Intractable autoimmune diseases in chimeric resistant MRL/lpr mice were treated by a new bone marrow transplantation (BMT) method consisting of fractionated irradiation, 5.5 Gy ؋ 2, followed by intrabone marrow (IBM) injection of whole bone marrow cells (BMCs) from allogeneic normal C57BL/6 (B6) mice (5.5 Gy ؋ 2 ؉ IBM). In MRL/lpr mice treated with this method, the number of donor-derived cells in the bone marrow, spleen, and liver rapidly increased (almost 100% donor-derived cells by 14 days after the treatment), and the number of donorderived hemopoietic progenitor cells concomitantly increased. Furthermore, donorderived stromal cells were clearly detected in the cultured bone pieces from MRL/lpr mice treated with 5.5 Gy ؋ 2 ؉ IBM. All the recipients thus treated survived more than 1 year (> 60 weeks after birth) and remained free from autoimmune diseases. Autoantibodies decreased to almost normal levels, and abnormal T cells (

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Transplantation of whole bone marrow cells may be a better and more readily available treatment for Achilles tendon rupture than cultured mesenchymal stem cells.

Electromyography is a sensitive predictor of postoperative C5 palsy after laminoplasty. This complication may be avoided by performing selective foraminotomy in addition to posterior central canal decompression. Preexisting subclinical C5 root compression is a cause of C5 palsy after posterior cervical decompression for myelopathy.

The SAMP6 mouse (a substrain of senescenceaccelerated mice) spontaneously develops osteoporosis early in life and is, therefore, a useful model for examining the mechanisms underlying osteoporosis. We have recently established a new bone marrow transplantation (BMT) method: the bone marrow cells (BMCs) of normal allogeneic mice are directly injected into the bone marrow (BM) cavity of irradiated (5.5 Gy × 2) recipients (IBM-BMT). Using IBM-BMT, we attempted to prevent osteoporosis in SAMP6 mice. The hematolymphoid system was completely reconstituted with donor-type cells after IBM-BMT. Thus-treated SAMP6 mice showed marked increases in trabecular bones even at 12 months of age, and the bone mineral density remained similar to that of normal B6 mice. In concordance with these findings, urinary deoxypyridinoline also remained continuously low until 10 months of age, indicating that IBM-BMT was effective in the prevention of bone absorption.In addition to the above, BM stromal cells in the treated SAMP6 mice were replaced with donor stromal cells, and the message level of interleukin-11 (IL-11), which is produced by the BM stromal cells and is known as an important factor in the regulation of bone remodeling, was restored to a level similar to that observed in normal B6 mice. Furthermore, the message level of IL-6, which is known to enhance osteoclastogenesis, was also restored to normal. These results indicate that the BM microenvironment was normalized after IBM-BMT and that the increased production of IL-11 and IL-6 ameliorated the imbalance between bone absorption and formation, resulting in the prevention of osteoporosis in SAMP6 mice.

A substrain of the senescence-accelerated mouse, SAMP6 (senescence-accelerated mouse prone 6), spontaneously develops osteoporosis early in life. Therefore, this strain is a useful animal model for developing new strategies for the treatment of osteoporosis in humans. We succeeded in treating osteoporosis in SAMP6 mice after the onset of this disease, using a newly developed method of bone marrow transplantation (BMT): Allogeneic bone marrow cells obtained from normal mouse strains were directly injected into the bone marrow cavity of irradiated SAMP6 mice (intrabone marrow BMT [IBM-BMT]). After the treatment with IBM-BMT, hematolymphoid cells were completely reconstituted by donor-derived cells, and bone marrow stromal cells were also found to be of donor origin. The treated SAMP6 mice showed histologically-normal trabecular bone. In addition, bone mineral density and urinary deoxypiridinoline, a hallmark of bone destruction, were normalized. When the message levels of cytokines (tumor necrosis factor ␣, interleukin-6 [IL-6], IL-11, and receptor activator of nuclear factor-B ligand [RANKL]) were examined, IL-11, RANKL (from bone marrow stromal cells), and IL-6 (from osteoclasts), which regulate bone remodeling, were restored to levels similar to those in normal B6 mice. These findings indicate that not only the hemopoietic system but also the bone marrow microenvironment were normalized after IBM-BMT, resulting in an amelioration of the imbalance between bone absorption and formation. STEM CELLS 2006; 24:399 -405

Greater fat accumulation in skeletal muscle was predictive of worse overall survival after partial hepatectomy in patients with HCC, even with adjustment for other known predictors. The identification of patients with greater skeletal muscle fat accumulation before hepatectomy could permit early preventive strategies to maintain muscle quality and thus improve prognosis and patient selection for hepatectomy.

A lthough the technique of autogenous acetabular bone grafting has been widely used to augment containment of the acetabulum in total hip arthroplasty (THA) for developmental dysplasia, the role of this technique in improving long-term results remains controversial. We present the long-term results of cemented THA with acetabular bone grafting in 112 patients (133 hips) in order to clarify the factors which affect the outcome. The mean follow-up was for 12.3 years (8 to 24). Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis predicted a rate of survival of the acetabular component at 15 years of 96% (95% confidence interval (CI) 92 to 99) with revision for aseptic loosening as the endpoint, and of 75% (95% CI 65 to 85) when radiological loosening was used. Parametric survivorship analysis using the Cox proportional-hazards model indicated that trochanteric nonunion, lateral placement of the socket, and delayed trabecular reorientation of the bone graft were risk factors for loosening of the acetabular component. Our findings have shown that autologous acetabular bone grafting is of value for long-term success provided that the risk factors are reduced.