Marshacosta0929

otype in engineered tendons. Future studies may be targeted to understanding the functional contributions of each tendon stem cell phenotype in vivo and identifying additional cell phenotypes.BACKGROUND To date, it has repeatedly been demonstrated that infusing bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) into acellular nerve scaffolds can promote and support axon regeneration through a peripheral nerve defect. However, harvesting BMSCs is an invasive and painful process fraught with a low cellular yield. METHODS In pursuit of alternative stem cell sources, we isolated stem cells from the inguinal subcutaneous adipose tissue of adult Sprague-Dawley rats (adipose-derived stem cells, ADSCs). We used a co-culture system that allows isolated adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and Schwann cells (SCs) to grow in the same culture medium but without direct cellular contact. We verified SC phenotype in vitro by cell marker analysis and used red fluorescent protein-tagged ADSCs to detect their fate after being injected into a chemically extracted acellular nerve allograft (CEANA). To compare the regenerative effects of CEANA containing either BMSCs or ADSCs with an autograft and CEANA only on the sciatic nerve defect in vivo, we performed histological and functional assessments up to 16 weeks after grafting. RESULTS In vitro, we observed reciprocal beneficial effects of ADSCs and SCs in the ADSC-SC co-culture system. Moreover, ADSCs were able to survive in CEANA for 5 days after in vitro implantation. Sixteen weeks after grafting, all results consistently showed that CEANA infused with BMSCs or ADSCs enhanced injured sciatic nerve repair compared to the acellular CEANA-only treatment. Furthermore, their beneficial effects on sciatic injury regeneration were comparable as histological and functional parameters evaluated showed no statistically significant differences. However, the autograft group was roundly superior to both the BMSC- or ADSC-loaded CEANA groups. CONCLUSION The results of the present study show that ADSCs are a viable alternative stem cell source for treating sciatic nerve injury in lieu of BMSCs.BACKGROUND The beneficial adaptation of skeletal muscle function to strenuous exercise is partially attributable to the improvement of vitamin D status. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 3-week vitamin D supplementation on serum 25(OH)D levels and skeletal muscle biomarkers (i.e. troponin, myoglobin, creatine kinase and lactic dehydrogenase) of endurance runners. METHODS A double-blind placebo-controlled study design was used and vitamin D supplementation was compared to a non-treatment control group. Twenty-four runners, competitors of the ultra-marathons held during the National Running Championships, were randomly assigned into two groups supplemented with the dose of 2000 IU vitamin D or placebo for three weeks. All subjects participated in three exercise protocols (a) incremental exercise test (to determine the maximum oxygen uptake and the intensity of eccentric exercise), (b) eccentric exercise before and (c) after two dietary protocols. Venous blood samples were drawn at rest, immedpplemented group compared to placebo (p  less then  0.05). A negative correlation was observed between post exercise 25(OH)D levels and myoglobin levels (r = - 0.57; p = 0.05), and 25(OH)D levels and TNFα (r = - 0.58; p = 0.05) in vitamin D supplemented group. CONCLUSIONS Three weeks of vitamin D supplementation had a positive effect on serum 25(OH)D levels in endurance trained runners and it caused a marked decrease in post-exercise biomarkers levels. Tretinoin We concluded that vitamin D supplementation might play an important role in prevention of skeletal muscle injuries following exercise with eccentric muscle contraction in athletes.BACKGROUND To evaluate the effect of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling surrounding macular holes (MH) for the function of retina by microperimetry-3(MP-3). METHODS This is a prospective, cohort study which included patients with MHs who were treated by 23-gauge 3-port pars plana vitrectomy and ILM peeling with air tamponade. Color fundus photography, retinal optical coherence tomography and MP-3 were performed 1 week before, 1 and 4 months after the operation. In MP-3 examination, a customized follow-up pattern with 45 spots in the central 8° visual field was used. The spots corresponding to the retina surrounding macular holes were selected for comparison of pre- and post-operative function. RESULTS We incuded 44 eyes of 44 patients with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 1.06 ± 0.40 (logMAR). All eyes achieved an anatomical success at 4 months. BCVA significantly improved at 1 month (0.53 ± 0.30, P  less then  0.01) and 4 months (0.31 ± 0.24, P  less then  0.01), respectively. Mean retinal sensitivity (MRS, dB) of the retina surrounding macular hole was 23.46 ± 3.01 dB at baseline, and significantly increased at 1 month (26.25 ± 2.31 dB, u = - 4.88, P  less then  0.01) and 4 months (27.14 ± 2.45 dB, t = - 6.29, P  less then  0.01). Patients with increased MRS are significantly younger than those with deceased MRS (59.72 ± 3.22 years vs. 65.60 ± 8.19 years, P  less then  0.01). After ILM peeling, the increasing extent of MRS was significantly higher in inferior and nasal retina than in superior and temporal retina at 1 and 4 months (P  less then  0.05). CONCLUSION ILM peeling in normal retina will not decrease the retinal function in a short-term after surgery.BACKGROUND Cognitive fatigue after childhood cancer is frequently overlooked despite guidelines recommending follow-up, and might be mistaken for depression due to overlapping symptoms. Our objectives were 1) to examine ratings of fatigue in survivors of paediatric brain tumours (BT) and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) compared to healthy controls, 2) to examine the relationship between symptoms of depression and cognitive fatigue, and 3) to evaluate parent-child concordance in ratings of cognitive fatigue. METHODS Survivors of BT (n = 30), survivors of ALL (n = 30), and healthy controls (n = 60) aged 8-18 years completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Multidimensional Fatigue Scale and the Beck Youth Inventories. Associations between cognitive fatigue, diagnosis and depression were assessed with general linear modelling. Group differences were analysed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Parent-child concordance was investigated with internal consistency reliability. RESULTS Cognitive fatigue was prevalent in 70% of survivors of BT survivors and in 30% of survivors of ALL.