Paracrine Exchanges of Molecular Signals between Alginate-Encapsulated Pericytes and Freely Suspended Endothelial Cells within a 3D Protein Gel Scientists developed a system for sustained and regulated delivery of paracrine signals by encapsulating living cells of one type in alginate beads and co-suspending these cell-loaded particles along with unencapsulated cells of a second type within a 3D protein gel. This system was applied to vascular tissue engineering by placing human placental microvascular pericytes in the particulate alginate phase and human umbilical vein endothelial cells in the protein gel phase. [Biomaterials] Abstract The Role of Shear-Induced Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling in the Endothelium Human umbilical vein endothelial cells exposed to shear stress were compared with cells grown under static conditions. Signaling through the transforming growth factor-β receptor ALK5 was inhibited with SB525334. Cells were examined for morphological changes and harvested for real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, apoptosis, proliferation, and immunocytochemistry. [Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol] Abstract Therapeutic Effect of Transplanted Human Wharton’s Jelly Stem Cell-Derived Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells (hWJ-MSC-derived OPCs) in an Animal Model of Multiple Sclerosis Scientists transplanted human Wharton’s jelly stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells into the brain ventricles of mice induced with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, the animal model of multiple sclerosis. [Mol Neurobiol] Abstract The Clinical Relevance of Pre-Formed Anti-HLA and Anti- Major-Histocompatibility-Complex Class I–Related Chain A Antigens Antibodies after Cord Blood Transplantation in Children Investigators explored the role of anti-HLA antibodies on clinical outcomes in 70 pediatric patients who received a single unit of HLA mismatch cord blood for hematologic malignancies, immunodeficiencies or metabolic diseases. [PLoS One] Full Article Transplantation of Human Cord Blood Mononuclear Cells and Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Autism Stem cell transplantation may offer a unique treatment strategy for autism due to immune and neural dysregulation observed in this disease. This non-randomized, open-label, single center Phase I/II trial investigated the safety and efficacy of combined transplantation of human cord blood mononuclear cells and umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells in treating children with autism. [J Transl Med] Abstract | Full Article Isolation of c-Kit+ Human Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells from Second Trimester Amniotic fluid-derived stem (AFS) cells have been described as an appealing source of stem cells because of their fetal, non-embryonic origin, easy access during pregnancy overcoming the ethical issues related both to the use of human embryonic cells and to the postnatal tissue biopsy with donor site morbidity, and their undemanding ability to be expanded. The authors and others have demonstrated the broad differentiation potential and they describe the established protocol they developed to obtain c-Kit+ human AFS cells, starting from second trimester amniocentesis samples. [Meth Mol Biol] Abstract |