The technique of stem cells or hepatocytes transplantation has recently improved in order to bridge the time before whole-organ liver transplantation. In the present study, unfractionated bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) were harvested from the tibial and femoral marrow compartments of male mice, which were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) with and without hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and then transplanted into Schistosoma mansoni-infected female mice on their 8th week post-infection. Mice were sacrificed monthly until the third month of bone marrow transplantation, serum was collected, and albumin concentration, ALT, AST, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were assayed. On the other hand, immunohistopathological and immunohistochemical changes of granuloma size and number, collagen content, and cells expressing OV-6 were detected for identification of liver fibrosis. BMSCs were shown to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells. Serum ALT, AST, and ALP were markedly reduced in the group of mice treated with BMSCs than in the untreated control group. Also, granuloma showed a marked decrease in size and number as compared to the BMSCs untreated group. Collagen content showed marked decrease after the third month of treatment with BMSCs. On the other hand, the expression of OV-6 increased detecting the presence of newly formed hepatocytes after BMSCs treatment. BMSCs with or without HGF infusion significantly enhanced hepatic regeneration in S. mansoni-induced fibrotic liver model and have pathologic and immunohistopathologic therapeutic effects. Also, this new therapeutic trend could generate new hepatocytes to improve the overall liver functions.
Alanine Transaminase/blood ; Alkaline Phosphatase/blood ; Animals ; Antigens, Differentiation/biosynthesis ; Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood ; Bone Marrow Cells/cytology ; *Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Cells, Cultured ; Collagen/metabolism ; Female ; Granuloma/parasitology/pathology ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor/pharmacology ; Hepatocytes/*cytology ; Liver/parasitology/pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis/parasitology/pathology/*therapy ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Schistosoma mansoni/pathogenicity ; Schistosomiasis mansoni/mortality/*therapy ; *Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells/cytology

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate reproduction among patients with bipolar I disorder (BP1) or schizophrenia (SZ) in Egypt. METHODS: BP1 patients (n=113) were compared with community based, demographically balanced controls (n=124) and SZ patients (n=79, DSM-IV). All participants were evaluated using structured interviews and corroborative data were obtained from relatives. Standard indices of procreation were included in multivariate analyses that incorporated key demographic variables. RESULTS: Control individuals were significantly more likely to have children than BP1 or SZ patients (controls 46.8%, BP1 15.9%, SZ 17.7%), but the BP1-SZ differences were non-significant. The average number of children for BP1 patients (0.37+/-0.9) and SZ patients (0.38+/-0.9) was significantly lower than for controls (1.04+/-1.48) (BP1 vs controls, p<0.001; SZ vs controls, p<0.001). The frequency of marriages among BP1 patients was nominally higher than the SZ group, but was significantly lower than controls (BP1: 31.9% SZ: 27.8% control: 57.3%). Even among married individuals, BP1 (but not SZ) patients were childless more often than controls (p=0.001). The marital fertility, i.e., the average number of children among patients with conjugal relationships for controls (1.8+/-1.57) was significantly higher than BP1 patients (1.14+/-1.31, p=0.02), but not significantly different from SZ patients (1.36+/-1.32, p=0.2). CONCLUSION: Selected reproductive measures are significantly and substantially reduced among Egyptian BP1 patients. The reproductive indices are similar among BP1 and SZ patients, suggesting a role for general illness related variables. Regardless of the cause/s, the impairment constitutes important, under-investigated disability.
Bipolar Disorder ; Child ; Egypt ; Fertility ; Humans ; Marriage ; Multivariate Analysis ; Reproduction ; Schizophrenia