Search

Introduction Chondrogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) has proven to be feasible. To compensate for laryngeal palsy or cartilage defects after surgery or trauma using tissue engineering, a formable and stable scaffold material is mandatory.Methods ASCs were seeded in fibrin-polyurethane scaffolds and cultured in chondrogenic differentiation medium adding the growth factors TGF-?1, TGF-?3, and BMP-2 for up to 35 days.Results Histological examination showed acid glycosaminoglycans in the extracellular matrix in all groups. Immunofluorescence presented positive staining for collagen II, aggrecan, and SOX-9 in the TGF-?1–, TGF-?3–, and BMP-2-group. With Real-time PCR analyses, chondrogenic differentiation became apparent by the expression of the specific genes COL2A1 (collagen II), AGC 1 (aggrecan), and SOX-9, whereas collagen II expression was low in all groups compared to bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSC) due to reduced chondrogenic ability.Conclusions These findings demonstrate the general ability of ASCs to differentiate into matrix-producing chondrocytes in fibrin-polyurethane scaffolds. However, further experiments are necessary to enhance this chondrogenic potential of ASCs seeded in fibrin-polyurethane scaffolds in order to produce a suitable regeneration method for treating cartilage defects or an implantable medialization material for vocal cord palsy.

Replantation after complete avulsion amputations at the level of the middle forearm is rarely reported in the literature and remains one of the most difficult challenges for microsurgeons. Microsurgery and its clinical applications are new procedures in Vietnam. The purpose of this article is to evaluate our replantation results in Vietnamese patients relating to this type of injury using microsurgical techniques.

Chronic purulent infection at the distal third of the tibia resulting from of a previous hematogenous osteomyelitis in children is a severe infection which is seldom reported in the literature and remains a difficult challenge for orthopaedic surgeons.