Yong Bum Park

Few methods are available to regenerate articular cartilage defects in patients with osteoarthritis. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of articular cartilage regeneration by a novel medicinal product composed of allogeneic human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs). Patients with Kellgren-Lawrence grade 3 osteoarthritis and International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grade 4 cartilage defects were enrolled in this clinical trial. The stem cell-based medicina

The discovery of xyloglucan and its ability to bind tightly to cellulose has dominated our thinking about primary cell wall structure and its connection to the mechanism of cell enlargement for 40 years. Gene discovery has advanced our understanding of the synthesis of xyloglucan in the past decade, and at the same time new and unexpected results indicate that xyloglucan's role in wall structure and wall extensibility is more subtle than commonly believed. Genetic deletion of xyloglucan synthesi

Xyloglucan is widely believed to function as a tether between cellulose microfibrils in the primary cell wall, limiting cell enlargement by restricting the ability of microfibrils to separate laterally. To test the biomechanical predictions of this "tethered network" model, we assessed the ability of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) hypocotyl walls to undergo creep (long-term, irreversible extension) in response to three family-12 endo-β-1,4-glucanases that can specifically hydrolyze xyloglucan, cellu

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have suggested increased cardiovascular disease among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We undertook this study to obtain morphologic evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis in RA patients. METHODS: We used high-resolution B-mode ultrasound to compare carotid artery intima-media wall thickness (IMT) between 53 postmenopausal women with RA and 53 controls matched by age, sex, and menopause status. No subject in either group had a history of atherosclerosis or its

The main load-bearing network in the primary cell wall of most land plants is commonly depicted as a scaffold of cellulose microfibrils tethered by xyloglucans. However, a xyloglucan-deficient mutant (xylosyltransferase1/xylosyltransferase2 [xxt1/xxt2]) was recently developed that was smaller than the wild type but otherwise nearly normal in its development, casting doubt on xyloglucan's role in wall structure. To assess xyloglucan function in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) wall, we comp

PURPOSE: To provide a systematic review of the clinical literature reporting the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in terms of clinical outcomes including pain and function and cartilage repair in patients with osteoarthritis. METHODS: We systematically reviewed any studies investigating clinical outcomes and cartilage repair after the clinical application of cell populations containing MSCs in human subjects with knee osteoarthritis through MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL,

Background: Although platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has potential as a regenerative treatment for knee osteoarthritis, its efficacy varies. Compositional differences among types of PRP could affect clinical outcomes, but the biological characterization of PRP is lacking. Purpose: To assess the efficacy of intra-articular PRP injection in knee osteoarthritis as compared with hyaluronic acid (HA) injection and to determine whether the clinical efficacy of PRP is associated with its biological characte

BACKGROUND: Following successful preclinical studies, stem cell therapy is emerging as a candidate for the treatment of articular cartilage lesions. Because stem cell therapy for cartilage repair in humans is at an early phase, confusion and errors are found in the literature regarding use of the term stem cell therapy in this field. PURPOSE: To provide an overview of the outcomes of cartilage repair, elucidating the various cell populations used, and thus reduce confusion with regard to using t

BACKGROUND: Although many clinical studies have assessed the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in knee osteoarthritis, evidence on their efficacy remains unclear owing to heterogeneity of cell entity and concomitant procedures. PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of culture-expanded MSCs in knee osteoarthritis in terms of clinical outcome and cartilage repair via meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) without adjuvant surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Meta-analysis. METHODS: PubMed, Em

PURPOSE: To compare the accuracy rates between ultrasound (US)-guided and blind knee intra-articular injection via the suprapatellar bursa. METHODS: Ninety-nine patients with radiographically confirmed knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren/Lawrence grade 2 or 3) without effusion were included. Fifty patients were assigned to the US-guided injection group and 49 to the blind injection group. After a US-guided or blind injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) and contrast dye through the suprapatellar bursa into