and chronic neurodegenerative diseases.

Dynamic Changes in Erectile Function and Histological Architecture After Intracorporal Injection of Human Placental Stem Cells in a Pelvic Neurovascular Injury Rat Model.

Introduction: The human placenta provides a bountiful and noncontroversial source of stem cells which have the potential for regeneration of injured tissue. These cells may restore erectile function after neurovascular tissue injury such as that seen in radical pelvic surgeries and pelvic trauma.

Aim: To determine the effect of human placenta-derived stem cells on erectile function recovery and histological changes at various time points in a cavernous nerve injury rat model and to study the fate of injected stem cells throughout the regenerative process.

Effect of Human Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells on Kidney Function in a Model of Chronic Kidney Disease.

Kidney disease is a major medical problem globally. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive loss of kidney function. It causes accumulation of waste and fluid in the body, eventually resulting in kidney failure as well as damaging other organs.

In Situ Bioprinting of Autologous Skin Cells Accelerates Wound Healing of Extensive Excisional Full-Thickness Wounds.

The early treatment and rapid closure of acute or chronic wounds is essential for normal healing and prevention of hypertrophic scarring. The use of split thickness autografts is often limited by the availability of a suitable area of healthy donor skin to harvest. Cellular and non-cellular biological skin-equivalents are commonly used as an alternative treatment option for these patients, however these treatments usually involve multiple surgical procedures and associated with high costs of production and repeated wound treatment.

Three-dimensional bioprinting for organ bioengineering: promise and pitfalls.

Purpose Of Review: Loss of organ function is a critical issue that threatens a patient's life. Currently, the only available treatment is organ transplantation; however, shortage of donor organs, histocompatibility, and life-long immunosuppression present major challenges. Three-dimensional bioprinting technology holds a promising solution for treating organ failure by fabricating autologous tissues and organs for transplantation.

In Situ Tissue Regeneration of Renal Tissue Induced by Collagen Hydrogel Injection.

Host stem/progenitor cells can be mobilized and recruited to a target location using biomaterials, and these cells may be used for in situ tissue regeneration. The objective of this study was to investigate whether host biologic resources could be used to regenerate renal tissue in situ. Collagen hydrogel was injected into the kidneys of normal mice, and rat kidneys that had sustained ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Multi-tissue interactions in an integrated three-tissue organ-on-a-chip platform.

Many drugs have progressed through preclinical and clinical trials and have been available - for years in some cases - before being recalled by the FDA for unanticipated toxicity in humans. One reason for such poor translation from drug candidate to successful use is a lack of model systems that accurately recapitulate normal tissue function of human organs and their response to drug compounds. Moreover, tissues in the body do not exist in isolation, but reside in a highly integrated and dynamically interactive environment, in which actions in one tissue can affect other downstream tissues.

In vitro skin expansion: Wound healing assessment.

For treatments requiring split-thickness skin grafts, it is preferable to mesh the grafts. This reduces the amount of excised skin and covers more wound area. The mesh technique, however, destroys surface continuity, which results in scarring.

The effect of collagen hydrogel on 3D culture of ovarian follicles.

The in vivo function and phenotype of ovarian follicle cells are determined by many factors. When these cells are removed from the in vivo microenvironment and grown in a 2D in vitro environment, the function of the follicular cells is difficult to preserve. A collagen hydrogel was used to examine the hormone and oocyte maturation of ovary follicles in a 3D culture system.

Potential Use of Autologous Renal Cells from Diseased Kidneys for the Treatment of Renal Failure.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) occurs when certain conditions cause the kidneys to gradually lose function. For patients with CKD, renal transplantation is the only treatment option that restores kidney function. In this study, we evaluated primary renal cells obtained from diseased kidneys to determine whether their normal phenotypic and functional characteristics are retained, and could be used for cell therapy.

Repopulation of porcine kidney scaffold using porcine primary renal cells.

Unlabelled: The only definitive treatment for end stage renal disease is renal transplantation, however the current shortage of organ donors has resulted in a long list of patients awaiting transplant. Whole organ engineering based on decellularization/recellularization techniques has provided the possibility of creating engineered kidney constructs as an alternative to donor organ transplantation. Previous studies have demonstrated that small units of engineered kidney are able to maintain function in vivo.

Autologously generated tissue-engineered bone flaps for reconstruction of large mandibular defects in an ovine model.

The reconstruction of large craniofacial defects remains a significant clinical challenge. The complex geometry of facial bone and the lack of suitable donor tissue often hinders successful repair. One strategy to address both of these difficulties is the development of an in vivo bioreactor, where a tissue flap of suitable geometry can be orthotopically grown within the same patient requiring reconstruction.

Syngeneic Myoblast Transplantation Improves Muscle Function in a Murine Model of X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy.

X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) is an isogenic muscle disease characterized by progressive wasting of skeletal muscle, weakness, and premature death of affected male offspring. Recently, the XLMTM gene knock-in mouse, Mtm1 p.R69C, was found to have a similar phenotype as the Mtm1 gene mutation in humans (e.

Auricular reconstruction using tissue-engineered alloplastic implants for improved clinical outcomes.

Background: Alloplastic implants have been used clinically to treat congenital abnormalities and traumatic injuries. However, these implants are often associated with complications, including inflammation, infection, erosion, and dislodgment. To minimize these complications, the authors have developed a system in which tissue-engineered cartilage serves as a shell that entirely covers the implant.