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Neuropathic pain is a debilitating complication following spinal cord injury (SCI). Currently, effective treatments for SCI-induced neuropathic pain are highly lacking. This clinical trial aimed to investigate the efficacy of combined intrathecal injection of Schwann cells (SCs) and bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in improving SCI-induced neuropathic pain. This study was a parallel-group, randomized, open-label, active-controlled phase II trial with two arms, including treatment and control groups. Patients with complete SCI-induced neuropathic pain in the treatment group received a single combined intrathecal injection of BMSCs and SCs. Study outcome measures were International SCI Pain Basic Data Set (ISCIPBDS) and World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF). A total of 37 (55.2%) and 30 (44.8%) patients in the treatment and control groups were followed up for 6 months, respectively. Significant reductions in mean scores of interference items in the treatment group, including daily activities (P < 0.001), mood (P < 0.001), and sleep (P < 0.001), were found at 6 months after the injection compared with the control one. Similarly, pain frequency (P = 0.002), mean (P = 0.001), and worst (P = 0.001) numeric rating scale (NRS) pain intensity scores showed significant reductions in the treatment group after 6 months compared with the control one. Based on multiple regression analysis controlled for potential confounders, significant associations between changes in all outcome measures over the study period and the treatment group were found. This clinical trial indicated the efficacy of combined cell therapy in improving the neuropathic pain and quality of life in complete SCI patients. Future investigations should evaluate the effects of combination of this strategy with other existing therapies for SCI-induced neuropathic pain. This clinical trial was also registered prospectively at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20200502047277N8). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary cardiac tumors (PCT), such as myxoma, are rare and predominantly benign. Angiofibroma tumors are an extremely rare subtype of PCT, reported in less than ten cases. In this study, we presented a mixed tumor of myxoma and angiofibroma for the first time in the human heart. Case Presentation: This case report describes a 30-year-old man with a positive cerebrovascular accident (CVA) history who presented with syncope, aphasia, and right-side hemiparesis to the emergency department. The imaging assessment, including echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, revealed a suspected cardiac tumor in his left atrium extended to the interatrial septum. Therefore, during tumor resection surgery, the mass was removed entirely. Microscopical pathology and desmin immunohistochemical and trichrome staining findings confirmed the angiofibroma diagnosis with myxoma components. Conclusion: According to our presentation, angiofibroma can be accompanied by myxoma and result in neurological symptoms. The best treatment for this dual-component tumor is surgical resection of the tumor and the affected margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correction notice from BMC Cardiovascular Disorders addresses an error in the original article regarding the author's name. The incorrect name "Sharyar Rajai Firouzabadi" has been corrected to "Shahryar Rajai Firouzabadi." The correction article provides the accurate information and updates the original publication accordingly. The correction is signed by multiple authors involved in the study. [Extracted from the article]

Neuropathic pain is a debilitating complication following spinal cord injury (SCI). Currently, effective treatments for SCI-induced neuropathic pain are highly lacking. This clinical trial aimed to investigate the efficacy of combined intrathecal injection of Schwann cells (SCs) and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in improving SCI-induced neuropathic pain. This study was a parallel-group, randomized, open-label, active-controlled phase II trial with two arms, including treatment and control groups. Patients with complete SCI-induced neuropathic pain in the treatment group received a single combined intrathecal injection of BMSCs and SCs. Study outcome measures were International SCI Pain Basic Data Set (ISCIPBDS) and World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF). A total of 37 (55.2%) and 30 (44.8%) patients in the treatment and control groups were followed up for 6 months, respectively. Significant reductions in mean scores of interference items in the treatment group, including daily activities ( P < 0.001), mood ( P < 0.001), and sleep ( P < 0.001), were found at 6 months after the injection compared with the control one. Similarly, pain frequency ( P = 0.002), mean ( P = 0.001), and worst ( P = 0.001) numeric rating scale (NRS) pain intensity scores showed significant reductions in the treatment group after 6 months compared with the control one. Based on multiple regression analysis controlled for potential confounders, significant associations between changes in all outcome measures over the study period and the treatment group were found. This clinical trial indicated the efficacy of combined cell therapy in improving the neuropathic pain and quality of life in complete SCI patients. Future investigations should evaluate the effects of combination of this strategy with other existing therapies for SCI-induced neuropathic pain. This clinical trial was also registered prospectively at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20200502047277N8)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: Heart transplant is the most effective treatment in patients with advanced heart failure who are refractory to medical treatment. The brain death interval and type of inotrope We assessed the effects of these parameters on heart transplant outcomes., Materials and Methods: In this follow-up study, we followed heart transplant recipients for 1 year to study patient survival, ejection fraction, adverse events, and organ rejection. We evaluated follow-up results on time from brainstem death test to the cross-clamp placement, as well as the type of inotrope used., Results: Our study enrolled 54 heart transplant candidates. The inotrope dose was 3.66 ± 0.99 μg/kg/min, and the most used inotrope, with 28 cases (51.9%), was related to dopamine. Six cases (11.1%) of death and 1 case of infection after transplant were observed in recipients. The average ejection fraction of transplanted hearts before transplant, instantly at time of transplant, and 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year after transplant was 54.9 ± 0.68, 52.9 ± 10.4, 51.9 ± 10.7, 50.1 ± 10.9, and 46.8 ± 17, respectively; this decreasing trend over time was significant (P =.001). Furthermore, ejection fraction changes following transplant did not differ significantly in transplanted hearts regarding brain death interval and type of inotrope used., Conclusions: Our study revealed that cardiac output of a transplanted heart may decrease over time and the time elapsed from brain death, and both dopamine and norepinephrine could have negligible effects on cardiac function.