Human organ repair centers: Fact or fiction?

This article presents the results of a qualitative interview study amongst 41 Dutch transplant professionals. The overarching aim was to acquire in-depth understanding of transplant professionals’ experiences with and attitudes towards patients who purchase kidneys. We found that transplant professionals occasionally treat patients who are suspected of kidney purchases abroad. However, they turn a blind eye to their patients’ suspected purchases. Secrecy and silence function as a tacit agreement between patients and their caregivers that keeps the subject of kidney purchase at a safe distance and allows transplant professionals to ignore its suspected occurrence. They thus participate in the building of walls of secrecy and silence in the organ trade.

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Understanding the challenges to investigating and prosecuting organ trafficking: a comparative analysis of two cases

Trends in Organized Crime ◽

10.1007/s12117-021-09421-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Frederike Ambagtsheer

Keyword(s):

Criminal Justice ◽

Human Trafficking ◽

Organ Trafficking ◽

Institutional Barriers ◽

Human Organ ◽

Cross Border ◽

Successful Case ◽

Mixed Method Design ◽

Organ Trade ◽

Case Outcome

AbstractThe human organ trade is proliferating globally. However, far fewer cases have been prosecuted than would be expected based on estimates of the crime. Research exploring the challenges to investigating and prosecuting organ trafficking cases is practically non-existent. Also no studies exist that explain these challenges utilizing a criminal justice framework. This article aims to explain the legal, institutional and environmental factors that affected the investigation and prosecution of two organ trafficking cases: the Netcare case, exposed in South Africa and the Medicus case, exposed in Kosovo. It analyzes these factors through a comparative, mixed-method design, utilizing a theoretical criminal justice framework. Both cases constituted globally operating criminal networks involving brokers and transplant professionals that colluded in organizing illegal transplants. Both cases contained human trafficking elements, however only the Medicus case was prosecuted as a human trafficking case. Legal uncertainty, a lack of institutional readiness and cross-border collaboration issues hampered investigation and prosecution of the Netcare case. The Medicus case also reported problems during cross-border collaboration, as well as a corrupt environment and institutional barriers, which impeded a successful case outcome. Recommendations to improve enforcement of organ trafficking include improving identification of suspicious transplant activity, strengthening cross-border collaboration and enhancing whistleblower protection laws.

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Repair cell first, then regenerate the tissues and organs

Military Medical Research ◽

10.1186/s40779-021-00297-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xiao-Bing Fu

Keyword(s):

Tissue Repair ◽

Cell Damage ◽

Ischemia Reperfusion ◽

Severe Trauma ◽

Basic Unit ◽

Basic Process ◽

Tissue Repair And Regeneration ◽

Healing Tissue ◽

Organ Repair ◽

And Function

AbstractWound healing, tissue repair and regenerative medicine are in great demand, and great achievements in these fields have been made. The traditional strategy of tissue repair and regeneration has focused on the level of tissues and organs directly; however, the basic process of repair at the cell level is often neglected. Because the cell is the basic unit of organism structure and function; cell damage is caused first by ischemia or ischemia-reperfusion after severe trauma and injury. Then, damage to tissues and organs occurs with massive cell damage, apoptosis and even cell death. Thus, how to achieve the aim of perfect repair and regeneration? The basic process of tissue or organ repair and regeneration should involve repair of cells first, then tissues and organs. In this manuscript, it is my consideration about how to repair the cell first, then regenerate the tissues and organs.

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Mechanical Strain-Enabled Reconstitution of Dynamic Environment in Organ-on-a-Chip Platforms: A Review

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi12070765 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 765

Author(s):

Qianbin Zhao ◽

Tim Cole ◽

Yuxin Zhang ◽

Shi-Yang Tang

Keyword(s):

Cell Culture ◽

Shear Stress ◽

Cultured Cells ◽

Mechanical Strain ◽

3D Cell Culture ◽

Small Scale ◽

Mechanical Stimuli ◽

Human Organ ◽

Organ On A Chip

Organ-on-a-chip (OOC) uses the microfluidic 3D cell culture principle to reproduce organ- or tissue-level functionality at a small scale instead of replicating the entire human organ. This provides an alternative to animal models for drug development and environmental toxicology screening. In addition to the biomimetic 3D microarchitecture and cell–cell interactions, it has been demonstrated that mechanical stimuli such as shear stress and mechanical strain significantly influence cell behavior and their response to pharmaceuticals. Microfluidics is capable of precisely manipulating the fluid of a microenvironment within a 3D cell culture platform. As a result, many OOC prototypes leverage microfluidic technology to reproduce the mechanically dynamic microenvironment on-chip and achieve enhanced in vitro functional organ models. Unlike shear stress that can be readily generated and precisely controlled using commercial pumping systems, dynamic systems for generating proper levels of mechanical strains are more complicated, and often require miniaturization and specialized designs. As such, this review proposes to summarize innovative microfluidic OOC platforms utilizing mechanical actuators that induce deflection of cultured cells/tissues for replicating the dynamic microenvironment of human organs.

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Systemic Metabolic Alterations Correlate with Islet-Level Prostaglandin E2 Production and Signaling Mechanisms That Predict β-Cell Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Type 2 Diabetes

Metabolites ◽

10.3390/metabo11010058 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 58 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michael D. Schaid ◽

Yanlong Zhu ◽

Nicole E. Richardson ◽

Chinmai Patibandla ◽

Irene M. Ong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Prostaglandin E2 ◽

Genetic Model ◽

Cell Mass ◽

Arachidonic Acid Metabolite ◽

Β Cell ◽

Human Organ ◽

Cell Dysfunction ◽

Primary Mouse

The transition from β-cell compensation to β-cell failure is not well understood. Previous works by our group and others have demonstrated a role for Prostaglandin EP3 receptor (EP3), encoded by the Ptger3 gene, in the loss of functional β-cell mass in Type 2 diabetes (T2D). The primary endogenous EP3 ligand is the arachidonic acid metabolite prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Expression of the pancreatic islet EP3 and PGE2 synthetic enzymes and/or PGE2 excretion itself have all been shown to be upregulated in primary mouse and human islets isolated from animals or human organ donors with established T2D compared to nondiabetic controls. In this study, we took advantage of a rare and fleeting phenotype in which a subset of Black and Tan BRachyury (BTBR) mice homozygous for the Leptinob/ob mutation—a strong genetic model of T2D—were entirely protected from fasting hyperglycemia even with equal obesity and insulin resistance as their hyperglycemic littermates. Utilizing this model, we found numerous alterations in full-body metabolic parameters in T2D-protected mice (e.g., gut microbiome composition, circulating pancreatic and incretin hormones, and markers of systemic inflammation) that correlate with improvements in EP3-mediated β-cell dysfunction.

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Human Organ Specific Autoimmunity: Personal Memories

Autoimmunity ◽

10.3109/08916938808997171 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 11-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Deborah Moniach ◽

Ivan M. Roitt

Keyword(s):

Human Organ ◽

Organ Specific

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China's human-organ trade highlighted by US arrest of “salesmen”

The Lancet ◽

10.1016/s0140-6736(05)78515-9 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 351 (9104) ◽

pp. 735 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

César Chelala

Keyword(s):

Human Organ ◽

Organ Trade

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Cosmeto-Textiles: State of the Art and Future Perspectives

Advances in Science and Technology ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/ast.80.39 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 80 ◽

pp. 39-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Paola Persico ◽

Cosimo Carfagna

Keyword(s):

Textile Industry ◽

Cell Renewal ◽

Active Components ◽

Protective Function ◽

Human Organ ◽

Disease Symptoms ◽

Textile Materials ◽

Bodily Injury ◽

The Mind ◽

Positive Effect

The skin is the largest human organ. Its care and health are, therefore, essential. The skin can only be healthy and attractive when it is in balance. The pre-requisites for healthy skin are: the moisture content, the protective function, elasticity and cell renewal. All of these parameters are supported by applying pharmaceuticals and wellness substances. Pharmaceutical law defines the former as substances and compositions of substances that are applied to or in the human body to heal, ease, prevent or detect illness, pain, bodily injury or disease symptoms. Wellness substances are substances able to enhance the sense of overall wellbeing in all physical and mental aspects of life, and bring the mind, body and spirit in harmony with the nature. The newest movement in beauty is the hybrid of textiles and cosmetics called Cosmeto-Wear: consumers, especially ladies, expect clothing to have a positive effect on the conditions of their skin. Hence, finishers are being asked to create products that offer new and/or improved functions. In recent years, textile materials with special applications in the cosmetic field have been developed. A new sector of cosmetic textiles is opened up and several cosmetic textile products are currently available in the market. There are essentially two different ways of manufacturing cosmetic textiles, they are the binding of microencapsulated cosmetic components or the fabric coating by active finishes. This paper describes the fabrication technologies of cosmeto-textiles, discussing the choice of active components and the problem of their unwanted loss during washing, as well as the trend of cosmeto-textile industry in view of consumers demands.

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Current Status of Human Adipose–Derived Stem Cells: Differentiation into Hepatocyte-Like Cells

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1100/tsw.2011.146 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 1568-1581 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Feras Al Battah ◽

Joery De Kock ◽

Tamara Vanhaecke ◽

Vera Rogiers

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Adipose Tissue ◽

Therapeutic Potential ◽

Tissue Injury ◽

Study Drug ◽

Current Status ◽

Human Organ ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Stems Cells

The shortage of human organ donors and the low cell quality of available liver tissues represent major obstacles for the clinical application of orthotropic liver transplantation and hepatocyte transplantation, respectively. Therefore, worldwide research groups are investigating alternative extrahepatic cell sources. Recentin vitrostudies have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from various sources, including human bone marrow, adipose tissue, and umbilical cord, can be differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells when appropriate conditions are used. In particular, interest exists for human adipose–derived stems cells (hASCs) as an attractive cell source for generating hepatocyte-like cells. The hASCs are multipotent MSCs that reside in adipose tissue, with the ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple cell lineages. Moreover, these cells can secrete multiple growth factors and cytokines that exert beneficial effects on organ or tissue injury. In this review, we will not only present recent data regarding hASC biology, their isolation, and differentiation capability towards hepatocytes, but also the potential application of hASC-derived hepatocytes to study drug toxicity. Additionally, this review will discuss the therapeutic potential of hASCs as undifferentiated cells in liver regeneration.

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