Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cell Therapy: Safety and Feasibility in Different "Hospital Exemption" Clinical Applications

Based on immunomodulatory, osteogenic, and pro-angiogenic properties of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), this study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of ASC-derived cell therapies for clinical indications. Two autologous ASC-derived products were proposed to 17 patients who had not experienced any success with conventional therapies: (1) a scaffold-free osteogenic three-dimensional graft for the treatment of bone non-union and (2) a biological dressing for dermal reconstruction of non-healing chronic wounds. Safety was studied using the quality control of the final product (genetic stability, microbiological/mycoplasma/endotoxin contamination) and the in vivo evaluation of adverse events after transplantation. Feasibility was assessed by the ability to reproducibly obtain the final ASC-based product with specific characteristics, the time necessary for graft manufacturing, the capacity to produce enough material to treat the lesion, the surgical handling of the graft, and the ability to manufacture the graft in line with hospital exemption regulations. For 16 patients (one patient did not undergo grafting because of spontaneous bone healing), in-process controls found no microbiological/mycoplasma/endotoxin contamination, no obvious deleterious genomic anomalies, and optimal ASC purity. Each type of graft was reproducibly obtained without significant delay for implantation and surgical handling was always according to the surgical procedure and the implantation site. No serious adverse events were noted for up to 54 months. We demonstrated that autologous ASC transplantation can be considered a safe and feasible therapy tool for extreme clinical indications of ASC properties and physiopathology of disease.     

Multiple Amphiphysin II Splice Variants Display Differential Clathrin Binding: Identification of Two Distinct Clathrin-Binding Sites

Abstract: Amphiphysin I and II are nerve terminal-enriched proteins that display src homology 3 domain-mediated interactions with dynamin and synaptojanin. It has been demonstrated that the amphiphysins also bind to clathrin, and we have proposed that this interaction may help to target synaptojanin and dynamin to sites of synaptic vesicle endocytosis. To understand better this potential functional role, we have begun to characterize clathrin-amphiphysin interactions. Using PCR from adult human cortex cDNA, we have cloned a number of amphiphysin II splice variants. In in vitro binding assays, the amphiphysin II splice variants display differential clathrin binding and define a 44-amino acid region mediating the interaction. Amphiphysin II truncation and deletion mutants identify two distinct clathrin-binding domains within this region: one with the sequence LLDLDFDP, the second with the sequence PWDLW. Both domains are conserved in amphiphysin I, and saturation binding analysis demonstrates that both sites bind clathrin with approximately equal affinity. The elucidation of clathrin as a splice-specific binding partner for amphiphysin II begins to address the potential functional role(s) for the multiple amphiphysin II splice variants and further supports an important function for clathrin-amphiphysin interactions in protein targeting during endocytosis.     

Views,landmarks, and routes: how do desert ants negotiate an obstacle course?

The Australian desert ant Melophorus bagoti often follows stereotypical routes through a cluttered landscape containing both distant panoramic views and obstacles (plants) to navigate around. We created an artificial obstacle course for the ants between a feeder and their nest. Landmarks comprised natural objects in the landscape such as logs, branches, and tussocks. Many ants travelled stereotypical routes home through the obstacle course in training, threading repeatedly the same gaps in the landmarks. Manipulations altering the relations between the landmarks and the surrounding panorama, however, affected the routes in two major ways. Both interchanging the positions of landmarks (transpositions) and displacing the entire landmark set along with the starting position of the ants (translations) (1) reduced the stereotypicality of the route, and (2) increased turns and meanders during travel. The ants might have used the entire panorama in view-based travel, or the distal panorama might prime the identification and use of landmarks en route. Despite the large data set, both options (not mutually exclusive) remain viable.     

Gas chromatographic determination of low concentrations of benzoic acid in human plasma and urine

A method for the determination of benzoic acid down to concentrations of 10 ng/ml in plasma or urine is described. After addition of an internal standard, benzoic acid is extracted at acid pH into diethyl ether. Both compounds are derivatized with pentafluorobenzyl bromide. The derivatives are determined by gas chromatography using a ⁴³Ni electron-capture detector. Hippuric acid is hydrolysed in plasma and urine and total benzoic acid is determined by the same technique.     

The release of prostaglandins in human aqueous humour following intraocular surgery. Effect of indomethacin

Inflammatory reaction to ocular trauma is known to be related to prostaglandins. To further evaluate this phenomenon in human, PGE₁ and E₂ were measured by R.I.A. after silicic acid chromatography in aqueous humour of 26 patients before and 3 days after surgery for unilateral senile cataract (posterior chamber implant after extracapsular surgery). 13 out of these patients were treated with indomethacin by enteral route and 13 were not treated.PGE₂ levels increased in all non-treated patients from : m < 214 pg/ml before surgery, to 2666 ± 869 pg/ml (range : 257 - 8728) p < 0.001 after surgery. PGE₂ levels did not increase in indomethacin-treated patients. PGE₁ levels did not increase significantly in non-treated as in treated patients.1) Intra-ocular surgery is followed in human by a constant increase of the only PGE₂ in the aqueous humour. 2) Indomethacin inhibits this increase. 3) The post-surgical increase in the permeability of blood-aqueous barrier appears to be related to a release of PGE₂.     

Clinical Problems: Progressive Neurological Deficits in Primary Polycythaemia

Patients with primary polycythaemia may present clinical features which lead to an erroneous diagnosis of intracerebral neoplasm. Three such cases are described in detail in this report.     

Diagnostic d'une anéjaculation

Anejaculation corresponds to absence of ejaculation during orgasm. Most men with anejaculation are aware of their abnormality, but some poorly educated subjects consult for infertility and anejaculation is only suspected on the sperm count. The patient must therefore be questioned about his capacity to ejaculate, for example while sleeping, by masturbation or, less frequently, according to various coital positions. There are various types of anejaculation. Clinical interview is certainly the most important phase of the diagnostic work-up, which is based on analysis of sexual signs and orgasm. It is essential to define the primary or secondary nature of the disorder. After confirming the diagnosis of anejaculation and distinguishing it from retrograde ejaculation and asthenic ejaculation, orgasm without ejaculation and without normal ejaculation outside of coitus must be distinguished from anejaculation without orgasm but with normal ejaculation outside of coitus. The causes of anejaculation may be organic and psychological. The main psychological factors likely to play a role in anejaculation without orgasm can be classified into six categories. However, the presence of one of these factors in a patient with anejaculation does not necessarily imply that it is the cause of the sexual dysfunction; the diagnosis of psychogenic anejaculation is a diagnosis of exclusion after all possible organic causes have been eliminated.     

Changes in biochemical composition of vacuoles isolated from Acer pseudoplatanus L. during cell culture

Vacuoles were isolated from Acer pseudoplatanus cell suspension culture using a one-step procedure involving the lysis of the protoplast plasmalemma through a gradient of Ficoll containing DEAE-Dextran. The vacuole suspensions were slightly contaminated by other organelles (less than 5%) and the isolated vacuoles readily accumulated neutral red. Since α-mannosidase was located exclusively in the vacuoles it was used as a convenient marker. It was shown that the number of vacuoles per protoplast decreased as the cell aged. Studies on the biochemical composition of the isolated vacuoles indicated that amino acids, organic acids and protein contents varied with the cell culture cycle, emphasizing the dynamic status of the vacuolar system in cell suspension cultures of Acer pseudoplatanus.