• Sushma K Cribbs and Greg S Martin.
• Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA. skomaku@emory.edu
• Am. J. Med. Sci. 2011 Apr 1; 341 (4): 325-32.

IntroductionCritical illnesses continue to be major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recent investigations show that stem cells may be beneficial as prognostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic strategies in these syndromes. This article reviews the use of stem cells in sepsis and acute lung injury as prognostic biomarkers and also as a potential for exogenous cell-based therapy.MethodsA directed search of the medical literature was done using PubMed and OVID to evaluate topics related to pathophysiology of sepsis and acute lung injury, in addition to the characterization and utilization of stem cells in these diseases.ConclusionsStem cells have shown significant promise in the field of critical care medicine both for prognostication and treatment strategies. Although recent studies have been done to describe the mechanistic pathways of stem cells in critical illness, further investigation is necessary to fully delineate the mechanisms behind a stem cell's immunomodulatory characteristics and its ability to mobilize and engraft in tissues.

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