Articles: amnion-transplantation.
-
Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) is a potentially blinding, rare systemic autoimmune disease. The definite etiology of OCP remains under debate, early diagnosis is important to prevent rapid deterioration. The majority of the discussion has been focused on its medical therapeutic strategy, while little effort has been made to study the role of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT). We describe the first case of OCP with minimal immunosuppressant and initial ocular surface reconstruction procedure using double layer AMT. ⋯ We aim at highlighting the possible important role of AMT in advance OCP. Further investigation is still needed for providing evidence to incorporate the procedure into treatment protocol.
-
A laboratory study using a rabbit annular puncture model of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). ⋯ N/A.
-
Tethering after spinal surgery is caused by adhesions that arise from intradural tissue manipulation. Microsurgical detethering is the only treatment for symptomatic patients, but retethering occurs commonly and no treatment is widely available to prevent this complication. ⋯ This first-in-human series provides evidence that HAM grafts are a safe and potentially efficacious method for preventing retethering after microsurgical intradural lysis of adhesions. These results lay the groundwork for further prospective controlled trials in patients with this difficult-to-treat pathology.
-
Previous clinical studies have shown the efficacy of a two-stage surgical procedure - the induced membrane (IM) technique - for reconstruction of large bone defects or bone non-union. The first stage involves radical debridement and insertion of a cement spacer into the bone defect. ⋯ The IM has been shown to (1) act as a protective physical barrier by preventing bone autograft resorption and (2) act as a bioreactor by promoting healing through revascularisation and growth factor secretion, and by concentrating mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) with osteogenic properties. New solutions to reduce this surgical procedure to a single step are being explored, for example by using an IM-like bioactive and protective barrier inserted into the bone defect at the same time as bone graft.