Implantation of Bone Marrow Stromal Cell Sheets Derived from Old Donors Supports Bone Tissue Formation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the osteogenesis ability of osteogenic matrix cell sheets (OMCS) derived from old donor cells. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) were obtained from young (7-week-old) and old (1-year-old) Fischer344 rats donors and cultured with modified Eagle's medium (MEM group) alone or containing dexamethasone (Dex; 10 nM) and ascorbic acid phosphate (AscP; 0.28 mM) (Dex/AscP group). We prepared four in vitro experimental groups: (1) young MEM, (2) young Dex/AscP, (3) old MEM and (4) old Dex/AscP. Cell proliferation and osteogenic marker mRNA expression levels were evaluated in vitro. To assess bone formation in vivo, the cells of each group were combined with beta tricalcium phosphate (TCP) disks followed by implantation in recipient rats. The in vitro study showed significant differences in the mRNA expression of osteocalcin, ALP, and BMP2 between MEM and Dex/AscP groups. Bone formation following implantation was observed upon histological analyses of all groups. TCP combined with OMCS (OMCS/TCP group) resulted in enhanced bone formation compared to that following combination with BMSC (BMSC/TCP). The osteocalcin content of the OMCS/TCP group 4 weeks after implantation was significantly higher than that in the BMSC/TCP construct for both young and old donors. The present study clearly indicated that OMCS could be generated from BMSCs of old as well as young donors using a mechanical retrieval method. Thus, through its usage of OMCS, this method may represent a potentially effective therapeutic option for cell-based therapy in elderly patients.

Impact of Temperature in Summer on Emergency Transportation for Heat-Related Diseases in Japan / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background</b>In Japan, the demand for emergency transportation for people with heat-related illness has recently increased. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between incidents of heat-related illness and the daily maximum temperature.</p><p><b>Methods</b>The daily maximum temperatures in Japan's 11 districts over the past 10 years were classified into four categories, with cutoff points at the 50, 75, 95, and higher than 95percentiles. We then conducted a logistic regression analysis of emergency transportation demand in each temperature category by age group, using the 50percentile as the reference category for each area.</p><p><b>Results</b>There were 42,931 cases of emergency transportation due to heat-related diseases during the study period. Classified by age, 12.5%, 43.4%, and 44.1% of cases involved children, adults, and elderly people, respectively. The analysis showed that the number of cases of emergency transportation for people with heat-related diseases (per 100,000 people; corresponding to a 1.0°C increase in the daily maximum temperature) was 0.016-0.106 among children (24.9-169.9 children required emergency transportation for heat-related diseases), from 0.013 to 0.059 among adults (19.8-98.2 adults required emergency transportation), and from 0.045 to 0.159 among elderly persons (30.0-145.4 elderly people required emergency transportation). The risk was highest for elderly persons, followed by children and finally adults. Cases of emergency transportation due to heat-related illness increased by 2.4-8.9 times when the daily maximum temperature was approximately 1.5°C above the mean daily maximum temperature. In fact, the daily maximum temperature had a larger effect than the daily relative humidity level on emergency transportation for people with heat-related diseases.</p><p><b>Conclusion</b>Public health organizations and health-care services should support elderly people and children, two high-risk groups for heat-related diseases.</p>