WJSC 6^(th) Anniversary Special Issues(2):Mesenchymal stem cells Progress of mesenchymal stem cell therapy for neural and retinal diseases

Complex circuitry and limited regenerative power make central nervous system(CNS)disorders the most challenging and difficult for functional repair.With elusive disease mechanisms,traditional surgical and medical interventions merely slow down the progression of the neurodegenerative diseases.However,the number of neurons still diminishes in many patients.Recently,stem cell therapy has been proposed as a viable option.Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs),a widely-studied human adult stem cell population,have been discovered for more than 20 years.MSCs have been found all over the body and can be conveniently obtained from different accessible tissues:bone marrow,blood,and adipose and dental tissue.MSCs have high proliferative and differentiation abilities,providing an inexhaustible source of neurons and glia for cell replacement therapy.Moreover,MSCs also show neuroprotective effects without any genetic modification or reprogramming.In addition,the extraordinary immunomodulatory properties of MSCs enable autologous and heterologous transplantation.These qualities heighten the clinical applicability of MSCs when dealing with the pathologies of CNS disorders.Here,we summarize the latest progress of MSC experimental research as well as human clinical trials for neural and retinal diseases.This review article will focus on multiple sclerosis,spinal cord injury,autism,glaucoma,retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

Congestive Heart Failure Clinics:How to Make Them Work in a Community-Based Hospital System

Introduction:Congestive heart failure(CHF)accounts for over$32 billion in health care costs per year and is at the epicenter of health care reform.CHF remains a major cause of hospitalizations.It is known and has been reported that missed diagnosis of and missed opportunities to treat heart failure are associated with higher mortality and morbidity.CHF disease management programs have emerged as a potential solution to the CHF epidemic.The paradox remains that CHF disease management programs still cluster in tertiary hospital systems.The impact of heart failure specialists and specialty teams in community health systems is less well understood.Currently there are not enough CHF-trained teams in the community setting to address this unmet health need.Methods:We explored the impact of CHF clinics in a community-based hospital system on readmission rates,mortality,and symptomatic relief.A total of 384 patients were enrolled in the clinic between 2012 and 2015.Data collected included age,sex,type of heart failure,New York Heart Association class,ejection fraction,serum creatinine and brain natriuretic peptide values,and readmission and mortality rates within 30 days,3 months,6 months,and 1 year.We also compared readmission rates between patients who were followed up in the CHF clinic versus those who were not seen in the CHF clinic.Results:A statistically signifi cant difference was demonstrated in readmission rates between patients who were followed up in the CHF clinic versus those who did not visit the CHF clinic for up to 1 year of follow-up.Conclusion:CHF community hospital clinics that use a rapid and frequent follow-up format with CHF-trained teams effectively reduce rehospitalization rates up to 1 year.

Considerations in the management of single-piece intraocular lenses outside the capsular bag

AIM: To investigate the outcomes of off label singlepiece acrylic intraocular lenses(SPA-IOL) ciliary sulcus placement compared to three-piece IOL(3P-IOL). METHODS: The charts of eight consecutive eyes of patients who received sulcus-placed SPA-IOLs between 2006 and 2009 were reviewed. None of the patients underwent IOL exchange. Charts of six age-matched patients who received sulcus placed 3P-IOLs were reviewed as a control group. RESULTS: Mean follow up was 16 mo for SPA-IOL and 23 mo for 3P-IOL. Five of 8 patients in the SPA-IOL group required chronic use of IOP lowering medications at final follow up. Of these, one patient needed glaucoma implant surgery for uncontrolled IOP. One patient in the 3P-IOL group used chronic aqueous suppression pre- and postoperatively. Four of eight eyes with SPAIOL were treated with chronic topical steroids and or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for cystoid macu-la edema, chronic uveitis, pigment dispersion syndrome or a combination of the above, compared to none in the control group. Mean best-corrected visual acuity was 20/35 in the SPA-IOL group and 20/47 in the 3PIOL group.CONCLUSION: Sulcus placed SPA-IOLs are associated with increased ocular morbidity. In select cases good visual acuity may be achieved. Due to postoperative rotation of sulcus placed toric SPA-IOLs stable astigmatism correction cannot be achieved. Alternative intraocular lenses should be considered when in-the-bag placement of SPA-IOL is not possible.

Bacteria in cancer therapy: beyond immunostimulation

Currently,conventional therapies in cancer are improving;chemotherapy,radiotherapy and surgery have increased survival significantly.New therapies have arisen with the same goal;immunotherapy has appeared as a promising option in the fight against cancer stimulating the immune system by inducing innate and adaptive responses.These responses include release of pro-inflammatory cytokines,making the immune system capable to eliminate or protect against multiple tumors.Nowadays,many of these therapies are being used in clinical settings,such as checkpoint inhibitors,monoclonal anti cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte associated protein 4(CTL-4)and programmed death protein 1(PD1),with inspiring results;however,they may decrease immunotolerance,limiting their use.At the same time,chemotherapy works by passive transport across the cell membrane,limiting its capacity to penetrate in tumor cells.For these reasons,bacteria employment represents one of the best candidates for cancer treatment.They can surpass these barriers with their selective colonization which also has an oncolytic effect by increasing proliferation and immunostimulation in the tumor environment.Attenuated strains,such as Mycobacterium bovis,Clostridium,Salmonella typhimirium and Listeria monocytogenes have been studied showing promising results in experimental models.However,their application in clinical trials has shown the need to maximize their therapeutic effect.Genetic engineering and synthetic biology are necessary to prove the scope that this novel approach has against cancer due to implications of cancer therapy and public health.