An evaluation of the disparities affecting the underdiagnosis of pediatric cancer in Western Kenya.

Introduction: Western Kenya is home to approximately 24 million people, with 10 million children under the age of 15 years. Based on estimates of cancer incidence in similar populations from around the world, approximately 1500 patients should be diagnosed with pediatric cancer each year. This article describes the international collaboration that investigates potential barriers preventing the effective diagnosis of pediatric patients with cancer.

Splenic macrophage phagocytosis of intravenously infused mesenchymal stromal cells attenuates tumor localization.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) possess remarkable tumor tropism, making them ideal vehicles to deliver tumor-targeted therapeutic agents; however, their value in clinical medicine has yet to be realized. A barrier to clinical utilization is that only a small fraction of infused MSCs ultimately localize to the tumor. In an effort to overcome this obstacle, we sought to enhance MSC trafficking by focusing on the factors that govern MSC arrival within the tumor microenvironment.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation for a child with OSTM1 osteopetrosis.

HCT prior to onset of neurologic symptoms in children with OSTM1 osteopetrosis does not halt neurologic progression.

Identification of a murine CD45F4/80 HSC-derived marrow endosteal cell associated with donor stem cell engraftment.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in specialized microenvironments within the marrow designated as stem cell niches, which function to support HSCs at homeostasis and promote HSC engraftment after radioablation. We previously identified marrow space remodeling after hematopoietic ablation, including osteoblast thickening, osteoblast proliferation, and megakaryocyte migration to the endosteum, which is critical for effective engraftment of donor HSCs. To further evaluate the impact of hematopoietic cells on marrow remodeling, we used a transgenic mouse model (CD45Cre/iDTR) to selectively deplete hematopoietic cells in situ.

Hematopoietic derived cells do not contribute to osteogenesis as osteoblasts.

Despite years of extensive investigation, the cellular origin of heterotopic ossification (HO) has not been fully elucidated. We have previously shown that circulating bone marrow-derived osteoblast progenitor cells, characterized by the immunophenotype CD45-/CD44+/CXCR4+, contributed to the formation of heterotopic bone induced by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2. In contrast, other reports have demonstrated the contribution of CD45+ hematopoietic derived cells to HO.