Intracutaneously injected human adipose tissue-derived stem cells in a mouse model stay at the site of injection.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the local behavior of intracutaneously injected human mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue and to determine the safety of a cell-based cutaneous therapy in an animal model.Human mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue were labeled with red fluorochrome and were injected intradermally in the paravertebral area in immunodeficient BalbC/nude mice (n = 21). As a control, cell culturemedium was injected in the same fashion on the contralateral paravertebral side. Four weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after the injection, seven mice were examined. In addition to the injected areas, the lungs, kidneys,spleens, and brains were excised and processed for histological evaluation. Serial sections of all the tissues excised were evaluated for adipose tissue-derived stem cells by means of emerging red fluorescent signals.The injected stem cells could be detected throughout the follow-up period of 1-year at the injection site within the dermal and subcutaneous layers. Bar these areas, adipose tissue-derived stem cells were not found in any otherexamined tissue at any point in time. The adipose tissue-derived stem cells showed a slow transition to deeper subcutaneous adipose tissue layers and, in part, a differentiation into adipocytes. No ulceration, inflammation, ortumor induction could be detected.The present study shows that intracutaneously injected human mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue stay at the site of injection, survive in vivo for up to 1-year, and partly differentiate into adipocytes. This is a new andvery important finding needed to safely apply therapies based on such stem cells in fat transplants in regenerative medicine.

The role of intracardiac echocardiography in interventional electrophysiology.

Visualization of the cardiac anatomy becomes more and more important as the complexity of interventions increases. Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) provides good depiction of cardiac soft tissue structures and has become an important tool in today's cardiology. It has been shown to be valuable during many ablation procedures for supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias. ICE has been used for monitoring catheter placement, observing catheter-tissue contact and lesion formation as well as titrating ablation energy. The rate of complications could be reduced, outcome of procedures improved and radiation exposure decreased. Even more, new therapy strategies have been evaluated based on ICE and it has also been used in the setting of three- dimensional imaging and image integration.

Cogan's syndrome: organ-specific autoimmune disease or systemic vasculitis? A report of two cases and review of the literature.

Cogan's syndrome is a rare disorder of unknown origin characterized by inflammatory eye disease and vestibuloauditory symptoms. Typically, young adults suffer from interstitial keratitis and sudden onset of tinnitus and hearing loss. Few cases (around 150) have been published and thus it is difficult to determine the percentage of patients with underlying systemic disorders such as systemic vasculitis. The variety of systemic manifestations is large and includes fever, splenomegaly, lymphadenopath, and musculoskeletal complaints. Systemic vasculitis can be seen in around 10% of cases and may involve the large vessels, appearing as Takayasu-like vasculitis with affection of the aortic valve but also the coronary arteries and the small kidney vasculature. Evaluating the exact extension of the systemic features determines the choice of treatment. While corticosteroids have proved to be of short-term benefit, long-term treatment with immunosuppressive drugs is controversial. Auditory function in deaf patients has often been restored successfully with cochlear implants. To illustrate the nature of the syndrome, we present two patients with a wide clinical spectrum of symptoms from local disease restricted to the eyes and ears to a widespread vasculitis affecting arteries of the brain, kidney and the upper and lower extremities. We then review the typical aspects as well as the etiology of the disease.