The multipotency property of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has attained worldwide consideration because of their immense potential for immunomodulation and their therapeutic function in tissue regeneration. MSCs can migrate to tissue injury areas to contribute to immune modulation, secrete anti-inflammatory cytokines and hide themselves from the immune system. Certainly, various investigations have revealed anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, reconstruction, and wound healing potentials of MSCs in many in vitro and in vivo models. Moreover, current progresses in the field of MSCs biology have facilitated the progress of particular guidelines and quality control approaches, which eventually lead to clinical application of MSCs. In this literature, we provided a brief overview of immunoregulatory characteristics and immunosuppressive activities of MSCs. In addition, we discussed the enhancement, utilization, and therapeutic responses of MSCs in neural, liver, kidney, bone, heart diseases, and wound healing.

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Objective: To evaluate laparoscopy as a diagnostic and therapeutic method in selected cases in abdominal trauma, and its value in avoiding unnecessary laparotomies at Al-Jumhoori Teaching Hospital in Mosul, Iraq. Patients and methods: From October 2009 to October 2011, sixty hemodynamically stable patients who were admitted with abdominal trauma (48 blunt, and 12 penetrating injuries), were submitted to diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) in the operating theatre of the Emergency Department of Al-Jumhoori Teaching Hospital in Mosul. Data collected and analyzed. Results: Negative and non therapeutic laparotomies were avoided in 38 patients (63.3%), and laparoscopic intervention was done in 4 patients (17.4%). The mean hospital stay of the (DL) negative patients was 2.1 days, and for the (DL) positive patients with laparoscopic intervention was 2.4 days, while of the patients with therapeutic laparotomy was 5.7 days. All the patients were discharged with no reported complication and no deaths were reported. Conclusion: Laparoscopy can be performed safely and effectively in hemodynamically stable patients with abdominal trauma. The most important advantages are reduction of the negative and non therapeutic laparotomy rate and shortening of hospitalization.

Background and objective: Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory disease. Ocular manifestations involved with rheumatoid arthritis are keratoconjunctivitis sicca, episcleritis, scleritis, anterior and posterior uveitis, dry eyes and ulcerative keratitis. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of ocular manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis patients, find out the relation between the effects of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, biological agents and ocular complications in rheumatoid arthritis patients and explore role of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies. Methods: This is a cross-sectional clinical study of 60 rheumatoid arthritis patients who have attended Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil. A data information about symptoms of ocular manifestations and history of ocular complications before starting disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and/or biological agents were taken. Musculoskeletal examination, serum Anti-CCP antibodies test were done. Ocular examination by ophthalmologist was done. Results: This study was conducted from April to November 2015 and involved 60 patients; 55 females and five males with a mean± SD age of 46 ± 11.46 years. Thirty nine (65%) patients had ocular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis. The most frequent manifestation was dry eyes 30 (50.0%). There was no relation between severity of the rheumatoid arthritis disease and ocular manifestation (P = 0.529). There was a relationship between the Anti-CCP antibodies titer and presence of ocular manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis patients (P = 0.006). There were no curable effects of the disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, biological agents on ocular manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis patients (P = 0.787). Conclusion: Dry eye was the most common ocular manifestation, anti-CCP antibodies are a sensitive marker for ocular manifestations. Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and biological therapies provide no significant efficacy in treatment or prevent the occurrence of ocular manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis patients.