BackgroundTissue regeneration includes delivering specific types of cells or cell products to injured tissues or organs for restoration of tissue and organ function. Stem cell therapy has drawn considerable attention since transplantation of stem cells can overcome the limitations of autologous transplantation of patient’s tissues; however, it is not perfect for treating diseases. To overcome the hurdles associated with stem cell therapy, tissue engineering techniques have been developed. Development of stem cell technology in combination with tissue engineering has opened new ways of producing engineered tissue substitutes. Several studies have shown that this combination of tissue engineering and stem cell technologies enhances cell viability, differentiation, and therapeutic efficacy of transplanted stem cells.Main bodyStem cells that can be used for tissue regeneration include mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. Transplantation of stem cells alone into injured tissues exhibited low therapeutic efficacy due to poor viability and diminished regenerative activity of transplanted cells. In this review, we will discuss the progress of biomedical engineering, including scaffolds, biomaterials, and tissue engineering techniques to overcome the low therapeutic efficacy of stem cells and to treat human diseases.ConclusionThe combination of stem cell and tissue engineering techniques overcomes the limitations of stem cells in therapy of human diseases, and presents a new path toward regeneration of injured tissues.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of an upper limb rehabilitation robot therapy on hemispatial neglect in stroke patients.MethodsPatients were randomly divided into an upper limb rehabilitation robot treatment group (robot group) and a control group. The patients in the robot group received left upper limb training using an upper limb rehabilitation robot. The patients sat on the right side of the robot, so that the monitor of the robot was located on the patients' left side. In this position, patients could focus continuously on the left side. The control group received conventional neglect treatment, such as visual scanning training and range of motion exercises, administered by occupational therapists. Both groups received their respective therapies for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks. Several tests were used to evaluate treatment effects before and after the 3-week treatment.ResultsIn total, 38 patients (20 in the robot group and 18 in the control group) completed the study. After completion of the treatment sessions, both groups showed significant improvements in the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test 3rd edition (MVPT-3), the line bisection test, the star cancellation test, the Albert's test, the Catherine Bergego scale, the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Korean version of Modified Barthel Index. The changes in all measurements showed no significant differences between the two groups.ConclusionThis present study showed that the upper limb robot treatment had benefits for hemispatial neglect in stroke patients that were similar to conventional neglect treatment. The upper limb robot treatment could be a therapeutic option in the treatment of hemispatial neglect after stroke.
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