Mechanical Dissociation of Tissues for Single Cell Analysis Using a Motorized Device.

Being able to isolate and prepare single cells for the analysis of tissue samples has rapidly become crucial for new biomedical discoveries and research. Manual protocols for single-cell isolations are highly time-consuming and prone to user variability. Automated mechanical protocols are able to reduce processing time and sample variability but aren't easily accessible or cost-effective in lower-resourced research settings. The device described here was designed for semi-automated tissue dissociation using commercially available materials as a low-cost alternative for academic laboratories. Instructions to fabricate, assemble, and operate the device design have been provided. The dissociation protocol reliably produces single-cell suspensions with comparable cell yields and sample viability to manual preparations across multiple mouse tissues. The protocol provides the ability to process up to 12 tissue samples simultaneously per device, making studies requiring large sample sizes more manageable. The accompanying software also allows for customization of the device protocol to accommodate varying tissues and experimental constraints.

Primary anterior cruciate ligament repair: Current concepts.

The renewed interest in ACL repair over the last two decades stems from advances in modern arthroscopic techniques and clinical studies that have provided evidence that the ACL can reliably heal, and patients can return to sport at a comparable rate to ACL reconstruction patients. The ability to maintain and utilize native ACL tissue, with proprioceptive capabilities, and the smaller drill tunnels needed to repair an ACL leads to an overall less invasive procedure and improved early rehabilitation. Additionally, repair avoids a variety of comorbidities associated with autograft harvest. This current concept review details modern techniques of ACL repair and their current studies, a review on the use of biologic enhancement in ACL repair, and other considerations to appropriately integrate ACL repair into the sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon's practice.