Intramyocardial autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells injection (IM-BMCs) has been used in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) who are ineligible for revascularization; however, the procedure has yielded mixed results. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the safety and therapeutic benefits of this treatment on a relatively large scale.

There is an emerging interest in the use of cellular models to study psychiatric disorders. We have systematically reviewed the application of cellular models to understand the biological basis of bipolar disorder (BD).

To perform a systematic literature review of the regenerative potential of bone substitutes used to fill critical size defects (CSDs) in rabbit calvariae; to determine the quality of the included studies using ARRIVE guidelines.

Histone lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is the first discovered and reported histone demethylase by Dr. Shi Yang's group in 2004. It is classified as a member of amine oxidase superfamily, the common feature of which is using the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) as its cofactor. Since it is located in cell nucleus and acts as a histone methylation eraser, LSD1 specifically removes mono- or dimethylated histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) and H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) through formaldehyde-generating oxidation. It has been indicated that LSD1 and its downstream targets are involved in a wide range of biological courses, including embryonic development and tumor-cell growth and metastasis. LSD1 has been reported to be overexpressed in variety of tumors. Inactivating LSD1 or downregulating its expression inhibits cancer-cell development. LSD1 targeting inhibitors may represent a new insight in anticancer drug discovery. This review summarizes recent studies about LSD1 and mainly focuses on the basic physiological function of LSD1 and its involved mechanisms in pathophysiologic conditions, as well as the development of LSD1 inhibitors as potential anticancer therapeutic agents.

Organ engineering is a new strategy to cope with the shortage of donor organs. A functional scaffold from explanted organs is prepared by removing all cellular components (decellularization) and the reseeding (repopulation) of the organ scaffold to generate a functional organ in vitro for transplantation. This technique was also applied to the liver (liver engineering).

Stem cell transplantation has been considered a possible therapeutic method for neuropathic pain. However, no quantitative data synthesis of stem cell therapy for neuropathic pain exists. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the efficacy of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMMSC) transplantation on alleviating pain symptoms in animal models of neuropathic pain. In the present meta-analysis, controlled animal studies assessing the effect of administrating BMMSC on neuropathic pain were included through an extensive literature search of online databases. After collecting data, effect sizes were computed and the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was entered in all analyses. Random-effects models were used for data analysis. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed to investigate expected or measured heterogeneity. Finally, 14 study were included. The analyses showed that BMMSC transplantation lead to significant improvement on allodynia (SMD = 2.06; 95% CI, 1.09 to 3.03; I(2) = 99.7%; P < .001). The type of neuropathy (P = .036), time between injury and intervention (P = .02), and the number of transplanted cells (P = .023) influence the improvement of allodynia after BMMSC transplantation. BMMSC transplantation has no effect on hyperalgesia (SMD = .3; 95% CI, -1.09 to 1.68; I(2) = 100%; P < .001) unless it occurs during the first 4 days after injury (P = .02). The present systematic review with meta-analysis suggests that BMMSC transplantation improves allodynia but does not have any significant effect on hyperalgesia unless it is given during the first 4 days after injury.

Stem cell to be a new intervention for treating intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) might benefit humans. Therefore, we collected animal studies to find the effect of this innovative treatment. In July 2014, we searched Medline (from 1950), Embase (from 1980), China Biology Medicine disk (from 1978) for studies on stem cells used for treating experimental ICH in animal models that reported neurobehavioral and structural outcome. We evaluated the quality of these studies and used a weighted mean difference random affects model for the meta-analysis. We have collected 30 studies from 650 publications identified through systematic review describing the effects of 5 different type of stem cells on 12 different neurobehavioral scales with 1101 rodents or monkeys. Although there is lack of uniformity of the evaluation methods, these researches showed consistent improvements both in neurobehavioral function and structural outcomes. Besides, the quality of these studies needs to be raised. In conclusion, stem cells hold extensive potential in treating ICH, which should be further evaluated with more evidence-based, high-quality animal studies.

CD133 and Nestin, as the markers of cancer stem cells, have recently been reported frequently in the pathogenesis and development of human gliomas. However, the prognostic role of CD133 and Nestin in gliomas still remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between the expression of CD133 and Nestin and the outcome of glioma patients by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Digestive tract tumors are among the most common and deadliest malignancies worldwide, mainly due to late diagnosis and lack of efficient therapeutics. Current treatments essentially rely on surgery associated with (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy agents. Despite an upfront response, conventional drugs often fail to eliminate highly aggressive clones endowed with chemoresistant properties, which are responsible for tumor recurrence and disease dissemination. Synthetic drugs also present severe adverse systemic effects, hampering the administration of biologically effective dosages. Nanoencapsulation of chemotherapeutic agents within biocompatible polymeric or lipid matrices holds great potential to improve the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of conventional chemotherapy while reducing systemic toxicity. Tagging nanoparticle surfaces with specific ligands for cancer cells, namely monoclonal antibodies or antibody fragments, has provided means to target more aggressive clones, further improving the selectivity and efficacy of nanodelivery vehicles. In fact, over the past twenty years, significant research has translated into a wide array of guided nanoparticles, providing the molecular background for a new generation of intelligent and more effective anti-cancer agents. Attempting to bring awareness among the medical community to emerging targeted nanopharmaceuticals and foster advances in the field, we have conducted a systematic review about this matter. Emphasis was set on ongoing preclinical and clinical trials for liver, colorectal, gastric and pancreatic cancers. To the best of our knowledge this is the first systematic and integrated overview on this field. Using a specific query, 433 abstracts were gathered and narrowed to 47 manuscripts when matched against inclusion/exclusion criteria. All studies showed that active targeting improves the effectiveness of the nanodrugs alone, while lowering its side effects. The main focus has been on hepatocarcinomas, mainly by exploring glycans as homing molecules. Other ligands such as peptides/small proteins and antibodies/antibody fragments, with affinity to either tumor vasculature or tumor cells, have also been widely and successfully applied to guide nanodrugs to gastrointestinal carcinomas. Conversely, few solutions have been presented for pancreatic tumors. To this date only three nanocomplexes have progressed beyond pre-clinical stages: i) PK2, a galactosamine-functionalized polymeric-DOX formulation for hepatocarcinomas; ii) MCC-465, an anti-(myosin heavy chain a) immunoliposome for advanced stage metastatic solid tumors; and iii) MBP-426, a transferrin-liposome-oxaliplatin conjugate, also for advanced stage tumors. Still, none has been approved for clinical use. However, based on the high amount of pre-clinical studies showing enthusiastic results, the number of clinical trials is expected to increase in the near future. A more profound understanding about the molecular nature of chemoresistant clones and cancer stem cell biology will also contribute to boost the field of guided nanopharmacology towards more effective solutions.

Bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) have been used to treat patient with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) via intracoronary route. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of this modality. Seventeen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of BMSC-based therapy for STEMI, delivered with 9 days of reperfusion and followed up shorter than 12 months, were identified by systematic review. Intracoronary BMSC therapy resulted in an overall significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by 2.74 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.09-3.39, P < 0.00001, I(2) = 84 %) at 3-6-month follow-up and 5.1 % (95 % CI 4.16-6.03, P < 0.00001 and I(2) = 85 %) at 12 months. The left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) and wall motion score index (WMSI) were also reduced at 3-6 months. At 12 months, left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), LVESV, and WMSI were significantly reduced in BMSC group. In conclusion, intracoronary BMSC therapy at post-STEMI is safe and effective in patient with acute STEMI.

The purpose of this study was to access the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) injection in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Various cell types have been assessed for experimental periodontal tissue regeneration in a variety of animal models. Nonetheless, the efficacy of cell-based approaches for periodontal regeneration is still controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to systematically review cell-based approaches for periodontal regeneration in animal studies including a meta-analysis to obtain more clarity on their efficacy. The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that cell-based approaches have a favorable effect on periodontal tissue regeneration, as displayed by the positive effect of cell-based approaches on new bone, cementum, and periodontal ligament (PDL) formation in periodontal defects. Moreover, subgroup analysis showed a favorable effect on PDL formation by PDL-derived cells, but not by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). However, meta-analysis did not show any statistically significant differences in effect between PDL-derived cells and BMSCs. These results provide important information for the implementation of cell-based approaches in clinical practice as a routine treatment for periodontal regeneration in the future.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) has been identified as a putative cancer stem cell (CSC) marker in lung cancer. However, the clinicopathological and prognostic value of this protein in lung cancer patients remains controversial. Thus, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing the clinical and prognostic significance of ALDH1 expression in lung cancer.

For treating pulpal pathological conditions, pulpal regeneration through transplanted stem/progenitor cells might be an alternative to conventional root canal treatment. A number of animal studies demonstrated beneficial effects of stem/progenitor cell transplantation for pulp-dentin complex regeneration, that is, pulpal tissue, neural, vascular, and dentinal regeneration. We systematically reviewed animal studies investigating stem/progenitor cell-mediated pulp-dentin complex regeneration. Studies quantitatively comparing pulp-dentin complex regeneration after transplantation of stem/progenitor cells versus no stem/progenitor cell transplantation controls in intraoral in vivo teeth animal models were analyzed. The following outcomes were investigated: regenerated pulp area per root canal total area, capillaries per total surface, regenerated dentinal area per total defect area, and nerves per total surface. PubMed and EMBASE were screened for studies published until July 2014. Cross-referencing and hand searching were used to identify further articles. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using random-effects meta-analysis. To assess possible bias, SYRCLE's risk of bias tool for animal studies was used. From 1364 screened articles, five studies (representing 64 animals) were included in the quantitative analysis. Risk of bias of all studies was high. Stem/progenitor cell-transplanted pulps showed significantly larger regenerated pulp area per root canal total area (SMD [95% CI]: 2.28 [0.35-4.21]) and regenerated dentin area per root canal total area (SMD: 6.91 [5.39-8.43]) compared with no stem/progenitor cell transplantation controls. Only one study reported on capillaries per or nerves per total surface and found both significantly increased in stem/progenitor cell-transplanted pulps compared with controls. Stem/progenitor cell transplantation seems to enhance pulp-dentin complex regeneration in animal models. Due to limited data quantity and quality, current evidence levels are insufficient for further conclusions.

To improve osteogenic differentiation and attachment of cells.

Although there is an increase in clinical trials assessing the efficacy of cell therapy in structural and functional regeneration after stroke, there are not enough data in the literature describing the best cell type to be used, the best route, and also the best nanoparticle to analyze these stem cells in vivo. This review analyzed published data on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION)-labeled stem cells used for ischemic stroke therapy.

The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for traumatic brain injury (TBI) is attractive. Conducting systematic review and meta-analyses based on data from animal studies can be used to inform clinical trial design. To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to (i) systematically review the literatures describing the effect of MSCs therapy in animal models of TBI, (ii) determine the estimated effect size of functional locomotor recovery after experimental TBI, and (iii) to provide empirical evidence of biological factors associated with greater efficacy.

To review the advances and limitations of recent investigations on mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) assisted by mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation.

Cases of chronic inflammatory demyelinating poliradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) have been reported in hematopoietic stem cells transplantation complicated by graft versus host disease (GVHD). A systematic review of the CIDP-like neuropathies associated with GVHD was conducted until January 2015, analyzing the clinical presentation and the response to different therapeutic regimens. Nineteen patients have been reported in literature including the present one. Fourteen subjects fulfilled the criteria for CIDP, whereas two cases presented with an asymmetric motor onset and one showed motor involvement only associated with anti-ganglioside antibodies. In addition, two subjects already affected by CIDP developed a significant relapse after GVHD. This study reviews the literature data and reports one additional case of CIDP and GVHD, suggesting that the two clinical entities might share a similar immunological background.

Stem cell treatment is a novel therapeutic strategy for erectile dysfunction (ED) patients with bilateral cavernous nerve injury (CNI). The relative animal studies provide important clues to design pre-clinical studies and clinical studies further in the future.