Objectives. To explore the therapeutic potential of combining bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and hydroxyapatite (HA) granules to treat nonunion of the long bone. Methods. Ten patients with an atrophic nonunion of a long bone fracture were selectively divided into two groups. Five subjects in the treatment group were treated with the combination of 15 million autologous BM-MSCs, 5g/cm. 3. (HA) granules and internal fixation. Control subjects were treated with iliac crest autograft, 5g/cm. 3. HA granules and internal fixation. The outcomes measured were post-operative pain (visual analogue scale), level of functionality (LEFS and DASH), and radiograph assessment. Results. Post-operative pain evaluation showed no significant differences between the two groups. The treatment group demonstrated faster initial radiographic and
The effects of disease progression and common tendinopathy treatments
on the tissue characteristics of human rotator cuff tendons have
not previously been evaluated in detail owing to a lack of suitable
sampling techniques. This study evaluated the structural characteristics
of torn human supraspinatus tendons across the full disease spectrum,
and the short-term effects of subacromial corticosteroid injections
(SCIs) and subacromial decompression (SAD) surgery on these structural
characteristics. Samples were collected inter-operatively from supraspinatus tendons
containing small, medium, large and massive full thickness tears
(n = 33). Using a novel minimally invasive biopsy technique, paired
samples were also collected from supraspinatus tendons containing
partial thickness tears either before and seven weeks after subacromial
SCI (n = 11), or before and seven weeks after SAD surgery (n = 14).
Macroscopically normal subscapularis tendons of older patients (n
= 5, mean age = 74.6 years) and supraspinatus tendons of younger
patients (n = 16, mean age = 23.3) served as controls. Ultra- and
micro-structural characteristics were assessed using atomic force
microscopy and polarised light microscopy respectively. Objectives
Methods
