Endogenous tissue engineering: PTH therapy for skeletal repair

Based on its proven anabolic effects on bone in osteoporosis patients, recombinant parathyroid hormone (PTH_1-34) has been evaluated as a potential therapy for skeletal repair. In animals, the effect of PTH_1-34 has been investigated in various skeletal repair models such as fractures, allografting, spinal arthrodesis and distraction osteogenesis. These studies have demonstrated that intermittent PTH_1-34 treatment enhances and accelerates the skeletal repair process via a number of mechanisms, which include effects on mesenchymal stem cells, angiogenesis, chondrogenesis, bone formation and resorption. Furthermore, PTH_1-34 has been shown to enhance bone repair in challenged animal models of aging, inflammatory arthritis and glucocorticoid-induced bone loss. This pre-clinical success has led to off-label clinical use and a number of case reports documenting PTH_1-34 treatment of delayed-unions and non-unions have been published. Although a recently completed phase 2 clinical trial of PTH_1-34 treatment of patients with radius fracture has failed to achieve its primary outcome, largely because of effective healing in the placebo group, several secondary outcomes are statistically significant, highlighting important issues concerning the appropriate patient population for PTH_1-34 therapy in skeletal repair. Here, we review our current knowledge of the effects of PTH_1-34 therapy for bone healing, enumerate several critical unresolved issues (e.g., appropriate dosing regimen and indications) and discuss the long-term potential of this drug as an adjuvant for endogenous tissue engineering.     

来自欺骗的生存——谈军事和动物的伪装

借鉴大自然中最巧妙的隐蔽术,人类已使军事伪装技术发展成为一项严密的科学 一名士兵埋伏在一片树林边缘,边上放着机枪,即使是眼尖目明的敌人看来,这也不过     

印度瘿蚊六新种(双翅目:瘿蚊科)

本种近似菲律宾一种稷(Panicum carinatum)上的Lasioptera paniculi Felt,但触角的节数不同,雌18节,雄16节;雌触角各节的比例不同而较短;抱器基节中等粗,端节较细。其雌触角18节也相似于印度一种稷Panicum fluitans上的L.flui-tans Felt,但触角第五节远比端节长,产卵器短得多。