The Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in Veterinary Medicine and Their Use in Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Regenerative medicine is a dynamically developing field of human and veterinary medicine. The animal model was most commonly used for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) treatment in experimental and preclinical studies with a satisfactory therapeutic effect. Year by year, the need for alternative treatments in veterinary medicine is increasing, and other applications for promising MSCs and their biological derivatives are constantly being sought. There is also an increase in demand for other methods of treating disease states, of which the classical treatment methods did not bring the desired results. Cell therapy can be a realistic option for treating human and animal diseases in the near future and therefore additional research is needed to optimize cell origins, numbers, or application methods in order to standardize the treatment process and assess its effects. The aim of the following work was to summarize available knowledge about stem cells in veterinary medicine and their possible application in the treatment of chosen musculoskeletal disorders in dogs and horses.

Novel hematological biomarkers predict survival in renal cell carcinoma patients treated with nephrectomy.

INTRODUCTION: The association between novel blood-based inflammatory indices and patient survival has been reported with reference to various cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of preoperative platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with nephrectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 2003 to 2012, 455 patients who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy for RCC were enrolled in the study. The study endpoints were overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 70 months. Groups of patients with high levels of PLR, NLR and dNLR and a low level of LMR more often underwent radical nephrectomy, had a higher cancer stage in the TNM classification, and were more frequently diagnosed with tumor necrosis in histopathological examination. Both cancer-specific mortality and overall mortality were significantly higher in patients with high PLR, NLR and dNLR and low LMR. Multivariate analysis of CSS, adjusted for standard clinicopathological factors, identified only dNLR (p = 0.006) as an independent prognostic factor. PLR (p = 0.0002), dNLR (p = 0.0003) and NLR (p = 0.002), but not LMR (p = 0.1), achieved prognostic significance in multivariable analysis regarding OS. CONCLUSIONS: Only dNLR was an independent prognostic factor for CSS and OS. Nevertheless, our study indicates that all examined complete blood count-based biomarkers may be useful tools in managing RCC patients treated with a surgical approach.

Prognostic value of red blood cell distribution width in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction: Insights from the COMMIT-HF registry.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported that in patients with heart failure, an increased value of red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with adverse outcomes. Nonetheless, data regarding the association between RDW values and long-term mortality in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) are lacking. The aim of this investigation was to examine the relationship between mortality and RDW in patients with ischemic and non-ischemic LVSD. METHODS: Under analysis was 1734 patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 35% of whom were hospitalized between 2009 and 2013. Patients were divided into three groups based on RDW tertiles. Low, medium and high tertiles were defined as RDW ≤ 13.4%, 13.4% < RDW ≤ 14.6% and RDW > 14.6%, respectively. RESULTS: There was a stepwise relationship between RDW intervals and comorbidities. Patients with the highest RDW values were older and more often diagnosed with anemia, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and chronic kidney disease. The main finding of our analysis was the presence of an 8-fold increase in all-cause mortality in the entire cohort between high and low RDW tertile. Cox hazard analysis identi-fied RDW as an independent predictive factor of mortality in all patients (HR 2.8; 95% CI 2.1-3.8; p < 0.0001) and in subgroups of patients with ischemic (HR 2.8; 95% CI 2.0-3.9; p < 0.0001) and non-ischemic (HR 3.3; 95% CI 2.01-5.5; p < 0.0001) LVSD. CONCLUSIONS: The highest RDW tertile was independently associated with higher long-term mortality compared with low and medium tertiles, both in all patients with a LVEF ≤ 35% and in subgroups of patients with ischemic and non-ischemic LVSD.

Mechanical circulatory support in heart failure.

The increasing number of end-stage heart failure patients eligible for heart transplant and the disproportionately low number of donor hearts have led to increased interest in ventricular assist devices (VAD). These devices can be used as a bridge to decision, bridge to recovery, or bridge to candidacy. The main advantage of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is the improvement of organ perfusion and function, which leads to better quality of life and survival. The MCS can also be used as a destination therapy in end-stage heart failure patients who are not eligible for heart transplant. It should be remembered that, despite the tangible benefits, VAD implantation may also be associated with the risk of serious complications, such as bleeding, infection, arrhythmias, blood clots, right ventricular failure, and cardiovascular events. This study presents an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge on the role of MCS in modern medicine.