Inflammatory cell infiltration in left atrial appendageal tissues of patients with atrial fibrillation and sinus rhythm.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice and is known to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Previous studies suggested a link between inflammation and AF by findings of increased inflammatory markers in AF patients. However, it has not been finally clarified whether inflammation is a systemic or a local phenomenon reflecting an active inflammatory process in the heart.

Human bone marrow stroma cells display certain neural characteristics and integrate in the subventricular compartment after injection into the liquor system.

Because the neural differentiation capacity of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) is still a matter of controversial debate, we performed a thorough investigation into the differentiation capacity of human BMSCs and examined their therapeutic potency. BMSCs were isolated from the femur and kept in cell cultures with various cultivation protocols being applied. In standard culture conditions using a fetal calf serum-enriched medium, while not exhibiting a neural phenotype, the majority of cells expressed a variety of neuronal marker proteins as well as the astrocyte marker GFAP.

Autologous transplantation of genetically modified iris pigment epithelial cells: a promising concept for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and other disorders of the eye.

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause for visual impairment and blindness in the elder population. Laser photocoagulation, photodynamic therapy and excision of neovascular membranes have met with limited success. Submacular transplantation of autologous iris pigment epithelial (IPE) cells has been proposed to replace the damaged retinal pigment epithelium following surgical removal of the membranes.