A method for instant lumbar spine fusion between two vertebrae in a patient includes establishing under X-ray fluoroscopy the location of the transpedicular notch of the next lower vertebra in caudal direction, making a percutaneous incision to the transpedicular notch, inserting a cannulated guide, drilling a transpedicular approach from the pedicle of the lower vertebra to the anterior part of the vertebral body of the vertebrae above the disc to be treated, inserting a working cannula through the previously drilled approach reaching the intervertebral disk, cleaning and scrapping the intervertebral disk space, inserting transpedicularly at least one intervertebral stabilizing screw, and acting on both intervertebral screws with screwdrivers in order to distract or contract both screws allowing to adjust or correct the intervertebral distance of the disk. The method can be performed on an outpatient basis.

The present invention provides a pharmaceutical formulation comprising LL-37 or a pharmaceutically-acceptable salt thereof and one or more pharmaceutically-acceptable diluent or carrier system, for use in a method of treatment of a chronic ulcer wound (such as a hard-to-heal venous leg ulcer or a diabetic foot ulcer), which method comprises: (a) topical application of the formulation to the ulcer; followed by (b) application of a dressing, and
wherein the application of the formulation provides for a dose of LL-37 at the wound site that is below about 80 μg of LL-37 applied per cm.sup.2 of wound area, and/or below about 26.7 μg of LL-37 applied per cm.sup.2 of wound area, per day of treatment.

Osteoinductive, bone morphogenic protein receptor-binding peptides are disclosed. The peptides may be used to coat or infuse scaffolds for use as implants into bone for enhancing the growth, proliferation, and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and/or osteoblasts in the bone.

Methods for producing a fibrin matrix comprising a fusion peptide are described herein. In some embodiments, the method includes providing three different components, including a first component containing fibrinogen or a fibrinogen precursor and optionally, transglutaminase or a transglutaminase precursor, a second component containing thrombin or a thrombin precursor, and a third component containing a fusion peptide. In these embodiments, neither the first component nor the second component includes the fusion peptide. In some embodiments, the first or second components are premixed with the third component. The first, second and third components are mixed to form a fibrin matrix comprising a covalently linked fusion peptide. The mixing is carried out in a time frame of not more than 5 days. A kit for producing the fibrin matrix comprising a covalently linked fusion peptide is also described herein.

The present disclosure is directed to a method of preparing an osteogenic bone graft. The method includes introducing an anticoagulant compound into a volume of cellular material including a mononuclear cell population from the intramedullary canal of a long bone; collecting an effluent including the volume of cellular material containing the anticoagulant compound at a collection point; separating a concentrated cell fraction from the effluent, the concentrated cell fraction including the mononuclear cell population and the anticoagulant compound; and preparing an osteogenic bone graft from the concentrated cell fraction.

The present disclosure relates to bioactive self-assembling peptides, nanofibers and hydrogels for activating human mast cells. The peptides, nanofibers and hydrogels comprise a self-assembling peptide that mediates self-assembly linked to a MrgX2 agonist peptide; for example, (RADA)4 linked to proadrenomedullin-12 (PAMP-12).

The present invention provides for methods and devices suitable for producing a transplantable cellular suspension of living tissue suitable for promoting tissue regeneration in an epithelium-related procedure, as well as compositions produced therefrom. The cellular suspension can include viable and functioning cells at various stages of differentiation, including undifferentiated/progenitor cells and differentiated cells, as well as those in between. In certain embodiments, the cellular suspension can be subjected to a stress to induce a heat shock response therein, or be exposed to an exogenously supplied agent such as heat shock protein or a fragment thereof, hyaluronic acid, platelet-enriched plasma, and/or growth factors. The cellular suspension can be applied directly to a patient's recipient site for in vivo regeneration, or be cultured or seeded to a matrix for in vitro growth/regeneration.

A human amniotic fluid formulation has been developed for administration into a joint or associated soft tissue such as a tendon or ligament for treatment of pain, degeneration, or injury. The formulation is a sterile de-cellularized human amniotic fluid (D-HAF), devoid of amniotic stem cells and elements of micronized membrane or chorion particles, which has not been heat treated or treated with ethidium bromide. The formulation is optionally diluted, or concentrated, depending on the severity of the disorder or injury. Examples demonstrate efficacy in treatment of pain, disease, disorder, degeneration or injury of a joint or associated soft tissues.

The present invention deals with a bone implant matrix comprising a base matrix selected from the group comprising: —acellularized or acellularized non-demineralised bone matrix of any source, —matrix of natural mineral sources, —synthetic bioceramics matrix, or combinations of the above, wherein the surface of said base matrix is coated with an statistically homo-geneous composition which is a reinforcing mixture containing at least a bio-degradable polyester or co-polymer thereof, at least a gelatine or hydrolysed gelatine and at least an artificial Proline-Rich Peptide.

A composition comprising a wound-closure material physically or chemically associated with an agent that reduces scarring and improves the integrity of skin and underlying tissue in a mammalian subject. Methods for reducing or eliminating scarring or improving mammalian skin integrity comprise closing a wound with a composition, such as a suture material associated with a PHD inhibitor molecule, e.g., 1,4-DPCA.