The hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells harvested directly from the bone marrow (BM) or G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood were demonstrated to play an important role in regeneration of damaged organs (1, 2). Here, we asked if the stroke- or acute heart infarct-related stress triggers mobilization of stem/progenitor-enriched CD34(+)cells from the BM into the peripheral blood, which subsequently could contribute to regeneration of damaged tissues. To address this question the peripheral blood samples were harvested from patients with ischemic stroke during the first 24 h of manifestation of symptoms and on the second and sixth day afterwards or during the first 24 h of acute cardiac pain as well as on the second and sixth day of infarct. We measured in these patients (i) percentage of circulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor-enriched CD34(+) cells in peripheral blood by employing fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) and (ii) number of hematopoietic progenitor cells for the granulocyte-monocytic colony-forming unit (CFU-GM) and erythoid burst-forming unit (BFU-E) lineages circulating in peripheral blood. We concluded that stress related to ischemic stroke or acute myocardial infarction triggers the mobilization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor-enriched CD34(+) cells from the BM into peripheral blood. These circulating stem/progenitor-enriched CD34(+) cells may contribute to the regeneration of ischemic tissues, however, this possibility requires further studies.

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Von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease along with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a unique and unusual severe complication of ventriculoatrial (VA) shunt implantation in the treatment of hydrocephalus. To the best of our knowledge, this can be the first reported case of an effective treatment with balloon pulmonary angioplasty in a patient with VHL after VA shunt placement. The patient underwent six balloon pulmonary angioplasty procedures. All invasive procedures resulted in haemodynamic and functional improvement.

There is a wide interpersonal difference to dobutamine response during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE). The aim of this study was to determine an association between GNB3 825C>T gene polymorphism, encoding the β3-subunit of G protein, and heart rate (HR), systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) response to dobutamine during DSE. The study involved 119 patients with clinical indications for DSE. Genotyping of GNB3 825C>T (rs5443) polymorphism was based on PCR-RFLP method with BseDI restriction enzyme. Significantly higher levels of both resting SBP and DBP in 825T allele carriers vs. 825CC patients were revealed. HR of 825CC vs. CT + TT subjects was slower along the test period reaching marked difference at dobutamine level 30 μg/kg/min (109 ± 20 vs. 116 ± 18 bpm, respectively, p = 0.047). SBP and DBP were markedly lower in 825CC homozygotes compared to 825T allele carriers throughout DSE. It can be concluded that GNB3 825C>T polymorphism is associated with resting SBP and DBP in Polish Caucasian patients subjected for diagnostic DSE. The polymorphism also modulate HR, SBP and DBP response during DSE.