Significant telomere attrition, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and oncogene expression are among the factors that contribute to the onset of senescence, a cell state associated with cell cycle arrest and a range of phenotypic alterations that impact normal cell function.¹ Given the factors known to induce senescence, many have postulated this mechanism as a protective strategy against malignant transformation. The induction of senescence in stem cells reduces their self‐renewal and differentiation capacity and significantly affects their normal function and may impact their therapeutic potential. Indeed, the senescence of stem cells of the hematopoietic system, muscle, brain, skin, and germline during normal aging has been linked to stem cell aging and exhaustion, the loss of stem cell function, and a decline in tissue and organ function.² The loss of stemness and proliferative capacity during the ex vivo expansion of stem cells in suboptimal conditions could derive from the induction of senescence‐associated pathways; therefore, strategies that interfere with the onset of senescence may extend the therapeutic potential of stem cells undergoing long‐term in vitro culture. In our first Featured Article published this month in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, Li et al report how the coinhibition of two signaling pathways during the in vitro expansion of umbilical cord blood‐derived CD34‐positive cells maintains the stemness of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by inhibiting senescence‐associated mechanisms.³ In a Related article published recently in STEM CELLS, Korski et al established how hypoxia boosted the expansion potential and inhibited senescence during the culture of human c‐Kit‐expressing cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) derived from heart failure patients.⁴

Urinary incontinence, defined as the involuntary loss of urine entailing a social or hygienic problem, represents a common ailment in both males and females. Benign prostatic hyperplasia surgery and radical prostatectomy can prompt the onset of urinary incontinence in male patients.⁵ Female stress urinary incontinence, which involves the involuntary leakage of urine during events that result in increased abdominal pressure in the absence of a bladder contraction, also represents a prevalent condition in the female population that impairs quality of life and has a significant socioeconomic impact.⁶ Traditional therapeutic options, including pelvic floor rehabilitation, bulking agents, slings, and artificial urinary sphincters, have varying levels of success and are generally accompanied by complications such as high costs and a lack of long‐term efficacy. Advanced strategies such as three‐dimensional bioprinted muscle or tissue engineering require further development to gain therapeutic relevance; however, stem cell therapies currently have the potential to overcome many of the problems associated with more conventional urinary incontinence treatments.⁷ In our second Featured Article published this month in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, Garcia‐Arranz et al report on two prospective, nonrandomized phase I/II clinical trials that evaluated the safety and feasibility of autologous adipose mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation in male and female patients suffering from urinary incontinence.⁸ In a Related article published recently in STEM CELLS, Yiou et al provided evidence that adipose MSCs can promote the reversal of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction associated with radical prostatectomy by secreting paracrine factors and stimulating the host secretome.⁹

端粒的严重磨损，DNA损伤，氧化应激和癌基因表达是导致衰老，与细胞周期停滞有关的细胞状态以及影响正常细胞功能的一系列表型改变的因素。^1个考虑到已知的诱发衰老的因素，许多人将这一机制假定为对抗恶性转化的一种保护策略。干细胞中的衰老诱导会降低其自我更新和分化能力，并显着影响其正常功能并可能影响其治疗潜力。实际上，在正常衰老过程中，造血系统，肌肉，大脑，皮肤和种系的干细胞衰老与干细胞衰老和衰竭，干细胞功能丧失以及组织和器官功能下降有关。²在次佳条件下，干细胞在体外扩增过程中干细胞和增殖能力的丧失可能源于衰老相关途径的诱导。因此，干扰衰老发作的策略可能会扩展经过长期体外培养的干细胞的治疗潜力。在本月发表于《STEM CELLS Translational Medicine》上的第一篇精选文章中，Li等人报道了脐血来源的CD34阳性细胞体外扩增过程中两种信号通路的共抑制作用如何维持造血干细胞（HSC）的干性。通过抑制衰老相关的机制。³在最近发表于STEM CELLS的相关文章中，Korski等人确定了在培养源自心力衰竭患者的表达c-Kit的心脏祖细胞（CPC）的过程中，低氧如何增强扩增潜力并抑制衰老。⁴

尿失禁被定义为导致社会或卫生问题的非自愿性尿液流失，是男性和女性的常见病。良性前列腺增生手术和根治性前列腺切除术可促使男性患者发生尿失禁。⁵女性压力性尿失禁，包括在无膀胱收缩的情况下导致腹部压力升高的事件中尿液的不自主渗漏，也代表着女性人群中普遍存在的状况，损害了生活质量并产生了重大的社会经济影响。⁶传统的治疗选择，包括骨盆底修复术，填充剂，吊索和人工尿道括约肌，取得了不同程度的成功，并且通常伴随着并发症，例如成本高和缺乏长期疗效。三维生物打印的肌肉或组织工程等高级策略需要进一步开发才能获得治疗意义。然而，干细胞疗法目前具有克服与更常规的尿失禁疗法相关的许多问题的潜力。⁷在本月发表于《STEM细胞转化医学》上的第二篇精选文章中，Garcia-Arranz等人报告了两项前瞻性，非随机I / II期临床试验，评估了自体脂肪间充质干细胞（MSC）移植在患有尿失禁的男性和女性患者中的安全性和可行性。⁸在最近发表于STEM CELLS的相关文章中，Yiou等提供了证据，表明脂肪间充质干细胞可以通过分泌旁分泌因子并刺激宿主分泌组来促进与根治性前列腺切除术相关的尿失禁和勃起功能障碍。⁹