StemCell Therapy

Posted February 28, 2017 17:44:11

The first genetic indicator of an eye disease which results in blindness has been discovered by an international team of researchers.

The degenerative eye disease Macular Telangiectasia type 2, or MacTel, is incurable and usually strikes people who are over the age of 40.

Up until now identifying a possible cause for the disease has been difficult.

Scientists are unsure as to how many Australians have MacTel, but they estimate somewhere between 500 and 1,200.

The disease affects the macular the centre of the eye said Professor Melanie Bahlo, from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne.

"What happens is blood vessels dissolve and start growing into the centre of the eye, and that leads to blindness," she said.

"And there's also the crystalline deposits that form."

This leads to a gradual loss of central vision over a period of 10 to 20 years, impacting people's use of their sharp vision for tasks like driving and reading.

There were also signs that there could be genetic predispositions for MacTel in certain people.

"You can get several family members [with the disease], in the worst case scenario," Professor Bahlo said.

"That usually means that there's a genetic basis to the disease."

To find out more, researchers collaborated with teams in London and New York to analyse the genetic data of nearly 500 MacTel patients, and 1,700 people without the disease.

Professor Bahlo said they carried out statistical analysis of DNA data from about 6 million markers in the genome of patients with the condition and then compared them to those without.

They found genetic similarities in five key regions of the genome.

Professor Bahlo said four of the five genome regions identified were connected with two crucial amino acids and the fifth region was connected with the size of blood vessels in the retina.

She likened the discovery of the five genetic risk locations to a "treasure map" and said scientists would now keep digging to find out more about the genes associated with MacTel.

Professor Bahlo said they hoped the discovery would eventually help identify people at risk of developing the eye disease.

"For the first time we know a pathway to investigate the future by medical research with future studies in the lab," she said.

"We'll try and validate those findings further. But we've also got some potential biomarkers which will help us diagnose the disease, which is difficult to diagnose, and just pinpoint people who may have faster or slower progression."

The study will be published in the journal Nature Genetics.

Topics: dna, science-and-technology, genetics, cloning-and-dna, eyes, diseases-and-disorders, health, medical-research, research, melbourne-3000, australia, vic

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Genetic clue to form of blindness could lead to early diagnosis - ABC Online

Americans are a fearful lot. In 2016, one survey found 60 percent of Americans feared corrupt government officials, 41 percent feared a terrorist attack, and 35.5 percent were afraid of Obamacareall fears they channeled into an election. In a separate survey conducted at Johns Hopkins, a majority of Americans (47.4 percent) said loss of sight was the "worst possible" health problem someone could go through. Now, ironically, 56 percent of Americans are afraid they'll lose their health insurance. Blindness, for those keeping track, is often preventable with regular healthcare.

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In a study of 2,044 adults, blindness was ranked as more dreaded than loss of hearing, memory, speech, a limb, or contracting HIV/AIDS, according to The New York Times, because it would have the worst perceived effect on quality of life and a person's independence. Adult blindness is usually caused by four diseasescataracts, glaucoma, diabetes, and age-related macular degenerationthe signs of which can be detected pretty early on by an eye doctor.

With access to an ophthalmologist and a desire for preventative healthcare, that's one major American fear taken care offor now. Shall we tackle government corruption next?

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Americans Are Terrified of Going Blind - Esquire.com

Schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis don't seem to have a lot in common, aside from being often debilitating conditions that each affect around 1 percent of the population. One is a psychiatric disorder and the other an auto-immune condition, but new research has confirmed there is a genetic trade-off between the two, with gene variations that make people more susceptible to one reducing the risk of the other. The work has identified eight genes that appear to play a role in this biological see-saw, providing opportunities to learn about both conditions.

We know that environmental conditions partially determine whether someone will suffer the confusion and false perceptions associated with schizophrenia or the joint pain caused by the body's immune system's attack on its own cells that defines rheumatoid arthritis. Nevertheless, both also run in families and are known to have a strong genetic component, estimated at 70 percent for schizophrenia.

Several previous research studies have hinted at a potential inverse relationship in the prevalence and risk for the two disorders, so we wondered if individual genetic variants may exist that could have opposing effects on the risk of schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis, said Professor Vishwajit Nimgaonkar of the University of Pittsburgh. The genetics of both diseases have been fairly well studied, so there was plenty of data for Nimgoankar and his colleagues to work with.

After searching through existing databases of alleles(gene variations), Nimgaonkar and colleagues found 18 that appear to raise the risk of one of schizophrenia or rheumatoid arthritis while lowering the other. All involved the change of one genetic letter of the most common form of eight genes from the section of our genome known to be control the functioning of the immune system.

In npj Schizophrenia, Nimgaonkar reports that two of these genes, HLA-B and HLA-C, encode proteins that appear in both the brain and cells of the immune system. It appears certain single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) alter the production of proteins to improve the functioning of one aspect of the body at the expense of another, providing a level of protection against one disease while increasing risk for the other.

The HLA region has been thought to be related to both diseases for more than 40 years. Besides providing confirmation for these suspicions, Nimgaonkar's work will help future studies home in on the most relevant parts of our DNA.

Interventions that raise the risk of one condition while treating the other may be something of a devil's bargain, but it may be possible to tailor treatment to consider which condition poses more risk to an individual. Meanwhile, we have confirmation the immune system plays a role in schizophrenia, and a demonstration of the benefit of scientists looking outside their specialization.

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Schizophrenia Genes Reduce Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk And Vice Versa - IFLScience

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Stem cell therapy may be effective for multiple sclerosis - The ... Clinical Advisor Younger age, relapsing forms of MS, fewer prior immunotherapy treatments, and lower baseline EDSS score were factors associated with better outcomes for ... and more »

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With MLB spring training underway, there's plenty to talk about. USA TODAY Sports

Garrett Richards is aiming to pitch through a ligament tear via stem cell therapy and other recovery methods.(Photo: Rick Scuteri, USA TODAY Sports)

TEMPE, Ariz. Garrett Richards first thought when he found out about his torn elbow ligament last May was to schedule Tommy John surgery as soon as possible.

It made sense, considering the ligament-replacement procedure has become the standard fix for such injuries. Plus, the Los Angeles Angels ace was familiar with the operating room, having undergone surgery for a ruptured patellar tendon he sustained on Aug. 20, 2014, toward the end of a breakout season.

Richards knew how to handle the seemingly interminable months of rehab, and he wanted to get the clock started on his return.

But a conversation with Angels head physical therapist Bernard Li convinced Richards to consider other alternatives, and in mid-May he tried a relatively novel treatment in which stem cells taken from bone marrow in his pelvis were injected into the damaged area.

Richards did not pitch again the rest of the year except for a stint in the instructional league, but he has been back on the mound throwing bullpen sessions since the first day of the Angels camp and reported no problems.

This weekend, Richards anticipates pitching in a game for the first time since May 1, when his aching elbow forced him from a start after just four innings.

Its nice to know Ill be able to start the season this year and kind of pick up where I left off, Richards said.

A couple of lockers away, fellow starter Andrew Heaney had a different tale to tell.

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The promising left-hander also went down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament early in the season, after making only one start. Their ailments were the two biggest blows to an Angels rotation that was decimated by injuries, dooming the club to a 74-88 record and a fourth-place finish in the AL West.

Heaney also tried stem cell therapy, two weeks before Richards, both under the supervision of team doctor Steve Yoon. Heaneys ligament didnt heal, though, and after experiencing discomfort throwing following his rehab, he had Tommy John surgery July 1. He has been ruled out for the 2017 season.

They tell you its 50-50. It either works or it doesnt, Heaney said of the stem cell procedure. Obviously, me and Garrett are pretty much the proof of that rule.

Even with less-favorable odds than reconstructive surgery, which has an 80% success rate for returning to action and 67% for pitching 10 games or more, stem cell therapy is gaining acceptance as an option for pitchers with partial UCL tears. The recovery time is shorter 3-5 months instead of 12-18 and the treatment less invasive.

There are limitations. Biological approaches based on stem cells or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) wont repair a complete tear of the ligament. The location of the injury and its extent factor into the chances of success. And players whose ligament doesnt recover, then have to undergo surgery, extend their window of time for returning to action.

Even then, the idea of healing without going under the knife is becoming increasingly appealing. New York Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka treated the small tear in his elbow ligament with PRP and rehabilitation in 2014, sitting out 10 weeks but coming back to pitch in late September.

Hes 26-11 with a 3.26 ERA over the last two seasons, raising the profile of PRP a procedure in which the players own blood is used to promote healing of the injury as a non-surgical alternative.

Now Richards looms as the test case for stem cell treatment to fix partial UCL tears, which make up about 60-70% of these injuries. If the hard-throwing right-hander can return to his old form he was a Cy Young Award candidate before his knee injury in August 2014 other pitchers in his situation are bound to at least consider the route he took.

I hope this opens another path for guys, Richards said. Obviously, if you can prevent being cut on and having surgery, thats the No. 1 priority. I hope guys dont just jump right into Tommy John, that they at least explore this option.

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Ageless veteran Bartolo Colon was the first pitcher widely known to have undergone stem cell therapy as he sought to recover from elbow and shoulder ailments in 2010. At the time, the ethics of the procedure were questioned, especially because the doctor who performed it, South Florida-based Joseph Purita, acknowledged using human growth hormone in previous treatments, though not in Colons.

Since then, the use of stem cells has become more mainstream. They are the focus of Yoons practice.

As more and more people start to use it, youre getting a better sense for what it can and cant do, Yoon said. Baseball definitely has opened up to it quite a bit, and as we see some of the successes like with Garrett, were getting a better understanding that theres a lot of potential here with these types of treatment.

Yoon calls stem cell therapy a super PRP because it combines the curative properties of that treatment with more healing agents, and said it can be used on tendon tears, muscle tears and strains and even to address degenerative joint disease.

However, much remains unknown about the benefits of stem cells. Lyle Cain, an orthopedist who has performed both Tommy John surgeries and stem cell treatments at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Ala., said most of the research has been anecdotal, not scientific.

We still dont have a good understanding even four or five years into it exactly what the stem cells do, what their method is, Cain said. The theory is theres probably a chemical reaction where it releases chemicals in the cell that help the healing process. The stem cells arent necessarily put in there with the thought theyre going to become ligament, but theres probably a cellular chemical mechanism that helps the healing response.

And as Heaney discovered, theyre not always effective. His tear was located farther down the arm, which reduced his chances of success with stem cell therapy. Richards was a better candidate because his injury, though deemed high grade, was located within the ligament, like a slit on a rubber band.

But because Heaney was looking at likely missing most or all of 2017 even if he had surgery right away, he decided to try stem cells. The timing of the injury plays a major role in whether pitchers contemplate alternatives to surgery, with the more conservative approach often recommended if it happens early in the season.

Heaney said he doesnt regret taking that route, and would have been upset if he had undergone the ligament-replacement operation right away, only to find out he could have returned to action quicker through another means.

Im glad it worked for him, he said of Richards. It would have been really awful if it hadnt worked for either of us. Then wed both look like idiots.

Their peers are paying attention. In a major league pitching community where about a quarter of its members have undergone Tommy John surgery, interest in the effectiveness of alternative cures is high.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Brandon McCarthy was not a candidate because his ligament tore clear off the bone, but said he had heard positive reports about stem cell treatment, not so much about PRP.

The Pittsburgh Pirates Daniel Hudson, a veteran of two Tommy Johns, is encouraged as well.

Its supposed to help repair the tissue. Before, ligaments just wont repair themselves, Hudson said. It might keep a lot of guys from going under the knife.

Thats Cains hope. He regularly treats UCL tears on high school, college and minor-league players with stem cells or PRP, but realizes theres heightened pressure on major leaguers to return to the field.

If more of them can do it without visiting an operating room, it would represent a major advancement for both the players and the industry.

I think overall the biologic treatment of these injuries will certainly progress and it will be somewhat the wave of the future, Cain said. There will be certain ligaments that are damaged enough that we dont have an answer; they have to reconstruct. But I think overall, if you look 15 years down the road, I suspect well be doing a lot more non-surgical treatment than surgical treatment.

Contributing: Gabe Lacques in Bradenton, Fla.

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All eyes on Garrett Richards, in hopes stem cells stave off Tommy John surgery - USA TODAY

The parents of a teenage boy who died as a result of starvation and untreated diabetes have been sentenced to life in prison without parole for 25 years.

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Alexandru Radita, 15, weighed just 35 pounds when he was found dead at his home in Calgary, Canada, after suffering years of untreated diabetes.

WHO IS 'BABY SARAH'? POLICE USE DNA TO HELP SOLVE 42-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE

His parents Emil, 60, and Rodica Radita, 54, had made it their mission to isolate Alex from anyone who could monitor his insulin treatment since his diagnosis at the age of two, a court heard.

The Raditas were found guilty of first degree murder on Friday at the end of a trial that saw harrowing testimony from witnesses, including a social worker who tried desperately to save the boy.

Paramedic Deborah Baumback gave distressing evidence regarding the condition of Alexs body when she was called to the scene of his death in 2013.

She described him as emaciated to the point where he appeared mummified, Judge Karen Horner said at the couples sentencing hearing.

His face had no visible flesh left and his left jaw had open sores so deep she could see his jawbone.

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Parents sentenced in murder of emaciated teen with untreated diabetes - Fox News

ELDRIDGE Rylie Rucker was losing weight rapidly. She was getting out of bed and going the bathroom at least five times a night. She could not make it through a two-mile middle school cross country race without walking.

Her mother, Dena, knew something was wrong.

The symptoms resulted in a visit to Trinity Hospital in the Quad-Cities before she was transported to the University of Iowa Hospital and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The date is stamped firmly in her mind: Sept. 7, 2013.

I was so emotional that first day, Rucker said. After that, it sunk in thats how life is going to be for me. You cant do anything about it so youve got to make the best of it.

It has not stopped Rucker from living an active life.

The sophomore is a starter on the Class 4A eighth-ranked North Scott girls basketball team, which opens state tournament play at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday against second-ranked Nevada at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic, lifelong disease where the body doesnt produce enough insulin, a hormone to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.

For Rucker, it is a daily struggle. She is required to monitor her blood sugar constantly and takes six insulin shots per day on average.

We all know what she really has to go through, but a lot of people dont realize it, senior teammate Erica Loussaert said. She puts on a really tough face and comes out and plays basketball every day. Nobody knows how hard that really is for her. It is just inspiring to see.

Rucker wears a glucose monitor device, part of it clipped to her athletic shorts and a patch under her tricep, that tracks her blood sugar count every five minutes. North Scott assistant coach Devvin Rolston receives the numbers and monitors it closely during workouts and games.

If Rucker is too high or too low, she sits.

Usually during games, Im not low because of the adrenaline, she said. It really kicks into my blood sugar and pumps it up. Im usually 300 during games which is not good.

There have been occasions shes been too low. She was scratched from the starting lineup in one meeting against Bettendorf this season and played sparingly because of it.

She was a spectator at the start of last Fridays practice because of a low count.

Every day you get to see what she goes through, coach TJ Case said. The girls really respect her and know what shes battling.

They know if Rylie can fight through some of this stuff, then some of the stuff theyre dealing with isnt that bad. It is very inspirational to us.

Rucker is a key component of North Scotts success. She is the teams second-leading scorer at 8.5 points per game, shoots almost 80 percent at the foul line and is among its best defenders.

She would go through a brick wall for her teammates, Case said. She does a lot of the little things for us and cleans up things defensively. Shes always around the ball, a very smart offensive player. We lean on her a lot.

Nobody else in Ruckers immediate family has diabetes.

So when she was diagnosed, there was an initial shock. She spent more than two days in an Iowa City hospital room.

The details of that September Saturday are still fuzzy for Rucker. Her older sister, Karli, the teams leading scorer, remembers it well.

Karli was a freshman and playing volleyball at the Muscatine Invitational. Afterward, she and her grandmother met the family in Iowa City.

Everyone was emotional, Karli said. Just that initial time seeing her in that hospital bed, it hurt in your heart because you knew her life just got changed a lot. It is an every day thing, and it is not going to go away until maybe one day they can find a cure.

Rucker tries to keep her blood sugar count between 120 and 180. She doesnt recall what it was at the time of her diagnosis, but she knows it has been as high as 400 during a basketball game.

When it gets like that, I just space out and cant pay attention at all, Rucker said. My mouth gets super sticky.

Conversely, Rucker gets fatigued when the number dips below 100.

Shes very disciplined and a really healthy eater, Karli said. If her numbers are low, she has a really good mindset about it. She doesnt get down about it.

Rucker has learned to embrace the numbers game. Some days are better than others.

Ive just had a determination to not let it get the best of me, she said. It hasnt just been me having to do everything on my own.

My family has been so supportive and helped me through it. It is part of who we are now.

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Lancers' Rylie Rucker refuses to be sidelined by diabetes - Quad City Times

By Serena Gordon

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- You'd probably be surprised if your dentist said you might have type 2 diabetes. But new research finds that severe gum disease may be a sign the illness is present and undiagnosed.

The study found that nearly one in five people with severe gum disease (periodontitis) had type 2 diabetes and didn't know it. The researchers said these findings suggest that the dentist's office may be a good place for a prediabetes or type 2 diabetes screening.

"Be aware that worsened oral health -- in particular, periodontitis -- can be a sign of an underlying [condition], such as diabetes," said study author Dr. Wijnand Teeuw. He's the chief of the periodontology clinic at the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

"Early diagnosis and treatment of both periodontitis and diabetes will benefit the patient by preventing further complications," Teeuw added.

Diabetes is a worldwide epidemic. In 2010, it was estimated that 285 million adults worldwide had diabetes. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to 552 million, according to the study authors. It's suspected that as many as one-third of people who have diabetes are unaware they have the disease.

Untreated, diabetes can lead to a number of serious complications, such as vision problems, serious kidney disease, heart trouble and infections that take a long time to heal, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Periodontitis -- an infection that causes inflammation of the gums and destruction of the bones that support the teeth -- is often considered a complication of diabetes, Teeuw said.

The current study included more than 300 people from a dental clinic in Amsterdam with varying levels of periodontitis or healthy gums. Approximately 125 had mild to moderate periodontitis and almost 80 had severe periodontitis. The rest had healthy gums.

The researchers tested blood sugar levels in all of the study participants using a test called hemoglobin A1c. This test provides an average of blood sugar levels over two to three months.

In people who had never been diagnosed with diabetes, the researchers found that 50 percent of the group with severe gum troubles had prediabetes, and 18 percent had type 2 diabetes. In the mild to moderate group, 48 percent were found to have prediabetes and 10 percent learned they had type 2 diabetes.

There were even significant numbers of people in the healthy gums group that had prediabetes -- 37 percent had prediabetes and 8.5 percent had type 2 diabetes, the study revealed.

Dr. Sally Cram, a periodontist and a spokeswoman for the American Dental Association, said she sees what the study found in her practice every day.

"I see quite a few patients who don't know they have diabetes, and when they don't respond normally to periodontal therapy, I have to say, 'Go to your doctor and get tested for diabetes,'" she said.

And, on the other side, she explained that people with uncontrolled diabetes often see improvement when their gum disease is under control.

"People with diabetes aren't as able to fight inflammation and infection," Cram explained.

Diabetes specialist Dr. Joel Zonszein said frequent or slow-to-heal infections are important signs of diabetes.

"People often come in with severe infections in the skin, and I think it's probably the same for infections in the mouth. People have been living for years with high blood sugar, and even if they go to the dentist, they don't get their blood sugar checked," Zonszein said.

"The relationship between diabetes and gum infections goes two ways. When you improve one, you also improve the other," he added. But it's not clear which comes first, and this study didn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship, only an association, Zonszein noted.

But the findings do show the importance of collaboration between health care providers, according to Zonszein, who is the director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

Cram noted that basic prevention goes a long way toward preventing gum disease.

"Ninety-nine percent of dental problems and disease are preventable. Brush your teeth twice a day and floss once, and see your dentist periodically," she recommended.

Warning signs of gum disease include bleeding gums, receding gums, sensitive teeth, loose teeth, bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth.

The study was published online Feb. 22 in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

WebMD News from HealthDay

SOURCES: Wijnand Teeuw, D.D.S., M.Sc., chief, periodontology clinic, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Sally Cram, D.D.S., P.C., periodontist, Washington D.C., and spokeswoman, American Dental Association; Joel Zonszein, M.D., director, Clinical Diabetes Center, Montefiore Medical Center, New York City; Feb. 22, 2017, BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, online

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Dentists at the Front Line in Diabetes Epidemic - WebMD

DUARTE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An international team of researchers led by City of Hopes Bart Roep, Ph.D., the Chan Soon-Shiong Shapiro Distinguished Chair in Diabetes and professor/founding chair of the Department of Diabetes Immunology, has been able to justify an alternative theory about the cause of type 1 diabetes (T1D) through experimental work. The study results were published online today in the journal, Nature Medicine.

T1D, previously known as juvenile diabetes, affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans and is the result of the loss of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The prevailing belief was that the root cause of T1D was the immune system mistakenly identifying those insulin-secreting beta cells as a potential danger and, in turn, destroying them.

Now Roep, along with researchers from the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, have found a mechanism in which stressed beta cells are actually causing the immune response that leads to T1D.

Our findings show that type 1 diabetes results from a mistake of the beta cell, not a mistake of the immune system, said Roep, who is director of the Wanek Family Project for Type 1 Diabetes, which was recently created with gifts from the Wanek family and anonymous donors to support the institutions goal of curing T1D in six years. The immune system does what it is supposed to do, which is respond to distressed or unhappy tissue, as it would in infection or cancer.

In order to gain a better understanding of why the immune system attacks the bodys own source of insulin the pancreatic beta cells in the islets of Langerhans the team took some clues from cancer molecules that are targeted by the immune system after successful treatment of the cancer with immunotherapy.

One of these cancer targets is a so-called nonsense protein, resulting from a misreading of a DNA sequence that makes a nonfunctional protein. It turns out that the same type of protein error is also produced by the beta cells in T1D. Therefore, Roep and the other researchers believe it is a wrong read of the insulin gene itself that proves to be a major target of the immune system. This error product of the insulin gene is made when beta cells are stressed, Roep said.

Our study links anti-tumor immunity to islet autoimmunity, and may explain why some cancer patients develop type 1 diabetes after successful immunotherapy, he added. This is an incredible step forward in our commitment to cure this disease.

According to the paper titled, Autoimmunity against a defective ribosomal insulin gene product in type 1 diabetes, the findings further support the emerging concept that beta cells are destroyed in T1D by a mechanism comparable to classical antitumor responses where the immune system has been trained to survey dysfunctional cells in which errors have accumulated.

The results of the study give Roep new insight, he said, for his work in developing new vaccines to desensitize the immune system so that it will tolerate islets again, as well as for research into combining immunotherapy with more traditional diabetes treatments to reinvigorate islets.

Our goal is to keep beta cells happy, Roep said. So we will work on new forms of therapy to correct the autoimmune response against islets and hopefully also prevent development of type 1 diabetes during anti-cancer therapy.

The work described in the Nature Medicine paper was supported by the Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation, the DON Foundation and the JDRF.

About City of Hope

City of Hope is an independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Designated as one of only 47 comprehensive cancer centers, the highest recognition bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, City of Hope is also a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, with research and treatment protocols that advance care throughout the world. City of Hope is located in Duarte, California, just northeast of Los Angeles, with communityclinics throughout Southern California. It is ranked as one of Americas Best Hospitals in cancer by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bonemarrowtransplantation, diabetes and numerous breakthrough cancer drugs based on technology developed at the institution. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

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City of Hope Researchers Discover New Potential Cause of Type 1 Diabetes - Business Wire (press release)

Experts have found weight loss surgery can improve the health of overweight people with type 2 diabetes.

A five year study by researchers in Australia looked at people classified as overweight with a BMI between 25 and 29.9.

The experts, from Monash University in Melbourne found patients who had a gastric band fitted managed their diabetes better, improved their chances of remission and reduced the need for diabetes medication.

They also saw their weight drop by an eighth.

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Their diabetes was better controlled and they needed fewer diabetic medications to control their blood sugar levels

Dr John Wentworth

Dr John Wentworth, researcher said: "We had people who were feeling better, moving better and who were happier because of the surgery.

"Their diabetes was better controlled and they needed fewer diabetic medications to control their blood sugar levels."

He said few experienced negative side effects from the surgery and the improvement in quality of life made it cost effective.

He urged guidelines should be revised so it can be offered to those currently not eligible for the surgery.

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People should be aware signs and symptoms of diabetes are not always obvious and the condition is often diagnosed during GP check ups.

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The NHS offers the procedure to patients with potentially life-threatening obesity, including those with a BMI of over 40, or with a BMI over 35 with a serious health condition such as type 2 or high blood pressure.

Adults recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes may also be considered for an assessment for weight loss surgery if they have a BMI of 30 to 34.9.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin produced does not work properly and can be linked to lifestyle factors such as being overweight.

Figures suggest nine in ten people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese and require medication to control blood glucose levels.

GETTY

However, there is a waiting list for gastric band surgery on the NHS and it can cost between 5,000 to 8,000 to have it done privately.

It costs more than 10billion a year to treat patients with type 2 diabetes.

Researchers from Monash's Centre for Obesity Research and Education randomly assigned 22 to receive gastric banding combined with medical care, and 23 who received medical care alone.

Both groups received help with lifestyle factors such as exercise and healthy eating.

It found the average weight loss of 12.2 per cent of body weight in the gastric band group compared with 1.8 per cent in the other group.

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Almost a quarter of the gastric band group showed diabetes remission at five years, compared to nine per cent of the medical care-only group.

Dr Wentworth added the results provided "reasonably strong evidence" that gastric banding, as a safe and effective weight loss operation, was an acceptable alternative for people who wanted it.

He said: "It's an important point because lap banding is criticised by some people saying it is far too drastic to be used as a diabetes treatment and that it doesn't work in the longer term.

"I think it's a matter of just looking at the best ways of managing diabetes and preventing diabetes complications.

"We're interested in making life easier for these people and reducing the risk of the main complications, mainly heart attack, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.

"Although we'd be delighted if people could lose over 10 per cent of their weight through lifestyle modification, the reality is that the vast majority of people can't manage that."

The study was published in Diabetes Care.

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THIS weight loss technique could help to CONTROL potentially deadly diabetes - Express.co.uk

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Type 2 diabetes prevented in 80 per cent of at-risk patients thanks to ... Science Daily A weight loss drug has reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 80 per cent compared to placebo, report investigators. and more »

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An effective pan-India diabetic policy is imperative to address the growing burden of diabetes in the country.

An effective pan-India diabetic policy is imperative to address the growing burden of diabetes in the country, experts at the 7th World Congress of Diabetes said here on Friday.Effective policy actions as early as possible is an urgent need to address the growing burden of diabetes in our country, Banshi Saboo, Diabetes India Chairman said in a statement.The government has made pioneering efforts towards diabetes care in India However, there is need for further strengthening of the programmes and implementation in all states and union territories, added Ashok Kumar Das, Professor at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences.The four-day Diabetes India 2017 conference, that began on Thursday, has brought together stakeholders from diverse fields to endorse the philosophy of the Berlin Declaration.It also urged the policy makers to take early action across four primary areas prevention, detection, control and access for the right intervention to prevent the growing menace of the disease.

The Berlin Declaration signed by India in December 2016 is a manifesto establishing foundational principles as well as specific targets and policy recommendations to help countries formulate and implement policies to improve health outcomes for people living with, or at risk of diabetes.More than 3,000 doctors and eminent national and international faculties are taking part in the conference that would continue till February 26.There are more than 69.1 million people in India affected with Type 2 diabetes alone.Poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, amputation and premature death.It is estimated that 1 million deaths per year in India are attributable to the Type 2 diabetes.Here are 8 facts about diabetes you didnt know.

Source: IANS

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Published: February 27, 2017 9:59 am

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With the speedy rise of diabetes in the country, pan-India diabetic policy urgently required - TheHealthSite

Merck & Co.'s fast-tracked antiviral letermovir hit its main target of reducing infections in a trial involving bone marrow transplant patientsand topped that by also reducing patient deaths.

Armed with the new data the drugmaker said it intends to move ahead with regulatory filings for letermovir in both the U.S. and EUin 2017, providing the first alternative to the current crop of generic drugs that are underused in these patients because they either lack efficacy or have toxicity issues.

The phase 3 test looked at how well letermovir was able to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in adults undergoing a bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), a procedure typically used for patients with serious hematological cancers. All patients were seropositive for the virus, meaning they had been exposed to it before but had no active infection.

CMV is a common virus and usually causes no harm, but when immunity is lowered as in HSCT, it can cause serious complications including organ damage and failure. Some patients carry CMV before transplant, while in others the virus hitches a ride with the transplanted cells.

The results showed that 37.5% of patients treated with letermovir developed CMV by week 24, compared to 60.6% for a matched placebo group. And Merck's drug also led to lower all-cause mortality at 24 weeks, at 9.8% compared to 15.9% for placebo, which, as lead investigator Francisco Marty, M.D., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute told OncLive, was "very compelling and interesting."

The positive effect of letermovir on mortality ties in with findings from a study by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists last year that HSCT patients who develop high levels of CMV and other viruses in the blood post-transplant have a significantly higher mortality rate.

Letermovir could grow quickly to reach $370 million in sales by 2020, according to Credit Suisse analysts, although the drug could see a rival in the shape of Chimerix's brincidofovir, which is being tested not only for prevention of CMV but also other opportunistic infections that can affect HSCT patients.

Oral brincidofovir flopped in two phase 3 trials, but the company is pressing ahead with the development of an intravenous formulation that it hopes will protect against not only CMV but also adenovirus, another major cause of death in HSCT patients, and other DNA viruses.

The result is a welcome boost for Merck's antiviral unit after the company's $2.9 billion write-down of hepatitis C virus candidate uprifosbuvir last week in the face of a declining eligible patient population and a more difficult pricing environment for HCV drugs.

There was also good news for the Big Pharma ahead of the weekend when its shingles vaccine V212 successfully passed a first phase 3 test, preventing infections in immunocompromised patients.

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Merck's letermovir aces bone marrow transplant study, cutting death rate - FierceBiotech

Human neurons in mouse brains are more susceptible to Alzheimer's pathology Science Daily Pierre Vanderhaeghen (ULB-WELBIO, VIB-KULeuven), whose lab previously pioneered the technology to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into neural cells in vitro, and then transplant them in the mouse brain, generating a human/mouse chimera ... and more »

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Human neurons in mouse brains are more susceptible to Alzheimer's pathology - Science Daily

A study has demonstrated that a new, one-off stem cell treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) can 'freeze' progression of the disease for five years in some patients.

The treatment called autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) 'reboots' the patient's faulty immune system, which in MS patients attacks the central nervous system, causing damage to nerve fibres.

While it was already known that AHSCT can reset the immune system and pause the deterioration of MS symptoms, which can range from fatigue, vision problems and spasms to severe disability,it was not known how long the positive effects of AHSCT would last.

'In this study, which is the largest long-term follow-up study of this procedure, we've shown we can "freeze" a patient's disease and stop it from becoming worse, for up to five years,' said lead author Dr Paolo Muraro, from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London.

After examining clinical data from 281 people with advanced MS who had received AHSCT between 1995 and 2006, the researchers observed that 46 percent of the patients showed no worsening of symptoms in five years. All the patients had failed to respond to other types of treatment.

However, the procedure carries riskand may not be suitable for all patients. AHSCT involves harvesting stem cells from the patient's body before the remaining immune cells are destroyed with chemotherapy. The patient's immune system is then regrown by transplanting the stem cells back into the body.

There is arisk of infection in the period where the immune system is disabledand, of the 281 patients in the study, eight died in the 100 days following treatment. 'We must take into account that the treatment carries a small risk of death, and this is a disease that is not immediately life-threatening,' cautioned Dr Muraro.

Last year, BBC Panorama reported on the 'miraculous' results of a current trial of AHSCT in Sheffield, which saw patients with severe paralysis regaining movement in just a couple of days (see BioNews 836).

The latest study, published in the journal JAMA Neurology,revealed that young people and those with less advanced MS benefited most from the treatment. The outcome was also strongly dependent on the form of MS being treated. Three out of ever four patients with 'relapsing' MS saw no disease progression compared with one in threewith the more severe, progressive form. Some patients even reported improvements in their symptoms.

'These findings are very promising but crucially we didn't have a placebo group, in this study,of patients who didn't receive the treatment,' said Dr Muraro. 'We urgently need more effective treatments for this devastating condition, and so a large, randomised controlled trial of this treatment should be the next step.'

Dr Sorrel Bickley, head of biomedical research at the MS Society, welcomed the results.'The findings offer some encouraging insights,' he said. '[MS] is a challenging and unpredictable condition to live with and that's why the MS Society is funding research like this to further our knowledge and find treatments for everyone.'

AHSCT is not routinely available on the NHS and the MS Society says that anyone considering the treatment should speak to their neurologist.

MS is an incurable disease that affects around 100,000 people in the UK and 2.3 million worldwide.

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Stem cell treatment halts multiple sclerosis for five years - BioNews

Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel, Medical Discovery News 8:58 a.m. CT Feb. 27, 2017

Medical Discovery News(Photo: Contributed photo)

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women, killing 610,000 Americans each year. Someone in the U.S. has a heart attack every 42 seconds. A recent study has revealed that stem cells derived from one Macaque monkey transplanted into five other animals helped them heal after a heart attack. This could pave the way for using stem cells from one person in the treatment of other people with heart attacks.

It is now possible to reprogram any almost any cell in the body into a pluripotent stem cell or iPSC that can become any cell in the body. These iPSCs are made by adding four genes that change the genes used in specialized cells such skin cells. The new genes restart genes from early development, allowing these cells to become almost any type of cell in the body.Under very specific laboratory conditions iPSCs can be then used to make cells to repair damaged organs, such as neurons to treat damaged or diseased brains, heart muscle cells or cardiomyocytes to treat a heart attack or any other cells in other damaged organs.

Harvesting cells from an individual to make iPSCs to treat that person would greatly help to avoid the type of rejection that you would see in organ transplantation. However, it is very laborious and expensive to make iPSCs for each person needing cell replacement therapy.Also, treatment after a heart attack requires the infusion of a large number of heart cells derived from iPSCs, which would also consume quite a bit of time and expense. What if iPSCs could be generated from one person and then used to create large numbers of heart cells that could be stored and used to treat several people?Just as in organ transplantation, you would have to use a donor whose cells were compatible with the recipient so that the cells would not be rejected.

To test this possibility, researchers created iPSCs from one macaque and used them to treat five other monkeys with heart attacks. Skin cells were isolated from the donor macaque and four genes were used to reprogram them into iPSCs.The iPSCs were then programmed to develop into cardiomyocytes.Five hundred million cells were injected into the damaged hearts of five organ-matched monkeys. After 12 weeks, there was no rejection of the donor cells in monkeys treated with two anti-rejection drugs that are routinely used in humans after transplantation.

The implanted heart cells became integrated into the recipient hearts and developed the electrical connections required for them to beat. The recipient hearts contractile functions were improved at four and 12 weeks after receiving the grafted heart cells.

This study demonstrates that grafted heart cells improve the contractile functions of the heart and could benefit humans after a heart attack.This study provides hope that rather than having a permanent scar in the heart muscle after a heart attack and decreased function, this type of therapy could replace the dead heart cells with new cells that would then function normally.

Medical Discovery News is hosted by professors Norbert Herzog at Quinnipiac University, and David Niesel of the University of Texas Medical Branch. Learn more at http://www.medicaldiscoverynews.com.

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Medical Discovery News: Heart cells on demand - ReporterNews.com

Tom Doumani thought something was up when he started having trouble reading street signs while driving. Letters seemed to be missing and, if the street name was an unfamiliar one, he had no way of guessing what it might be.

It was enough to prompt him to go and get his eyes tested. However the results showed his long distance vision was fine.

Unconvinced all was as it should be, he mentioned it to his GP who referred him to an eye specialist. This time the tests picked it up. Dr Doumani had the rare and rather awkwardly named Macular Telangiectasia type 2.

Like many rare conditions, little is known about what causes "MacTel 2", which in scientific circles is known as idiopathic juxtafoveal telangiectasia. Idiopathic meaning "of unknown cause".

However that may have changed, thanks to research led by Melbourne scientists which has found "a treasure map" revealing the location of the genetic triggers behind this little-understood form of blindness.

Outlined in the journal Nature Genetics, it is the first clue as to what causes MacTel 2, an incurable and untreatable degenerative disease which affects people from age 40 upwards.

The condition is characterised by an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the macula. Patients lose their central vision and tasks such as driving and reading can become impossible.

The international study was led by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research scientists Melanie Bahlo and Thomas Scerri.

The research team, including scientists in New York and London, analysed more than 6 million genetic markers in the genome of patients with the condition and compared them to those without.

Among the 476 people diagnosed with MacTel 2, genetic similarities were found in five key regions of the genome.

Curiously four of the five regions are associated with a person's metabolism. Those with MacTel 2 recorded lower levels of the basic amino acids glycine and serine.

"That was a bit of a surprise to say the least," Professor Bahlo said.

The fifth region identified, in what Professor Bahlo has described as "our treasure map", is tied to the size of retinal blood vessels.

"This is the first time we have been able to say with certainty that this is a genetic condition," she said. "And the map tells us where to 'keep digging' in order to discover the specific genes implicated in MacTel 2."

Identifying the specific genes would lead to improved diagnostic testing for the disease which is notoriously difficult to identify and also developing ways to prevent or stop its progression.

Diagnosed in 2012 at the age of 61, retired corporate banker Tom Doumaniwas among theMelbourne participants, sourced through Centre for Eye Research Australia. Heknows that while he may not benefit directly from participating in the study, he is contributing to the global search for a cause or cure.

"To help advance the knowledge, that's what appealed to me in taking part," he said. "I had no hesitation in participating."

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'Treasure map' identifies first genetic clues to form of blindness - The Sydney Morning Herald

Sorghum farmer Dorothy Warubua in Kiatine Village, Kenya. Photo by: CropLife

Up to half a million children around the world are going blind every year due to a lack of Vitamin A in their diets. According to the World Health Organization,Vitamin A deficiency, which afflicts 250 million children worldwide is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections. It is a public health problem in more than half the worlds nations, especially in Africa and Southeast Asia, affecting young children and pregnant women in low-income countries the hardest.

In Kenya, scientists are tackling this problem by developing biofortified sorghum, a staple crop that has been genetically modified to contain higher levels of Vitamin A. More than 300 million sub-Saharan Africans depend on sorghum as their primary calorie source. Its drought- and heat-tolerant properties mean it is a vital crop in drought-prone countries, where irrigation is not always accessible or affordable. Improving the nutritional level of staple crops can provide both food and nutritional security.

TheAfrica Biofortified Sorghum, or ABS, project is a public-private partnership established to tackle chronic Vitamin A deficiency in children, as well as improve levels of zinc and iron. If it gets commercial approval, it will be the first-ever biotech sorghum on the market. LikeGolden Rice, biofortified sorghum is a cutting-edge approach to food security and quality.

In terms of tonnage, sorghum is Africas second most important cereal and because it originated in east Africa, Africans know how to plant, cook and eat it. Dr. Titus Magomere, a lecturer in biotechnology at Kenyatta University,is one of 70 scientists involved in the ABS project. He says it is the obvious crop to focus on.

With the work that I am doing with biofortified sorghum, we are not trying to change the way people live, we are just improving the available nutrients in what they already have, he said.

Dr. Magomere and his team have already increased the Vitamin A available in sorghum test plants.

This is the first step, he explained. The second step has been to increase availability of iron and zinc and this has been done by reducing the levels of a protein that binds iron and zinc in the plants. We hope once the product is ready, a meal of sorghum, which will be available to the local farmers, will reduce nutritional deficiencies significantly.

Farmers like Dorothy Warubua from Kenya are hoping to take these scientific advancements from the lab to the fields.

With the work that I am doing with biofortified sorghum, we are not trying to change the way people live, we are just improving the available nutrients in what they already have.

When I was young, many people grew sorghum, but then people were encouraged to grow other crops, and started looking down on sorghum, she said.

Farmers were encouraged to grow maize in particular, but after a number of poor harvests, the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculturesupported the reintroduction of sorghum.

Sorghum needs very little rain. If you plant sorghum and maize at the same time, the sorghum will succeed but the maize often will not so that's why we prefer sorghum, says Warubua.

A reliable harvest also means a more secure source of nutrition and income for farmers and their families.

You have to have a farmer who is going to harvest so that the people will eat, emphasizes Warubua.

WithFood Heroeslike Warubua growing food for her community, and Magomere enhancing micronutrients in staple crops, the chronic nutritional deficiencies that haunt millions of African children can start to be addressed.

Were looking for more farmers and scientists to tell their story. Help us uncover the men and women who are securing food supplies for future generations so we can share their story. Submit your Food Heroes stories or your own story here.

Join the Devex communityand access more in-depth analysis, breaking news and business advice and a host of other services on international development, humanitarian aid and global health.

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The sorghum plant that could tackle blindness - Devex

Several years ago, an article published in the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company Digest reported that the size and amounts of malpractice judgments were discouraging ophthalmologists from doing screenings for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

The issue was addressed over twenty years ago in a letter from an ophthalmologist to the administration of the hospital where he was employed as well as the state medical board. The letter outlined the reasons for his decision to no longer perform ROP screenings:

Guidelines from the Cryotherapy of Prematurity Study must be followed exactly. The timing of the evaluation and follow-up visits are critical. This is often not under the physicians control (i.e., patients family compliance to follow-up visit requests is at times marginal). The risk of liability in these cases is high. The emotional trauma of dealing with any kind of litigation is great.

A few years later, a study published in Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society indicated that doctor errors in ROP examinations are fairly common. One of the problems addressed in that piece is inconsistency.

While the standard of care for specialists is national, it does not necessarily apply to general practitioners. When it comes to primary care physicians or pediatricians, the standard of care is determined on a local or regional basis, and can differ from one jurisdiction to the next.

It also comes down to the question of who bears the most responsibility when it comes to diagnosing and treating ROP. Obviously, the pediatricians or neonatologist is part of the equation. However, because this is an eye and vision issue, input from an experienced ophthalmologist is also necessary. This is especially important because this professional is held to a higher standard of care and has dedicated his/her career to the study of vision issues.

This said, the majority of ROP cases that generate lawsuits found the failure occurred when it came to transferring care of the patient after being discharged from the hospital. In a study of 13 legal actions involving ROP, three were found to be due to delayed follow-up examinations. In another case, there was failure on the part of the screening facility to refer the outpatient case to the ophthalmologist, while one case centered around an unsupervised resident physician who was charged with care of the patient. In the remaining eight cases, the hospital did not transfer the case at all once the patient had been discharged.

The main point is that most cases of ROP are treatable and even preventable. However, this requires communication and coordination between the pediatrician, the neonatologist, the ophthalmologist and the family affected. All involved parties should also have access to knowledge of the latest guidelines for screening and treatment. In an age of cost-cutting and belt-tightening, however, this does not always occur; and unfortunately its the family and child who end up suffering an immeasurable loss.

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Retinopathy of Prematurity and Childhood Blindness: Why is it Still Happening - The Ring of Fire Network

New York Times

Aids for Vision Loss, From Those Who've Been There New York Times But he insisted, Blindness does not cut me off from the world. He cited skillful use of a cane, travel devices that tell him where he is and what is around him and periodicals available in real time by telephone among myriad other gadgets that see ...

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Aids for Vision Loss, From Those Who've Been There - New York Times