StemCell Therapy

Dealing with arthritis and how that can lead to joint replacements was the topic of the Talking Health radio interview on News Radio 1240 KQEN last week.

Talk show host Lisa Platt interviewed Candice Spence, a registered nurse at New Strides Joint Center, Dr. Cary Sanders, an orthopedic surgeon at Centennial Orthopedics, and Melissa Russell, a physical therapist at Mercy Medical Center.

The following is an edited version of the interview.

Lisa: Candice, what is arthritis?

Candice: Arthritis is not really a single disease or a single diagnosis. Its rather a symptom of a joint disease causing pain, stiffness, swelling and often times decreased range and mobility.

Lisa: What are the most common types of arthritis?

Candice: There are over a hundred types, and the most common being osteoarthritis, which is a degenerative disease causing the cartilage between the joints to wear away.

Lisa: How does someone know if they have arthritis? Are there some symptoms?

Candice: Theres pain, stiffness, swelling and decreased mobility, but you really need to have it diagnosed by a physician. You might possibly need some lab work, blood draw or imaging studies.

It is more prevalent in women than men, middle-aged with progression of the aches and pains with age.

Lisa: What are some of the options to treat arthritis?

Candice: Some of the options are anti-inflamatories, lots of low-impact exercising like walking, cycling, waterobics, and just keep that joint moving and strengthen the muscles surrounding the joint, injections provided by orthopedic surgeons, and hot and cold compresses. When all else fails there are assisted devices such as walkers, canes, crutches.

Cary: I think finding a non-operative, non-surgical treatment is a real important part because surgery is always a last resort, and I think there is a lot of value to putting that off as long as you can.

The injections are basically two types. One is a corticosteroid medication. They are powerful anti-inflamatory medications that we inject right into the knee, and they basically just cool everything down and make things feel better. Its not a permanent solution to the knee, but very often they can last a few months and several months in some cases, but theyre really good at quieting down a bad flare-up.

The second kind of injection is a hyaluronic acid, which is a substrative cartilage, and is part of the surface coating of normal cartilage and its purified and injected into the knee and it acts as a lubricating mechanism where it essentially optimizes the cartilage that you have left in your knee.

If you are someone who has a little cartilage left, but not much, its going to help you more than someone who is way advanced with bone changes and with cartilage being long gone.

Lisa: Melissa, from a physical therapists standpoint is exercise important in treating arthritis?

Melissa: Exercise does play a big impact. Any time youre strengthening the muscles around the joint, getting those muscles stretched, pulling the bones apart a little, giving the joint space a little bit more room, and overall strengthening is good.

Low-impact activities, swimming, cycling, walking, are good and I tell folks to do as much as you can, as long as you are within your tolerance, and that really helps delay getting a joint replacement.

Lisa: Can you talk about some of the surgeries and the physicians available to do the surgeries?

Cary: Basically, were looking at a scope operation, which we do on occasion, in the setting of arthritis. But more often than not, if its just arthritis pain, then were talking about joint replacement. The reason total joint replacement is often selected, is that its track record is pretty tough to beat. When you look at it and compare it to other lesser, like the scope, or other non-surgical treatments, it really beats all of them pretty easily.

As a surgeon, I try to let the patient be in the drivers seat. I feel my job is to inform them of what their options are and talk about the risks and benefits of each, and let them decide what feels right for them.

Its always important to remember that not everybody is a candidate for total joint replacement. Some peoples health is just too poor for this operation.

Lisa: Lets talk about the new program at Mercy, for patients who might need a joint replacement.

Candice: We use the Marshal Steele program, but we call it New Strides. It starts in the surgeons office where they optimize the patient, and between the two of them theyve decided to have this elective joint replacement done. Then they do a pre-op class where they get all the education they need as far as what to expect during their stay at the hospital and what we expect for them with recovery, physical therapy, in-patient and out-patient. We do home environment screening so we assess the home and make sure they have proper equipment.

Once they decide, yes this is what they want to do and they go through that class, theyre scheduled for surgery.

Lisa: Melissa, can you tell us how physical therapy plays a big role in this program?

Melissa: Some folks will have outpatient therapy, kind of preparing them for surgery and getting folks stronger. We get them educated on setting up their home for success and preparing their bodies for success. We encourage them to do the pre-op exercises to get the muscles around the joint stronger, and to learn those exercises theyll be doing after surgery.

So after surgery, we implement the same things that we tell them in the pre-op. We get folks up the day of surgery; its not uncommon for folks to be walking in the hall working on getting a nice normal walking pattern again. Were teaching them exercises and stretches to do with their hips and knees so after they have their surgery, we see them twice a day in group sessions. They also see occupational therapy to work on self-care tasks.

With all the focus on identifying what we can improve and we making those improvements, that really has decreased our length of stay from three to five days; now its one to two days. So with this group therapy, its an early mobility, rapid recovery program, and putting all these pieces together is beneficial as a recovery process to the patient.

Link:
Arthritis can lead to joint replacement - NRToday.com

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Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has announced that Xeljanz, also called tofacitinib citrate - a new twice daily oral tablet to reduce inflammation in adults with rheumatoid arthritis, has been granted a license for UK use.

It can also be used as a therapy in case of intolerance to methotrexate or when treatment with methotrexate is inappropriate.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious and disabling autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue.

It affects more than 690,000 people in the UK, of which over 500,000 are women and around three-quarters are of working age.

People with rheumatoid arthritis experience a range of symptoms, including pain and swelling in the joints, tiredness and depression which can affect their daily lives, from their ability to do basic everyday tasks like buttoning a shirt,to the possibility of having to stop work as a result of their condition.

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The prognosis for people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis has been completely transfor

Alisa Bosworth

Though different treatments are available, there are still some people who may not respond to existing therapies or are intolerant to them.

Tofacitinib citrate belongs to a new class of medications known as JAK inhibitors.

JAK inhibitors directly target the signalling pathway which contributes to the inflammation of joints seen in the condition.

The prognosis for people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis has been completely transformed over the past two decades, said Ailsa Bosworth, founder and chief executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.

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But not every patient responds to their treatment and people can still experience significant limitations to what they can do and achieve because of their condition so, in spite of fantastic progress in rheumatology, there remains a need for different treatments.

We therefore welcome any innovative new advances that can offer additional options, she added.

Tofacitinib citrate was the first of these types of inhibitors to be licensed for rheumatoid arthritis in the US and is currently licensed in over 50 countries.

It has been prescribed to more than 55,000 patients worldwide.

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There have been 19 clinical trials to date and Pfizer said it has collected eight years of safety data on the medicine.

Studies have demonstrated that tofacitinib citrate is an effective treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis.

The most common side-effects are upper respiratory tract infections, headaches, diarrhoea and nasopharyngitis.

Dr Berkeley Phillips, Pfizer UKs Medical Director, said: This medicine, which has a novel mode of action, has been two decades in the making.

The granting of marketing authorisation for tofacitinib citrate in Europe marks a huge step towards making this treatment available to patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the UK. Pfizer will now work with national reimbursement agencies on the review process towards the potential reimbursement of this new medicine on the NHS."

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New drug could fight symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis - including joint pain and swelling - Express.co.uk

By The Mercury March 29, 2017

Linda Graham and the sales staff at Carpet One in Manhattan.

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What if someone told you that your own body could potentially help heal a physical condition affecting your everyday life? Stem cell therapy makes this possible every day at the Kansas Regenerative Medicine Center. Located in Manhattan, KRMC is the Midwest leader in adult stem cell therapy, treating over 1,000 patients to date for orthopedics, osteoarthritis, back, neck, and spine, neurological, and some autoimmune diseases.

Stem cells are your bodys natural healing cells. These tiny cells have the potential to recognize tissue injury and repair damaged cells. Trapped inside of your own body adipose fat is an extremely rich source of these stem cells.

Through a relatively painless liposuction procedure, highly trained physicians at KRMC can harvest your stem cells from your own fat and administer them into tissues, joints, or veins. Stem cell therapy is minimally invasive, requires no general anesthesia, and can potentially serve as an alternative to major surgery.

This treatment is new and upcoming, according to Kate Farley, Director of Marketing & Business Development at KRMC.

We are on the cutting edge of this innovative technology, which will be a big part of regenerative medicine in the near future, she said.

Stem cell therapy has been in practice for decades in foreign countries. In the USA, veterinarians have been using stem cell therapy on animals for a little over 10 years and some pioneering physicians for over five years.

KRMC has been open for three years this month, and is one of the largest stem cell treatment centers in the country that focuses solely on stem cell therapy. The fact that they receive a great amount of their patients from referrals shows how successful KRMC has been. Farley has witnessed this first-hand.

Stem cell therapy is a very intricate process, so you have to do it all the time to be good at it, but thats what were doing all day every day, she said. We also strive to treat each patient like family in order for them to have the best experience possible. Any patients coming from out of town, we offer a hotel room for no extra charge, just as an added gesture, she said.

At KRMC, the physicians have treated patients aging anywhere from 15 to 95. There is never a guarantee of success, but they have experienced patient satisfaction rates, around 85%, in cases related to arthritic conditions.

Although it is still unknown as to why stem cell therapy works on some people and not on others, Farley urges people with conditions affecting their everyday routine to look into this alternative treatment.

There are no guarantees, and thats something people need to know, but there are no negative side effects, she said. We help people get back to their normal routine. It is not uncommon for patients to one day realize they just did a physical activity they hadnt done in years. It just seems like the most simple tasks, but these are things that run their life, she said.

Currently, stem cell therapy is considered patient funded research and is not covered by medical insurance yet. The cost of treatment varies depending on the condition being treated. Patients who have undergone stem cell therapy and found success will tell you that every penny is worth it.

Linda Graham, 56, is one of those patients.

For about 10 years, Graham dealt with severe arthritis pain in her joints. The progression was gradual at first, and it became noticeable when she started feeling pain in her joints while doing things she normally did.

It started affecting different parts of her life, including work. Graham has owned Carpet One Floor and Home in Manhattan for decades, and the pain in her joints started interfering with how she operated the store. Youre just not able to do the things youve been able to do, like my job, she said. We move a lot of tile and stuff, and I really couldnt do that anymore.

Even lifting and bending became difficult for her.

Before turning to KRMC, Graham had attempted several things to try to improve her condition, including several spinal block injections in her back and physical therapy.

Pretty much Id done everything that had been suggested to do for it, and none of it helped at all, she said.

Things changed around seven months ago when Grahams sister-in-law told her about someone she knew who had gone to KRMC for their shoulder and had a good response to the treatment.

Graham began researching stem cell therapy, called the center, and eventually met with Dr. Lyons. After visiting with him, she decided it sounded like something she wanted to try.

They explained everything very well to me, she said. So I understood the process and knew exactly what was going to be going on.

I was excited to try it because it was something that could be done. I couldnt have any more surgeries on my back, and I was excited to use something that could possibly make me feel better that uses my own stem cells. I wasnt hesitant because I was very comfortable with the doctors and what they had to say.

The day Graham went in for the treatment, she received a total of 32 injections in her back, neck, and left hip. One might think this would be a painful procedure, but Graham said otherwise.

It wasnt painful, she said. You know, to some people it might be, but Im used to having injections and stuff in my back.

It was just three weeks later when Graham noticed a huge difference in her back. She started being able to do simple tasks that, before the treatment, had caused unbearable pain. Getting up and down out of her chair, picking things up, putting socks on, and even simply standing would cause her pain. But not anymore.

The stem cell therapy has greatly improved Grahams quality of life, especially at Carpet One, where she usually works 60 hours a week.

I think it just made me a better person here at work when youre not constantly in pain in things that you do, she said. I dont have to take Ibuprofen and that stuff constantly. I dont take pain medication. I think it just made me an overall better person to be around.

Graham is extremely appreciative of what KRMC has done for her. She hopes others with symptoms similar to hers will look into stem cell therapy and not be afraid. Duane Hund has had a similar experience with KRMC.

In 2010, Hund, who was 54 at the time, went in to his orthopedic doctor to do a scope of his left shoulder due to constant pain. After the scope, he learned he had no cartilage left in his shoulder. With the only advice he was given being try to live with it as long as possible, Hund spent the next five years struggling with the condition. He woke up every night to stabbing, searing pain in his shoulder.

It got to the point where his wife was worried about him driving because of how little sleep he would get each night.

It was real common for me to wake up multiple times during the night because of the pain, he said.

It affected other aspects of his life as well. He was limited to what he could lift while working in the cattle business, and found himself limited to what he could do at home.

It was painful for me to change a lightbulb raising that left arm all the way up, he said. I would notice that if I had an easy day, I would wake up less often at night.

He felt like he had exhausted almost every single one of his options, from physical therapy to over-the-counter drugs, and found that nothing was effective.

Then, KRMC opened.

Hund and his wife started doing research on stem cell therapy since they knew the doctors at the center that would eventually perform his procedure Lyons and Dr. Pope.

Hund reached the point where he was prepared to make serious changes. It was either the stem cell therapy or replacing his entire left shoulder.

He and his wife eventually took Hunds X-rays to the center. Lyons and Pope looked at them and told Hund they were 85% sure they could help him. After they thoroughly described the process, Hund felt very comfortable.

It made me feel like these guys are experts, he said.

After that, any hesitation regarding the treatment was gone.

Something had to change with my sleeping problem, he said. If the stem cell therapy didnt work, I knew what the alternative was.

Hund ended up going in for treatment in July of 2015. He still recalls that day very well, remembering lying down on the table where Dr. Pope gave him the practically painless stem cell injection.

The days that followed brought no change. That is, until about six weeks later, when Hund woke up one morning realizing he had not woken up a single time during the night.

The first time I slept through the night, it was like did that really happen? he said.

Since that night, he said it continued to get better as time went on. He now sleeps through the night, and can continue to live his everyday routine with minimum restriction.

As a side note, Hund mentioned that, in addition to the treatments aimed at improving his shoulder, the stem cell treatment also rid him of some symptoms associated with the early stages of P a r k i n s o n s . KRMC noted that this type of positive side effect is not uncommon. Hund is extremely grateful that his treatment from KRMC has allowed him to continue to live out his active lifestyle.

Hund and his wife Diane of 36 years both work on a farm that has been in Hunds family for five generations since 1872.

I can continue to do what I love to do in the cattle business, he said. My wife and I would have had to quit if the pain kept up.

In addition to their farm, the Hunds also have kids and grandkids. Because of the stem cell therapy, he can now physically pick up his grandkids, something he was unable to do before.

I can be a better grandpa and a better husband, and still do the things I love to do, he said. Its been a wonderful opportunity. It doesnt work for everyone, but Ive had great success with it. I thank the Lord for that every day.

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Innovative technology gives patients new beginnnings - Manhattan Mercury (subscription)

As a former NFL player, ESPNS Mike Golic is used to talking sports news and game drama on his radio show Mike and Mike in the Morning. Now, he's discussing a more serious topic, type 2 diabetes. Since being diagnosed with the disease 12 years ago, Golic has been on a mission to raise awareness and help people learn how to manage their blood sugar.

My advice to people with type 2 diabetes is get everybody involved in your life. Its not something to run from, hide from, [and] keep it a secret from everybody else. Youve been diagnosed with it, you have to deal with it, Mike Golic, now 54, told Fox News.

Golic admitted that during his time as a defensive lineman he never thought anything could be physically wrong with him other than a few bruises or tears. But in the back of his mind, he knew his father had type 2 diabetes, which raised his risk.

While it was a, Oh man there was like a Yeah, OK, my dad was right about this age when he was diagnosed, so while it was surprising it wasnt shocking, he said.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), having a parent or sibling with the disease can increase your risk. Other risk factors include being overweight, having an unhealthy diet and high blood pressure.

Growing up, Golic said his father kept his condition to himself and didnt talk about it with his family.

It was just kind of his thing to deal with, he said. But I wanted to be very proactive and involve my wife, involve my family, I have three kids [and] two boys are large football players whose grandfather had type 2 diabetes and I have type 2 diabetes, so I wanted to keep them in the loop on this and what needed to be done."

After teaming up with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Golic and his doctors came up with a game plan to keep his blood sugar levels in check. Type 2 diabetes can be treated with a variety of different medications. He turned to INVOKANA (canagliflozin), a prescription medicine his doctor recommended.

In addition to medicine, eating healthy and regularly exercising can also help manage the disease.

If left untreated, type 2 diabetes can cause serious and even deadly complications.

You can have retinopathy or eye disease, you can have kidney disease and ultimately it can lead to kidney failure and you can have neuropathy which is a disease of the nerve ending which ultimately can cause amputations, Dr. John Anderson, a board-certified Internist at Frist Clinic in Nashville, Tenn., told Fox News. Youre also a 2- to 3-fold increase risk of heart attack and stroke.

Early diagnosis should be accessible during routine exams or physicals when physicians check a patients blood sugar level. But other signs and symptoms may include thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, fatigue and weight loss, Anderson said.

We have about 89 million people in the country with prediabetes, that means their numbers are not quite in the range that youd diagnose diabetes but theyre on their way, Anderson who is a long-time volunteer for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and has served as Chair of National Advocacy said. Thats why you need to be seeing your health care professional, getting your screenings, getting your glucoses checked, being proactive.

Today, Golic gets his A1C1 test, a blood test that measures the average level of glucose in the blood,every three-to-four months and has kept his diabetes under control.

This is a situation that can have some complications in your life if you dont treat it the right way, so why not get people involved, why not start with your doctor OK this is the game plan, and then you go to the people in your family this is the game plan my doctor gave me, this is what I need to do and I need all your help to do it, Golic said.

For more information visit ICanImagine.com.

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How ESPN's radio host Mike Golic controls his type 2 diabetes - Fox News

Tools of diabetes treatment almost always include improved diet and regular exercise.

When people ask me why I, an applied mathematician, study diabetes, I tell them that I am motivated for both scientific and human reasons.

Type 2 diabetes runs in my family. My grandfather died of complications related to the condition. My mother was diagnosed with the disease when I was 10 years old, and my Aunt Zacharoula suffered from it. I myself am pre-diabetic.

As a teen, I remember being struck by the fact that my mother and her sister received different treatments from their respective doctors. My mother never took insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels; instead, she ate a limited diet and took other oral drugs. Aunt Zacharoula, on the other hand, took several injections of insulin each day.

Though they had the same heritage, the same parental DNA and the same disease, their medical trajectories diverged. My mother died in 2009 at the age of 75 and my aunt died the same year at the age of 78, but over the course of her life dealt with many more serious side effects.

When they were diagnosed back in the 1970s, there were no data to show which medicine was most effective for a specific patient population.

Today,29 million Americansare living with diabetes. And now, in an emerging era of precision medicine, things are different.

Increased access to troves of genomic information and the rising use of electronic medical records, combined with new methods of machine learning, allow researchers to process large amounts data. This is accelerating efforts to understand genetic differences within diseases including diabetes and to develop treatments for them. The scientist in me feels a powerful desire to take part.

My students and I have developed adata-driven algorithm for personalized diabetes management that we believe has the potential to improve the health of the millions of Americans living with the illness.

It works like this: The algorithm mines patient and drug data, finds what is most relevant to a particular patient based on his or her medical history and then makes a recommendation on whether another treatment or medicine would be more effective. Human expertise provides a critical third piece of the puzzle.

After all, it is the doctors who have the education, skills and relationships with patients who make informed judgments about potential courses of treatment.

We conducted our research through a partnership with Boston Medical Center, the largest safety net hospital in New England that provides care for people of lower income and uninsured people. And we used a data set that involved the electronic medical records from 1999 to 2014 of about 11,000 patients who were anonymous to us.

These patients had three or more glucose level tests on record, a prescription for at least one blood glucose regulation drug, and no recorded diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, whichusually begins in childhood. We also had access to each patients demographic data, as well their height, weight, body mass index, and prescription drug history.

Next, we developed an algorithm to mark precisely when each line of therapy ended and the next one began, according to when the combination of drugs prescribed to the patients changed in the electronic medical record data. All told, the algorithm considered 13 possible drug regimens.

For each patient, the algorithm processed the menu of available treatment options. This included the patients current treatment, as well as the treatment of his or her 30 nearest neighbors in terms of the similarity of their demographic and medical history to predict potential effects of each drug regimen. The algorithm assumed the patient would inherit the average outcome of his or her nearest neighbors.

If the algorithm spotted substantial potential for improvement, it offered a change in treatment; if not, the algorithm suggested the patient remain on his or her existing regimen. In two-thirds of the patient sample, the algorithm did not propose a change.

The patients who did receive new treatments as a result of the algorithm sawdramatic results. When the systems suggestion was different from the standard of care, anaverage beneficial changein the hemoglobin of 0.44 percent at each doctors visit was observed, compared to historical data. This is a meaningful, medically material improvement.

Based on the success of our study, we are organizing a clinical trial with Massachusetts General Hospital. We believe our algorithm could be applicable to other diseases, including cancer, Alzheimers, and cardiovascular disease.

It is professionally satisfying and personally gratifying to work on a breakthrough project like this one. By reading a persons medical history, we are able to tailor specific treatments to specific patients and provide them with more effective therapeutic and preventive strategies. Our goal is to give everyone the greatest possible opportunity for a healthier life.

Best of all, I know my mom would be proud.

Dimitris Bertsimas, Professor of Applied Mathematics, MIT Sloan School of Management

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MIT Mathematician Develops an Algorithm to Help Treat Diabetes - Smithsonian

This is Diabetes Alert Day and Iowans are being urged to take a simple, on-line survey to determine if they might be headed down a hazardous path.

Katie Jones, program manager at the Iowa Department of Public Health, says it only takes a minute to complete the test. Jones says, This is really to see if youre at risk for a condition called prediabetes which is basically where blood glucose levels or blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be considered diabetes.

The website is: DoIHavePrediabetes.org. Jones says about one in every three Iowans is prediabetic and most of them dont know it.

The test asks things like your age, because age is a big risk factor, Jones says. Simply getting older increases your risk. It also asks things like family history of diabetes, things like that. About one in 12 Iowans has diabetes and one in four has it and doesnt know it. By knowing your risk level, Jones says Iowans can make a few key lifestyle changes to stave off type 2 diabetes.

The good news is, if you do have prediabetes, you can take steps to help prevent developing type 2 diabetes and even getting rid of prediabetes, Jones says. The National Diabetes Prevention Program can help you actually curb that progression.

People with type 2 diabetes are at higher risk for heart disease, stroke and other serious complications. Prediabetes can often be reversed through modest weight loss 5 to 7 percent of body weight and making small changes to increase healthy eating and moderate physical activity.

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Have you checked yourself for diabetes? - Radio Iowa

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Today, Tuesday, March 28, 2017, is American Diabetes Association Alert Day. The goal is to bring awareness about a disease that affects tens of millions of Americans.

While 29 million Americans are dealing with diabetes, another 86 million have prediabetes yet only a fraction are aware of it. A doctor and a diabetic patient spoke about a part of the body that's often the first to signal you may be at risk of having the disease.

42-year-old DavidWanchisen visited his foot doctor Tuesday morning. The Scranton man didn't expect he'd end up here but it's the result of a diagnosis last year that took him by surprise. "I'm dealing with a diabetic ulcer that it's curing but it takes a lot of time and a little bit of pain."

He's wearing an orthowedge shoe to reduce pressure on that diabetic ulcer. Before he had the wound, the first physical sign he had Type 2 diabetes surfaced after a summer day at the beach. "Neuropathy on my feet caused the burning." That burning pain, weakness and numbness were a result of his diabetic condition. "I might have had it for quite some time."

Commonwealth Health Podiatrist Laura Virtue-Delayo, DPM said, "Oftentimes it's that they're getting tingling in their toes or burning." She added that many patients first learn of their diabetes by having a sore on their foot that's not getting better. "When you have a wound, the longer it's open the better chance of getting an infection in the soft tissue, in the bone, which can lead to amputation of the toes, the forefoot or even the lower leg."

Dave's treatment includes having the doctor debride, or scrape, his wound once a week while he has to apply a specialized ointment to that area every day. He's also eating healthier and lost 50 pounds in less than a year. "You have to make a lifestyle change to somewhat cure it or you know improve your lifestyle." Dr. Virtue-Delayo added, "He definitely is working on keeping his sugars in tact so they don't have to be a problem. You can be a diabetic without having foot problems or other problems that go along with diabetes."

Dr. Virtue-Delayo says a diabetic who notices a foot wound, even a blister, should call the doctor as soon as possible. She says delaying treatment even a few days could lead to amputation.

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Signs of Diabetes: Look to the Feet - PA home page

Jeff Mitchell, Community Health Reporting Project Published 4:27 p.m. PT March 28, 2017 | Updated 12 hours ago

community health reporting project logo(Photo: Provided)

Realizing that the Salinas Valley, like much of America, is about to get hit with a tsunami of pre-diabetes and diabetes cases, a handful of local healthcare organizations joined Tuesday to fight the chronic disease that shortens lives and regularly robs people of limbs through amputation and dims or extinguishes their eyesight.

The countywide initiative is a partnership among Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Community Health Innovations, Montage Health, Monterey Independent Physicians Association and Central Coast YMCA.

The announcement was made at the Salinas Valley Medical Clinic Diabetes & Endocrine Center currently under construction at the Primecare Medical offices on Abbott Street.

The Diabetes Initiative was started in 2015 by Community Hospital, SVMH, Community Health Innovations (CHI) and the Monterey Bay Independent Physician Association to move the dial on diabetes.

The driver behind todays event is the bold effort by the partners to work together to move the dial on diabetes in Monterey County," said Dr. Anthony Chavis, chief medical officer of Montage Health, parent company of Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.

The effort comes not a minute too soon. According to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research Chronic Disease Program, diabetes and pre-diabetes in Monterey County affect:

57% of the population has diabetes and pre-diabetes

28,000, or 12% of the population, have diabetes

105,000, or 45% of the population, have pre-diabetes.

In 2015, about 13.8% of Monterey County Hispanics/Latinos reported having been diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 4.8% of Whites and 4.4% Asians (CHIS).

The partners supporting the initiative have increased the number of endocrinologists serving the community. The YMCA introduced a yearlong Pre-Diabetes Program for people considered pre-diabetes or are on the verge of becoming pre-diabetic.

This year, SVMHS is opening an expanded Diabetes & Endocrine Center in Salinas with a state-of-the-art kitchen and education room. Also this year, Montage Health is opening a new medical office building at Ryan Ranch ideally suited for diabetes care.

Construction of the expanded Salinas Valley Medical Clinic Diabetes & Endocrine Center will be completed this summer. The new Diabetes & Endocrine Center will be located on the second floor of the PrimeCare office building at 355 Abbott St.in Salinas.

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Groups gather to fight diabetes - The Salinas Californian - The Salinas Californian

Yale School of Medicine metabolism researcher Sabrina Diano has been selected to receive the Helmholtz Diabetes Award during the 6th annual Helmholtz Conference Sept. 26-28, 2018 in Munich, Germany. Diano is the first woman to receive the award, which recognizes outstanding contributions by a leading scientist in the field of diabetes research. She will deliver the Heimholtz Diabetes Lecture during the conference.

Diano is a professor in the Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Neuroscience, and Comparative Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. She is also a member of the Program in Integrative Cell Signaling and Neurobiology of Metabolism, and director of the Reproductive Neuroscience Group at Yale School of Medicine.

Diano has published many studies in top research journals such as Cell, Nature, Cell Metabolism, Nature Medicine, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

These studies have broadened understanding of how neurons in the brain that regulate appetite also affect systemic glucose levels. She has also helped to pinpoint a mechanism in part of the brain that is key to sensing glucose levels in the blood, linking it to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Dianos research has important implications for understanding the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, disorders that are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S., and the develop

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Yale's Sabrina Diano is first woman to receive the Helmholtz Diabetes Award - Yale News

In one of the famous scenes of American animated sitcom Family Guy, which was aired on January 2008, the main character, Peter Griffin, is seen entering a stem cell research lab with half his body paralyzed, as a result of a stroke, and walking out completely healthy.

Growing a heart on a plate (PR photo)

Imagination plays an important role in dealing with stem cells. Theoretically, cells that, in a lab, can differentiate into any specialized cell present countless options of playing with the human bodyfrom treating any physical medical failure, through preparing a bank of human spare parts, to producing a new race of perfect human beings, completely flawless and immune. That is only in theory, however, at least at this stage. In practice, the possibilities inherent in stem cells are still imaginary, and using them for actual treatment is still very limited.

Torontos skyline is dotted with multi-story buildings, each with a series of elevators that fly visitors within second from the ground floor to the upper floors. The 35th floor of Eaton Centre, a shopping mall and office complex located near Dundas Squarewhich locals say is like Times Square, only a lot less impressiveoverlooks almost all parts of the Ontario provinces capital.

Using stem cells for the sake of humanity (Illustration photo: Shutterstock)

The most fascinating research has to do with cardiology. This is the field in which the ability to imagine a new era in the near future appears most palpable. Its difficult to overstate the complexity of the human heart, which is made up of different types of cells and tissues and is activated through a sequence of electrical pulses. Modern medicine has been unsuccessful so far in creating an industrial alternative for the heart, at least not one that allows a quality of life, while transplant surgery suffers from the risks of transplant rejection and a regular donor shortage. These limitations, in addition to the fact that heart diseases are very common and are one of the leading causes of death around the world, make cardiology a fertile ground for an industry of innovative medicine.

PR photo

One field in which this vision has already become a reality, at least partially, is lung therapy. Stem cell medicine holds a potential in terms of lungs suitable for transplantation, when it comes to improving of the chances that the new body wont reject the organ. The entire process, however, is complicated. Lung transplantation is only possible when the person who agreed to donate his organs in advance is declared brain dead, which makes it possible to harvest the organs before the entire body collapses, and these are pretty specific cases. In addition, in this group only 20 percent of the donated lungs are eventually transplantedas the procedure must be quick, and in most cases doctors dont have sufficient information about the lungs condition and the ability to prepare it for a transplantation which wont be rejected.

PR photo

In the stem-cell therapy labs in Toronto, the future is both present and absent. Most researchers refuse to fall into the press trap and talk about a vision for a better future in which every problem will be treated by injecting stem cells. And although the phrase growing a heart on a plate is occasionally heard, they make sure to clarify that such a situation is still far off. Nevertheless, no one will deny that stem-cell therapy is the medicine of the future.

The combination of medical and technological innovations may have brought humanity to the start of a new era, in which it will be possible to cure the body in an immensely more efficient way than in the past. But even these accomplishments highlight how little we know about the human body and how much more we need to learn and work in order to be able to unlock the full potential hiding deep within our cells.

(Translated and edited by Sandy Livak-Furmanski)

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Stem-cell therapy: The medicine of the future - Ynetnews

March 29, 2017 (A) Bio-imaging analysis to evaluate the therapeutic effect of iPS-ML producing IFN- on metastatic liver cancer. (B) Quantification of the image data shown in A. (C) Histological data indicating migration of iPS-ML (PKH26, red) into intrahepatic tumor tissues (GFP, green). Adapted from M. Sakisaka, M. Haruta, Y. Komohara, S. Umemoto, K. Matsumura, T. Ikeda, M. Takeya, Y. Inomata, Y. Nishimura, and S. Senju, "Therapy of primary and metastatic liver cancer by human iPS cell-derived myeloid cells producing interferon-," Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences, vol. 24, pp. 109-119, Feb. 2017. DOI: 10.1002/jhbp.422

Causes of the most common form of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), include hepatitis B or C, cirrhosis, obesity, diabetes, a buildup of iron in the liver, or a family of toxins called aflatoxins produced by fungi on some types of food. Typical treatments for HCC include radiation, chemotherapy, cryo- or radiofrequency ablation, resection, and liver transplant. Unfortunately, the mortality rate is still quite high; the American Cancer Society estimates the five-year survival rate for localized liver cancer is 31 percent.

Hoping to improve primary liver cancer outcomes, including HCC and metastatic liver cancer, researchers from Japan began studying induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived immune cells that produce the protein interferon- (IFN-). IFN- has antiviral effects related to immune response, and exhibits two antitumor activities, the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and p53 protein expression. IFN- has been used for some forms of cancer, but problems like rapid inactivation, poor tissue penetration, and toxicity prevent widespread use. To overcome that hurdle, Kumamoto University researchers used iPS cell-derived proliferating myelomonocytic (iPS-ML) cells, which they developed in a previous research project. These cells were found to mimic the behavior of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMS), which inspired the researchers to develop them as a drug delivery system for IFN- and evaluate the therapeutic effect on liver cancer in a murine model in vivo.

The researchers selected two cancer cell lines that were sensitive to IFN- treatmentone that easily metastasized to the liver after injection into the spleen, and another that produced a viable model after being directly injected into the liver. After injection, mice that tested positive for cancer (~80 percent) were separated into test and control groups. iPS-ML/IFN- cells were injected two to three times a week for three weeks into the abdomens of the test group subjects.

Livers with tumors were found to have higher levels of IFN- than those without. This was likely due to iPS-ML/IFN- cells penetrating the fibrous connective tissue capsule surrounding the liver and migrating toward intrahepatic cancer sites. The iPS-ML/IFN- cells did not penetrate non-tumorous livers, but rather stayed on the surface of the organ. Furthermore, concentrations of IFN- from 24 to 72 hours after iPS-ML/IFN- injections were found to be high enough to inhibit proliferation or even cause the death of the tumor cells.

Due to differences between species, mouse cells are not adversely affected by human IFN-, meaning that side effects of this treatment are not visible in this model. Thus, the researchers are working on a new model with the mouse equivalent of human iPS-ML/IFN, and testing its therapeutic abilities.

"Our recent research into iPS-cell derived, IFN- expressing myeloid cells should be beneficial for many cancer patients," says research leader Dr. Satoru Senju. "If it is determined to be safe for human use, this technology has the potential to slow cancer progression and increase survival rates. At this point, however, we still have much work ahead."

This research may be found in the Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences.

Explore further: Scientists stimulate immune system, stop cancer growth

More information: Masataka Sakisaka et al, Therapy of primary and metastatic liver cancer by human iPS cell-derived myeloid cells producing interferon-, Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1002/jhbp.422

A chemical found in tumors may help stop tumor growth, according to a new study.

Scientists at EPFL have found a way to starve liver cancer cells by blocking a protein that is required for glutamine breakdownwhile leaving normal cells intact. The discovery opens new ways to treat liver cancer.

Most cases of liver cancer develop after long-term viral infection, chronic exposure to alcohol, or excessive accumulation of fat in the liver due to obesity. The liver reacts to those insults by trying to wall it off with ...

Liver cancer remains among the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide.

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have discovered that high levels of the protein p62 in human liver samples are strongly associated ...

Immunotherapydeveloping treatments by boosting natural immune system responsesholds much potential in the fight against serious diseases. Now, A*STAR researchers have determined how one group of immune cells called ...

Purdue researchers are developing technology that could lead to the early detection of cervical cancer with low-cost, easy-to-use, lateral flow test strips similar to home pregnancy tests.

One reason pancreatic cancer has a particularly low survival rate is the difficulty in getting drugs to the tumour, but new knowledge of how pancreatic cancer cells invade neighbouring cells could change that.

The chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, appears to aid the survival of inflammatory breast cancer cells, revealing a potential mechanism for how the disease grows, according to a study led by researchers in the Department of Surgery ...

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified an interaction among proteins that allows cancer cells to grow and metastasize. They say the discovery may play a role in developing a better understanding of how tumors grow in ...

The goal of cancer therapy is to destroy the tumor or stop it from growing and spreading to other parts of the body. Reaching toward this goal, a team of researchers from various institutions, including Baylor College of ...

In many parts of the world, including Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, exposure to a fungal product called aflatoxin is believed to cause up to 80 percent of liver cancer cases. This fungus is often found in corn, peanuts, ...

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Immune cell therapy on liver cancer using interferon beta produced with stem cells - Medical Xpress

*New form of tissue engineering raises ethical questions Using a technique that avoids the use of high-dose chemotherapy and radiation in preparation for a stem cell transplant, physicians at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, United States, have documented the first cure of an adult patient with congenital dyserythropoietic anemia. CDA is a rare blood disorder in which the body does not produce enough red blood cells, causing progressive organ damage and early death.

The transplant technique is unique, because it allows a donors cells to gradually take over a patients bone marrow without using toxic agents to eliminate a patients cells prior to the transplant.

This case report is published in a letter to the editor in the journal Bone Marrow Transplantation.

For many adult patients with a blood disorder, treatment options have been limited because they are often not sick enough to qualify for a risky procedure, or they are too sick to tolerate the toxic drugs used alongside a standard transplant, said Rondelli, who is also division chief of hematology and oncology and director of the stem cell transplant program at UI Health.

This procedure gives some adults the option of a stem cell transplant which was not previously available.

Also, as biological research races forward, ethical quandaries are piling up. In a report published Tuesday in the journal eLife, researchers at Harvard Medical School, United States, said it was time to ponder a startling new prospect: synthetic embryos.

In recent years, scientists have moved beyond in vitro fertilization. They are starting to assemble stem cells that can organize themselves into embryolike structures.

Soon, experts predict, they will learn how to engineer these cells into new kinds of tissues and organs.

7 hours ago Natural Health

8 hours ago Policy & Politics

8 hours ago Features

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First patient cured of rare blood disorder with stem cell transplant - Guardian

The next shoe is set to drop in the high-flying immuno-oncology space, with genetically modified cell therapies close to becoming a reality. As these therapies are forecast to quickly become one of the fastest-growing segments of the $100 billion oncology market in the next few years, investors may want to consider taking a position in this emerging field before the first therapy reaches the market.

Armed with this insight, let's consider if the small-capBellicum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BLCM) or the mid-capKite Pharma (NASDAQ:KITE) is the better adoptive-cell therapy stock to buy.

Image source: Getty Images.

Bellicum is a small-cap biotech developing a host of genetically modified cell-based therapies for blood disorders and various cancers. While cell-based immunotherapies are now a common feature of many pharma pipelines, Bellicum stands apart from the crowd because of itsproprietary "chemical induction of dimerization" (CID) technology that's designed to enhance the safety and efficacy profiles of these novel cancer-fighting cell therapies.

Specifically, the biotech's cellular therapies incorporate a molecular switching mechanism that can be triggered by a small molecule known asrimiducid to either induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the event of a safety issue, or cause the infused cells to proliferate to enhance potency.

Using its CID platform, Bellicum designed its lead T-cell therapy product candidate, BPX-501, to improve patient outcomes during a half-matched T-depleted, hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) -- a process that involves theintravenous infusion of stem cells as a way to restart the production of blood cells in patients with bone-marrow or immune-system disorders.

Although half-matched HSCT can be life-saving in many instances, this procedure does have serious life-threatening drawbacks, such as graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD) or an increased risk of infection from the eradication of T-cells before infusion. BPX-501's built-in safety switch, however, should solve this problem by lowering the risk of uncontrolled bouts of GvHD, while still allowing patients to benefit from a higher T-cell count.

The good news is that the therapy's early-stage results across a range of rare blood disorders are proving to be a game changer for many HSCT patients. As such,Bellicum is hoping to file for BPX-501's first regulatory approval in the EU by mid-2018 and nail down an acceptable regulatory pathway for the therapy in the U.S. by the middle of this year.

The downside, though, is thatthe biotech's cash runway probably isn't sufficient to see it all the way through to BPX-501's worldwide commercialization. Bellicum, after all, has around $150 million remaining in cash following its latest secondary offering, but it also has a quarterly burn rate of around $20 million that's bound to grow as its clinical activities expand into late-stage development.

After a quarter-century of development of adoptive T-cell therapies in general, Kite Pharma is now in prime position to bring the first chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (or CAR-T) therapy to market with its experimentalaggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) treatment called Axi-Cel (formerly KTE-C19). At the time of writing, Kite was expected to wrap up Axi-Cel's full regulatory filing with the FDA within just a matter of days (before the end of March), putting it well ahead of Novartis and Juno Therapeutics' rival CAR-T candidates.

The point is that Kite is set to be the first company to establish a foothold in a brand-new oncology market that should easily be worth hundreds of billions in sales over the next decade. Moreover, Axi-Cel's first indication isn't a token one. If approved as a later-line treatment for aggressive NHL, this novel cell therapy is expected to haul in between $181 million and $482 million in 2018, depending on its price and the scale of Kite's initial commercial launch.

Having said that, Kite is far from a slam-dunk buy. Like all other CAR-T therapies to date, Axi-Cel does have serious life-threatening side effects, including cytokine release syndrome and neurologic toxicity, and this therapy lacks a top-flight molecular safety switch. So while its overall risk-vs.-reward profile may warrant an approval, there's no telling how doctors will view the therapy's clear-cut trade-offs in the real world.

Kite must also overcome the inherent problems associated with manufacturing an adoptive T-cell therapy on a commercial scale. Put simply, you have to be able to harvest a patient's own T-cells, ship them to your production facility to genetically modify them, and then ship them back to the clinic where the patient is being treated. That's not an impossible feat to overcome, but it's also a far cry from simply brewing a batch of pills, or even manufacturing most other biological-based drugs.

On the bright side, Kite is in a fairly strong financial position, exiting the most recent quarter with over $414 million in cash and no debt. And that's before the company rolled out a $410 million public stock offering in the first quarter of 2017. So the company should have the resources to executeAxi-Cel's commercial launch if it gains an approval later this year, as well as continue advancing its other clinical candidates.

While Kite's possible first-mover advantage is certainly important, Bellicum appears to have the best-in-class technology with its CID platform. And that's absolutely key.

The underlying reason adoptive-cell therapies took so long to move from the bench to the market is their deadly side effects. Kite, for its part, has been able to reduce these life-threatening side effects to manageable levels in the clinic, but that's not a guarantee this line will hold once Axi-Cel is used more broadly.

Juno Therapeutics'lead clinical candidate, JCAR015, after all, was ultimately shelved after it apparently led to ahandful of deaths in a trial for adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and that's been par for the course with these therapies.In other words, history is not on Kite's side when it comes to the current generation of CAR-T therapies.

So Bellicum's next-generation adoptive-cell therapy product candidates -- along with Juno and Kite's, for that matter -- that incorporate more robust safety features are probably the way to go if you're looking to invest in this emerging space. Point blank: This rush to market for a technology with known safety issues is a highly questionable strategy that has the potential to backfire in a big way.

In all, Bellicum comes out the winner in this match because of its patience and better long-term prospects from a safety standpoint.

George Budwell has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Juno Therapeutics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Better Buy: Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. vs. Kite Pharma - Motley Fool

Retinopathy is any damage to the retina of the eyes, which may cause vision impairment.[1] Retinopathy often refers to retinal vascular disease, or damage to the retina caused by abnormal blood flow.[2]Age-related macular degeneration is technically included under the umbrella term retinopathy but is often discussed as a separate entity. Retinopathy, or retinal vascular disease, can be broadly categorized into proliferative and non-proliferative types. Frequently, retinopathy is an ocular manifestation of systemic disease as seen in diabetes or hypertension.[3] Diabetes is the most common cause of retinopathy in the U.S. as of 2008[4]Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-aged people.[5] It accounts for about 5% of blindness worldwide and is designated a priority eye disease by the World Health Organization.[6]

The two most common causes of retinopathy include diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. Diabetic retinopathy affects about 5 million people and retinopathy of prematurity affect about 50,000 premature infants each year worldwide.[6][7]Hypertensive retinopathy is the next most common cause affecting anywhere from 3 to 14% of all non-diabetic adults.[8]

The development of retinopathy can be broken down into proliferative and non-proliferative types. Both types cause disease by altering the normal blood flow to the retina through different mechanisms. The retina is supplied by small vessel branches from the central retinal artery.[9] Proliferative retinopathy refers to damaged caused by abnormal blood vessel growth.[10] Normally, angiogenesis is a natural part of tissue growth and formation. When there is an unusually high or fast rate of angiogenesis, there is an overgrowth of blood vessels called neovascularization. In the non-proliferative type, abnormal blood flow to the retina occurs due to direct damage or compromise of the blood vessels themselves. Many causes of retinopathy may cause both proliferative and non-proliferative types, though some causes are more associated one type.

Non-proliferative retinopathy is often caused by direct damage or remodeling of the small blood vessels supplying the retina.[9] Many common causes of non-proliferative damage include hypertensive retinopathy, Retinopathy of prematurity, Radiation retinopathy, solar retinopathy, and retinopathy associated with Sickle cell disease.

There are three main mechanisms of damage in non-proliferative retinopathy: blood vessel damage or remodeling, direct retinal damage, or occlusion of the blood vessels. The first mechanism is indirect damage by altering the blood vessels that supply the retina. In the case of hypertension, high pressures in the system causes the walls of the artery to thicken, which effectively reduces the amount of blood flow to the retina.[9] This reduction in flow causes tissue ischemia leading to damage. Atherosclerosis, or hardening and narrowing of blood vessels, also reduces flow to the retina. The second mechanism is direct damage to the retina usually caused by free radicals that causes oxidative damage to the retina itself.[11] Radiation, solar retinopathy, and retinopathy of prematurity fall under this category. The third common mechanism is occlusion of blood flow. This can be caused by either physically blocking the vessels of the retinal artery branches or causing the arteries to narrow.[2] Again, the end result is reduced blood flow to the retina causing tissue damage. Sickle cell disease compromises blood flow by causing blood to sludge, or thicken and flow slowly, through the retinal arteries. Other disorders that cause hyperviscosity syndrome may also cause blood sludging. Lastly, clots or central artery thrombosis directly blocks flow to the retina causing the cells to die.

Proliferative retinopathy is the result of aberrant blood flow to the retina due to blood vessel overgrowth, or neovascularization. These pathologically overgrown blood vessels are often fragile, weak, and ineffective at perfusing the retinal tissues.[12] These weak, fragile vessels are also often leaky, allowing fluids, protein, and other debris to leech out into the retina. They are also prone to hemorrhage due to their poor strength. This makes proliferative types of retinopathy more risky since vessel hemorrhaging often leads to vision loss and blindness.[13] Many of the causes mentioned in non-proliferative retinopathy may also cause proliferative retinopathy at later stages. Angiogenesis and neovascularization tend to be a later manifestation of non-proliferative retinopathy. Many types of non-proliferative retinopathies result in tissue ischemia or direct retinal damage. The body responds by trying to increase blood flow to damaged retinal tissues.[14]Diabetes mellitus, which causes diabetic retinopathy, is the most common cause of proliferative retinopathy in the world.[15]

Genetic mutations are rare causes of certain retinopathies and are usually X-linked including NDP family of genes causing Norrie Disease, FEVR, and Coats disease among others. There is emerging evidence that there may be a genetic predisposition in patients who develop retinopathy of prematurity and diabetic retinopathy.[16][17] Trauma, especially to the head, and several diseases may cause Purtscher's retinopathy.

Retinopathy is diagnosed by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist during eye examination. Stereoscopic fundus photography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of retinopathy. Dilated fundoscopy, or direct visualization of the fundus, has been shown to be effective as well.[18]

Many patients often do not have symptoms until very late in their disease course. Patients often become symptomatic when there is irreversible damage.[19] Symptoms are usually not painful and can include:

Treatment is based on the cause of the retinopathy and may include laser therapy to the retina. Laser photocoagulation therapy has been the standard treatment for many types of retinopathy. Evidence show that laser therapy is generally safe and improves visual symptoms in sickle cell and diabetic retinopathy.[20][21] In recent years targeting the pathway controlling vessel growth or angiogenesis has been promising. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) seems to play a vital role in promoting neovascularization. Using anti-VEGF drugs (antibodies to sequester the growth factor), research have shown significant reduction in the extent of vessel outgrowth. Evidence supports the use of anti-VEGF antibodies, such as bevacizumab or pegaptanib, seems to improve outcomes when used in conjunction with laser therapy to treat retinopathy of prematurity.[22] The evidence is poorer for treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Use of anti-VEGF drugs did not appear to improve outcomes when compared to standard laser therapy for diabetic retinopathy.[23]

Telemedicine programs are available that allow primary care clinics to take images using specially designed retinal imaging equipment which can then be shared electronically with specialists at other locations for review.[24] In 2009, Community Health Center, Inc. implemented a telemedicine retinal screening program for low-income patients with diabetes as part of those patients annual visits at the Federally Qualified Health Center.[25]

More here:
Retinopathy - Wikipedia

Robin Frape and Julie Binnigton are setting off on an epic walk to raise awareness of RP blindness. Picture by Chris Cornford.

TWO hikers are going to be setting off on the trek of a lifetime on Friday to raise awareness for RP blindness, a degenerative eye condition that affects the retina.

Robin Frape, 48, and Julie Binnington, 50, of St Thomas Street, Ryde, are setting off on a walk that will take them all over the world.

Robin has retinitis pigmentosa (RP) blindness and the couple plan to walk indefinitely until his vision degenerates to a point where he can no longer continue.

"I want to create as many visual memories as I can, while I still have my vision," said Robin, who was forced to retire early from his job as a hydrographic surveyor.

Robin's peripheral vision has diminished and his central vision has been severely damaged. He is legally blind in his right eye and has many distorted spots in his left.

They will start by walking out their front door in Ryde on Friday and will walk around the Isle of Wight, cross over to Lymington, walk the length of the UK, cross over to Northern Ireland, trek down to the South of Ireland then fly over to mainland Europe and keep going.

"We are going to cover as many countries as we can. There is no set end date, we are just going to keep going," Julie said.

The adventure is all in order to raise awareness and support for RP blindness, a condition that many people know very little about.

The condition is almost always passed on genetically and affects different people in different ways, including the severity and rate of degeneration.

They are raising money for RP Fighting Blindness. Anyone can donate at http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/walking-terra-firma and follow their progress on Facebook at Walking Terra Firma for Blindness RP.

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Isle of Wight man facing blindness plans to walk the world to make memories and raise awareness - Isle of Wight County Press

By Sola Ogundipe

The Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria in collaboration with Pfizer Specialities and Glaucoma Society of Nigeria held a walk from the National Stadium to Ojuelegba in Lagos early on Saturday March 18, 2017 to sensitise members of the public about Glaucoma, the 2nd leading cause of blindness worldwide and in Nigeria.

It was the climax of the week-long series of activities aimed at creating awareness about glaucoma, in commemoration of the 2017 World Glaucoma Week with the theme Beat Invisible Glaucoma. Over 70 million people suffer glaucoma worldwide with 10 million already blind.

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Head, Glaucoma Services and Acting Head of the Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine,/Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Adeola Onakoya, called on all Nigerians, especially those aged 30 and above to go for regular eye screening to detect and treat eye problems, particularly glaucoma, early.

We are walking for glaucoma essentially to sensitise people to the disease. Our T-shirts are adorned with the message Get your eyes tested for glaucoma, so that people would know that there is an eye disease called glaucoma. Studies show that only 5 per cent of Nigerians know about glaucoma and it is among those that are being treated for the disorder.

The message is that you should get your eyes tested so you do not go needlessly blind from glaucoma. It is asymptomatic and life-long. If untreated, the possibility of blindness is very high, Onakoya cautioned.

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Regular eye tests prevent blindness from glaucoma, says Onakoya ... - Vanguard

With excellent mechanical and chemical stability, the Kromasil EternityXT materials offer first-rate separation power and loadability for purification from low to high pH. Kromasil EternityXT C8 and C18 materials can operate up to pH 12, making it possible to run basic compounds under extreme conditions to improve purification productivity and reduce costs. These products support discovery, development and production departmental goals in the purification of a low molecular weight pharmaceuticals, peptides and biotechnology products.

The exceptional structure of Kromasil EternityXT C18 and C8 materials makes it possible to regenerate the material in-column, carrying out cleaning in place (CIP) even at 1 M NaOH, if so required. While this high concentration NaOH treatment is a standard in bio chromatography and until now only conceivable with polymer resins, Kromasil EternityXT materials open up the spectrum of purification options as its C8 and C18 materials resist up to 1 M NaOH.

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Purification of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Products with Kromasil EternityXT Stationary Phase - Labmate Online

NEW YORK, March 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Use this report to:- Analyze existing and future agricultural biotechnology products and technologies that will be commercially important. - Receive a qualitative and quantitative description of the agricultural biotechnology industry. - Highlight key market and industry trends, as well as quantify the main market segments. - Receive information on agricultural biotechnologies, market applications, industry structure and competitive dynamics.

Highlights- The global market for agricultural biotechnology reached $29.2 billion in 2016. This market should reach $32.1 billion in 2017 and $53.7 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.8%. - Genomic-enabled products as a segment reached $24.1 billion in 2016, and should reach nearly $26.5 billion in 2017 and $43.7 billion in 2022, with a CAGR of 10.6%.

STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES BCC Research's goal for this study is to determine the specific applications and forecast global market demand for agricultural biotechnology products over a five-year period from 2017 through 2022. The main objective is to characterize and quantify the agricultural biotechnology products market by product type, geography, and purpose. In addition, the report analyzes the industry structure, competitors, strategic alliances, and intellectual property landscape. A total of 70 companies in the industry are profiled.

Agricultural biotechnology markets analyzed in this report include biotechnology tools, genomics enabled products, and biologicals. Biotechnology tools include DNA sequencing, biochips, RNA interference, synthetic biology, and genome editing. Genomics enabled products include biotech seeds and synthetic biology-enabled products. Biologicals include biopesticides, biostimulants, and genetic biologicals.

A key objective of the report is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the agricultural biotechnology industry, with an emphasis on products and technologies that are commercially important in the 2017 to 2022 time-period. Market segments with rapid growth rates are highlighted, as well as those segments with large market potential. This analysis provides a quantitative basis and market context for companies to make strategic choices about participation in the agricultural industry.

The study will be particularly useful to those companies developing new genomics or proteomics technologies; discovering and development novel seed traits; doing plant breeding; interested in using novel biotechnologies in agriculture; or working inadvanced biotechnology fields like genome editing, synthetic biology, RNA interference, biochips, or DNA sequencing.

The study will also be useful to government agencies or institutions that are developing strategic initiatives for a country's agriculture policy and/or industry.

REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY

Agriculture is a fundamental and strategic component for a country. As a result, agricultural technologies provide competitive geographic advantage and are highly desirable. Biotechnologies address the pressing industry need for higher crop yields. Agricultural biotechnology is a key and growing component of the global agriculture industry and is thus of interest to a wide audience.

This report seeks to provide a qualitative and quantitative description of the agricultural biotechnology industry so that emerging market opportunities can be identified and exploited by the reader.

The report does this by examining the main product applications and markets, helping companies to prioritize product opportunities and strategic opportunities. The report highlights key market and industry trends, as well as quantifying the main market segments. The reader is thus able to better understand industry structure and changes occurring in the industry.

Rapid changes in technology-intensive fields such as DNA sequencing, genome editing, and synthetic biology are driving new products and applications in agriculture. These developments create unique market opportunities. This report analyzes these trends and their impact on future markets for agricultural products.

Based on these market and technology dynamics, it is especially timely to examine the agricultural biotechnology industry.

INTENDED AUDIENCE

Read More

This study examines and analyzes existing and future agricultural biotechnology products and technologies that will be commercially important.

Markets are presented by product type, crop type, and geographical region. Important market segments covered include the main biotechnologies (DNA sequencing, biochips, RNA interference, synthetic biology tools, and genome editing tools) as well as synthetic biology-enabled chemicals and biofuels, biotech seeds, and biologicals.

In-depth coverage is provided for agricultural biotechnologies; growth driving forces; market applications; industry structure and competitive dynamics; companies and industry alliances; future market potential and product sales forecasts for the period 2017 through 2022. The report forecasts the future value of agricultural biotechnology products by product type and geography.

This report will be of particular interest to agriculture, chemicals, bio-energy, and biotechnology companies; as well as suppliers of genomics tools, synthetic biology, RNA interference, and DNA sequencing products. It will also be of interest to professionals within governments, think tanks, and regulatory agencies to understand the end uses of these technologies in agriculture.

SCOPE AND FORMAT

The study scope includes key agricultural biotechnology tools (i.e., next generation DNA sequencing, biochips, RNA interference, synthetic biology tools and genome editing tools); synthetic biology-enabled chemicals and biofuels; biotech seeds; and biologicals.

BCC analyzes these technologies and products to determine present and future market sizes, and forecasted growth from 2017 through 2022. The report also discusses industry strategic alliances, industry structures, competitive dynamics, patent status, and market driving forces.

BCC provides in-depth coverage of the agricultural biotechnology industry structure, including genomics technology providers (e.g., genome editing, NGS, microarray companies); major seed companies; biotech traits companies; synthetic biology tools companies; companies developing plant feedstocks; and agricultural biologicals companies. It provides an in-depth analysis of major industry acquisitions and alliances during 2015 and 2016.

70 agricultural and biotechnology companies are profiled in this report.

METHODOLOGY

BCC Research examined key users and producers in each of the enduser market segments and technology fields that will be commercially important during the next five years. Discussions with industry thought leaders, as well as secondary market research was performed.

Based on our analysis, we project the future applications of agricultural biotechnologies in the major enduser market segments and by technology type, and forecast sales revenues for 2017 through 2022.

INFORMATION SOURCES

BCC Research performed primary and secondary research for this report. Primary sources included key industry companies and leading research institutions. In addition, data were compiled from secondary sources, including company websites and industry, trade and government publications. Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p0958100-summary/view-report.html

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To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agricultural-biotechnology-emerging-technologies-and-global-markets-300429907.html

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Agricultural Biotechnology: Emerging Technologies and Global ... - Yahoo Finance

By Nicolas Chahine, InvestorPlace Contributor|Mar 28, 2017, 11:13 am EDT

It would seem that the toxicity that the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (ETF) (NASDAQ:IBB) were suffering on Wall Street is waning. Until recently, the political headlines were a threat to all healthcare and biotech stock holders.The thesis that biotech stocks are untouchable, however, is no longer the dark cloud that it was.

So can I buy the IBB long from here with confidence? Not in my opinion. I think that trading the IBB should fit into a bullish macro scenario, which we may no longer have. Equity markets are near all-time highs with few catalysts that are not yet priced in. Traders quickly priced in the fiscal spending and legislative advantage that President Trump promised. This week we saw the first promise die, so the onus is now on the bulls to prove they can deliver the rest.

Click to EnlargeSo to say the least, the perfectly bullish scenario has some rebuilding to do. This creates an opportunity to take a short-term bearish bet on the IBB. I can do this without spending any out-of-pocket money.

Before you label me a bear, I am merely shorting the near-term price action and not the fundamentals of any components within the IBB. In fact, I will leverage their value to pay for my bet.

The Trade: Buy the IBB June $280/$275 debit put spread for $1.30. This is a bearish trade that could triple my money if IBB falls through my spread before mid-June. The cost of entry is my maximum potential loss. I usually like to hedge my bets, and in this case, I will sell downside risk against the value of the IBB. The trick is to find proven support zones.

The Bank: Sell the IBB Jan $200 put and collect $3 per contract. The current 30% price buffer gives this leg a 90% theoretical chance of success. As long as IBB stock stays above my January sold strike, any premium I recover from selling the June debit put spread would be pure profit. Having no out-of-pocket risk makes managing this trade relatively easy.

Fair warning: Selling puts is risky, so only do it if you are willing and able to own the IBB shares at the strike price.

Nicolas Chahine is the managing director of SellSpreads.com. Learn options as easy as 1-2-3 here. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can follow him on Twitter at @racernicand stocktwits at@racernic.

Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, http://investorplace.com/2017/03/short-the-ishares-nasdaq-biotechnology-index-etf-ibb-etf/.

2017 InvestorPlace Media, LLC

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IShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index: Short the Near-Term Action in ... - Investorplace.com

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Canada's biotech industry today welcomed the federal budget and its measures supporting the advancement of Canadian innovation in biotechnology centered sectors such as health/bio-sciences, clean technology and agri-food. Importantly the budget proposes support for the acceleration of innovation through the establishment of sector specific superclusters, including health/bio-sciences, agri-food and clean technology.

"The core of our industry is innovation - much of it coming out of universities. The Budgets focus on innovation and creating super clusters in biotechnology centered fields including health/bio-sciences, agri-food, and clean technology recognizes Canadas strengths in these areas and the enormous opportunity for the economy in successfully advancing biotechnology innovation. Today's commitments will result in products and therapies of the future and will accelerate the use of biotechnology in supporting the global competitiveness of Canadas traditional cornerstone economic sectors of agriculture, forestry, mining, energy and advanced manufacturing," commented Andrew Casey, President and CEO BIOTECanada.

Drawing on the nation's rich legacy of research, Canada now has an opportunity to become one of the worlds most successful modern biotech regions by transitioning its traditional industries into the new economy while drawing on its considerable strength of its investment in research. From universities, small mid-sized companies, hospitals and public research agencies across the country, Canadian biotech scientists make up the ecosystem ensuring Canadas biotechnology sector thrive.

Importantly, Canada already has in place many of the components necessary for global competitiveness and success in biotechnology. Indeed, Canada is home to a number of regional clusters which bring together: world-class universities and research institutes; biotech entrepreneurs; a significant multinational industry presence; and, a highly educated workforce. All told, the Canadian national biotech ecosystem is an economic strength that positions Canada well to compete in the emerging global bio-economy. The Budget will help harness many of these strengths to accelerate Canadas biotechnology innovation progress.

BIOTECanada looks forward to working with the federal government over the months ahead, offering a coordinated set of recommendations and mechanisms for the announced programs. Implementation consultations are key to ensuring the commitments realize the potential they offer to the biotechnology industry.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170322006371/en/

Link:
BIOTECanada: Federal Budget Strengthens Biotechnology Industry Ecosystem Building Canadian Economy - Yahoo Finance