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1. Introduction Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been extensively explored over the last years to understand their stem cell properties and clinical application. MSCs were first isolated from bone marrow [...], Umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been widely investigated for cell-based therapy studies as an alternative source to bone marrow transplantation. Umbilical cord tissue is a rich source of MSCs with potential to derivate at least muscle, cartilage, fat, and bone cells in vitro. The possibility to replace the defective muscle cells using cell therapy is a promising approach for the treatment of progressive muscular dystrophies (PMDs), independently of the specific gene mutation. Therefore, preclinical studies in different models of muscular dystrophies are of utmost importance. The main objective of the present study is to evaluate if umbilical cord MSCs have the potential to reach and differentiate into muscle cells in vivo in two animal models of PMDs. In order to address this question we injected (1) human umbilical cord tissue (hUCT) MSCs into the caudal vein of SJL mice; (2) hUCT and canine umbilical cord vein (cUCV) MSCs intra-arterially in GRMD dogs. Our results here reported support the safety of the procedure and indicate that the injected cells could engraft in the host muscle in both animal models but could not differentiate into muscle cells. These observations may provide important information aiming future therapy for muscular dystrophies.

An abstract of the article "The influence of Escherichia coli cultivation temperature on interferon alpha 2α expression (IFN-a2a)" by Roberto Jorge Soares and colleagues is presented.

[DOTA, Tyr³]octreotate has been used for cancer diagnosis and therapy because of its high affinity to somatostatin subtype receptors sstr2 and sstr5. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytogenetic effect of radio-labelled [DOTA, Tyr³]octreotate in blood cells in vitro, using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay. Blood samples of healthy donors were exposed to different activities of [DOTA, Tyr³]octreotate labelled with 131I (n = 3) and 177Lu (n = 3), where radioactive concentration ranged from 600 to 5600 kBq/mL. The cells were cultivated according to criteria adopted by the IAEA (Vienna). The results showed a positive correlation between radioactive concentrations (X) and the frequency of binucleated cells with micronuclei (Y) (P < 0.05). The linear equations were similar: for the 131I labelled, Y = (1.634 ± 0.236) = (0.912 ± 0.137) 10-3 X and for the 177Lu labelled, Y = (1.715 ± 0.342) = (0.743 ± 0.135) 10-3 X. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

153Sm-EDTMP is a radiopharmaceutical used in nuclear medicine for relief of metastatic bone pain with promising results, but there are few studies about the effects of 153Sm-EDTMP in human cells. This study was conducted for the evaluation of the cytogenetic effects of 153Sm-EDTMP in blood lymphocytes from patients with bone metastases (without previous radio or chemotherapy), using the chromosome aberration technique. The degree of cytological damage found in in vivo blood cells of patients was compared with those found in in vitro in an adjusted dose-response curve. Blood samples were collected before and 1 hr after the administration of 153Sm-EDTMP(about 42.31 MBq/kg). The frequency of structural chromosome aberration per cell observed in 1 hr samples (0.054+/-0.035 CA/cell) was higher than basal ones (0.031+/-0.026 CA/cell), although this difference was not statistically significant (p= 0.101). For in vitro assay, blood samples were exposed to different concentrations of 153Sm-EDTMP, during 1 hr (0.37-1.11 MBq/ml). An increase in the frequency of chromosome aberration per cell as a function of the radioactive concentration was found. The data were adjusted by linear regression model (Y= 3.52+/-2.24 x 10(-2) + 11.15+/-3.46 x 10(-2) X). The frequency of aberration/cell found in vivo was 0.054 and for the same activity in vitro was 0.098, this difference being statistically significant (p = 0.02). This result may be related to blood clearance, osteoblastic activity and individual variability. For a more accurate analysis, the study of more donors is necessary.