Potential of placental-derived human mesenchymal stem cells for osteogenesis and neurogenesis.

INTRODUCTION: Placenta can become an attractive source of stem cells due to its known richness in cell number and accessible, non-invasive procedures to harvest them. The purpose of this study focuses on the pluripotecy of placental-derived mesenchymal stem cells through differentiation towards osteogenic and neurogenic lineages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The biological material was represented by populations of human mesenchymal stem cells isolated from chorionic villi (h-CMSCs) and amniotic membranes (h-AMSCs) of full-term placenta. The potential of h-CMSCs and h-AMSCs was assessed trough growth kinetics, differentiation towards osteogenic and neurogenic lineages and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Human chorionic and amniotic mesenchymal stem cells are CD44+ (adult mesenchymal stem cell marker), CD45-, CD34- (adult hematopoietic stem cell markers) and display specific osteogenic and neurogenic morphology. The immunohistochemistry assays show the presence of Osteopontin+ and Osteonectin+ cells (osteogenic differentiation) as well as Synaptophysin+, GFAP+ and S100+ cells (confirming the glial differentiation) and NSE+ cells, indicators of neuronal differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: Placental-derived mesenchymal stem cells show remarkable differentiation potential under appropriate culture conditions. The expressions of osteogenic and neurogenic markers support the conclusion that placenta is an excellent mesenchymal stem cell source for osteogenesis as well as neurogenesis. Future research in this area will identify the best clinical applications for this new source of stem cells.

Evaluation of serum ß-hCG and PAPP-A levels in pregnant women at risk of developing preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Preeclampsia remains a major problem of modern obstetrics with insufficiently elucidated etiology; early detection would diminish maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the serum values of ß-hCG in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and PAPP-A values in the first trimester of pregnancy in pregnant women with risk factors for preeclampsia, in order to evaluate their relevance in the prediction of this disorder. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a prospective longitudinal study on 120 pregnant women divided into two groups according to the evolution of pregnancy: group I - 26 pregnant women who developed preeclampsia and group II - 94 pregnant women who did not develop preeclampsia and had a physiological evolution of pregnancy. RESULTS: Our results indicate the association between high ß-hCG levels in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and the development of PE, ß-hCG having the highest predictive power in the second trimester. We also obtained a positive association between low serum levels in PAPP-A in the first trimester and onset of PE. The predictive power of conjugated ß-hCG and PAPP-A values in the first trimester of pregnancy was better that any other marker analyzed separately. CONCLUSIONS: Increased ß-hCG levels in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and low PAPP-A levels in the second trimester of pregnancy are associated with a higher risk for PE, the study providing only a modest efficiency of the prediction capacity.