Stem cells promote healing of experimentally induced ulcer in streptozotocin diabetic rats: histological and immunohistochemical study

Diabetic patients with foot ulcers usually manifest with complications. Preliminary evidence supported the effectiveness of stem cell therapy on diabetic foot ulcers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of stem cells in the healing of experimentally induced wounds in diabetic albino rats. Thirty male albino rats were divided into three groups, 10 rats each, which were control group, diabetic control group, and diabetic stem cell-treated group. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. A full thickness circular skin wound of approximately 10 mm in diameter was performed on the anterolateral side of right legs of all rats. In the diabetic stem cell-treated group, injection of umbilical cord blood-derived CD34 + stem cells into the wound bed was administered. In each group, half of the rats were killed after 1 week and the rest after 2 weeks. The wound areas were obtained and used for histological and immunohistochemical studies. Assessments of wound surface area, epidermal thickness, blood vessel proliferation, and collagen deposition were made and were statistically analyzed in the different groups. There was a significant decrease in mean wound surface area, increase in mean epidermal thickness, blood vessel proliferation, and collagen deposition in the stem cell-treated group compared with the nontreated diabetic group. Treatment of wounded diabetic rats with CD34 + enriched cells accelerated wound healing through enhanced revascularization of the wounds compared with diabetic controls

Adult onset still's disease and prurigo pigmentosa: an unusual association and review of literature

This study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Al-Adan Hospital, Ministry of Health-Kuwait. This patient was hospitalized as a case of pyrexia of unknown origin. We report atypical skin eruption in this patient who fulfilled the criteria for Adult Onset Still's Disease [AOSD] despite the absence of the typical still's rash. Skin biopsy revealed prurigo pigmentosa [PP]. To elucidate this unusual association, we searched the literature for the cutaneous manifestations of AOSD. Kahori T, et al had described PP like lesions in a patient with AOSD in addition to the typical still's rash and it is the only case report that exists in English literature. In our case, except for still's rash, all the criteria of AOSD were present, the diagnosis was made after excluding all other possible causes i.e. infectious diseases, other rheumatic diseases, vasculitis and malignant disease. The objective for reporting this case and review of literature is to shed more light on the rare dermatological disorder Prurigo Pigmentosa [PP] and its unusual association with Adult Onset Still's Disease [AOSD]. Clinicians and dermatologist must be aware of this unusual association of PP and AOSD as the diagnosis of AOSD can be made in the absence of the typical still's rash but in the presence of other atypical cutaneous manifestations including PP