Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A Phase I/II, Randomized Pilot Study of the Comparative Safety and Efficacy of Transendocardial Injection of Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells Versus Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients With Non-ischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy.
Brief Summary: The technique of transplanting progenitor cells into a region of damaged myocardium, termed cellular cardiomyoplasty1, is a potentially new therapeutic modality designed to replace or repair necrotic, scarred, or dysfunctional myocardium2-4. Ideally, graft cells should be readily available, easy to culture to ensure adequate quantities for transplantation, and able to survive in host myocardium; often a hostile environment of limited blood supply and immunorejection. Whether effective cellular regenerative strategies require that administered cells differentiate into adult cardiomyocytes and couple electromechanically with the surrounding myocardium is increasingly controversial and recent evidence suggests that this may not be required for effective cardiac repair. Most importantly, transplantation of graft cells should improve cardiac function and prevent adverse ventricular remodeling. To date, a number of candidate cells have been transplanted in experimental models, including fetal and neonatal cardiomyocytes5, embryonic stem cell-derived myocytes6, 7, tissue engineered contractile grafts8, skeletal myoblasts9, several cell types derived from adult bone marrow10-15, and cardiac precursors residing within the heart itself16. There has been substantial clinical development in the use of whole bone marrow and skeletal myoblast preparations in studies enrolling both post-infarction patients, and patients with chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure. The effects of bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have also been studied clinically.

Currently, bone marrow or bone marrow-derived cells represent highly promising modality for cardiac repair. The totality of evidence from trials investigating autologous whole bone marrow infusions into patients following myocardial infarction supports the safety of this approach. In terms of efficacy, increases in ejection fraction are reported in the majority of the trials.

Non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy is a common and problematic condition; definitive therapy in the form of heart transplantation is available to only a tiny minority of eligible patients. Cellular cardiomyoplasty for chronic heart failure has been studied less than for acute MI, but represents a potentially important alternative for this disease.


Options:
A: Major Inclusion Criteria:

* Be ≥ 18 and \< 95 years of age.
* Provide written informed consent.
* Diagnosis of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.
* Be a candidate for cardiac catheterization within 5 to 10 weeks of screening.
* Been treated with appropriate maximal medical therapy for heart failure.
* Ejection fraction below 40% and either a left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) \> 5.9cm in male subjects, an LVEDD of \> 5.6cm in female subjects or left ventricular end diastolic volume index \> 125 mL/m2
* Be able to undergo an MRI or CT.

Major Exclusion Criteria:

* Baseline glomerular filtration rate equal or \< 45 ml/min/1.73m2.
* Be eligible for or require standard-of-care surgical or percutaneous intervention for the treatment of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.
* Presence of a prosthetic aortic valve or heart constrictive device.
* Presence of a prosthetic mitral valve.
* Previous myocardial infarction (MI) as documented by a clinical history that will include an elevation of cardiac enzymes and/or ECG changes consistent with MI.
* Diagnosis of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy due to valvular dysfunction, mitral regurgitation, tachycardia, or myocarditis.
* Previous treatment for post-infarction left ventricular dysfunction including PCI and thrombolytic therapy.
* Documented presence of a known LV thrombus, aortic dissection, or aortic aneurysm.
* Documented presence of epicardial stenosis of 70% or greater in one or more major epicardial coronary arteries.
* Documented presence of aortic stenosis (aortic stenosis graded as 1.5cm2 or less).
* Documented presence of moderate to severe aortic insufficiency (echocardiographic assessment of aortic insufficiency graded as ≥+2).
* Evidence of a life-threatening arrhythmia in the absence of a defibrillator (nonsustained ventricular tachycardia ≥ 20 consecutive beats or complete second or third degree heart block in the absence of a functioning pacemaker) or QTc interval \> 550 ms on screening ECG.
* AICD firing in the past 30 days prior to the procedure
* Be eligible for or require coronary artery revascularization.
* Diabetic with poorly controlled blood glucose levels and/or evidence of proliferative retinopathy.
* Have a hematologic abnormality as evidenced by hematocrit \< 25%, white blood cell \< 2,500/ul or platelet values \< 100,000/ul without another explanation.
* Have liver dysfunction, as evidenced by enzymes (ALT and AST) greater than three times the ULN.
* Have a coagulopathy condition = (INR \> 1.3) not due to a reversible cause.
* Known, serious radiographic contrast allergy.
* Known allergies to penicillin or streptomycin.
* Organ transplant recipient.
* Have a history of organ or cell transplant rejection
* Clinical history of malignancy within 5 years (i.e., patients with prior malignancy must be disease free for 5 years), except curatively-treated basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or cervical carcinoma.
* Non-cardiac condition that limits lifespan to \< 1 year.
* On chronic therapy with immunosuppressant medication.
* Serum positive for HIV, hepatitis BsAg, or viremic hepatitis C.
* Female patient who is pregnant, nursing, or of child-bearing potential and not using effective birth control.
* Have a history of drug or alcohol abuse within the past 24 months.
* Be currently participating (or participated within the previous 30 days) in an investigational therapeutic or device trial.
B: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Informed consent.
2. Patients are required to meet the following inclusion criteria:

Any patient that has undergone allogeneic stem cell transplantation with steroid refractory grades II-IV acute GvHD either occurring post transplant, or induced by donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) or T-cell add back, or chronic steroid refractory GVHD in acute phase. Patients may be receiving local best treatment for steroid refractory GVHD. A positive biopsy for GvHD is not required if clinical signs and symptoms are characteristic for GvHD and other etiologies are excluded. See 6.4 for acute GvHD grading.

1. Steroids have been given, for instance methylprednisolone 2 mg/kg/day, for at least 72h in case of progressive acute GvHD, 5 days in case of stable acute GVHD (grade II to IV) or chronic GvHD in active phase, according to the local policy.
2. Despite this treatment, the patient has unresponsive GvHD after 5 days, or progressive acute GvHD after 72 hours. If single organ acute GvHD grade II from gut or liver, either progression from single organ or addition of one or two more organs. As an example, if the patient has grade II acute GvHD of the skin, GvHD is more intense and more widespread, or GvHD also includes liver and/or gut.
3. Patients with steroid refractory GvHD fulfilling the requirements mentioned in a) - b) may be treated with second line therapy according to the clinical guidelines at each center prior to enrolment in this study.
4. Patients under treatment with best available local treatment for steroid resistant GVHD will not interrupt the ongoing treatment unless clinically required for safety reasons.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Inability to obtain informed consent.
2. Patients with documented uncontrolled EBV, CMV or fungal infection.
3. Patients in poor clinical conditions with life expectancy of less than 30 days.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction secondary to MI.
* Be a candidate for cardiac catheterization.
* Been treated with appropriate maximal medical therapy for heart failure or post-infarction left ventricular dysfunction.
* Ejection fraction between 20% and 50%.
* Able to perform a metabolic stress test.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Baseline glomerular filtration rate \<50 ml/min/1.73m2.
* Presence of a mechanical aortic valve or heart constrictive device.
* Documented presence of aortic stenosis (aortic stenosis graded as ≥+2 equivalent to an orifice area of 1.5cm2 or less).
* Documented presence of moderate to severe aortic insufficiency (echocardio- graphic assessment of aortic insufficiency graded as ≥+2).
* Evidence of a life-threatening arrhythmia (nonsustained ventricular tachycardia ≥20 consecutive beats or complete heart block) or QTc interval \>550 ms on screening ECG. In addition; patients with sustained or a short run of ventricular tachycardia on ECG or 48 hour Ambulatory ECG during the screening period will be removed from the protocol.
* Documented unstable angina.
* AICD firing in the past 60 days prior to the procedure.
* Be eligible for or require coronary artery revascularization.
* Have a hematologic abnormality as evidenced by hematocrit \< 25%, white blood cell \< 2,500/ul or platelet values \< 100,000/ul without another explanation.
* Have liver dysfunction, as evidenced by enzymes (ALT and AST) greater than three times the ULN.
* Have a coagulopathy condition = (INR \> 1.3) not due to a reversible cause.
* Known, serious radiographic contrast allergy.
* Known allergies to penicillin or streptomycin.
* Organ transplant recipient.
* Clinical history of malignancy within 5 years (i.e., patients with prior malignancy must be disease free for 5 years), except curatively-treated basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or cervical carcinoma.
* Non-cardiac condition that limits lifespan to \< 1 year.
* On chronic therapy with immunosuppressant medication.
* Serum positive for HIV, hepatitis BsAg, or hepatitis C.
* Female patient who is pregnant, nursing, or of child-bearing potential and not using effective birth control.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients with hematological malignancies who had been undergone an allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplant and diagnosed with GVHD refractory to a usual treatment.
* Adequate cardiac function with no evidence of uncontrolled high blood pressure,congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to the process.
* Adequate pulmonary function with no evidence of chronic obstructive or severe restrictive pulmonary disease.
* Patients with ages between 18 and 65 years.
* Signature of informed consent form is required to be done by patient and donor.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients whose hematopathology has not been controlled by the transplant or is in progress.
* Patients with bacterial, viral or fungal infection not being controlled with the adequate treatment.
* Patients with an inadequate cardiac or pulmonary function.
* Patients who, in the investigator´s point of view, are not in situation to tolerate the treatment.
* Patients who do not have the required donor (HLA-identical sibling donor and not HLA-identical sibling donor).
* Pregnant females or childbearing potential who are not on adequate contraceptive measures.
* Patients \<18 or \>65 years.
* Patients who do not sign the informed consent.

Answer: A