Background Autologous haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) benefits patients with systemic sclerosis but has been associated with significant treatment-related mortality and failure to improve diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO). We aimed to assess efficacy of HSCT and use of rigorous cardiac screening in this group. We assessed patients with diffuse systemic sclerosis or limited systemic sclerosis and interstitial lung disease who were treated with HSCT as part of a study or on a compassionate basis at Northwestern University (Chicago, IL, USA) or the University of So Paulo (Ribeiro Preto, Brazil). Unselected peripheral blood stem cells were harvested with cyclophosphamide (2 g/m2) and filgrastim. The transplant regimen was a non-myeloablative regimen of cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg) and rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG; 4565 mg/kg). We followed patients up to 5 years for overall survival, relapse-free survival, modified Rodnan skin score, and pulmonary function tests. Five (6%) of 90 patients died from treatment-related causes. Despite standard guidelines that recommend echocardiogram for screening before transplantation, four treatment-related deaths occurred because of cardiovascular complications (one constrictive pericarditis, two right heart failures without underlying infection, and one heart failure during mobilisation), and one death was secondary to sepsis without documented underlying heart disease. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed survival … Continue reading →

27 January 2013 Last updated at 20:06 ET Stem cells given in the vital period immediately after a stroke may aid recovery, suggest researchers. Rats injected with stem cells 30 minutes after a stroke had almost normal brain function restored within a fortnight. The Bolivian research team say the method has potential in human trials. Current best practice is to treat many patients with "clot-busting" drugs in the "golden hour" after a stroke has taken place. The research, published in the journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy, adds to others which have found that stem cells could aid stroke patients by boosting the body's ability to repair tissue damage. Stem cells are the body's "master cells", with the potential to become many different cell types, and theoretically replace cells lost through disease or injury. Recent tests in humans have show some promise, with stroke symptoms improving after an infusion of stem cells. Stem cells are an incredibly interesting area of stroke research. The Bolivian team, from La Paz University Hospital, extracted a certain type of stem cells from fat and bone marrow, then injected them into the blood vessels of rats shortly after they had suffered an artificially-induced stroke. Continued … Continue reading →

Public release date: 27-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Hilary Glover hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22370 BioMed Central Stem cells from bone marrow or fat improve recovery after stroke in rats, finds a study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy. Treatment with stem cells improved the amount of brain and nerve repair and the ability of the animals to complete behavioural tasks. Stem cell therapy holds promise for patients but there are many questions which need to be answered, regarding treatment protocols and which cell types to use. This research attempts to address some of these questions. Rats were treated intravenously with stem cells or saline 30 minutes after a stroke. At 24 hours after stroke the stem cell treated rats showed a better functional recovery. By two weeks these animals had near normal scores in the tests. This improvement was seen even though the stem cells did not appear to migrate to the damaged area of brain. The treated rats also had higher levels of biomarkers implicated in brain repair including, the growth factor VEGF. A positive result was seen for both fat (adipose) and bone-marrow derived stem cells. Dr Exuperio Dez-Tejedor from La … Continue reading →