Encouraging effect of autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate in rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we used autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) transplantation to treat children with cerebral palsy (CP) to improve their motor and cognitive functions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-two patients with CP received BMAC. The transplantation of stem cells via the intrathecal route includes three BMAC applications. The patients' examination was before the injection of stem cells, with follow-ups on 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the injections. The assessments included the gross motor function classification scale, the Ashworth scale, and the Learning accomplishment profile-diagnostic scale. RESULTS: This study included 42 patients with CP who received three BMAC intrathecal administrations. A personalized home rehabilitation program was designed and included for each patient in the study. After the treatment, we observed a reduction of spasticity in 58% of patients and significant cognitive improvement in 35% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of this study indicates that stem cell therapy and personalized training can improve the development of children with CP. The crucial goal of this therapeutic intervention is to substitute injured tissue with new tissues by activating the regenerative capacity of stem cells.

Psychological well-being in advanced NSCLC patients in Serbia: impact of sociodemographic and clinical factors.

UNLABELLED: Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) usually undergo toxic treatment (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy). They can experience devastating effects of illness and therapies on their psychological and emotional well-being. On the other hand, untreated psychological distress is associated with reduced quality of life and inadequate palliation of physical symptoms.
In order to estimate frequency of anxiety and depressive symptoms and influence of demographic, socioeconomic and clinical factors on psychological well-being, we performed this cross-sectional study in group of 100 patients with advanced stage of disease. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) and Hamilton Depression Rating scale (HDRS). Health-related quality of life data are obtained by EORTC QLC C30 and SF 36.
Patients with poor performance status (PS) experienced significantly more anxiety and depressive symptoms (p=0.001) and worse emotional (p=0.001) and mental functioning (p=0.001). Treated patients had significantly better mental (p=0.011) and emotional (p=0.001) functioning in compared to newly diagnosed ones. Somewhat unusual, unemployed participants reported significantly less anxiety (p=0.029) and depressive (p=0.002) symptoms, better mental (p=0.030) and emotional functioning (p=0.007). Additionally, nausea and vomiting adversely affected mental health and emotional functioning and correlated significantly positively with HARS and HDRS scores.
Our findings suggest significant impact of some disease-related factors (PS, active treatment) and treatment-related factors (chemotherapy -induced nausea and vomiting) on psychological well-being of patients with advanced NSCLC. This should be taking an account when appropriate interventions are planned. KEYWORDS: lung cancer, anxiety, depression, quality of life, chemotherapy, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Autism treatment with stem cells: a case report.

OBJECTIVE: Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex brain disorder and has multiple causes that occur in diverse combinations. There is a need to classify children with ASD at a very young age so that they can access evidence-based intervention that can significantly improve their outcomes. CASE REPORT: In this report we present a case of autism, which underwent intrathecal autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells transplantation along with neurorehabilitation. The primary goal of the treatment is to improve the quality of life of the patient. After the procedure, the child started to speak, therefore, the third communication subscale was scored within the GARS-2 assessment instrument. With these three subscales, a score of 91 has been achieved, representing an autism index of 27%, a significant improvement over the previous score. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated evidences to support the safety and effectiveness of BMAC transplantation in the management of autism.