Nanowire TiO 2 thin films were successfully prepared on Ti metal substrates by hydrothermal treatment of calcined Ti foils in 10 M NaOH. The nanowire TiO 2 thin films exhibited much larger surface area and higher photoelectrochemical performance than the TiO 2 thin films prepared on Ti metal substrates by the calcination of Ti foil. These nanowire films were shown to act as an efficient photoanodes for the photoelectrochemical water splitting reaction.
Introduction
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of gelatin microspheres incorporating growth factors on the therapeutic efficacy in cell transplantation. The strength of this study is to combine gelatin hydrogel microspheres incorporating basic fibroblast growth factor and platelet growth factor mixture (GM/GF) with bioabsorbable injectable hydrogels (iGel) for transplantation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs).
Methods
The rats ASCs suspended in various solutions were transplanted in masseter muscle. Rats were euthanized 2, 7, 14 days after injection for measurement of the number of ASCs retention in the muscle and morphological evaluation of muscle fibers and the inflammation of the injected tissue by histologic and immunofluorescent stain.
Results
Following the injection into the skeletal muscle, the GM/GF allowed the growth factors to release at the injection site over one week. When ASCs were transplanted into skeletal muscle using iGel incorporating GM/GF (iGel+GM/GF), the number of cells grafted was significantly high compared with other control groups. Moreover, for the groups to which GM/GF was added, the cells transplanted survived, and the Myo-D expression of a myoblast marker was observed at the region of cells transplanted.
Conclusions
The growth factors released for a long time likely enhance the proliferative and differentiative capacity of cells. The simple combination with iGel and GM/GF allowed ASCs to enhance their survival at the injected site and consequently achieve improved therapeutic efficacy in cell transplantation.
Background Velopharyngeal structure augmentation methods are used as alternatives to pharyngeal flap operations. Recently, we investigated the sites of velopharyngeal structure augmentation in dogs and reported that the most effective injection location is the soft palate. However, there have been no reports regarding the optimal materials for implantation or injection. In this study, we aimed to investigate the injectable materials used in soft palate augmentation in dogs to ameliorate velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). Methods Endoscopic soft palate augmentation (ESPA) was performed in dogs using purified sodium hyaluronate, atelocollagen, or autogenic fat tissue. ESPA is an original technique developed by our group, and this is the first report of its performance. Moreover, we assessed the amount of nasal air leakage during inspiration at rest and during expiration under the rebreathing system at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 months after injection of these materials. Results The amount of nasal air leakage during expiration under the rebreathing system was significantly decreased in all dogs injected with the ESPA materials, but neither apnea nor hypopnea was observed. Conclusions We investigated the optimal materials for use in ESPA, such as purified sodium hyaluronate, atelocollagen, or autogenic fat tissue. We found that all of them reduced nasal air leakage and only autogenic fat tissue showed significant histologic differences in dogs at 6 months. This technique may also be useful for the treatment of patients with VPI.
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