StemCell Therapy

A few years ago, Jennifer Nocito went Toronto with her daughter to their first Power of Movement event.

It is an annual fundraising yoga event benefiting the Arthritis Research Foundation.

There is arthritis in my family both my mother and my grandmother live with it and have seen the effects, so I wanted the opportunity to bring an awareness campaign up to Collingwood, she said.

Last year, she led her first event in Collingwood and had a great response. This year, she would like to see even more people take the opportunity to see how gentle yoga can improve mobility and lives.

I had a great turnout. Some people participated and others just came to donate money, said Nocito. Some even stayed to talk to me about their arthritis, ... Its not only about arthritis but also raising funds for research into related autoimmune diseases.

Research has shown yoga can be beneficial for those living with arthritis because it involves a lot of stretching and strengthening that have been found to ease the pain of inflamed joints.

Theres a meditative element, Nocito pointed out, that helps to calm the mind and relieve some of the stress associated with the condition.

The Arthritis Research Foundation suggests by 2021, 20% of Canadians will have arthritis or one of its 100 related autoimmune disorders including lupus and osteoarthritis.

There are all different kinds of yoga, but this one is definitely designed to encourage people to come to try it for the first time, said Nocito. Even people who have been doing yoga for years will benefit from it.

Nocito, a registered massage therapist and owner of Yoga First and Spa, knows some of the successes she has experienced with some of her clients.

This isnt about body image; this is about getting yourself moving again, Nocito added.

This event on March 5 at the Central Park Arena in Collingwood is open to all ages. And age shouldnt be a deterrent, Nocito said.

My daughter is 14 and does yoga and Pilates every day, she said. And in my classes at Blue Shore, I have one woman who is 79.

The event, Power of Movement, starts with registration at 12:30 p.m., with the class beginning at 1 p.m. The fee is by donation and all proceeds go to the Arthritis Research Foundation.

jmcveigh@postmedia.com

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Event aids Arthritis research - Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin

Keighley MP Kris Hopkins at the Arthritis Research UK reception in the House of Commons. Photo by Fergus Burnett.

THE MP for Keighley has supported a campaign to help people who have arthritis return to or stay in employment.

Kris Hopkins attended a reception in Westminster to find out more about arthritis and about Arthritis Research UKs Work Matters to Me initiative.

The charity has argued that what it calls the "Arthritis employment gap" is considerable, with the employment rate amongst people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions 20 per cent lower than amongst people with no condition or disability.

Mr Hopkins said: The ability to work is something that can be taken for granted but, for people living with arthritis, it can often be a challenge.

Arthritis Research UK advised me that, across Bradford District, 84,273 people suffer from back pain, which is 16.06 per cent of the resident population.

Nationally, back pain costs the economy an estimated 10 billion each year, a figure which jumps to 25 billion when you include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

I commend Arthritis Research UK on their campaign, and for placing the vital important issues it raises on the agenda.

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Keighley's MP briefed on campaign to help people with arthritis remain in employment - Keighley News

Call me a creature of habit, or just plain boring, but Ive been wearing my hair long, blonde, straight, and side-parted for more than 15 years. The only thing thats really changed is how much of it I have left. Whether the result of bleach, blowouts, stress, hormones, genetics, or all of the above, Ive been shedding like a cheap angora sweater since the age of 30. And, to make matters worse, the hair I do have is fine, fragile, and flyaway.

It wasnt always so. Flipping through old photo albums, I found evidence not only of my natural color (a long-forgotten brown) but also of the graphic, blunt bob I sported in my early 20s. I had oodles of hair back then and would smooth it to my head with pomade and push it behind my earsmuch like Guido Palau did on some of the models in Pradas spring runway show, I noted smugly.

Efforts in the ensuing years to save my ever-sparser strands have been all but futile. You name it, Ive tried it: platelet-rich plasma (PRP), treatments in which your own blood is spun down to platelets and injected into your scalp; mesotherapy (painful vitamin shots, also in the scalp); oral supplements; acupuncture; massage; herbal remedies; and high-tech hair products. Ive even resorted to wearing a silly-looking helmet that bathed my head in low-level laser light and was said to stimulate failing follicles. At this point, I would soak my mane in mares milk under the glow of a waxing supermoon if I thought it would help.

Since hair regeneration is one of the cosmetics-research worlds holiest grails (read: potential multibillion-dollar industry), Ive always hoped that a bona fide breakthrough was around the corner, and prayed it would arrive well ahead of my dotage. As it turns out, it might actually be a five-hour flight from New Yorkand around $10,000away.

It was the celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger who whispered the name Roberta F. Shapiro into my ear. You have to call her, she said. She is on to something, and it could be big. Shapiro, a well-respected Manhattan pain-management specialist, treats mostly chronic and acute musculoskeletal and myofascial conditions, like disc disease and degeneration, pinched nerves, meniscal tears, and postLyme disease pain syndromes. Her patient list reads like a whos who of the citys power (and pain-afflicted) elite, and her practice is so busy, she could barely find time to speak with me. According to Shapiro, a possible cure for hair loss was never on her agenda.

But thats exactly what she thinks she may have stumbled upon in the course of her work with stem cell therapy. About eight years ago, she started noticing a commonality among many of her patientsevidence of autoimmune disease with inflammatory components. Frustrated that she was merely palliating their discomfort and not addressing the underlying problems, Shapiro began to look beyond traditional treatments and drug protocols to the potential healing and regenerative benefits of stem cellsspecifically, umbilical cordderived mesenchymal stem cells, which, despite being different from the controversial embryonic stem cells, are used in the U.S. only for research purposes. After extensive vetting, she began bringing patients to the Stem Cell Institute, in Panama City, Panama, which she considers the most sophisticated, safe, and aboveboard facility of its kind. Its not a spa, or a feel-good, instant-fix kind of place, nor is it one of those bogus medical-tourism spots, she says. Lori Kanter Tritsch, a 55-year-old New York architect (and the longtime partner of Este Lauder Executive Chairman William Lauder) is a believer. She accompanied Shapiro to Panama for relief from what had become debilitating neck pain caused by disc bulges and stenosis from arthritis, and agreed to participate in this story only because she believes in the importance of a wider conversation about stem cells. If it works for hair rejuvenation, or other cosmetic purposes, great, but that was not at all my primary goal in having the treatment, Kanter Tritsch said.

While at the Stem Cell Institute, Kanter Tritsch had around 100 million stem cells administered intravenously (a five-minute process) and six intramuscular injections of umbilical cord stem cellderived growth factor (not to be confused with growth hormone, which has been linked to cancer). In the next three months, she experienced increased mobility in her neck, was able to walk better, and could sleep through the night. She also lost a substantial amount of weight (possibly due to the anti-inflammatory effect of the stem cells), and her skin looked great. Not to mention, her previously thinning hair nearly doubled in volume.

As Shapiro explains it, the process of hair loss is twofold. The first factor is decreased blood supply to hair follicles, or ischemia, which causes a slow decrease in their function. This can come from aging, genetics, or autoimmune disease. The second is inflammation. One of the reasons I think mesenchymal stem cells are working to regenerate hair is that stem cell infiltration causes angiogenesis, which is a fancy name for regrowing blood vessels, or in this case, revascularizing the hair follicles, Shapiro notes. Beyond that, she says, the cells have a very strong anti-inflammatory effect.

For clinical studies shes conducting in Panama, Shapiro will employ her proprietary technique of microfracturing, or injecting the stem cells directly into the scalp. She thinks this unique delivery method will set her procedure apart. But, she cautions, this is a growing science, and we are only at the very beginning. PRP is like bathwater compared with amniotic- or placenta-derived growth factor, or better yet, umbilical cordderived stem cells.

Realizing that not everyone has the money or inclination to fly to Panama for a treatment that might not live up to their expectations, Hershberger and Shapiro are in the process of developing Platinum Clinical, a line of hair products containing growth factor harvested from amniotic fluid and placenta. (Shapiro stresses that these are donated remnants of a live birth that would otherwise be discarded.) The products will be available later this year at Hershbergers salons.

With follicular salvation potentially within reach, I wondered if it might be time to revisit the blunt bob of my youth. I call Palau, and inquire about that sleek 1920s do he created for Prada. Fine hair can actually work better for a style like this, he says. In fact, designers often prefer models with fine hair, so the hairstyle doesnt overpower the clothing. Then he confides, Sometimes, if a girl has too much hair, we secretly braid it away. Say what? I know, its the exact opposite of what women want in the real world. But models are starting to realize that fine hair can be an asset. Look, at some point you have to embrace what you have and work with it. Wise words, perhaps, and proof that, like pretty much everything else, thick hair is wasted on the young.

From the Minimalist to the Bold, the 5 Best Hair Trends of New York Fashion Week

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Thanks to Stem Cell Therapy, Thinning Hair May Be a Thing of the ... - W Magazine

CHICAGO. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in the U.S., affecting nearly 27 million adults. It is currently an incurable disease in which the joints deteriorate. Now, a therapy that has been used in eye surgery and to heal the skin of burn victims is being used for the first time in knees. This new form of treatment involves stem cells from amniotic fluid.

As a professional photographer, climbing up step ladders and walking down stairs are part of the daily grind for 65-year-old Linda Schwartz.

"There's constant activity; you're moving the whole time, really," Schwartz told Ivanhoe.

But the pain of osteoarthritis in both of her knees was making all that activity a little harder.

Schwartz detailed, "I tried cortisone shots. I had something called Euflexxa. I was sent to physical therapy twice. I mean, I did try acupuncture in my knees. But it didn't really seem to make a difference."

Adam Yanke, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, explained, "It's like the rubber on the tire. So as you start to lose the rubber in your tire and the rim hits the road, that's what happens when you have bone on bone arthritis and you've lost all the cartilage in your knee."

Dr. Yanke enrolled Schwartz in an experimental new therapy that involved injecting amniotic fluid that contained stem cells donated by healthy mothers into the knees of osteoarthritis patients.

"Between the two of those they're a potent anti-inflammatory and they also have growth factors that help promote healing or healthy growth of tissue," said Dr. Yanke.

It was by far the most effective pain treatment that Schwartz has tried. Unlike cortisone shots, there are no side effects. The pain relief has so far lasted up to a year.

"It was a very gradual feeling of it's a little bit better, it's a little bit better, and then realizing, wow, it's really pretty good," said Schwartz.

The one drawback is this therapy is not for patients whose arthritis is so bad it requires knee replacement surgery. Even though it's still in the experimental stage, Dr. Yanke offers the stem cell treatment to his patients. But at a cost of $2,200 a shot, it is not yet covered by insurance.

Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Supervising Producer; Jessica Sanchez, Field Producer; Milvionne Chery, Assistant Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.

MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS

RESEARCH SUMMARY

TOPIC: Stem Cell Therapy for Osteoarthritis

REPORT: MB #4213

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis, is the most chronic condition in the joints, affecting 27 million Americans. This disease is an incurable one in which the tissue and bone in the joints deteriorate. Because the cartilage is a cushion between the bones, when this is lost a person can experience considerable pain, swelling and problems when moving the joint. This condition can affect people of any age, but it is more common in people over the age of 65. Some common risk factors include:

* Age

* Obesity

* Previous joint injury

* Overuse of the joint

* Weak thigh muscles

* Genetics

(Source: http://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/osteoarthritis/what-is-osteoarthritis.php)

TREATMENTS: Although there is no cure for osteoarthritis, there are several treatments that exist to treat it. Each treatment depends on the patient and the severity of the disease, but all focus on managing pain, stiffness and swelling; as well as joint mobility and flexibility. Some of these treatments are:

* Medications, like analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, pills, cream and lotions

* Physical and occupational therapies

* Surgery

* Natural and alternative therapies like nutritional supplements, acupuncture, massages, physical activities, and weight management

(Source: http://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/osteoarthritis/treatment.php)

STEM CELL THERAPY: Stem cell therapy consists of a membrane product that also has amniotic fluid in it. They are usually used in eye surgery and to heal the skin of burned victims but now they're being used to treat osteoarthritis in an experimental therapy. The main goal of the trial is to demonstrate this is an adequate therapy for relieving inflammation in the joints. The therapy involves injecting amniotic fluid that contains stem cells donated by healthy mother into the knees of patients. Dr. Adam Yanke says it's too soon to tell if the stem cell therapy will actually help with growing back healthy tissue in order to avoid surgery, or if it will simply delay the process. Furthermore, the therapy can't be given to patients suffering from chronic arthritis and are in need of knee replacement surgery. Nevertheless, the treatment helps with pain relief, movement and there are no reported side effects.

(Source: Adam Yanke)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:

Deb Song

Media Relations

Deb_song@rush.edu

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com

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HealthWatch: Stem Cell Therapy for Osteoarthritis - WeAreGreenBay.com

Medical tourism is alive and well in places all over the world. Thailand, Mexico and Colombia are just some of the destinations where people travel in order to get affordable health care. While finances are the main concern of medical tourists, another reason to make the trip is for services that arent provided in a travelers local city or country. Stem Cells are still a controversial topic in many countries and while research is being conducted, people who might benefit from the treatments may not be able to locate a qualified provider. Why travel so far just for stem cell treatment? Well.

They May Be Able To Cure Cancer

Cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases out there without a cure. With so many people falling ill to this disease, the need for a cure is more important than ever. Stem cell studies are being conducted and researchers have found that stem cell therapy can be used to add healthy cells into the system to suppress the disease while stimulating the growth of new and healthy marrow. Hodgkins Lymphoma, breast cancer and ovarian cancer may benefit the most from these treatments.

They Could Be Capable of Treating Blood Disease

According to NSI Stem Cell, stem cell therapy may be able to provide the body with regenerative and healthy blood cells to combat blood disease. With healthy blood cells in the system, diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia, Fanconi Anemia and Thalassemia could be effectively treated.

They Have The Ability To Treat Injuries and Wounds

By increasing blood vessels and improving blood supply, stem cells could treat both chronic and acute wounds, especially in older patients who dont heal as quickly. Specifically, stem cell therapy could help treat surface wounds, limb gangrene and the replacement of jawbone.

Research Is Being Done On a Huge Variety of Treatment Potential

Stem cells are constantly undergoing research to uncover their potential when it comes to medical treatments. Some of the treatments being explored include:

-Auto-immune Disease: These cells may be able to repair and regenerate damaged tissue for people suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Buergers Disease, and Systemic Lupus.

-Neurodegeneration: They could help with diseases such as MS and Parkinsons.

-Brain & Spinal Cord Injuries: The cells could reduce inflammation and help to form healthy, new tissue.

-Heart Conditions: Stem cells are being utilized to create new blood vessels, reverse tissue loss and regenerate heart muscle tissue.

-Tooth & Hair Replacement: They can help grow thinning hair and replace missing teeth.

-Vision Loss: Retinal cells are being injected into the eyes to improve vision.

-Pancreatic Cells: Healthy Beta Cells in the pancreas are being produced by stem cells. These therapies would help diabetic patients and allow them to decrease their dependence on insulin.

-Orthopedics: Stem cells can be utilized to treat arthritis and ligament/tendon injuries.

-HIV/Aids: Researchers are looking into using stem cells to produce an immune system that is resistant to disease.

The Cost of Treatment Will Vary But Can Be Affordable

While it may seem that the cost of stem cell therapy would be extremely high, the truth is that it varies. It all depends on the treatment necessary but the range could be from $1,000 to $100,000. In the future, insurance companies may even cover costs for some treatments.

Stem Cells Come From Multiple Sources

Stem cells come from a whole variety of places including bone marrow, adipose tissue, blood and umbilical cords. In the case of extraction from adipose tissue, they can be harvested and then put back in a patient after only a couple of days. All of the procedures to acquire the stem cells can be done with willing participants and donors.

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Why People Are Traveling For Stem Cell Treatment - Huffington Post

Back to Browse Journals Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment Volume 13

Gautam Rao, Sherwin Mashkouri, David Aum, Paul Marcet, Cesar V Borlongan

Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

Abstract: Epilepsy is a debilitating disease that impacts millions of people worldwide. While unprovoked seizures characterize its cardinal symptom, an important aspect of epilepsy that remains to be addressed is the neuropsychiatric component. It has been documented for millennia in paintings and literature that those with epilepsy can suffer from bouts of aggression, depression, and other psychiatric ailments. Current treatments for epilepsy include the use of antiepileptic drugs and surgical resection. Antiepileptic drugs reduce the overall firing of the brain to mitigate the rate of seizure occurrence. Surgery aims to remove a portion of the brain that is suspected to be the source of aberrant firing that leads to seizures. Both options treat the seizure-generating neurological aspect of epilepsy, but fail to directly address the neuropsychiatric components. A promising new treatment for epilepsy is the use of stem cells to treat both the biological and psychiatric components. Stem cell therapy has been shown efficacious in treating experimental models of neurological disorders, including Parkinsons disease, and neuropsychiatric diseases, such as depression. Additional research is necessary to see if stem cells can treat both neurological and neuropsychiatric aspects of epilepsy. Currently, there is no animal model that recapitulates all the clinical hallmarks of epilepsy. This could be due to difficulty in characterizing the neuropsychiatric component of the disease. In advancing stem cell therapy for treating epilepsy, experimental testing of the safety and efficacy of allogeneic and autologous transplantation will require the optimization of cell dosage, delivery, and timing of transplantation in a clinically relevant model of epilepsy with both neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms of the disease as the primary outcome measures.

Keywords: epilepsy, neuropsychiatric, stem cells, autologous

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y.

It is degenerative eye disease that could eventually leave Stephanie Harmon blind.

Retinitis pigmentosa has forced the Salina mother to quit her job as she tries to raise two teenagers.

"To lose your vision. It is one of the scariest things. But I had 40 plus years of it, so I was blessed with that. I could have had nothing my whole life," Harmon said.

Four years ago, Harmon was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, or RP, a disease where part of the retina slowly deteriorates.

It is fairly rare, affecting about one out of 4,000 people.

Imagine slowly losing your peripheral vision, your eyesight closing in . That is what Harmon said retinitis pigmentosa is like. She said right now for here, it is like each eye is looking through a toilet paper tube.

"It's just the little things, learning braille because it's way easier now while I still have some of my vision left than to do it while have nothing. It's little things like that but once you start accepting those things then you're really accepting that you have this," Harmon said.

Stephanie does not know if she will lose all her sight, but she is taking in all she can while she still has time.

There are things on top of my list that I want to do. I jumped out of plane last summer. Something that I'll be able to take with me forever and have that vision in my head," Harmon said.

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Salina mother slowly losing eyesight wants to get the word out about rare disorder - CNYcentral.com

PIKEVILLE SOAR is set to host an obesity and diabetes roundtable at Union College in Barbourville on March 16. The goal of the roundtable will be to identify specific strategies that can be implemented throughout the region through innovation, collaboration and the support of SOAR.network.

This Roundtable event is about next steps, Dr. William Hacker, Chair of the SOAR Community Health and Wellness Advisory Council, said. We refuse to get caught up in the continual loop of negative data and poor outlooks. We know the rates, we know that there is work to be done in our communities and we are bringing together the people, the organizations and the leaders that are ready to work together to reduce obesity and diabetes in our region.

The roundtable will feature bright spot presentations from successful programs and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in one of two separate roundtable discussions: Education, Prevention, and Innovation and Disease Detection and Management. Each discussion will be led by a panel of experts.

Our region continues to struggle with the effects of obesity and diabetes in our daily lives, in our families and in building and maintaining a strong, healthy workforce, Jared Arnett, Executive Director of SOAR, said. We are ready to turn the conversation to identifying strategies that communities can implement to reduce the impact of these conditions and meet the goals of the SOAR Regional Blueprint. We are excited to bring together those with an interest and a desire to be a part of the solution and provide the link for continued conversation and action through the SOAR.Network.

The roundtable will be held at Union College through collaboration with Union College and the Appalachian Regional Commission. The roundtable will take place from 10am-2pm with lunch sponsored by WellCare of Kentucky. Informational booths and posters with evidence based best practice recommendations will be displayed. Registration is free but space is limited. All are encouraged to attend.

All interested in attending can register at http://www.soar-ky.org/healthroundtable.

.

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SOAR to host obesity and diabetes roundtable - The Floyd County Times

Diabetes Psychosocial Care Addressed by ADA in First Published Recommendations Endocrinology Advisor The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has released a position statement focused on aspects of psychosocial care in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, published in Diabetes Care.1 Based on current diabetes research and recommendations from mental and ...

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Diabetes Psychosocial Care Addressed by ADA in First Published Recommendations - Endocrinology Advisor

A girl of eight whose rare brain disorder is likely to lead to her death when she is in her teens is taking part in pioneering stem cell research in a bid to save others with same condition.

Lily Harrisss skin cells will first be turned into stem cells and then into brain cells by researchers at University College London as they seek treatments or a cure.

About 100 to 200 cases of BPAN beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration are known worldwide, although this is believed to be an underestimate.

Children often suffer delayed development, sleep problems, epilepsy and lack of speech and their symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions.

Lily, from Luton, was diagnosed when she was five. She has very limited communication skills and uses a wheelchair. She wakes four or five times a night and needs drugs to control seizures.

However, she loves swimming and her father Simon said she has recently began singing on car journeys.

Shes laughed and giggled her way through everything, and shes been through a lot, he said.

Shes a beautiful little girl who can be quite naughty sometimes. Were giving her the best time we can while shes here. We have a beautiful little girl and its just so cruel.

Young people with BPAN develop abnormal muscle tone, symptoms of Parkinsons disease and dementia.

Mr Harriss and his wife Samantha, who work for an airline, know that as Lilys condition progresses she may have difficulty swallowing and require pain management.

Mr Harriss said: Lily can point to things she wants, she uses a little sign language and she can say a few words, like mummy, daddy, hello and goodbye.

Medical research like this for children is just absolutely vital.

We know we wont get a cure for Lily but, as parents, we need to be bigger than that. Other children might benefit through Lily. We are so proud of her.

The UCL study is being funded by 230,000 from childrens charity Action Medical Research and the British Paediatric Neurology Association. Lead researcher Dr Apostolos Papandreou hopes his research will lead to trials of treatments.

He said: The parents Ive met understandably feel devastated at the prospect of their children having a progressive disorder. However, theyre really keen to explore new avenues and participate in research projects.

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Girl, eight, with rare brain disorder in pioneering UCL stem cell research - Evening Standard

Scientists have coaxed sound-sensing cells in the ear, called "hair cells," to grow from stem cells. This technique, if perfected with human cells, could help halt or reverse the most common form of hearing loss, according to a new study.

These delicate hair cells can be damaged by excessive noise, ear infections, certain medicines or the natural process of aging. Human hair cells do not naturally regenerate; so as they die, hearing declines.

More than 20 million Americans have significant hearing loss resulting from the death or injury of these sensory hair cells, accounting for about 90 percent of hearing loss in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the new study, scientists at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that they isolated stem cells from a mouse ear, discovered how to get them to multiply in a laboratory setting, and then converted them into hair cells. Their previous efforts, in 2013, produced only 200 hair cells. With a new technique, however, the research team has increased this number to 11,500 hair cells that were grown from one mouse ear. [Inside Life Science: Once Upon a Stem Cell]

Their paper describing the stem cell advance appears today (Feb. 21) in the journal Cell Reports.

Jeffrey Corwin, an expert on hair-cell regeneration and a professor of neuroscience at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who was not part of this new research, called it "a very impressive studyby a dream team of scientists" and "a big advance" in the pursuit of regenerating these sensory hearing cells in humans.

Hair cells grow in bundles in the inner ear, and are so named because they look like hairs. Many hair cells within the ear are involved in balance, not hearing. But in the cochlea, the hearing organ deep in the ear canal, there are two kinds of specialized hair cells: outer hair cells, which amplify pitch and enable humans to discern subtle differences in sound; and inner hair cells, which convert sound into electrical signals sent to the brain. Humans have two cochleae (one in each ear), and each has only about 16,000 hair cells.

In fish, birds, lizards and amphibians, cochlear hair cells that die can be regenerated in as fast as a few days. However, in mammals, for the most part, the cells cannot regenerate except for mice and other small mammals when they are newly born. But since so many species can naturally regenerate hair cells from a stem cell precursor, including some newborn mammals, many researchers have been motivated to find a way to rekindle hair-cell regeneration in adult mammals and, of course, in humans, Corwin said.

The new research was done by a team led by Albert Edge, director of the Tillotson Cell Biology Unit at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and professor of otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

In 2012, Edge's group discovered stem cells in the ear called Lgr5+ cells. These cells are also found in the gut, where they actively regenerate the entire lining of human intestines every eight days. The research team soon found a way to coax the Lgr5+ cells to differentiate into hair cells, instead of intestinal cells. But the process was slow, and the yield was low.

Now, the researchers have increased the yield dramatically by inserting a new step. After removing Lgr5+ cells from mice, the researchers first get them to divide in a special growth medium. This step produced a two-thousandfold increase in Lgr5+ cells, Edge told Live Science. Then, the researchers moved these stem cells into a different kind of growth culture and added certain chemicals to turn the Lgr5+ cells into hair cells. [7 Ways the Mind and Body Change With Age]

These laboratory-grown hair cells appear to have many of the characteristics of actual inner and outer hair cells, although they might not be fully functional, Edge said. The most immediate use for this new technique will be to create a large set of the cells to test drugs and to identify compounds that can heal damaged hair cells or regrow them and restore hearing, Edge said.

Scientists have had difficulty testing drugs on large batches of actual hair cells because there are so few in mammalian ears and they are deep in the cochlea, hard to extract, Edge said.

The researchers have reason to believe the technique to regenerate fully functional hair cells in humans could someday work. As reported in their paper, the team tested the technique on a sample of healthy ear tissue from a 40-year-old patient who underwent a labyrinthectomy (removal of parts of the inner ear) to access a brain tumor. The adult human stem cells isolated from this tissue also multiplied and differentiated into hair cells, although not as robustly as the mouse cells did.

But as Corwin noted about Edge's research, "You can see in their paper that they are perfecting their technique as they go along."

Follow Christopher Wanjek @wanjekfor daily tweets on health and science with a humorous edge. Wanjek is the author of "Food at Work" and "Bad Medicine." His column, Bad Medicine, appears regularly on Live Science.

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Hear This: Scientists Regrow Sound-Sensing Cells - Yahoo News

BRITISH Blind Sport is returning as a charity partner for the Wright Hassall Regency Run.

Organised by the Leamington and District Round Table the 10k run takes place on Sunday April 2.

The Leamington-based charity which helps blind and partially sighted people to get active and play sport are hoping to encourage more people of all running abilities to become guide runners.

Following the success of the Rio Paralympics the profile of disabled sport is higher than ever and the charity wants runners of any ability to run the 10k and raise funds for them to support their Find a Guide service which pairs visually impaired runners and guide runners.

Fundraising manager for British Blind Sport, Ian Carr, said: The Regency Run is a fantastic event and were really grateful to the Round Table for once again supporting us this way.

The event has really helped us to raise the profile of British Blind Sport in Warwickshire and funds raised will support our guide running programme so we can continue our work in providing sporting opportunities for visually impaired people.

And Mark Chambers from the Round Table added: This is our 13th year hosting the Regency Run, and we hope to see more entries than ever before.

There is always such a good atmosphere and a great sense of community so it should be a fantastic day.

The run has helped to raise thousands of pounds for British Blind Sport over the last few years and were looking forward to supporting the work of the charity again.

Visit http://www.regency10k.co.uk to enter and http://www.britishblindsport.org.uk for further details.

* A WARWICK community centre can continue delivering youth sport activities thanks to cash raised by the Regency Run.

The Gap Community Centre has received 2,000 and will receive 4,000 more over the next two years from the Leamington Round Table as a result of funds raised by the Regency Run.

Based in Oakwood Grove, the donation allows the community centre to fund a youth worker for a whole year to deliver sport activities for young people at the centre.

More than 2,000 people visit the centre each month, with activities available for babies through to the elderly.

Gap director Marcos Campos said they were grateful for the funding.

He added: We are the only universal provision for young people in Warwick, other than after-school clubs, and funding like this is essential to allow us to continue providing this unique provision in the area.

We only charge members 60p a session, 1.20 for non-members you wouldnt get that anywhere else. Those who cant afford to pay, dont pay at all, we want everyone to be able to access the activities we offer here.

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Blindness charity returns as partner for Recency Run - Leamington Observer

The Hindu

A look into four eye diseases that could lead to blindness The Hindu A recent study from researchers at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that most Americans regard loss of eyesight as the worst ailment that could happen to them, surpassing such conditions as loss of limb ...

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A look into four eye diseases that could lead to blindness - The Hindu

A web-based program of exercise and coping skills training improves both function and pain in arthritic knees, a new study suggests.

This kind of online therapy can greatly improve access to effective, nonsurgical and non-drug relief for people with osteoarthritis of the knee, researchers say.

"Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of chronic knee pain and disability globally," lead author Kim Bennell, a researcher and physiotherapist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, told Reuters Health.

"It has a significant individual, societal and economic burden and on an individual level knee osteoarthritis causes loss of function, reduced quality of life, and psychological distress," Bennell said by email.

Exercise is known as the gold standard of conservative management for knee osteoarthritis, she added. Psychological treatments, in particular, pain coping skills training that teaches people strategies to manage and cope with their painful symptoms have also been identified as important and effective, Bennell said.

"Sadly, such effective treatments are highly underutilized in the management of osteoarthritis. One reason for this relates to the challenges of accessing a specialist who delivers these services particularly for people living in rural areas where services may be limited or non-existent or due to the mobility issues that are experienced by people suffering chronic knee pain," she said.

For the study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Bennell and her colleagues enrolled 148 men and women over age 50 with internet access and knee pain on most days of the week over the previous three months.

Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group or a control group, both of which received web-based educational material about exercise and pain management for arthritis.

The treatment group also got access to an online program called PainCOACH and were asked to complete one 35- to 45-minute module each week over the course of eight weeks and to practice the pain-coping skills they learned daily. The interactive program included training in relaxation, problem solving, using pleasant imagery and changing negative thoughts to cope with pain.

In addition, the treatment group had seven Skype sessions with a physical therapist, each lasting 30 or 45 minutes, over 12 weeks. After evaluating each patient, the therapist taught them exercises for lower-leg strengthening and prescribed a regimen to do three times a week.

At the beginning of the study, then three and nine months later, participants completed multiple questionnaires scoring their pain levels and functioning.

At the three-month mark, those who got the online coping skills and exercise training had significantly lower scores for pain, functioning and distress than when they started and compared to the people in the control group. This difference between the groups remained at nine months, though the gap closed somewhat.

"The important takeaway message from these findings is that an internet-delivered intervention that adopts a holistic approach to the management of chronic knee pain and knee osteoarthritis, using freely available computer software, is effective and well received by its users," Bennell said.

"These results are encouraging and show that 'telemedicine' is clearly ready for prime time," writes Dr. Lisa Mandl, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, in an accompanying editorial.

"The real added benefit here is that patients do not have to come in for an appointment. They can access high-quality exercise and coping skills therapy, that is particularly tailored to them, at a place and time which is convenient," Mandl told Reuters Health by email.

Patients may also feel more comfortable asking questions of their therapist when they are asking them from the comfort and privacy of their own home, she added.

"They may also be more motivated to follow the programs, knowing that they will receive a personalized follow-up call at home, and cannot avoid talking to the therapist by missing appointment," Mandl said.

Mandl thinks this type of intervention would apply to most people, especially patients who live in rural areas or places without easy access to therapists. "The fact that the therapist could be located anywhere is especially helpful for patients who may not speak English," she noted.

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Online treatment reduces chronic knee pain from arthritis - Fox News

Psoriasis is a lifelong inflammatory skin disease characterized by red, itchy, and scaly patches of skin. Those who suffer from this disease are also at increased risk for many major medical disorders, including psoriatic arthritis, a type of arthritis characterized by psoriasis plus inflammation of and around the joints.

Now a new Canadian study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology finds that psoriasis patients who develop depression have a 37 percent greater risk of subsequently developing psoriatic arthritis, compared with patients who do not develop depression.

For many years, the rheumatology and dermatology communities have been trying to understand which patients with psoriasis go on to develop psoriatic arthritis and how we might detect it earlier in the disease course, said lead researcher Cheryl Barnabe, M.D., M.Sc., of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health and the OBrien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, at the University of Calgary.

Depression is quite common among psoriasis patients. Based on recent laboratory findings showing that major depressive disorder is associated with increased systemic inflammation, the researchers hypothesized that psoriasis patients who develop depression may be at increased risk of developing psoriatic arthritis.

There is a tendency to think of depression as a purely psychological or emotional issue, but it also has physical effects and changes in inflammatory and immune markers have been reported in depressed people, commented Scott Patten, M.D., Ph.D., the OBrien Institute for Public Health, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, Cumming School of Medicine.

Depression may be a risk factor for a variety of chronic conditions and this research is an example of how big data approaches can identify these associations.

The researchers evaluated data from primary care medical records in the United Kingdom to find over 70,000 patients with a new diagnosis of psoriasis. Then they identified the patients who subsequently developed depression and those who developed psoriatic arthritis. Patients were followed for up to 25 years or until they developed psoriatic arthritis.

Their findings show that patients with psoriasis who developed major depressive disorder were at 37 percent greater risk of subsequently developing psoriatic arthritis compared with patients who did not develop depression, even after accounting for numerous other factors such as age and use of alcohol.

The research emphasizes the need for physicians who treat patients with psoriasis to actively identify and address depression. This could include rapid, effective treatment of psoriasis and psychosocial management of the cosmetic burden of psoriasis.

The findings also draw into question the biological mechanisms by which depression increases the risk for psoriatic arthritis. These mechanisms may include altered systemic inflammation as a consequence of depression, or even the role of lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity or nutrition, which are typically worsened by depression, and which may place an individual at risk for psoriatic arthritis.

It is evident to physicians who treat patients with psoriasis, that there is a significant psychological and social burden associated with this disease, which is reflected in an increase in the rates of depression, said Laurie Parsons, M.D., of the Cumming School of Medicine.

This study brings us a little closer to understanding the role of chronic inflammation as a systemic player in both the physical and psychological manifestations of psoriasis and underscores the need for closer attention to symptoms of depression in this group of patients.

Source: Elsevier Health Sciences

APA Reference Pedersen, T. (2017). Depression in Psoriasis Patients Ups Risk of Arthritis. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 23, 2017, from https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/02/23/depression-in-psoriasis-patients-ups-risk-of-arthritis/116785.html

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Depression in Psoriasis Patients Ups Risk of Arthritis - PsychCentral.com

New research provides further evidence of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis, after finding the procedure halted disease progression for 5 years in almost half of patients.

However, [Dr. Paolo Muraro, of the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London,] warn that further trials are needed to determine the efficacy and safety of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT).

In AHSCT, a patients own stem cells are harvested. The patient is then subject to high-dose chemotherapy to eliminate any diseased cells. Next, the harvested stem cells are returned to the patients bloodstreamIn simple terms, AHSCT resets the immune system.

Overall, the researchers found that 46 percent of patients experienced no disease progression in the 5 years after treatmentAdditionally, patients experienced small improvements in MS symptoms after AHSCT.

While these findings show promise for the use of AHSCT for patients with MS, the team notes that there were eight deaths in the 100 days after AHSCT, which were thought to have been treatment related.

[The study can be found here.]

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Multiple sclerosis: Stem cell transplantation may halt disease progression

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Multiple sclerosis treatment could 'reset' immune system with stem cell therapy - Genetic Literacy Project

Image: eyeSight

The National Safety Council reports that 2016 was the deadliest year on US roads in a decade. Autonomous vehicles could eliminate the estimated 90 percent of crashes that are caused by human error, but they aren't ready yet. There are legal and practical matters to sort out and consumer advocate groups have urged regulators not to rush self-driving cars to market before they have been thoroughly tested. In the meantime, semi-autonomous vehicles with automated safety features are the next best thing.

According to the US Department of Transportation's latest study (2014), 10 percent of crashes are caused by distraction, and it's no surprise since so many drivers have their eyes on their smartphones instead of on the road. According to NHTSA, "Data shows the average time your eyes are off the road while texting is five seconds. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded." Yikes.

Technology caused the problem -- and newer technology can help solve it. Semi-autonomous safety features already include adaptive cruise control, automatic headlight adjustments, parking assistance, automatic emergency braking, and more. Now a new system called eyeSight uses embedded computer vision to detect when a driver is distracted or drowsy. An infrared camera tracks the driver's eyes while the computer vision and AI software detect the driver's state and analyze it in real time.

A representative from eyeSight Technologies tells us:

If the driver seems drowsy or distracted, the car will alert the driver and take action through the vehicle's other safety systems, such as adjusting the adaptive cruise control to increase the distance from the car ahead. EyeSight can't detect drunk driving yet, but this capability is under development and expected to be ready in the next couple of years.

Embedded computer vision can also be used for convenience, such as identifying a driver and then adjusting the seat, mirrors, and temperature to that driver's preferences. There is also a time-of-flight sensor that is installed in the center console to provide gesture control. Drivers can use simple hand motions to answer phone calls, turn up the radio's volume, or communicate with the car in other ways. A promotional video for eyeSight shows a driver giving a thumbs up to "like" nearby businesses or songs that are playing, although that feature seems counterproductive since it creates a whole new set of distractions.

VIDEO: MIT thinks 3,000 Uber rides could replace all the taxis in NYC

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Embedded computer vision could prevent distracted driving - ZDNet

A close look at sharp vision in eye structure seen only in humans and other primates Science Daily Figuring out how the fovea functions is essential to the search for strategies to correct central vision loss, including efforts to design visual prosthetics. "Diseases such as macular degeneration are much more debilitating than deficits in peripheral ... and more »

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A close look at sharp vision in eye structure seen only in humans and other primates - Science Daily

Teacher helps blind sisters 'see' science

Marvin Hurst, KENS 9:41 AM. CST February 22, 2017

SAN ANTONIO - Graciously seeking acceptance as normal college students is a box Katy and Olivia Shaw are trying to check.

Yet, their navigation in the classroom and through everyday life yields the inquiry they've heard a million times: 'How does it feel to be blind?'

"We do everything we can when it comes to living everyday life," Olivia said.

The 19-year-olds said being visually impaired is the only normality they've known.

They are both living with a disease affecting their vision called retinopathy. The sisters were diagnosed after being born prematurely.

Katy is blind in her right eye and the teenager has some vision in her left eye which makes reading large print possible.

Seeing is more challenging for Olivia. She has some light perception and some colors are visible to her.

However, this hasn't stopped the Shaw sisters from doing chores at home, cooking and even earning academic fortitude.

Katy has a 3.9 grade point average and Olivia has a 4.0. The sisters are both dual credit students at Northwest Vista College.

"Definitely having this impairment has made it somewhat challenging," Katy said.

The native daughters of Hawaii love science. However, the students said their classroom experience in the subject has not been beneficial towards their dreams.

"Basically, they (teachers) said just go over there and sit until we're done," Katy said.

Olivia wants to become a doctor and Katy wants to work with animals, marine biology specifically.

"It's scary to walk into a field that's so visual with a blindfold on," Olivia said.

Gladys Malave took the blindfold off.

Malave got the sisters for her biology class at Northwest Vista College. Initially, the challenge of teaching an optically driven course to the visually impaired was too weighty.

"I wanted to run," Malave said. "Not me. Not me."

But Malave settled down and thought 'why not me?'

The biology professor learned braille in less than a month. She designed everything from tactile models to brailled labeled microscopes to accommodate Olivia's needs. Katy's large prints requirements were met as well.

"It's a matter of closing your eyes and you just image you are in their shoes," Malave said.

This was a team experience. Malave said she checks with the girls to make sure she's correct.

Their teacher also revealed this classroom challenge has a personal connection.

Malave was diagnosed with autoimmune disease in 2003 and her eyes came under attack.

"My doctor said I could go blind," she said.

She resigned herself to becoming a visually impaired biology professor.

In fact, she made preparations to learn braille. Then, her eye treatments removed the danger of the educator losing sight and she pushed braille to the side.

"It just ignored the call," She said. "The call came back in the form of Olivia and Katy."

The Shaw sisters are among Malave's top students. Visual challenges are met with techniques registering from the girls' fingertips to their brains.

"It feels like we are almost you--I hate to say it likes this---normal students who are just a part of the class and able to participate in the same opportunities as everyone else," Olivia said.

There is one more Shaw sister, Elizabeth, who is scheduled to join her sisters next semester at Northwest Vista College.

Elizabeth, Olivia and Katy are triplets. Her vision is fine, but she is hearing impaired.

The science bug didn't bite her though. Elizabeth wants to be a photographer.

Malave is readying herself in case Elizabeth has to take her biology class.

"Sign language is on my list of things to do. Definitely," she said.

( 2017 KENS)

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Blind sisters gain new vision from biology professor - KIII TV3

Robots, surveillance cameras and drones could one day detect changes to their environment far more quickly and efficiently, using a vision system based on the way the human eye and brain process information.

The EPSRC-funded Internet of Silicon Retinas (IOSIRE) project, led by researchers from Kings College London and also involving University College London and Kingston University, is aiming to develop advanced machine-to-machine communication systems that capture and transmit images from highly efficient vision sensors mimicking the human retina.

Conventional cameras generate entirely new images for each frame, despite the fact that much of the picture remains the same as that of the previous one. This wastes a considerable amount of memory, computing power and time, according to the UCL principal investigator Yiannis Andreopoulos.

If you are processing an image to analyse what is happening in a scene, you often end up throwing away most of the background information, because you are only interested in particular shapes or objects, he said.

In contrast, recently developed dynamic vision sensors (DVS) mimic the way the retina works, by only updating the image at those points where a movement or change in the scene has occurred. When an object moves within a scene it reflects light, which is detected instantly by the sensor, said Andreopoulos.

This significantly increases the speed at which the sensors can produce video frames, resulting in rates of up to 1000 frames per second compared to 20-30 frames per second for conventional cameras.

And because it is not recording the background, just any changes in the scene, the power consumption is very low just 10 to 20 milliwatts compared to up to 200 milliwatts, said Andreopoulos.

Basic processing of images produced by the DVS camera could be carried out locally by the device itself, to produce information needed there and then.

But certain information could also be transmitted to a server in the cloud, at which point more advanced processing and analysis could be carried out, said Andreopoulos.

This resembles the way the mammalian eye is thought to capture scene information, and then transmit it to the visual cortex where the information is processed to generate the three-dimensional rendering of the scene that we see.

In a way, this gives us the illusion that we see this 3D super high-resolution world, but in reality there is very little information being captured by the eye, and to a large extent, the rest is rendered in the brain, said Andreopoulos.

The researchers are aiming for a 100-fold decrease in the amount of energy consumed by the system, when compared to conventional designs for pixel-based visual processing and transmission over machine-to-machine networks.

The project involves Thales, Ericsson, neuromorphic technologies specialist iniLabs, Keysight Technologies UK, and semiconductor company MediaTek.

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Project looks at human eye to sharpen sight of robots and drones - The Engineer