| 摘要 |
Methods and devices are described for the regulation of Transforming Grow th Factor (TGF)- .beta.l, .beta.2, and/or .beta.3 protein gene expression in bone cells and other tissues via the capacitive coupling or inductive coupl ing of specific and selective electric fields to the bone cells or other tis sues, where the specific and selective electric fields are generated by appl ication of specific and selective electric and electromagnetic signals to el ectrodes or one or more coils or other field generating device disposed with respect to the bone cells or other tissues so as to facilitate the treatmen t of diseased or injured bone and other tissues. By gene expression is meant the up-regulation or down-regulation of the process whereby specific portio ns (genes) of the human genome (DNA) are transcribed into mRNA and subsequen tly translated into protein. Methods and devices are provided for the target ed treatment of injured or diseased bone and other tissue that include gener ating specific and selective electric and electromagnetic signals that gener ate fields in the target tissue optimized for increase of TGF- .beta.l, .bet a.2, and/or .beta.3 protein gene expression and exposing bone and other tiss ue to the fields generated by specific and selective signals so as to regula te TGF- .beta.l, .beta.2, and/or .beta.3 protein gene expression in such tis sue. The resulting methods and devices are useful for the targeted treatment of bone fractures, fractures at risk, delayed unions, nonunion of fractures , bone defects, spine fusions, osteonecrosis or avascular necrosis, as an ad junct to other therapies in the treatment of one or all of the above, in the treatment of osteoporosis, and in other conditions in which TGF- .beta.l, . beta.2, and/or .beta.3 protein may be implicated.
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