4 research outputs found
Improvement in Cardiac Function following Transplantation of Human Umbilical Cord Matrix-Derived Mesenchymal Cells
Objectives: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal cells
(hUCM) can be easily obtained and processed in a laboratory.
These cells may be considered as a suitable source in the
repair of heart failure diseases. We, therefore, examined
whether these cells may contribute to heart regeneration
following an acute experimental myocardial infarction (MI).
Methods: MI-induced animals received 5 ! 10 6 hUCM cells,
5 ! 10 6 5-azacytidine-treated cells (dhUCM), or PBS alone,
subepicardially. A group of animals with MI and no other former
intervention served as controls. dhUCM cells were assessed
for F-actin, myogenin and troponin-I expression. Re-sults: dhUCM cells appeared as binucleated cells with extensive
cytoplasmic processes. These differentiated cells were
F-actin and myogenin positive. Thirty days after LAD ligation,
left ventricular ejection fraction and the percentage of
fractional shortening improved significantly in cell-receiving
animals. In addition, the amount of scar tissue was significantly
reduced in hUCM and dhUCM groups compared to MI
group (p ! 0.05). These parameters were comparable between
hUCM and dhUCM groups. Histopathological evaluations
revealed that some engrafted cells adjacent to and remote
from the MI area expressed troponin-I, F-actin and connexin43.
Conclusion: These findings demonstrated the
potential therapeutic use of either differentiated or undifferentiated
hUCM cells in treatment of heart failure conditions
Investigating the association between polymorphism of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor gene and ovarian response in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation
Aim : The aim of the study was to investigate the association between follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) gene polymorphism at Position 680 and the outcomes of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in infertile women. Materials and Methods : One hundred and eight patients under 35 years of age who underwent IVF-ET procedures were included in this study. The hormonal profile and treatment of all patients were analyzed and FSHR polymorphism was examined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Women from all groups were classified based on polymorphisms at Position 680, occupied either by asparagines (Asn) or serine (Ser) as Asn/Asn, Asn/Ser, and Ser/Ser genotype. Result : Our study showed that all patients in the Asn/Asn group were normal responders and in the Asn/Ser group 64.8% were normal responders and 21.1% and 14.1% were poor and hyper responders respectively. In the Ser/Ser group we did not have normal responders and 46.7% of these patients were poor responders and 53.3% were hyper responders. Conclusion : FSH receptor polymorphism is correlated with response to ovarian stimulation