ABSTRACT
Statement of the Problem: One major goal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is to find an appropriate source of mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] with higher differentiation ability
Purpose: In this experimental study, the osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation ability of buccal fat pad derived MSCs [BFP-MSCs] with gingival derived cells [GDCs] were compared
Materials and Method: BFP-MSCs and GDCs were cultured enzymatically and expanded. The expanded cells were analyzed for membrane-associated markers, using flow cytometry. Then the ability of these cells to differentiate into osteocyte and chondrocyte was assessed morphologically and by mRNA expression of collagen I [COLL], BGLA and bone morphogenetic protein 2 [BMP2] using qRT-PCR
Results: Flow cytometry analysis showed that both BFP-MSCs and GDCs expressed the characteristic stem cell markers such as CD73, CD44, and CD90, whereas they did not express hematopoietic markers. Mineralized calcium deposition was observed apparently in BFP-MSCs cultured in osteogenic medium but GDCs showed fewer mineralized nodules. The mRNA expression levels of BGLA and BMP2 showed 7×105 and 733-fold more mRNA expression in BFP-MSCs treated with differentiation media compared to the control group. In chondrogenic differentiation, BFP-MSCs transformed from a spindle to a cuboidal shape while GDCs showed only a slight transformation. In addition, mRNA expression of COLL showed 282-fold higher expression in BFP-MSCs in comparison to the control group. Such significant difference in mRNA expression of BGLA, BMP2, and COLL was not observed in GDCs compared to their corresponding controls
Conclusion: Based on the present results, BFP yields a greater proportion of stem cells compared to gingiva. Therefore, this tissue can be introduced as an easily available source for the treatment of periodontal defects and other maxillofacial injuries
ABSTRACT
Background: Primary cardiac tumors are rare tumors which should be operated urgently. In this study, cardiac myxoma have been evaluated from diagnosis until discharge in a 10 years period and then results including presenting symptoms, approach to the patients were compared with similar study in this center a decade ago
Methods: Patients who underwent operation for myxoma from year 2003 until 2013 in the Shahid Modarres Hospital were included in this study
Results: Eighteen patients included in the study, 11 female and seven male. Patients' ages were in the range of 13 to 76 years [mean 53 years]
Mean time from diagnosis to operation was 5.8 days and mean time from surgery to discharge was 8.6+/-6.1 days. Most common presenting symptoms were first clinical presentation in four patients. In all patents echocardiography was the main diagnostic modality. In addition to trans thoracic echocardiography [TTE], in five patients TEE was used and in 13 patients coronary angiography was used to rule out concomitant coronary artery disease. 94.4% of all tumors [17 cases] were primary cardiac tumors and only one tumor [5.6%] was recurrent. In 16 patients [88.9%] tumor were found in the Left Atrium [L.A] and in one case, tumor was found in both atria and in another case, tumor was in the ventricle. After tumor excision, atrial septum was repaired primarily in seven cases [38.9%] and with pericardial patch in 9 cases. One patient underwent concomitant coronary artery bypass graft [CABG] and another patient underwent concomitant pulmonary valve repair. 14 patients [77.8%] discharged from hospital without any post operative complication. Heart block occurred in one patient and cerebral emboli with secondary cere-brovascular accident [CVA] developed in two patients. One patient died [5.6%]
Conclusion: Comparing results from two similar studies in two consecutive decades revealed that mean time from diagnosis to operation obviously was reduced but advances in diagnostic modalities were unable to change clinical presentation or reduce age of tumor diagnosis or complications or size
ABSTRACT
Thrombocytosis is found to be associated with unfavorable prognosis in esophageal carcinoma. Platelets produce thymidine phosphorylase which is a platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor with angiogenic activity. Increased platelet count may be translated into enhanced tumor growth. We examined the relation between platelet count and several prognostic variables in patients with esophageal cancer. Patients and Three hundred and eighty-one cases with esophageal cancer that underwent esophagectomy in a referral cancer institute during a 5-year period were studied retrospectively. The relation between preoperative platelet count and patient age, gender, site of tumor, presence of multiple cancers and clinicopathological characteristics including histological type, tumor size, depth of penetration [T], lymph node involvement [N], distant metastasis [M], degree of differentiation, presence of vascular, lymphatic and perineural invasion was examined. Squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] constituted 93% and adenocarcinoma 7% of cases. Most of patients were in stage III, followed by stage II. The mean platelet count was 245 +/- 76 [10[9]/L]. There was no statistically significant correlation between platelet counts with prognostic factors except a weak linear correlation between platelet count and and tumor size [P= 0.03, Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.16]. Patients with adenocarcinoma had a higher platelet count than those with SCC [P= 0.003]. Platelet count does not correlate with prognostic factors in esophageal cancer. However, it is significantly different between SCC and adenocarcinoma of esophagus