cartilage

Spinal discs (MedPage Today) -- the cartilage cushions between vertebrae that distort and tear all too frequently -- were successfully replaced with bioengineered versions grown in situ in rats.

Also in this week's Lab Notes, the genetic origin of a bizarre condition marked by lack of fingerprints is nailed down.

(MedPage Today) -- Researchers are reporting they have successfully persuaded damaged joints to regrow cartilage and bone, using a novel "cell homing" approach.

Surgery for torn knee ligaments and meniscal cartilage may have improved patients' short-term outcomes, but it did not seem to prevent the eventual development of osteoarthritis, researchers said.

(American Journal of Pathology) Current research suggests that the inflammatory molecule TNF-alpha may contribute to delayed bone fracture healing in diabetics.

The related report by Alblowi et al., "High Levels of TNF-alpha Contribute to Accelerated Loss of Cartilage in Diabetic Fracture Healing" appears in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.

(New Jersey Institute of Technology) Stem cell researcher Treena Livingston Arinzeh will discuss current stem cell applications at NJIT, including the regeneration of bone and cartilage for bone fracture and osteoarthritis treatments, spinal cord repair and liver regeneration at NJIT's first Research Cafe.