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Abdalla Awidi

    Abdalla Awidi

    ABSTRACTMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are used as novel therapeutic tools in cell-based therapies including diabetic complications. However, diabetes may negatively affect the therapeutic potential of autologous MSCs. In order to enhance... more
    ABSTRACTMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are used as novel therapeutic tools in cell-based therapies including diabetic complications. However, diabetes may negatively affect the therapeutic potential of autologous MSCs. In order to enhance the utilization of diabetic MSCs, better characterization of their angiogenic capacity should be performed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the angiogenic potential of bone marrow derived MSCs. MSCs were isolated from DM subjects and were compared with MSCs isolated from non-DM subjects. The angiogenic potential of MSCs was assessed in which there was insignificant difference in the proliferation and expression of angiogenic factors between the two groups. Moreover, no statistically significant change was found in the viability and angiogenic activities of endothelial cells isolated from both groups. Results indicate that the hyperglycemic milieu had no significant impact on the angiogenic-related fun...
    Reticulocyte hemoglobin (CHr) is a measure of the amount of hemoglobin in reticulocytes and a marker of cell hemoglobinization. In this study, we aimed to find the optimal cut-off point for reticulocyte hemoglobin to diagnose iron... more
    Reticulocyte hemoglobin (CHr) is a measure of the amount of hemoglobin in reticulocytes and a marker of cell hemoglobinization. In this study, we aimed to find the optimal cut-off point for reticulocyte hemoglobin to diagnose iron deficiency anemia using multiple methods. A total of 309 patients were included. The median age at diagnosis was 54 years. Most were females (71.2%). 68% had iron deficiency anemia. Patients with IDA had significantly lower levels of CHr compared to those who had non-IDA (p < 0.0001). The optimal cut-off value of CHr for detecting IDA, determined using various methods, was 30.15 pg. This cut-off point had a sensitivity of 87.8% and a specificity of 77.7%. CHr showed a significant positive correlation with hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, serum iron, serum ferritin, and transferrin saturation and a significant negative correlation with total iron-binding capacity. CHr levels correlate with most established laboratory tests for IDA. It reliably detect...
    BACKGROUND Measurable residual disease (MRD) in plasma cell myeloma is one of the most important determinants for patients' outcome. Several laboratory tests exist to assess for the presence of MRD with variable accuracy. The aim of... more
    BACKGROUND Measurable residual disease (MRD) in plasma cell myeloma is one of the most important determinants for patients' outcome. Several laboratory tests exist to assess for the presence of MRD with variable accuracy. The aim of this study is to examine the sensitivity of immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE), serum free light chain (FLC), bone marrow immunohistochemistry (IHC), and multicolor flow cytometry (FC) and to address potential caveats of each test. METHODS Forty patients of plasma cell myeloma who were diagnosed with a positive MRD were retrospectively included in this study. The results of IFE and serum FLC at the time of bone marrow biopsy were collected. RESULTS In all cases, malignant plasma cells constituted less than 5% of bone marrow cells. MRD was detected by FC in 38 cases (95%) and by IHC in 28 cases (70%). In 2 cases, residual malignant plasma cells appeared in the subcortical area which is difficult to aspirate, and thus they were detected by IHC but not by FC. Among the entire cohort, 38 patients (95%) had positive IFE at the time of bone marrow biopsy, while serum FLC abnormality was detected in 19 patients (48%) only. CONCLUSIONS Both FC and IFE exhibited high sensitivity in detecting MRD in plasma cell myeloma with comparable results. IFE remains less invasive and less expensive than FC. Despite the lower sensitivity of bone marrow IHC staining, its diagnostic role is essential and can be superior to FC in a subset of cases, for which its routine examination is recommended. Serum FLC test provided the least sensitivity among all tests.
    Owing to specific and compelling gene silencing, RNA interference (RNAi) is expected to become an essential approach in treating a variety of infectious, hemato-oncological, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative conditions. The mechanism... more
    Owing to specific and compelling gene silencing, RNA interference (RNAi) is expected to become an essential approach in treating a variety of infectious, hemato-oncological, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative conditions. The mechanism of action of small interfering RNA (siRNA) is based on post-transcriptional gene silencing. siRNA molecules are usually specific and efficient in the knockdown of disease-related genes. However, they are characterized by low cellular uptake and are susceptible to nuclease-mediated degradation. Therefore, siRNAs require a carrier for their protection and efficient delivery into target cells. The current review highlights the siRNA-based mechanism of action, challanges, and recent advances in clinical applications.
    A new combination strategy of an active loading and active targeting approach was applied in this work.
    Cisplatin and carboplatin are integral parts of many antineoplastic management regimens. Both platinum analogues are potent DNA alkylating agents that robustly induce genomic instability and promote apoptosis in tumor cells. Although the... more
    Cisplatin and carboplatin are integral parts of many antineoplastic management regimens. Both platinum analogues are potent DNA alkylating agents that robustly induce genomic instability and promote apoptosis in tumor cells. Although the mechanism of action of both drugs is similar, cisplatin appears to be more cytotoxic. In this study, the genotoxic potential of cisplatin and carboplatin was compared using chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) assays in cultured human lymphocytes. Results showed that cisplatin and carboplatin induced a significant increase in CAs and SCEs compared to the control group (p<0.01). Levels of induced CAs were similar in both drugs; however, the magnitude of SCEs induced by cisplatin was significantly higher than that induced by carboplatin (p<0.01). With respect to the mitotic and proliferative indices, both cisplatin and carboplatin significantly decreased mitotic index (p<0.01) without affecting the proliferative i...
    SummaryThe results of a three year prospective study of inherited bleeding syndromes in Jordan is presented. There were 112 patients from 64 families. Of these there were 42 patients with hemophilia A, 23 with Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia,... more
    SummaryThe results of a three year prospective study of inherited bleeding syndromes in Jordan is presented. There were 112 patients from 64 families. Of these there were 42 patients with hemophilia A, 23 with Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia, 22 with von Willebrand’s disease, 11 with Christmas disease, 6 with hypofibrinogenemia, 3 with afibrinogenemia, 2 with factor XIII deficiency, 2 with storage pool disease and 1 with factor XI deficiency. The pattern of inherited bleeding syndromes in Jordan is different from that seen in Europe and U.S.A. in that Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia is very common. High proportion of hemophiliacs were severe. Arthropathy was common. A significant number of bleeders had fatal hemorrhage. In a high proportion of patients, no family history of bleeding was found.
    The patterns of smoking in Jordan were determined in a sample of 3489 subjects representing various strata of society. The sample included 2103 students and 1386 nonstudents. In the nonstudent population, 58.5% of the male and 27.4% of... more
    The patterns of smoking in Jordan were determined in a sample of 3489 subjects representing various strata of society. The sample included 2103 students and 1386 nonstudents. In the nonstudent population, 58.5% of the male and 27.4% of the female subjects were smokers; overall, 96% smoked manufactures cigarettes. Males smoked an average of 25 cigarettes per day, and females an average of 16 cigarettes per day. Males had smoked for an average of 16 years and females an average of 13.4 years. Smoking was highest among skilled and non-skilled workers and illiterate persons. Among students, smoking was higher in males at the university (52.9%) and college (54.3%) level; 16.7% of high school males smoked. In female students at the university or college level, 20.3% and 9.1% smoked, respectively. In female of high school females smoked. Manufactured cigarettes were used by 99.3% of the students. Male students smoked a mean of 15.5 cigarettes per day for an average of 6.4 years. Female students smoked a mean of 9.6 cigarettes per day for an average of 6.2 years. Based on our findings, it is apparent that a rigorous antismoking campaign is needed.
    Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is an autosomal recessive storage disorder that result as a consequence of a deficiency in the lysosomal hydrolase, a-L-iduronidase enzyme encoded by IDUA gene. Over a hundred causative variants in... more
    Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is an autosomal recessive storage disorder that result as a consequence of a deficiency in the lysosomal hydrolase, a-L-iduronidase enzyme encoded by IDUA gene. Over a hundred causative variants in IDUA have been identified, which result in a progressive multi-systemic disease with a broad range of severity and disease progression reported across affected individuals. The aim of this study was the detection and interpretation of IDUA mutation in a family with two children affected with lethal MPS I. The IDUA gene was sequenced in the parents of two deceased children who had a clinical diagnosis of MPS I, to assess their carrier status and to help inform on risk in future children. The sequencing analysis was performed by PCR and bidirectional Sanger sequencing of the coding region and exon-intron splice junctions at Labor MVZ Westmecklenburg molecular diagnostics laboratory. A heterozygous c.657delA variant in exon 6 was identified in each parent...
    A 22 year old male who bled profusely at operation for excision of an extensive scalp and facial neurofibromata is reported. He was found to have congenital hypofibrinogenaemia. It is suggested that hypofibrinogenaemia should be... more
    A 22 year old male who bled profusely at operation for excision of an extensive scalp and facial neurofibromata is reported. He was found to have congenital hypofibrinogenaemia. It is suggested that hypofibrinogenaemia should be considered as a cause of excessive bleeding in cases of Von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis.
    Serum ferritin levels, RBC count, Hb, PCV% and MCV were measured in high school students living at Dead Sea (390 m below sea level) and Amman (766 m above sea level). A total of 96 male and 95 female healthy volunteers of age range 17-19... more
    Serum ferritin levels, RBC count, Hb, PCV% and MCV were measured in high school students living at Dead Sea (390 m below sea level) and Amman (766 m above sea level). A total of 96 male and 95 female healthy volunteers of age range 17-19 years, having almost identical economic and nutritional status were studied. It was found that serum ferritin levels of males and the levels of the females at Dead Sea and Amman were identical. However, the ferritin levels of males were much higher than those of females in both places. It was also found that the MCV levels in both the sexes were almost same in Dead Sea and Amman. The RBC counts, Hb concentration, and PVC% were significantly lower (p greater than 0.05) in both sexes at Dead Sea level than at Amman, as found in our previous study.
    12 Jordanian patients from 9 families with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia are described. All of them are products of consanguinous marriages. All cases are children with varying severity of mucosal bleeding. The clinical and laboratory... more
    12 Jordanian patients from 9 families with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia are described. All of them are products of consanguinous marriages. All cases are children with varying severity of mucosal bleeding. The clinical and laboratory findings are described. The importance of consanguinity is discussed and emphasized. Glanzmann's thrombasthenia is the second most common inherited haemorrhagic disorder in Jordan.
    Excerpt To the editor: Since vinca alkaloids were introduced for clinical use, several side effects associated with vincristine therapy have been reported; neurotoxicity is the most frequent of the...
    ... Efferth e , Abdalla Awidi b Departments of a Biochemistry and Physiology, and b Medicine, University of Jordan School of Medicine, Amman, Jordan; c ... A– (376 A → G + 202 G → A) with a frequency of 8–22% among the groups studied in... more
    ... Efferth e , Abdalla Awidi b Departments of a Biochemistry and Physiology, and b Medicine, University of Jordan School of Medicine, Amman, Jordan; c ... A– (376 A → G + 202 G → A) with a frequency of 8–22% among the groups studied in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the ...
    This work reports on rare inherited coagulation factors defects which were seen in a developing country over a 9-year period. There were a total of 30 cases which fulfilled this diagnosis. Fibrinogen abnormalities were the most frequently... more
    This work reports on rare inherited coagulation factors defects which were seen in a developing country over a 9-year period. There were a total of 30 cases which fulfilled this diagnosis. Fibrinogen abnormalities were the most frequently encountered. There were 10 patients with afibrinogenemia, 2 with hypofibrinogenemia and 1 case with dysfibrinogenemia. Factor XI deficiency was found in 7 patients, factor V and VII deficiencies accounted for 3 cases each. Factor X and XIII deficiencies were found in 2 patients each. All these rare deficiencies accounted for 10% of all inherited bleeding disorders in the population studied over 9 years.
    Background. Pulp tissue affected by deep caries and trauma can be protected by vital pulp therapies in which pulp regeneration success depends on the degree of pulp inflammation and the presence of regenerative signals. Reparative... more
    Background. Pulp tissue affected by deep caries and trauma can be protected by vital pulp therapies in which pulp regeneration success depends on the degree of pulp inflammation and the presence of regenerative signals. Reparative dentinogenesis requires dental pulp stem cell (DPSC) activity which can be stimulated by many bioactive molecules to repair the dentine, mediating a balance between the inflammatory response and the reparative events. Therefore, this study was performed in order to investigate the immune-inflammatory effect of Biodentine capping material on DPSCs and macrophages. Method. THP-1, a human monocytic cell line, was differentiated to macrophages, and flow cytometry was used to analyze the expressions of specific macrophage markers. LPS-mediated infection was created for macrophages and DPSCs followed by treatment with Biodentine. CBA array was used to investigate the cytokine secretion followed by qPCR. Migration potential of treated DPSCs was also determined. R...
    Purpose The aim of this study is to identify disease-causing variants in five consanguineous Jordanian families with a history of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and to investigate the clinical variability across the... more
    Purpose The aim of this study is to identify disease-causing variants in five consanguineous Jordanian families with a history of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and to investigate the clinical variability across the affected individuals. Methods Exome sequencing (ES) and ophthalmic examinations were performed to classify the underlying RP-causative variants and their pathogenic consequences. The candidate variants in the affected and unaffected family members underwent segregation analyses with Sanger sequencing. Results We described four variants in the RP1 and RLBP1 genes as disease-causing across the five families, including novel (c.398delC; p.Pro133GlnfsTer126) and recurrent (c.79delA; p.Thr27ProfsTer26) variants in RLBP1 and two previously reported variants in RP1 ((c.1126C>T; p.Arg376Ter) and (c.607G>A; p.Gly203Arg)). The consequent clinical manifestations were thoroughly investigated using a battery of ophthalmic tests, including electroretinography (ER...
    Background: Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is a crucial enzyme in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a drug that is frequently used in cancer therapy. Patients with deficient DPD activity are at risk of developing severe... more
    Background: Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is a crucial enzyme in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a drug that is frequently used in cancer therapy. Patients with deficient DPD activity are at risk of developing severe 5-FU–associated toxicity. One possible cause of deficiency is genetic polymorphisms in the DPD gene, such as IVS14+1G>A. Aim: The present study was conducted to screen for the IVS14+1G>A polymorphism in cancer patients receiving 5-FU and a control group. Methods: A total of 40 cancer patients (30 colorectal cancer (CRC) and 10 breast cancer patients) were enrolled in this study. One hundred healthy controls were also tested using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). DNA sequence analysis was carried out to confirm the presence of the IVSI14+1G>A polymorphism. Results: Only one CRC patient showed heterozygous IVS14+1G>A polymorphism in the DPD gene. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated a...
    Background Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with a broad spectrum of motor and nonmotor symptoms. Any proposed cure needs to address the many aspects of the disease. Stem cell therapy may have potential in... more
    Background Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with a broad spectrum of motor and nonmotor symptoms. Any proposed cure needs to address the many aspects of the disease. Stem cell therapy may have potential in this regard as indicated in recent preclinical and clinical studies. Objective This protocol aims to examine the safety and therapeutic benefit of human Wharton jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MScs) and their derivatives, neuronal stem cells (NSCs) in PD. Methods This clinical trial is a double-arm, single-blinded, phase I-II interventional study. Participants have been allocated to 1 of 2 groups: one receiving allogeneic WJ-MSCs alone, the other receiving NSCs and WJ-MScs. Participants are being followed-up and assessed over a period of 6 months. To assess safety, an incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) tool tailored for PD is being used immediately and up to 6 months after treatment. For efficacy assessment, a number of...
    Background and Objectives: Stem cell therapy is a novel treatment with regenerative ability that can treat erectile dysfunction (ED). This phase 1/2 clinical trial (NCT02945449) using 2 consecutive intracavernous (IC) injections of... more
    Background and Objectives: Stem cell therapy is a novel treatment with regenerative ability that can treat erectile dysfunction (ED). This phase 1/2 clinical trial (NCT02945449) using 2 consecutive intracavernous (IC) injections of allogeneic Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) was studied for the first time in the treatment of diabetic patients with ED. The primary outcome was to assess the safety and tolerability, and the secondary outcome was to assess the efficacy of 2 consecutive IC injections of allogeneic WJ-MSCs in diabetic ED. Patients and Methods: Twenty-two diabetic patients with refractory ED were included. Two consecutive IC injections of allogeneic WJ-MSCs were performed. Tolerability was assessed immediately, and at 24 h, safety was evaluated for 12 months. Efficacy was assessed using International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), Erection Hardness Score (EHS), and Color Duplex Doppler Ultrasound for 12 months. Results: The procedure was wel...
    The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for various malignancies is currently under investigation due to their unique properties. However, many discrepancies regarding their anti-tumoral or pro-tumoral properties have... more
    The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for various malignancies is currently under investigation due to their unique properties. However, many discrepancies regarding their anti-tumoral or pro-tumoral properties have raised uncertainty about their application for anti-cancer therapies. To investigate, if the anti-tumoral or pro-tumoral properties are subjective to the type of MSCs under different experimental conditions we set out these experiments. Three treatments namely cell lysates (CL), serum-free conditioned media and FBS conditioned media (FBSCM) from each of Wharton’s Jelly MSCs and Bone Marrow-MSCs were applied to evaluate the anti-tumoral or pro-tumoral effect on the glioma cells (U87MG). The functional analysis included; Morphological evaluation, proliferation and migration potential, cell cycle analysis, and apoptosis for glioma cells. The fibroblast cell line was added to investigate the stimulatory or inhibitory effect of treatments on the prolifera...
    The clinical use of bioactive material in the field of biomedical tissue engineering has become increasingly of interest in practice. This study investigates how BiodentineTM (BD), a tricalcium silicate cement, in culture media, affects... more
    The clinical use of bioactive material in the field of biomedical tissue engineering has become increasingly of interest in practice. This study investigates how BiodentineTM (BD), a tricalcium silicate cement, in culture media, affects the odonto/osteogenic differentiation potential of in vitro cultured human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). hDPSCs were extracted and characterized for their expression profile by flow cytometry. Then, hDPSCs were cultured in media containing BD for 3 weeks to study the impact of BD on the odonto/osteogenesis pathway, compared to the positive control (osteogenic media) and negative control (cell culture media). Odonto/osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs treated with BD was assessed by measuring the level of expression of odonto/osteogenic markers by flow cytometry, ELISA and Alizarin red stain. Additionally, the expression profile of the genes involved in the odonto/osteogenesis pathway was investigated, using PCR array. Our results indicate that hD...
    The stemness in keratinocyte stem cells (KSCs) is determined by their gene expression patterns. KSCs are crucial in maintaining epidermal homeostasis and wound repair and are widely used candidates for therapeutic applications. Although... more
    The stemness in keratinocyte stem cells (KSCs) is determined by their gene expression patterns. KSCs are crucial in maintaining epidermal homeostasis and wound repair and are widely used candidates for therapeutic applications. Although several studies have reported their positive identifiers, unique biomarkers for KSCs remain elusive. Here, we aim to identify potential candidate stem cell markers. Human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs) from neonatal foreskin tissues were isolated and cultured. Single-cell clonal analysis identified and characterized three types of cells: KSCs (holoclones), transient amplifying cells (TACs; meroclones), and differentiated cells (DSCs; paraclones). The clonogenic potential of KSCs demonstrated the highest proliferation potential of KSCs, followed by TACs and DSCs, respectively. Whole-transcriptome analysis using microarray technology unraveled the molecular signatures of these cells. These results were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase cha...
    Familial breast cancer is estimated to account for 15–20% of all cases of breast cancer. Surveillance for familial breast cancer is well-established world-wide. However, this service does not exist in Jordan, due to the scarcity of... more
    Familial breast cancer is estimated to account for 15–20% of all cases of breast cancer. Surveillance for familial breast cancer is well-established world-wide. However, this service does not exist in Jordan, due to the scarcity of information with regard to the genetic profiling of these patients, and therefore lack of recommendations for policy-makers. As such, patients with very strong family history of breast or ovarian cancers are not screened routinely; leading to preventable delay in diagnosis. Whole coding sequencing for BCRA1/BCRA2 using next-generation sequencing (NGS)/Ion PGM System was performed. Sanger sequencing were then used to confirm the pathogenic variants detected by NGS. In this study, 192 breast cancer patients (and 8 ovarian cancer cases) were included. The prevalence of recurrent pathogenic mutations was 14.5%, while the prevalence of newly detected mutations was 3.5%. Two novel pathogenic mutations were identified in BRCA2 genes. The common mutations in the ...
    Background. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) use their stemness properties such as self renewal, toxicity, plasticity, and communication with the tumor microenvironment (TME) to perpetuate their lineage and survive chemotherapy. Learning how to... more
    Background. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) use their stemness properties such as self renewal, toxicity, plasticity, and communication with the tumor microenvironment (TME) to perpetuate their lineage and survive chemotherapy. Learning how to interrupt the self renewal ability or modulate the interaction of CSCs with the TME signaling will dramatically improve therapeutic impact on patient’s remission. Anti-tumor properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are currently under investigations and different approaches have been applied to gain beneficial effects However, different types of MSCs yielded different conflicting results. In order to investigate if different types of MSCs preconditioned in the same culture conditions can exert alike anti oncogenic effect on glioma stem cells, we planned this study. Methods. GSCs were isolated from U87 cell line by FACS cell sorter, characterized and established as gliospheres. Condition media from MSCs of Wharton Jelly (WJ-MSCs) and bone marrow (B...
    BackgroundInherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are characterized by extreme genetic and clinical heterogeneity. There are many genes that are known to cause IRD which makes the identification of the underlying genetic causes quite... more
    BackgroundInherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are characterized by extreme genetic and clinical heterogeneity. There are many genes that are known to cause IRD which makes the identification of the underlying genetic causes quite challenging. And in view of the emergence of therapeutic options, it is essential to combine molecular and clinical data to correctly diagnose IRD patients. In this study, we aimed to identify the disease‐causing variants (DCVs) in four consanguineous Jordanian families with IRDs and describe genotype–phenotype correlations.MethodsExome sequencing (ES) was employed on the proband patients of each family, followed by segregation analysis of candidate variants in affected and unaffected family members by Sanger sequencing. Simulation analysis was done on one novel CLRN1 variant to characterize its effect on mRNA processing. Clinical evaluation included history, slit‐lamp biomicroscopy, and indirect ophthalmoscopy.ResultsWe identified two novel variants in CL...
    The current study provides a novel remote loading approach utilizing chemically modified cyclodextrins to incorporate hydrophobic drugs into liposomes.
    This open-label prospective phase I/IIa clinical study used autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) followed by mesenchymal stromal cells conditioned media (MSC-CM) for the first time to treat multiple sclerosis... more
    This open-label prospective phase I/IIa clinical study used autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) followed by mesenchymal stromal cells conditioned media (MSC-CM) for the first time to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The primary goal was to assess the safety and feasibility and the secondary was efficacy. The correlation between the MSC-CM content and treatment outcome was investigated. Ten MS patients who failed conventional therapy were enrolled. Adverse events were recorded to assess safety. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was the primary efficacy measurement, the secondary included clinical (25WFT, 9-PHT), cognitive (MMS), ophthalmology (OCT, VEP), and radiological (MRI lesion and volume) tests. The MSCs-CM concentration of 27 inflammatory biomarkers was investigated. The treatment protocol was well tolerated by patients. There was an overall trend of improvement in all the tests, except the lesion volume which increased significa...
    Biodentine™ is a tricalcium silicate-based cement material that has a great impact on different biological processes of dental stem cells, compared to other biomaterials. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the optimum biocompatible... more
    Biodentine™ is a tricalcium silicate-based cement material that has a great impact on different biological processes of dental stem cells, compared to other biomaterials. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the optimum biocompatible concentration of Biodentine™ with stem cells derived from periodontal ligament (hPDLSCs) by determining cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, migration, adhesion and mineralization potential. hPDLSCs were treated with Biodentine™ extract at different concentrations; 20, 2, 0.2 and 0.02 mg/mL. Cells cultured without Biodentine™ were used as a blank control. The proliferation potential of hPDLSCs was evaluated by MTT viability analysis for 6 days. Cytotoxicity assay was performed after 3 days by using AnnexinV/7AAD. Migration potential was investigated by wound healing and transwell migration assays at both cellular and molecular levels. The expression levels of chemokines CXCR4, MCP-1 and adhesion molecules FGF-2, FN, VCAM and ICAM-1 were measured by qPCR. The...
    Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated from skin fibroblasts collected from a 39-year-old multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MLS) female patient carrying a point mutation in MFN2 gene (c.2119C > T). The resulting iPSCs... more
    Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated from skin fibroblasts collected from a 39-year-old multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MLS) female patient carrying a point mutation in MFN2 gene (c.2119C > T). The resulting iPSCs showed typical embryonic-like morphology, expressed pluripotency stem cell markers, retained the normal karyotype after reprogramming and showed the potential to differentiate into three germ layers. This iPSC line can be used for studying MSL disease mechanisms.
    We report an inbred family with two cases of homozygous protein C deficiency and review 11 other such cases. Both patients presented in the second half of their first year of life with recurrent rapidly disappearing ecchymotic skin... more
    We report an inbred family with two cases of homozygous protein C deficiency and review 11 other such cases. Both patients presented in the second half of their first year of life with recurrent rapidly disappearing ecchymotic skin lesions, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and venous thrombosis. Successful treatment has been achieved by frequent infusions of plasma or prothrombin complex then maintained with Warfarin. Homozygous recessive protein C deficiency usually presents in the neonatal period with purpura fulminans. Two cases have been described elsewhere which presented in the second decade of life with milder symptoms. The present cases appear to be intermediate in time of presentation and severity of symptoms. We also review the distinction that is now evident between recessive and dominant protein C deficiency.

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