Direct comparison of umbilical cord blood versus bone marrow-derived endothelial precursor cells in mediating neovascularization in response to vascular ischemia.

Endothelial precursor cells (EPCs) cultured from adult bone marrow (BM) have been shown to mediate neovasculogenesis in murine models of vascular injury. We sought to directly compare umbilical cord blood (UCB)- and BM-derived EPC surface phenotypes and in vivo functional capacity. UCB and BM EPCs derived from mononuclear cells (MNC) were phenotyped by surface staining for expression of stromal (Stro-1, CXCR4, CD105, and CD73), endothelial (CD31, CD146, and vascular endothelial [VE]-cadherin), stem cell (CD34 and CD133), and monocyte (CD14) surface markers and analyzed by flow cytometry.

Efficacy and time-efficiency of a "sonographer-driven" contrast echocardiography protocol in a high-volume echocardiography laboratory.

Background: Contrast echocardiography (CE) has not gained widespread use despite numerous studies demonstrating its efficacy in the assessment of left ventricular (LV) function.

Methods: We sought to determine whether CE could be used in a high-volume echocardiography laboratory in a clinically effective and time efficient manner. We implemented a protocol with a feasibility phase and an established phase.