This review of literature was aimed to assess in vivo experiments which have evaluated the efficacy of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) for bone regeneration.

Numerous clinical trials have demonstrated early reductions in cardiovascular events occurring independently of the lipid-lowering effects of statins. These pleiotropic effects have been attributed to antiinflammatory properties, to atherosclerotic plaque stabilization, and more recently to mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Our aim was to evaluate the evidence supporting statin-induced EPC mobilization in humans. We, therefore, performed a computerized literature search and systematic review of randomized trials to determine the effect of statin therapy and statin dosing on circulating EPC numbers. Our literature search identified 10 studies including 479 patients which met inclusion criteria with publication dates ranging from 2005 to 2011. Seven studies compared statin to nonstatin regimens whereas 3 studied low versus high-dose statin therapy. Reported increases in EPC number ranged from 25.8% to 223.5% with a median reported increase of 70.2% when compared to nonstatin regimens with 7 of 10 studies reporting significant increases. Considerable heterogeneity exists in regard to patient population, statin regimens, and the definition of an EPC within the identified studies. In conclusion, randomized studies in humans suggest that statin therapy mobilizes EPCs into the circulation. Larger randomized studies using uniform definitions are needed to definitively establish this effect.

Systematic review.

To evaluate bone marrow stem cell treatment (BMSC) in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and no option of revascularization.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common form of nonischemic cardiomyopathy worldwide and can lead to sudden cardiac death and heart failure. Despite ongoing advances made in the treatment of DCM, improvement of outcome remains problematic. Stem cell therapy has been extensively studied in preclinical and clinical models of ischemic heart disease, showing potential benefit. DCM is associated with a major health burden, and few studies have been performed on cell therapy for DCM. In this systematic review we aimed to provide an overview of preclinical and clinical studies performed on cell therapy for DCM.

This study evaluated clinical outcomes following intraoperative use of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in various oral reconstructive procedures. PubMed was searched without language restrictions from 2000 to 2011 using the search words stem cell, oral surgery, tissue engineering, sinus lift, bone regeneration and combinations of these. Inclusion criteria were intraoperative use of MSCs in the study design. Reference lists of the articles found were searched for other related studies. Eighteen clinical trials using MSCs for sinus augmentation were found: five case reports on the repair of large bony defects and six studies on ridge augmentation and healing of alveolar sockets after third molar extraction. The findings suggest that MSCs are capable of producing in vivo bone, re-establishing lost tissue and facilitating placement of dental implants. Use of MSCs would reduce patient morbidity because of a less stressful harvesting technique than that of autogenous bone. The majority of clinical trials indicate that MSCs can produce bone in vivo. However, a satisfactory outcome was not seen in all studies, and due to the diversity of study designs, a 'golden approach' cannot be determined. Before use of MSCs can be considered as a first-choice treatment, more predictable outcomes and better long-term prognoses need to be established. Conventional bone grafting remains the gold standard.

An important goal of stem cell research in orthopaedics is to develop clinically relevant techniques that could be applied to heal cartilage or joint pathology. Stem cell treatment in orthopaedics for joint pathology is promising since these cells have the ability to modulate different processes in the various tissues of the joint simultaneously. The non life-threatening nature of musculoskeletal system disorders makes safety of stem cell therapy a necessary prerequisite.

Cell-based approaches, utilizing adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are reported to overcome the limitations of conventional bone augmentation procedures.

This review aimed to examine the effects of exercise training on mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with cardiovascular disease and to discuss the possible mechanisms involved in the process. A computer-aided search on PubMed and PEDro was conducted to identify relevant studies published up to June 2012. Two reviewers independently selected studies for inclusion and extracted data, namely, quantitative assessment of circulating EPCs. Of the 88 identified studies, 13 met the inclusion criteria. The 13 studies enrolled 648 participants, including patients with chronic heart failure, peripheral artery disease, and coronary artery disease. The exercise characteristics varied largely across the studies: exercise duration ranged from 2 wks to 6 mos, session duration ranged from 20 to 60 mins, and exercise intensity was usually calculated using the maximal heart rate (ranging from 75% to 85%) or the peak/maximum oxygen consumption (60%-70%). All studies used aerobic exercise. The great majority of the 13 studies reported significant effects of different exercise regimens on the number of circulating EPCs. In summary, exercise training seems to increase the number of circulating EPCs, which could contribute to vascular regeneration and angiogenesis. These positive effects of chronic exercise seem to be closely related to the bioavailability of nitric oxide, including increased activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and antioxidant enzymes, and activation of matrix metalloproteinase 9.

There is considerable interest in translating laboratory advances in neuronal regeneration following spinal cord injury (SCI). A multimodality approach has been advocated for successful functional neuronal regeneration. With this goal in mind several biomaterials have been employed as neuronal bridges either to support cellular transplants, to release neurotrophic factors, or to do both. A systematic review of this literature is lacking. Such a review may provide insight to strategies with a high potential for further investigation and potential clinical application.

The aim of this systematic review was to investigate whether stem cells could be effectively applied in targeted therapy of breast cancer.

Colony stimulating factors (CSFs), also called haematopoietic growth factors, regulate bone marrow production of circulating red and white cells, and platelets. Some CSFs also mobilise the release of bone marrow stem cells into the circulation. CSFs have been shown to be neuroprotective in experimental stroke.

Thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is the most frequent extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves' disease, affecting up to 50% of patients, and has a great impact on quality of life. Rituximab is a human/murine chimeric monoclonal antibody that targets CD20, a transmembrane protein expressed on the surface of pre-B and mature B lymphocytes, but not on stem cells, pro-B lymphocytes or plasma cells. Preliminary work has shown that blocking the CD20 receptor on B-lymphocytes with rituximab affects the clinical course of TAO, by reducing inflammation and the degree of proptosis.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of death in developed countries, and current treatment modalities have failed to regenerate the dead myocardium resulting from the ischemic damage. Stem cells have the potential to regenerate the damaged myocardium. These cells can be mobilized from the bone marrow by factors such as granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF).

Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder involving a defect in the red blood cells due to its sickled hemoglobin. The main therapeutic interventions include preventive and supportive measures. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantations are carried out with the aim of replacing the defective cells and their progenitors (hematopoietic (i.e. blood forming) stem cells) in order to correct the disorder.

Abstract Allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) is considered a clinical option for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) who have experienced at least two chemosensitive relapses. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the benefits and harms of allo-SCT with an unrelated donor (UD) versus related donor (RD) allo-SCT for adult patients with HL. Alternative donor sources such as haploidentical donor cells (Haplo) and umbilical cord blood (UCB) were also included. The available evidence was limited. Ten studies were included in this assessment. Four studies provided sufficient data to compare UD with RD allo-SCT. None of these studies was a randomized controlled trial. Additionally, three non-comparative studies, such as registry analyses, which considered patients with UD transplants were included. The risk of bias in the studies was high. Results on overall and progression-free survival (PFS) showed no consistent tendency in favor of a donor type. Results on therapy-associated mortality and acute (grade II-IV) and chronic graft-versus-host disease were also inconsistent. The study comparing UCB with RD transplants and two non-comparative studies with UCB transplants showed similar results. One of the studies comparing additionally Haplo with RD transplants indicated a benefit in PFS for the Haplo transplant group. In summary, our findings do not indicate a substantial outcome disadvantage of UD and alternative donor sources versus RD allo-SCT for adult patients with advanced HL.

To investigate the correlation between CD133-positive gastric cancer and clinicopathological features and its impact on survival.

Cell transplantation, as a therapeutic intervention for spinal cord injury (SCI), has been extensively studied by researchers in recent years. A number of different kinds of stem cells, neural progenitors, and glial cells have been tested in basic research, and most have been excluded from clinical studies because of a variety of reasons, including safety and efficacy. The signaling pathways, protein interactions, cellular behavior, and the differentiated fates of experimental cells have been studied in vitro in detail. Furthermore, the survival, proliferation, differentiation, and effects on promoting functional recovery of transplanted cells have also been examined in different animal SCI models. However, despite significant progress, a "bench to bedside" gap still exists. In this paper, we comprehensively cover publications in the field from the last years. The most commonly utilized cell lineages were covered in this paper and specific areas covered include survival of grafted cells, axonal regeneration and remyelination, sensory and motor functional recovery, and electrophysiological improvements. Finally we also review the literature on the in vivo tracking techniques for transplanted cells.

To date, a great number of tissue engineering strategies have been suggested for alveolar cleft reconstruction; however, autologous bone grafting seems to remain the golden standard.

CD133 has recently been reported as a marker of cancer stem-like cells in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its predictive value in CRC still remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between the expression of CD133 and clinicopathological features and the outcome of CRC patients by performing a meta-analysis.