The Influence of Exosomes Derived from Mesenchymal Stem Cells on the Development of Fibrosis In Vitro.

We studied the effect of exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells on the synthesis of collagen I and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) by rat fibroblast culture. Exosomes were isolated from the verified culture of mesenchymal stem cells and also verified. Fibrosis was modeled using a fibroblast culture supplemented with recombinant TGF-ß1 (5 ng/ml) and immunocytochemical analysis of the expression of collagen I and α-SMA markers was carried out. After 6-day incubation, the expression of the studied markers increased in comparison with the control. Addition of exosomes to the fibroblast culture reduced the production of collagen and SMA, which allows considering exosomes as a promising drug for the treatment of pathologies associated with fibrosis.

Modeling of Alzheimer's Disease to Study the Efficacy of Cell Therapy (Review).

We analyzed the main approaches to the modeling of Alzheimer's disease for studying the effectiveness of cell therapy. Recent advances in regenerative medicine in the field of neuroscience create prospects for the use of various cell preparations for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Experimental data on the use of neural stem/progenitor cells, mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells in various models of Alzheimer's disease are presented. Of particular importance is the standardization of protocols. The use of a standardized protocol in modeling of Alzheimer's disease will allow a comparative analysis of the effectiveness and safety of treatment to identify the optimal cell preparation. The data obtained on experimental animals can form the basis for further preclinical and clinical studies of cell therapy for Alzheimer's disease.

[The relationship of cytochrome P450 isoforms with the efficacy and safety of antipsychotic and antidepressant therapy]. / Svyaz' izoform tsitokhroma P450 s effektivnost'yu i bezopasnost'yu terapii antipsikhotikami i antidepressantami.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) is the leading enzyme in the biotransformation of most psychotropic drugs. CYP450 gene polymorphisms determine a patient's endophenotype with respect to the activity of enzymes of the family and affect the metabolism of prescribed antipsychotics and antidepressants. Categorizing patients by endophenotype during genotyping is likely to help simplify the selection of therapy in clinical practice. Co-prescribing drugs that may be inhibitors or inducers of CYP450 isoforms, in turn, may lead to adverse reactions or no effect of therapy. The article presents a compilation of known pharmacogenetic recommendations regarding the four major endophenotypes of metabolizers.

[Acute stress reactions in children and adolescents in emergency situations]. / Ostrye reaktsii na stress u detei i podrostkov v usloviiakh chrezvychainykh situatsii.

Psychological and psychiatric examination, along with medico-psychological assistance, have been conducted for 48 children and adolescents, aged 9-18 years, who have been saved during the fire. An examination was carried out on day 2-7 after the disaster. A diagnosis of acute stress reaction (ASR) was made using DSM-IV-TR criteria with definition of 4 groups of symptoms: recurrent trauma surviving, avoidant symptoms, elevated excitability and dissociated symptoms. Besides the clinical examination, the questionnaires adapted for the study and drawing techniques have been used. Symptoms of recurrent trauma surviving occurred most often (79.2%). Avoidant symptoms were detected in 75% of the cases, elevated excitability--in 64.4%, dissociated symptoms--in 62.5%. Symptoms of all the groups were found in 43.8% of the cases that suggested the presence of pronounced distress. No statistically significant correlation between symptom severity and subject's age and sex was revealed. The presence of siblings and friends among those been lost, affected the severity of ASR expression, in particular, avoidant symptoms and dissociation, recurrent trauma surviving symptoms being less influenced. Symptoms of excitability in ARS were shown to be more specific for the boys.