ABSTRACT
End-stage heart failure is a global scourge. Current therapies merely delay its inexorable progression. Heart transplantation is resource-intensive and limited by organ availability. Bone marrow-derived and cardiac-specific stem cells have demonstrated potential for cardiac regeneration and repair, but the magnitude and durability of these promising findings are inconsistent. The purpose of this review is to (1) describe cells currently being investigated, (2) outline the status of current trials, and (3) discuss key objectives of future research.
Subject(s)
Adult Stem Cells/transplantation , Heart Failure/etiology , Heart Failure/surgery , Heart Transplantation , Stem Cell Transplantation , Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary , Animals , Bone Marrow Transplantation , Clinical Trials as Topic , Coronary Artery Bypass , Heart Failure/physiopathology , Heart Transplantation/history , Heart Transplantation/trends , History, 20th Century , Humans , Myocardial Infarction/complications , Myocardial Infarction/physiopathology , Myocardium/pathology , Regeneration , Stroke Volume , Translational Research, Biomedical/trends , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a candidate gene, Sciellin (SCEL), mapping to the chromosome 13q21-q31 is mutated in esophageal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The coding region and intron-exon junctions of SCEL were sequenced in 13 esophageal squamous cell cancers and matching normal esophageal samples to detect mutations. RESULTS: Three single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected in SCEL of which two were silent mutations (L640L and H654H) and one missense mutation (R366K). CONCLUSION: Single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected in both matching tumor and normal esophageal tissues but no disease-associated mutations suggesting that SCEL is not a major factor in esophageal squamous cell carcinogenesis.
