Bioengineered uterine tissue could provide a treatment option for women with uterine factor infertility. In large-animal models, reconstruction of the uterus has been demonstrated only with xenogeneic tissue grafts. Here we use biodegradable polymer scaffolds seeded with autologous cells to restore uterine structure and function in rabbits. Rabbits underwent a subtotal uterine excision and were reconstructed either with autologous cell-seeded constructs, with non-seeded scaffolds, or by suturing. At 6 months post-implantation, only the cell-seeded engineered uteri developed native tissue-like structures, including organized luminal/glandular epithelium, stroma, vascularized mucosa, and two-layered myometrium. Only rabbits with cell-seeded constructs had normal pregnancies (4/10) within the reconstructed segment of the uterus and supported fetal development to term and live birth. With further development, this approach may provide a regenerative medicine solution to uterine factor infertility.

In 2012, about 16487 people received kidney transplants in the United States, whereas 95022 candidates were on the waiting list by the end of the year. Despite advances in renal transplant immunology, approximately 40% of recipients will die or lose graft within 10 years. The limitations of current therapies for renal failure have led researchers to explore the development of modalities that could improve, restore, or replace the renal function. The aim of this paper is to describe a reasonable approach for kidney regeneration and review the current literature regarding cell sources and mechanisms to develop a bioengineering kidney. Due to kidneys peculiar anatomy, extracellular matrix based scaffolds are rational starting point for their regeneration. The perfusion of detergents through the kidney vasculature is an efficient method for delivering decellularizing agents to cells and for removing of cellular material from the tissue. Many efforts have focused on the search of a reliable cell source to provide enrichment for achieving stable renal cell systems. For an efficient bioengineered kidney, these cells must be attached to the organ and then maturated into the bioractors, which simulates the human body environment. A functional bioengineered kidney is still a big challenge for scientists. In the last ten years we have got many improvements on the field of solid organ regeneration; however, we are still far away from the main target. Currently, regenerative centers worldwide have been striving to find feasible strategies to develop bioengineered kidneys. Cell-scaffold technology gives hope to end-stage renal disease patients who struggle with morbidity and mortality due to extended periods on dialysis or immunosupression. The potential of bioengineered organ is to provide a reliable source of organs, which can be refunctionalized and transplanted.

ORP in NHPs produced persistent erectile and urinary tract dysfunction. Periurethral injection of CXCL-12 was feasible and improved both urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction and suggests that this model can be used to test new approaches for both conditions.

The implantation of PGA scaffolds seeded with ADSC and MDSC induced less fibrosis than control and smooth muscle regeneration.

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Objective: This study is a comprehensive review of literature regarding urological complications associated with female genital mutilation and its impact on women's quality of life. Material and methods:This review encompasses articles published between 1980 and November 2016 on PubMed database. The following MeSH terms were used: "urological complications", "complications", "female genital mutilation", "female genital cutting", "female genital mutilation complications", "female genital circumcision", and "infibulation". The inclusion criteria were: English language, original articles, case reports, case series, prospective and retrospective studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analysis. Articles addressing only genital cosmetic procedures were excluded.Results: From 1765 articles initially screened, 13 met the inclusion criteria. The overall prevalence of urological complications in women with genital mutilation is 20%. Recurrent urinary tract infections, lower urinary tract symptoms, urinary retention, urogenital fistulas, meatus stenosis, urethral stones, and megaurethra are the reported ones. Conclusions:The prevalence of urological complications is directly related to the severity of genital mutilation. Type III FGM (narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal formed by cutting and repositioning through suturing the labia minora or labia majora) has the highest risk of postoperative urological complications.

Background: Chronic tubulointerstitial fibrosis is a common final pathway leading to end stage kidney disease in cats and has no effective treatment. The use of cell-based molecules to treat kidney fibrosis may be a promising approach. The objectives were to test the effects of intra-renal chemokine CXCL12 injection in a pre-clinical cat model of unilateral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced kidney fibrosis and then, within a clinical pilot study, test the safety/feasibility of CXCL12 injection in cats that might have early chronic kidney disease (CKD).Methods:Pre-clinical: Thirty cats received intra-renal injection of 100, 200, or 400 ng of recombinant human CXCL12, or sterile saline, into the I/R kidney 70 days post-injury, or were non-injured, non-injected controls (n = 6/group). Kidney collagen content was quantified 4 months post-treatment using Masson's Trichrome and Picrosirius Red (PSR) stained tissues. In a separate study (n = 2) exploring short-term effects of CXCL12, 200 ng CXCL12 was injected into I/R kidneys and then harvested either 30 min (n = 1) or 1 month (n = 1) post-injection. Kidney concentrations of CXCL12, matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1), and lysyl oxidase-like enzyme 2 (LOXL-2) were quantified via ELISA. Clinical Pilot: 14 client-owned cats with potential early kidney disease received a single-treatment, bilateral intra-renal injection of 200 ng CXCL12 (n = 7), or received no injection (n = 7). Blood/urine samples were collected monthly for 9 months to assess renal function and CKD staging.Results:Pre-clinical: I/R increased the affected kidney collagen content, which both mid and high doses of CXCL12 restored to normal (ps < 0.05 vs. untreated). I/R increased collagen fiber width, which both mid and high doses of CXCL12 restored to normal (p < 0.001 vs. untreated). Early changes in kidney MMP-1, associated with collagen breakdown, and subsequent decreases in LOXL-2, associated with collagen cross-linking, in response to CXCL12 treatment may contribute to these findings. Clinical Pilot: Bilateral intra-renal injection of CXCL12 using ultrasound guidance in cats with CKD was feasible and safe in a general practice clinical setting with no obvious side effects noted during the 9-month follow-up period.Conclusions: Intra-renal injection of CXCL12 may prove to be an effective treatment for kidney fibrosis in cats with CKD. Additional mechanistic and clinical evaluations are needed.

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