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Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells transplantation in patients with refractory RA

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Abstract

This study aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells transplantation (MSCT) in refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Four patients with persistently active RA underwent MSCT. The outcome was evaluated by changes in the visual analog scale (VAS 100 mm) pain score, C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and 28-joint disease activity score (DAS-28). Three of four patients received a reduction in ESR, DAS-28, and pain VAS score at 1 and 6 months after transplantation. Two of the three had a European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) moderate response at 6 months but experienced a relapse at 7 and 23 months, respectively. Two patients had no EULAR response to MSCT. No one had achieved the DAS-28-defined remission in the follow-up period. No serious adverse events were reported. Allogeneic MSCT is a safe treatment in severe and resistant RA, but the effectiveness needs to be clarified.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from Jiangsu Province KeJiao Xin Wei Program, Jiangsu Province Natural Science Foundation (BK2009034), Nanjing Health Bureau Young Scientists Launching Project (QYK09174), Jiangsu Province Health Research Program (LW201009), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81072473).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Drum Tower Clinical Medical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210029, People’s Republic of China

    Jun Liang & Lingyun Sun

  2. Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, 321 Zhongshan Road Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210008, People’s Republic of China

    Jun Liang, Xia Li, Huayong Zhang, Dandan Wang, Xuebing Feng, Hong Wang, Bingzhu Hua, Bujun Liu & Lingyun Sun

Authors
  1. Jun Liang
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  2. Xia Li
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  3. Huayong Zhang
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  4. Dandan Wang
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  5. Xuebing Feng
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  6. Hong Wang
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  7. Bingzhu Hua
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  8. Bujun Liu
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  9. Lingyun Sun
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lingyun Sun.

Additional information

Jun Liang and Xia Li contributed equally to this work.

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Liang, J., Li, X., Zhang, H. et al. Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells transplantation in patients with refractory RA. Clin Rheumatol 31, 157–161 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-011-1816-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-011-1816-0

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