Application of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to stem-cell therapy is not feasible because of the risk of tumorigenicity and rejection. In contrast, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are free from the risk of tumorigenicity and also have immune privilege. However, hMSCs obtained from adults have infinite variety in terms of the biological characteristics and functionality. We report here a new derivation method of hMSCs from hESCs. The derivation of hMSCs from three different hESC lines (SNUhES3, CHA3-hESC, and H9) was performed by embryoid bodies formation and subsequent culture with stage-different media without using inductive xenogenic feeder and mechanical selection procedure. The derived cells were morphologically similar to the unique fingerprint-like pattern of hMSCs and grew stably for at least 35 passages in vitro. These cells had hMSCs-like immunophenotypes: negative for CD34 and CD45; positive for CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, and CD105. They could be differentiated into multiple lineages including osteocytes, chondrocytes, adipocytes, and myocytes. They maintained normal karyotype during the long-term cultivation and did not show tumorigenicity when transplanted into the immunodeficient mice. In conclusion, the new embryoid body-based derivation method of hMSCs from hESCs is simple, safe, and reproducible in three different hESC lines. We expect that this method will provide a more effective and powerful tool to derive hMSCs from various hESC lines.

Early postnatal stress such as maternal separation causes cognitive dysfunction later in life, including working memory deficits that are largely mediated by the prefrontal cortex. Maternal separation in male rats also yields a loss of parvalbumin-containing prefrontal cortex interneurons in adolescence, which may occur via inflammatory or oxidative stress mechanisms. Environmental enrichment can prevent several effects of maternal separation; however, effects of enrichment on prefrontal cortex development are not well understood. Here, we report that enrichment prevented cognitive dysfunction in maternally separated males and females, and prevented elevated circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines that was evident in maternally separated males, but not females. However, enrichment did not prevent parvalbumin loss or adolescent measures of oxidative stress. Significant correlations indicated that adolescents with higher oxidative damage and less prefrontal cortex parvalbumin in adolescence committed more errors on the win-shift task; therefore, maternal separation may affect cognitive dysfunction via aberrant interneuron development. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 58: 482-491, 2016.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Treatment and management of tracheal defects remain challenging in head and neck surgery. Various reconstruction techniques have been used, with no consensus on the best approach. The purpose of this study was to explore a novel strategy to fabricate tissue-engineered trachea by using fibrin/hyaluronic acid (HA) composite gel and evaluate the feasibility of creating tracheal cartilage.Study Design: A preliminary animal experiment.Methods: Chondrocytes from rabbit cartilage were expanded and seeded into a culture dish at high density to form mechanically stable allograft tracheal cartilage using fibrin/HA composite gel. After a longitudinal cervical skin incision, the trachea was exposed and a rectangular defect (1 Â 0.5 cm) was created on the cervical trachea by scalpel on six rabbits. Tissue-engineered cartilage using fibrin/HA composite was trimmed and fixed to defect boundaries with Tissucol (Baxter International, Deerfield, IL). Postoperatively, the site was evaluated endoscopically, histologically, radiologically, and functionally.Results: Postoperatively, rigid telescopic examination showed that the implanted scaffolds in all cases were completely covered with regenerated mucosa without granulation or stenosis. Histologic data showed ciliated epithelium regenerated at the operated site from 2 months postoperatively. Ciliary beat frequency of ciliated epithelium on implants was very similar to normal respiratory mucosa. Computed tomography images revealed fine luminal contour of the regenerated site. However, allograft cartilage implanted was found to be partially preserved on the postoperative specimen.Conclusions: The tracheal luminal contour and functional epithelial regeneration without graft rejection and inflammation were observed after repair of a tracheal resection using allogeneic implants with chondrocytes cultured with fibrin/HA.

Background & Aims-There have been few published studies of clinical and psychological characteristics of patients with functional diarrhea (FDr). We studied the clinical and psychological characteristics of patients with FDr presenting to a tertiary care clinic, and compared symptom profiles of FDr with those of IBS-diarrhea (IBS-D).Methods-Consecutive patients with a diagnosis of FDr (n=48) or IBS-D (n=49), per Rome IV criteria, completed a detailed symptom survey from October 2017 through July 2018. Abdominal pain and diarrhea severity were assessed using patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) questionnaires. Patients with anxiety, depression, or sleep disturbances were identified based on PROMIS T-score of 60 or more. Mean and proportions were compared using the Student t test and χ 2 analyses, respectively.Results-A significantly lower proportion of patients with FDr reported abdominal pain (77.1%) than patients with IBS-D (100%, P<.001). The proportion of patients reporting abdominal bloating and level of severity did not differ significantly between groups. Proportions of bowel movements with diarrhea did not differ significantly between groups (P=.54), but the mean diarrhea PROMIS T-score was significantly higher among patients with IBS-D (P=.03). This difference resulted from the significantly higher levels of fecal urgency-related distress reported by patients with IBS-D (P=.007). Proportions of patients with anxiety, depression, or sleep disturbance, and their severities, did not differ significantly between groups.

The number of ED visits and associated charges for a primary diagnosis of gastroparesis with or without a secondary diagnosis of diabetes mellitus rose significantly from 2006 to 2013.