In the social aphid Nipponaphis monzeni, a unique gall-repairing behaviour has been known: when a hole is made on the gall, many soldier nymphs discharge body fluid on the breach, which promptly solidifies and plugs the hole. Here, we experimentally investigated the subsequent fate of repaired galls and their inhabitants. Irrespective of natural repair by soldier nymphs or artificial repair wit...

Artificial nerve grafts are needed to reconstruct massive defects in the peripheral nervous system when autologous nerve grafts are not available in sufficient amounts. Nerve grafts containing Schwann cells display a suitable substrate for long-distance regeneration. We present here a comprehensive analysis of the in vivo effects of different isoforms of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) on pe...

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of three-dimensional preformed titanium membrane (3D-PFTM) to enhance mechanical properties and ability of bone regeneration on the peri-implant bone defect. 3D-PFTMs by new mechanically compressive molding technology and manually shaped- (MS-) PFTMs by hand manipulation were applied in artificial peri-implant bone defect model for static comp...

SUMMARY Understanding the mechanisms governing the regeneration capabilities of many organisms is a fundamental interest in biology and medicine. An ever-increasing number of manipulation and molecular experiments are attempting to discover a comprehensive model for regeneration, with the planarian flatworm being one of the most important model species. Despite much effort, no comprehensive, co...

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) are becoming one of the most exploited cells in peripheral nerve repair. They are fast-growing and able to protect neurons from apoptosis; they can reduce post-injury latency and the risk of muscle atrophy. This study evaluates laminin-loaded fibrin gel as an ASC-carrying scaffold for nerve repair. In vitro, ASC retained their proliferative activity but showed s...

a. The blood of apparently normal animals undergoes considerable variations within physiological limits. b. After a loss of blood the regeneration is more rapid if there has been a transfusion of an artificial serum. c. Regeneration after transfusion is less rapid during the first half of the regeneration period than during the second half. d. The regenerative processes once stimulated into act...

Biosynthetic nerve grafts are desired as alternative to autologous nerve grafts in peripheral nerve reconstruction. Artificial nerve conduits still have their limitations and are not widely accepted in the clinical setting. Here we report an analysis of fine-tuned chitosan tubes used to reconstruct 10 mm nerve defects in the adult rat. The chitosan tubes displayed low, medium and high degrees o...

BackgroundExperimental studies performed with human olfactory nerve stem cells have shown that these cells can ameliorate nerve cell regeneration. Developing a method of repairing nerve damage solely using stem cells without the need of any supporting material is important. MethodsA multilayer cell mass was obtained from olfactory tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells with high viability and pr...

Received in: 04/24/06; approved in: 07/07/06 inTRoDUcTion Although autologous nervous graft is a treatment alternative for nervous injuries in which primary repair cannot be made without using excessive tension, some difficulties exist in using this technique, such as the adjustment of graft’s length and diameter. Numerous attempts have been made intending to induce nervous regeneration in nerv...

There is an increasing range of potential applications of stem cells in liver diseases, with many clinical studies already undertaken. We identify four of the main areas which we propose stem cell therapy could be a realistic aim for in the future: (1) to improve regeneration and reduce scarring in liver cirrhosis by modulating the liver's own regenerative processes, (2) to down-regulate immune...