Le Cellule Staminali Mesenchimali: Aspetti Biologici ed Approcci Terapeutici

The pioneeristic studies, started thirty years ago, were able to uncover an interesting bone marrow derived cell population named as mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). This cell type, used in the last decade in both pre-clinical and clinical phases in several fields of biomedical sciences, opened up innovative branches of translational research. In this review we analyze the biological background of the MSC with the purpose to identify their actual therapeutical applications with a special focus on their possible future role in oncology

Using landscape structure to develop quantitative baselines for protected area monitoring

Changes in habitat extent as well as landscape and habitat structure are often caused by human pressure within protected areas and at their boundaries, with consequences for biodiversity and species distributions. Thus quantitative spatial information on landscape mosaic arrangements is essential, for monitoring for nature conservation, as also specified by frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the European Union’s Habitat Directive. While measuring habitat extent is a relatively straightforward task, approaches for measuring habitat fragmentation are debated. This research aims to delineate a framework that enables the integration of different approaches to select a set of site- and scale-specific indices and synthetic descriptors and develop a comprehensive quantitative assessment of variations in human impact on the landscape, through assessment of habitat spatial patterns, which can be used as a baseline for monitoring. This framework is based on the use of established methodologies and free software, and can thus be widely applied across sites. For each landscape and observation scale, the framework permits the identification of the most relevant indices, and appropriate parameters for their computation. We illustrate the use of this framework through a case study in a protected area in Italy, to indicate that integrated information from multiple approaches can provide a more complete understanding of landscape and habitat spatial pattern, especially related to locations experiencing disturbance and pressure. First, identification of a parsimonious set of traditional LPIs for a specific landscape and spatial scale provides insights on the relation between landscape heterogeneity and habitat fragmentation. These can be used for both change assessment and ranking of different sections of the study area according to a fragmentation gradient in relation to matrix quality. Second, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), provides a pixel based structural characterisation of the landscape. Third, compositional characterisation of the landscape at the pixel level is provided by landscape mosaic analysis. These three approaches provide quantitative assessments through indices which can be used singly or in combination to derive three synthetic descriptors for a comprehensive quantitative baseline representation of landscape structure that can be used for monitoring: the first descriptor, landscape diversity profiling, based on the output of landscape mosaic analysis, at the landscape level, complements the evaluation which at the pixel level can be obtained by more complex modelling; the second descriptor, obtained combining of the outputs of MSPA and the landscape mosaic analysis, informs on the local structural pattern gradient across the landscape space; the third descriptor, derived from the integration of selected LPIs and those derived from MSPA into a discontinuities detection procedure, allows for the identification of “critical points” of transitions in management where threats to biodiversity and ecosystems integrity may be likely. The framework developed has significant potential to capture information on major landscape structural features, identify problematic areas of increased fragmentation that can be used to prioritise research, monitoring and intervention, and provide early warning signals for immediate response to pressures increasing habitat fragmentation, with the goal of facilitating more effective management

Method For Obtaining A Population Of Stromal Progenitor Cells

E' STATO ELABORATO UN NUOVO E ORIGINALE SISTEMA DI ISOLAMENTO DI POPOLAZIONI CELLULARI

Phase I study of intraperitoneal MHC un resctrected adoptive cell therapy with TALL-104 cells in patients with peritoneal carcinosis: preliminary results.

Phase I study of intraperitoneal MHC un resctrected adoptive cell therapy with TALL-104 cells in patients with peritoneal carcinosis: preliminary results

Sudden Cardiac Death and Ex-Situ Post-Mortem Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Morphological Study Based on Diagnostic Correlation Methodology

During the last years, post-mortem imaging has gradually been assumed within research in the field of forensic pathology. This role appears to be clearly and simply applied in the trauma field with the use of conventional radiography or Post Mortem Computed Tomography (PMCT). Recently, particular attention was paid to cardiovascular imaging using Post Mortem Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PMMRI). The present experimental study aims to: (i) confirm the efficacy of a Post Mortem Cardiac Resonance Imaging (PMCRI) study protocol for the study of human hearts collected during the autopsy; (ii) apply the defined protocol on subjects who died of "SCD (sudden cardiac death)", to identify alterations that could guide subsequent sampling. Two hearts of healthy subjects (A: male 22 years; B: female 26 years), who died from causes other than SCD were collected and compared to hearts that belonged to SCD individuals (C: male, 47 years old; D: female, 44 years old; E: male; 72 years old). The exams were performed on a 1.5 T scanner (Philips Intera Achieva, Best, the Netherlands) on hearts collected during autopsy and after a 30-day formalin fixation. Two readers analyzed the obtained images blindly and after randomization. From the comparison between the data from imaging and the macroscopic and histological investigations carried out, the present study proved the effectiveness of a PMMRI protocol to study ex-situ hearts. Moreover, it suggested the following semeiology in post-mortem SCD cases: the hyperintense area with indistinct margins in the Short Tau Inversion Recovery (STIR) sequence was linked to edema or area of pathological fibers, whereas the hypointense area in the T2-FFE sequences was linked to fibrosis. PMMRI can provide a valuable benefit to post-mortem investigations, helping to distinctly improve the success rate of histological sampling and investigations, which remains the gold standard in the diagnosis of sudden death

GMP-manufactured density gradient media for optimized mesenchymal stromal/stem cell isolation and expansion

Background aims. Bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC) are therapeutic tools in regenerative medicine and oncology. MSC isolation is often performed starting from a separation step based on research-grade 1.077 g/mL density gradient media (DGM). However, MSC clinical application should require the introduction of good manufacturing practice (GMP) reagents. We took advantage of two novel GMP DGM with densities of 1.077 and 1.073 g/mL (Ficoll-Paque™ PREMIUM and Ficoll-Paque PREMIUM 1.073, respectively) to test whether these reagents could isolate MSC efficiently while simultaneously comparing their performance. Methods. BM samples were processed using either 1.077 or 1.073 g/mL GMP DGM. BM mononucleated cell (MNC) fractions were analyzed for viability, immunophenotype, clonogenic potential, ex vivo expansion and differentiation potential. Results. No differences were noticed in cell recovery and viability between the groups. Fluorescence-activated cell-sorting (FACS) analyzes on freshly isolated cells indicated that the 1.073 g/mL GMP DGM more efficiently depleted the CD45+ fraction in comparison with 1.077 GMP DGM. Moreover, in the 1.073 group, fibroblastic colony-forming units (CFU-F) were 1.5 times higher and the final MSC yield 1.8 times increased after four passages. Both reagents isolated MSC with the expected phenotype; however, 1.073-isolated MSC showed a higher expression of CD90, CD146 and GD2. Additionally, MSC from both groups were capable of fully differentiating into bone, adipose cells and cartilage. Conclusions. Both GMP DGM enriched MSC from BM samples, suggesting that these reagents would be suitable for clinical-grade expansions. In addition, the density of 1.073 g/mL provides a significant advantage over 1.077 g/mL GMP DGM, impacting the quantity of MSC obtained and reducing the ex vivo expansion time for optimized cell-based clinical applications. © 2010 Informa UK Ltd