BackgroundAdipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) offer potential as a therapeutic option for chronic discogenic low back pain (LBP) because of their immunomodulatory functions and capacity for cartilage differentiation. The goal of this study was to assess the safety and tolerability of a single intradiscal implantation of combined AT-MSCs and hyaluronic acid (HA) derivative in patients with chronic discogenic LBP.MethodsWe performed a single-arm phase I clinical trial with a 12-month follow-up and enrolled 10 eligible chronic LBP patients. Chronic LBP had lasted for more than 3 months with a minimum intensity of 4/10 on a visual analogue scale (VAS) and disability level ≥ 30% on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The 10 patients underwent a single intradiscal injection of combined HA derivative and AT-MSCs at a dose of 2 × 107 cells/disc (n = 5) or 4 × 107 cells/disc (n = 5). Safety and treatment outcomes were evaluated by assessing VAS, ODI, Short Form-36 (SF-36), and imaging (lumbar spine X-ray imaging and MRI) at regular intervals over 1 year.ResultsNo patients were lost at any point during the 1-year clinical study. We observed no procedure or stem cell-related adverse events or serious adverse events during the 1-year follow-up period. VAS, ODI, and SF-36 scores significantly improved in both groups receiving both low (cases 2, 4, and 5) and high (cases 7, 8, and 9) cell doses, and did not differ significantly between the two groups. Among six patients who achieved significant improvement in VAS, ODI, and SF-36, three patients (cases 4, 8, and 9) were determined to have increased water content based on an increased apparent diffusion coefficient on diffusion MRI.ConclusionsCombined implantation of AT-MSCs and HA derivative in chronic discogenic LBP is safe and tolerable. However, the efficacy of combined AT-MSCs and HA should be investigated in a randomized controlled trial in a larger population.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02338271. Registered 7 January 2015.
We demonstrate the polyol synthesis of ultrathin Ag nanowires with diameters of 20 nm and an aspect ratio as high as ∼1000 under high-pressure conditions.
Silver nanowires whose diameters could be controlled in the range of 15–30 nm and lengths up to ∼20 μm were prepared by the high-pressure polyol method. The first step involved the formation of Ag nanoparticles by reducing silver nitrate in the presence of NaCl and KBr with ethylene glycol. At the growing step, the adjustable reaction pressure controls the diameter of the silver nanowires, which were in the range 15–22 nm when the pressure was 200 psi. These Ag nanowires showed an electrical conductivity of 0.4 × 105 S/cm, and the intensity of scattered light and the optical transmittance were largely improved.
We have developed highly transparent and electrically conductive hybrid-gel films based on poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and thin silver nanowires (Ag NWs) with diameters of 20 nm. Ionic gels based on PEDOT:PSS are a ionic conductors consisting of anionic PSS and cationic PEDOT. Ag NWs were combined with the conductive PEDOT:PSS chains, to assemble electrically conductive gels. The hybrid-gel films were created with a structure that incorporates Ag NWs into the conductive PEDOT chain matrix. We found that the conductivity significantly increased with Ag NW content. The optimized Ag NW-PEDOT:PSS hybrid-gel films exhibited excellent performance with a high transmittance of 92% and small haze of 1.1% at a low sheet resistance of 20 Ω·sq -1 , and good mechanical flexibility. Because of the high-performance, it is believed that the Ag NW-PEDOT:PSS hybrid-gel electrodes are highly suitable for practical use in flexible electronics.
Thin and long silver nanowires were successfully synthesized using the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted polyol method in the presence of ionic liquids, tetrapropylammonium chloride and tetrapropylammonium bromide, which served as soft template salts. The first step involved the formation of Ag nanoparticles with a diameter of 40 to 50 nm through the reduction of silver nitrate. At the growing stage, the Ag nanoparticles were converted into thin and long one-dimensional wires, with uniform diameters of 30 ± 3 nm and lengths of up to 50 μm. These Ag nanowires showed an electrical conductivity of 0.3 × 105 S/cm, while the sheet resistance of a two-dimensional percolating Ag nanowire network exhibited a value of 20 Ω/sq with an optical transmittance of 93% and a low haze value.
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