This open access book addresses a variety of issues relating to bioethics, in order to initiate cross-cultural dialogue. Beginning with the history, it introduces various views on bioethics, based on specific experiences from Japan. It describes how Japan has been confronted with Western bioethics and the ethical issues new to this modern age, and how it has found its foothold as it decides whe…
The aim of this Special Issue is to review, understand, and evaluate new and exciting opportunities from the field on regenerative medicine, biomaterials, and stem cell research for the bioengineering of human liver grafts that can be applied for transplantation and personalized treatment of end-stage liver disease.The development of culture conditions for long-term expansion of LGR5+ intestina…
Autologous fat grafting has now been extensively and successfully performed for more than two decades. Although most adipose grafts and adipose-derived MSC therapies are done with fresh tissue, cryopreservation of tissue allows for much greater flexibility of use. Over the course of five years, 194 cryopreserved adipose samples were thawed and then returned to the collecting physician for s…
This open access book presents a comprehensive overview of dilated cardiomyopathy, providing readers with practical guidelines for its clinical management. The first part of the book analyzes in detail the disease’s pathophysiology, its diagnostic work up as well as the prognostic stratification, and illustrates the role of genetics and gene-environment interaction. The second part presents c…
"The Ultimate Therapy addresses the question: will stem cells bring about new, effective therapies for brain disorders? Stem cell therapies are the subject of enormous hype. The International Society for Stem Cell Research notes the 'near magical hold' that stem cell therapies have over patients' imaginations. This is not healthy. The intention with this book is to try to introduce some realism…
This book thoroughly covers each subfield of respiratory mechanics: pulmonary mechanics, the respiratory pump, and flow. It presents the current understanding of the field and serves as a guide to the scientific literature from the golden age of respiratory mechanics, 1960 - 2010. Specific topics covered include the contributions of surface tension and tissue forces to lung recoil, the gravitat…
This book marries stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and regenerative biology into a single, interdisciplinary volume. The chapters also explore embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, cardiovascular regeneration, skeletal development, inflammation, polymeric biomaterials, neural injury, cartilage regeneration, regeneration in ambystoma, models for regeneration using salamande…
This timely volume explores tissue-derived stem cells, summarizing and evaluating the current body of knowledge. Sixteen chapters cover hematopoietic, osteoblast, skeletal, cardiac, pancreatic, epithelial, corneal, hepatic, renal, testicular, ovarian, fingernail, hair follicle and other stem cells- discussing their individual development, functions and pathologies, as well as the commonalities …
This book covers the fundamentals of tissue engineering for the heart, starting with the basics of organ generation, sensors in tissue and organ fabrication, and the current state-of-the-art in stem cell engineering for the heart. With this foundation in place, the remaining chapters focus on specific aspects of the cardiovascular system, starting with heart muscle, then biological pumps, follo…
This book explores the regenerative properties of fetal stem cells, from feto-maternal cell traffic through perinatal stem cells, with a discussion of key topics including stem cell banking, drug screening, in utero stem cell transplantation and ethical considerations. The expertly authored chapters also delve into embryonic, amniotic membrane, and umbilical cord blood stem cells; fetal develop…