Curious case of calciphylaxis leading to acute mitral regurgitation.

Calciphylaxis is uncommon and typically seen in patients with end-stage renal disease. It has been defined as a vasculopathic disorder characterised by cutaneous ischaemia and necrosis due to calcification, intimal fibroplasia and thrombosis of pannicular arterioles. We present the case of a 74-year-old woman with chronic kidney disease stage III who developed calciphylaxis leading to mitral valve calcification, chordae tendineae rupture and acute mitral regurgitation.

A case of relapsing kikuchi-fujimoto disease.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) or histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis was first described in Japan in 1972. It is described as a benign syndrome most commonly involving cervical lymphadenopathy, fever, and night sweats. The etiology of KFD is unknown but it is thought to be triggered by an autoimmune or viral process with an exaggerated T-cell-mediated immune response.

Differentiation state determines neural effects on microvascular endothelial cells.

Growing evidence indicates that nerves and capillaries interact paracrinely in uninjured skin and cutaneous wounds. Although mature neurons are the predominant neural cell in the skin, neural progenitor cells have also been detected in uninjured adult skin. The aim of this study was to characterize differential paracrine effects of neural progenitor cells and mature sensory neurons on dermal microvascular endothelial cells.

Unsaturated fatty acids induce mesenchymal stem cells to increase secretion of angiogenic mediators.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) represent emerging cell-based therapies for diabetes and associated complications. Ongoing clinical trials are using exogenous MSC to treat type 1 and 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and non-healing wounds due to diabetes. The majority of these trials are aimed at exploiting the ability of these multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells to release soluble mediators that reduce inflammation and promote both angiogenesis and cell survival at sites of tissue damage.

Mesenchymal stem cells induce dermal fibroblast responses to injury.

Although bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to promote repair when applied to cutaneous wounds, the mechanism for this response remains to be determined. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of paracrine signaling from mesenchymal stem cells on dermal fibroblast responses to injury including proliferation, migration and expression of genes important in wound repair. Dermal fibroblasts were co-cultured with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells grown in inserts, which allowed for paracrine interactions without direct cell contact.

Elevated cardiac troponins in sepsis: what do they signify?

Unlabelled: Serum troponins are sensitive markers used to diagnose acute coronary syndrome in association with signs and symptoms of chest pain and EKG changes. Cardiac troponins are elevated in 85% of patients with sepsis in the absence of acute coronary syndrome. Small studies have shown that elevated troponin levels identify patients with sepsis who are at increased risk of mortality.

Contribution of bone marrow-derived cells to skin: collagen deposition and wound repair.

The bone marrow provides inflammatory cells and endothelial progenitor cells to healing cutaneous wounds. To further explore the bone marrow contribution to skin and healing wounds, we used a chimeric mouse model in which the bone marrow from enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic mice is transplanted into normal C57BL mice. We found that normal skin is a target organ for bone marrow-derived cells from both the hematopoietic and the mesenchymal stem cell pool.