Publications by authors named "Mariangela Maluf"

Article Synopsis
  • Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are undifferentiated cells found in adult tissues that show promise for treating various diseases due to their ability to renew and differentiate into different cell types while modulating immune responses.
  • This study focused on human tubal mesenchymal stem cells (htMSCs) and their effects in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model, revealing their ability to suppress the activation of dendritic cells and promote anti-inflammatory cytokine release.
  • Results indicated that htMSCs lead to milder disease symptoms, with reduced immune cell infiltration and increased levels of protective factors, suggesting their potential as a therapy for inflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions.
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Cellular therapy with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a huge challenge for scientists, as little translational relevance has been achieved. However, many studies using MSCs have proved their suppressive and regenerative capacity. Thus, there is still a need for a better understanding of MSCs biology and the establishment of newer protocols, or to test unexplored tissue sources.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cigarette smoke causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is a serious health issue with significant economic and social impacts, highlighting the need for new treatment options.
  • Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) show potential for treating COPD due to their healing properties, and their effectiveness can be enhanced through adjuvant therapies like low-level laser (LLL) therapy, which is safe and affordable.
  • Research using mice exposed to cigarette smoke demonstrated that combining MSC therapy with LLL irradiation significantly reduces lung inflammation, cellular infiltrates, and tissue damage, suggesting this combination could be an effective approach for treating COPD.
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We have recently reported that human fallopian tubes, which are discarded during surgical procedures of women submitted to sterilization or hysterectomies, are a rich source of human fallopian tube mesenchymal stromal cells (htMSCs). It has been previously shown that human mesenchymal stromal cells may be useful in enhancing the speed of bone regeneration. This prompted us to investigate whether htMSCs might be useful for the treatment of osteoporosis or other bone diseases, since they present a pronounced capacity for osteogenic differentiation in vitro.

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An increased risk of early pregnancy loss in women briefly exposed to high levels of ambient particulate matter during the preconceptional period was recently observed. The effects of this exposure on early embryo development are unknown. This study was designed to assess the dose-response and biological effects of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) on in vitro embryo development using the in vitro fertilization (IVF) mouse model.

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Purpose: To assess the potential effects of short-term exposure to particulate air pollution during follicular phase on clinical, laboratory, and pregnancy outcomes of women undergoing IVF/ET.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 400 first IVF/ET cycles of women exposed to ambient particulate matter during follicular phase. Particulate matter (PM) was categorized into quartiles (Q(1): < or =30.

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The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to assess the potential effects of preconceptional short-term exposure to particulate air pollution in a real-world situation on pregnancy outcome in infertile women evaluating the possible role of IVF/embryo transfer treatment on this outcome using women who had conceived naturally for the first time during the same time frame as a matched control group. The study provides evidence for an association between brief exposure to high levels of ambient particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The possibility of using stem cells for regenerative medicine has opened a new field of investigation. The search for sources to obtain multipotent stem cells from discarded tissues or through non-invasive procedures is of great interest. It has been shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from umbilical cords, dental pulp and adipose tissue, which are all biological discards, are able to differentiate into muscle, fat, bone and cartilage cell lineages.

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Objective: To evaluate effects of pre- and/or postnatal exposure to ambient fine particulate matter on fertilization, embryo development, and cell lineage segregation in preimplantation blastocysts using the IVF mouse model.

Design: Animal model.

Setting: Academic institution.

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Objective: To examine the effects of two commercial media on the development of mouse ova fertilized in vitro to the blastocyst stage.

Design: Animal model.

Setting: Academic institution.

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