Electron delocalization triggers nonradical Fenton-like catalysis over spinel oxides.

Nonradical Fenton-like catalysis offers opportunities to overcome the low efficiency and secondary pollution limitations of existing advanced oxidation decontamination technologies, but realizing this on transition metal spinel oxide catalysts remains challenging due to insufficient understanding of their catalytic mechanisms. Here, we explore the origins of catalytic selectivity of Fe-Mn spinel oxide and identify electron delocalization of the surface metal active site as the key driver of its nonradical catalysis. Through fine-tuning the crystal geometry to trigger Fe-Mn superexchange interaction at the spinel octahedra, ZnFeMnO4 with high-degree electron delocalization of the Mn-O unit was created to enable near 100% nonradical activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) at unprecedented utilization efficiency. The resulting surface-bound PMS* complex can efficiently oxidize electron-rich pollutants with extraordinary degradation activity, selectivity, and good environmental robustness to favor water decontamination applications. Our work provides a molecule-level understanding of the catalytic selectivity and bimetallic interactions of Fe-Mn spinel oxides, which may guide the design of low-cost spinel oxides for more selective and efficient decontamination applications.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban stream sediments of Suzhou Industrial Park, an emerging eco-industrial park in China: Occurrence, sources and potential risk.

In this study, urban stream sediment samples were collected in the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), one of the earliest national demonstration eco-industrial parks of China. PAHs were analyzed in these sediments, and concentrations of total PAHs were 180-81,000 ng g-1 (5700 ± 14,000 ng g-1). Medium molecular weight (4- ring) PAHs were predominant (42 ± 12%), followed by high molecular weight (5- and 6- ring) PAHs (31 ± 10%). No correlation was found between concentrations of PAHs and land uses of SIP in this study. Diagnostic ratios and a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model indicated that coal/biomass combustion might be the primary PAH source (61%), followed by non-combustion sources (21%) and vehicular emission (18%). According to the spatial analysis, PAHs in the sediments of SIP might be mainly associated with the coal/biomass combustion in the northeast industrial zone. Residential & commercial activities seem not to be the major causes of PAH contamination. Total PAH toxic equivalent concentrations, effect range low/effect range median values, and mean effects range-median quotient all showed that PAHs were present at a low toxicity risk level in most regions of the SIP. However, vigilance is required at some sampling sites with extremely high PAH concentrations or high mean effects range-median quotient.

Differentiation of adult human retinal pigment epithelial cells into dopaminergic-like cells in vitro and in the recipient monkey brain.

BACKGROUND: Cell therapy is proposed to be a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). Although fetal retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells have been tested in trials for treating PD patients, controversy has been raised over the issue of whether such cells can be reprogrammed into dopamine-producing cells for therapeutic efficacy. Here, we aim to investigate whether adult human RPE cells can be reprogrammed into dopamine-producing cells both in vitro and in the recipient monkey brain. METHODS: The RPE layer was isolated from frozen posterior eyeball tissue after penetrating keratoplasty surgery. The tumorigenicity of RPE cells was examined by G-banding and a tumor formation assay in nude mice. Immunogenicity was measured using a one-way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay. Dopamine-production in chemically reprogrammed RPE cells was measured by HPLC. Finally, RPE cells were grafted into the brains of monkeys with MPTP-induced PD in order to investigate the potential of such cells treating PD patients in the future. RESULTS: RPE cell lines have been successively established from adult human eye tissues. Such cells can be chemically reprogrammed into dopamine-producing cells in vitro. Moreover, after being grafted into the brain caudate putamen of monkeys with MPTP-induced PD, RPE cells became tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells, and recipient PD monkeys showed significant improvement of clinical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: This preclinical study using a primate model indicates that human adult RPE cells could be a potential cell source for the treatment of PD in the future.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Surface Soils from the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve, China: Occurrence, Sources, and Potential Risk.

A total of 39 lower brominated PBDE congeners in surface soils from the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve (YRDNR) were analyzed in the present study. The total concentrations of PBDEs (ΣPBDEs) ranged from "not detected" to 0.732 ng g-1, with a mean concentration of 0.142 ng g-1. The concentrations of the ΣPBDEs displayed no correlation with the content of the total organic carbon in the YRDNR. The ΣPBDEs concentrations in the Experimental Area were significantly higher than that of the Buffer Area and Core Area, and ΣPBDEs in soils in the North were lower than that of the South. PentaBDEs and HexaBDEs were the most abundant homologues, and the occurrence of PBDEs in the YRDNR may be attributed to the debromination and long range transport of DecaBDEs. Even though the cancer risk and mass inventory of PBDEs in the present study area were estimated to be very low, due to the widespread presence of PBDEs and the particularity of the natural reserve, vigilance should not be let up on the issue of environmental contamination caused by these compounds despite the gradual phase out of their commercial products in the world.

Occurrence and Potential Risk of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Surface Soils from the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve, China.

A total of 28 PCB congeners were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in 46 surface soils collected from the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve (YRDNR) and its adjacent area, China. The total concentrations of PCBs in the YRDNR ranged from 0.149 to 4.32 ng/g, with a mean concentration of 0.802 ng/g. Light PCB congeners predominated in the present research area, which may be attributed to the atmospheric transportation and were also associated with the recent contamination of unintentionally produced PCBs from industrial processes. In addition, PCB 126 and PCB 169 were found to be the major toxicity contributors of dioxin-like PCBs in the YRDNR, which should require special focus.

H/ACA Box Small Nucleolar RNA 7A Promotes the Self-Renewal of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Human umbilical cord blood derived mesenchymal stem cells (uMSC) are pluripotent cells that have been now considered as a promising candidate for various cell-based therapies. However, their limited in vitro proliferation ability and the gradual loss of pluripotency set barricades for further usages. Emerging evidence suggests that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNA) are actively involved in cell proliferation especially in tumor cells, but their roles in stem cells are largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that H/ACA box small nucleolar RNA 7A (SNORA7A) is inversely correlated to the decreased proliferation rate during in vitro passaging of uMSC. Further investigations indicate that SNORA7A overexpression can promote uMSC proliferation and self-renewal. The inhibition of SNORA7A using antisense oligonucleotides significantly reduces the expression and the binding of SNORA7A to DKC1, core protein that essential to form small nucleolar ribonucleo-particles (snoRNP) complex and catalyze pseudouridines in 28S RNA. And the inhibition also significantly suppresses uMSC proliferation and self-renewal. Moreover, overexpression of SNORA7A transcripts with mutations of binding regions for snoRNP core proteins and 28S RNA did not induce proliferation and self-renewal. Besides, SNORA7A also suppresses both the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation, strengthening its self-renewal maintaining roles in uMSC. Taken together, our study for the first time showed that H/ACA box snoRNAs are actively involved in MSC proliferation as well as pluripotency control, and we identify SNORA7A as one of the critical snoRNAs that regulate the proliferation and self-renewal of uMSC through snoRNP recruiting. Stem Cells 2017;35:222-235.

An HDAC2-TET1 switch at distinct chromatin regions significantly promotes the maturation of pre-iPS to iPS cells.

The maturation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) is one of the limiting steps of somatic cell reprogramming, but the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we reported that knockdown of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) specifically promoted the maturation of iPS cells. Further studies showed that HDAC2 knockdown significantly increased histone acetylation, facilitated TET1 binding and DNA demethylation at the promoters of iPS cell maturation-related genes during the transition of pre-iPS cells to a fully reprogrammed state. We also found that HDAC2 competed with TET1 in the binding of the RbAp46 protein at the promoters of maturation genes and knockdown of TET1 markedly prevented the activation of these genes. Collectively, our data not only demonstrated a novel intrinsic mechanism that the HDAC2-TET1 switch critically regulates iPS cell maturation, but also revealed an underlying mechanism of the interplay between histone acetylation and DNA demethylation in gene regulation.

Geochemistry of vanadium (V) in Chinese coals.

Vanadium in coals may have potential environmental and economic impacts. However, comprehensive knowledge of the geochemistry of V in coals is lacking. In this study, abundances, distribution and modes of occurrence of V are reviewed by compiling >2900 reported Chinese coal samples. With coal reserves in individual provinces as the weighting factors, V in Chinese coals is estimated to have an average abundance of 35.81 µg/g. Large variation of V concentration is observed in Chinese coals of different regions, coal-forming periods, and maturation ranks. According to the concentration coefficient of V in coals from individual provinces, three regions are divided across Chinese coal deposits. Vanadium in Chinese coals is probably influenced by sediment source and sedimentary environment, supplemented by late-stage hydrothermal fluids. Specifically, hydrothermal fluids have relatively more significant effect on the enrichment of V in local coal seams. Vanadium in coals is commonly associated with aluminosilicate minerals and organic matter, and the modes of V occurrence in coal depend on coal-forming environment and coal rank. The Chinese V emission inventory during coal combustion is estimated to be 4906 mt in 2014, accounting for 50.55 % of global emission. Vanadium emissions by electric power plants are the largest contributor.

Androgen receptor regulated microRNA miR-182-5p promotes prostate cancer progression by targeting the ARRDC3/ITGB4 pathway.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important endogenous gene regulators that play key roles in prostate cancer development and metastasis. However, specific miRNA expression patterns in prostate cancer tissues from Chinese patients remain largely unknown. In this study, we compared miRNA expression patterns in 65 pairs of prostate cancer and para-cancer tissues by RNA sequencing and found that miR-182-5p was the most up-regulated miRNA in prostate cancer tissues. The result was validated using realtime PCR in 18 pairs of prostate cancer and para-cancer tissues. In in vitro analysis, it was confirmed that miR-182-5p promotes prostate cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration and inhibit apoptosis. In addition, the androgen receptor directly regulated the transcription of miR-182-5p, which could target to the 3'UTR of ARRDC3 mRNA and affect the expression of ARRDC3 and its downstream gene ITGB4. For the in vivo experiment, miR-182-5p overexpression also promoted the growth and progression of prostate cancer tumors. In this regard, we suggest that miR-182-5p may be a key androgen receptor-regulated factor that contributes to the development and metastasis of Chinese prostate cancers and may be a potential target for the early diagnosis and therapeutic studies of prostate cancer.

Critical regulation of miR-200/ZEB2 pathway in Oct4/Sox2-induced mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition and induced pluripotent stem cell generation.

Fibroblasts can be reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by application of transcription factors octamer-binding protein 4 (Oct4), SRY-box containing gene 2 (Sox2), Kruppel-like factor 4 (Klf4), and c-Myelocytomatosis oncogene (c-Myc) (OSKM), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that exogenous Oct4 and Sox2 can bind at the promoter regions of mir-141/200c and mir-200a/b/429 cluster, respectively, and induce the transcription activation of miR-200 family during the OSKM-induced reprogramming. Functional suppression of miR-200s with specific inhibitors significantly represses the OSKM-caused mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET, an early event in reprogramming of fibroblasts to iPSCs) and iPSC generation, whereas overexpression of miR-200s promotes the MET and iPSC generation. Mechanistic studies showed that miR-200s significantly repress the expression of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2) through directly targeting its 3' UTR and direct inhibition of ZEB2 can mimic the effects of miR-200s on iPSC generation and MET process. Moreover, the effects of miR-200s during iPSC generation can be blocked by ZEB2 overexpression. Collectively, our findings not only reveal that members of the miR-200 family are unique mediators of the reprogramming factors Oct4/Sox2, but also demonstrate that the miR-200/ZEB2 pathway as one critical mechanism of Oct4/Sox2 to induce somatic cell reprogramming at the early stage.

Metal distribution and bioavailability in surface sediments from the Huaihe River, Anhui, China.

This study presents the total concentrations and chemical fractionations of metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Fe, and Mn) in 54 surface sediment samples collected from the Huaihe River (Anhui Province) in eastern China. Compared with the average shale values, Zn and Pb exhibited the most substantial anthropogenic enrichment, especially in Fengtai and Huainan areas, the main industrial districts along the Huaihe River (Anhui Province). Low levels of Cu and Ni were observed in the sediments. Based on risk assessment code (RAC), the metals associated with weak acid soluble (F1) in the Huaihe River sediments followed the order: Mn > Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Fe. Manganese presented the most potential for releasing into the aqueous environment and can easily enter the food chain. Copper, zinc, nickel, and iron were found dominant in the residual fraction, implying that these four metals were strongly bound to the sediments. Lead showed a different partitioning pattern from that of other metals studied, with a large percentage in Fe-Mn oxide fraction, indicating that slight redox potential changes may make significant influence on the removability of Pb. Moreover, Cu in oxidizable (F3) and residual (F4) fractions presented high positive correlation with organic matter, which can explain the high percentage of Cu in these two fractions.

JAM-A promotes wound healing by enhancing both homing and secretory activities of mesenchymal stem cells.

The homing ability and secretory function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are key factors that influence cell involvement in wound repair. These factors are controlled by multilayer regulatory circuitry, including adhesion molecules, core transcription factors (TFs) and certain other regulators. However, the role of adhesion molecules in this regulatory circuitry and their underlying mechanism remain undefined. In the present paper, we demonstrate that an adhesion molecule, junction adhesion molecule A (JAM-A), may function as a key promoter molecule to regulate skin wound healing by MSCs. In in vivo experiments, we show that JAM-A up-regulation promoted both MSC homing to full-thickness skin wounds and wound healing-related cytokine secretion by MSCs. In vitro experiments also showed that JAM-A promoted MSC proliferation and migration by activating T-cell lymphoma invasion and metastasis 1 (Tiam1). We suggest that JAM-A up-regulation can increase the proliferation, cytokine secretion and wound-homing ability of MSCs, thus accelerating the repair rate of full-thickness skin defects. These results may provide insights into a novel and potentially effective approach to improve the efficacy of MSC treatment.

Ca(2+) and EGF induce the differentiation of human embryo mesenchymal stem cells into epithelial-like cells.

The mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) occurs in organ development and anti-tumorigenesis. We have investigated the effects of calcium (Ca(2+)) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSCs) differentiation into epithelial-like cells. hMSCs lost their biological characteristics after EGF transfection, and MET was achieved by adding 0.4 mmol Ca(2+). Western blotting and immunofluorescence showed expression of EGF, keratin, keratin 19 (K19), ß1-integrin, E-cadherin and phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (p-FAK, Ser-910) increased in hMSCs infected with EGF and exposed to Ca(2+), although Smad3 activation was downregulated. hMSCs co-stimulated with EGF transfection and Ca(2+) can therefore differentiate into epithelial-like cells in vitro.

Concentration and fractionation of heavy metals in the old yellow river estuary, china.

A sequential extraction procedure was applied to determine the concentration and fractionation characteristics of eight heavy metals (HMs) (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, and Ni) in a sediment core collected from the old Yellow River Estuary, China. The results revealed that the mean deposition rate of this sediment core, which spanned 87 yr (1925-2012), was approximately 0.5 cm yr. The mean concentrations and ranges of HMs were Cu: 26.9 (18.3-38.5), Zn: 76.4 (51.0-107), Pb: 37.3 (17.8-53.8), Cd: 0.23 (0.20-0.27), Cr: 84.7 (45.5-116), Fe: 24,000 (16,500-31,700), Mn: 709 (388-1020), and Ni: 36.1 (24.8-47.2) mg kg (dry weight). Six HMs (Cu, Zn, Cr, Cd, Fe, and Ni) were present in their highest proportion in the residual fraction; their lowest proportion was observed in the exchangeable fraction. Lead primarily existed in the oxidizable or residual fraction. Manganese was mainly presented in the exchangeable fraction. The risk assessment code results revealed that the sediments displayed a low risk for Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Cd, Fe, Mn, and Ni. The HMs Cu, Zn, Cr, Cd, Mn, and Ni displayed minor enrichment in the sediment core, whereas for Pb, moderate contamination enrichment was observed. Overall, an increase in and total concentration of HMs occurred since 1925 and reached a maximum value around 1980, after which there was a larger fluctuation or decline until 2012. We also found that the degree of HM pollution during the 1976-1996 period was less serious than before 1976. All the sediment samples exceeded the effect range low (ERL) for Ni, whereas 56.1, 7.32, and 17.1% exceeded the ERL values for Cr, Cu, and Pb; no samples exceeded the ERL for Zn or Cd.

Occurrence, sources, and potential toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface soils from the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve, China.

A total of 46 surface soil samples collected from the experimental area, buffer area, and core area of the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve (YRDNR), China, and an adjacent area outside the reserve were analyzed for 23 PAHs including highly carcinogenic dibenzopyrene isomers. The total concentrations ranged from 87.2 to 319 ng/g for ∑23PAHs and 79.2 to 311 ng/g for ∑16PAHs with average concentrations of 133 and 119 ng/g, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis implied that the total polycyclic aromatic compound (PAH) concentrations had a significant positive correlation with the total organic carbon content on the condition that four sites with abnormal values were removed. Low molecular-weight 2- to 3-ring PAHs predominated in the present study. Source diagnostics based on PAHs isomer ratios, principal component analysis, and multiple linear regression suggested that petroleum contributed most to the PAH contamination in the YRDNR, whereas a potential toxicity assessment using BaPeq indicated that the four dibenzopyrenes were the major carcinogenic PAH contributors in the area under investigation, although their concentrations only represented a small proportion of the total PAH concentrations.

Epidermal growth factor promotes transforming growth factor-ß1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in HK-2 cells through a synergistic effect on Snail.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a central mechanism for wound healing, tissue repair, organ fibrosis and carcinoma progression in adults. Evidence shows that both epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) are upregulated during renal interstitial fibrosis, and that co-stimulation of EGF and TGF-ß1 could induce renal tubular epithelial cells to undergo EMT more effectively than EGF or TGF-ß1 alone. This study was intended to explore the molecular mechanism underlying this effect. HK-2 cells underwent apparent EMT with increased cell motility after co-stimulation of EGF and TGF-ß1 as compared with TGF-ß1 or EGF alone. Co-stimulation of EGF and TGF-ß1 resulted in rapid and robust ERK1/2 activation and induced persistent high expression of Snail protein. Treatment with the MEK inhibitor U0126 followed by co-stimulation with EGF and TGF-ß1 prevented the upregulation of Snail protein, EMT and motility, without impairing Snail mRNA. TGF-ß1 induced Snail at the transcriptional level, which was not influenced by EGF. Inhibition of Snail expression by siRNA interference also prevented EMT caused by co-stimulation of EGF and TGF-ß1. These data suggest that EGF promotes TGF-ß1-induced EMT through a synergistic effect on Snail at the post-transcriptional level in HK-2 cells.

Mir-218 contributes to the transformation of 5-Aza/GF induced umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells into hematopoietic cells through the MITF pathway.

Experiments with 5'-azacytidine and hematopoietic growth factor approved for the transformation of human mesenchymal cells into hematopoietic cells have demonstrated that cell fate can be dramatically altered by changing the epigenetic state of cells. Here, we demonstrate that umbilical cord-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (uMSC) are easily accessible and could be induced into cells with hematopoietic function. Furthermore, we focused on the crucial miRNAs and relative transcription factors (TFs) in our study. We show that combined Aza/GF incubation can increase expression of miR-218, miR-150, and miR-451. Accordingly, miR-218 overexpression achieved an increase in expression of CD34 (3-13%), CD45 (50-65%), CD133 and c-Kit in uMSCs that cultured with Aza/GF. The expression of the relevant transcriptional factors, such as HoxB4 and NF-Ya, was higher than in the negative control group or miR-218 inhibitor transfected group, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is regarded to be a direct target of miR-218, as demonstrated by luciferase assays. Overexpression of miR-218 might, in conjunction with the MITF, upregulate the expression of NF-Ya and HoxB4, which induce a hematopoietic state. We concluded that miR-218 might have a role in the transformation of hematopoietic cells through the MITF pathway.

Coagulation/co-catalytic membrane integrated system for fouling-resistant and efficient water purification.

Low-pressure catalytic membranes allow efficient rejection of particulates and simultaneously removing organics pollutant in water, but the accumulation of dissolved organic matters (DOM) on membrane surface, which cover the catalytic sites and cause membrane fouling, challenges their stable operation in practical wastewater treatment. Here we propose a ferric salt-based coagulation/co-catalytic membrane integrated system that can effectively mitigate the detrimental effects of DOM. Ferric salt (Fe3+) serving both as a DOM coagulant to lower the membrane fouling and as a co-catalyst with the membrane-embedded MoS2 nanosheets to drive perxymonosulfate (PMS) activation and pollutant degradation. The membrane functionalized with 2H-phased MoS2 nanosheets showed improved hydrophilicity and fouling resistance relative to the blank polysulfone membrane. Attributed to the DOM coagulation and co-catalytic generation of surface-bound radicals for decontamination at membrane surface, the catalytic membrane/PMS/ Fe3+ system showed much less membrane fouling and 2.6 times higher pollutant degradation rate in wastewater treatment than the catalytic membrane alone. Our work imply a great potential of coagulation/co-catalytic membrane integrated system for water purification application.

General requirements for the production of extracellular vesicles derived from human stem cells.

'General requirements for the production of extracellular vesicles derived from human stem cells' is the first guideline for stem cells derived extracellular vesicles in China, jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research. This standard specifies the general requirements, process requirements, packaging and labelling requirements and storage requirements for preparing extracellular vesicles derived from human stem cells, which is applicable to the research and production of extracellular vesicles derived from stem cells. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 30 August 2022. We hope that the publication of this guideline will promote institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardisation of extracellular vesicles derived from human stem cells.

Neural stem cell-like cells derived from autologous bone mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of patients with cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND: Stem cell therapy is a promising treatment for cerebral palsy, which refers to a category of brain diseases that are associated with chronic motor disability in children. Autologous MSCs may be a better cell source and have been studied for the treatment of cerebral palsy because of their functions in tissue repair and the regulation of immunological processes. METHODS: To assess neural stem cell-like (NSC-like) cells derived from autologous marrow mesenchymal stem cells as a novel treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe cerebral palsy, a total of 60 cerebral palsy patients were enrolled in this open-label, non-randomised, observer-blinded controlled clinical study with a 6-months follow-up. For the transplantation group, a total of 30 cerebral palsy patients received an autologous NSC-like cells transplantation (1-2 × 107 cells into the subarachnoid cavity) and rehabilitation treatments whereas 30 patients in the control group only received rehabilitation treatment. RESULTS: We recorded the gross motor function measurement scores, language quotients, and adverse events up to 6 months post-treatment. The gross motor function measurement scores in the transplantation group were significantly higher at month 3 (the score increase was 42.6, 95% CI: 9.8-75.3, P=.011) and month 6 (the score increase was 58.6, 95% CI: 25.8-91.4, P=.001) post-treatment compared with the baseline scores. The increase in the Gross Motor Function Measurement scores in the control group was not significant. The increases in the language quotients at months 1, 3, and 6 post-treatment were not statistically significant when compared with the baseline quotients in both groups. All the 60 patients survived, and none of the patients experienced serious adverse events or complications. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that NSC-like cells are safe and effective for the treatment of motor deficits related to cerebral palsy. Further randomised clinical trials are necessary to establish the efficacy of this procedure.