effect of fetal liver-derived cell suspension allotransplantation on patients with diabetes: first year of follow-up

Stem cell-based therapies have recently opened up new horizons for treatment of various types of diseases including diabetes mellitus. However, long-term efficacy and safety of these novel modalities still remain a serious question. Hereby, we aim to report the one-year follow-up results in the diabetic patients who underwent fetal liver-derived hematopoietic stem cell allotransplantation. Fifty six patients with type one [n=30] and type two [n=26] diabetes, aged 10-58 years old [32.8 +/- 16.3] were divided into the intervention and placebo group. The patients in the intervention group underwent fetal liver-derived hematopoietic stem cell transplantation while the patients in the placebo group received 5 ml of normal saline both via an intravenous route. The patients were visited at regular intervals to evaluate the efficacy of transplantation in glycemic control as well as possible complications. In the 6[th] month of the follow-up, there was a significant decrease in HbA[1]c levels in all groups without any rise in the fasting c-peptide. However, none of the precipitants transiently or continuously became insulin free in the first year after transplantation. It can be concluded that, in this study, fetal liver-derived hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had no significant effects on glycemic control. The heterogeneity of our patients might account for the negative results. Hence, longer follow-up results will be reported in the near future.

Prevalence of human T-Lymphotrophic Virus [HTLV] 1,2 Among tissue donors in Iranian tissue bank

Iranian Tissue Bank prepares a wide range of human tissue homografts such as; Heart valve, Bone, Skin, Amniotic membrane and other tissues for different clinical applications.The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of HTLV in tissue donors from 2001 to 2006 in Iranian Tissue Bank/ Tehran University of Medical Sciences. 1548 tissue donors were studied during a 5-year period by ELISA assays. HTLV1,2 - antibodies were tested on all donors along with other tests upon American Association of Tissue Banks [AATB] standards. 25 [1.61%] out of 1548 tissue donors were HTLV positive. 17 donors were male and 8 donors were female. Female to male ratio was approximately 47%. Regarding the prevalence of HTLV among tissue donors and importance of cell and tissue safety and quality assurance, we recommend that all cell and tissue banks should be involved with serological and other complementary tests such as PCR [Polymerase Chain Reaction] for HTLV