StemCell Therapy

A kidney stone, also known as a renal calculus or nephrolith, is a solid piece of material which is formed in the kidneys from minerals in urine.[1] Kidney stones typically leave the body in the urine stream, and a small stone may pass without causing symptoms.[1] If stones grow to sufficient size (usually at least 3 millimeters (0.12in)) they can cause blockage of the ureter. This leads to pain, most commonly beginning in the flank or lower back and often radiating to the groin. This pain is often known as renal colic and typically comes in waves lasting 20 to 60 minutes. Other associated symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, fever, blood in the urine, pus in the urine, and painful urination. Blockage of the ureter can cause decreased kidney function and dilation of the kidney.

Most stones form due to a combination of genetics and environmental factors.[1] Risk factors include being overweight, certain foods, some medications, and not drinking enough fluids.[1] The diagnosis is usually based on symptoms, urine testing, and medical imaging.[1]Blood tests may also be useful.[1]Urinary stones are typically classified by their location in the kidney (nephrolithiasis), ureter (ureterolithiasis), or bladder (cystolithiasis), or by their chemical composition (calcium-containing, struvite, uric acid, or other compounds).

In those who have previously had stones, prevention is recommended by drinking fluids such that more than two liters of urine is produced per day. If this is not effective enough, thiazide diuretic, citrate or allopurinol may be taken. It is recommended that soft drinks containing phosphoric acid (typically colas) be avoided.[2] When a stone causes no symptoms, no treatment is needed. For stones which are causing symptoms, pain control is usually the first measure, using medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or opioids.[3] More severe cases may require procedures. For example, some stones can be shattered into smaller fragments using extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. Others require cystoscopic procedures.

In the United States about 9% of the population has had a kidney stone.[1] Slightly more men are affected than women.[4] In 2013 kidney stones resulted in about 15,000 deaths globally.[5]

The hallmark of a stone that obstructs the ureter or renal pelvis is excruciating, intermittent pain that radiates from the flank to the groin or to the inner thigh.[6] This pain, known as renal colic, is often described as one of the strongest pain sensations known.[7] Renal colic caused by kidney stones is commonly accompanied by urinary urgency, restlessness, hematuria, sweating, nausea, and vomiting. It typically comes in waves lasting 20 to 60 minutes caused by peristaltic contractions of the ureter as it attempts to expel the stone.[6] The embryological link between the urinary tract, the genital system, and the gastrointestinal tract is the basis of the radiation of pain to the gonads, as well as the nausea and vomiting that are also common in urolithiasis.[8]Postrenal azotemia and hydronephrosis can be observed following the obstruction of urine flow through one or both ureters.[9] Pain in the lower left quadrant can sometimes be confused with diverticulitis because the sigmoid colon overlaps the ureter and the exact location of the pain may be difficult to isolate due to the close proximity of these two structures.

Dehydration from low fluid intake is a major factor in stone formation.[6][10]

High dietary intake of animal protein,[6]sodium, refined sugars, fructose and high fructose corn syrup,[11]oxalate,[4]grapefruit juice, and apple juice may increase the risk of kidney stone formation.[10]

Kidney stones can result from an underlying metabolic condition, such as distal renal tubular acidosis,[12]Dent's disease,[13] hyperparathyroidism,[14] primary hyperoxaluria,[15] or medullary sponge kidney. 320% of people who form kidney stones have medullary sponge kidney.[16][17]

Kidney stones are more common in people with Crohn's disease;[18] Crohn's disease is associated with hyperoxaluria and malabsorption of magnesium.[19]

A person with recurrent kidney stones may be screened for such disorders. This is typically done with a 24-hour urine collection. The urine is analyzed for features that promote stone formation.[9]

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Kidney stone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

genetic engineering,the artificial manipulation, modification, and recombination of DNA or other nucleic acid molecules in order to modify an organism or population of organisms.

The term genetic engineering initially meant any of a wide range of techniques for the modification or manipulation of organisms through the processes of heredity and reproduction. As such, the term embraced both artificial selection and all the interventions of biomedical techniques, among them artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization (e.g., test-tube babies), sperm banks, cloning, and gene manipulation. But the term now denotes the narrower field of recombinant DNA technology, or gene cloning (see Figure), in which DNA molecules from two or more sources are combined either within cells or in vitro and are then inserted into host organisms in which they are able to propagate. Gene cloning is used to produce new genetic combinations that are of value to science, medicine, agriculture, or industry.

DNA is the carrier of genetic information; it achieves its effects by directing the synthesis of proteins. Most recombinant DNA technology involves the insertion of foreign genes into the plasmids of common laboratory strains of bacteria. Plasmids are small rings of DNA; they are not part of the bacteriums chromosome (the main repository of the organisms genetic information). Nonetheless, they are capable of directing protein synthesis, and, like chromosomal DNA, they are reproduced and passed on to the bacteriums progeny. Thus, by incorporating foreign DNA (for example, a mammalian gene) into a bacterium, researchers can obtain an almost limitless number of copies of the inserted gene. Furthermore, if the inserted gene is operative (i.e., if it directs protein synthesis), the modified bacterium will produce the protein specified by the foreign DNA.

A key step in the development of genetic engineering was the discovery of restriction enzymes in 1968 by the Swiss microbiologist Werner Arber. However, type II restriction enzymes, which are essential to genetic engineering for their ability to cleave a specific site within the DNA (as opposed to type I restriction enzymes, which cleave DNA at random sites), were not identified until 1969, when the American molecular biologist Hamilton O. Smith purified this enzyme. Drawing on Smiths work, the American molecular biologist Daniel Nathans helped advance the technique of DNA recombination in 197071 and demonstrated that type II enzymes could be useful in genetic studies. Genetic engineering itself was pioneered in 1973 by the American biochemists Stanley N. Cohen and Herbert W. Boyer, who were among the first to cut DNA into fragments, rejoin different fragments, and insert the new genes into E. coli bacteria, which then reproduced.

Genetic engineering has advanced the understanding of many theoretical and practical aspects of gene function and organization. Through recombinant DNA techniques, bacteria have been created that are capable of synthesizing human insulin, human growth hormone, alpha interferon, a hepatitis B vaccine, and other medically useful substances. Plants may be genetically adjusted to enable them to fix nitrogen, and genetic diseases can possibly be corrected by replacing bad genes with normal ones. Nevertheless, special concern has been focused on such achievements for fear that they might result in the introduction of unfavourable and possibly dangerous traits into microorganisms that were previously free of theme.g., resistance to antibiotics, production of toxins, or a tendency to cause disease.

The new microorganisms created by recombinant DNA research were deemed patentable in 1980, and in 1986 the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the sale of the first living genetically altered organisma virus, used as a pseudorabies vaccine, from which a single gene had been cut. Since then several hundred patents have been awarded for genetically altered bacteria and plants.

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genetic engineering | Britannica.com

December 2007

The Human Genome Project enabled genomic understanding.

A child with Downs Syndrome showing white spots on the iris known as Brushfields Spots. Tests can screen for a predisposition to the syndrome. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Will a genetic test change your life for the better? Predictive Genetic Testing (PGT) is the use of a genetic test to predict future risk of disease. Although PGT is relatively new, arising from the mapping of the human genome, it has rapidly emerged as a technology that carries many benefits, but many risks, as well. Considerable debate surrounds the moral and ethical issues regarding persons who have undergone predictive genetic testing.

X-linked recessive manner means that the inherited trait almost exclusively affects males.

PGT is utilized commonly in the following circumstances:

Each one of these circumstances carries a particular set of ethical, legal, or social implications, depending on the reasoning behind the testing. For example:

Genetic results are directly related to an individuals identity.

In any circumstance, privacy and confidentiality are critical because the genetic results are directly related to an individuals identity.5 Not only is confidentiality an issue for health care, but to prevent genetic discrimination in insurance coverage and employment, as well. Information from a genetic test can affect an entire family. If the disorder is either genetically dominant or carried by an individual, that persons parents, children, brothers, sisters, and even extended family may also be affected. Questions that arise may be:

Furthermore, a person may make life-altering decisions based on the results of a genetic test.6

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Genetic Testing to Predict Disease: Ethical, Legal, and ...

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The L7 hPSC Reprogramming Bundle, a xeno-free, fully defined system for generation of hiPSCs. When combined with the L7 hPSC Culture System, it provides a complete system for reliable reprogramming, expansion and maintenance of human pluripotent stem cells.

The L7 PBMC Priming-Recovery Kit is supplied with PBMC priming and recovery media, enhancers, and a detailed protocol for PBMC reprogramming utilizing episomal vector technology.

To learn more about the L7 System, click hereor listen to the archived stem cell webinar.

Listen to the archived pluripotent stem cellwebinar.

L7 hiPSC Reprogramming and hPSC Culture System In 2011 Lonza began development on a clinical grade master cell bank. During development it was determined thatexisting commercialproductsdid not provide the optimal xeno-free, defined conditionsfor human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) generation and human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) culture so theL7 hiPSC Reprogramming and hPSC Culture System was created. Efficient and reliable reprogramming of human somatic cells towards hiPSCs has never been easier!

Stem Cell Transfection using Nucleofector Technology Transfection ofstem cells is typically a very difficult task using non-viral methods. With the Nucleofector Technology stem cells can be consistently transfected at high efficiency for various applications, comprising those that require co-transfection of several substrates:

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Stem Cells - Lonza

Dr.DorisTayloris involved in both laboratory and clinical studies using cell therapy to treat disease. Almost5 million Americans are living with heart failure and more than half a million new cases are diagnosed annually. Almost 50,000 people die each year while awaiting a heart transplant and, for a decade or more, only about 2,200 heart transplants have been performed in the entire United States. The need is dwarfed by the availability of donor organs.

This is one of the reasons there is such hope placed in the promising field of regenerative medicine. The groundbreaking work of Dr. Taylor and her team has demonstrated the ability in the lab to strip organs, including the heart, of their cellular make-up leaving a decellularized "scaffold." The heartcan then be re-seeded with cells that, when supplied with blood and oxygen, regenerate the scaffold into a functioning heart. Dr. Taylor calls this using nature's platform to create a bioartificial heart.

The hope is that this research is an early step toward being able to grow a fully functional human heart in the laboratory. Dr. Taylor has demonstrated that the process works for other organs as well, such as kidney, pancreas, lung, and liver where she has already tested the same approachopening a door in the field of organ transplantation.

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About Regenerative Medicine Research at the Texas Heart ...

Molecular evolution is a change in the sequence composition of cellular molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins across generations. The field of molecular evolution uses principles of evolutionary biology and population genetics to explain patterns in these changes. Major topics in molecular evolution concern the rates and impacts of single nucleotide changes, neutral evolution vs. natural selection, origins of new genes, the genetic nature of complex traits, the genetic basis of speciation, evolution of development, and ways that evolutionary forces influence genomic and phenotypic changes.

The content and structure of a genome is the product of the molecular and population genetic forces which act upon that genome. Novel genetic variants will arise through mutation and will spread and be maintained in populations due to genetic drift or natural selection.

Mutations are permanent, transmissible changes to the genetic material (DNA or RNA) of a cell or virus. Mutations result from errors in DNA replication during cell division and by exposure to radiation, chemicals, and other environmental stressors, or viruses and transposable elements. Most mutations that occur are single nucleotide polymorphisms which modify single bases of the DNA sequence. Other types of mutations modify larger segments of DNA and can cause duplications, insertions, deletions, inversions, and translocations.

Most organisms display a strong bias in the types of mutations that occur with strong influence in GC-content. Transitions (A G or C T) are more common than transversions (purine pyrimidine)[1] and are less likely to alter amino acid sequences of proteins.

Mutations are stochastic and typically occur randomly across genes. Mutation rates for single nucleotide sites for most organisms are very low, roughly 109 to 108 per site per generation, though some viruses have higher mutation rates on the order of 106 per site per generation. Among these mutations, some will be neutral or beneficial and will remain in the genome unless lost via Genetic drift, and others will be detrimental and will be eliminated from the genome by natural selection.

Because mutations are extremely rare, they accumulate very slowly across generations. While the number of mutations which appears in any single generation may vary, over very long time periods they will appear to accumulate at a regular pace. Using the mutation rate per generation and the number of nucleotide differences between two sequences, divergence times can be estimated effectively via the molecular clock.

Recombination is a process that results in genetic exchange between chromosomes or chromosomal regions. Recombination counteracts physical linkage between adjacent genes, thereby reducing genetic hitchhiking. The resulting independent inheritance of genes results in more efficient selection, meaning that regions with higher recombination will harbor fewer detrimental mutations, more selectively favored variants, and fewer errors in replication and repair. Recombination can also generate particular types of mutations if chromosomes are misaligned.

Gene conversion is a type of recombination that is the product of DNA repair where nucleotide damage is corrected using orthologous genomic regions as a template. Damaged bases are first excised, the damaged strand is then aligned with an undamaged homolog, and DNA synthesis repairs the excised region using the undamaged strand as a guide. Gene conversion is often responsible for homogenizing sequence of duplicate genes over long time periods, reducing nucleotide divergence.

Genetic drift is the change of allele frequencies from one generation to the next due to stochastic effects of random sampling in finite populations. Some existing variants have no effect on fitness and may increase or decrease in frequency simply due to chance. "Nearly neutral" variants whose selection coefficient is close to a threshold value of 1 / the effective population size will also be affected by chance as well as by selection and mutation. Many genomic features have been ascribed to accumulation of nearly neutral detrimental mutations as a result of small effective population sizes.[2] With a smaller effective population size, a larger variety of mutations will behave as if they are neutral due to inefficiency of selection.

Selection occurs when organisms with greater fitness, i.e. greater ability to survive or reproduce, are favored in subsequent generations, thereby increasing the instance of underlying genetic variants in a population. Selection can be the product of natural selection, artificial selection, or sexual selection. Natural selection is any selective process that occurs due to the fitness of an organism to its environment. In contrast sexual selection is a product of mate choice and can favor the spread of genetic variants which act counter to natural selection but increase desirability to the opposite sex or increase mating success. Artificial selection, also known as selective breeding, is imposed by an outside entity, typically humans, in order to increase the frequency of desired traits.

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Molecular evolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This document reflects emerging clinical and scientific advances as of the date issued and is subject to change. The information should not be construed as dictating an exclusive course of treatment or procedure to be followed.

ABSTRACT: Genetic testing is poised to play an increasing role in the practice of obstetrics and gynecology. To assure patients of the highest quality of care, physicians should become familiar with the currently available array of genetic tests and the tests' limitations. Clinicians should be able to identify patients within their practices who are candidates for genetic testing. Candidates will include patients who are pregnant or considering pregnancy and are at risk for giving birth to affected children as well as gynecology patients who, for example, may have or be predisposed to certain types of cancer. The purpose of this Committee Opinion is to review some of the ethical issues related to genetic testing and provide guidelines for the appropriate use of genetic tests by obstetriciangynecologists. Expert consultation and referral are likely to be needed when obstetriciangynecologists are confronted with these issues.

Although ethical questions related to genetic testing have been recognized for some time, they have gained a greater urgency because of the rapid advances in the field as a result of the success of the Human Genome Project. That projecta 13-year multibillion-dollar programwas initiated in 1990 to identify all the estimated 20,00025,000 genes and to make them accessible for further study. The project harnessed America's scientists in a quest for rapid completion of a high-priority mission but left a series of ethical challenges in its wake. When developing the authorizing legislation for the federally funded Human Genome Project, Congress recognized that ethical conundrums would result from the project's technical successes and included the need for the development of federally funded programs to address ethical, legal, and social issues. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health earmarked portions of their budgets to examine the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding the availability of genetic information.

The purpose of this Committee Opinion is to review some of the ethical issues related to genetic testing and provide guidelines for the appropriate use of genetic tests by obstetriciangynecologists. It is important to note at the outset, given the increasing complexity of this field and the quickness with which it advances, that expert consultation and referral are likely to be needed when obstetriciangynecologists are confronted with many of the issues detailed in this Committee Opinion.

The pace at which new information about genetic diseases is being developed and disseminated is astounding. Thus, the ethical obligations of clinicians start with the need to maintain competence in the face of this evolving science. Clinicians should be able to identify patients within their practices who are candidates for genetic testing. Candidates will include patients who are pregnant or considering pregnancy and are at risk for giving birth to affected children as well as gynecology patients who, for example, may have or be predisposed to certain types of cancer.

If a patient is being evaluated because of a diagnosis of cancer in a biologic relative and is found to have genetic susceptibility to cancer, she should be offered counseling and follow-up, with referral as appropriate, to ensure delivery of care consistent with current standards. In fact, genetic screening for any clinical purpose should be tied to the availability of intervention, including prenatal diagnosis, counseling, reproductive decision making, lifestyle changes, and enhanced phenotype screening.

One of the pillars of professionalism is social justice, which would oblige physicians to "promote justice in the health care system, including the fair distribution of health care resources" (1). In the context of genetic testing, justice would require clinicians to press for resources, independent of an individual's ability to pay, when they encounter barriers to health care for their patients who require care as a consequence of genetic testing and diagnosis (1).

Obstetriciangynecologists also are ideally positioned to educate women. When they, or experts in genetics to whom they refer, counsel on genetics, they should provide accurate information and, if needed, emotional support for patients burdened by the results or consequences of genetic diagnoses, be they related to preconception or prenatal care, cancer risks, or other implications for health. Finally, clinicians should familiarize their patients with steps that can be taken to mitigate health risks associated with their genetic circumstance (eg, having a colonoscopy if there is a predisposition to colon cancer) (2).

It recently has been suggested that each person's entire genome may be available for use by physicians for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in the not-too-distant future (3). Although that might seem like a medical panacea, the potential risks associated with wide-scale genetic testing are substantial. Many incidental findings will come to light, and yet, although those tested may be tempted to believe otherwise, genetic findings do not equate directly with either disease or health: "one hundred percent accurate identification of such incidental pathologies will lead to iatrogenic pathology the belief that genetics completely determines phenotypic outcome must be informed by an understanding that most genetic measurements only shift the probability of an outcome, which often depends on other environmental triggers and chance" (4).

Genetic Exceptionalism

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Ethical Issues in Genetic Testing - ACOG

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of kidney stones.

Calcium stones; Nephrolithiasis

Overview

The kidneys filter out fluids and waste from the body, producing urine. The two kidneys are located deep behind the abdominal organs, below the ribs and toward the middle of the back.

Kidney stones are hard, solid particles that form in the urinary tract. If a stone (even a small one) blocks the flow of urine, excruciating pain may result, and prompt medical treatment may be needed.

A CT scan is usually the best way to diagnose kidney stones and to pinpoint their location, size, and number.

Treatment

Kidney stones are hard, solid particles that form in the urinary tract. In many cases, the stones are very small and can pass out of the body without any problems. However, if a stone (even a small one) blocks the flow of urine, excruciating pain may result, and prompt medical treatment may be needed.

Urine is formed in the kidneys. The kidneys filter out fluids and waste from the body, producing urine. As the urine passes through the kidneys, it becomes more concentrated. From the kidneys, urine flows through thin tubes called ureters into the bladder. The bladder's stretchy walls expand to store the incoming urine until it leaves the body through a tube called the urethra.

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Kidney stones | University of Maryland Medical Center

A study led by Qi Chen establishes the benefits of high-dose vitamin C in ovarian cancer patients. Read more >>

Nourishing the whole person -- body, mind and spirit -- and stimulating the body's natural healing response, is our mission at KU Integrative Medicine. We combine the best therapies from conventional medicine with our integrative medicine approach, to form a comprehensive system of biomedical care.

From a patient's very first visit with us, we attempt to uncover the underlying story ofthe patient'sjourney from wellness to disease. We listen. Based on our findings, we tailor a plan for each individual patient based on their lifestyle, their needs and their preferences. We consider the patient an integral part of the treatment team, and encourage patients to take control of their medical care.

Practitioners at KU Integrative Medicineinclude physicians, a naturopathic doctor, nurses, certified neurofeedback technicians and registered dietitians. We hope that you want to learn more about us, our services, and how we can help youforge a new path to healing and wellness.

Because Integrative Medicine attempts to dig deeper, very specialized lab work is often ordered. This also enables us to personalize your care and cater to your biochemical individuality.

NUTRITION: Eating healthy isthe key to feeling good and being well. Our counseling includes meal planning and supplements based on your biochemistry, lifestyle and food preferences. Let us help you create a personalized nutrition plan or sign up for a cooking class. Learn more >

NEUROFEEDBACK: You can rebalance your brain, and by doing so address stress, fatigue, pain and negative behaviors and emotions in your life. Our treatment maps your brain's activity, allowing patients to visualize its patterns and alter its function. Learn more >

INFUSION: Research shows that intravenous vitamin C at high doses, used in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation, kills cancer cells in the early stages of the disease. We offer this additional treatment in conjunction with a patient's chemotherapy regimen. Learn more >

Last modified: May 12, 2015

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KU Integrative Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center

Introduction

[Note: Many of the medical and scientific terms used in this summary are found in the NCI Dictionary of Genetics Terms. When a linked term is clicked, the definition will appear in a separate window.]

[Note: Many of the genes described in this summary are found in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. When OMIM appears after a gene name or the name of a condition, click on OMIM for a link to more information.]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women.

Estimated new cases and deaths from CRC in 2015:[1]

About 75% of patients with CRC have sporadic disease with no apparent evidence of having inherited the disorder. The remaining 25% of patients have a family history of CRC that suggests a hereditary contribution, common exposures among family members, or a combination of both. Genetic mutations have been identified as the cause of inherited cancer risk in some colon cancerprone families; these mutations are estimated to account for only 5% to 6% of CRC cases overall. It is likely that other undiscovered genes and background genetic factors contribute to the development of familial CRC in conjunction with nongenetic risk factors.

(Refer to the PDQ summaries on Colorectal Cancer Screening; Colorectal Cancer Prevention; Colon Cancer Treatment; and Rectal Cancer Treatment for more information about sporadic CRC.)

Colorectal tumors present with a broad spectrum of neoplasms, ranging from benign growths to invasive cancer and are predominantly epithelial-derived tumors (i.e., adenomas or adenocarcinomas).

Pathologists have classified the lesions into the following three groups:

Research, however, suggests increased CRC risk in some families who have multiple members affected with juvenile polyposis, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, and hyperplastic polyposis.[2-4]

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Genetics of Colorectal Cancer - National Cancer Institute

Dead bodies can provide organs for transplants, now they might become a source of stem cells too. Huge numbers of stem cells can still be mined from bone marrow five days after death to be potentially used in a variety of life-saving treatments.

Human bone marrow contains mesenchymal stem cells, which can develop into bone, cartilage, fat and other cell types. MSCs can be transplanted and the type of cell they form depends on where they are injected. Cells injected into the heart, for example, can form healthy new tissue, a useful therapy for people with chronic heart conditions.

Unlike other tissue transplants, MSCs taken from one person tend not to be rejected by anothers immune system. In fact, MSCs appear to pacify immune cells. It is this feature which has made MSC treatments invaluable for children with graft-versus-host disease, in which transplants aimed at treating diseases such as leukaemia attack the child instead.

Stem cell therapies require a huge numbers of cells though, and it can be difficult to obtain a sufficient amount from a living donor. Could cadavers be the answer? After death, most cells in the body die within a couple of days. But since MSCs live in an environment that is very low in oxygen, Gianluca DIppolito and his colleagues at the University of Miami, Florida, wondered whether they might survive longer than the others.

To investigate, DIppolitos team kept the finger bones of two cadavers for five days. The group then extracted MSCs from the bone marrow of each bone and let them grow in a dish. After five weeks DIppolito was able to transform the stem cells into cartilage, cells that form bone, and fat cells. He presented the results at the World Stem Cell Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, earlier this month. The team are now trying to get the cells to become nerve and intestinal cells, too.

While only limited amounts of bone marrow can be taken from a living donor, a cadaver represents a plentiful source of cells, says DIppolito. From one donor, you could take the whole spine, for example. You are going to end up with billions of cells.

Paolo Macchiarini, who researches regenerative medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, describes the work as an excellent advance but says that the cells may not be as healthy as they seem. Their DNA may be affected by the death of surrounding tissue and exposure to cold temperatures. We need to make sure the cells are safe, he says.

Corneal stem cells taken from the eyes of fresh cadavers have already been used to treat blindness in people with eye conditions that result from injury and scarring, but Chris Mason at University College London sees a potential hurdle in using such MSCs in therapy. The work is novel and intriguing but it would be better to use a living donor, he says. Thats partly because medical regulators oppose treating individuals with stem cells from more than one source. You can always go back and get more stem cells from a living donor if you need them, but if you use a cadaver, youll eventually run out.

By Jessica Hamzelou

Originally posted here:
Cadaver stem cells offer new hope of life after death

Reliability engineering is engineering that emphasizes dependability in the lifecycle management of a product. Dependability, or reliability, describes the ability of a system or component to function under stated conditions for a specified period of time.[1] Reliability engineering represents a sub-discipline within systems engineering. Reliability is theoretically defined as the probability of success (Reliability=1-Probability of Failure), as the frequency of failures; or in terms of availability, as a probability derived from reliability and maintainability. Maintainability and maintenance are often defined as a part of "reliability engineering" in Reliability Programs. Reliability plays a key role in the cost-effectiveness of systems.

Reliability engineering deals with the estimation and management of high levels of "lifetime" engineering uncertainty and risks of failure. Although stochastic parameters define and affect reliability, according to some expert authors on Reliability Engineering (e.g. P. O'Conner, J. Moubray[2] and A. Barnard,[3]), reliability is not (solely) achieved by mathematics and statistics. "Nearly all teaching and literature on the subject emphasize these aspects, and ignore the reality that the ranges of uncertainty involved largely invalidate quantitative methods for prediction and measurement." [4]

Reliability engineering relates closely to safety engineering and to system safety, in that they use common methods for their analysis and may require input from each other. Reliability engineering focuses on costs of failure caused by system downtime, cost of spares, repair equipment, personnel, and cost of warranty claims. Safety engineering normally emphasizes not cost, but preserving life and nature, and therefore deals only with particular dangerous system-failure modes. High reliability (safety factor) levels also result from good engineering and from attention to detail, and almost never from only reactive failure management (reliability accounting / statistics).[5]

A former United States Secretary of Defense, economist James R. Schlesinger, once stated: "Reliability is, after all, engineering in its most practical form."[4]

The word reliability can be traced back to 1816, by poet Samuel Coleridge.[7] Before World War II the name has been linked mostly to repeatability. A test (in any type of science) was considered reliable if the same results would be obtained repeatedly. In the 1920s product improvement through the use of statistical quality control was promoted by Dr. Walter A. Shewart at Bell Labs.[8] Around this time Wallodi Weibull was working on statistical models for fatigue. The development of reliability engineering was here on a parallel path with quality. The modern use of the word reliability was defined by the U.S. military in the 1940s and evolved to the present. It initially came to mean that a product would operate when expected (nowadays called "mission readiness") and for a specified period of time. In the time around the WWII and later, many reliability issues were due to inherent unreliability of electronics and to fatigue issues. In 1945, M.A. Miner published the seminal paper titled Cumulative Damage in Fatigue in an ASME journal. A main application for reliability engineering in the military was for the vacuum tube as used in radar systems and other electronics, for which reliability has proved to be very problematic and costly. The IEEE formed the Reliability Society in 1948. In 1950, on the military side, a group called the Advisory Group on the Reliability of Electronic Equipment, AGREE, was born. This group recommended the following 3 main ways of working:

In the 1960s more emphasis was given to reliability testing on component and system level. The famous military standard 781 was created at that time. Around this period also the much-used (and also much-debated) military handbook 217 was published by RCA (Radio Corporation of America) and was used for the prediction of failure rates of components. The emphasis on component reliability and empirical research (e.g. Mil Std 217) alone slowly decreases. More pragmatic approaches, as used in the consumer industries, are being used. The 1980s was a decade of great changes. Televisions had become all semiconductor. Automobiles rapidly increased their use of semiconductors with a variety of microcomputers under the hood and in the dash. Large air conditioning systems developed electronic controllers, as had microwave ovens and a variety of other appliances. Communications systems began to adopt electronics to replace older mechanical switching systems. Bellcore issued the first consumer prediction methodology for telecommunications, and SAE developed a similar document SAE870050 for automotive applications. The nature of predictions evolved during the decade, and it became apparent that die complexity wasn't the only factor that determined failure rates for Integrated Circuits (ICs). Kam Wong published a paper questioning the bathtub curve [9]--see also Reliability Centered Maintenance. During this decade, the failure rate of many components dropped by a factor of 10. Software became important to the reliability of systems. By the 1990s, the pace of IC development was picking up. Wider use of stand-alone microcomputers was common, and the PC market helped keep IC densities following Moores Law and doubling about every 18 months. Reliability Engineering now was more changing towards understanding the physics of failure. Failure rates for components kept on dropping, but system-level issues became more prominent. Systems Thinking became more and more important. For software, the CCM model (Capability Maturity Model) was developed, which gave a more qualitative approach to reliability. ISO 9000 added reliability measures as part of the design and development portion of Certification. The expansion of the World-Wide Web created new challenges of security and trust. The older problem of too little reliability information available had now been replaced by too much information of questionable value. Consumer reliability problems could now have data and be discussed online in real time. New technologies such as micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), handheld GPS, and hand-held devices that combined cell phones and computers all represent challenges to maintain reliability. Product development time continued to shorten through this decade and what had been done in three years was being done in 18 months. This meant that reliability tools and tasks must be more closely tied to the development process itself. In many ways, reliability became part of everyday life and consumer expectations.

The objectives of reliability engineering, in the order of priority, are:[10]

The reason for the priority emphasis is that it is by far the most effective way of working, in terms of minimizing costs and generating reliable products.The primary skills that are required, therefore, are the ability to understand and anticipate the possible causes of failures, and knowledge of how to prevent them. It is also necessary to have knowledge of the methods that can be used for analysing designs and data.

Reliability engineering for complex systems requires a different, more elaborate systems approach than for non-complex systems. Reliability engineering may in that case involve:

Effective reliability engineering requires understanding of the basics of failure mechanisms for which experience, broad engineering skills and good knowledge from many different special fields of engineering,[11] like:

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Reliability engineering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Diabetes mellitus type1 (also known as type1 diabetes, or T1D; formerly insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes) is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from the autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.[2] The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose. The classical symptoms are polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), polyphagia (increased hunger) and weight loss.[3]

The cause of diabetes mellitus type 1 is unknown.[4] Type1 diabetes can be distinguished from type2 by autoantibody testing. The C-peptide assay, which measures endogenous insulin production, can also be used.

Administration of insulin is essential for survival. Insulin therapy must be continued indefinitely and does not usually impair normal daily activities. People are usually trained to manage their diabetes independently; however, for some this can be challenging. Untreated, diabetes can cause many complications.[4]Acute complications include diabetic ketoacidosis and nonketotic hyperosmolar coma. Serious long-term complications include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, foot ulcers and damage to the eyes.[4] Furthermore, complications may arise from low blood sugar caused by excessive treatment.

Diabetes mellitus type 1 accounts for between 5% and 10% of cases of diabetes.[5][6] Globally, the number of people with DM type 1 is unknown,[7] although it is estimated that about 80,000 children develop the disease each year.[7] Within the United States the number of affected persons is estimated at one to three million.[7][8] The development of new cases vary by country and region; the lowest rates appears to be in Japan and China with approximately 1 person per 100,000 per year; the highest rates are found in Scandinavia where it is closer to 35 new cases per 100,000 per year.[9] The United States and northern Europe[clarification needed] fall somewhere in between with 8-17 new cases per 100,000 per year.[9]

The classical symptoms of type 1 diabetes include: polyuria (excessive urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), xerostomia (dry mouth), polyphagia (increased hunger), fatigue, and weight loss.[3]

Many type 1 diabetics are diagnosed when they present with diabetic ketoacidosis. The signs and symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include xeroderma (dry skin), rapid deep breathing, drowsiness, abdominal pain, and vomiting.[10]

About 12 percent of people with type 1 diabetes have clinical depression.[11]

The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown.[4] A number of explanatory theories have been put forward, and the cause may be one or more of the following: genetic susceptibility, a diabetogenic trigger, and/or exposure to an antigen.[12]

Type1 diabetes is a disease that involves many genes. Depending on locus or combination of loci, they can be dominant, recessive, or somewhere in between. The strongest gene, IDDM1, is located in the MHC Class II region on chromosome 6, at staining region 6p21. Certain variants of this gene increase the risk for decreased histocompatibility characteristic of type1. Such variants include DRB1 0401, DRB1 0402, DRB1 0405, DQA 0301, DQB1 0302 and DQB1 0201, which are common in North Americans of European ancestry and in Europeans.[13] Some variants also appear to be protective.[13]

The risk of a child developing type 1 diabetes is about 10% if the father has it, about 10% if a sibling has it, about 4% if the mother has type 1 diabetes and was aged 25 or younger when the child was born, and about 1% if the mother was over 25 years old when the child was born.[14]

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Diabetes mellitus type 1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that extract waste from blood, balance body fluids, form urine, and aid in other important functions of the body.

They reside against the back muscles in the upper abdominal cavity. They sit opposite each other on either side of the spine. The right kidney sits a little bit lower than the left to accommodate the liver.

When it comes to components of the urinary system, the kidneys are multi-functional powerhouses of activity. Some of the core actions of the kidneys include:

Most people are born with two kidneys, but many people can live on just one. Kidney transplant surgeries with live donors are common medical procedures today.

Because of all of the vital functions the kidneys perform and the toxins they encounter, the kidneys are susceptible to various problems.

Acute kidney failure is a condition in which the kidneys suddenly lose their ability to function properly. This can occur for many reasons, including:

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Kidney Function, Location & Area | Body Maps

Strong and vibrant Immune System Health is the key to overcoming chronic health problems. My name is Kerri Knox. I've been a Registered Nurse in intensive care units and emergency rooms for over a decade and now, as a Functional Medicine Practitioner, a specific type of natural health care practitioner that focuses on remedying chronic and traditionally 'incurable' health problems in my private practice every day, I've learned exactly what it takes for you to overcome your chronic health problems. You can see more about my Functional Medicine Practice here.

Having worked in Emergency Rooms and Intensive Care Units for over 10 years as a Registered Nurse, I was confused and frustrated at the inability of 'Western Medicine' to actually help people to get well. It was great for broken bones and appendicitis, but not so great for those with chronic 'incurable' diseases, and I saw the same people in the hospital and in clinics over and over again trying to simply maintain their poor health and poor quality of life. This frustration over our 'sick care system' inspired me to DO something about actually getting people WELL and improving their health- and I found that creating strong Immune System Health is the absolute key to getting well, overcoming illness and maintaining VIBRANT health!

In fact, 'Western Medicine', also called allopathic medicine or traditional medicine is so focused on managing disease that most people don't even REALIZE that they can overcome their health problems. But after working with thousands of people with health problems, in person and through my website and forums, I can assure you that you absolutely can overcome or at least SIGNIFICANTLY improve your 'incurable' chronic health issues- without drugs. Now that you know that you HAVE a choice, if you are willing to take the first steps to wellness, I'm committed to helping you feel better!

I'll share Scientifically Sound, Well Researched Secrets with you that few doctors know. Some of these secrets, like:

are secrets that have successfully helped tens of thousands of people to REALLY get well, improve their immune system health and Stay well.

To Your Good Health, Kerri Knox Registered Nurse and Functional Medicine Practitioner

Originally posted here:
Easy Immune System Health home page

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a persons body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of those bases are the same in all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the alphabet appear in a certain order to form words and sentences.

DNA bases pair up with each other, A with T and C with G, to form units called base pairs. Each base is also attached to a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule. Together, a base, sugar, and phosphate are called a nucleotide. Nucleotides are arranged in two long strands that form a spiral called a double helix. The structure of the double helix is somewhat like a ladder, with the base pairs forming the ladders rungs and the sugar and phosphate molecules forming the vertical sidepieces of the ladder.

An important property of DNA is that it can replicate, or make copies of itself. Each strand of DNA in the double helix can serve as a pattern for duplicating the sequence of bases. This is critical when cells divide because each new cell needs to have an exact copy of the DNA present in the old cell.

DNA is a double helix formed by base pairs attached to a sugar-phosphate backbone.

The National Human Genome Research Institute fact sheet Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) provides an introduction to this molecule.

Information about the genetic code and the structure of the DNA double helix is available from GeneEd.

The New Genetics, a publication of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, discusses the structure of DNA and how it was discovered.

Nature Educations Scitable offers a thorough description of DNA, including its components and organization. It also includes a short animated video.

A basic explanation and illustration of DNA can be found on Arizona State Universitys Ask a Biologist website.

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What is DNA? - Genetics Home Reference

Bio-Technology is a research oriented science, a combination of Biology and Technology. It covers a wide variety of subjects like Genetics, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Virology, Chemistry and Engineering and is also concerned with many other subjectslike Health and Medicine, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Cropping system and Crop Management, Ecology, Cell Biology, Soil science and Soil Conservation, Bio-statistics, Plant Physiology, Seed Technology etc. Bio-Technology is the use of living things, especially cells and bacteria in industrial process. There is a great scope in this field as the demand for biotechnologist are growing in India as well as abroad.

There are many applications of biotechnology such as developing various medicines, vaccines and diagnostics, increasing productivity, improving energy production and conservation. Biotechnology's intervention in the area of animal husbandry has improved animal breeding. It also helps to improve the quality of seeds, insecticides and fertilizers. Environmental biotechnology helps for pollution control and waste management.

Most of the information that has led to the emergence of biotechnology in the present form has been generated during the last five decades. The setting up of a separate Department of Biotechnology (DBT) (www.dbtindia.nic.in ) under the Ministry of Science and Technology in 1986 gave a new impetus to the development of the field of modern biology and biotechnology in India. More than 6000 biotechnologists of higher skill are required in India as per the report from the Human Resource Development Ministry. To overcome this vast requirement the department of Biotechnology (DBT) has highlighted the need to set up a regulatory body for the maintenance of standard education under the name of 'All- India Board of Biotechnology Education and Training' under the AICTE .

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Biotechnology Careers in India : How to become a ...

LifeCare is Australia's largest provider of allied health, physiotherapy and sports medicine services with over 319 allied health professionals and 39 practices throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. LifeCare offers the highest standard of services with an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach to health management.

Being part of the LifeCare network enables our practitioners to stay at the forefront of clinical education ensuring a uniformly high standard of excellence in patient care.

To see our practitioners teaching specific treatment and exercise techniques to patients click on the LifeCare video button below!

Great people, great practices, great opportunities!

Physiotherapists and other health practitioners have been working together with LifeCare to provide the best care and the best service to our valued clients for almost 30 years.

Our success has been a result of working hard to support each practitioner in all aspects of their career and development. That is why LifeCare provides our practitioners support in the form of: education, training and mentoring.

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Sports Medicine | Physiotherapy Clinics | Physio ...

Stem cells are often in the news. These days its usually about some advance in research. Sometimes the controversy about using embryonic stem cells resurfaces. Despite all the coverage (pro or con) stem cells are not well understood. What are they and why are they important?

In more ways than one, its the potential of stem cells that makes them important. At the moment most of the work with stem cells is still in the laboratory; but thats changing. Within the next few years stem cells, in one form or another, will be at work in medical applications such as repairing a damaged pancreas or a heart. In fact, stem cells will be used to repair or even re-grow tissues all over the body skin, liver, lungs, bone marrow. The production of stem cells, their delivery, and procedures for using them will become the basis of an industry. In the not too distant future stem cells, or the knowledge we gain from working with them, will be used in sophisticated repair of the brain and as part of the development of replacement organs. The potential is enormous.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are found in most multicellular creatures and come in different varieties; all have an important ability: They can fully reproduce themselves almost indefinitely. For example, in mammals like human beings, blood stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells) are active all our lives in the marrow of bones, where they continually produce the many different kinds of blood cells. Therein is another key property for most stem cells; they can become other kinds of cells. The word for this process is differentiate; blood stem cells can differentiate into red blood cells, white blood cells, blood platelets and so forth. The ability to produce different kinds of cells is why stem cells may be used, for example, to repair or replace damaged heart cells something mature heart cells cannot do on their own.

Stem cell jargon

When you read about stem cells, there are a number of words that jump out jargon, yes, but still descriptive. Stem cells are classified by their potency, that is, what other kinds of cells they can become, or put another way, their ability to differentiate into other cells. There is a rank order from more to less potent:

Totipotent sometimes also called omnipotent stem cells can construct a complete and viable organism. In short, they are the same as a cell created by the fusion of the egg and a sperm (an embryonic cell). Totipotent cells can become any type of cell.

Pluripotent stem cells are derived from totipotent cells and are nearly as versatile. They can become any type of cell, except embryonic.

Multipotent stem cells can become a wide variety of cells, but only those of a close family, for example blood stem cells (hematopoietic cells) can become any of the blood cells, but not other kinds of cells.

Oligopotent stem cells are limited to becoming specific types of cells, such as endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm.

Excerpt from:
Stem Cells - SciTechStory

With the development of modern medicine, Stem Cell Therapy or stem cell transplant has been used widely to treat various diseases including chronic kidney disease, especially kidney failure. If patients want to rebuild their kidney structure and reverse their kidney damage, this therapy may worth a try.

Stem cell is one class of cell with self-renewal and pluripotency ability. In center condition, stem cells can differentiate into various functioning cells, so they are applied in many medical fields including blood disease, respiratory system disease, cancer, nervous system disease, kidney disease, and so on.

In recent years, clinical research finds that stem cells can differentiate into inherent kidney cells and renal parenchymal cells, so stem cell transplant shows an obvious effect on repairing and rebuilding kidney functioning cells.

Compared with conventional therapies, stem cells wont cause rejection reaction, have strong differentiated ability, and dont cause any toxicity or side effect. Additionally, most kidney disease or kidney failure patients can use this therapy with doctors guidance.

Chronic kidney disease has always been one difficult problem in medicine. Stem Cell Therapy provides another new hope for these patients to obtain a brand new life. After taking this therapy, some remarkable improvements can be recognized easily. They are:

- High blood pressure, high creatinine level and high urea level decline obviously

- Capillary circulation all over the body improves

- Immune system is normalized

- Patients have more energy and stronger body

- Protein and red blood cells in urine reduce

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Stem Cell Therapy for Kidney Disease - Kidney Service China