StemCell Therapy

What is endocrinology? Endocrinology is the study of hormones.

At its simplest, a hormone is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. Hormones are released (secreted) in the body and have an effect on other parts of the body. The effect is to communicate with possibly distant parts of the body. So for example, the adrenal glands may secrete adrenalin, which has an effect on several different organs. An endocrine gland is a gland which secretes hormones (note that not all glands are classified as endocrine glands; for example, sweat glands or lymph glands are not endocrine glands).

Hormones are found in all organisms with more than one cell, and so they are found in plants and animals. They influence or control a wide range of physiological activities, such as growth, development, puberty, level of alertness, sugar regulation and appetite, bone growth, etc. You also find that problems with hormones and the way they work contribute to some of the major diseases of mankind; for example, diabetes, thyroid conditions, pituitary conditions, some sexual problems, some neurological problems, appetite and obesity, bone problems, cancer, etc.

There are whole sub-specialities devoted to specific areas where hormones work. For example:

There are numerous textbooks which can give background information on endocrinology. For example, an online textbook can be found at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?call=bv.View..ShowTOC&rid=endocrin.TOC&depth=10

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Society for Endocrinology | Public Information | Endocrinology

The Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine is home to a world-class team of investigative and clinical faculty that is ranked among the highest in the nation (US News and World Reports #7). Faculty members areas of focus range from molecular endocrinology to metabolic disorders to endocrine genetics supported by over $9 million in annual research funding leading the mission to improve the lives of individuals with diabetes. Through Feinberg-affiliated care sites including our Glenview location, our clinical faculty provide inpatient and outpatient care across all areas of endocrinology. The division provides clinical as well as research training programs, and our senior faculty members have extensive experience mentoring new generations of clinical endocrinologists and physician scientists. As leading experts in diabetes and obesity, we have recently embarked on a campaign to create an inter-disciplinary diabetes center, and we look forward to enhancing our mandate to provide state-of-the-art education, research, and clinical care through Northwestern Medicine for years to come.

Learn more via the links below.

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Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine ...

At Reliant Medical Group, our endocrinologists provide state-of-the-art care and specialized services for the spectrum of endocrine problems, including diseases of the adrenal glands, diabetes, parathyroid disorders, hypoglycemia, thyroid disorders, pituitary gland problems, lipid disorders, as well as other problems. Our endocrinology services are available to everyone and we accept most major insurances. We currently have endocrinology services at our Leominster, Plantation Street, Milford, Southboro, and Webster locations.

One of the most common disorders of the endocrine system is diabetes. This disease affects millions of Americans and can lead to severe complications such as kidney failure, blindness and vascular disease if left untreated. Fortunately, with proper treatment and lifestyle changes people living with diabetes can significantly reduce the risk of major health complications. Our team of endocrinologists, nurse practitioner, diabetes nurse educators and nutritionists offer comprehensive care and education to help patients make positive lifestyle changes to manage their diabetes.We offer asupport groupthat meets monthly for individuals living with diabetes.

In addition to their role in providing clinical care, Reliant Medical Group endocrinologists also engage in important research on endocrine disorders. By carefully studying the intricate ways in which the endocrine system works inside the body, we hope to bring better care to our patients in the future.

Whether you or a loved one are suffering from diabetes, an overactive thyroid, growth problems, or some other kind of endocrine disorder, at Reliant Medical Group we are dedicated to offering expert, comprehensive care in a highly supportive environment.

One of the reasons Dr. Swetha Lahari Kommareddy became anendocrinologistis because she saw a lot of diabetes in her family when she was younger. I grew up around people dealing with diabetes, she...

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Endocrinology -Reliant Medical Group, Central MA

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which leads over time to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. The most common is type 2 diabetes, usually in adults, which occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't make enough insulin. In the past three decades the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has risen dramatically in countries of all income levels. Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin by itself. For people living with diabetes, access to affordable treatment, including insulin, is critical to their survival. There is a globally agreed target to halt the rise in diabetes and obesity by 2025.

The mission of the WHO Diabetes Programme is to prevent type 2 diabetes and to minimize complications and maximize quality of life for all people with diabetes. Our core functions are to set norms and standards, promote surveillance, encourage prevention, raise awareness and strengthen prevention and control.

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WHO | Diabetes programme

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Millions of people around the world live with type 1 diabetes (T1D), a life-threatening autoimmune disease that strikes both children and adults. There is no way to prevent it, and at present, no cure. JDRF works every day to change this by amassing grassroots support, deep scientific knowledge and strong industry and academic partnerships to fund research. Learn more.

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You can change real lives and raise hope by joining a JDRF event or starting a fundraising campaign.

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Dedicated JDRF staff and volunteers can offer you guidance and support at all ages and stages of the disease.

Our flagship fundraising event draws more than 900,000 people who raise money for T1D research each year. Many have T1D themselves, and many more are friends, family or coworkers of someone with the disease. Come walk with others who believe together we can turn Type One into Type None.

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Protect your family's future health.

Secure their stem cells today.

Bank the valuable stem cells found in

baby teeth and wisdom teeth.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discovered a rich source of adult stem cells in teeth the stem cells that naturally repair your body. Scientists aredirecting stem cells so they grow into almost any type of human cell, including heart, brain, nerve, cartilage, bone, liver and insulin producing pancreatic beta cells.

AAOMS - American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

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Doctors recommend StemSave stem cell banking for the cryopreservation of powerful adult stem cells from deciduous teeth (baby teeth), wisdom teeth or permanent teethwith healthy dentalpulp.

Easy OnlineEnrollment

StemSave Stem Cell Banking exclusively recovers and stores non-embryonic stem cells. Dental Stem Cells are also known asDSC, DASC, DPSC, or SHED cellsand are classified as atype of adult stem cells.

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Storing Stem Cells In Teeth For Your Familys Future Health

We investigated the potential of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) to differentiate into dopaminergic neurons in vitro as an autologous stem cell source for Parkinson's disease treatment. The hDPSCs were expanded in knockout-embryonic stem cell (KO-ES) medium containing leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) on gelatin-coated plates for 3-4 days. Then, the medium was replaced with KO-ES medium without LIF to allow the formation of the neurosphere for 4 days. The neurosphere was transferred into ITS medium, containing ITS (human insulin-transferrin-sodium) and fibronectin, to select for Nestin-positive cells for 6-8 days. The cells were then cultured in N-2 medium containing basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), FGF-8b, sonic hedgehog-N, and ascorbic acid on poly-l-ornithine/fibronectin-coated plates to expand the Nestin-positive cells for up to 2 weeks. Finally, the cells were transferred into N-2/ascorbic acid medium to allow for their differentiation into dopaminergic neurons for 10-15 days. The differentiation stages were confirmed by morphological, immunocytochemical, flow cytometric, real-time PCR, and ELISA analyses. The expressions of mesenchymal stem cell markers were observed at the early stages. The expressions of early neuronal markers were maintained throughout the differentiation stages. The mature neural markers showed increased expression from stage 3 onwards. The percentage of cells positive for tyrosine hydroxylase was 14.49%, and the amount was 0.526 0.033 ng/mL at the last stage. hDPSCs can differentiate into dopaminergic neural cells under experimental cell differentiation conditions, showing potential as an autologous cell source for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

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Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells into ...

Organ transplants.

Cannibalizing the dead.

Fitting for one of the worlds chiefSatanists, responsible forthe

deaths of millions.

Last week (June 12), David Rockefeller celebrated his 100th birthday without much ado.

He said the secret of his longevity was leading a simple life.

People often ask me this question and I always answer the same thing: Love life. Live a simple life, play with your kids, enjoy the things you have, spend time with good loyal friends.

He might have added that having a heart transplant every 6-7 years might have been a factor.

Rockefeller has had six heart transplants since 1976 when a car accident led him to suffer aheart attack. He has also had two kidney transplants in 1988 and 2004.

Just two months ago, the billionaire philanthropist had his sixth heart transplant.

The heart transplant surgery, which lasted 6 hours and was done by a team of private surgeons at his principal residence, on the family estate in Pocantico Hills, New York, doesnt seem to have tired the legendary business man known for his dynamism and cunningness.

With all the carnage due to the Illuminati agenda, there are plenty of beating hearts for him to pillage.

Note:

Memoirs (2003)[edit]

ISBN-13: 978-0812969733

For more than a century, ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as internationalists and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure one world, if you will. If that is the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.

The anti-Rockefeller focus of these otherwise incompatible political positions owes much to Populism. Populists believe in conspiracies and one of the most enduring is that a secret group of international bankers and capitalists, and their minions, control the worlds economy. Because of my name and prominence as head of the Chase for many years, I have earned the distinction of conspirator in chief from some of these people.

Populists and isolationists ignore the tangible benefits that have resulted in our active international role during the past half-century. Not only was the very real threat posed by Soviet Communism overcome, but there have been fundamental improvements in societies around the world, particularly in the United States, as a result of global trade, improved communications, and the heightened interaction of people from different cultures. Populists rarely mention these positive consequences, nor can they cogently explain how they would have sustained American economic growth and expansion of our political power without them.

Ch. 27 : Proud Internationalist, p. 406

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Rockefeller

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At 100, The Secret of David Rockefellers Longevity ...

The amazing herbal adaptogen that is mucuna pruriens is well known for it's wide range of tonifying, strengthening and all around beneficial properties. Perhaps it is best known as a potent herbal aphrodisiac. This Indian herb is known by many names, some of which are cowitch, cowhage, velvet beans, sea beans, buffalo beans, Kapikachu, Atmagupta and many more!

The prickly orange hairs on the outside of the pod cause severe itching when they come in contact with the skin. The doctrine of signatures can give us a clue here since the velvet bean's pods can be used to treat snake bite! The main medicinal effects attributed to mucuna pruriens come from the seeds, but the pod and its hairs and the plant's roots can also be used in herbal preparations. The velvet beans are "drift seeds", which is a name given to any seeds that can float away on ocean currents to grow in other regions of the world.

~Sweet, bitter and hot

~Heavy and unctuous (oily or greasing quality)

~Balancing to all three doshas! (a rare quality even amongst herbal adaptogens, ginseng and gotu kola are also known for this)

~Builds fertility in men (Increases semen volume, sperm count and sperm motility, better double up boys...)

~Very potent at increasing libido for both men and women

~Treats leucorrhoea (vaginal discharge), menorrhagia (excessive menstrual bleeding) and spermatorrhoea (involuntary ejaculation) which are all signs of leakage of Jing/Ojas, which is the foundational essence of health

~Helps men last longer sexually

~Used to build muscle in those who are weak

~Helps women increase lactation when breastfeeding

~Prevents and or lowers the effects of poisonous snake bites

~Treats Parkinson's disease

~Treats depression

~Treats insomnia and generally deepens sleep

~The hairs on the mucuna pod are used to treat several species of parasitic worms (excluding tapeworms)

~Helps digestion without increasing pitta (fire)

This link will take you to my favorite mucuna extract to use in smoothies and elixirs. Herbal extracts are easy to use and are extremely bio-available (absorbable) by the body.

If you prefer to work with whole herbs, you can get another amazing brand of Organic Mucuna Seed Powder by clicking this text link.

Mucuna pruriens contains 40mg/g of a compound called L-DOPA which is a direct precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine works as one of the best natural hgh releasers (human growth hormone) by stimulating the pituitary gland to increase it's production. High levels throughout life of the body's own natural growth hormone (not hormones from the synthetic injections) is known as a major key for human longevity.

Dopamine also increases other youth hormones such as testosterone (it must be mentioned that these increases are never throwing the endocrine system out of balance, merely improving levels which tend to decrease over time in the average person). These resulting increased levels of these hormones from the use of mucuna pruriens extracts, powders and/or raw herbs explains its association with increasing libido, fertility, lean muscle mass, reducing signs of aging such as wrinkles and body fat, increasing bone density and even boosting overall energy levels.

Animal studies have shown powerful results such as a ten fold increase in mounting frequency by male rats! Also a decrease in post ejaculatory intervals have been observed, meaning that the animals being studied are more quickly able to return to "the task at hand". This could be due to the fact that mucuna pruriens extract basically cures premature ejaculation and the amount of downtown between ejaculations by reducing hypersensitivity in the genitals.

L-DOPA from mucuna pruriens has been shown to be safer and more effective for controlling Parkinson's disease than the pharmaceutical drugs Levodopa and Carbidopa. This is because the vast array of other chemical constituents that accompany L-DOPA in the unprocessed plant also play a role in its ability to manage Parkinson's disease. Since Parkinson's is in large part a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine, this adaptogenic herb is crucial for anyone looking to manage this disease. It also looks to be very promising as a treatment for recovering drug addicts and people suffering from depression related illness, since these people have deficiencies of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine (which the velvet beans contain and help balance in the human body).

The anti-snake venom effect of mucuna pruriens extract makes it a great tonic herb for outdoor enthusiasts to take daily. A variety of toxins from snake venom have been found to be reduced or prevented by the supplementation of this herb. Of course, one has to be taking it for it to work and it's best taken all the time since snake bites are completely unpredictable, yet obviously a risk for anyone poking around in the woods and other environments where these creatures hang out.

Enhanced lucid dreaming effects have been reported with the use of this amazing herb. Other chemicals in addition to L-DOPA found in mucuna pruriens that can have a mind altering effect include serotonin (5HT), oxitriptan (5-HTP), nicotine, N,N-DMT, bufotenin (5-HO-DMT) and 5-MeO-DMT. These would explain its noted effects as an entheogenic substance often found in Ayahuasca preparations (an Amazonian psychedelic shamanic herbal preparation). Do not be alarmed however, these chemicals are not in present in high enough quantities to cause "reality altering" effects, unless the herb happens to be combined with a sufficient amount of an MAOI 😉

This herbal adaptogen can also be used by anyone simply wanting to have fun. The abundance of bliss chemicals combined with the velvet beans adept ability at helping men last longer sexually and increasing libido for both genders makes this a safe and hilariously fun herb to use recreationally. It is also quickly becoming popular as a natural bodybuilding hgh secretagogue. This is much safer to use than synthetic human growth hormone which is quickly gaining a reputation as a carcinogenic "steroid-like" performance enhancer. The great thing with this herb is that it gets your body to make growth hormone itself and thus control the amount it makes and avoid the problems associated with elevated levels of hgh.

This link will take you to my favorite mucuna extract to use in smoothies and elixirs. Herbal extracts are easy to use and are extremely bio-available (absorbable) by the body.

If you prefer to work with whole herbs, you can get another amazing brand of Organic Mucuna Seed Powder by clicking this text link.

One of the most important secrets of longevity is maintaining optimal levels of key hormones as well as other phytochemical factors in your bloodstream. This article has already covered how mucuna pruriens is a natural growth hormone secretagogue (hgh) as well as a booster of other hormones of youth that tend to diminish with time. It has been found that blood plasma levels of some of the top antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (an enzyme that prevents your hair from going gray!), glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are kept elevated in those who take this adaptogenic herbal aphrodisiac.

The powerful benefits of mucuna pruriens extract and whole herb should be temporarily avoided while pregnant or suffering from diabetes (it has blood sugar lowering properties). It should also be avoided by anyone with schizophrenia. If you choose to use adaptogenic herbs to manage or reverse any disease or disorder, always work with a knowledgeable health care practitioner. There is no specifically determined dosage for this herbal aphrodisiac, however most people agree on 15-30 grams a day for adults as a safe and effective amount.

Sources:

~http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/nem171 ~http://herbal-powers.com/macunapruriens1.html ~http://www.herbalcureindia.com/herbs/mucuna-pruriens.htm ~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucuna_pruriens ~http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18203263?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=19 ~http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18973898?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=15

Click to return from "Mucuna Pruriens" to the "Adaptogenic Herbs" page.

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The benefits of mucuna pruriens are ... - Secrets of Longevity

The Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center has combined the best of conventional and integrative therapies for cancer patients into its new Center for Survivorship and Integrative Medicine (CSIM). We currently offer several different integrative medicine therapies for cancer patients and community members, and all of our practitioners are certified in their respective therapies.

Acupuncture aims to restore and maintain health through the stimulation of specific points on the body.

Hypnotherapy induces a natural state of relaxation and empowers us to access the tools for wellness that already exist within ourselves.

Music Therapy is an established healthcare profession that uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals of all ages.

Reiki is a complementary, holistic therapy that promotes relaxation, helping ease chronic pain and anxiety and providing other benefits.

Reflexology is a wholly natural method of bringing about relaxation, balance and healing through the stimulation of specific points on the feet.

Therapeutic Gentle Massage can help alleviate symptoms of treatment, reduce anxiety levels, and help keep ones sense of self intact.

Cancer Center Events, Classes & Support Groups

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Integrative Therapies - Middlesex Hospital Connecticut ...

Message from the Chairman:

In accepting the positions of Chairman of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology and director of the UPMC Eye Center, I have discovered that one of the most exciting aspects is the opportunity to interact across the entire spectrum of the field. In a typical week, I have the opportunity to work with students, residents, fellows, faculty, the community, and the population at large. Each of these groups' needs defines the purpose of the UPMC Eye Center and its mission.

As Chairman, driving new developments and striving for excellence in patient care, research and teaching are my top priorities.

Patient Care: UPMC Eye Center is rated among the top ophthalmology programs in the United States in the delivery of patient care. Our most fundamental function is to serve the community through patient care. As we see patients daily by referral, our primary goal is to offer them quality care and provide needed information to the referring doctors as soon as possible so that patients may return to their care.

We continue to expand our subspecialty areas by adding new faculty and positions, leading to a higher quality of oveall care.

Research: The Department of Ophthalmology recently ranked eighth in the country for National Institutes of Health funding for departments of ophthalmology and has one of the top basic and clinical research programs in the country. Research focuses on ocular immunology, infectious disease, molecular genetics, molecular biology of retinal disease and glaucoma, and advanced diagnostic imaging technology development.

Teaching: The Department of Ophthalmology has an outstanding residency program, training six residents each year in a three year program. Graduates have gone on to clinical, research, and combined clinician-scientist careers. The department is at the forefront of continuing medical education and provides both ongoing and specialized educational opportunities. This year, in addition to our 18 residents, we trained retina, cornea, glaucoma, oculoplastic and pediatric ophthalmology fellows.

Innovative changes will steadily filter through to each area of service. In view of these accomplishments, I can safely say that I am very proud of the department, and I look forward to keeping you up to date on future progress.

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Department of Ophthalmology

Abstract

Stem cells play an essential role in cellular specialization and pattern formation during embryogenesis and in tissue regeneration in adults. This is mainly due to a stem cell's ability to replenish itself (self-renewal) and, at the same time, produce differentiated progeny. Realization of these special stem cell features has changed the prospective of the field. However, regulation of stem cell self-renewal and maintenance of its potentiality require a complicated regulatory network of both extracellular cues and intrinsic programs. Understanding how signaling regulates stem cell behavior will shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying stem cell self-renewal. In this review, we focus on comparing the progress of recent research regarding the roles of the BMP signaling pathway in different stem cell systems, including embryonic stem cells, germline stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and intestinal stem cells. We hope this comparison, together with a brief look at other signaling pathways, will bring a more balanced view of BMP signaling in regulation of stem cell properties, and further point to a general principle that self-renewal of stem cells may require a combination of maintenance of proliferation potential, inhibition of apoptosis, and blocking of differentiation.

Stem cells are the key subset of cells functioning as ancestor cells to produce a variety of types of functionally specialized mature cells in a given tissue, while at the same time undergoing self-renewal, a process of reproducing themselves without losing their developmental potentiality. This self-renewal process is controlled by intrinsic genetic pathways that are subject to regulation by extrinsic signals from the microenvironment (called niche) in which stem cells reside. Stem cells play essential roles ranging from embryonic development and organogenesis (embryonic/fetal stem cells) to tissue regeneration (adult stem cells) (Lin, 2003, Spradling et al., 2001, Watt and Hogan, 2000andWeissman, 2000). To maintain homeostasis, a precise balance between self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells is essential. Loss of this balance tends to lead to uncontrolled cell growth or pre-maturation and thus results in tumors, cancers, or tissue defects. Therefore, understanding the complex signal regulation of stem cell development is crucial for future therapeutic applications. In this review, we will focus on progress that has been made in research studying the bone morphogenesis protein (BMP) signaling pathway in regulation of stem cell properties.

BMPs belong to the transformation growth factor beta (TGF) superfamily. They are involved in regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis and therefore play essential roles during embryonic development and pattern formation ( Massague, 1998). To maintain homeostasis in adults, the BMP signal also participates in tissue remodeling and regeneration, in which regulation of stem cell behavior is prominent.

There are more than 20 BMPs. Some BMPs have a distinct function while others have overlapping functions, depending on the specificity of their interaction with different types of receptors and the tissues in which they are differentially expressed (Mishina, 2003). Accumulated evidence indicates that BMPs play an important role in regulation of stem cell properties; however, their functions are different in the different stem cell compartments. For instance, in Drosophila germline stem cells (GSCs), Dpp (homolog of BMP2/4) is essential for the maintenance of stem cells ( Xie and Spradling, 1998); in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), BMP signaling appears to be required for ESC self-renewal but this is owing to its ability to block neural differentiation ( Ying et al., 2003a) in addition to its ability to promote non-neural (mesoderm and trophoblast) differentiation ( Xu et al., 2002andYing et al., 2003a); in mesenchymal stem cells, the BMP signal induces osteoblastic differentiation through Bmpr1b but inhibits osteoblastic differentiation through Bmpr1a (Chen et al., 1998); in intestinal stem cells (ISCs), BMP signaling inhibits stem cell activation and expansion (He et al., 2004); and in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), BMP signaling through Bmpr1a restricts stem cell number by controlling the niche size (Zhang et al., 2003). A critical and comparative review of the roles of BMPs in different settings and in different stem cell compartments is necessary for a balanced view towards BMP function in the regulation of stem cell properties, and thus will provide important insight into understanding the complex signaling regulation of stem cell self-renewal and fate determination.

The molecular mechanisms that control stem cell self-renewal remain largely unknown, albeit a large body of literature has been published with regard to stem cell self-renewal and the related signaling pathways. In the literature, self-renewal is generally described as a parallel cellular event of proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. However, accumulated evidence suggests that self-renewal of stem cells requires a combination of events: maintenance of their proliferation potential, inhibition of apoptosis, and blocking of differentiation.

Multiple signaling pathways have been reported to contribute to the regulation of stem cell self-renewal. However, different molecules and the underlying pathways may play different and overlapping roles in this regard. Maintaining proliferation potential is an obvious principle required for self-renewal of stem cells. However, it is worthwhile to point out that proliferation potential (defined as the capacity of stem cells to undergo continuous division) is different from proliferation per se in that the more the stem cells undergo active proliferation, the more they tend to lose their potential for proliferation. Therefore, stem cell proliferation potential is a functional property which can only be measured by continuous in vitro cell culture, or in vivo repopulation functional assay, rather than by measurement of the rate of proliferation. Recently, several lines of evidence have suggested that the Wnt signaling pathway through -catenin is important for self-renewal of HSCs (Austin et al., 1997, Brandon et al., 2000, Murdoch et al., 2003, Reya et al., 2003, Van Den Berg et al., 1998andWillert et al., 2003), hair follicle stem cells (DasGupta and Fuchs, 1999, Gat et al., 1998andHuelsken et al., 2001), ISCs (He et al., 2004, Sancho et al., 2003andSancho et al., 2004), and ESCs (Sato et al., 2004). In addition to its function in lineage fate determination, the prominent role of Wnt signaling favors cell proliferation and promotes cell growth. Abnormal activation of -catenin leads to over-proliferation of stem cells and results in tumors in the intestines and in hair follicles (Gat et al., 1998andSancho et al., 2004). In contrast, deletion of a Wnt downstream factor, Tcf4, leads to loss of stem cells in the intestines (Korinek et al., 1998). These observations suggest that Wnt/-catenin signaling is important for the proliferation potential of stem cells as -catenin may stimulate Tert (encoding the catalytic subunit of telomerase) expression via activation of Myc (He et al., 1998, Wang et al., 1998andZou et al., 2005). The idea that limiting the proliferation potential affects stem cell self-renewal has been well demonstrated by studies of telomerase (Morrison et al., 1996), HoxB4 (Antonchuk et al., 2002, Helgason et al., 1996, Kyba et al., 2002andSauvageau et al., 1995), p18 (Yuan et al., 2004), P21(Cheng et al., 2000), and Bmi (Lessard and Sauvageau, 2003, Molofsky et al., 2003andPark et al., 2003).

Recent reports indicate that suppression of apoptosis plays an essential role in stem cell self-renewal (Domen and Weissman, 2000, Domen et al., 2000, Opferman et al., 2005andYamane et al., 2005). This idea is further enforced by the fact that the role of -catenin in promoting HSC self-renewal is prominent in the Bcl2-transgenic mouse (Reya et al., 2003), indicating that a coordination between Bcl2, which inhibits apoptosis, and -catenin, which is important for proliferation potential, is required for stem cell self-renewal. Likewise, transgenic expression of the activated form of -catenin alone tends to lead to crypt cell apoptosis, as shown in the intestinal system (Wong et al., 1998). It is also reported that Akt is activated during intestinal stem cell activation and division (He et al., 2004), as well as during hair follicle stem cell activation (Zhang and Li manuscript, submitted). As Akt is a cell survival factor in general, activation of Akt during stem cell activation and division may be necessary to protect stem cells from apoptotic stress including that from partial anoikis, a phenomenon caused by detachment from the extracellular matrix during cell division (Khwaja et al., 1997). Consistent with this conclusion, activation of PI3K/Akt, as a consequence of the loss of PTEN-function, has been reported to result in expansion of embryonic and neural stem cell populations (Groszer et al., 2001andKimura et al., 2003).

More here:
BMP signaling and stem cell regulation - ScienceDirect

anon950526 Post 156

Is there any impact due to this?

Obviously, some of you dont have kids. The life of a child is worth so much more than any adult. You got to live. What if that embryo happened to be you? Would you then feel that it is OK to conduct this research?

I am a mother of two, soon to be three. I don't care about any of that just long as my kids at least get a chance at living and there is a God. I had a 50 percent chance of having babies because of a huge benign tumor that grew on my left ovary and killed my left fallopian tube.

I prayed for my babies and got them every time. Besides that, everybody has their

I watched this gruesome abortion video and the lady was 12 weeks along. You could see the child trying to fight for its life. Murder is murder. Helping to save other people or not -- that's like you seeing a man trying to rape a woman and you shoot him dead. It's the same if you were trying to save her life but you get persecuted and convicted for taking matters into your own hands. I am sorry for those people who are sick and have sick babies. I know what it is like to lose loved ones over untreatable diseases. Im against embryo research and I'm not thinking about me. It is about a baby. Sure, it isnt completely formed, but it's still a child, or at least will grow into one, I wish harm on nobody. There is no harm meant and Im not trying to make someone mad. Im just trying to throw some new views into the situation.

Stem cell research can only benefit society and advance us as a species. If your argument is religious, the you are not thinking. You are letting your emotions and beliefs speak for you, not your logic or common sense. A bunch of cells is not a baby, and helping the living is not against "God's will". This is a good thing and it will continue regardless of religious views, because it makes sense.

I'm still kind of learning about this topic, but abortion is something I feel strongly against, but if a baby was taken from it's mother with the mother's okay and they were trying to save people's lives, I would be completely okay with that.

I believe that God does not exist, and that stem cell research is truly phenomenal. This research should not be controversial, nor should it be banned; it is helping the living.

Most of the people who say that stem cell research is bad are religious, but people living in the real world and believe in this thing called 'science' actually make a difference. Religion has only held back society and science. I wonder how many religious people would get angry if they knew that I was a homosexual, atheist physicist who believes in evolution and the big bang theory.

I am writing a persuasive essay on whether stem cell research should be legal or not (even though it already is in the U.S.). I was never a really religious person and stuck mainly to things that I knew for sure were happening. The thing is, most of the stem cells they are using for research are going to be discarded anyway. No one is claiming them, no one is caring about them, and they are just going to be thrown away. It is better for them to be used for a greater cause than just being thrown away and losing the chance to create treatments and cures for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Without trying to offend anyone, please don't

bring God into this, like if you're going to simply take the stem cells and create babies with them. The cells could be considered early life, but you lose cells every day and no one gives it a second thought. I am thirteen years old and sorry if you believe that I am wrong.

This is a terrible thing. Stem cell research is just an excuse for making us Americans pay for other peoples' abortions. This stem cell research crap may have fooled my friends who claim abortion is when the baby isn't fully developed and that it's murder to kill a baby after it's born. What's the difference? Abortion is murder.

This country is so corrupt it will probably start killing the elderly and calling it abortion, or calling every day murder of people abortion. Well, I have had enough of this crap Obama is trying to trick us with. God says life is precious and an undeveloped baby is made of many cells and cells are alive. Think about that, America. Not only that, but abortion is unnecessary. If a girl gets raped, she can put the baby up for adoption instead of murdering the baby. Studies show many women who had abortions regret it.

So what you are all arguing about is if god exists and whats his plan for us, and why or why should we not use pre-embryo stem cells. It's completely your own opinion, but when does life start for a baby -- when the sperm reaches the egg or when you hear his heartbeat?

I, for one, say we should not use embryo stem cells because they are a living being. Also for all of you who say its gods plan for us, who created god? He could not just have created himself out of nowhere. These are just my thoughts. But these are all still questions we do not know the answer to.

I've been researching this Stem Cell subject for a long time, and I'm so amazed at everyone's stories from the news and sites on how stem cells has helped them recover from so many types of sicknesses and diseases. Even cancer can be cured by this type of treatment.

One big factor is that it's not a drug but it will just treat your body in a nice and natural way. Stem cell therapy is nice but I found this Laminine on the market. People keep on talking about it, saying it's the new science breakthrough and that I should give a try. It's not a literal stem cell but it is a stem cell enhancer, and safer than the usual way of Stem Cell Therapy.

I gave it a try and in just a few weeks I felt its proven power that I also recommend it to everyone out there.

How is that clump of cells considered a newborn? Those cells aren't a newborn because there's still a chance that once you implant those embryos they don't hold, so it's not a child. They don't take these people's cells then say, nope you can't have your child -- we're going to use them for someone else. They're leftovers. No one is going to use them and they are going to get discarded. If you consider it a human how is it humane to let it sit there frozen forever, discarded and unloved? People throwing god around are ignorant. Not everyone believes in your "creator" and don't throw it in my face. Believe in your beliefs, but don't force mine.

@post 52: If there is no God, who do you think made the universe? Your dad didn't make it, I didn't make, you didn't make, nor did any person. Only an eternal being must have made the universe.

Look. What none of you guys are realizing is that embryonic stem cell research doesn't focus solely on embryos.

I'm a student getting my masters degree in pediatric nursing, so you guys can't say I don't know this. But maybe if you did some research instead of arguing that everyone except yourself is wrong, you would realize there are valid points to both sides.

Embryonic stem cell research also focuses on umbilical cords and placentas, which does no harm to the baby whatsoever. Now none of you can say that's "murder" or against your religion because I'm Roman Catholic, which is one of the main religions against stem cell research and I am personally all for it.

Now if embryos

Enough about manipulating death and being religiously wrong. Enough said, simple as that.

A novel called "Living Proof" just came out in stores this week that explores the life and death issue of embryonic stem cell research for the first time as a story. It's getting a lot of buzz online and pertains directly to this discussion.

Most say stem cell research is bad because scientists are trying to pay God, but that's a bunch of crap. Like what others have said, God created us, knowing that one day we would come up with this knowledge to maybe find cures. Somebody else stated that we are ungrateful because we want to use this research, but that's not entirely true, because we are grateful for this new research to cure people like me. Yes I said me. I'm a 16 year old diabetic. I may not suffer as much as others with other diseases, but I have.

Also, this same person said that we should be the ones serving overseas. Well, if you've paid attention, we can't because

Anyway, most don't know what it's like to stick a big needle into their own skin every day, but I do. They also don't know what its like to wake up very weak due to a low blood sugar, or to throw up because you get ketones due to not having any more insulin going through their body.

Lastly, most of you probably aren't scared to go to bed, knowing that you might not wake up because you went low, with no one knowing and died. Yes, I know diabetes isn't the worse disease out there, but it's not easy either. I don't really like abortion, but at least the fetus could help cure many people, and not just get thrown away.

In a way, the government not allowing stem cell research, and the people against it can be considered murderers too, because they are standing in the way of curing people, which could save their lives. This is how our country is going downhill, not the other way around.

Finally, you say how a human life is so important, and yes it is, but who's to say that an animal's life isn't? People abuse animals, use them to test new products, that most people use, but I don't see you caring about that. Yes, some people do, but most don't give a crap. And I mean, didn't God create animals too, so shouldn't they be just as important as humans?

Yeah, so that's all I have to say. Hopefully this will make people use their brains a little more, because the people who are against it only really seem to care about themselves, not the people who are actually suffering!

The controversy surrounding the morality of stem cell research is centered around the creation, usage, and destruction of the human embryos. Currently, the limits of technological advancement require the destruction of the human embryo in creating the human embryonic stem cell. Various groups view an embryo as an early-aged human life. As a result, they are concerned with the rights and status of the embryo, and often go so far as to equate such research with murder because of the embryos destruction. However, despite scientific evidence suggesting that the early-stage embryos being used are not early-aged human life, the importance of these embryonic stem cells and their contribution to scientific advancement is tremendous.

Stem cells are cells in the human

John Stuart Mills principle of Utilitarianism also supports the morality of stem cell research. Utilitarianism states that an actions moral worth is determined solely by its contribution to the happiness of all parties involved. The phrase the greatest good for the greatest number of people is often used to describe this principle. But more precisely, the true morality of such research is exhibited in the concept of Negative Utilitarianism. Negative Utilitarianism requires us to promote the least amount of harm, or prevent the greatest amount of suffering for the greatest number of people.

Since science has established that are embryos not yet human, any harm inflicted on them does not weigh in on the moral worth of the action. However, the development of treatments that could potentially cure conditions such as Parkinsons disease and Alzheimers would weigh in on its moral worth. As a result, the prevention of suffering made possible by stem cell research and its potential medical advancements far outweigh any harm inflicted on the embryos, even if the embryos were given moral standing. Thus, by means of Negative Utilitarianism, the morality of stem cell research cannot be called into question.

This is modern day fascism. You shouldn't choose what life has more importance. Speaking as a veteran, people like this make me regret serving an ungrateful country, full of morally degraded people. These people who believe in this should have been the ones overseas. Then tell me how easy it is to choose one life over the other. Those people make me sick, and will be the downfall of this country.

Fundamentalists never fail to amaze me with their ability to only read half the story. The embryos used in stem cell research would be discarded anyway - stem cell research isn't denying them a chance at life, they had no chance at life in the first place. It isn't the same thing as abortion.

And I hope the fundies who are making comments along the lines of "We suffer because God wills it" never take antibiotics when they are sick - surely that would be messing with God's plan for you to die from a disease that modern science can easily cure?

Any opponent to stem cell research on the grounds of all this embryo is a human life crap is nothing but a ignorant idiotic hypocrite and the same goes for anti abortionists.

Why claim to give a crap at all about so called life when none of you seem to give a crap about the starving millions in underdeveloped countries, the starving on the street, those on death row etc.? What about those lives? Aren't they more convincing examples of 'life' than a pile of embryonic goo? Are they not deserving of all the fuss you make over the value of human life?

You people seem more concerned with spouting your ignorant, selfish beliefs and halting progress that could one

Is there any difference between you people in regards to this and those that shared the same beliefs that used to carry out witch hunts all those many years ago? one has to wonder.

i think that stem cell affords advancements to the medical industry. people should stop trying to use the phrase "who are we to play god". if that is the case then don't take medication to relieve pain because under those conditions would that also be playing god?

Remember that some stem cells are taken from the umbilical cord and adult tissue, not just embryos. You wouldn't call it murder if the cells were taken from an inanimate piece of flesh, would you?

I have been reading comments and "playing god" is stupid. Getting and giving shots are playing god implants and anything like that is playing god. you're not letting what happens happen. I read about a wife with four kids with Cystic Fibrosis. finding a cure for that would be playing god. That would be taking his power to save a child.

I think it's all right. People are going to abort fetuses no matter what you say or how you feel. You can say it's wrong and waste it or you can use it to support something new and know you helped to save a life. Would you honestly say that because of what you think you should throw away something that could help people just because its from something not even alive yet?

O.K. so it might be alive, but at an older age in the pregnancy. And people are right: if someone you love was dying, you would not just sit there and watch and say, oh well, too bad for you. You would try to help no matter what the cost.

I don't know what is so bad about trying to save life. Stem cell research has advanced into the stages of using actual cells from adults, (Somatic cells) and this is pushing research today. Take some time and do the "current" research about stem cells and educate yourselves.

As far as the religious perspective goes I am a Christian and "God" gave me the cells in my body and if those cells that "God" gave have a way of saving my life, then that is his will. Helping your body heal is not playing God, it is using what God gave you!

I'm curious; What defines something as "live"? When does life begin? Well, does it not begin at fertilization when the cells go through meiosis? And the DNA is replicated? Well here's what I have to say.

Again, what defines something as a "Live" human? Is it size? Level of development? Environment?

Degree of dependency?

If it's based on size, then isn't that size-ism? Does that mean our society is saying that the unborn aren't human because they aren't as big as us? Yes, an unborn baby isn't as big as a toddler, but a toddler isn't as big as a full grown adult. So does that mean that they toddler isn't human either? Or in any way less human

Level of development: Some argue that since the unborn aren't fully developed yet, they aren't human. I'm 15 and I'm not fully developed; does that mean I'm not human? No. I'm still growing. Development doesn't stop at birth. It starts at conception.

The most common argument in this category is the baby can't think, or feel pain, or even know that they exist. I beg to differ. There was an article published in a newspaper that said a doctor was performing an abortion, and on the screen, you could see the baby trying to get away from the tool trying to pull it out. In another, there was a case where the baby stuck its hand out and held onto the doctor's finger. Look it up.

We say that they can't feel pain, so they aren't human. But what about those with Sepa disease? They are born unable to feel pain; can we go and kill them too? They can't feel pain so they aren't human, so it's okay, right? Wrong.

Environment: Most common argument: The unborn baby isn't in the world yet, it's in the mother's body, and it doesn't even breathe air. This argument seems to be saying that the unborn child isn't human because it's in a different environment then we are. But, since when does where we are, determine who we are? In our day to day lives, we change our environment multiple times. But it doesn't change who we are as a person, unless you have a multiple personality disorder.

So here's a question; How does the eight-inch trip down the birth canal change who you are as a blob of tissue, into a valued human being with rights? Truth be told, it doesn't. Another argument is the unborn baby is in the mother's body, which is her body, so the mother should be able to do what ever she wants with that baby. So what's the difference between a baby the day before it's born, and one day after?

A day before: Not fully developed; dependent on the mother; in the mother's body -- her property.

A day after: Not fully developed; dependent on the mother; in the mother's house -- her property

What makes it okay to kill the one but not the other?

There was a case where a man went and murdered a pregnant woman and was charged with double murder. In that case, the government and court are considering that fetus is a life with value. However, in the same time, something like 32 abortions were performed under the protection of the law. How come those babies don't get the same justification? Is it because they aren't wanted? If an orphan was murdered, would no one care because they weren't wanted? Of course not. It's absurd to me the double standard in our society.

Degree of Dependency: Arguments are that if the unborn baby is still dependent on the mother, and can't survive on their own yet, they aren't human. Even a one week old baby is still dependent on the mother. It will be for a while.

Once again, I'm 15 and I can't survive on my own. I depend on my parents. I depend on my government and school system, I depend on my friends. I'm dependent. But do I not have value and rights?

What about those who depend on medical instruments? And life support?

Parents depend on others to provide them with jobs, food and money, with places for their children to go to get an education. Our classrooms are getting smaller and smaller due to the number of abortions each year. But again, does this affect a person's humanity in some way because they depend on someone? You're going through a divorce and you need someone to lean on; you're depending on them. Oh, yeah, sorry for the bad timing, but oh geez this is tough, you're not human, so we're going to have to kill you. No, I don't think so.

What about those on welfare? Can we kill them too because they depend on the government to provide them with money? I don't think so. We are all dependent on someone to a degree. But who goes around saying that those who depend on someone are less human or not human at all? No one. Why? Because it's hypocritical and illogical. But somehow, our society is able to accept this argument when it comes to unborn children. The faces of tomorrow. We are the people are today, and we're killing tomorrow's people.

So if we use these arguments to allow the killing of the unborn, then we should be allowed to kill: Any child; those on welfare; those with medical tools and medications; those with mental disabilities. They aren't what people consider "the norm"- are very dependent, usually have a difference in size, aren't developed as much as those who are not disabled, and depending on the case, their environment may be different then ours. And so on and so forth.

Of course not. We would never dream of doing that. It upsets many many people even using those cases as examples. So it should be clear that the unborn are human, as well as those with developmental disabilities, differences, different circumstances- welfare, etc., and the sick.

For people who don't understand, here is what I'm saying. I am pro choice- that women should have choices to do what they want in life from the unimportant (what flavor of ice cream I want) to the extremely important (what career I want to pursue) but should not have the "right" to make a choice about another person's life. You don't get to decide who lives or dies.

I do not believe we should use stem cells. If we can cure all diseases and grow back body parts then we will evidently live a very, very, very long time. This could potentially result in an overpopulation problem which we are currently starting to experience.

Humans were not meant to live forever, and maybe you should ask yourself: do you really want to live forever?

To those people who say that it's okay for scientists to do stem cell research, yes it's okay for them to do research to improve other people's lives without using stupid, dangerous chemicals on the cells. Some aspects of stem cell research, is not just against religious values, but also against our morals in general.

Thank you anon332, for trying to knock some sense into these people, who think that science always does good things. Wake up!

Religion is a vessel of our hopes, fears and a face of the unexplained. Without religion, science would grow like a cancer, and without science the other way around. Balance is what is needed.

For those who believe in God, it would not be that with stem cells we are playing God. The man or woman will live because God had willed it.

For those who don't, embryos are lives. A full life. Of course, this is only my opinion.

The world makes us what we are. It influences our choices and our minds. Everything around us at every moment is changing us.

In short, the world makes us what we are, but we make the world as how it is.

Science without religion is blasphemous. Religion without science is idiocy.

I believe stem cell research is definitely a good thing for people that are sick. I don't think people should be allowed to use a fetus for the research, but embryonic research is ethical. The embryo isn't yet developing human characteristics the way a fetus is.

I will begin by saying that I am a 14 year old girl of undecided religious beliefs. I have read many of these comments, and I have a few ideas which may help/clear up some misconceptions.

As of now, I do not officially believe in God. I do, however, understand many religions and I have accepted religious beliefs and ideas, especially those pertaining to abortion and stem cell research. Here are some of my views on the subject. I have tried to incorporate all the different positions on the subject:

1. Embryos are not fetuses and stem cell research is not the same as abortion. Fetuses are developed forms in which the cells have begun to specialize. Embryos are clusters

2. If an embryo is not used, it can be donated, either to research or to another parent, or it can be thrown away. Based on the dilemmas that seem to be arising, i am assuming that no one is of the belief that throwing away the embryos is in the best interest of anyone. That leaves donation to a parent or donation to research. If the decision is made to donate to another parent, then I think that is fine. If that idea is declined, then I don't see why a group of cells shouldn't be used to potentially help others. If a leftover embryo is just going to be thrown away, then why would the people throwing it away care if it were used. Remember, an embryo does not have even the most remote form of a brain or a heart.

3. If the argument is about whether or not the embryo has a soul, I cannot help. I do not believe that a random grouping of cells has a soul. I do not even necessarily believe in souls.

4. In this article, it says that the most common argument against stem cells is the belief in man not manipulating human life. I cannot say whether or not this is actually the big argument, but for those people who do believe that i will ask, "Have you been vaccinated? Have you ever taken any medicine for an illness? Is this not manipulating life?". If one believes that Man should not be allowed to manipulate life, then they should also believe that medicines and known cures should not be used. if a person gets pneumonia, should the doctors just let them die because they don't believe in manipulating life? Isn't that murder?

As for manipulating the embryo, I can only repeat that I do not personally believe that a group of unspecialized cells should be treated as humans.

5. I do not believe that stem cell research should be used for cloning. As for "creating another you" in case you get diseases later in life, watch or read "My Sister's Keeper".

6. As for the ethics, there are generally five ethical approaches: utilitarian-whatever does the most good and the least harm, Rights-whatever considers the rights of everyone involved, Fairness of Justice-treats all equally and proportionally, Common good-the values of Confucianism or putting the group before the individual, and Virtue-what will make me more of the person i want to be? If using an organism that is displaying the characteristics of life, but that is not developed into a fetus will help others, I don't see how it contradicts any of the ethical approaches.

6. If I decidedly believed in God, I would say, "God made us. I believe he made us for a reason. He gave us prayer and life. He also gave us doctors and medicine. we should use them".

7. For those who say "if your loved one was dying, then your view would change" you are correct. Their view would change, but do we really want a society where people make official decisions based on the health status of their loved ones, when they are stressed and not thinking clearly?

These are the things I have come up with. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my statements, and if I did, I am sorry.

Yeah, they are not using a fetus. they are using an embryo, which there is a huge difference.

Number one, they are not using a fetus; which i agree is human. The embryos used for stem cell research are four to five days old and have no specialized tissues, no nervous system, or heart. Each embryo contains about one-hundred cells, the cells of which are still undifferentiated (meaning that the cell has not decided what it is going to be).

For those of you saying that we are playing god. Is not God's greatest gift the gift of life? After IVF a woman has limited choices what to do with her leftover embryos. She may donate to another couple, donate to research, keep the embryos for maybe future implantation, or she may discard them.

Read more:
What Is Stem Cell Research ? (with pictures) - wiseGEEK

At a microscopic level, we are all composed of cells. Look at yourself in a mirror -- what you see is about 10 trillion cells divided into about 200 different types. Our muscles are made of muscle cells, our livers of liver cells, and there are even very specialized types of cells that make the enamel for our teeth or the clear lenses in our eyes!

If you want to understand how your body works, you need to understand cells. Everything from reproduction to infections to repairing a broken bone happens down at the cellular level. If you want to understand new frontiers like biotechnology and genetic engineering, you need to understand cells as well.

Anyone who reads the paper or any of the scientific magazines (Scientific American, Discover, Popular Science) is aware that genes are BIG news these days. Here are some of the terms you commonly see:

Gene science and genetics are rapidly changing the face of medicine, agriculture and even the legal system!

In this article, we'll delve down to the molecular level to completely understand how cells work. We'll look at the simplest cells possible: bacteria cells. By understanding how bacteria work, you can understand the basic mechanisms of all of the cells in your body. This is a fascinating topic both because of its very personal nature and the fact that it makes these news stories so much clearer and easier to understand. Also, once you understand how cells work, you will be able to answer other related questions like these:

All of these questions have obvious answers once you understand how cells work -- so let's get started!

See the original post:
How Cells Work | HowStuffWorks

A stem cell transplant is a procedure that replaces defective or damaged cells in patients whose normal blood cells have been affected by cancer. Transplants also are used to help patients recover from aggressive radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

Stem cells are immature cells that begin life in the bone marrow and eventually develop into the various types of mature blood cells:

There are three types of stem cell transplantation:

Autologous transplant: cells are harvested from the patient's own bone marrow before chemotherapy and are replaced after cancer treatment.

Allogeneic transplant: stem cells come from a donor whose tissue most closely matches the patient.

Umbilical cord blood from newborn infants is extracted from the placenta after birth and saved in special cord blood banks for future use. MDAnderson's Cord Blood Bank actively seeks donations of umbilical cords.

Stem cell transplants commonly are used to treat leukemia and lymphoma, cancers which affect the blood and lymphatic system. Transplants also can be used to help patients recover from or better tolerate cancer treatment, and to treat hereditary blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia.

Stem cell transplant patients are matched with eligible donors by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing. HLA are proteins that exist on the surface of most cells in the body. HLA markers help the body distinguish normal cells from foreign cells, such as cancer cells.

HLA typing is done with a patient blood sample, which is then compared with samples from a family member or a donor registry. It can sometimes take several weeks or longer to find a suitable donor.

The closest possible match between the HLA markers of the donor and the patient reduces the risk of the body rejecting the new stem cells (graft versus host disease).

The best match is usually a first degree relative (children, siblings or parents). However, about 75% of patients do not have a suitable donor in their family and require cells from matched unrelated donors (MUD), who are located through registries such as the National Marrow Donor Program.

Because the patients immune system is wiped out before a stem cell transplant, it takes about six months to a year for the immune system to recover and start producing healthy new blood cells. Transplant patients are at increased risk for infections during this time, and must take precautions. Other side effects include:

Read more:
Stem Cell Transplantation | MD Anderson Cancer Center

A current view of hematopoiesis is that of a hierarchically organized system, with a rare population of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) residing at the top of the hierarchy, giving rise to all blood cell lineages. See MoreHSCs possess the ability of multipotency (i.e. one HSC can differentiate into all functional blood cells) and selfrenewal (i.e. HSCs can divide and give rise to an identical daughter cell, without differentiation).1 Through a series of lineage commitment steps, HSCs give rise to progeny that progressively lose self-renewal potential and successively become more and more restricted in their differentiation capacity, generating multi-potential and lineage-committed progenitor cells, and ultimately mature functional circulating blood cells.

The ability of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) to self-renew and differentiate is fundamental for the formation and maintenance of life-long hematopoiesis and deregulation of these processes may lead to severe clinical consequences. HSPCs are also highly valuable for their ability to reconstitute the hematopoietic system when transplanted and this has enabled their use in the clinic to treat a variety of disorders including bone marrow failure, myeloproliferative disorders and other acquired or genetic disorders that affect blood cells.2,3 Given these pivotal roles of HSPCs, much research effort has been directed at developing tools for their detection, enumeration, identification and isolation, and understanding the mechanisms underlying their behavior and fate decisions.4 Exploiting key findings of such research is highly relevant for developing novel methods to obtain clinically relevant numbers of normal HSPCs and to eliminate or inhibit cancer stem cell growth in hematopoietic malignancies.

Read the original here:
Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Cell Culture Media, CFC Assays

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Knee Replacement Surgery through WorldMed Assist is a unique approach to first-class medical care. Our association with high quality Hospital Clinica Biblica (which has a partnership with Baylor University) makes surgical procedures at reasonable rates and very high quality possible for everyone. Our case managers, all medically trained, organize every aspect of your procedure in Costa Rica and have helped many patients receive medical intervention very quickly.

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We also provide information on costs:

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What Do We Make?

Gene Tools makes Morpholino antisense oligos. Morpholino oligos bind to complementary RNA and get in the way of processes; they can knock down gene expression, modify RNA splicing or inhibit miRNA activity and maturation. Morpholinos are the premier knockdown tools used in developmental biology labs, the best RNA-blocking reagents for cells in culture and, as Vivo-Morpholinos, the most specific delivery-enhanced oligos available for other animal models. We are the sole commercial manufacturer selling research quantities of Morpholinos world-wide.

Morpholino oligos are short chains of about 25 Morpholino subunits. Each subunit is comprised of a nucleic acid base, a morpholine ring and a non-ionic phosphorodiamidate intersubunit linkage. Morpholinos do not degrade their RNA targets, but instead act via an RNAse H-independent steric blocking mechanism. With their requirement for greater complementarity with their target RNAs, Morpholinos are free of the widespread off-target expression modulation typical of knockdowns which rely on RISC or RNase-H activity. They are completely stable in cells and do not induce immune responses.

With their high mRNA binding affinity and exquisite specificity, Morpholinos yield reliable and predictable results. Depending on the oligo sequence selected, they either can block translation initiation in the cytosol (by targeting the 5' UTR through the first 25 bases of coding sequence), can modify pre-mRNA splicing in the nucleus (by targeting splice junctions or splice regulatory sites) or can inhibit miRNA maturation and activity (by targeting pri-miRNA or mature miRNA), as well as more exotic applications such as ribozyme inhibition, modifying poly-A tailing, blocking RNA translocation sequences or translational frameshifting. Morpholinos have been shown effective in animals, protists, plants and bacteria.

We are continually developing novel cytosolic delivery systems like our 'Endo-Porter' for cultured cells and our Vivo-Morpholinos for both cultures and in vivo delivery. With established delivery technologies it's easy to deliver Morpholinos into cultures, embryos or animals -- making Morpholinos the best tools for genetic studies and drug target validation programs.

What Sets Us Apart?

Morpholino oligos have excellent antisense properties compared to other gene knockdown systems. Microinjection or electroporation of Morpholino oligos into the embryos of frogs, zebrafish, chicks, sea urchins and other organisms successfully and specifically shuts down the expression of targeted genes, making Morpholinos an indispensable tool of developmental biologists. Morpholinos have also proven their versatility and efficacy in cultures of primary or immortal cells when delivered by Endo-Porter, electroporation or Vivo-Morpholinos. Usually, Vivo-Morpholinos are used to bring the specificity and efficacy of Morpholino oligos to experiments requiring systemic delivery in adult animals. The list of over 7500 publications using Morpholinos is growing daily and is maintained on-line in a browseable database.

Besides providing the best knockdown and splice modification tools, we also provide the best customer support available in the gene silencing industry. Our customer support team includes three Ph.D.-level scientists with hands-on Morpholino experience who are available to: 1) discuss your experiment design, 2) design your oligos for you, and 3) help you troubleshoot your experiments, all at no additional cost.

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Chicago Diabetes Project

1 week ago

We invite you to join us as we go "All In for a Cure" at this year's third annual Poker Tournament on Friday, September 16th at The Estate by Gene & Georgetti. The exciting evening will include open bar, premium dinner buffet, prizes and a No Limit Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament. Register now at http://www.cdppoker.com or make a donation to support a functional cure. Seating is limited to the first 180 poker players. Check out these photos from last year's event! ...

Chicago Diabetes Project

1 week ago

Chicago Diabetes Project added an event. ...

All In for a Cure Poker Tournament

September 16, 2016, 6:00pm - September 16, 2016, 11:30pm

The Estate

Youre invited to the third annual All In for a Cure Texas Hold Em Tournament benefitting the Chicago Diabetes Project in partnership with the Special Kids Network. The event will be held on Friday, September 16th at The Estate by Gene & Georgetti. This exciting evening will include an open bar, premium buffet dinner and poker tournament. Space is limited and open to the first 180 paid poker players. Registration is now open at http://www.cdppoker.com. Sign up now to reserve your spot at the tables! View pictures from last years event: http://www.facebook.com/Impact365/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1188293404519421. Interested in sponsoring the event? Download sponsorship opportunities (www.chicagodiabetesproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016-POKER-SPONSORSHIP-DECK.pdf) and contact Michelle Le at 312-413-3011.

Read more:
Chicago Diabetes Project | Researching to Cure Diabetes

At Chicago Arthritis, next-generation stem cell therapy and platelet procedures are available today. Our focus is on thorough evaluation and non-surgical treatment of arthritis, tendinitis, joint injuries and pain. Our core beliefs include a patient dedicated approach, faith in evidence based treatments, continuous improvement in everything we do at work, and pursuit of better treatments. If you are in need of treatment for your pain, or are considering elective surgery for your condition, please contact us first to learn about the most advanced regenerative procedures available in the United States today.

Welcome to Chicago Arthritis

As a provider of the Regenexx Orthopedic Stem Cell and Platelet Procedures, the regenerative treatments we offer are at the cutting edge of medical science and are backed by more research than any other stem cell or platelet procedures for orthopedic conditions. For our inflammatory arthritis and autoimmune patients, we incorporate advanced imaging and the most effective biologic treatments when appropriate.

Our goals are to accurately diagnose your condition as well as utilize treatments that have the potential to minimize pain and maximize your functional ability.

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Stem Cell Therapy, Platelet Rich Plasma / PRP - Chicago