The effect of basic fibroblast growth factor on the proliferative and chemotactic response of cultured rat patellar tendon fibroblasts was studied in an in vitro wound closure model. In quiescent confluent fibroblast culture, a uniform cell free zone, or wound, was generated mechanically as an in vitro wound. The width of the cell free zone was measured at 0, 6, 12, and 24 hours after the injury, in the presence of 0, 2, 10, or 50 ng/mL of basic fibroblast growth factor. Basic fibroblast growth factor, at a concentration of 10 ng/mL, significantly accelerated wound closure, resulting in almost complete closure by 24 hours after the injury. Basic fibroblast growth factor, at a concentration of 2 ng/mL, significantly enhanced cell proliferation as estimated by 5-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation, but increasing the concentration of the growth factor to 50 ng/mL did not show additional improvement. Thus, the enhancement of wound closure by basic fibroblast growth factor may be caused by the cell proliferative response, rather than by chemotaxis.

The midterm effects of cardiac telocytes (CTs) transplantation on myocardial infarction (MI) and the cellular mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of CTs transplantation are not understood. In the present study, we have revealed that transplantation of CTs was able to significantly decrease the infarct size and improved cardiac function 14 weeks after MI. It has established that CT transplantation exerted a protective effect on the myocardium and this was maintained for at least 14 weeks. The cellular mechanism behind this beneficial effect on MI was partially attributed to increased cardiac angiogenesis, improved reconstruction of the CT network and decreased myocardial fibrosis. These combined effects decreased the infarct size, improved the reconstruction of the LV and enhanced myocardial function in MI. Our findings suggest that CTs could be considered as a potential cell source for therapeutic use to improve cardiac repair and function following MI, used either alone or in tandem with stem cells.

Objective: To evaluate both direct and indirect costs of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with and without flares from a societal perspective, and to investigate the impact of the severity and clinical manifestations of flares on direct/indirect costs.Methods: A retrospective cost‐of‐illness study was performed on 306 SLE patients. Participants completed questionnaires on sociodemographics, employment status, and out‐of‐pocket expenses. Health resources consumption was recorded by chart review and patient self‐reported questionnaire. The total number of flares and involved organs during the preceding 12 months were recorded. Multiple linear regression was performed to determine the cost predictors.Results: Patients with flares were younger, had shorter disease duration, and had higher disease activity at the time of the assessment. The overall incidence of lupus flares was 0.24 episodes per patient‐year. Patients with flares used more health care resources and incurred significantly higher annual direct and indirect costs. The mean total costs per patient‐year were 2‐fold higher for patients with flares ($22,580 versus $10,870 [2006 US dollars]; P < 0.0005). Multiple regression analysis showed that the number of flares was an independent explanatory variable associated with increased direct costs. Patients with multiorgan flares or renal/neuropsychiatric flares incurred higher direct costs compared with those with single‐organ flares or with other organ flares.Conclusion: Patients with flares incur higher direct and indirect costs compared with those without flares. Major organ flares incur higher disease costs than other organ flares. Treatments that effectively control disease activity and prevent flares, especially major organ flares, may reduce the high costs associated with flare in SLE.

The safety issues of biomedical applications have been a major concern in recent years. Drug delivery associated with microencapsulation technology has been focused on as microencapsulated drugs are believed to promote comparative therapeutic efficiency on human absorption and prolong the life cycle of drugs. The most commonly applied crosslinker is formaldehyde in a gelatin microencapsulation system, which is considerably toxic to the human body. To reduce the risks involved when using formaldehyde, agar was associated with gelatin as the wall matrix materials of microcapsules as it could crosslink with gelatin to give a gel network in the microcapsules formation. Here we report the development, characterization and safe use of agar–gelatin microcapsules. We further demonstrate that both oral and topical applications are possible using the berberine HCl and gallic acid loaded microcapsules respectively. Microcapsules containing both drugs were prepared combining the optimal parameters identified. The mean drug loading efficiency and the mean particle sizes of the berberine HCl loaded microcapsules were 78.16% and 16.75 μm respectively, while those of gallic acid loaded microcapsules were 70.28% and 21.98 μm respectively. The compositions and surface morphology of berberine HCl and gallic acid containing microcapsules were examined using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The in vitro controlled release models demonstrated that the drugs could be gradually released from the microcapsules. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and anti-Staphylococcus aureus activity also proved that the berberine HCl loaded microcapsules exhibited better antibacterial activity towards Staphylococcus aureus when compared with those of the original drugs. The in vitro drug delivery model also demonstrated the delivery of berberine HCl from microcapsule treated textiles into nude mice skin. The in vivo mice disease model also showed that gallic acid loaded microcapsules were helpful in the treatment of acute liver and kidney toxicity after an overdose administration of acetaminophen. The development of agar–gelatin microcapsules was demonstrated to be an efficient, deliverable tool for both oral and topical applications.

The external epithelial surfaces of plants and animals are frequently carpeted with small micro- and nanostructures, which broadens their adaptive capabilities in challenging physical habitats. Hairs and other shaped protuberances manage with excessive water, light contaminants, predators or parasites in innovative ways. We are interested in transferring these intricate architectures onto biomedical devices and daily-life surfaces. Such a project requires a very rapid and accurate small-scale fabrication process not involving lithography. In this study, we describe a simple benchtop biotemplating method using shed gecko lizard skin that generates duplicates that closely replicate the small nanotipped hairs (spinules) that cover the original skin. Synthetic replication of the spinule arrays in popular biomaterials closely matched the natural spinules in length. More significantly, the shape, curvature and nanotips of the synthetic arrays are virtually identical to the natural ones. Despite some small differences, the synthetic gecko skin surface resisted wetting and bacterial contamination at the same level as natural shed skin templates. Such synthetic gecko skin surfaces are excellent platforms to test for bacterial control in clinical settings. We envision testing the biocidal properties of the well-matched templates for fungal spores and viral resistance in biomedicine as well as co/multi-cultures.