Furthermore, among all groups, EPO + HA achieved the greatest progenitor cell recruitment and subsequent chondrogenesis. The results of this work support that, by targeting and localizing the release of growth-factors, HA + EPO can reduce inflammatory responses and promote progenitor cells responses. This new platform represents an alternative treatment to stem-cell transplantation for the treatment of cartilage injury. © 2020 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Globally, it is estimated that one in five people suffer from chronic pain, with prevalence increasing with age. The pathophysiology of chronic pain encompasses complex sensory, immune, and inflammatory interactions within both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Microglia, the resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS), are critically involved in the initiation and persistence of chronic pain. Microglia respond to local signals from the CNS but are also modulated by signals from the gastrointestinal tract. Emerging data from preclinical and clinical studies suggest that communication between the gut microbiome, the community of bacteria residing within the gut, and microglia is involved in producing chronic pain. Targeted strategies that manipulate or restore the gut microbiome have been shown to reduce microglial activation and alleviate symptoms associated with inflammation. These data indicate that manipulations of the gut microbiome in chronic pain patients might be a viable strategy in improving pain outcomes. Herein, we discuss the evidence for a connection between microglia and the gut microbiome and explore the mechanisms by which commensal bacteria might influence microglial reactivity to drive chronic pain. © 2020 The Author(s).Purpose To describe a case of choroidal melanoma treated with Rigvir® virotherapy in an adjuvant setting. Observations A female patient born in 1956 presented with a small choroidal melanoma in October 2007. 34 months after transpupillary thermotherapy the state of her eye worsened until tumor growth was visualized. Despite photodynamic therapy and transpupillary thermotherapy the tumor continued to grow locally. In October 2016 enucleation was performed. Since gene expression profile testing disclosed a tumor (class 2) with a high risk of metastasis formation in 5 years, the patient sought options to prevent progression of the disease. see more In December 2016 virotherapy with Rigvir® was started with 3 administrations for 3 consecutive days. Therapy was continued once per week until March 2017, when the administrations were changed to once per month. The patient is being monitored by an ophthalmologist. She is stable with the virotherapy ongoing and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (7 May 2018) and abdominal ultrasound (23 March 2019) imaging excludes metastasis formation. The quality of life is high. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case of uveal melanoma treatment with virotherapy as an adjuvant therapy. Considering the few if any available treatments and the encouraging results of the present treatment, virotherapy should be evaluated more extensively as a potential treatment of uveal melanoma. © 2020 The Author(s).Purpose To describe a case of bilateral, sequential placoid choroidopathy following uncomplicated Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). Observations A 49-year old woman presented with flashing lights and central visual field scotomas after undergoing uncomplicated DMEK combined with cataract surgery for Fuch's endothelial dystrophy in the right eye. She was found to have placoid choroidopathy responsive to systemic steroids and for which a comprehensive work-up was unrevealing. Three and a half months later, she underwent DMEK surgery in the fellow eye and again developed placoid choroidopathy in the operated eye. Work-up was again unrevealing and the lesion followed a similar course to the first eye on systemic steroids. Over the course of seven (right eye) and three and a half months (left eye) of follow-up, the uncorrected visual acuity was 20/20 bilaterally and the retinal lesions had modestly improved. Conclusions and Importance We report a case of placoid choroidopathy following uncomplicated DMEK combined with cataract surgery in both eyes of a single patient. This case expands upon the reported complications following DMEK surgery and suggests a need to remain aware of posterior segment complications following endothelial keratoplasty. © 2020 The Authors.Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a potentially life-threatening condition that involves severely reduced blood flow to the peripheral arteries due to arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) of the limbs or a similar condition. CLI patients must undergo revascularization to avoid amputation of the lower limbs and improve their survival prognosis. However, the outcomes of conventional surgical revascularization or endovascular therapy are inadequate; therefore, establishing further effective treatment methods is an urgent task. We perform therapeutic angiogenesis using autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells in clinical practice and demonstrated its safety and efficacy for CLI patients for whom conventional treatments failed or are not indicated. Exercise therapies must be devised for CLI patients who have undergone therapeutic angiogenesis to save their limbs and improve survival. Because evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of exercise therapy for CLI patients is lacking, we plan to perform a prospect peer-reviewed journal. Trial registration This trial is registered at http//www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index.htm (identifier UMIN000035288). © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.Background The assessment of methods for analyzing over-dispersed zero inflated count outcome has received very little or no attention in stratified cluster randomized trials. In this study, we performed sensitivity analyses to empirically compare eight methods for analyzing zero inflated over-dispersed count outcome from the Vitamin D and Osteoporosis Study (ViDOS) - originally designed to assess the feasibility of a knowledge translation intervention in long-term care home setting. Method Forty long-term care (LTC) homes were stratified and then randomized into knowledge translation (KT) intervention (19 homes) and control (21 homes) groups. The homes/clusters were stratified by home size ( = 250) and profit status (profit/non-profit). The outcome of this study was number of falls measured at 6-month post-intervention. The following methods were used to assess the effect of KT intervention on number of falls i) standard Poisson and negative binomial regression; ii) mixed-effects method with Poisson and negative binomial distribution; iii) generalized estimating equation (GEE) with Poisson and negative binomial; iv) zero inflated Poisson and negative binomial - with the latter used as a primary approach.