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Biochemical and morphological study of human articular chondrocytes cultivated in the presence of pulsed signal therapy
  1. A Fioravanti1,
  2. F Nerucci1,
  3. G Collodel2,
  4. R Markoll3,
  5. R Marcolongo1
  1. 1Institute of Rheumatology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
  2. 2Department of General Biology and Centre for the Study of Germinal Cells, CNR, Siena, Italy
  3. 3Bio-Magnetic Therapy Systems, Inc, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, USA and Munich, Germany
  1. Correspondence to:
    Dr A Fioravanti, Istituto di Reumatologia dell’Università di Siena, Policlinico “Le Scotte”, I-53100 Siena, Italy;

https://doi.org/10.1136/ard.61.11.1032

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    Pulsed signal therapy (PST) is an extension of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) therapy. PEMF have been used widely to treat non-healing fractures and related problems in bone healing since approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 1979.1,2 Recently, PEMF therapy has been used to treat patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee and cervical spine, with encouraging results.3,4 In vitro studies have also shown a stimulating activity of PEMF on cartilaginous metabolism.5

    PST, in contrast with PEMF, uses specific physiological changing rectangular pulses as stimuli, which are transmitted in a programmed alternating fashion that mimics the body’s natural streaming potentials for one hour of treatment.

    We studied the effects of PST on human OA chondrocytes cultivated in the presence and absence of a negative stimulus represented by interleukin 1β (IL1β) and we evaluated the concentration of proteoglycans (PGs) in the culture medium and the morphology of the chondrocytes after exposure to PST.

    Human OA chondrocytes were cultivated in alginate gel on Petri dishes for 72 hours with and without IL1β …

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