The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is an articulation formed between the temporal bone and the mandibular condyle which is commonly affected. These affections are often so painful during fundamental oral activities that patients have lower quality of life. Limitations of therapeutics for severe TMJ diseases have led to increased interest in regenerative strategies combining stem cells, implantab...

Yukio Fukushima Naokazu Kitamura Daisuke Iwayama, Ph.D. Kazuhito Matsuzaki Sena Yoshii Jun Taniguchi Toyoshige Kobayashi, Ph.D. Jun Otomo, Ph.D. OVERVIEW: There are growing expectations throughout the world for the practical commercialization of regenerative medicine, a new field of medical technology that can cure or restore function to diseased parts of the body by transplanting tissue or cel...

Hydrogels, due to their unique biocompatibility, flexible methods of synthesis, range of constituents, and desirable physical characteristics, have been the material of choice for many applications in regenerative medicine. They can serve as scaffolds that provide structural integrity to tissue constructs, control drug and protein delivery to tissues and cultures, and serve as adhesives or barr...

Diabetes is a common multisystem disease that results in hyperglycemia due to a relative or absolute insulin deficiency. Improved glycemic control decreases the risk of development and progression of microvascular and, to a lesser extent, macrovascular complications and prevents symptomatic hyperglycemia. However, complex treatment regimens aimed at improving glycemic control are associated wit...

Telocytes (TCs) are a distinct type of interstitial cells characterized by a small cell body and extremely long and thin telopodes (Tps). The presence of TCs has been documented in many tissues and organs (go to http://www.telocytes.com). Functionally, TCs form a three-dimensional (3D) interstitial network by homocellular and heterocellular communication and are involved in the maintenance of t...

Over the past decade, great strides have been made in the understanding and potential of targeted cell-based therapies. Starting decades ago, use of an irritant solution to stimulate inflammatory reactions has been replaced in the past few years with transition to injecting various platelet-rich plasma (PRP) concentrates for supporting an effective inflammatory reaction at damaged or degenerati...

THE POTENTIAL TO REGENERATE DAMAGED LIMBS AND hearts seems the subject of science fiction, but newts and zebrafish do it all the time. What can scientists learn from these simple creatures? Why have mammals not retained this remarkably useful property in the course of evolution? Can an evolutionary perspective on the mechanisms used by “lowly” organisms inform the approach to human tissue regen...

ociety is increasingly affected by degenerative diseases that need to be treated by modern medicine. In the advanced stages of such diseases, modalities for cure are often not available. Heart disease is the primary cause of death throughout the world, despite dramatic improvements that have been made in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases over the past decades. At present, heart transplan...

Prof. Turksen is a very well known scientist in the stem cell biology field and he is also internationally known for his fundamental studies on claudin-6. In addition to his research activity he is editor for the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series (Humana Press) and editor-in-chief of Stem Cell Reviews and Reports.....