Cell therapy with endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) has emerged as a promising strategy to regenerate the brain after stroke. Here, we aimed to investigate if treatment with EPCs or their secreted factors could potentiate angiogenesis and neurogenesis after permanent focal cerebral ischemia in a mouse model of ischemic stroke. BALB/C male mice were subjected to distal occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, and EPCs, cell-free conditioned media (CM) obtained from EPCs, or vehicle media were administered one day after ischemia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at baseline to confirm that the lesions were similar between groups. Immunohistochemical and histological evaluation of the brain was performed to evaluate angio-neurogenesis and neurological outcome at two weeks. CM contained growth factors, such as VEGF, FGF-b and PDGF-bb. A significant increase in capillary density was noted in the peri-infarct areas of EPC- and CM-treated animals. Bielschowsky’s staining revealed a significant increase in axonal rewiring in EPC-treated animals compared with shams, but not in CM-treated mice, in close proximity with DCX-positive migrating neuroblasts. At the functional level, post-ischemia forelimb strength was significantly improved in animals receiving EPCs or CM, but not in those receiving vehicle media. In conclusion, we demonstrate for the first time that the administration of EPC-secreted factors could become a safe and effective cell-free option to be considered in future therapeutic strategies for stroke.

A one-step process for the production of nanoparticles presenting advanced magnetic properties can be achieved using vapor condensation. In this paper, we report on the fabrication of Fe particles covered by a uniform MgO epitaxial shell. MgO has a lower surface energy than Fe, which results in a core-shell crystal formation. The particles are proven to be useful as as contrast agents for magnetic resonance diagnosis and heating mediators for cancer therapy through hyperthermia. They also have potential to be used in drug delivery and magnetic-activated cell sorting.Dear Editor, Enclosed is the paper "Self-assembled Multifunctional Fe/MgO Nanospheres for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Hyperthermia" by Carlos Martínez-Boubeta et al. for your consideration as a potential contribution in the NanoMedicine. The manuscript, or any part of it, is not and will not be submitted elsewhere for publication while under consideration by Nanomedicine. All authors have seen and approved the submission of this manuscript.While a huge number of methods have been developed for the scalable synthesis and preparation of inorganic metal and semiconductor nanoparticles, only a few specialized techniques were reported for the preparation of coreshell nanoparticles. In this paper, we reported a novel and versatile technique for the preparation of injectable nanoparticle dispersions suitable to act as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. Our ferromagnetic particles * Cover LetterWe wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.The manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and that there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. We further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us.We confirm that we have given due consideration to the protection of intellectual property associated with this work and that there are no impediments to publication, including the timing of publication, with respect to intellectual property. In so doing we confirm that we have followed the regulations of our institutions concerning intellectual property.We further confirm that any aspect of the work covered in this manuscript that has involved either experimental animals or human patients has been conducted with the ethical approval of all relevant bodies and that such approvals are acknowledged within the manuscript.Signed by all authors as follows:[LIST AUTHORS, and SIGNATURES dated on June 20 th , except otherwise stated]We suggest the following as the possible reviewers of this work: Jian-Ping Wang

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, with a short survival time even after aggressive therapy. Non-invasive surrogate biomarkers of therapy response may be relevant for improving patient survival. Previous work produced such biomarkers in preclinical GBM using semi-supervised source extraction and single-slice Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI). Nevertheless, GBMs are heterogeneous and single-slice studies could prevent obtaining relevant information. The purpose of this work was to evaluate whether a multi-slice MRSI approach, acquiring consecutive grids across the tumor, is feasible for preclinical models and may produce additional insight into therapy response. Nosological images were analyzed pixel-by-pixel and a relative responding volume, the Tumor Responding Index (TRI), was defined to quantify response. Heterogeneous response levels were observed and treated animals were ascribed to three arbitrary predefined groups: high response (HR, n = 2), TRI = 68.2 ± 2.8%, intermediate response (IR, n = 6), TRI = 41.1 ± 4.2% and low response (LR, n = 2), TRI = 13.4 ± 14.3%, producing therapy response categorization which had not been fully registered in single-slice studies. Results agreed with the multi-slice approach being feasible and producing an inverse correlation between TRI and Ki67 immunostaining. Additionally, ca. 7-day oscillations of TRI were observed, suggesting that host immune system activation in response to treatment could contribute to the responding patterns detected.