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Background: Although renal tubular epithelium has a great capacity for repair it has been suggested that the administration of mesenchymal stem cells may accelerate the recovery following severe ischemic injury. Methods: Here we analyzed the survival rate and organ distribution of transplanted mesenchymal stem cells as well as their contribution to kidney regeneration after ischemic renal injury using functional tests, histological examination as well as quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Intravenously injected stem cells were mainly trapped in lungs and liver. One hour after injection, less than 1% of the injected stem cells could be detected in the injured kidneys. These cells disappeared within the first few days and did not replace renal epithelial cells precluding substantial transdifferentiation. To clarify whether reinforced stem cell delivery might promote sustained survival or conversion to tubular epithelia, stem cells were directly injected into the injured kidneys. Although these grafted cells also did not show sustained survival or contribute to structural renal repair, stem cell injection was associated with a significant but transient initial decrease in serum creatinine. Conclusion: These data suggest that mesenchymal stem cells do not significantly contribute to epithelial renewal after ischemic injury, promoting the idea that the major impact of cell-based therapy for acute kidney injury may result from paracrine or endocrine effects unrelated to stem cell transdifferentiation.

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Summary: The present paper describes standardized procedures within clinical sleep medicine. As such, it is a continuation of the previously published European guidelines for the accreditation of sleep medicine centres and European guidelines for the certification of professionals in sleep medicine, aimed at creating standards of practice in European sleep medicine. It is also part of a broader action plan of the European Sleep Research Society, including the process of accreditation of sleep medicine centres and certification of sleep medicine experts, as well as publishing the Catalogue of Knowledge and Skills for sleep medicine experts (physicians, non-medical health care providers, nurses and technologists), which will be a basis for the development of relevant educational curricula. In the current paper, the standard operational procedures sleep medicine centres regarding the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients evaluated at sleep medicine centres, accredited according to the European Guidelines, are based primarily on prevailing evidence-based medicine principles. In addition, parts of the standard operational procedures are based on a formalized consensus procedure applied by a group of Sleep Medicine Experts from the European National Sleep Societies. The final recommendations for standard operational procedures are categorized either as 'standard practice', 'procedure that could be useful', 'procedure that is not useful' or 'procedure with insufficient information available'. Standard operational procedures described here include both subjective and objective testing, as well as recommendations for follow-up visits and for ensuring patients' safety in sleep medicine. The overall goal of the actual standard operational procedures is to further develop excellence in the practice and quality assurance of sleep medicine in Europe. © 2011 European Sleep Research Society

We investigated the origin of galanin-positive nerve fibers on motor endplates in rat esophagus using anterograde 1,1'-dioleyl-3,3,3', 3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine methane sulfonate (DiI) tracing from the nucleus ambiguus combined with galanin immunocytochemistry and calcitonin gene-related peptide immunocytochemistry. To demonstrate spatial relationships of galanin-positive nerve fibers to vagal and enteric nerve fibers on motor endplates, we combined galanin immunocytochemistry with calcitonin gene-related peptide immunostaining for labeling of vagal terminals, and vasoactive intestinal peptide immunoreactivity and NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry for demonstration of enteric nerve fibers. Within fine varicose nerve fibers, galanin was colocalized with vasoactive intestinal peptide and NADPH-diaphorase to a high degree and turned out to be completely separated from calcitonin gene-related peptide-positive or anterogradely DiI-labeled vagal motor terminals. These results indicate that the enteric nervous system is the most important and possibly the only source of galanin-positive nerve terminals on motor endplates in rat esophagus. Galanin may be, in addition to nitric oxide and vasoactive intestinal peptide, a mediator of the enteric coinnervation of striated muscle in this organ.