1,721,255 research outputs found
Immunological and regenerative properties of cord blood stem cells
No full textCord blood stem cells (CB-SCs) have shown impressive immunological and regenerative capabilities. In this review, we intend to review the state-of-the-art knowledge on CB-SCs characteristics and function as well as immunological and regenerative properties. We report an itemized classification of CB-SCs populations, which is important to better understand which tissues can be replaced using CB-SCs and how the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from CB-SCs is changing the field. Furthermore, we will discuss new findings on the immunosuppressive capability of CB-SCs in autoimmune disease (e.g., type 1 diabetes). Our review will demonstrate how CB-SCs could become a powerful tool not only for regenerative medicine but for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases as well
Type 1 Diabetes and Dysfunctional Intestinal Homeostasis
No full textDespite the relatively high frequency of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D), termed diabetic enteropathy (DE), the pathogenic mechanisms of these disorders remain to be elucidated. While previous studies have assumed that DE is a manifestation of diabetic autonomic neuropathy, other contributing factors such as enteric hormones, inflammation, and microbiota were later recognized. More recently, the emerging role of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) in several GI diseases has led to a new understanding of DE. Given the absence of diagnostic methods and the lack of broadly efficacious therapeutic remedies in DE, targeting factors and pathways that control ISC homeostasis and are dysfunctional in DE may represent a new path for the detection and cure of DE
Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplant for Treatment of Diabetes
No full textIslet cell transplantation recently has emerged as one the most promising therapeutic approaches to improving glycometabolic control in type 1 diabetic patients, and, in many cases, to obtaining insulin independence. Islet cell transplantation requires a relatively short hospital stay and has the advantage of being a relatively noninvasive procedure. The rate of insulin independence 1 year after islet cell transplantation has improved significantly in recent years (60% at 1 year after transplantation compared to the 15% in the past years). Data from a recent international trial confirmed that islet cell transplantation potentially can be a cure for type 1 diabetes. Recent data indicate that insulin independence after islet cell transplantation is associated with an improvement in glucose metabolism and quality of life and with a reduction in hypoglycemic episodes. Islet cell transplantation is still in its initial stages, and many obstacles still need to be overcome. Once clinical islet transplantation has been established, this treatment could be offered to diabetic patients long before the onset of diabetic complications or to patients with life-threatening hypoglycemic unawareness and brittle diabetes
B cell-targeted therapies in autoimmunity: rationale and progress
Full text linkB cells are recognized as main actors in the autoimmune process. Autoreactive B cells can arise in the bone marrow or in the periphery and, if not properly inhibited or eliminated, can lead to autoimmune diseases through several mechanisms: autoantibody production and immune complex formation, cytokine and chemokine synthesis, antigen presentation, T cell activation, and ectopic lymphogenesis. The availability of agents capable of depleting B cells (that is, anti-CD20 and anti-CD22 monoclonal antibodies) or targeting B cell survival factors (atacicept and belimumab) opens new perspectives in the treatment of diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis
Can existing drugs approved for other indications retard renal function decline in patients with type 1 diabetes and nephropathy?
Full text linkMounting evidence from human, animal, and in vitro studies indicates that existing drugs, developed to treat other disorders, also might be effective in preventing or slowing the progression of diabetic nephropathy to end-stage renal disease. Examples of such drugs include the urate-lowering agent allopurinol, the anti-tumor necrosis factor agents etanercept and infliximab, and the immunomodulating drug abatacept. Because some of these medications are already on the market and have been used for a number of years for other indications, they can be tested immediately in human beings for a beneficial effect on renal function in diabetes. Special emphasis should be placed on evaluating the use of these drugs early in the course of diabetic nephropathy when renal damage is most likely to be reversible and interventions can yield the greatest delay to end-stage renal disease
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