Regulatory authorities and orthopaedic clinical trials on expanded mesenchymal stem cells.

Skeletal injuries requiring bone augmentation techniques are increasing in the context of avoiding or treating difficult cases with bone defects, bone healing problems, and bone regeneration limitations. Musculoskeletal severe trauma, osteoporosis-related fractures, and conditions where bone defect, bone collapse or insufficient bone regeneration occur are prone to disability and serious complications. Bone cell therapy has emerged as a promising technique to augment and promote bone regeneration.

Bone regeneration: stem cell therapies and clinical studies in orthopaedics and traumatology.

Regenerative medicine seeks to repair or replace damaged tissues or organs, with the goal to fully restore structure and function without the formation of scar tissue. Cell based therapies are promising new therapeutic approaches in regenerative medicine. By using mesenchymal stem cells, good results have been reported for bone engineering in a number of clinical studies, most of them investigator initiated trials with limited scope with respect to controls and outcome.

Tumour-associated fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells: more similarities than differences.

Tumour-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) are part of the tumour stroma, providing functional and structural support for tumour progression and development. The origin and biology of TAFs are poorly understood, but within the tumour environment, TAFs become activated and secrete different paracrine and autocrine factors involved in tumorigenesis. It has been shown that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be recruited into the tumours, where they proliferate and acquire a TAF-like phenotype.

[Experimental model of in vitro generation of human dendritic cells].

Introduction: Dendritic cells (DCs) are considered the most powerful antigen-presenting cells (APC) playing a strategic role in triggering the immune response. Monocytes are the physiological precursors of myeloid DCs.

Aims: This paper aims to develop an in vitro experimental model of human dendritic cells generation and phenotypic and functional analysis starting from CD14+ monocyte precursors isolated from peripheral blood.

In vitro differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells to epithelial lineage.

Our study examined whether human bone marrow-derived MSCs are able to differentiate, in vitro, into functional epithelial-like cells. MSCs were isolated from the sternum of 8 patients with different hematological disorders. The surface phenotype of these cells was characterized.

Endothelial cells from hematopoietic stem cells are functionally different from those of human umbilical vein.

Hematopoietic stem cells have a remarkable plastic capacity, which allows them to differentiate into various cells, such as immune cells, nervous cells, muscle cells, bone and cartilaginous cells. The aim of this study was to show the capacity of stem cells to differentiate into endothelial cells, in culture, after addition of endothelial cells growth supplement (ECGS). We also compared the behavior of these cells with that of endothelial cells obtained from human umbilical vein (HUVEC).

[Characteristics of bronchial inflammation in children with chronic non-productive cough].

The aim of study was to correlate the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cell subpopulations in light microscopy and clinical-functional parameters in 20 children with chronic nonproductive cough (potentially evolving to asthma) in comparison with 20 children with mild and moderate stable asthma. The results revealed a different BAL cell profile of chronic coughing children, characterized by a lower percent of total cells (0.279 +/- 0.