Cell-laden hydrogels are widely used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, many of these hydrogels are not optimized for use in the oral environment, where they are exposed to blood and saliva. To address these challenges, we engineered an alginate-based adhesive, photocrosslinkable, and osteoconductive hydrogel biomaterial (AdhHG) with tunable mechanical properties. The engineered hydrogel was used as an injectable mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) delivery vehicle for craniofacial bone tissue engineering applications. Subcutaneous implantation in mice confirmed the biodegradability, biocompatibility, and osteoconductivity of the hydrogel. In a well-established rat peri-implantitis model, application of the adhesive hydrogel encapsulating gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) resulted in complete bone regeneration around ailing dental implants with peri-implant bone loss. Together, we have developed a distinct bioinspired adhesive hydrogel with tunable mechanical properties and biodegradability that effectively delivers patient-derived dental-derived MSCs. The hydrogel is photocrosslinkable and, due to the presence of MSC aggregates and hydroxyapatite microparticles, promotes bone regeneration for craniofacial tissue engineering applications.
The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (SIT) is the most cited olfactory test in the literature because it is easy to perform and there is high test-retest reliability. There were no standardized olfaction values in a normal Brazilian population. Aim: To measure the SIT score in a group of Brazilians, and to assess the level of difficulty when implementing the test. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: The SIT was applied in 25 Brazilian volunteers of various income levels who presented no olfactory complaints. Following the test, subjects answered a questionnaire with a visual analog scale (VAS) for the level of difficulty. Results: The mean in the sample of Brazilians was 32.5 (SD: 3.48) our of 40; this is below what is considered normal for US citizens. The level of difficulty was on average 26 mm (SD: 24.68) in the VAS, but it trended towards easy; 4(16%) participants did not recognize some of the odors under 'alternatives'. Conclusion: In this pilot study, there was evidence of good test applicability; the score of the sample of Brazilians was just below normosmia. Further studies are needed to confirm the existence of differences between people of different income levels. ORIGINAL ARTICLE Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2010;76(6):695-9. BJORL
Sensorineural
hearing loss in mammals occurs due to irreversible
damage to the sensory epithelia of the inner ear and has very limited
treatment options. The ability to regenerate the auditory progenitor
cells is a promising approach for the treatment of sensorineural hearing
loss; therefore, finding an appropriate and easily accessible stem
cell source for restoring the sense of hearing would be of great interest.
Here, we proposed a novel easy-to-access source of cells with the
ability to recover auditory progenitor cells. In this study, gingival
mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) were utilized, as these cells have
high self-renewal and multipotent differentiation capacity and can
be obtained easily from the oral cavity or discarded tissue samples
at dental clinics. To manipulate the biophysical properties of the
cellular microenvironment for promoting GMSC differentiation toward
the target cells, we also tried to propose a candidate biomaterial.
GMSCs in combination with an appropriate scaffold material can, therefore,
present advantageous therapeutic options for a number of conditions.
Here, we report the potential of GMSCs to differentiate into auditory
progenitor cells while supporting them with an optimized three-dimensional
scaffold and certain growth factors. A hybrid hydrogel scaffold based
on peptide modified alginate and Matrigel was used here in addition
to the presence of fibroblast growth factor-basic (bFGF), insulin-like
growth factor (IGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF). Our in vitro and in vivo studies confirmed
the auditory differentiation potential of GMSCs within the engineered
microenvironment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.