0000000000915626
AUTHOR
Elias Volkmer
Osteoporosis and bisphosphonates-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: Not just a sporadic coincidence-a multi-centre study
Abstract Introduction Bisphosphonates (BPs) are powerful drugs that inhibit bone metabolism. Adverse side effects are rare but potentially severe such as bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ). To date, research has primarily focused on the development and progression of BRONJ in cancer patients with bone metastasis, who have received high dosages of BPs intravenously. However, a potential dilemma may arise from a far larger cohort, namely the millions of osteoporosis patients on long-term oral BP therapy. Patients and methods This current study assessed 470 cases of BRONJ diagnosed between 2004 and 2008 at eleven different European clinical centres and has resulted in the …
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Gene Therapy Promotes Nerve Regeneration in a Sciatic Nerve Graft Model in Rats
: Incomplete nerve regeneration after injuries to the peripheral nervous system remains a significant problem in clinical routine and raises the need for supportive strategies. In this study we examined the effect of VEGF-gene therapy on nerve recovery after an auto-graft implantation in a 2 cm sciatic nerve defect model in 18 rats, using an adenoviral vector encoding for VEGF165 (AdCMV.VEGF 165 ) for gene transduction. Functional recovery was assessed weekly by gait analyses of the rats’ hind limbs. Morphometric evaluation including histology, axon counts, motor neuron counts and corrosion casting was carried out 18 weeks post-op. VEGF-treated animals contained a higher proportion of large…