Human BLyS facilitates engraftment of human PBL derived B cells in immunodeficient mice.

The production of fully immunologically competent humanized mice engrafted with peripheral lymphocyte populations provides a model for in vivo testing of new vaccines, the durability of immunological memory and cancer therapies. This approach is limited, however, by the failure to efficiently engraft human B lymphocytes in immunodeficient mice. We hypothesized that this deficiency was due to the failure of the murine microenvironment to support human B cell survival.

Expanded CD34+ human umbilical cord blood cells generate multiple lymphohematopoietic lineages in NOD-scid IL2rgamma(null) mice.

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is increasingly being used for human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation in children but often requires pooling multiple cords to obtain sufficient numbers for transplantation in adults. To overcome this limitation, we have used an ex vivo two-week culture system to expand the number of hematopoietic CD34(+) cells in cord blood. To assess the in vivo function of these expanded CD34(+) cells, cultured human UCB containing 1 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells were transplanted into conditioned NOD-scid IL2rgamma(null) mice.

Trans sodium crocetinate for hemorrhagic shock: effect of time delay in initiating therapy.

A new drug, trans sodium crocetinate (TSC), has been suggested for use in resuscitation after trauma. TSC has been shown to increase survival in a rat model of hemorrhagic shock. It also results in an increase in blood pressure and a decrease in plasma lactate levels when given immediately after hemorrhage.