In Vitro Biocompatibility Evaluation of Nine Dermal Fillers on L929 Cell Line.

OBJECTIVE: Biomaterial research for soft tissue augmentation is an increasing topic in aesthetic medicine. Hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers are widely used for their low invasiveness and easy application to correct aesthetic defects or traumatic injuries. Some complications as acute or chronic inflammation can occur in patients following the injection. Biocompatibility assays are required for medical devices intended for human use, in order to prevent damages or injuries in the host. In this study, nine HA fillers were tested in order to evaluate their cytotoxicity and their effects on L929 cell line, according to the UNI EN ISO 10993 regulation. METHODS: Extracts were prepared from nine HA fillers, and MTS viability assay was performed after 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h of exposure of cells to extracts. Cells cultured with HA filler extracts were monitored for up to 72 h, counted, and stained with haematoxylin/eosin in order to evaluate the cell proliferation rate and morphology. RESULTS: None of the filler tested showed a cytotoxic effect. Two samples showed a higher vitality percentage and higher cell number while two samples showed a lower vitality percentage and lower cell number at 72 h. CONCLUSION: Data obtained suggest that although examined fillers are not cytotoxic, they show different effects on the in vitro cell proliferation rate. In vitro studies of medical devices could lead to important implications since these could aid to predict effects about their in vivo application. These easy and rapid assays could be useful to test new materials intended for human use avoiding animal tests.

Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Endodontic Pins on L929 Cell Line.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of a type of endodontic pin on L929 cell line according to the UNI EN ISO 10993/2009 rule. METHODS: L929 cells were used for the assays; extracts were prepared from three different-diameter endodontic pins, made of epoxy resin and fiberglass matrix and from Reference Materials (ZDEC, ZDBC, and HDP films). MTS assay was performed after 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h of exposure of L929 cells to pin and Reference Material extracts, 5% phenol solution, and control reagent. Cells cultured with different media containing extracts were monitored for up to 72 h and stained with haematoxylin/eosin. RESULTS: Pins of different diameters had no cytotoxic effects on L929 cells at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h (all values >70%). Cells cultured in medium containing pin extracts grew without any differences compared to the control cells. CONCLUSION: The endodontic pins tested showed no cytotoxic effects and did not induce changes in morphology for up to 72 h.

Intraoperative measurement of parathyroid hormone: A Copernican revolution in the surgical treatment of hyperparathyroidism.

Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) monitoring in the setting of the operating room represents a valuable example of the rationale use of the laboratory diagnostic in a patient-oriented approach. Rapid intraoperative PTH (ioPTH) assay is a valid tool for an accurate evaluation of the success of parathyroid surgery. The reliability of the user-friendly portable systems as well as the collaboration between operators and surgical staff allow the one-site monitoring of the ioPTH decrements on the course of the surgical management of hyperparathyroidism. The rapid answer provided by an effective decrement of PTH during parathyroidectomy contributes dramatically to the efficacy of parathyroid surgery and the reduction of the number of re-operations. Therefore the dose of ioPTH is a valid and reliable support for the success of the intervention of parathyroidectomy at controlled costs.

Enteral nutrition support to treat malnutrition in inflammatory bowel disease.

Malnutrition is a common consequence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Diet has an important role in the management of IBD, as it prevents and corrects malnutrition. It is well known that diet may be implicated in the aetiology of IBD and that it plays a central role in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal-tract disease. Often oral nutrition alone is not sufficient in the management of IBD patients, especially in children or the elderly, and must be combined with oral supplementation or replaced with tube enteral nutrition. In this review, we describe several different approaches to enteral nutrition-total parenteral, oral supplementation and enteral tube feeding-in terms of results, patients compliance, risks and and benefits. We also focus on the home enteral nutrition strategy as the future goal for treating IBD while focusing on patient wellness.

Towards an ideal source of mesenchymal stem cell isolation for possible therapeutic application in regenerative medicine.

BACKGROUND: The possibility of obtaining mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from fetal tissue such as amniotic fluid, chorionic villi and placenta is well-known and a comparison between MSCs originating in different sources such as fetal tissue and those from bone marrow in terms of yield and function is a topical issue. The mesenchymal stem cells isolated from bone marrow are well-characterized. Unfortunately the low quantitative yield during isolation is a major problem. For this reason, other tissue sources for MSCs are of paramount importance. CONCLUSION: In this review, starting from a description of the molecular and cellular biology of MSCs, we describe alternative sources of isolation other than bone marrow. Finally, we describe the potential therapeutic application of these cells.

Gene expression of stem cells at different stages of ontological human development.

OBJECTIVES: To compare multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from chorionic villi (CV), amniotic fluid (AF) and placenta, with regard to their phenotype and gene expression, in order to understand if MSCs derived from different extra-embryonic tissues, at different stages of human ontological development, present distinct stemness characteristics. STUDY DESIGN: MSCs obtained from 30 samples of CV, 30 of AF and 10 placentas (obtained from elective caesarean sections) were compared. MSCs at second confluence cultures were characterized by immunophenotypic analysis with flow cytometry using FACS CANTO II. The expression of the genes Oct-4 (Octamer-binding transcription factor 4, also known as POU5F1), Sox-2 (SRY box-containing factor 2), Nanog, Rex-1 (Zfp-42) and Pax-6 (Paired Box Protein-6), was analyzed. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed by ABI Prism 7700, after RNA isolation and retro-transcription in cDNA. Statistical analysis was performed using non-parametric test Kruskal-Wallis (XLSTAT 2011) and confirmed by REST software, to estimate fold changes between samples. Each gene was defined differentially expressed if p-value was <0.05. RESULTS: Cells from all samples were negative for haematopoietic antigens CD45, CD34, CD117 and CD33 and positive for the typical MSCs antigens CD13, CD73 and CD90. Nevertheless, MSCs from AF and placentas showed different fluorescence intensity, reflecting the heterogeneity of these tissues. The gene expression of OCT-4, SOX-2, NANOG was not significantly different among the three groups. In AF, REX-1 and PAX-6 showed a higher expression in comparison to CV. CONCLUSIONS: MSCs of different extra-embryonic tissues showed no differences in immunophenotype when collected from second confluence cultures. The expression of OCT-4, NANOG and SOX-2 was not significantly different, demonstrating that all fetal sources are suitable for obtaining MSCs. These results open new possibilities for the clinical use of MSCs derived from easily accessible sources, in order to develop new protocols for clinical and experimental research.

The mediterranean diet: a history of health.

The Mediterranean tradition offers a cousine rich in colors, aromas and memories, which support the taste and the spirit of those who live in harmony with nature. Everyone is talking about the Mediterranean diet, but few are those who do it properly, thus generating a lot of confusion in the reader. And so for some it coincides with the pizza, others identified it with the noodles with meat sauce, in a mixture of pseudo historical traditions and folklore that do not help to solve the question that is at the basis of any diet: combine and balance the food so as to satisfy the qualitative and quantitative needs of an individual and in a sense, preserves his health through the use of substances that help the body to perform normal vital functions. The purpose of our work is to demonstrate that the combination of taste and health is a goal that can be absolutely carried out by everybody, despite those who believe that only a generous caloric intake can guarantee the goodness of a dish and the satisfaction of the consumers. That should not be an absolute novelty, since the sound traditions of the Mediterranean cuisine we have used for some time in a wide variety of tasty gastronomic choices, from inviting colors and strong scents and absolutely in line with health.

Is secondary hyperparathyroidism-related myelofibrosis a negative prognostic factor for kidney transplant outcome?

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (HP) presenting with hypocalcemia and subsequent increased parathormone (PTH), is mainly identified in patients with chronic renal failure, which has been associated with variable degrees of bone marrow fibrosis. For suitable patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), kidney transplantation is recognized as the therapy of choice, being superior to dialysis in terms of quality of life and long-term mortality risk; in this regard interesting data show that increased time on dialysis prior to kidney transplantation is associated with decreased graft and patient survival. In our opinion an important and until now underestimated determinant of graft survival is the proper activity of bone marrow because of the emerging role of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in repair of ischemia/reperfusion (IR) damage. We postulate that in ESRD patients, who usually undergo long dialytic treatment, a myelofibrosis caused by an overt secondary HP could drastically decrease the HSC potential for IR damage repair after kidney transplant; this could irremediably lead to a delay in graft function with all related complicances. If the curative role of bone marrow-derived stem cells was confirmed by more data obtained in experimental animal models, it could be possible to try a cellular-based therapeutic approach in the management of ESRD patients which are in waiting list for a kidney transplant.

Pancreatic islets from non-heart-beating donor pig: two-layer preservation method in an in vitro porcine model.

PURPOSE: Pancreata from non-heart beating donors could represent an unlimited source of islets if their cell viability can be efficiently preserved during the time necessary to process the organs by the use of a better solution of preservation compared to the classic University of Wisconsin solution. The aim of this study was to determine whether it is possible to obtain functioning "alive islets" from non-heart-beating donors by comparing, on a porcine model, the classic "UW ice-store" method with a two-layer cold storage method (TLM) using oxygenated Perfluorocarbons (PFC) and UW. METHODS: Whole pancreata were harvested from 20 NHBDs female pigs with similar characteristics and preserved for 4 h in UW solution (n = 10) or TLM (UW/PFC) solution (n=10). The isolated islets were then evaluated for number, viability, purity, and insulin secretion, also estimated after 8 weeks of cryopreservation. RESULTS: The total number of islets obtained from isolation, and their function assayed by the insulin stimulation index, before and after cryopreservation, showed a higher value in the TLM group. No significative differences in terms of purity and viability before and after cryopreservation were found when comparing the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: TLM solution for NHBDs porcine pancreata with cold ischemia time lower than 4 h offers significant advantages over UW solution storage, thereby increasing the isolation yield and isolation success rate of the pancreatic porcine islets.