Preliminary Investigation on Efficacy and Safety of Substance P-Coated Stent for Promoting Re-Endothelialization: A Porcine Coronary Artery Restenosis Model.

Background: Current polymer-based drug-eluting stents (DESs) have fundamental issues about inflammation and delayed re-endothelializaton of the vessel wall. Substance-P (SP), which plays an important role in inflammation and endothelial cells, has not yet been applied to coronary stents. Therefore, this study compares poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-based everolimus-eluting stents (PLGA-EESs) versus 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)-based SP-eluting stents (MPC-SPs) in in-vitro and in-vivo models.

Rare Variants in Genes of the Cholesterol Pathway Are Present in 60% of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a pandemic in which conventional risk factors are inadequate to detect who is at risk early in the asymptomatic stage. Although gene variants in genes related to cholesterol, which may increase the risk of AMI, have been identified, no studies have systematically screened the genes involved in this pathway. In this study, we included 105 patients diagnosed with AMI with an elevation of the ST segment (STEMI) and treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI).

Systemic Treatment of Immune-Mediated Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca with Allogeneic Stem Cells Improves the Schirmer Tear Test Score in a Canine Spontaneous Model of Disease.

Unlabelled: Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) is characterized by ocular discomfort, conjunctival hyperaemia, and corneal scarring, causing reduced aqueous tear production that can be measured using the standard Schirmer tear test (STT). Canine adipose tissue-derived MSCs (cATMSCs) have been proposed as treatment due to their anti-inflammatory effect, by releasing cytokines and immunomodulatory soluble factors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the systemic administration of cATMSCs on tear production in dogs with immune-mediated KCS, compared to classical Cyclosporine A (CsA) treatment.

Airway Hyperresponsiveness, Inflammation, and Pulmonary Emphysema in Rodent Models Designed to Mimic Exposure to Fuel Oil-Derived Volatile Organic Compounds Encountered during an Experimental Oil Spill.

Background: Fuel oil-derived volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inhalation is associated with accidental marine spills. After the petroleum tanker sank off northern Spain in 2002 and the oil rig catastrophe in 2009, subjects involved in environmental decontamination showed signs of ongoing or residual lung disease up to 5 y after the exposure.

Objectives: We aimed at investigating mechanisms driving persistent respiratory disease by developing an animal model of inhalational exposure to fuel oil-derived VOCs.

Mass Spectrometry Analysis of the Exhaled Breath Condensate and Proposal of Dermcidin and S100A9 as Possible Markers for Lung Cancer Prognosis.

Introduction: New sampling techniques to analyse lung diseases, such as exhaled breath condensate (EBC), are a breakthrough in research field since they are less invasive and less traumatic for the patients compared to lung biopsies. Nevertheless, there is an increasing need to optimize not only the sampling protocols but the storage and processing of specimens to get accurate results.

Methods: Exhaled breath condensate was sampled employing the ECoScreen device.

Allogeneic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy in dogs with refractory atopic dermatitis: clinical efficacy and safety.

Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disease with a 10-15 per cent prevalence. Current treatments vary in their efficacy and safety. The immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) make them a promising alternative treatment.

Allogeneic Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (Horse Allo 20) for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis-Associated Lameness in Horses: Characterization, Safety, and Efficacy of Intra-Articular Treatment.

Osteoarthritis commonly causes lameness in the horse and has a great impact in performance animals. Due to the limitations of current medical therapies, allogenic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may become an alternative method to control inflammation, reduce tissue damage and pain, and therefore improve lameness. We present the results of a regulatory clinical trial testing adipose-derived MSCs (Horse Allo 20) in veterinary (Agencia Española del Medicamento y Productos Sanitarios, Spanish Medicines Agency, Reference number 325/ECV) involving a total number of 80 participants and with 90 days of follow-up period.

Macrophagic enhancement in optical coherence tomography imaging by means of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

Background: The ability of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to visualise macrophages in vivo in coronary arteries is still controversial. We hypothesise that imaging of macrophages in OCT could be enhanced by means of superparamagnetic nanoparticles.

Methods: We compared the optical backscattering and attenuation of cell pellets containing RAW 264.

Dopamine mobilizes mesenchymal progenitor cells through D2-class receptors and their PI3K/AKT pathway.

As the nervous system exerts direct and indirect effects on stem cells mobilization and catecholamines mobilize hematopoietic stem cells, we hypothesized that dopamine might induce mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) mobilization. We show that dopamine induced in vitro MPCs migration through D2-class receptors, and their alternative phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathways. Also, administration of catecholamines induced in vivo mobilization of colony-forming unit-fibroblast in mice.

Determination of ELISA reproducibility to detect protein markers in exhaled breath condensate.

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a representative sample from the lungs that may be used to detect different markers, but the reproducibility of these determinations is unknown over time. The aim of this paper is to assess the reproducibility of protein marker determination in EBC using samples collected at two different time points. EBC and blood were collected from 16 healthy subjects, smokers and non-smokers by using the ECoScreen device.

In vivo genotoxicity assessment in rats exposed to Prestige-like oil by inhalation.

One of the largest oil spill disasters in recent times was the accident of the oil tanker Prestige in front of the Galician coast in 2002. Thousands of people participated in the cleanup of the contaminated areas, being exposed to a complex mixture of toxic substances. Acute and prolonged respiratory symptoms and genotoxic effects were reported, although environmental exposure measurements were restricted to current determinations, such that attribution of effects observed to oil exposure is difficult to establish.

Enrichment of neural-related genes in human mesenchymal stem cells from neuroblastoma patients.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most common pediatric solid tumors and, like most human cancers, is characterized by a broad variety of genomic alterations. Although mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known to interact with cancer cells, the relationship between MSCs and metastatic NB cancer cells in bone marrow (BM) is unknown. To obtain genetic evidence about this interaction, we isolated ΒΜ-derived MSCs from children with NB and compared their global expression patterns with MSCs obtained from normal pediatric donors, using the Agilent 44K microarrays.

Mesenchymal niches of bone marrow in cancer.

Over the last decade, genetic and cell biology studies have indicated that tumour growth is not only determined by malignant cancer cells themselves, but also by the tumour microenvironment. Cells present in the tumour microenvironment include fibroblasts, vascular, smooth muscle, adipocytes, immune cells and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The nature of the relationship between MSC and tumour cells appears dual and whether MSC are pro- or anti-tumorigenic is a subject of controversial reports.