Obtaining mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue of murine origin: Experimental study

Stem cells have a key role in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Although not immortal, they are able to expand manyfold in culture retaining at the same time their growth and multilineage potential. They also show a migratory capacity when transplanted systemically in animal model with injuries. Thanks to their properties and their plasticity stem cells are of great importance since they can be used as a tool for repair damaged tissues and organs. Mesenchymal stem cells, in particular, have the ability to differentiate into lineages of mesodermal tissues, such as skeletal muscle, bone, tendons, cartilage, and fat under appropriate culturing conditions. Recent evidence suggest th…

TRANS-FUSIMO: Preliminary in-vivo animal results of MR-guided Focused Ultrasound of liver under respiratory motion

Background: Treating liver tumors using FUS poses a great challenge due to the respiratory motion of the target and by the rib cage obscuring the anatomical location of the malignancy. In the EU FP7 project TRANS-FUSIMO (www.trans-fusimo.eu) a novel treatment software has been developed to support MR guided focused ultrasound treatment of liver lesions through electronic real-time beam steering of the ultrasound transducer. Prior to clinical use we conduct an in-vivo animal trial using the TRANS-FUSIMO treatment system (TTS) to evaluate the safety and the technical efficacy and efficiency of generation predefined necrotic lesions in the healthy liver. Material and Methods: The pre-clinical …

Misure preliminari su scanner MRI 7T di stabilità nel tempo di Dosimetri gel di tipo Fricke

L’ottimizzazione delle procedure che utilizzano radiazioni ionizzanti in campo medico costituisce un elemento chiave per la sicurezza del paziente e l’esito dei trattamenti radioterapici. In particolare è fondamentale arrecare il minor danno possibile ai tessuti sani circostanti la neoplasia da trattare (Attix, 2004). La misurazione precisa della dose somministrata nei tessuti e la sua mappatura in tre dimensioni sono di fondamentale importanza in termini di riuscita e di pianificazione dei trattamenti radioterapici (Khan, 2009). In questo lavoro sono presentate le misure preliminari effettuate per testare la stabilità temporale di dosimetri gel di tipo Fricke tramite scanner pre-clinico 7T…

Synthetic scaffolds may be used for the orientation of cardiac stem cells properties, differentiation and extracellular matrix interactions in cardiac tissue engineering: in vitro and in vivo studies.

New Fricke gel with high sensitivity and low diffusion for 3D-MRI dosimetry

209 New Fricke gel with high sensitivity and low diffusion for 3D-MRI dosimetry

Purpose Fricke gel (FG) dosimeters are good candidates for 3D dose assessment in biological materials. Their effective atomic number and density are similar to those of soft tissue. In view of their chemical and morphological characteristics, FG serve as dosimeters and as phantoms at the same time. FG dosimeters are obtained by incorporating an acidic aqueous solution of ferrous ions Fe2+ into a gel matrix. In order to address the limitations of gels based on natural matrices, we have studied FG produced with a matrix of poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GTA). Materials and methods The proposed gel contains 10% w/v of PVA and GTA of 1%w/v. A common formulation agaro…

TRANS-FUSIMO: preliminary in-vivo animal results of MR-guided focused ultrasound of liver under respiratory motion

Purpose: Treating liver tumors using Focused Ultrasound (FUS) is a great challenge. Prior to human applications, an in-vivo animal trial using the TRANS-FUSIMO treatment system (TTS) is ongoing in order to evaluate the safety and the technical efficacy and efficiency of generating predefined necrotic lesions. Methods and Materials: The trial includes a crossbred porcine model of thirty large white swine (all females; 55-85Kg) that will be treated using the TTS under general anaesthesia with intubation. All treatments haven been performed under ventilator-controlled breathing and using an improved non-clinical prototype FUS transducer integrated with a 1,5T MRI unit; a set of interventional …

Biocompatibility and biodegradability of electrospun phea-pla scaffolds: Our preliminary experience in a murine animal model

We obtained a nano-fibrillar scaffold starting from a polymeric solution which, through electrospinning, gave a biodegradable material with optimal mechanical features and the capacity to allow cell adhesion. In this paper we report the in-vivo application on a murine animal model of two electrospun biodegradable materials, specifically designed to create tubular structures. In one case PHEA-PLA was co-spun with silk fibroin (Fibro-PHEAPLA) by a parallel electrospinning process to obtain a scaffold with two different polymeric fibers. In the other case, PHEA-PLA was mixed with polycaprolactone (PCLPHEA-PLA) to obtain a hybrid fibers scaffold. The in-vitro assay showed fibroblast colonizatio…

NEW FRICKE GEL WITH HIGH SENSITIVITY AND LOW DIFFUSION FOR3D-MRI DOSIMETRY

Laparotomic vs laparoscopic ovariectomy: comparing the two methods. The ovariectomy in the bitch in laparoscopic era

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present work is to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of ultrasound scalpel during laparoscopic ovariectomy in the bitch. METHODS: Two groups of 10 subjects each, of different races and ages, were compared. In the first group, ovariectomy was performed laparoscopically, using harmonic scalpel to remove ovary. In the second group surgery was performed by means of classical laparotomy. RESULTS: Pre-operative time was similar in both groups. Total operative time, from incision to skin suture, showed significant difference between the two groups, being laparoscopy faster than laparotomy. Partial operative time for bilateral oophorectomy resulted lower using open te…

Foreign body response to subcutaneously implanted scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering.

PVA-GTA Fricke gel dosimeters exposed to clinical photons beams: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry and Imaging

Fricke Gel (FXGs) dosimetric system is based on the radiation induced oxidation of ferrous to ferric ions. The application of Fricke gels for ionizing radiation dosimetry is continuously increasing worldwide due to their many favorable properties. However, one of their shortcomings is that ferrous and ferric ions diffuse in the gel matrix. To maintain the spatial integrity of the dose distribution, Fricke gels must be undergoing measurement within a few hours of their irradiation, so that ferric ions remain close to their point of production. Thus, the spatial integrity of the dose distribution in the Fricke gel is maintained (Schreiner, 2015). The gel matrix also contributes to the oxidati…

Fibroin and poly-lactic acid scaffolds may be used in cardiac tissue engineering to drive the differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells: in vitro and in vivo studies.

Localizzazione ottimale degli stalli per il parcheggio delle biciclette: il caso studio della città di Palermo - Optimal location for bike parking lots: the case study of the old town in Palermo

The lack of parking spaces for bicycles is one of the main issues that many cities face. A proper planning of a bike station network is necessary in order to optimize the whole urban system and the transport supply. In this work a step-by-step analysis is proposed to find the best location for the bicycle lots in the old town of Palermo. The optimization method includes the use of both a Set Covering Model and a Maximum Coverage Location Problem. The dataset for the simulations was collected by direct and indirect surveys on the population and implemented into Open source GIS software. In particular, data on the destinations, times and distances covered by the bicycles’ users were included.…