Transplantation of autologous BMC into the hepatic artery improved liver function in patients with advanced cirrhosis in the first 90 days. However, larger studies are necessary to define the role of BMC therapy in cirrhotic patients. Repeated autologous BMC infusions or combination therapy with granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor might improve or sustain the treatment response.

The effects of physalin F (1), a steroid derivative purified from Physalis angulata, were investigated in models of collagen-induced arthritis in DBA/1 mice and allergic airway inflammation in BALB/c mice. Oral treatment with 1 or dexamethasone caused a marked decrease in paw edema and joint inflammation when compared to vehicle-treated arthritic mice. In contrast, treatment with 1 had no effect in mice with allergic airway inflammation caused by ovalbumin immunization, whereas dexamethasone significantly reduced the number of inflammatory cells and eosinophils in the broncoalveolar lavage fluid and in lung sections of challenged mice. To further demonstrate that 1 acts through a mechanism different from that of glucocorticoids, a nuclear translocation assay was performed of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) using COS-7 cells transfected with a plasmid encoding for a yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-GR fusion protein. Untreated or treated cells with 1 had YFP staining mainly in the cytoplasm, whereas in dexamethasone-treated cells the YFP staining was concentrated in the nuclei. It is concluded that the mechanism of the immunosuppressive activity of physalin F is distinct from that of the glucocorticoids.

Background: Arterial Hypertension (AH) is an uncertain and complex physiopathological disease with the Arterial Stiffness (AS) as one of the main cardiovascular alterations. Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) is the gold standard marker for assessment of the vascular aging and an important predictor of cardiovascular risk. Methods: Cross-sectional population-based studies, in the restricted area of Vale do Ogunjá, Salvador-Bahia. Sociodemographic data, through questionnaire and clinical data were obtained. A PWV was evaluated by applanation tonometry using the device SphygmoCor® (AtCor Medical Pty Ltd, New South Wales, Australia). Frequency and descriptive measurements of central and dispersion were obtained, and the Chi-square test to statistical analysis. Results: PWV presented a higher mean in hypertensive patients (10.0 ± 2.2 m/s). There was a higher prevalence of AS in male individuals with advanced age and presence of risk factors. The prevalence ratio of AS was 3.7 times higher in hypertensive patients (p = 0.002; 95% CI: 1.6-8.5) and 7.5 times higher in patients aged above 40-74 years (p = 0.015; 95% CI: 2.4-23.1). Conclusion: There was an important relation between AS and increased of PWV in the presence of hypertension. The relevance of this study is associated with the use of non-invasive clinical evaluation of PWV, contributing to improve morbidity and mortality in hypertensive patients.