Background We recently demonstrated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that intramyocardial bone marrow cell (BMC) injection is associated with improvements in myocardial ...perfusion and anginal symptoms in chronic myocardial ischemia patients. In the present study the results of the crossover phase of this trial, in which patients previously treated with placebo received autologous BMC injections are reported. This allows a unique intra-patient comparison on the effect of BMC versus placebo injection with elimination of patient-related confounding factors. Methods In 16 patients (14 male, 64 ± 10 years), who previously received intramyocardial placebo injections in the setting of a randomized trial, 100 × 106 BMC were injected using the NOGA-system. Canadian Cardiovascular Society angina score and quality of life were evaluated at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Tc-99m single photon emission computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were performed at baseline and 3 months to assess myocardial perfusion and left ventricular (LV) function. Results Canadian Cardiovascular Society score and quality of life improved significantly after BMC injection as compared to placebo ( P = 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively). Single photon emission computed tomography revealed a significant greater improvement ( P = 0.03) in summed stress score after BMC injection as compared to placebo. LV end-systolic volume significantly decreased after BMC injection but not after placebo injection. LV end-diastolic volume and LV ejection fraction did not change. Conclusion Intramyocardial BMC injection in patients with chronic myocardial ischemia who previously received intramyocardial placebo treatment resulted in significant improvement in angina symptoms and myocardial perfusion. These results confirm the outcome of our previously reported randomized trial.
•We demonstrate the presence of rabies virus in Qatar•In Qatar, many street dogs and cats are susceptible to rabies virus•Migrant workers in remote settings are mainly at risk of acquiring rabies ...virus infection•We showed that two human rabies virus cases were imported from Nepal to Qatar
Identifying the origin of the rabies virus (RABV) infection may have significant implications for control measures. Here, we identified the source of a RABV infection of two Nepalese migrants in Qatar by comparing their RABV genomes with RABV genomes isolated from the brains of a RABV infected camel and fox from Qatar.
Rabies virus (RABV) has a broad host range and infects multiple cell types throughout the infection cycle. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and minor variant analysis are powerful tools for studying ...virus populations within specific hosts and tissues, leading to novel insights into the mechanisms of host-switching and key factors for infecting specific cell types. In this study we investigated RABV populations and minor variants in both original (non-passaged) samples and in vitro-passaged isolates of various CNS regions (hippocampus, medulla oblongata and spinal cord) of a fatal human rabies case, and of multiple CNS and non-CNS tissues of experimentally infected mice. No differences in virus populations were detected between the human CNS regions, and only one non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was detected in the fifth in vitro passage of virus isolated from the spinal cord. However, the appearance of this SNP shows the importance of sequencing newly passaged virus stocks before further use. Similarly, we did not detect apparent differences in virus populations isolated from different CNS and non-CNS tissues of experimentally infected mice. Sequencing of viruses obtained from pharyngeal swab and salivary gland proved difficult, and we propose methods for improving sampling.
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