Little is known about the migration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Some therapeutic approaches had demonstrated that MSCs were able to regenerate injured tissues when applied from different sites of application. This implies that MSCs are not only able to migrate but also that the direction of migration is controlled. Factors that are involved in the control of the migration of MSCs are widely unknown. The migratory ability of isolated MSCs was tested in different conditions. The migratory capability was examined using Boyden chamber assay in the presence or absence of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), erythropoietin, interleukin-6, stromal cell-derived factor-␤, and vascular endothelial growth factor. bFGF in particular was able to increase the migratory activity of MSCs through activation of the Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) pathway. The results were supported by analyzing the orientation of the cytoskeleton. In the presence of a bFGF gradient, the actin filaments developed a parallelized pattern that was strongly related to the gradient. Surprisingly, the influence of bFGF was not only an attraction but also routing of MSCs. The bFGF gradient experiment showed that low concentrations of bFGF lead to an attraction of the cells, whereas higher concentrations resulted in repulsion. This ambivalent effect of bFGF provides the possibility to a purposeful routing of MSCs.

In addition to their multilineage potential, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) also have a wide range of functionality. Not only can MSCs reconstruct a tissue, but they also have the ability to control or cure other cells and can reconstruct a coordinating function. The opportunity to control other cells depends on MSCs being able to secrete factors like cytokines and chemokines. Therefore, we focused on asking, Which factors can be secreted by human MSCs? To answer this question, we analyzed the secreting profile of in vitro-expanded MSCs by using cytokine arrays. The media concentrations of 44 of the 120 analyzed cytokines were significantly increased by MSCs. Conversely, concentrations of 40 cytokines given with the sera were significantly decreased. The data presented here provide an overview about a large range of factors that were secreted by MSCs under cell culture conditions. These data indicate that MSCs demonstrate all previously described functions in cellular interactions without an external stimulus. The MSCs secreted angiogenic, immunosuppressive, anti-apoptotic, and proliferation-stimulating factors.

The new FluCam regimen is effective and feasible in patients with relapsed and refractory B-CLL.

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Background From the perspective of health care professionals, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) brings many challenges as well as opportunities for digital health care. One challenge is that health care professionals are at high risk of infection themselves. Therefore, in-person visits need to be reduced to an absolute minimum. Connected care solutions, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and secure communications between clinicians and their patients, may rapidly become the first choice in such public health emergencies. Objective The aim of the COVID-19 Caregiver Cockpit (C19CC) was to implement a free-of-charge, web- and app-based tool for patient assessment to assist health care professionals working in the COVID-19 environment. Methods Physicians in Argentina, Germany, Iran, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United States explained their challenges with COVID-19 patient care through unstructured interviews. Based on the collected feedback, the first version of the C19CC was built. In the second round of interviews, the application was presented to physicians, and more feedback was obtained. Results Physicians identified a number of different scenarios where telemedicine or connected care solutions could rapidly improve patient care. These scenarios included outpatient care, discharge management, remote tracking of patients with chronic diseases, as well as incorporating infected physicians under quarantine into telehealth services. Conclusions The C19CC is the result of an agile and iterative development process that complements the work of physicians. It aims to improve the care and safety of people who are infected by COVID-19.