Abstract:We treated 2 patients with progressive, refractory scleroderma with a combined immunotherapy approach using plasmapheresis followed by rituximab and then intravenous umbilical-cord-derived allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Both patients improved subjectively and objectively for over a year. Upon recurrence of their symptoms, the patients were treated again with allogeneic MSCs alone with a very good response. The combination was well tolerated and effective suggesting a large scale study may be warranted in progressive, refractory Scleroderma.
Liver cirrhosis represents a state of end-stage failure that is usually fatal. The condition results in liver dysfunction, recurrent ascites, encephalopathy, renal failure, splenomegaly, bleeding, and a poor quality of life in general. With the current severe shortage of donated organs, the only available treatment in the developing countries remains palliative care. We report a case of congenital metabolic liver cirrhosis due to glycogen storage disease diagnosed at age eight. The patient, a male, received bone marrow derived mononuclear cells (BMMC) at age 16 and again at age 17 with significant improvement of his biochemical liver function tests, ascites build-up, asthenia, splenomegaly and quality of life. Furthermore, liver biopsies showed clear reduction of the inflammation and fibrosis from Ishak score dropped from 3 to 1 paralleling the symptomatic improvement of the patient.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.