This article has been retracted at the authors' request.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Niemann Pick A disease causes a progressive accumulation of sphyngomyelin in several organs and the survival of the patients is usually limited to three years. We describe the outcome of a patient suffering from Niemann Pick A disease, who first underwent an haploidentical bone marrow transplantation, and then intrathecal and I.V injections of mesenchymal cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: While the outcome of bone marrow transplantation was a complete failure, one month after the treatment with the mesenchymal cells the patient improved from the psychomotor and the parenchymal storage perspective. When hypersplenism was solved platelets rose quickly from 20,000 to 120,000/microliter. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore cellular therapy should be considered as a possible choice of treatment of NPA disease.
Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Humans ; Hypersplenism ; Niemann-Pick Diseases* ; Stem Cells*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: SMA1 is a genetic disease that leads to a progressive apoptosis of the second motoneuron and then to a complete paralysis. There are reports of efficacy of mesenchymal cells in the treatment of other neurological diseases; therefore we decided to treat some children with these cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four children suffering from SMA1 were treated by means of intrathecal injections of mesenchymal cells. All patients improved their motility after three weeks. The effect was relevant at the distal muscles, while the proximal ones were less affected. The treatment was repeated once a month for 3~8 months as the effect of the treatment lasted not more than 30 days. One patient who withdrew the treatment died after 45 days. Another patient resulted completely paralysed after two months after quitting the cell therapy but he regained the skills after a new injection. Two patients are stable after the first improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Intrathecal injections of mesenchymal cells improve the motility of children suffering from SMA1. We argue that an early treatment, before the onset of irreversible neurological damages, could result in the cure of this disease.
Apoptosis ; Atrophy ; Child ; Humans ; Injections, Spinal ; Muscles ; Paralysis ; Stem Cells ; Stress, Psychological ; Tissue Therapy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Spinal cord injury is a common neurological problem secondary to car accidents, war injuries and other causes, it may lead to varying degrees of neurological disablement, and apart from physiotherapy there is no available treatment to regain neurological function loss. Our aim is to find a new method using autologous hematopoietic stem cells to gain some of the neurologic functions lost after spinal cord injury. METHODS AND RESULTS: 277 patients suffering from spinal cord injury were submitted to an intrathecally treatment with peripheral stem cells. The cells were harvested from the peripheral blood after a treatment with G-CSF and then concentrated to 4~6 ml. 43% of the patients improved; ASIA score shifted from A to B in 88 and from A to C in 32. The best results were achieved in patients treated within one year from the injury. CONCLUSIONS: Since mesenchymal cells increase in the peripheral blood after G-CSF stimulation, a peripheral blood harvest seems easier and cheaper than mesenchymal cell cultivation prior to injection. It seems reasonable treatment for spinal cord injury.
Asia ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Humans ; Iraq ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Stem Cells ; Stress, Psychological